The fact that Lady Guarjia was favored by Emperor Kangxi and became the Crown Prince's consort must have been due to her unique qualities.
When Emperor Kangxi arranged the marriage for his crown prince, the prince was still his most favored son, whom he wished could give the best of everything in the world. Moreover, the crown prince was the heir apparent, destined to inherit the throne. Under such circumstances, the selection of the crown princess was certainly carefully considered.
The fact that Lady Guarjia was able to stand out from so many young ladies speaks volumes about her exceptional qualities.
Unfortunately, this Guarjia clan member failed to catch the Crown Prince's eye and was not particularly favored. Of course, during Kangxi's reign, the Crown Prince still showed Guarjia the respect due to him.
However, this respect lacked the harmony that comes with marriage.
How could a member of the Guarjia clan, who was favored by Emperor Kangxi, not sense the Crown Prince's apparent respect but inward displeasure and estrangement?
As the saying goes, sincerity begets sincerity.
The Crown Prince has no genuine feelings for Lady Guarjia. Although he has now formally appointed her Empress, this insincere appointment offers no guarantee of anything. She could be deposed at any time.
The emperor deposed the empress; he did so while the emperor was in power.
If a person doesn't look out for themselves, they'll be punished by heaven and earth.
Selfishness is probably human nature.
Guarjia knew very well that the Crown Prince's decision to make her Empress was simply to get her to do his bidding. And indeed, the facts proved this to be true.
She naturally couldn't refuse the Crown Prince; after all, husband and wife were one.
Whether she can accomplish what the Crown Prince wants her to do, and to what extent, is another matter entirely.
You can't win sincerity with pretense!
...
"Your Majesty, what did His Majesty say?"
After the Crown Prince left, Granny Miao quickly appeared before Lady Guarjia, her expression extremely solemn.
Guarjia smiled, looked at Granny Miao, and said, "His Majesty wants me to cause trouble for Prince Yong's wife. What do you think, Granny?"
"To cause trouble for Prince Yong's wife?"
As the guardian nanny of the Guarjia clan, Granny Miao knew quite a bit about what was happening in the palace.
"Yes, our Emperor really has a lot of free time!"
It's quite interesting that a dignified emperor, the supreme ruler, would be eyeing his own brother's backyard.
Guarjia understood why the Crown Prince did this; he simply wanted to cause trouble in Prince Yong's harem in order to restrain Prince Yong.
However, for a dignified emperor to resort to such womanly tricks is truly beneath his dignity.
"Your Majesty, perhaps this is an opportunity!"
After pondering for a long time, Granny Miao looked intently at Lady Guarjia and said, "If you can help His Majesty to accomplish this matter, His Majesty will definitely look at you with new respect."
"Look at me with new eyes? Heh..." Guarjia sneered, "Have I accomplished little over the years? Has anything gone wrong under my management of Yuqing Palace? Have I failed to do even one thing properly?"
"Of course not."
Granny Miao sighed, "Your Majesty, this old servant knows you are unhappy. But His Majesty is the heaven of this Qing Dynasty, and also your heaven. Now that you have been made Empress, His Majesty has seen your goodness."
"Granny, do you really think the Crown Prince sees what's good in me?"
Guarjia sneered, "Forget it, let's not talk about that. Go to Prince Yong's residence and invite Consort Li and Consort Song into the palace. I want to have a word with them."
"yes!"
It's true that Granny Miao was Guarjia's guardian nanny, but the problem is, she didn't really know much about Guarjia. She knew what Guarjia's temperament was like, but she still had some questions about Guarjia's character.
At first glance, the Guarjia clan appears to be delicate. However, in reality, although they were born into a wealthy and noble family, they possessed a resilience that surpassed that of ordinary people.
Granny Miao quickly left the palace and headed straight for Prince Yong's residence.
...
Inside the Yong Prince's residence, Consort Li and Consort Song sat facing each other, both looking utterly miserable. They had returned to the capital, supposedly to oversee the acquisition of local medicinal herbs and plants. But in reality, these tasks required virtually nothing of their utmost effort.
"Sister, what should we do?"
Consort Li broke the silence first, looking at Consort Song.
Consort Song glanced at Consort Li and said, "Aren't you always so resourceful? We both came back together, wasn't that your doing?"
"..."
Consort Li remained silent.
She knew that she was no longer favored by Consort Song.
After all, the two have had quite a few unpleasant incidents. If things are going smoothly, they can at least get along peacefully for a while. But once they encounter difficulties or troubles, they'll definitely find fault with each other.
At this moment, Consort Song dislikes Consort Li, but Consort Li also finds Consort Song agreeable. However, since they have fallen to this point, they must unite and fight together against a common enemy.
In truth, Consort Li was much smarter than Consort Song; she knew exactly what she needed.
"I know that I am dissatisfied with you. However, we are both down on our luck right now. If we can't unite, we will be stuck in this mansion in the capital for the rest of our lives."
Consort Li looked at Consort Song with a sorrowful and worried expression.
Consort Song was stunned for a moment and remained silent for a long time.
She wasn't particularly clever, but she wasn't stupid either; she was capable enough to analyze her situation. Having been sent back to the capital from the small town of Zichuan, Consort Song had considered what the future held.
However, Consort Li had tricked her too many times, and she was really scared.
“Sister, the Prince is currently in seclusion. All the power in our household is in the hands of the Princess Consort. If we want to go back, we have to handle our duties perfectly. What do you say?”
Consort Li continued to plead earnestly.
This time, Consort Song didn't directly retort, but instead looked thoughtful.
At this moment, Granny Miao arrived at Prince Yong's residence.
"The Empress invites the two concubines to the palace for a talk!"
When Granny Miao met Consort Song and Consort Li, she first greeted them and then explained her purpose for coming.
Upon hearing from Granny Miao that the Empress had invited them to the palace for a talk, Consort Li and Consort Song were stunned for a long time. They had been worried about their uncertain future, but now they suddenly felt a little happy.
Of course, after their joy, the two were also somewhat worried, wondering why Guarjia had invited them to the palace so soon after being crowned empress.
Who are they? They are merely the concubines of the Fourth Prince, or rather, concubines who haven't yet been formally accepted into the family.
I'm afraid they're up to no good.
The two exchanged a glance, and a chill ran through them both; the joy they had felt earlier vanished completely.
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