“You are quite right, but our master… is determined to be loyal and repay kindness.” Xiangqu sighed.
"You've gone mad since you entered the palace," Consort Zhuang rolled her eyes.
"What does my father want to do? Does he intend to serve His Majesty himself?"
Xiangqu blushed at these words: "What are you saying?"
"I ask myself, can the Yu family produce another person to accompany the king? People say that a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders. I'm the same. Once I enter the palace, can I still let my father dictate my actions? He's blindly loyal, but I'm not blindly filial. I still have my own mother, brothers, and younger brothers. If I blindly follow the Empress Dowager and cause trouble, what if I offend someone and the whole family is implicated? Wouldn't that spoil the whole thing?"
“But… unless you’re willing to remain unknown, what else can you do?” Xiangqu sighed.
"What to do? It's easy, just follow whoever is more capable."
"You mean the Imperial Concubine? It's good now, but what about later? After all, she has no son." Xiang Qudong.
"Isn't that obvious? If she had a son, it wouldn't be my place to curry favor. Whether she has a son or not, she'll figure that out herself. I can't think that far ahead. Look at all these people in the harem, those who are close to her have all received real benefits. Even if I don't get that close to her, I certainly can't be messing around with the Empress Dowager." Consort Zhuang smiled: "Don't say I'm not favored either. Even if I were favored and gave birth to a prince, would I dare to oppose her? If you want to live comfortably, you still have to go with the flow."
"The fact that she's gotten this far shows that fate has made her so capable. Just watch, Consort Ning and the First Prince, Consort Ke and the Third Prince will all stumble. Don't ask me why. I'm just telling you this, you just watch."
Xiangqu hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Fine, I'll just watch. You've always been decisive, anyway. But no matter who's good or bad, what will happen to you in the future if you don't have a child?"
“Go out and ask around, who in this harem doesn’t want to have children? Those who have already given birth want more, and those who haven’t are even more eager. Do you think I can control this? It’s all up to His Majesty to come!” Consort Zhuang sighed.
"I also need to think about how to win his favor."
I don't know what the master and servant were talking about, but everyone in the harem has their own thoughts, and who doesn't want to compete for the emperor's favor?
The next day, before Yan Nangui had even gotten up, Shuanzi came in and spoke through the screen.
"Your Highness, the Fifth Prince is ill again, with a high fever. Would you like to go and see him?"
Although the Fifth Prince now lives in Qianqiu Tower, he is still a young child.
Yan Nangui is now the highest-ranking concubine in the harem besides the Empress Dowager. She is different from the other concubines and cannot be ignored as before.
"Comb my hair and put out some simple food."
He got up, ate a little something, combed his hair, changed his clothes, and then sat down and chased after them.
His Majesty is still holding the morning court session and cannot come over immediately.
Inside the Thousand Autumns Pavilion were the First Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince, who had come from the neighboring Hall of Joyful Longevity.
And the original fourth prince in Qianqiu Tower.
Upon seeing her arrive, they all hurriedly greeted her.
"No need for formalities. What did the imperial physician say?" As the Noble Consort Duanyi, she could still accept the children's greetings.
"The imperial physician is still inside and hasn't come out yet," the Fourth Prince said.
Yan Nangui nodded and went inside as well.
The imperial physician tried to get up, but she stopped him.
The fifth prince, who was lying on the bed, had a high fever. Although he was nine years old, he was already considered a big boy.
However, since Yan Nangui had already come in, he didn't pay much attention to it.
The other princes, however, were somewhat embarrassed, since they were all grown up.
Before Yan Nangui could even sit down, the Fifth Prince suddenly grabbed her arm. He used so much force that Yan Nangui lost her balance and ended up sitting next to him.
Jiangxiang was so frightened that she hurriedly tried to pull him away, but Yan Nangui waved her hand.
"Granny Li, Granny Li..." the Fifth Prince murmured.
An old woman gave an awkward laugh: "Your Majesty..."
"Continue," Yan Nangui said, pointing to the imperial physician.
The imperial physician continued his work.
As a result, the fifth prince called for his mother again.
That's strange. He was just a tiny baby when his mother died. And he hasn't called anyone "mother" since.
He was probably feeling unwell and confused.
Yan Nangui raised an eyebrow, and the imperial physician stopped again.
"Are you even capable? I am the same age as Consort Jing, and our ranks and family backgrounds are similar. Can't I even accept a prince calling me 'Mother'?" Yan Nangui raised an eyebrow, looking down on the lousy imperial physician.
The imperial physician was so frightened that his hand trembled...
"Go, send another imperial physician." Yan Nangui was completely annoyed.
The imperial physician was annoyed at his own stupidity and quickly got up and left.
Before long, a royal physician arrived; fortunately, the Imperial Hospital was not far from here.
After quickly taking the Fifth Prince's pulse, she said, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince has an old ailment. He must have caught a chill yesterday. He probably ate something cold. The Fifth Prince has a weak spleen and stomach. Even though it's summer now, he can't withstand this. Although he has taken good care of himself over the years, it is still... a deficiency he was born with. We still need to be careful."
"What did you feed him?" Yan Nangui asked.
Granny Li knelt down in fright: "This servant...this servant..."
"Where is the eunuch who serves the Fifth Prince? Come here and report," Yan Nangui said again.
Soon, a young eunuch of about twelve or thirteen years old entered from outside, knelt down, and was quite frightened: "Your Majesty, it was...it was because I ate some ice..."
"Some? How much is 'some'?"
"Your Majesty...it is...it is three bowls..."
The young eunuch Tian Qi was already trembling with fear.
“Who knew he ate these things when he was serving me closely yesterday?” Yan Nangui asked again.
A young maidservant stepped forward and knelt down, saying, "This servant...this servant understands."
In the end, only the young eunuch and the maid knew.
"Do you two know that the Fifth Prince was born weak? He almost died when he was young. Now that he's older and healthier, does that mean he can withstand any more hardship?" Yan Nangui asked softly, without getting angry.
The two of them were trembling with fear. Of course they knew what was going on. But they were both still young, and they thought... it wouldn't matter.
“Knowing full well that you committed the offense, isn’t it fair to punish you? Twenty strokes of the cane each. And a month’s salary as a fine. You’re the ones who serve you closely, so even after being beaten, you’ll still serve them. You should remember how to handle things in the future, right?” Yan Nangui asked.
The two men hurriedly expressed their gratitude, thinking they were about to be beaten to death.
“Granny Li, you are someone the Fifth Prince trusts, and you are also his wet nurse. Because of our different statuses, I won’t punish you like this. Although you are not with him every moment, he is still frail, and you should know what he eats every day. You also bear responsibility for not taking good care of him yesterday. Are you satisfied with three months’ worth of monthly allowance?”
"Yes, I am convinced, I am convinced."
“It’s good that you’re convinced. I didn’t want to replace you. The Fifth Prince is pitiful; his birth mother passed away early, and his health is poor. It’s rare for him to have a few close relatives. You just need to do your best,” Yan Nangui said.
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