Chapter Nineteen
At the beginning of the new year in the nineteenth year of Qianlong's reign, a piece of news that delighted the emperor arrived from the inner palace: Consort Yun was pregnant. This news made Qianlong very happy, but it aroused jealousy among all the women in the harem, except for the Empress, who remained calm. However, the Empress was still thinking about how to prevent Consort Yun from rising too quickly, and with this in mind, she thought of Consort Ling.
Consort Ling has been quite idle lately. Since rising to the rank of Consort, her pregnancy has remained quiet. She's anxious to have a prince or princess to solidify her position, but no matter how many times she receives the Emperor's favor in one night, there's been no news. Upon hearing that Consort Yun is pregnant, Consort Ling was so angry she tore several handkerchiefs to shreds. She wanted a child, but she needed a man, didn't she? Two months have passed since the Emperor last visited her, and Consort Ling's heart began to race. "Dongxue," she said, "go to the Imperial Household Department and remove Consort Yun's green nameplate."
"Your Majesty, this..." Dongxue was a little worried. The Emperor hadn't visited Yanxi Palace for some time. After the family banquet the other day, the Emperor had bestowed gifts upon every palace except Yanxi Palace. It was obvious that the Emperor didn't like Your Majesty. At this time, Your Majesty wanted to remove Consort Yun's nameplate. Wasn't that a clear mistake?
"Just do what you're supposed to do." Consort Ling glanced at Dongxue; this girl was asking more and more questions.
"Yes." Dongxue didn't say anything more. Although her master's expression was very gentle, Dongxue, who knew her master's character well, knew how sinister her master's heart was.
Inside Kunning Palace, after learning of Consort Ling's actions, the Empress simply put down her cup and gently wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. Consort Ling couldn't hold back any longer, "Fourth Sister, today the noblewomen are entering the palace."
"What are your orders, Your Majesty?" The Fourth Princess walked to the Empress's side.
"It's nothing, I just wanted to know if Si'er could remember the names of those noblewomen."
"Is Your Majesty testing Fourth Princess?" Fourth Princess looked at the Empress. What was she going to do? After entering Kunning Palace, Fourth Princess discovered that the Empress was actually very clever. She wasn't incapable of using tricks, but rather unwilling to do so.
"Good to know, I've noted it all down." The Empress raised her eyes to look at the noblewomen who were coming to Kunning Palace to pay their respects. With just a glance, she spotted the wife of Grand Secretary Fu Lun, a first-rank noblewoman standing in the third row with a smug look on her face.
The Fourth Princess stood beside the Empress, sizing up the noblewomen. She listened as the eunuchs announced their social standing. When she heard "Fu Lun's wife," the Fourth Princess's eyelids twitched slightly, glancing at the "kind" mother from the TV drama. Looking at that smug face, the Fourth Princess's eyes drooped; she didn't want to be targeted by this noblewoman.
When Furen's wife saw the pregnant Empress, she still feigned a look of fear. When her gaze swept towards the Fourth Princess, a glint appeared in her eyes, but she quickly composed herself. Furen's wife understood that princesses of high birth in the imperial family were all destined to marry far away to Mongolia, to demonstrate the Qing Dynasty's respect for Mongolia.
The Empress merely glanced at the noblewomen, offering no questions, only fleeting glimpses. Those she found agreeable were rewarded and a few words exchanged; those she disliked, like now, were simply made to kneel, neither spoken to nor urged to rise. The Fourth Princess, feeling increasingly uneasy, noticed several other noblewomen standing respectfully outside. She looked away, offering no pleading, but instead gently massaging the Empress's shoulders.
Fu Lun's wife knelt on the ground, feeling uneasy. She had never encountered anything like this before when she entered the palace. She was a little flustered, and her legs felt numb from kneeling.
After carrying them away and waving them off, the Empress dismissed Fu Lun's wife.
