Chapter Sixty-Two
With Xiao Yanzi gone, He Rui, who was pregnant, had a lot of free time. He Rui's daily life consisted of eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating. Bao Zhu was getting married at the end of the month and was busy preparing her dowry. After thinking for a long time, Bao Zhu decided to continue staying by her mistress's side. Her mistress had been kind to her, and she felt she would be letting her mistress down if she left now.
When Haricha returned that evening, He Rui was still asleep. Haricha carefully carried the princess back to the inner room, and Baozhu told her husband about the day's events. "My lord, today Wu Shu from the Fifth Prince's residence came to deliver a letter to His Majesty,"
"Has the Fifth Prince already moved out of the palace?" Harichagai had no good feelings towards the Fifth Prince. Although the Fifth Prince had saved Princess Heya, no one knew if it was because he couldn't avoid it. Suspicion about the Fifth Prince had never stopped since the hunting grounds.
"I heard it was the one who moved the first. Should we send Master over?" Baozhu was a loyal servant, so naturally she wouldn't like anyone her master disliked.
"Put it on the table!" Going there is a must, but we still need to be careful. Who knows what the Fifth Prince is up to?
Since the Fifth Prince was establishing his own residence, he naturally had to invite his brothers and sisters who already had their own residences to a meal. If he didn't invite them, the censor would say that he lacked brotherly affection. Even if he didn't want to invite them, this meal was indispensable. He Rui, He Ya, He Jing, and He Wan sat at one table, accompanied by the Fifth Prince's new concubines—Suo Chuo Luo and Hu.
The princesses all knew that Lady Hu was Qing'er, so they didn't give her a friendly look, but chatted happily with Suochuoluo. Lady Hu couldn't get a word in edgewise and could only force a smile, but in her heart she hated Suochuoluo intensely.
Only a few knew that the Fifth Prince was incapacitated; the princesses, for example, were unaware and no one considered the implications of his condition. They even respectfully urged Lady Suochuoluo to work harder. Lady Suochuoluo, newly arrived, was also unaware of the Fifth Prince's condition, her face flushed with embarrassment. Lady Hu, standing to the side, smiled outwardly but inwardly scoffed. The Fifth Prince had been staying with her for the past few days; no matter who became the new wife, no one would surpass her, since she knew the Fifth Prince was impotent.
~~~
After hearing He Rui's words that day, He Jing returned to the manor and found Li Tao. Li Tao initially wouldn't tell the truth, feigning ignorance. He Jing didn't care whether Li Tao admitted it or not; she already believed He Rui's words completely. Li Tao was horrified by what her master said. She had hidden herself for so many years, even disfiguring herself, yet she had still been discovered. After being locked in the manor's dark room, Li Tao didn't think about whether she would survive, but rather how her master had found out. Li Tao didn't consider informing the Wei family. Deep down, she harbored a profound hatred for her family. Why could her younger sister be favored by the Emperor while she could only pave the way for her sister, ending up as a mere servant, while her sister was served by servants? The sense of imbalance in her heart grew heavier after being locked up, making it hard for Li Tao to breathe.
Li Tao confessed, and she confessed completely. Hearing Li Tao's version shocked He Jing even more. There were many more unknown things in the palace: the palace maid who had been favored by the emperor for one night was found dead at the bottom of the lake; concubines were secretly given infertility drugs; unfavored concubines had affairs with eunuchs, and so on. Enraged, He Jing shouted at Li Tao to shut up and dragged her into the palace with a token.
Consort Ling had a bad feeling after waking up this morning, as if something was about to happen. The Emperor hadn't set foot in Yanxi Palace for a long time, and she was embroidering the palace rules every day until her eyes were almost blurry. She wanted to summon her cousin to the palace to see what was happening outside. But the person she sent out returned stammering, "Your Majesty, the Empress said that the Emperor has granted Your Majesty permission to see those outside the palace only after you finish embroidering the palace rules." Consort Ling regretted it deeply. She thought that having Xiao Yanzi would bring her back into the Emperor's favor, but she hadn't expected such an outcome. "Your Majesty, the Empress has sent someone to invite Your Majesty over." La Mei entered, carrying a garment. "This servant will assist Your Majesty in changing."
Consort Ling glanced at the clothes in Lamei's hands and nodded. Lamei, as expected of her confidante of many years, looked even more pitiful after changing her clothes, especially with her pale face.
The Empress was unmoved by Consort Ling's attire, but Li Tao, kneeling before her, was deeply offended by Consort Ling. Consort Ling, supported by a nanny, bowed to the Empress, annoyed that the Empress hadn't risen. The Empress absentmindedly traced the rim of her teacup with the lid, making a crisp sound. When Hejing followed the Emperor into Yongshou Palace, Consort Ling maintained her bowing posture. Upon hearing the Emperor's arrival, she looked at him with a wronged expression, as if she had been bullied. Unfortunately, the Emperor wasn't buying it. Consort Ling remained oblivious to the fiery glare the kneeling servant was giving her.
Emperor Qianlong looked at Consort Ling, then at the kneeling Li Tao, his anger rising. What did the Wei family take my harem for? "Consort Ling, do you know your crime!" The sinister voice startled Consort Ling, who knelt down with a thud. "This servant, this servant does not know."
"You don't know? Do you recognize the servants around you?"
Consort Ling stiffly turned her head and met Li Tao's eyes. Consort Ling gasped, her eyes clearly questioning, "What are you doing here?"
