When Consort Xi received the returned items, she was unusually stunned.
"It was my carelessness. The Empress Dowager's path is no longer viable."
"Your Majesty, if you ask me, the Empress Dowager is not young anymore. As long as our Fourth Prince is promising, the Empress Dowager is of little importance."
"I know, but Hongli is still young. It would be good if he had an elder to protect him. I just didn't expect the Empress Dowager to be so perceptive. Of course, she is no ordinary person to have stood out from the crowd as a palace maid and become the Empress Dowager. Since the things have been returned, let's clean them up."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"By the way, I heard that His Majesty went to Consort Jing's place and even had dinner there?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. But Your Majesty need not worry. It is unknown whether Consort Jing is carrying a boy or a girl. Moreover, she has had several miscarriages. Even if she can give birth to the child, she will still need medicine."
"I am still a little worried. It's a pity that Consort Jing's physician was arranged by the Empress Dowager, which makes it impossible for me to do anything."
"If Your Majesty feels that Consort Jing is not in a good position, this servant can contact someone outside the palace to change Consort Jing's imperial physician.
Consort Xi was tempted, but shook her head: "The Noble Consort just lost her child because the imperial physician had ulterior motives. At this critical juncture, if there is a problem with Consort Jing's imperial physician, the Emperor will probably continue to investigate. It is not worth taking such a risk for Consort Jing. As far as Consort Jing's health is concerned, you are right, I really don't need to worry too much."
Even so, Consort Xi still felt that something was amiss.
When Jia Yue received the Empress Dowager's gift and a nursing nanny, she was stunned and saw off the palace servants from Shou Kang Palace.
Jia Yue: "Has Granny Chen always served by the Empress Dowager's side?"
“This servant was once the Ninth Princess’s wet nurse. As the Ninth Princess grew older, she no longer needed many people around her, so this servant has been serving the Empress Dowager ever since.”
"Does the old woman have any relatives?"
“I only have one daughter, who is already married and has children, and she is living a peaceful life.”
Jia Yue smiled: "I will have to trouble you to take care of me after this pregnancy. If you have any difficulties, please tell me. I can't bear to see people suffer."
Having been assigned to the task, Granny Chen had no choice but to do her best; she had to protect the child the Empress Dowager wanted to protect.
"Then this servant thanks Your Highness in advance."
"Baochun, take Granny Chen to settle in! Starting tomorrow, I will need Granny Chen to take care of my food, clothing, and lodging."
Bao Chun left with Granny Chen.
Chuxiu Palace returned to calm.
When Consort Xi learned that the Empress Dowager had sent the nanny to Jia Yue's place, she sighed but didn't say anything, though her eyes revealed regret.
At Jingren Palace, the Empress's trusted maid, Harp, reported this matter to the Empress.
Upon hearing this, the Empress frowned slightly: "Does the Empress Dowager not trust me?"
"Your Majesty, Consort Jing's pregnancy is nothing special, so it's not worth worrying about. I received a message from the Fujin (the Empress Dowager), asking Your Majesty to persuade the Emperor to hold a selection of concubines as soon as possible after the late Emperor is buried in the imperial mausoleum."
In the past, when the Emperor was just a prince, Consort Xi was respectful to the Empress, and it was understandable that the Empress would promote the Fourth Prince. But now that the Emperor is the Emperor, I think Consort Xi has quite a few ambitions.
"Your Majesty should also consider your own situation. The Fourth Prince ultimately has no relation to you. What the Princess Consort means is that you have a cousin who is of marriageable age; her father isn't very promising, but she herself has some talent."
After listening, the Empress remained silent for a long time.
She thought of Honghui, the child on whom both she and Yinzhen had placed high hopes, a child who was exceptionally intelligent.
However, she does need a prince from the Ulanara clan.
"His Majesty is filial and will not be easily persuaded."
The Empress was tempted. She couldn't say she had no feelings for her husband, Yinzhen, but no matter how much she felt, it had long since turned into a relationship of mutual benefit.
Being an empress without children or favor is not easy, especially when there is a favored concubine from an outstanding family.
Consort Nian wasn't exactly domineering, but because of her, Yinzhen made many exceptions for her, at one point granting her the same level of authority over expenses as the Empress.
This was an overstepping of authority, and the Empress was dissatisfied with both Yinzhen and Consort Nian.
However, the Qing Dynasty empresses did not have much power and could not do much, so they could only act indirectly.
Harp immediately suggested, "Your Majesty, don't forget the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager doesn't necessarily approve of the Emperor's favoritism towards Consort Gui. She only refrains from making things difficult for Consort Gui out of consideration for her son."
If the Empress Dowager were to make the suggestion, the Emperor might not refuse. After all, compared to the late Emperor, the Emperor has fewer children. When he was a prince, it didn't matter, but now that he is the Emperor, he can't be indifferent.
"I'll subtly bring it up when I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager later!"
That being said, the Queen felt that the chances of success were very high.
Ordinary people who valued etiquette observed a three-year mourning period, during which they ate vegetarian food, refrained from entertainment, and did not work. However, it was impossible for an emperor to observe such a long mourning period.
Historically, Emperor Yongzheng observed a three-year mourning period after ascending the throne and did not hold a general election.
However, it's also possible that he inherited a mess at that time, with the national treasury severely depleted, and coupled with his advanced age, that led to this situation.
Emperor Kangxi lived several years less than recorded in history. These few years allowed Yinzhen and his full brother, the Fourteenth Prince, to avoid the fierce battles that occurred in history, and also gave them room to maneuver with the so-called Eighth Prince faction.
Although the national treasury is not abundant, it is just enough to get by.
The bureaucracy is corrupt, but it can still be salvaged.
Now that Yinzhen has ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager has also contributed. Although she was biased in the past, there is no lasting grudge between mother and son.
If the Empress Dowager were to speak up, it wouldn't be impossible to hold a selection of concubines after Kangxi's burial.
After all, the world is vast, but nothing is greater than the difficulty of producing an emperor's heir.
According to the Ministry of Rites' actions, it will take several more months before Kangxi can be buried in the imperial mausoleum, and after some more preparations, it will be almost a year since Kangxi's death.
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