None of the noblewomen who entered the palace this year had received such treatment as Fu Lun's wife. Seeing her emerge, the other noblewomen wore mocking smiles. They had heard much about the Fu family, especially about this wife. A mere servant, who hadn't been promoted to a higher rank but was granted the title of noblewoman, should have been bowing deeply to them. But this lady's standards were even higher; she didn't even raise an eyebrow at them, displaying an even more haughty and arrogant attitude than they did. Before the noblewomen could even elegantly spit at the departing wife of the Grand Secretary, they turned and respectfully waited.
The Fourth Princess found the elegant noblewoman amusing. Finally, the last one arrived: the Empress's mother. Normally, the Empress's mother should have been the first to be seen, but today she was the last to present her nameplate. By the time she reached Kunning Palace, all the noblewomen had already left.
No matter how powerful or serious a person is, they will be excited when they see their mother whom they haven't seen for a long time. The Empress hid her excitement very well, but the Fourth Princess still noticed it. The Fourth Princess bowed slightly to the Empress and was about to step back to leave some space for the two of them, but the Empress stopped her, "Did you remember everything just now?"
"Your Majesty, I've memorized it all." The Fourth Princess lowered her head, wondering if the Empress wanted her to recite it from memory.
The Empress nodded. "Si'er, who do you think are genuinely paying their respects to me, and who are just going through the motions?"
The Fourth Princess was alarmed. What was the Empress about to do?
Lady Nara, who had been offered a seat, was also taken aback. What was the Empress trying to do? Although she had heard that the Fourth Princess was loyal to the Empress, was it appropriate to ask such a question?
The Empress simply looked at the Fourth Princess.
"Your Majesty, I'll pretend I didn't hear about this. Please don't ask. This is good for you and for Kunning Palace. It's enough that you know it in your heart."
The Empress's lips curled into a smile. The Emperor was right; it was a pity it was a girl. "Go play!"
Lady Nara looked at the Empress with a puzzled expression, opened her mouth, but didn't know how to ask.
"What does Mother think of Fourth Princess?"
"Exceptionally intelligent and reasonable."
"She is also highly valued by the Emperor. Mother, the Emperor told me, it's a pity she's a girl."
Lady Nara's eyes widened in shock. The Emperor meant that if it was a prince... "Really?" Lady Nara swallowed hard.
The Empress nodded. "I wish that Yongqi and the unborn prince could get closer to the Fourth Prince."
“That should be so. The Fourth Princess is already thirteen this year, and in another year she will…” Lady Nara thought of this and looked at the Empress again.
"Even if His Majesty is reluctant to part with her, I can still find a way to keep her for a few more years." The Empress looked outwards. In front of Kunning Palace was Jiaotai Hall, and further ahead was Qianqing Palace. She hoped that her son could sit in the very center of there.
~~~~
Fu Lun's wife went straight to Yanxi Palace after leaving Kunning Palace. There were time restrictions for entering the palace, and she had just wasted a lot of time in Kunning Palace. She wanted to see Consort Ling and find a suitable job for her two sons.
Consort Ling was also waiting for her cousin, hoping that her cousin could find a way to help her conceive outside the palace.
Both women were preoccupied with their own thoughts, waiting for each other. Unfortunately, some events are called unexpected events, some are called variables, and some… well, in short, as Lady Fu Lun, Consort Ling's cousin, was about to step into Yanxi Palace, a palace maid rushed in, causing Lady Fu Lun to stumble. Lady Fu Lun saw Consort Ling leading a palace maid out as she entered the courtyard. Consort Ling glanced at her cousin. Lady Fu Lun immediately bowed, but Consort Ling didn't even stand up and walked away. Damn Xinyue.
Lady Fu Lun knelt in Yanxi Palace, watching Consort Ling leave in a hurry.
Where did Consort Ling go? Consort Ling went to Cining Palace. The maid who just passed by was Qing'er's maid. She came to inform Consort Ling that Princess Xinyue had angered the Empress Dowager.
Naturally, there were also ladies of noble birth coming to pay their respects at Cining Palace. The old lady of the Tatara family was one of those who came to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager. The old lady of the Tatara family noticed that her son had been preoccupied since returning from the war. After several subtle inquiries, she finally learned that her son had been chosen by a princess. The princess had climbed into his bed in the middle of the night. Fortunately, he was not in the tent that day. However, for some reason, the princess was convinced that something had happened between them. On the way back, she not only demanded that the two of them ride together, but also kept saying that she wanted the Emperor to arrange their marriage.