Li Tao turned her head away disdainfully. This younger sister wasn't as pampered as the family said. It was a complete waste of her sacrifice.
Consort Ling did not miss the disdain in Li Tao's eyes, and hardened her heart. "This servant will not allow it."
"Oh? You don't recognize me? I feel like you two are very familiar with each other." Qianlong was not surprised by Consort Ling's denial. "Consort Ling, even if you don't recognize me, I can still give you three feet of white silk."
"This servant truly knows nothing! Someone must be trying to harm this servant! Please, Your Majesty, grant this servant justice!" Consort Ling hurriedly kowtowed to the Emperor, but the more she kowtowed, the more uncertain she felt. Had she been exposed?
"Harm you? Don't you know your place? Anyone who tries to harm you would be too ashamed to get their hands dirty," the Empress sneered. "Li Tao, do you recognize Consort Ling?"
"Your Majesty, I recognize her; she is my sister." Before Li Tao could finish speaking, Consort Ling immediately retorted in surprise. "Don't talk nonsense! I am from the Wei family; how could I possibly be your sister?" Consort Ling realized something was amiss after speaking; the Emperor and Empress were watching her coldly. Startled, Consort Ling immediately kowtowed, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I truly do not recognize this person." Sister, what are you trying to do? Do you want to destroy the Wei family? Consort Ling was right; Li Tao did indeed want to destroy the Wei family and make them pay for what they owed her.
With Consort Ling's downfall, the Wei family was executed, along with their entire clan! The Fu family was also included in this execution order and should have been included as well, but several ministers jointly protected them. Emperor Qianlong harbored resentment over the fact that the Fu family hadn't been executed.
~~
After dealing with the Wei family, the Tibetan King Balabun, accompanied by his daughter, went to pay homage.
He Rui and He Ya watched Saiya enter the palace from afar. They had heard that the ministers who had protected the Fu family were doing so for Balabeng's purpose in coming to pay homage. What purpose could Balabeng have in bringing his daughter to the capital? It was nothing more than finding a husband for his daughter. Anyone who knew a little about Tibet knew that Tibetan princesses were very noble and could marry again and again. Who would abandon their son in Tibet?
The ministers' ulterior motives could not possibly be hidden from the Emperor. Qianlong knew this in his heart, but he was extremely unwilling. If Fu Erkang were to be sent to Tibet, he would have to be promoted to a higher banner. Thinking of this, Qianlong was not happy. Even the lackeys were angry. To promote them to a higher banner? Dream on!
He Rui and He Ya sat in Yongshou Palace, accompanying the Empress as they waited for Saiya's audience. He Rui and He Ya chatted about trivial matters of the household. Jin Suo had already left the Princess's residence and opened a shop outside with the Prime Minister. He Rui merely raised an eyebrow; perhaps his impression of Jin Suo was still that of the foxy woman he'd seen on television, and he felt no liking for her whatsoever.
"Should we add some people from your group?"
“Empress Dowager, there are quite a few people at He Rui’s residence.” He Ya nodded in agreement with He Rui’s words, and also mentioned that there were quite a few people at her residence. “Empress Dowager, the last time I saw Fifth Brother, he didn’t seem to be in good spirits.”
"Saya, daughter of the Tibetan Tusi, pays her respects to the Empress!" A eunuch trotted in, interrupting Heya's question.
"Announce!"
After bowing respectfully, Saiya was summoned by the Queen. Looking at Saiya's obedient demeanor, He Rui found her quite pleasing to the eye; Saiya wasn't as eccentric as the characters like Xiao Yanzi on TV. He felt a growing fondness for Saiya. The Queen inquired about the customs and scenery of Tibet, to which Saiya answered respectfully. The Queen appreciated people with good manners and nodded in satisfaction.
Saiya made a very good first impression, and in the following days, she often visited the residences of Princesses He Rui and He Ya. Of course, this was because He Rui and He Ya were acting on the Emperor's orders. A few days later, the palace held a contest between the Qing Dynasty and Tibet. As the top contender, Fu Erkang was the first to appear. Fu Erkang had been holding back his frustration, as the Fu family depended on him.
Fu Erkang didn't disappoint the ministers who had placed their hopes in him, defeating several Tibetan warriors in succession. Saiya couldn't sit still any longer. Saiya disliked Fu Erkang, for no reason at all. Just looking at his nostrils made her want to punch him. How could she possibly take someone so repulsive as a husband? Instead of impulsively rushing forward to beat Fu Erkang to a pulp, Saiya quietly gave a few instructions to those around her.
Balabun paid no attention to the woman's subtle actions; he knew the Emperor was wary of Tibet. Even if he wasn't satisfied with this man, he had to accept him; whether he would die from the long journey was up to fate. Balabun's plan was sound, but unfortunately, Saiya didn't even want this man to take her husband's place. That very night, Fu'erkang died in the street. An autopsy determined that Fu'erkang had been beaten to death by several people.
With Fu Erkang dead, the decision of who would go to Tibet had to be reconsidered. After much deliberation, Emperor Qianlong issued an imperial edict betrothing Princess Saiya of Tibet to Prince Yongqi. Having married the emperor's son, Saiya could no longer return to Tibet, and Balben dared not refuse, so he could only leave behind his most elite warriors.
The Fu family was dragged out of the Meridian Gate and executed by the Emperor for their poor performance.
He Rui listened to Harichagai's words, stunned. The Fu family was gone just like that? "Princess, you should rest now." Harichagai looked at He Rui's growing belly, where his son, the future eagle of Mongolia, was born.
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