Chapter 73 New Characters!
Since the Empress Dowager has set her mind on this, it is unlikely that it will be easily dismissed.
These past two days, Yinzhen has been frequently invited to Shou Kang Palace for a short visit, and the Empress Dowager has suddenly come to Yangxin Hall despite her illness. Even Hongzhao has encountered her quite a few times.
Each time, the emperor's expression grew increasingly impatient, but the wavering in his eyes became more and more obvious.
Hongzhao saw this clearly and understood that the day when the Empress would be overthrown was just around the corner, and it seemed that the Empress Dowager was not the only one working towards this goal.
As expected.
A few days later, led by several officials, several ministers submitted a memorial during the court assembly, requesting that the emperor and empress go to the Temple of Heaven to pray for rain. They said that the capital had not received a drop of rain for two months, and there was also a drought outside the palace. This was a matter of great importance to the country and agriculture, and only when the emperor and empress went together with one heart and one mind could they pray to Heaven to bless the Qing Dynasty.
Yinzhen stood silently above, looking down at the people kneeling below, his brows furrowed and his eyes unfathomable.
The imperial court and the harem have always been intricately intertwined. He didn't need to think about how many of these people today were acting on the Empress's orders and how many were acting on the Empress Dowager's orders.
She almost caused Hongzhao's early death. The fact that the person who had been by his side for so many years was such a vicious woman made Yinzhen feel a chill down his spine just thinking about it.
But Nian Gengyao was becoming increasingly arrogant, to the point that all the officials were kneeling to welcome him. If this continued, he would become all-powerful.
Thinking of this, Yinzhen gritted his teeth inwardly. Seeing that he had left these people waiting for a long time, he spoke up at the right time: "In that case, I will have the Imperial Observatory calculate a date and go to the Temple of Heaven with the Empress to pray that Heaven will bless our Great Qing and bring good weather and abundant harvests."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
——
"Your Majesty, we can go out now!" Unlike her usual composed self, Jianqiu hurried in today, her tone filled with excitement.
Yi Xiu smiled with a look of complete confidence—"Look at you, be more composed. I've said it before, only I am worthy to stand by the Emperor's side. Sooner or later, the Emperor will realize that only I am the same as him."
As she spoke, she stood up triumphantly and asked casually, "Did His Majesty say anything else?"
Upon hearing this, Jianqiu's smile faded, and she carefully glanced at the Empress's expression—"They also said that the Emperor and Empress left the palace at the same time, the Empress Dowager was unwell, and Consort Xian was pregnant, so they wanted to... raise Consort Hua's rank again."
Yi Xiu stiffened, and the smile that had been on her face instantly froze. "The rank of Consort is above that of Imperial Noble Consort, and the rank of Imperial Noble Consort is above that of Imperial Noble Consort. I wonder how much favor His Majesty will bestow upon her."
As she spoke, her eyes gradually turned cold, her gentle demeanor vanished, and she bent down to pick up a stack of silk paper with scriptures copied on it from the table. She slowly reached out and brought it to the candlestick. The paper was ignited the moment it touched the candlestick, and Yixiu felt the intense heat in her hand. The flames reflected in her cold and sinister eyes, making them burn even brighter.
Just as the flame was about to leap to her fingertips, Yixiu suddenly let go, and the remaining embers of the flame tumbled down, landing squarely in the water-filled brush washer. The flame was extinguished instantly upon contact with the water.
Looking at the charred remains in the water, Yixiu said calmly and without emotion, "It doesn't matter what they do, as long as I am still the Empress, they can only be concubines, and their sons can only be illegitimate sons."
“Of course!” Jianqiu walked to the Empress’s side and supported her steadily. “Anyone who gets in Your Majesty’s way should not exist in the Forbidden City, and any child that Your Majesty does not like should not be born at all.”
——
In Yikun Palace, Consort Hua's eyes were practically overflowing with joy as she looked at the Imperial Noble Consort's robes held up by the little eunuch in front of her. She couldn't suppress the smile on her lips as she held the robes up and down, examining them carefully. The flattery from Songzhi and the palace servants' repeated "Congratulations, Imperial Noble Consort!" made her feel even more at ease.
She was completely oblivious to the Emperor's composed expression as he looked at her from behind his back in the inner palace, and even less to the undisguised suspicion in his eyes.
The clothes arrived two days before the imperial edict, and during those two days, Nian Shilan acted arrogantly, like a peacock displaying its feathers, stealing the limelight. She wished she could wear the Imperial Noble Consort's auspicious robes every day and go to the Imperial Garden for everyone to see. In particular, she wanted to go to the gates of Jingren Palace and Suiyu Pavilion to thoroughly quell their arrogance.
