The incident of Consort De making things difficult for Yinzhen occurred inside Yonghe Palace. While it might be difficult to investigate what happened inside the palace, it is not difficult to investigate the fact that Yinzhen stood outside in the snow for half an hour.
When the truth was uncovered, Liang Jiugong looked incredulous.
He had a lot of contact with the concubines in the harem while serving His Majesty. In his opinion, Consort De was a capable person with a good reputation; otherwise, she wouldn't have risen through the ranks so quickly.
She used to seem like a very smart person, but after Empress Tong passed away, she kept doing these foolish things with the Fourth Prince. It seems that she still hasn't learned her lesson from the green-headed plaques she received in the first three months!
He naturally didn't hide it from Kangxi, and then Kangxi found out. He already harbored resentment towards Consort De, but he couldn't live a peaceful life. In the dead of winter, he made his son stand in the snow for half an hour. Who gave her the courage?
Then Kangxi went to the Empress Dowager's palace. He no longer wanted to remove the green plaque, since he had already removed it once. He originally thought that Consort De would learn her lesson, but she didn't. There were plenty of ways to make her learn her lesson.
A few days later, when Consort De went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, she was punished for her improper manners by being forced to copy Buddhist scriptures, and the punishment lasted for three months.
That's quite a long time. The green plaque had only been put back on for a few days, and Kangxi hadn't even chosen a name for her yet! Now, she's been placed under house arrest.
Another three months have passed.
The concubines in the harem all knew that the Empress Dowager was a person who didn't like to interfere in anything. Apart from showing some favoritism towards the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Princess, whom she raised by her side, she was also quite good to Consort Yi and Consort De.
Consort Yi was the birth mother of the Fifth Prince, and Consort De was the birth mother of the Ninth Princess.
The Empress Dowager treated the two women well because of their grandchildren, but she punished Consort De simply for a slight lapse in etiquette. Anyone could see that something was amiss.
The only person in the palace with such power to do this was His Majesty.
Everyone in the palace was curious about what Consort De had done this time, and why the Emperor had "set his sights" on her again.
What others could see, Consort De could also see. After thinking for a moment, she understood the reason and said resentfully, "Yinzhen was born to bring me bad luck."
The nanny could tell that her mistress was really angry.
"Your Majesty, people outside are watching! We can't let them laugh at us. Please calm down, Your Majesty."
It took Consort De a while to calm down: "You're right. We can't let people laugh at us. I've been a bit out of line lately, but I won't do it again."
Not long after, the details of Consort De's punishment were revealed, and it indeed became a huge joke.
Consort De hated Yinzhen with a passion. He was usually in good health, but he fell ill right after paying his respects to her. He really knew how to pick his time. No wonder he was raised by that vile woman, Lady Tong. His mind was full of tricks.
Consort De has probably forgotten that she deliberately made Yinzhen stand in the snow and then gave him cold water to drink.
In this freezing weather, after hearing so many sarcastic remarks, if I don't get sick when I get back, do you really think I have an iron body and flesh made of cotton that doesn't feel cold or feel pain?
By the time Consort De finished copying the Buddhist scriptures, it was already early spring of the following year. The weather was warming up, and without Consort De's harassment for the past three months, Yinzhen's days were exceptionally peaceful and comfortable.
Yinzhen thought trouble was about to return! But after the ban was lifted, Consort De became a completely different person, her attitude towards him completely reversed.
Although I know Consort De is putting on an act, I just need to keep it up on the surface. If I really had genuine feelings for Consort De like in my dream, I would be so wronged.
Forgive him for not being able to do it, and for not being willing to do it.
He felt so wronged in his dream, but he doesn't want to feel wronged now.
In this way, the mother and son found a balance in their relationship. Neither of them took it too seriously, but to outsiders, they did present a picture of maternal love and filial piety.
Nothing has happened.
Regardless of whether it was genuine or not, at least Kangxi was satisfied, and then he selected Consort De's nameplate again, and that was the end of it.
Meanwhile, in the small room where the Fourth Prince was staying, Song Yuerong was still learning to read. It wasn't that she wasn't working hard, but she probably didn't have much talent for reading. In addition, the time was indeed short, so it was simply a pipe dream to be able to read and write in just a few months.
She was so worried!
She knew how she got into the Fourth Prince's residence, and she paid such a high price. Now she was stuck in that small room every day and couldn't even get out. She was unwilling to accept it!
But what could she do even if she was unwilling? The Consort De ignored her completely, and as a mere palace maid, she had no power over the Fourth Prince.
She couldn't very well force the Fourth Prince to come and sleep with her.
She doesn't have that much ability.
"Sister Su Xue, could you take a look at how my calligraphy practice went today?"
Su Xue was a female official sent by Yinzhen to teach Song Yuerong. She was not of high rank, but she was literate.
Su Xue picked up the Xuan paper, looked at it indifferently, and said in a flat tone, "It's barely passable. Keep practicing!"
Song Yuerong was already used to Su Xue's cold attitude.
"The weather outside is bad and cold, so I recently made a cloak. If you don't mind, you can wear it when you leave!"
Su Xue declined, saying, "No need. You should practice your calligraphy properly. I'll come again tomorrow."
Seeing that she was unyielding, Song Yuerong didn't dare to say anything on the surface, but she disliked her very much.
She needs freedom, and she needs someone to help her.
She was a palace maid who was supposed to be the one to sleep with the Fourth Prince, but he didn't sleep with her. So she was just a palace maid. Although she didn't have to do any work, she couldn't expect anyone to serve her either.
Aside from a quiet, reserved nanny who brought her meals every day, Su Xue was the only other person she could interact with on a daily basis.
She wanted Su Xue to help her, but Su Xue was unmoved. She was trapped and had nothing of value to offer. She was well aware of her situation, which made her feel even worse.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
