Consort De's actions were quite significant; she was determined to create some commotion to alert Emperor Kangxi. Anning kept a close eye on things, ready to see what would happen next, and then things became even more interesting.
In the Fourth Prince's residence, Yinzhen looked at the two princesses sent by Consort De and felt a headache coming on.
"Granny, why did Mother suddenly decide to send me two princesses?"
"Her Majesty said that you only have Consort Song in your backyard, and it's inevitable that there will be times when it's inconvenient for her to serve you alone. So she asked me to send two more people over. Don't worry, Your Highness, these two have been trained in manners."
As she spoke, the old woman pointed to a pretty girl and said, "This is Wuya, a distant relative of Your Highness's family. She is also your distant cousin. Her father is a purchasing manager in the Imperial Household Department."
Then the old woman pointed to another beautiful girl and said, "This is Xitala. Her brother is not yet thirty years old and is already a captain in the garrison. They are both seventeen years old this year and are very good at taking care of people. With them around, Your Majesty can feel much more at ease."
Yinzhen felt a little uneasy. The masters in the palace were well aware of the shady dealings within the Imperial Household Department, and he naturally knew as well. The person in charge of procurement in the Imperial Household Department did not hold a high official position, but his role was significant.
With Lady Wuya around, the quality of food, clothing, and daily necessities for Yinzhen's princes could be improved considerably.
As for Lady Hitara, her brother was a garrison commander, a fifth-rank official, which was not a high position, but he was not yet thirty years old.
The commander of the garrison was in charge of the garrison under the jurisdiction of the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, and was in charge of matters such as land reclamation and the transport of grain. It was a lucrative position.
Looking at the two women, Yinzhen found that their appearances were comparable to those of the concubines and mistresses in Kangxi's harem, and he was somewhat flattered.
"Thank you for making this trip, Granny. Please thank Mother for me when you get back. I will personally express my gratitude when I go to pay my respects to Mother later."
"Your Highness, please don't stand on ceremony. I'll head back now. Please take care of the two princesses."
"Su Peisheng, see the old woman off."
"yes."
After seeing off Consort De's nanny, Yinzhen felt something was amiss.
Consort De's attitude towards him was very strange.
Consort De was biased. Although she had no intention of harming her eldest son, Yinzhen, she often treated him like he wasn't there, which, in modern terms, was a form of passive-aggressive behavior.
This made the sensitive Yinzhen mature instantly; he became very good at understanding people's hearts.
He knew that his wife had been temporarily replaced, and he also vaguely understood that Consort De's attitude towards Consort Dong'e was more friendly than her attitude towards Consort Anning. After Consort Dong'e became the candidate for the fourth wife, Consort De did not initially intend to interfere in his harem or cause trouble for Consort Dong'e.
Yinzhen was pleased with this outcome and hoped that his wife could ease the tension between him and Consort De.
Lady Dong'e comes from a good family, while he is just a bald prince. He might need his wife's family's help in the future, and he also hopes that the inner quarters can be peaceful.
However, the fact that Consort De suddenly sent two princesses made Yinzhen realize that something must have happened, and it must be related to Consort Dong'e.
He ordered someone to take the two men to the backyard for a rest, and then said, "Someone, call Gao Wuyong in."
Gao Wuyong and Su Peisheng were both people given to Yinzhen by Empress Xiaoyi, and their loyalty was beyond question.
Su Peisheng accompanied him daily, while Gao Wuyong was responsible for some behind-the-scenes connections. He needed to know why Consort De had suddenly changed her attitude towards Consort Dong'e.
In the palace, the worst thing is to be ignorant and out of the loop; you might unknowingly be tricked by someone.
Yinzhen's life now can be described as living in constant fear. He has no room for error, so he must figure things out.
"Greetings, Master."
"Get up. Go and find out what Mother has been busy with lately. Why did she suddenly think of sending two princesses over? Have someone investigate the Dong'e clan outside the palace as well, and the Wuya and Xitala clans as well!"