On the third day, Su Peisheng entered Yikun Palace with the imperial edict in his hand, but this made Consort Hua unable to smile at all.
Many in the palace had already heard that the Emperor intended to bestow upon Nian Shilan the title of Imperial Noble Consort, but for some reason, when the imperial decree was actually issued, she was only granted the title of Noble Consort. Logically speaking, even Noble Consort was a considerable honor, but with such a high rank already established and news of the Imperial Noble Consort's title already circulating, the title of Noble Consort inevitably felt somewhat disappointing.
It's unclear whether the Imperial Household Department genuinely sent the clothes to the wrong person, or whether the Emperor did it intentionally.
The Imperial Observatory calculated that the auspicious time would be in seven days, and according to the time, they would be setting off tomorrow. Hongzhao looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar person in front of him with great interest and his eyes lit up.
"I've been away these past few days, so you can't neglect your studies. Your thirteenth uncle will be in charge of looking after you." Yinzhen looked at his son's face full of excitement and curiosity, and couldn't help but smile as well.
The system kept flashing through Hongzhao's mind—"A new character! A new character! A legendary hero!"
The man in front of me was tall and slender, not particularly robust. In fact, he was rather thin, but his bright eyes, set in slightly sunken cheeks, still gave him a carefree air.
"Hongzhao greets Uncle Thirteen." Hongzhao stood up from behind the small table and walked forward. Perhaps it was because of the plot, but this was the first time he had formally greeted Uncle Thirteen, so he naturally had to be more formal.
"Eh." Prince Yi, rather unpretentious, helped the child up, sizing up his pleasing face. He was well-behaved yet not rigid in his movements, and the gold tassels at the ends of his hair swayed gently, showing how much the child was favored by his elder brother.
"Your Majesty, I teach children differently than you do. Please don't nag me when you return." He understood that his brother wanted him to take better care of the child. He didn't want to ask too much about his brother's affairs in the harem, so he just made a joke to accept the task.
Yinzhen smiled broadly, a rare occurrence, and stepped down from above. He took Hongzhao's shoulder and gently pushed him towards Yinxiang, saying, "You should learn more from your thirteenth uncle. I will be testing you when I return."
Hongzhao nodded emphatically—"Yes! Your son will definitely follow Uncle Thirteen well, Father Emperor, please rest assured!"
Don't worry, he would never miss such an opportunity.
Looking at his reliable thirteenth brother and the obedient and sensible Hongzhao, Yinzhen's unease gradually subsided.
The wheels rolled on, and the Emperor and Empress left the palace to pray for rain at the Temple of Heaven. Nian Shilan led the concubines and stood at the front, side by side with Lü Yingfeng, watching the dust kicked up by the wheels.
Lu Yingfeng gently tapped her nose with her handkerchief, then glanced at Hongzhao, whom Prince Yi was holding in the distance. Just as she was lost in thought, Nian Shilan's sharp voice rang in her ears.
"A concubine is a concubine, and an imperial concubine is an imperial concubine. Just one word difference makes one inferior. Consort Jing, you were originally just a princess in my palace. Even if you rise to a higher position now, you will never become a phoenix. Do you understand?"
As she spoke, she walked forward, completely overshadowing Consort Jing in terms of imposing manner. In the end, Consort Jing, who had been suppressed by her for many years, was still afraid of her deep down. As soon as she said these two sentences, tears were still welling up in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and was about to speak when she heard Lü Yingfeng suddenly speak from the side.
"Consort Jing, the Third Prince seems to be feeling unwell over there. Please take a look; it might be due to the summer heat."
Her voice was genuine. Consort Jing blinked her teary eyes and looked to the side. Sure enough, Hongshi was looking at her with a worried expression. She quickly adjusted her expression, raised her hand, and waved to him gently.
Hongshi was registered under her name. Although the child was already quite old and his studies were a bit of a worry, he was truly filial and genuinely respected her, coming to pay his respects every day. After so much time together, the relationship between this adopted mother and son had been cultivated quite well.
Interrupted by Lü Yingfeng, Nian Shilan naturally couldn't continue. She turned around and rolled her eyes at Lü Yingfeng fiercely, gritting her teeth as she left behind the words, "His Majesty has ordered me to take charge of the six palaces. From now on, everyone must come to Yikun Palace to pay their respects and discuss matters every day. Don't be late."
He then left with a brisk and imposing air.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
