When Consort De received the news that her green nameplate had been removed from the Imperial Household Department—a decision personally ordered by the Emperor—she was so angry that she couldn't hold back and smashed a set of her favorite teacups.
Only after she smashed it did she realize that this tea set was her favorite. Moreover, she had always presented a gentle demeanor, so it was indeed inappropriate for her to lose her temper in public like this.
She suppressed her anger and said, "I made a mistake. Clean it up quickly and bring over a new set from the storeroom."
Everyone in the palace knew that this was not an accident, but since the Empress said it was an accident, then it was an accident.
Because after wearing the mask of gentleness and understanding for so long, one can't even be openly angry.
After sending the servants out of the palace, she kept only her trusted nanny behind, and then her expression changed.
"Granny, quickly send someone to find out what His Majesty did today and why he took his anger out on me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Although it was forbidden to spy on the emperor's whereabouts, the palace was full of people and eyes, so Kangxi's travels were still traceable.
It wasn't long before the results were found.
"What did you say? After His Majesty left the Fourth Prince's residence and returned to the Qianqing Palace, he ordered the removal of my green plaque."
The old woman said, "This is all the information I could find out."
Upon hearing this, Consort De said resentfully, "I think Yinzhen was born to bring me misfortune."
The old nanny dared not speak rashly upon hearing this, but she disagreed in her heart. How was the Empress able to rise from a lowly palace maid to the high-ranking Consort De? Every step of this journey was inseparable from the Fourth Prince.
Every palace has its maids who try to seduce the emperor, and even the Empress could not control the emperor's preferences. However, if the Empress hadn't deliberately changed the contraceptive medicine back then, she wouldn't have been able to get pregnant.
Because of her pregnancy, the Emperor promoted her from a palace maid to a concubine, and later, after giving birth to the Fourth Prince, she was promoted from a concubine to a high-ranking official.
Later, she watched as the Empress used the "motherly heart" of the Fourth Prince to act in front of the Emperor and gain his pity for her.
Only then did His Majesty decide to give her another child.
Then came the subsequent births and promotions.
Every step the Empress took was inseparable from the presence of the Fourth Prince. The saying that the Fourth Prince was born to bring misfortune to the Empress is actually quite unreasonable.
However, having served her for so many years, the old nanny knew the Empress's deep-seated obsession, and ultimately, it was just a case of taking her anger out on her.
Knowing this, the nanny still felt it shouldn't be like this. The Fourth Prince was a prince, how could the Empress dislike him? She understood this principle, but the Empress just didn't.
With a sigh, the old woman began to comfort Consort De again.
The news that Consort De's green headband was removed when the Fourth Prince had just woken up quickly spread throughout the entire harem. Over the years, Consort De had served as a palace maid alongside several noble ladies from prominent Manchu families, who were all considered consorts. To be honest, the other ladies were also unhappy about this.
Especially since the Emperor favored Consort De the most among the four consorts, he was even more displeased.
However, Consort De was resourceful, favored by the Emperor, and had connections within the palace, so no one ever managed to bring her down.
Now that she has been stripped of her green plaque, many people are happy, especially Consort Yi.
She was usually a cheerful person and was also very beautiful. She couldn't stand Consort De's pretense of being gentle and virtuous. Besides, the two were about the same age and had their children one after the other, so it was inevitable that there would be some sordid things going on.
The two used to be evenly matched, but now that Consort De is in trouble, she is only reaping what she sowed. Consort Yi was so happy that she ate half a bowl more rice that night!
After finishing her meal, she couldn't help but say to the nanny, "I think Consort De has gotten used to living a life of luxury all these years and has probably forgotten what her origins are. The fact that she has reached this point in her life, which was originally meant to serve others, is because His Majesty has favored her. She actually dares to take herself seriously and look down on the Imperial Prince. I don't know what she's thinking."
Knowing that her mistress was in a good mood, the nanny smiled and said, "That one in Yonghe Palace must be too arrogant. The Empress just passed away, and she thinks that the mountain pressing down on her head is gone. Otherwise, she wouldn't dare to be so presumptuous!"
Upon hearing this, Consort Yi agreed, saying, "Yes, she's become too ambitious."
In her early years, Consort De was extremely cautious and prudent, but now she dares to be so audacious. Wasn't she raised by His Majesty? Now that His Majesty has personally punished her, it seems that Consort De will probably have to be cautious and prudent for the rest of her life.
Otherwise, His Majesty would not spare her.
Consort Yi thought to herself that she would inevitably have to see Consort De act even more hypocritically in the future. Thinking of this, she felt a little disgusted, but that was three months from now.
His Majesty said that Consort De had her green plaque removed due to illness, so she must remain ill. How can a sick person go out and wander around?
I'm in a good mood since I haven't seen Consort De for three months. As for what will happen after three months, who knows!
The reason why Consort De's green headband was removed was something that everyone in the harem knew. They were all shrewd and could guess the cause and effect. Almost everyone was gloating.
Yinzhen also heard about this. Although he did not think of himself as Yongzheng, the events in his dream still had some impact on him, and he had rather complicated feelings towards Consort De.
He knew she disliked him, and even somewhat loathed him. In his dreams, Consort De often made things difficult for him. Since it was his father who punished him, he simply pretended not to hear it.
After all, his father was standing up for him, so even if he wanted to be filial, he wouldn't plead for mercy now; he would treat it as if he didn't know anything about it.
After resting for two or three days, Yinzhen resumed his usual routine, and his main task each day was to go to the Imperial Study.
Because of the dream, Yinzhen had become much more open-minded. After all, he was still a prince. Besides, seeing how hard his life was in the dream, he really didn't want to go through the same thing again.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
