Chapter Thirteen
An excited Emperor Qianlong went to report the good news to the Empress Dowager. Consort Ling led Xinyue away, and Keshan was sent to the Southern Third Palace to live with several older princes. Of course, his living conditions were not as good as those of the princes.
After seeing the Emperor off, the Empress turned to the Fourth Princess, who congratulated her with a smile, "Tell me! What happened?"
"If I say it wasn't intentional, will Mother Empress believe me?" Fourth Princess cautiously probed, though she knew in her heart that the Empress would not believe her.
"Are you suspecting she tampered with things?" The Empress is not a fool. She doesn't resort to tricks because she is unworthy, but that doesn't mean she can't see through things.
"My daughter hasn't figured it out yet, but she generally feels that she can't be wrong, and... Qinggege by Empress Dowager's side is probably one of her people. As for the clothes she sent to the twelfth brother, let my sister check them. Everyone thinks she wouldn't dare to do it openly, so they've let their guard down, and perhaps someone will take advantage of this loophole."
Upon hearing this, the Empress, without caring whether Fourth Princess was right or wrong, immediately ordered Fifth Princess and Rong Mama to examine the clothes left behind by Consort Ling. Sure enough... they found three embroidery needles in the small garment. One was on the front and one on the back, both pointing directly at the heart. The Empress placed the garment on her lap. "Fourth Princess, tell your mother how you found them?"
She inwardly pursed her lips, noticing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces. The Fourth Princess felt a sense of loneliness that often comes with genius. "Your Majesty," she said, "these past few days I've felt she's different from everyone else. She always greets people with a smile and gets along well with everyone, but it's precisely this politeness that makes me feel awkward. Every time she speaks, it's as if she's trying to belittle others to elevate herself. On the surface, Consort Ling's words are very proper, but subtly… to be frank, I'm afraid Consort Ling's words, both directly and indirectly, are also tarnishing Your Majesty's reputation."
The Empress tightened her grip on Rong Momo's hand. She had suffered a loss before in front of Consort Ling because of her words. Consort Ling… no wonder the Emperor kept saying she hadn't managed the harem well after leaving Yanxi Palace, so that's why…
"Fourth Princess, quickly think of a way to help the Empress. The Empress is pregnant now, we can't let..."
They're treating her like a goddess! "Your Majesty, I am unworthy and have no solution. But I wish to ask Your Majesty, in the story of the snipe and the clam fighting, the fisherman benefits, and the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, Your Majesty, do you wish to be the fisherman and the oriole, or the former…?"
The Empress was deep in thought, while Rong Mama grew anxious. Fifth Princess looked at her sister with a puzzled expression, then at the Empress. Lan Xin kept her head down. All the servants in Kunning Palace remained silent; their lives and fortunes were in the hands of the Empress's family, and they dared not utter a word.
~~~
Consort Ling, returning to Yanxi Palace with Princess Xinyue, was deeply displeased. The Empress was pregnant again, having only recently given birth to the Fifth Princess. What had Hu Lingfang done? Thinking of Hu Lingfang, Consort Ling frowned. She couldn't afford to lose this pawn. "Dongxue!" Consort Ling instructed Dongxue to send a message to Hu Lingfang. Right now, the Emperor was in a good mood and had forgotten about Hu Lingfang. If he remembered, he might question Hu Lingfang about her wrongdoing.
Little did Consort Ling know that Hu Lingfang had already been summoned to Kunning Palace by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
~~~
The Empress clutched the small garment tightly. "Consort Ling, I will never let you get away with this! Trying to play these tricks on me..." The Empress was burning with rage, but quickly suppressed it. She was now the sole power in the palace, without anyone to use as a pawn. And Consort Chun, Consort Jia, and Consort Ling—if the three of them were to unite... No, she couldn't watch them grow closer. Just as Si'er had said, she couldn't be the scapegoat or the clam that dies; she could only be the fisherman. Having made up her mind, the Empress pondered how to make the three fight amongst themselves. The purpose of palace intrigue was threefold: favor, power, and the son. How could the Empress not understand this? Letting the three fight, all for the sake of a favored son, would be enough...
The Fourth Princess breathed a sigh of relief upon returning to her room. From the day they entered the palace, they had been tied to the Empress, a ship that was easy to board but difficult to disembark from.
"How did you figure out, sister... that she's not a good person?" Fifth Princess didn't dare to call her by her name directly. She wasn't afraid of any servant overhearing, but she felt she had to be careful.
"Because I've been paying attention to her movements, everyone's unintentional actions will betray their thoughts." Fourth Princess decided to properly teach this well-trained younger sister.
"Actions? I don't understand."
"You can notice that everyone has habitual actions. For example, the lady today has a habit of wringing out her handkerchief."
Fifth Princess still shook her head, not understanding.
"Simply put, a person will make different actions when their mood changes. Think about what actions you would take when you are happy, and what actions you would take when you are angry."
Fifth Princess thought for a while, and after trying hard to think, she nodded as if she had understood something.
"If you're not allowed to do those strenuous movements, you can't hide it; what will you subconsciously do?"
Fifth Princess shook her head. "Sister, this is too difficult. I don't understand any of the movements."
