Chapter Fourteen
In the eighteenth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, the inner palace appeared peaceful on the surface, but beneath the surface, a turbulent storm was brewing. In early winter of that year, a new concubine, Consort Yun, suddenly appeared in the palace. Consort Yun resided in a long-abandoned residence that had been uninhabited for many years. Who was Consort Yun? Consort Yun was none other than Lady Irgen Gioro, the foster mother who had saved the Fourth and Fifth Princesses.
When Lady Irgen Gioro entered the palace to see her two daughters, she was filled with excitement. She could finally enter the kingdom of her dreams, though she knew it was still far from her ideal. Upon entering the palace, the nanny beside Lady Irgen Gioro kept a close eye on her, fearing she might do something unexpected. Fortunately, Lady Irgen Gioro kept her head down, looking at the pebbles on the ground, which relieved the nanny. The eunuch leading the way took the two to the Cining Palace to pay their respects, but they were dismissed by the Empress Dowager's nanny before even entering. Lady Irgen Gioro felt somewhat uncomfortable, but… she kept reminding herself that the place where the Heavenly Mother resided was her home, and she would be dutiful to her from now on, no matter how the Heavenly Mother treated her.
The eunuch then led the two into the Kunning Palace. While waiting outside, Irgen Gioro was excited. She missed her two daughters, but of course, she most wanted to see the great god in her heart.
The Empress looked at the woman of the Irgen Gioro clan who had entered. Was this the woman the Emperor had met by Daming Lake? Looking at Irgen Gioro's appearance, the Empress couldn't help but think of someone—Huixian. No wonder the Emperor's heart was stirred whenever Xia Yuhe was mentioned; so that was the reason! Only now did the Empress realize that the Emperor's most beloved was not Xiaoxian, not Consort Ling, not Consort Jia, but Huixian. She should have realized it sooner; the two equally tall portraits in the main hall of the Chang'an Palace showed that Huixian's position in the Emperor's heart was no less than Xiaoxian's, and could only be higher. At this moment, the Empress felt a deep sorrow, but outwardly she had to maintain a serious expression. Huixian, oh Huixian, I never imagined you had such a great influence on the Emperor, making him use Xiaoxian as a shield, making everyone think that the Emperor's most beloved was Xiaoxian, and ignoring your existence. "Rise!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The Fourth Princess, who was peeking from the side hall, secretly praised Xia Mama in her heart for her excellent manners.
The Empress was somewhat troubled and had no interest in asking Irgen Gioro Lady anything, so she instructed Rong Mama to take Irgen Gioro Lady to a side hall.
The Fourth and Fifth Princesses felt a little awkward receiving the greeting from Lady Irgen Gioro, but they knew it was the proper etiquette. Lady Irgen Gioro, having learned the etiquette for so long, no longer felt as awkward about bowing to her daughters as she had initially. After the greeting, Rong Mama was stunned when she looked at Xia Mama. She and her servants retreated from the side hall, staring intently at Xia Mama.
"Granny Rong, Granny Liu is dead. Now I belong to the young lady."
Rong Momo was secretly surprised. She knew who the eldest young lady was referring to, and what the fourth princess was really thinking.
“Granny Rong, let me be frank. I entered the palace not for the sake of the young lady, but to find the person who truly killed our master back then. The young lady never wanted to enter the palace, but it was too late when she wanted to leave, and she was forced to enter.”
What does it mean to not want to enter the palace?
“Granny Rong, not everyone wants the glory and wealth here. The eldest young lady is a very good person. If she opens her heart to someone, she will definitely give it her all. However…” Granny Xia looked at the person in the side hall who was speaking, but her eyes kept glancing at the other members of the Irgen Gioro clan, “The eldest young lady is not sincere towards her.”
She wasn't truly sincere to her own mother! What kind of talk is this? Others may not know, but Rong Momo knew that she was the Fourth Princess's real mother.
"Granny Rong, just you wait and see! Although the eldest young lady won't do anything to her, she won't save her either." Granny Xia looked at the eldest young lady. The longer she spent with her, the more Granny Xia felt that the eldest young lady was someone special. It was just a pity that she was a girl. If she were a prince... "The Empress is a blessed person."
Rong Mama's doubts grew stronger, and after speaking to the Empress, she also expressed her doubts.
“Granny Rong, Fourth Sister’s behavior is quite understandable. Fourth Sister is not a simple child. I realized this from the moment she asked me to feign illness. Which royal princess isn’t proud? Do you think Fourth Sister is one of those unreliable people? Fourth Sister is very clear about her background. If it weren’t for the current situation, she wouldn’t have returned to the palace. Even if she had been discovered, given her personality, running away would have been a piece of cake. I don’t doubt Fourth Sister’s intentions, so please don’t try to guess about her anymore.”
"That……"
"If it is Xia Mama, then I am truly blessed."
~~~~
Fifth Princess suddenly felt doubtful about her mother. Why didn't her mother ask if they were doing well in the palace, but instead asked if they had seen the Emperor and if he was as she described. Fifth Princess felt a pang of sadness, watching her older sister smiling and talking to their mother. Why didn't she want to talk to her mother at all? Why didn't she want a mother like this? She felt her mother was so unfamiliar, so frightening.
