After all the new concubines had finished serving the emperor, they looked at each other and realized that none of them had won his favor. They couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. They were young and beautiful, but it seemed that Yinzhen just didn't like them.
Actually, the newcomers have misunderstood Yinzhen. He is not interested in women, but he still wants more imperial offspring. He is so impartial, but he is just too busy.
It's not good to leave them hanging; we need to make their identities clear.
As for other reasons, it was also because the Consort was pregnant. Yinzhen knew that the Consort was a little jealous and he was afraid that if she was unhappy, it would affect the fetus.
Furthermore, compared to women, his career is his greatest love.
Needless to say, with his thirteenth brother accompanying him in his work at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the new concubines in the harem not being particularly considerate, he naturally chose his thirteenth brother.
When Jia Yue heard about the new concubine's treatment, she wasn't surprised. Historically, Emperor Yongzheng had far fewer concubines than his father and son. The only ones who truly received some favor were Consort Li from his time as a prince and Consort Nian.
After that, there was nothing more.
It seems normal for newcomers to be met with a cold shoulder.
Jia Yue thought it was normal, but the newcomers couldn't stand this normalcy and started thinking of ways to win her favor.
For example, Ulanara often went to Jingren Palace, saying she wanted to keep her cousin company and relieve her boredom.
The Empress had a way of winning her over, and even though she disliked her behavior, she could only treat her to good food and drink.
Consort Zhao was very close to Consort Qi.
Consort Qi didn't really like Zhao Chang, this "cousin" who bore a resemblance to her in her youth. However, she had lost much of the Emperor's favor; in fact, Yinzhen treated her worse than ordinary concubines. She also had the Third Prince, and she wanted to compete for his attention. Therefore, she needed a favored concubine to speak on her behalf to Yinzhen.
Therefore, even though she disliked Consort Zhao, Consort Qi reluctantly accepted it.
As for the others, it wasn't so obvious.
Seeing that the Consort had secured her pregnancy, the Empress could no longer bear it. She devised a plan to get the Consort pregnant in order to free up time for the Empress to serve her in bed, so that there would be more children of the Ulanara clan in the harem. It was not a charity.
On the fifteenth, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, at dusk, Su Peisheng reminded him: "Your Majesty, please watch out for the darkening of the sky. Today is the fifteenth, and the people from Jingren Palace came early this morning to inquire about Your Majesty's dinner."
On the first and fifteenth of the month, Yinzhen said he was going to the Empress's palace, but he could choose not to go, provided he didn't go to anyone else's palace. Su Peisheng's words were simply to say that the Empress had something to say.
Yinzhen put down his pen and ink, looked out the window, and saw that it was indeed getting dark.
"Let's go to Jingren Palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
When Yinzhen arrived at Jingren Palace, after the emperor and empress sat down, the empress smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I have had some nourishing soup prepared. You are busy with state affairs all day long, so you should take good care of your health."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am truly at ease if I do not personally oversee the many affairs of the court."
The Empress sighed, "Your Majesty's diligence in governing and love for the people is a blessing to all. However, Your Majesty cannot always be so busy. I have read the records of the Imperial Household Department. Before the Consort was pregnant, Your Majesty had someone to relieve his fatigue by going out. Now that the Consort is pregnant, Your Majesty is even less inclined to enter the harem. Is it because the newly entered concubines do not suit your taste?"
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen understood what the Empress meant to express today.
He also thought of the newcomers, who were all quite good. Compared to before, the quality of the newcomers was obviously better, but he simply didn't have the leisure to do so.
But we must also give face to the Empress.
Furthermore, newcomers really can't be ignored forever.
"The newcomer's performance is acceptable, but I am busy. I have received the Empress's wishes and I understand them."
The Empress stopped there and said no more.
Dinner was ready, and the Empress served Yinzhen his meal. That night, Yinzhen stayed overnight at Jingren Palace.
The next day, the green plaque of the Imperial Household Department came in handy.
The first to be chosen was Consort Ulanara. Yinzhen was well aware of Ulanara's intentions. If she could conceive, Yinzhen would not mind having another child with Ulanara's bloodline.
Once the first person was there, things became normal afterward.
However, perhaps because the newcomer was too "new," Yinzhen, for some reason, showed Jia Yue more favor.
Jia Yue accepted this well.
Anyway, she's overcome the first hurdle and accepted it.
Although Yinzhen wasn't exactly handsome, he was different from the fat orange cat. He was only forty years old and took good care of himself, so he looked decent.
Jia Yue was already quite old, so she could accept it.
These days were relatively peaceful, and just like that, summer arrived.
"Last year, I heard the Emperor say that we could go to the Yuanmingyuan to escape the summer heat. I don't know when we can go, and the weather is getting hotter and hotter."
"This servant has inquired and learned that when His Majesty was still a prince, he would go to escape the summer heat with Emperor Kangxi around this time. Everyone knows that His Majesty suffers from the summer heat, so it should be soon."
Jia Yue is not heat-tolerant. Last year was an exception due to the special circumstances, but this year she is inevitably more irritable.
"I hope it will be soon! I am an adult, so this weather is only a little uncomfortable for me. Hongzhao is still a child, so we have to be careful not to use too much ice, which would be more of a hardship for him."
Children are more susceptible to catching colds in the summer! The slight change in temperature can cause wealthy children to develop "diseases of affluence."
Although Yinzhen had no shortage of ice, he did indeed feel the heat of summer.
Jia Yue had only been talking about it for two days when the Empress announced that she would be going to the Yuanmingyuan Garden to escape the summer heat.
As for the attendants, the Yuanmingyuan of today is not the same as the garden of ten thousand gardens that was repaired and expanded by successive emperors. Although the Yuanmingyuan of today is somewhat larger than it was during the Kangxi era, the national treasury is not abundant, and Yinzhen did not carry out large-scale repairs or constructions.
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