After asking her question, Ji Huan said no more, and then the other concubines arrived one after another.
Half an hour later, the Empress came out looking weak: "The Sixth Prince has recovered. His Majesty and Consort Chun are taking care of him inside. My sisters, please go back now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Ji Huan glanced at Consort Xian by chance and, sure enough, saw a fleeting look of regret in her eyes, probably lamenting that the Sixth Prince hadn't died.
Ji Huan asked the system in her mind, "System, what is the specific situation of the Sixth Prince inside?"
The system has monitoring and inspection functions for pregnancy, offspring, and the like.
Just a wall away, it's within the system's monitoring range.
The system immediately said, "Although the Sixth Prince has been rescued, the water is cold in autumn, and he was indeed drowned for quite a while. He will probably need to take medicine constantly from now on."
"I see! Then Consort Chun is probably going to be heartbroken."
As far as she knew, Consort Chun had high hopes for the Sixth Prince. Although the Third Prince was older, he was not particularly intelligent. Consort Chun was already a Consort, so how could she not be eager to compete for that position?
The Sixth Prince was clever and lively, and was greatly favored by Emperor Qianlong.
Strictly speaking, although Consort Xian did not achieve her intended goal, her scheme could not be considered a failure.
Consort Chun is undoubtedly in pain, but it's unknown whether she'll consider trying for another child. After all, she's not young anymore. The Empress, in order to give birth to the Seventh Prince, went through a difficult pregnancy at an advanced age, which ruined her health.
Consort Chun was not much younger than Empress Fucha.
On her way back, she saw Consort Xian and Consort Shu walking together. She guessed that Consort Xian had probably found out that it was Consort Shu's people who gave her the clues. The two were high-ranking concubines of the Manchu Banner who were unable to have children.
Ji Huan chuckled inwardly, knowing that life in the palace would only get more exciting from now on.
Back at the natural painting, Ji Huan immediately ordered, "Prepare brush and ink; I want to copy Buddhist scriptures for the Sixth Prince to pray for his well-being."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Copying Buddhist scriptures has almost become her persona. She has never stopped copying Buddhist scriptures. In less than a year since entering the palace, she has copied a lot of Buddhist scriptures, and her handwriting has become more and more refined. She has also received a lot of praise from Emperor Qianlong. Emperor Qianlong even gave her several seals, saying that he would use them for stamping.
Ji Huan only stamped her seal on her own calligraphy and paintings; she was too embarrassed to use the calligraphy and paintings sent by Emperor Qianlong.
The matter concerning the Sixth Prince ended unexpectedly. Consort Chun did not believe it, but she could not find out anything, so she had to give up.
Ji Huan had come to understand that the scheming among the high-ranking concubines in the harem was always accurate, as long as one was willing to plot or not. Since Emperor Qianlong was in good health, many women in the harem had become pregnant over the years, but few had given birth, which was not surprising.
Soon, autumn passed peacefully, and winter arrived.
Consort Jia was born prematurely, and the child was a prince, but he died shortly after birth.
When Emperor Qianlong decided to return to the palace, Ji Huan had no choice but to leave Yuanmingyuan. To be honest, she was very reluctant to leave, as the natural landscape was much more comfortable to live in than the main hall of Xianfu Palace.
However, this is not something she can decide.
The carriage swayed and wobbled as it safely entered the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City in winter has a different feel, very solemn and dignified.
Just as Ji Huan got up, she heard Shu Xiang come in and say, "Your Majesty, it's snowing!"
"It snowed really early this year, and it snowed heavily."
"Yes, Xiao Anzi built two snowmen early this morning. Your Majesty can take a look when you get up. They're quite interesting!"
The palace was desolate, and the servants would always try their best to make their masters happy. Building a snowman was nothing unusual, but Ji Huan was indeed quite interested in it.
After getting up, she dressed warmly and ate. Outside, the snow was still falling, and the palace servants were constantly clearing it to ensure there was at least one path to walk out.
There were indeed two snowmen standing gracefully in the yard, lifelike, one a cat and the other a dog, both enormous in size.
Ji Huan was overjoyed to see this.
"This snowman is quite well made. It's a scholarly place. Xiao Anzi is enjoying it. The weather is getting colder and colder. Set up a pot in the tea room and prepare ginger soup and hot soup at any time. Everyone should have at least a bowl so they don't get sick."
"Your Majesty is kind, this servant will make arrangements immediately."
Ji Huan was very considerate to the palace servants. In summer, they could drink mung bean soup to cool them down at any time, and in winter, they could drink soup and ginger soup to ward off the cold. They were rewarded for running errands and for doing a good job.
It can be said that as long as one is loyal and dedicated, life will not be too bad for someone working at Xianfu Palace.
Spending a lot of money has yielded obvious results.
In the afternoon, the snow was still falling. Bored, Ji Huan saw Qianlong's red dot emerge from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, seemingly heading towards the Jianfu Palace.
Ji Huan then said, "I've heard that Jingyi Pavilion has planted many plum blossoms. Enjoying plum blossoms in the snow in winter is a great pleasure. Let's go take a look!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Jingyi Pavilion is located in the garden of Jianfu Palace, not far from Xianfu Palace.
The Forbidden City was exceptionally quiet after the snowfall. There were almost no people on the road from Xianfu Palace to Jingyi Pavilion. Ji Huan soon arrived at her destination.
Emperor Qianlong hasn't arrived yet, which is good. He's a control freak and dislikes people inquiring about his whereabouts. A chance encounter is fine, but deliberately creating one is not.
"Jade bones need not fear the miasma, icy beauty possesses an ethereal grace! Shuxiang, bring me the scissors, I will personally cut a few plum blossoms to take back with me."
Shuxiang smiled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Emperor Qianlong exclaimed, "My beloved concubine has such refined taste!"
When Ji Huan saw Emperor Qianlong, her eyes lit up, and she quickly greeted him: "Greetings, Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
Emperor Qianlong helped her up: "No need for formalities. My beloved concubine was just reciting Su Shi's 'Xi Jiang Yue - Plum Blossom.' Although this poem is beautiful, it carries a sense of mourning."
Ji Huan laughed: "Although there is a sense of mourning, there is also a sense of entrustment. Using plum blossoms as a metaphor for people and to express feelings through plum blossoms is also another kind of praise for plum blossoms!"
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