"Then, starting today, you will observe the people around you, whether they are concubines or servants. Pay attention to their expressions and actions when they talk to others. You have one day to observe carefully."
"I must observe carefully. Sister, why do you know so much, but I know nothing?"
"Because I'm the older sister, and an older sister's role is to protect you! Of course, I need to know a lot."
The fourth princess's words made the fifth princess very happy. "We'll see Mother tomorrow! What should we give her, sister? By the way, what did you say about the '鹬蚌相争' (鹬蚌相争, a Chinese idiom meaning 'the snipe and the clam fight') have to do with the Empress Dowager?"
"You could say yes, or you could say no. Okay, go back to your room and pack your things! I'm going to check on Lan."
~~~~~
Consort Ling twisted the handkerchief out of shape, her heart filled with anxiety. Just now, Qing'er had sent word that the Empress Dowager had summoned Hu Lingfang, and she heard that the Emperor was also present. Those who do bad things always have the worry of needless anxiety. Consort Ling was afraid that Hu Lingfang would implicate her. She had only just climbed to this position, but deep down she still prayed that the Emperor hadn't found out anything.
When Dongxue returned, she reported to Consort Ling that she had not seen Physician Hu and had heard that he had been summoned by the Emperor and had not returned since. The news Dongxue brought back made Consort Ling even more anxious, but she quickly calmed down. If Hu Lingfang confessed to her, no one would believe him, right? Consort Ling secretly resented the Empress for making her lose a pawn.
"Your Majesty, this servant just saw the Princess in the Imperial Garden."
"What did the princess say?"
"Your Majesty, the princess said that the Emperor only reprimanded Physician Hu and did not ask any other questions."
Consort Ling knew Qing'er wouldn't lie to her, and immediately felt relieved. She decided to give Physician Hu a warning. With that matter settled, Consort Ling thought of Princess Xinyue. She didn't know if Princess Xinyue was as the Empress had described, but reasoned that as a princess, Xinyue must have learned etiquette, and she could hire a nanny to properly instruct her to avoid any problems. Consort Ling's thoughts were rosy; little did she know, her days of hardship had only just begun.
~~~~
The news of the Empress's pregnancy exploded like a bomb in the palace, and it went off particularly loud. Consort Jia gritted her teeth, Consort Chun snorted coldly, Consort Ling had a headache, and the other concubines who were interested were running to Kunning Palace frequently, while those who weren't stayed obediently in their own rooms. The Empress looked at Consort Jia and Consort Chun, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She had thought about it all night. Consort Jia was of foreign blood; no wonder the Emperor had favored her so much all these years. Looking at Consort Chun, the Empress shook her head inwardly. In recent years, the Emperor had harbored some resentment towards Consort Chun. Consort Chun's opportunities to serve the Emperor were fewer than those of a single concubine. Even if the Emperor did choose her, she would most likely be…
"Consort Ling, is Princess Xinyue doing well in Yanxi Palace?" The Empress looked at Consort Ling and thought of the princess from yesterday. That princess was a real headache. She hoped that Consort Ling could behave herself for a while.
"Your Majesty, Princess Xinyue is doing well with me. I have selected several experienced governesses from the Imperial Household Department to ensure that Princess Xinyue is taught proper manners and etiquette." Consort Ling felt an even greater headache when she thought of that princess.
"Sister Chun, Sister Jia didn't see Princess Xinyue. I almost fainted when I saw her yesterday." The Empress thought to herself that it was a good thing she hadn't taken this princess in. She only heard about it last night when the Emperor came over. Xinyue was having an affair with a servant general. The two of them rode the same horse into the capital together, completely losing the demeanor of a royal princess.
Consort Chun and Consort Jia were startled by the Empress's words. Firstly, because of this princess, and secondly, when had the Empress ever been so kind to them? She always had a stern face. What was the Empress up to? "Sister, what's wrong with this princess?" Consort Jia, quick-witted, immediately chimed in. She couldn't let the Empress lose face. She had quite a few grievances against Consort Ling, but she felt it wasn't worth fighting with someone of lower rank than herself.
"That princess, perhaps because she lost her parents and suffered a blow, knelt down before she could even speak. Before I could even ask her a question, she spoke first, asking me for a small space to raise the young prince of the Duan family." The Empress spoke slowly and deliberately.
"A princess from the Duan Prince's family wants to raise a prince on her own! Sister, she must be joking!"
"My sister didn't see it, but she was crying so hard! Last night I investigated carefully, and this princess is only fourteen years old, yet she can come up with such a naive idea. I don't know how the Duan Prince's family raised her."
"I heard that Xinyue was born to a servant in the mansion and that no one has disciplined her, which is why she frightened me, elder sister."
"His Majesty entrusted the new moon to Consort Ling, which puts my mind at ease. Consort Ling was a close associate of the late Empress, and everyone knows that Consort Xiaoxian was the most proper and respectful. Consort Ling will certainly be no different. Yesterday, His Majesty even said that Consort Ling is sensible and that if Consort Ling has a son who is promoted this year, he should give her a mention." The Empress's calm words were like a bombshell in the hearts of Consort Chun, Consort Jia, and Consort Ling, and the faces of the other concubines also turned sour.
"Your Majesty, it's time."
"Prepare the carriage for the Cining Palace!"
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