He won't feel at ease if we don't investigate!
"Yes, Master."
With Granny Wulan on Kangxi's side, he already knew about the suspicious points of Consort Dong'e. He then sent people to investigate along Consort Dong'e's network of connections. Every little thing leaves a trace, and after a careful investigation, they actually found some clues.
But as for evidence!
They had all been destroyed, but that was enough for Kangxi.
"Outrageous! How dare she mock me! Dong Eshi has truly raised a fine girl; she has really broadened my horizons!"
Emperor Kangxi was furious. He went to investigate personally, only to find that Consort De had been wrongly accused, causing a huge uproar and making him lose face.
"Liang Jiugong, go and send some rewards to Consort De. She was wronged this time. As for Yinzhen..."
Kangxi thought for a moment before saying, "Let's postpone his marriage until next autumn. We can't wrong Yinzhen. Are there any good candidates among the candidates whose names have been reserved this time?"
Liang Jiugong said, "Both Princess Wusu and Princess Majia are quite outstanding."
Emperor Kangxi intended to assign a prince to a member of the imperial clan from the Wusu clan, but the prince was still young, so he planned to postpone it. However, since the prince was young, he could choose him during the next imperial concubine selection.
As for Lady Ma Jia, Emperor Kangxi did not consider her because he thought her family background was not good enough. He betrothed her to Yinzhen, who would at most become a concubine.
The term "Wusu clan" refers to the past, where being a concubine would have been quite good.
"Then let's bestow the title of Consort Wusu upon the Fourth Prince, and set the date for her entry into the household for two months from now. Let the Imperial Household Department put some effort into it."
"Yes, sir!"
Finally, Kangxi instructed Liang Jiugong: "Send some rewards to the Shumulu clan, the Dong'e clan, and the Tatara clan, with the Dong'e clan receiving 30% less."
Why give rewards?
It was just a warning; Kangxi hoped that Consort Dong'e would behave herself after entering the household. Also, he had given her a reward, so the matter was temporarily over. He hoped that Consort De could understand his intentions.
As Liang Jiugong emerged from the Qianqing Palace, he couldn't help but lament Dong Eshi's bad luck. She hadn't even entered the household yet, and her mother-in-law had just sent two beautiful princesses as gifts. Not to be outdone, her father-in-law had directly sent her a concubine from a respectable family.
This is clearly an attempt to get them to fight against Dong E Shi!
Liang Jiugong truly felt Kangxi's dislike for Consort Dong'e. If it weren't for the fact that Consort Dong'e had already been given an important position and promoted, she might have died of illness. But given the current situation, once she entered the family, she would have to live in constant fear, and it might be better for her to die of illness.
Whose fault is it?
They brought it all on themselves.
Consort De was overjoyed to receive Emperor Kangxi's reward and to hear that Lady Wusu had become Yinzhen's concubine.
"I have survived this ordeal."
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
Consort De then sighed, "It's a pity that the Emperor sent her a reward but still made her the Fourth Prince's Consort. Just thinking about it makes me furious."
Having been in the palace for many years, she, a junior, had suffered such a great loss. When Emperor Kangxi spoke up, she still had to pretend that everything was peaceful.
The old nanny comforted her, saying, "I think it's a good thing. Your Highness is the mother-in-law, and once Dong Eshi enters the family, she becomes the daughter-in-law. With this incident, Your Highness won't say anything if you're a little cold towards Dong Eshi in the future. If Your Highness really changes the Fourth Prince's wife, Your Highness will lose the chance to take revenge."
Consort De thought about it and realized that this made sense.
"I heard that the fourth prince is inquiring about this matter. You can give him a hint. Dong Eshi has now made her name known to the emperor. Let him know that it's not that I want to make things difficult for his future wife, but that his future wife is not likable."
"Your Majesty is wise; the Fourth Prince will understand Your Majesty's good intentions."
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