"Goodbye, Consort Duan!" Princess Duanjing bid farewell to Consort Duan, who had given her the gifts, in a very friendly manner.
"If only it were my child! My poor unborn child, who never even saw the world before he was gone!" Consort Duan stared for a long time before coming back to her senses, and sadly touched her belly.
"My lady, you will have your own children again. Besides, when that low-ranking concubine in Changchun Palace has a child, he can raise him under your care!"
Chunyan only realized earlier that her master was basically unable to have children, and then added the sentence later.
"You don't need to comfort me. I know my own body best. There's no hope for me in this life. As for adoption, the prince and princess's birth mother is already here. There's no need for me to worry about that. Besides, I can't bear to see mother and child separated!"
The two women walked and talked, completely ignoring Kangxi, who was being blocked by trees on the side, and heard her conversation clearly.
"Who was that who just walked past?" Kangxi asked, looking at the departing figure in blue.
"Your Majesty, this servant thinks she is Consort Duan!" Liang Jiugong mainly recognized Chunyan, who served Consort Duan.
"It seems like I haven't been to her place in a long time. Let's follow her!" Kangxi suddenly wanted to see Consort Duan. If she was of good character, she could be the birth mother of Princess Duanjing.
"Isn't Your Majesty going to listen to the music?" Today, Kangxi heard that there was a new piece of music that was very pleasant to listen to, so he thought he would come and take a look. As for Liang Jiugong, whom he had heard about, he didn't know. He thought he had to investigate. How could he let such unverified information be told to His Majesty and offend His Majesty's ears?
"I'm not going!" he said, his poor little face serene and composed.
"Your Majesty, it seems the Emperor has caught up!" Consort Duan, wearing flowerpot shoes, could not possibly outrun the man, Emperor Kangxi.
"Let's pretend we don't know and go back to the palace first. Hopefully, it will succeed!" She had only devised this plan after receiving news from Consort Chen. If it succeeded, Duanjing would be her daughter. She would get a child for free, and she would be satisfied even if it was a daughter.
After Emperor Kangxi visited Consort Duan, she experienced a turnaround in her fortunes and gained the Emperor's favor.
Hall of Mental Cultivation
"Your Majesty, this is the agenda for this year's annual banquet. I have made some cuts and reductions, and it is now as simple as possible!"
The Imperial Noble Consort brought the list of the New Year's banquet to Emperor Kangxi for review. In order to save expenses, Emperor Kangxi asked the Imperial Noble Consort to keep it simple. The war in the Northwest was at a critical moment, and the Three Feudatories were also in need of money, so this was the reason for this.
"Let me see!" Kangxi put down the memorial in his hand, took the booklet from the Imperial Noble Consort, and began to read it.
"The annual gifts from all the royal families have been delivered, and the tributes from the smaller countries have also been registered and recorded here. Your Majesty can take a look when you have time!"
The Imperial Noble Consort was incredibly diligent in getting these things done. After all, since the Noble Consort Chen no longer cared about the affairs of the harem, it was just her and the Noble Consort Wen left. Now, she wished she could be used as three people at once.
"Just leave them there! I'll take a look when I have time. Thank you for your hard work, Imperial Noble Consort!" Kangxi said without looking up from the memorials in his eyes.
"Is there anything else?" Kangxi suddenly felt the silence and thought the Imperial Noble Consort had left, but when he looked up, he met Kangxi's hesitant expression.
"Your Majesty, we've been spending so much time together lately that the ladies of the harem are starting to complain. The Empress Dowager has also said that as a Noble Consort, I have a duty to advise Your Majesty to treat everyone equally with your favor!"
There were indeed some complaints in the harem about Kangxi's exclusive favor to Consort Duan for half a month, but they were far from the level of Consort Chen, so there was not much reaction. It was just that she did not want to see another high-ranking concubine emerge. Consort Duan was somewhat at odds with her, and the Empress Dowager also gave her some advice.
"I understand, Imperial Noble Consort, you may return now!" Kangxi didn't particularly favor Consort Duan; he was only patiently trying to understand Princess Duanjing's character for her sake, and that was about enough.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave!" The Imperial Noble Consort had said what needed to be said; as for what Kangxi did, that was no longer her concern.
"Wait a moment, I have some understanding of Consort Duan. I think she is very suitable to be Duanjing's mother. She has no children of her own, so she will surely treat Duanjing well. After you go back, send Duanjing to Consort Duan!" Kangxi suddenly called out to the Imperial Noble Consort who had already turned around.
"Why did His Majesty suddenly mention wanting to find a mother for Princess Duanjing?" The Imperial Noble Consort had a knot in her heart. Could it be that she hadn't done something right, so that another concubine was being asked to raise Duanjing?
"Don't overthink it. You're busy with palace affairs, so there are bound to be things you can't attend to. That's why I thought of making things easier for you, and also giving Duanjing a good place to go!"
Emperor Kangxi lied without thinking. He simply saw that Duanjing and Consort Duan were having a good time and were always well-behaved in Chengqian Palace, lacking any of the liveliness that one would expect from someone their age. That's why he made the final decision.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I can manage, especially with the wet nurses and the others."
The Imperial Noble Consort still wanted to keep Duanjing, since a princess could be useful sometimes.
"My mind is made up!" He was informing the Imperial Noble Consort, not discussing it!
"Your Majesty, I obey!" The Imperial Noble Consort bowed somewhat reluctantly before turning to leave the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Her anger, however, lingered, and she walked back to the Chengqian Palace with hurried steps, her displeasure evident in her expression. Within two hours, the news had spread throughout the entire harem.
"Congratulations, Sister Duan! Your wish has come true!" Today, Consort Duan had nothing to do, so she came to Wanyi's place to thank Wanyi for the message. Even if it hadn't been successful, she had tried her best, and she still had to thank her.
"I never expected it to happen so suddenly...!" Consort Duan was stunned when she received the news. She had prepared herself for the worst, after all, she had received the Emperor's favor for the past half month, but he had never mentioned it once. Now that the news had come suddenly, how could she not be shocked?
"It just happened so suddenly, what's wrong? Are you so happy you've gone mad?" Wanyi looked at the still dazed Duanpin with a beautiful expression, which was quite funny.
"Yes, I'm afraid it's all a dream!" That was the delicate and sweet Princess Duanjing! And now she's her daughter, without having to give birth to her herself. She's already three years old, and she got her for free. How could she not be overjoyed?
"Then you can keep dreaming here! When Princess Duanjing arrives at Changchun Palace, she won't even see her mother. She'll think her new mother doesn't like her!" Wanyi shook her head with amusement, speaking with a wicked grin.
"Yes, I must go back and prepare the side hall for Duan Jing to live in!" Consort Duan suddenly stood up, anxious and impatient.
"Hahaha!" Wanyi laughed out loud, which brought Duanpin back to her senses, making her realize the embarrassing thing she had just done.
"It was my fault for being so rude, Your Highness Consort Chen. Please forgive me. I have other matters to attend to in the palace, so I will take my leave now. Your Highness Consort Chen's kindness is something I will never forget! If there is anything I can do to help you, please don't hesitate to ask!" Consort Duan said calmly to Consort Wan, though only she knew the embarrassment in her heart.
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