That night, the west wing of Yikun Palace was brightly lit.
Upon entering the palace, Zhi Shu respectfully reported to Xu Lejin: "Your Highness, the Emperor has chosen Consort Dong of Zhongcui Palace today. At this moment, the Phoenix Spring Grace Carriage has already taken Consort Dong to the side hall of Qianqing Palace."
"Okay, I understand."
Xu Lejin responded with a smile, "Sister Dong once gave birth to the Emperor's second daughter. Although the second daughter died young, her past affection for the Emperor remains. It is only natural that the Emperor summoned Sister Dong to serve him in bed."
Zhi Shu slightly raised her eyes and glanced at Xu Lejin.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhishu said softly, "Your Highness need not worry. His Majesty has Your Highness in his heart."
"..."
Xu Lejin glanced at Zhishu with a half-smile and spoke coldly, “What do I care about? The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven has a noble status. I am just a palace maid who was granted the title of concubine after gaining the Emperor’s favor. All the concubines in the harem are the Emperor’s women. It is the Emperor’s freedom to summon or favor whichever concubine he wants.”
"Even the Empress cannot control the Emperor's mind."
Zhi Shu lowered her eyes and replied respectfully, "Yes."
Early the next morning.
Niohuru and Tongjia looked haggard.
With a gloomy look in her eyes, Lady Tongjia glanced at Lady Dong, who was second to last on the left, and sneered, saying, "Your Majesty, I heard that it was Consort Dong who served you last night."
"Among the sisters in the harem, if it weren't for the fact that it was Consort Dong who served me last night, I would have almost forgotten that there was such a person as Consort Dong in the palace."
Madam Dong's face stiffened, and she lowered her head without saying a word.
The Empress smiled gently: "Sister Tongjia has always been deeply favored by the Emperor, so naturally he has overlooked Consort Dong. Consort Dong once gave birth to the Emperor's second daughter. Although the second daughter died young, the Emperor has always held Consort Dong in his heart."
Tongjia's face turned from white to blue, and her hands, which were hanging in her sleeves, clenched into fists.
Xu Lejin slightly raised her eyes and glanced at the Empress and Tongjia, a barely perceptible sneer appearing on her lips.
At this moment, Niohuru looked weak and smiled gently, "Sister Tongjia, what the Empress said is very true. Thunder and rain are both blessings from Heaven. There are only a few concubines in the harem. Consort Dong once gave birth to a princess for the Emperor, so it is only natural that the Emperor would favor her more."
“Niohuru clan, you…”
Tongjia glared hatefully at Niohuru.
The Empress sneered and rebuked, "Sister Tongjia, Sister Niohuru shares the same rank as you and is a few years older than you. You should address Sister Niohuru as 'elder sister' instead of calling her by her surname."
"Your Majesty, in the palace, age is never used to determine rank."
Tongjia smiled contemptuously, her arrogant gaze sweeping over Majia, Nara, Dong, and Zhang. "The eldest concubine in the palace is Majia, followed by Zhang, but they are only concubines. Does the Empress mean that I, as a concubine, should address Majia and Zhang as elder sisters?"
"Your Majesty respects them and addresses them as Consorts. If I were to be so self-respecting and address them directly as Ma Jia or Zhang, there would be no fault in it. Your Majesty the Empress is the mother of the nation and the head of the inner palace. It is their good fortune that you are willing to elevate them. However, I would never lower myself to address them as my sisters."
After speaking, Tongjia proudly raised her head slightly.
Upon hearing this, Ma Jiashi, Zhang Shi, and the others looked extremely displeased, but dared not speak out in anger.
The empress's face was ashen, and her beautiful eyes held a gloomy expression.
"I never knew that Sister Tongjia was so eloquent. After hearing what Sister Tongjia said today, I suddenly realized that it was an honor for me to call you 'sister'. If I didn't want to honor you, I should have just called you 'Tongjia Shi' directly."
With a cold laugh, the Empress looked at Lady Tongjia and said in a deep voice, enunciating each word clearly, "Lady Tongjia, don't you think so?"
Tongjia's eyes were gloomy.
After hesitating for a long time, Lady Tongjia blushed and spoke in a cold voice, "Your Majesty the Empress's admonition is correct, and I will keep it in mind. However, I have something to say that I hope all the sisters in the harem will keep in mind."
"For concubines in the imperial harem, those who are not favored are considered lowly!"
The Empress's expression changed, and she remained silent with a gloomy face.
Niohuru, Dong, and several other concubines who were not favored by the emperor lowered their heads and looked at their toes, feeling both ashamed and angry, and harboring deep hatred for Tongjia.
Xu Lejin sighed helplessly.
Tongjia's cold gaze fell on Xu Lejin, and she said disdainfully, "Xu was newly favored and was made a concubine. I thought the Emperor would favor Xu for a while, but I didn't expect the Emperor to choose Dong in the blink of an eye."
"So what if she came from the Empress's palace and was carefully trained? She's still not as good as Lady Dong."
Upon hearing this, the Empress turned ashen with anger.
Xu Lejin raised her eyes, gave Tongjia a meaningful look, and carefully chose her words before speaking softly, "Your Highness's teachings are correct. The light of a mere firefly can never rival Your Highness's bright moonlight."
"In the harem, apart from the Empress, who was the Emperor's lawfully wedded wife and was brought into the palace through the Great Qing Gate, Your Highness Chengqian Palace and your concubines are all concubines. Even if you are favored and fortunate enough to bear the Emperor a son or daughter, you can never surpass the Empress."
"After all, the Empress is the only one in the palace, while the ranks of concubines and secondary consorts below her are not fixed."
After Xu Lejin finished speaking, she lowered her head and humbled herself.
Tongjia was furious, her anger rising to the top of her head. Her eyes were filled with venom as she stared at Xu Lejin, wishing she could devour her alive!
At that moment, a eunuch's shrill voice came from outside the Kunning Palace: "The Emperor has arrived."
The people inside the hall immediately regained their composure and calmness, their faces adorned with gentle and dignified smiles. With the help of the palace maids, they stood up and all looked toward the doorway.
Xu Lejin lowered her head and stood at the end of the list of concubines.
Kangxi strode into the main hall of Kunning Palace with brisk steps.
The Empress led the concubines, half-kneeling down and respectfully bowing to Emperor Kangxi: "Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, greet you. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
"Rise, no need for such formalities!"
Kangxi's gaze fell on the Empress, and on the heavily pregnant Zhang and Ma Jia, and his brows furrowed slightly.
With Yingchun's help, Xu Lejin got up and carefully sat down at the end of the table.
Kangxi looked at the Empress and the others, and said in a deep voice, "The Empress is pregnant, just over three months along, and should not overexert herself. Everything should be done with the sake of the imperial fetus in her womb in mind. Lady Zhang and Lady Ma are further along in their pregnancy, so they should be extra careful. Lady Zhao is still in her early pregnancy, so she should avoid overthinking."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Empress smiled and agreed.
Ma Jia and the others could not hide their joy and replied in unison, "We thank Your Majesty for your consideration and will do our best to nurture the dragon child in our wombs."
Kangxi nodded, his gaze falling on Xu Lejin, his expression complex.
After a moment, Kangxi spoke in a cold voice, "I have come to Kunning Palace today because of my previous favoritism towards Lady Xu..."
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