In the blink of an eye, several months have passed.
Chunying rushed in: "Your Majesty, the Emperor has decreed that Consort Liang be promoted to the rank of Consort Liang."
Wu Lingzhu said calmly, "It's not a concubine position?"
It seems that Emperor Kangxi wasn't very willing to invest heavily.
Chunying couldn't help but worry: "Your Highness, everyone outside is saying that the Emperor wants to give the Eighth Prince an important position. Otherwise, he wouldn't have promoted him to the rank of Noble Lady Liang out of the way of the New Year. We don't get along with the Eighth Prince!"
"Don't worry, even if the Crown Prince is deposed, the new Crown Prince will not be the Eighth Prince. It's just a verbal appointment. What's the rush? Look at Consort Hui, she's as calm as an old monk. That's true composure!"
Although Wu Lingzhu didn't get along with Consort Hui, she admired her mentality. After struggling for most of her life and losing hope, she was heartbroken, but her mentality returned.
It can only be said that those who could rise to prominence in Kangxi's harem were no ordinary people.
Chunying: "This servant is making a fuss over nothing."
"This is nothing. Just wait and see. There's plenty to see in the future."
Sometimes Wu Lingzhu wondered, did the Eighth Prince really not know what was going on?
That's not necessarily true; it's just that he had no other choice.
Wu Lingzhu murmured, "Like cooking oil over a raging fire, or adorning flowers with brocade!"
Consort Hui, watching the welcoming and seeing off procession outside, sneered, "A petty person who has gained power!"
"Your Majesty, they are people from the Qianqing Palace, please give them some face."
"No one could hear me when I spoke, so what's there to be afraid of? I've been Consort Hui for so many years, the Emperor wouldn't say anything to me just because she treated Consort Liang badly. A consort who hasn't even had an investiture ceremony, look at how capable she is. By the way, I heard that the Eighth Prince and his wife were hosting a lavish banquet outside?"
Yes, that's true.
Consort Hui laughed: "Shallow-skinned fool, so spineless! The less you have, the more you show off."
The Eighth Prince's banquet was quite a coincidence.
The eldest prince was completely out of the picture, the crown prince was severely weakened, Kangxi's attitude was unclear, and the eighth prince suddenly rose to prominence.
Because the Eighth Prince was easy to talk to and seemed to have a weak personality, a group of court officials who wanted to emulate Emperor Renzong's policy of governing by doing nothing began to curry favor with him. They hadn't had the opportunity before, but now that Consort Liang had been promoted to Imperial Concubine Liang, this was a good opportunity to give gifts.
Everyone came. The Eighth Prince was always warm and hospitable to outsiders. Although he had not originally planned to host a banquet, since everyone had come, he had no intention of turning them away.
The mansion couldn't accommodate so many people at once, so they were all arranged to stay at the Ninth Prince's restaurant, which he booked out entirely without having to pay. People came and went, and the Eighth Prince was having a great time.
For three consecutive days, the Ninth Prince's restaurant was practically a continuous feast.
In Yuqing Palace, after learning about the Eighth Prince's affair, the Crown Prince couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahaha, Eighth Prince, what a scoundrel!"
The Crown Prince's smile was genuine. He was currently facing a difficult situation, but seeing the Eighth Prince, whom Kangxi had promoted, made him laugh.
This skill level is no good!
Emperor Kangxi was furious. He meant to elevate the Eighth Prince, but he didn't expect you to take advantage of the situation.
"Your Majesty, please calm down."
"How can I calm my anger? I do not have such a short-sighted son."
The infighting among Kangxi's sons in this lifetime was rather childish. Because of Wu Lingzhu's intervention and instigation, their struggle was brought forward, but their methods became even more clumsy.
In short, it means that you've already started putting on airs that you shouldn't before you've even reached a certain level. To discerning viewers, you can tell from the slightest move that your skill level is lacking.
The organizer, Emperor Kangxi, was very dissatisfied.
"At Consort Liang's place..."
“What Consort Liang? She’s raised the Eighth Prince like this. I’ve given her too much face. Take down Consort Liang’s green plaque.”
When concubines were promoted, unless it was a collective promotion, Emperor Kangxi would usually give them face and visit them for a few more days.
Kangxi originally intended to go to Consort Liang's place, but this incident really angered him.
Wu Lingzhu was very satisfied with the current situation.
The struggle for the throne among nine princes has turned into a battle among eight princes; this drama is getting more and more interesting.
Liang Jiugong: "This servant will send the servants from the Imperial Household Department back immediately."
Kangxi: "Wait, I'm going to Chuxiu Palace tonight."
Liang Jiugong was taken aback, then said, "Yes, this servant will arrange it immediately."
When Wu Lingzhu saw Kangxi at Chuxiu Palace, she was somewhat surprised: "Your Majesty, what brings you to my humble abode today?"
Emperor Kangxi was in a bad mood, and his tone was not good: "What, can't I come?"
Wu Lingzhu smiled apologetically, "How could that be! I wish Your Majesty would come every day. Today is not a good day for Consort Liang. I just didn't expect Your Majesty to come to my place."
"You dare to say anything."
"Your Majesty knows that you care about me and will not blame me, so I acted without restraint. It is all Your Majesty's fault that I have been spoiled like this."
These words sounded nice, and Kangxi's mood improved considerably.
In a good mood, and with Wu Lingzhu having completely severed ties with the Crown Prince, Kangxi considered her one of his own, even though she had a son, Yinyu, who was still young!
Emperor Kangxi never included Yinzhi in his calculations, but only doted on him as his youngest son.
Kangxi then began to speak his mind: "My beloved consort, why does no one understand my good intentions?"
Wu Lingzhu's lips twitched involuntarily as she listened. What you did was hardly a matter of good intentions; it was more like having ulterior motives. However, with Kangxi still around, she managed to hold back thanks to her years of experience.
"Your Majesty, those involved are often blinded by their own perspectives. Others may not be as thoughtful as Your Majesty. We should give those who are not so quick-witted some time to understand. If that doesn't work, Your Majesty, please be understanding of their dullness and arrange for someone to guide them."
Kangxi's eyes lit up instantly.
Yes, the Eighth Prince is dull-witted; he can just have someone guide him.
Ultimately, he's just being used as a whetstone, and I can still arrange and control him as I please.
Kangxi finally understood, and his mood instantly changed: "My beloved concubine, it has to be you. You are my confidante."
Wu Lingzhu feigned confusion: "What did I say? How did I become a confidante?"
"You don't need to understand, this is fine as it is."
Wu Lingzhu chuckled, her face clearly showing that she neither understood nor wanted to understand.
The next day, the Emperor sent over the rewards from the Qianqing Palace. After reading them, Chunying couldn't help but sigh, "It's not a festival or holiday, yet the Emperor is so generous. These rewards are probably no less than what Consort Liang received when she was promoted. If Consort Liang finds out, she probably won't be in a good mood."
Wu Lingzhu looked at the jewelry and ornaments, all of them exquisite and dazzling. Kangxi was indeed very good to those he liked.
In fact, his sons have all inherited some of his personality traits; they all have an extreme fondness for what they like and an extreme dislike for what they dislike.
The only one, the Eighth Prince, looks awkward; he's just too repressed of his true nature.
It is said that the Fourth Prince was corrected by Emperor Kangxi's words "unpredictable mood" and began to be more patient and restrained. However, he was still unpredictable. The Eighth Prince, on the other hand, was always the same since childhood, always smiling.
He seemed alright at first glance, but seeing him every day makes me feel exhausted just looking at him.
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