On her way back, Jia Yue encountered Consort Xi.
A hint of surprise flashed in Jia Yue's eyes: "Greetings, Consort Xi."
This road doesn't seem to lead to Consort Xi's residence!
Consort Xi smiled and said, "Sister Jingpin, there's no need for such formalities. I just saw the Imperial Concubine giving birth, which reminded me of the scene when I gave birth to Hongli. I was quite emotional and ended up here without realizing it. It just so happens that I ran into Sister Jingpin. Why don't we take a walk together?"
Jia Yue nodded: "Then I'll do as Your Majesty says."
"Sister, you're too kind. We're both imperial concubines. I'm a few years older than you, so just call me 'elder sister.'"
"Then I shall call you Consort Xi."
Consort Xi didn't insist, and nodded with a smile: "Alright."
The two began to talk as they walked.
Consort Xi sighed, "Unbeknownst to me, I have been serving His Majesty for more than ten years. When I first entered the palace to serve His Majesty, I was young and had not been able to see him for a long time. Later, when I got older, I had the opportunity to receive some favor, which led to Hongli. In the blink of an eye, many years have passed!"
Jia Yue didn't know how to respond to this, and only said, "It's not easy for Consort Xi either, but everyone has their own difficulties. Now that Consort Xi has the Fourth Prince by her side, life is easier."
Consort Xi smiled and nodded: "Sister, you know how to talk. My life has indeed become much better, but it is still far inferior to that of the Noble Consort. When I gave birth to Hongli, the Emperor did not even personally attend to me."
Seeing the Consort give birth now, I finally understand how much the Emperor cherishes someone. Even the rewards given to the midwife who delivered the baby were more valuable than those given to anyone else! Not to mention the way the Emperor was so anxious for the Consort; it's something most people can only envy.
As she spoke, Consort Xi's tone became increasingly emotional, and her initial smile disappeared.
Jia Yue sensed something unusual in what she was saying.
Is Consort Xi trying to sow discord?
It's not impossible. She began to gain favor during the Consort's pregnancy, and the Consort's midwife did indeed receive more rewards than when she gave birth to Hongzhao.
Jia Yue didn't think much of it, but after Consort Xi said that, she didn't think much of it. After all, the rank of Imperial Concubine was higher than that of Consort, and she accepted this difference well.
Consort Xi's words certainly sparked much speculation!
Consort Xi has ill intentions; this is Jia Yue's conclusion.
Thinking of this, Jia Yue lowered her head, pretending to be downcast: "His Majesty's sincerity towards the Consort is truly enviable!"
Consort Xi smiled where Jia Yue couldn't see, and said nothing more. Such provocations should be left unsaid; saying too much would only make things worse.
Consort Xi then naturally changed the subject and started talking about children. However, what Consort Xi implied was that the Emperor would definitely favor Consort Gui's children more in the future.
Even if the women in the imperial harem can let go of the favor bestowed upon them, what about their children?
All I can say is that Consort Xi knows how to manipulate people's psychology.
After parting ways with Consort Xi, Jia Yue couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. To be honest, she was a little tired. She guessed that Consort Xi's ability to become the ultimate winner was probably not easy, but her behavior made Jia Yue unable to be happy.
The fact that Consort Xi wanted to use her to deal with Consort Gui shows that she had ill intentions towards both Consort Xi and Hongzhao.
Indeed, her son Hongzhao was one of only two princes born to Manchu bannermen concubines in the harem. Although Consort Nian was also from the Manchu bannermen, she was elevated to a higher banner after Yinzhen ascended the throne.
Hongzhao and Hongli were not much different in age.
To some extent, the two were rivals, and it's understandable that Consort Xi began to suppress dissidents while Hongzhao was still young.
After returning to Bitong Academy, Jia Yue had a simple dinner and then went to her study to start working on this project, as she needed to organize her thoughts.
Today marked her first private interaction with Consort Xi, allowing her to understand what kind of person Consort Xi was.
She now suspects that the original owner's death may be related to Consort Xi.
Judging from Consort Xi's demeanor, it seems difficult for her to remain untainted in the harem.
But some things require me to intervene.
She thought about many things, and some of them were contradictory.
Later, she realized that she could no longer be alone when she started vying for favor. Moreover, she could submit to others, but she did not want to entrust her life and safety to others.
If you don't fight, you might not die in the future, but you'll be controlled by others. Just think of the fate of the absurd prince Hongzhou in history.
Whether to fight or not, she had already made up her mind.
Looking up again, Jia Yue's eyes were clear, and then she burned what she had written.
Since she's going to compete, she needs to change her strategy.
In the past, it was enough to protect oneself; now, that's not enough.
The problem she faced was that she was short of money.
Her family home was far away and not very reliable, so she needed connections, but connections required a lot of money to buy.
She does have gold and silver in her storage space, but it's barely enough for her daily life and building connections; it's definitely not enough.
There are things in the space that can be exchanged for money, but they are really inconvenient to use.
Why should a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner like her consider making money through business, especially since she can't even go out? It's a headache.
Well, let's take it one step at a time! Hongzhao is still young. She has seen Yinzhen's health, and it's alright. As long as he doesn't take medicine recklessly like in history, he should be able to live for another twenty years or so.
Twenty years is enough.
If all else fails, then we can wait until Hongzhao is older. After he gets married, he will eventually leave the palace and establish his own residence. At that time, we can let him do it himself.
She can slowly win over the connections in the palace!
Having figured it out, Jia Yue breathed a sigh of relief. That night, she slept soundly in Hong Zhao's arms.
After giving birth, Consort Gui went to sleep, but Yinzhen did not leave and stayed in Tantandang for the night.
The next day, he needed to attend to official business. After learning that the Imperial Concubine had not yet woken up, he instructed people not to disturb her rest before leaving.
When the imperial concubine awoke, she felt her empty stomach and exclaimed in panic, "My child! Where is my child!"
The palace maid standing guard nearby quickly said, "Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince is perfectly fine, don't worry."
Upon hearing the palace maid's words, the Imperial Concubine's memories resurfaced, and her expression calmed down: "Bring the child here so I can see him."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The palace maid went out and soon returned with the wet nurse.
The Imperial Concubine looked at the baby in the swaddling clothes, and her smile froze on her face. The baby looked too small, and even without the imperial physician saying so, she knew that the baby was not very healthy.
She had seen what Hongzhao looked like when he was born, and the difference was too great.
"Your Majesty..." the palace maid asked with concern.
The imperial concubine forced a smile, reached out, picked up the child, and asked with difficulty, "What did the imperial physician say?"
The palace maid lowered her head: "The imperial physician said that with careful care, the little prince can recover. He just looks a little small because he was born prematurely."
A glimmer of hope flashed in the imperial concubine's eyes: "Really?"
She really didn't want to endure the pain of losing her child again.
The palace maid said firmly, "That's exactly what the imperial physician said. By the way, Your Highness, His Majesty stayed with you all yesterday until this morning. Before leaving, he instructed us not to disturb Your Highness's rest. His Majesty's affection for Your Highness is unparalleled in the harem!"
The Imperial Concubine's mood finally improved.
She could raise the child, and Yinzhen's affection for her remained unchanged; with that, she had no other desires.
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