Lady Irgen Gioro was unaware of the impact her habitual behavior had on her youngest daughter. When she heard the words "The Emperor has arrived," she couldn't contain her excitement and rushed out.
Fifth Princess's eyes were filled with pain, but when she looked at her older sister, she had a smile on her face. Wasn't her sister sad? Why could she still smile?
"Sister, smile, or pretend to be sick." The fourth princess walked to the fifth princess's side.
Fifth Princess was stunned for a moment, but quickly understood. She swayed and fainted.
"Quickly summon the imperial physician, sister, sister!" Fourth Princess rushed to help Fifth Princess. "Don't give anything away," Fourth Princess whispered quickly in Fifth Princess's ear.
Several maids quickly came over and carried the Fifth Princess onto the soft couch. The Empress also walked quickly to the Fifth Princess's side. "What happened? She was fine just now. How have you servants been taking care of the Fifth Princess?"
"Your servants know their crime!" The servants knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty, Fourth Princess thinks my sister is alright. She was probably just too excited to see you." Fourth Princess helped the Empress sit down next to Fifth Princess. Fourth Princess knew that Fifth Princess was currently filled with doubts about the role of her mother, Lady Irgen Gioro. If the Empress were to appear as someone who cared about her and felt sorry for her, Fifth Princess would switch sides without anyone needing to lecture her or persuade her.
The Fourth Princess was absolutely right. The Fifth Princess's heart had completely switched sides. She had always had a vague image of what her mother was like, but she couldn't quite grasp it. Now, whether the Empress's concern was genuine or feigned, it perfectly matched that image in the Fifth Princess's mind. The Empress raised her hand and touched the Fifth Princess's head. "Where is the imperial physician?"
"Quickly summon the imperial physician!" Emperor Qianlong stepped forward and looked at the Fifth Princess.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Princess is alright." Seeing the Emperor's concern for her daughter, Lady Irgen Gioro felt a mixture of pride and disappointment. Why did Ziwei faint at this moment? If only it had been later, just a little later…
The Empress looked at Lady Irgen Gioro with suspicion, "You mean the Princess is alright?"
"Just like Fourth Princess said, this servant almost fainted just now. This servant misses you so much, Fifth Princess..."
The Emperor looked at Lady Irgen Gioro and thought, "As expected of the person I have chosen, she is so kind. She doesn't hold a grudge against me for giving the child to the Empress to raise, but is instead very magnanimous..." The Emperor's eyes were filled with even more surprise and delight as he looked at Lady Irgen Gioro.
Fifth Princess was utterly heartbroken. She longed to ask her birth mother why she never cared about her, why she never inquired about her well-being, and why her mother always spoke of gods and expressed her admiration for men. Only after diligently studying the precepts for women did she realize how immoral her mother's behavior was. Her mother actually…
The Empress noticed the Fifth Princess's trembling hands and ignored the knowing glances exchanged between the Emperor and Lady Irgen Gioro. She then sent Rong Mama to urge the imperial physician. She didn't care whether the Fifth Princess's heart belonged to her or not; the Fifth Princess always put her sister first, as long as the Fourth Princess was on her side. Her actions were genuine, but there was also a hidden agenda for the Fourth Princess.
The imperial physician arrived quickly. After taking the Fifth Princess's pulse, he said something about her being too emotionally agitated. He then held incense to the Fifth Princess's nose, causing her to choke and wake up. The Fifth Princess clung tightly to the Empress's hand, but the Empress patted her hand and didn't seem to mind. The imperial physician instructed the Fifth Princess not to get emotionally agitated, prescribed some tonics, and left.
There were many people in the side hall of the main hall, so Qianlong could not make any moves with Lady Irgen Gioro, since the Empress was still there. After hearing the imperial physician say that the Fifth Princess needed to rest, Qianlong immediately said some high-sounding words and left. Lady Irgen Gioro and Granny Xia naturally went out with the Emperor.
~~~
"Empress Mother." Seeing her mother leave, the Fifth Princess, who hadn't asked about her health until now, suddenly sat up and threw herself into the Empress's arms, bursting into tears. The Fifth Princess was feeling wronged.
The Fifth Princess's crying stunned everyone. What happened to the princess?
Fourth Princess nodded. The reason why this Virgin Mary was not born but evolved was that with proper education, it could be corrected. Not bad, not bad. She never thought she could be an educator. Fourth Princess was very satisfied with the transformation of Xia Ziwei, the Virgin Mary.
The Empress was unaware of the Fifth Princess's inner turmoil, but she noticed that the Fourth Princess was looking at the Fifth Princess with a smile on her face. So the Empress patted the Fifth Princess on the back and said, "Who bullied my Fifth Princess? Tell your Empress Mother and I'll have someone skin him alive! Our Manchu princess can't be bullied."
"Empress Mother..." How could the Fifth Princess say that this was her own mother? She could only keep calling out "Empress Mother" in the Empress's arms...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
