Anning, naturally, was unaware of Dong E's elaborate schemes while in the palace.
After Anning recovered, Kangxi also felt better. That evening, Kangxi went to Consort De's place.
There were rumors in the palace that Anning was the candidate for the Fourth Prince's wife, and that was not wrong. Empress Xiaoyi, who was the Fourth Prince's adoptive mother, did tell Emperor Kangxi before she passed away that she favored Anning as the Fourth Prince's wife.
Anning's father was a meritorious official and came from a good family. Empress Xiaoyi was also afraid that after her death, Consort De would only have her youngest son in mind and would choose a wife that the Fourth Prince did not like.
Empress Xiaoyi devoted herself wholeheartedly to her adopted son, the Fourth Prince, and even on her deathbed, she was making plans for him. Naturally, the Fourth Prince was moved by this.
Seeing this, Consort De inevitably harbored resentment towards the Fourth Prince, resulting in a very distant relationship between the mother and son.
Empress Xiaoyi was Emperor Kangxi's wife. Even if she was conferred the title of Empress before her death, she was still his wife. Emperor Kangxi naturally acquiesced to his wife's dying words.
He had even considered having Anning marry into the family early to bring good luck, but the seriously ill Empress Xiaoyi refused.
Emperor Kangxi was waiting for the re-selection to end so he could issue an edict to betroth Anning to the Fourth Prince, but at the last minute, this happened.
Anning is now Kangxi's "life," and Kangxi is naturally unwilling to entrust his "life" to someone else. Therefore, the arrangements for Anning must be changed, and entering the inner palace is a must.
However, he needed to ask Consort De about her plans beforehand.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"My beloved concubine, you may dispense with the formalities."
Consort De smiled and got up, but she was secretly wondering about something.
This imperial concubine selection was to choose three consorts for the princes, but Kangxi came to her alone, not to the Third Prince's mother, Consort Rong, nor to the Fifth Prince's mother, Consort Yi. This was rather strange, as Kangxi was always "fair" to the harem.
Consort De enjoyed analyzing Emperor Kangxi, but she couldn't quite understand him this time.
"Why didn't Your Majesty tell me in advance that you were coming? I could have prepared your favorite tea beforehand."
"I went to Kunning Palace to see my cousin. She loved Yinzhen the most when she was alive. She was thinking about choosing a consort for him tomorrow, so she came over to talk to you."
Consort De paused in her tea-serving hand. She was originally a palace maid, and even more so, a palace maid of Empress Xiaoyi. After giving birth to Yinzhen, her status was too low to raise the prince herself, so she entrusted him to Empress Xiaoyi.
Consort De harbored resentment about this, especially since the Fourth Prince was very close to Empress Xiaoyi and treated her, his birth mother, with politeness but distance. She was extremely resentful.
Despite her deep displeasure, Consort De smiled gently, her face showing a sentimental recollection of the past. She said, "Sister Tong truly loved Yinzhen, and Yinzhen was very filial to Sister Tong. In the blink of an eye, Yinzhen has reached the age to marry a wife. Sister Tong's spirit in heaven can find some comfort."
"Yes! My cousin hopes that Yinzhen will be well. Are there any candidates you are satisfied with this year's imperial concubine selection? Do you have any opinions on the choice of Yinzhen's wife?"
Consort De suddenly thought of Anning falling into the water. Could it be that she would be unable to participate in the imperial concubine selection? If so, then the selection of Yinzhen's consort would indeed need to be reconsidered.
Consort De thought for a moment, but replied without revealing her true feelings, "The ladies selected for the imperial concubine selection have all been properly trained and have excellent manners and etiquette. I naturally think they are all good. As for the selection of Yinzhen's consort, it is up to Your Majesty to make the decision. I trust Your Majesty's benevolent heart and will choose the most suitable consort for Yinzhen."
Emperor Kangxi knew that Consort De was the most cautious person, and he favored her because he liked her carefulness.
“Yinzhen is your own son, and his wife will be serving you often in the future, so naturally she has to be someone you like.”
Consort De, having heard the profound meaning behind the words, fully understood Emperor Kangxi's intention.
It is true that Consort De knew that Empress Xiaoyi had her eye on Princess Ulanara as a candidate for the Fourth Prince's consort, and Emperor Kangxi had indeed previously intended to grant Empress Xiaoyi's wish.
Now that Emperor Kangxi has allowed her to make her own choice, it means that Lady Ulanara has been excluded from the selection of the fourth consort.
"There is a Lady Dong'e, whom I find quite congenial, and another Lady Shumulu, who is very skilled in needlework, which I find quite rare."
Kangxi smiled upon hearing this. There were many candidates for the imperial concubines, but only a few had family backgrounds qualified to be the wives of princes. He instantly knew who she was referring to. Indeed, she was suitable, and her family background was comparable to that of the Ulanara clan.
Dong Eshi's family background is better than An Ning's overall. Shu Mulu's father is quite capable, but his branch of the family doesn't produce much income. Thinking about the various rumors she's heard about the Third Prince's backyard recently, she has a plan in mind.
He patted Consort De's hand and said, "It's their good fortune that you value them. I will consider it carefully later."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your concern for Yinzhen."
"I am his father."
Consort De smiled gently, genuinely happy this time. She had no problem with Anning, only with Empress Xiaoyi. This gesture before her death, as if afraid that Anning would wrong Yinzhen, deeply moved Yinzhen.
The fact that the biological mother and son were practically enemies shows how Consort De could possibly like Anning, the "daughter-in-law" personally chosen by Empress Xiaoyi.
The next day, Kangxi received news of Liang Jiugong as soon as he returned to Qianqing Palace from Yonghe Palace.
"Your Majesty, this servant has investigated and found that the palace maid who caused Princess Ulanara to fall into the water was secretly instructed by Consort De. As for the reason, it seems to be because she was dissatisfied with the arrangements made by Empress Xiaoyi before her death."
Upon hearing this, Kangxi looked at Liang Jiugong with some suspicion: "You didn't make a mistake?"
"Your Majesty, I have investigated several times and confirmed that the palace maid was indeed acting under the orders of Consort De. All those who knew about it have been silenced. On the surface, the palace maid only had a stepmother and a younger sister born to her stepmother, but in reality, the palace maid also had a younger brother from the same mother."
Her younger brother, having received favors from the Uya family, studied abroad as a distant relative of the Uya family and had already obtained the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations). After Princess Ulanara fell into the water, the palace maid died, and her brother drowned that same day while swimming in the lake with his classmates.
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