Hetala, the old lady, was horrified. After learning the princess's identity, she nearly fainted. This princess, from a different royal family, was still a princess—something they, as servants, could never hope to attain. Moreover, the princess wasn't much older than Luolin; how could she…? The old lady cried out in the mansion about her family's misfortune and the sins they had committed. Then, after the New Year, she immediately submitted a petition to the palace to plead guilty. She was invited into the Cining Palace, but before she could say more than a few words, a princess dressed in a white mourning robe rushed out, knelt before her, and asked how Nudahai was doing. The old lady was truly terrified and fainted. Chaos erupted in the Cining Palace, and the Empress Dowager trembled with rage at Xinyue.
When Consort Ling arrived, the Emperor and Empress were already there. Consort Ling regretted her impulsive decision to come; she shouldn't have come. But soon, Consort Ling pinched herself hard several times, her face turning pale with pain. After hearing that she had been summoned, Consort Ling didn't pay her respects to the three powerful figures. Instead... "Slap, slap..." She slapped Xinyue's face several times. After hitting her, Consort Ling knelt down straight, tears streaming down her face, and paid her respects to the three powerful figures.
Consort Ling's series of maneuvers piqued the Emperor's interest. He recalled how Empress Xiaoxian had reacted similarly when she punished the young prince back in the palace. Seeing the tears welling in Consort Ling's eyes, Qianlong forgot all his previous displeasure with her, and his reprimand turned into a question. The Empress's eyes flickered, and she lowered her gaze. The Empress Dowager, glaring at Consort Ling, felt increasingly uncomfortable. Remembering how Qianlong had previously favored Consort Yun, and how the Empress Dowager had closed her eyes, Consort Ling had to be elevated to share the Emperor's favor, but she couldn't allow the Emperor to have exclusive affection. Therefore, she decided to elevate Consort Yun as well.
"This servant has failed to properly educate the princess. This servant begs the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress for forgiveness!" Consort Ling cursed Xinyue a thousand times in her heart, while simultaneously trying to extricate herself from the situation. She knew the Empress would surely use this opportunity to suppress her later, but… the Empress remained silent. When had the Empress changed her ways?
"Empress, what do you suggest we do?" the Empress Dowager finally spoke up. She herself found it strange; given the Empress's straightforward nature, how could she not speak up?
"Your Majesty, I think Consort Ling has had a tough time. When Xinyue entered the palace, I didn't know if she asked Your Majesty for a private space when she arrived at Cining Palace. But when she arrived at Kunning Palace, she asked me for a private space to raise Keshan alone. I wondered where Xinyue got such a big idea. Before I could even ask, Xinyue started crying, calling out words of mercy and nobility. It should have been my responsibility to teach Xinyue, but His Majesty felt sorry for me and asked Consort Ling to do it. I saw her a few days ago and thought Xinyue's manners were quite good. I thought she was a good girl, but who would have thought..." The Empress sighed as she spoke, realizing that the Empress Dowager actually favored Consort Ling. The thought made the Empress uncomfortable, but thinking of the Twelfth Prince, she decided to endure it.
The Empress Dowager looked at the Empress, whose brows were slightly furrowed, trying to discern something from her expression; she knew the Empress's straightforward nature well. After observing for a while and seeing that the Empress maintained the same expression, the Empress Dowager believed her. "Xinyue, do you know your crime!"
Consort Ling pondered the Empress's words again and again, still wondering why the Empress was speaking up for her.
Emperor Qianlong was quite satisfied with the Empress. She was straightforward, always right and wrong. Looking at Consort Ling, his gaze wasn't as gentle as before, but he also felt a pang of pity. Qianlong thought he would choose Consort Ling for himself tonight. Then, looking at Xinyue kneeling on the ground, weeping, Qianlong's eyes were filled with disgust.
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