The news that the Crown Prince was absent from the morning court session and did not go to the Imperial Study spread within half a day.
Even more strangely, not only the crown prince fell ill, but the emperor also fell ill.
Two of the three major figures in the Forbidden City have fallen, and the Empress Dowager is still inactive. Suddenly, everyone in the palace is in danger, feeling that a storm is brewing.
The imperial physicians huddled together, their brows furrowed in worry. The Crown Prince had caught a cold from the wind, while the Emperor had suffered liver damage from anger. Faced with the explicit or implicit inquiries from the various empresses, they could only offer vague and evasive answers.
Emperor Kangxi leaned lazily against the bed, with some greetings left beside him, but he neither wanted to look at them nor listen to them.
When you're recovering from an illness, you need to relax. Normally, you should find a few attractive girls in the entertainment room who can sing and dance to entertain you.
Having experienced the Crown Prince incident, Kangxi now didn't want to see women who were too young. He couldn't help but wonder if the women who could be his daughters or even granddaughters also fantasized about becoming the Crown Prince's women.
So in recent days, the older concubines have ushered in their "spring." Consort De has been attending to the sick for three or four days in a row. She doesn't have to do anything. The palace maids and eunuchs have taken care of everything, such as serving tea and water and wiping her body. She is only responsible for providing emotional support, chatting with Emperor Kangxi about the children, and reminiscing about the past.
Consort De was getting impatient. She had climbed from a palace maid to her current position, and she couldn't tell outsiders about the hardships she had endured, especially not to the Emperor.
In the Emperor's heart, she was otherworldly and should not feel that she was suffering. On the contrary, she should be grateful to the Emperor because it was through him that she was able to enjoy wealth and honor and give birth to a prince.
At their age, even if they don't do anything, maintaining a high level of mental alertness all day long, afraid of saying the wrong thing, is very mentally taxing.
The old woman, Green Granny, felt sorry for her mistress: "Your Highness, you should rest too. You still have to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation this afternoon."
Consort De returned to Yonghe Palace and breathed a sigh of relief. She took a sip of tea and said, "This kind of hardship is something some people would rather die for."
The old woman, Green Granny, sensed something was amiss in her words: "Your Highness, this servant has noticed that Consort Hui has been working very hard lately."
"Now that the Emperor is far away from the Crown Prince, we in the harem have all heard of the title of the former Grand Prince. Out of respect for Prince Zhi, the Emperor will give her some face."
"Not to mention Consort Hui serves us so attentively, she outshines us all." Consort De said with a mocking expression. So what if she's a daughter of the Nalan family? She still grovels at the Emperor's feet, her posture so low as to be in the dust. She's not even as good as Consort De, who comes from a bondservant family.
"Your Highness is now firmly seated in the rank of Consort, and your two sons are both promising, not to mention Prince Honghui. Your good fortune is just around the corner." Green Granny's words struck a chord with Consort De.
She lay on the bed with her eyes closed. It is said that bystanders see things more clearly, and she has been able to get to her current position because of her ability to read people's expressions and moods.
Although the Emperor is ill, he is still in good spirits, but he has not visited the Crown Prince even once in recent days, which speaks volumes.
The Crown Prince has violated the Emperor's taboo, and it is a very serious matter; otherwise, the Emperor would not have appeared so injured.
At this moment, the eldest prince stepped forward, or rather, was pushed forward by the emperor. He seemed to be in the limelight, almost overshadowing the crown prince.
But the Crown Prince is still the Crown Prince. How long can the Emperor remain angry? Once things calm down and the father and son reconcile, how will the First Prince face the Crown Prince?
Of course, these things had nothing to do with Consort De. She just felt that the road ahead was unclear and that if she took the wrong step, she would be smashed to pieces.
Consort De was alarmed; she knew she couldn't let the fourth and fourteenth princes fall into such a predicament.
******
The Emperor decreed that Consort Hui, for her gentle and respectful conduct and meritorious service in caring for the ailing Consort, be reinstated as Consort Hui.
The imperial decree caused an uproar throughout the court.
When Consort Hui was demoted, many people speculated about the reasons behind it, thinking she would be banished to the Cold Palace for life. Unexpectedly, she was reinstated.
This is a heinous crime of murdering the late empress! It seems the dead are not as important as the living.
The women in the harem who had no sons were filled with envy. Looking at their own bellies, they thought that even without a son, having a princess would be good.
So everyone started secretly and discreetly seeking out the Imperial Hospital for pregnancy-stabilizing medicine. When the Empress Dowager found out, she exclaimed that it was absurd. The Emperor was still ill, and what were these irresponsible people doing? They were making a laughing stock of the royal family.
That's the downside of not having an empress. Sometimes, even the emperor's harem has to be managed by this old woman, though heaven knows she doesn't really want to care about anything.
Consort Hui, now she should be called Consort Hui again, couldn't help but sneer as she looked at the newly renovated palace.
She was the emperor's longest-serving concubine, and she originally thought she would hold some weight in his heart. However, reality told her that Hesheli had won.
But fortunes change, and although she won, she didn't win completely; now she's back in the position of concubine.
Having abandoned her dignity and relying on her son, she rose again. Looking at her much older face in the mirror, Consort Hui secretly made up her mind that from this day forward, she would live for her son!
The prince's cold has healed, but he is still bedridden. He still doesn't understand why the events of that day led to this outcome.
Niohuru sat quietly to the side, looking at the Crown Prince with some disdain. This man was useless; given the correct answer, he insisted on using the wrong approach to solving the problem.
The Crown Prince's gaze swept over Niohuru, and suddenly turned fierce: "You said Father Emperor would depose me, it's all because of you, you jinx! If it weren't for you, why would I be drinking alone like this?!"
Niohuru fed the Crown Prince with the medicine, saying, "This is not my fault. Besides, the Emperor won't punish you openly. If you wait a while, go to the late Empress's palace and cry. The Emperor will soften his heart."
The Crown Prince's gaze was fixed on her face, then suddenly moved down to her lower abdomen: "Tong'er, have you gotten what you wanted?"
Niohuru smiled and said, "My Hongli will definitely come!"
The Crown Prince thought this woman was quite insane, but as long as she could have children, it didn't matter whether she was insane or not. If that Hongli was truly the chosen one, then it wouldn't be bad.
Upon hearing the news of Consort Hui's reinstatement, the Crown Prince's smile vanished completely. He knew nothing about his birth mother and had no recollection of her, but his father always spoke of her with tender longing.
Over the years, the Crown Prince had developed a deep respect and affection for his mother, and therefore harbored a deep-seated aversion to Prince Zhi and Consort Hui.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor said he loved the Empress Dowager the most, but in practice he was able to let those who harmed her off lightly.
Consort Hui? Consort Hui? In his opinion, she should be demoted to a lower-ranking concubine and banished to the Cold Palace to vent his anger.
Father Emperor, you are forcing your son into this situation.
The prince stared at the bed curtains, his mind churning with various thoughts, and a bold idea lingered in his mind.
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