Honghui recently discovered something that is troubling him.
To show his favor to the Crown Prince, Emperor Kangxi would frequently bestow gifts upon the Eastern Palace. Not only Yinreng received them, but also the Crown Princess, Hongzhao, Hongxi, and Hongjin.
The two brothers recently acquired a pair of peacocks, which they are extremely excited about.
To show off, Hongxi and Hongjin invited the princes from the Imperial Study to Yuqing Palace to see the peacocks display their plumage.
While admiring the peacocks, Honghui spotted a somewhat familiar figure. It was a woman in palace attire who appeared to be pregnant. She came out of the Crown Prince's study and, upon seeing the princes in the garden, avoided them by taking a side path.
Honghui was a child with an excellent memory; it's no exaggeration to say that he could memorize a memorial he read to Emperor Kangxi after just one reading. He felt that he had seen this woman before, when he was still young.
With a question in mind, Honghui asked, "This place is quite close to the Crown Prince's second uncle's study. Will our noise disturb him? I vaguely saw some guests here just now."
Hong Jin spat dismissively, "What guest? That's my father's princess."
Hongxi glared at him: "You must not be rude to your stepmother."
"It's my brother's fault. The distance was a bit far, and he misjudged it." Honghui looked annoyed. "How about this, let him brush the feathers of the two peacocks?"
"That's wishful thinking." Hong Jin rolled his eyes, demonstrating that he would do it himself.
Honghui was somewhat disappointed to have missed the opportunity to get up close to the peacock.
That afternoon, Honghui kept trying to recall when he had seen the woman in palace attire, and finally remembered when he returned to the Yong Prince's Mansion.
She should never have appeared at Yuqing Palace. She should have been recuperating at home, Niohuru's mother. There's no mistake!
After much hesitation, Honghui found an opportunity to whisper something to Yihua.
"Mother, is Mother Niohuru still not better?" Honghui suddenly asked.
Yi Hua was a little puzzled, she had almost forgotten about this person: "Your father said she is still sick, so she has to stay sick."
"Then do you think it's possible that she's no longer in the manor?" Honghui said hesitantly. "I met one of the princesses from the Crown Prince's second uncle's family once in Yuqing Palace. Although she has changed a bit, I'm certain that she was Niohuru's mother."
Yi Hua stared at Hong Hui for a long time without saying a word. It would be a lie to say that she didn't trust Hong Hui.
If what Honghui said is true, Yinzhen couldn't possibly be unaware of this matter; he must have already taken some action.
"Perhaps it's because people are similar." Yi Hua raised her hand and touched Hong Hui's forehead; now she had to stand on tiptoe to reach him.
"That's something your father should consider, but you shouldn't go to Yuqing Palace anymore." Yihua was afraid that Honghui was too bold and might stumble upon some secret that would lead to his death.
Honghui nodded; he just needed his mother to know what was going on.
“Mother, the Emperor gave Hongxi and Hongjin a pair of peacocks. I think they are quite interesting. How about we build a peacock garden in our Yuanmingyuan? My younger brother and sister will definitely like it.”
"Mother thinks it's what you like," Yihua replied with a smile.
******
Not far behind the Hall of Mental Cultivation is a row of courtyards, which are where the favored concubines temporarily reside.
Once Emperor Kangxi grew tired of someone, they had to move out. Those with connections and money could be assigned to a good-tempered master's seat; otherwise, they would be arbitrarily assigned to a palace that was no different from the Cold Palace.
If one moves out, another can naturally move in.
The Forbidden City is never short of women who serve the emperor.
It is said that the room where Huo Tao'er lives has bad feng shui. The previous emperors all angered the emperor and were expelled. Now, they have all basically left.
But Huo Tao'er is different. Now, Emperor Kangxi summons her almost every day, and sometimes he doesn't even need her to serve him in bed. They just drink tea and chat alone.
Not only did the people in the emperor's court begin to flatter her, but even the four concubines in the harem had heard about this favored concubine. Consort De also mentioned this matter when she was chatting with her daughter-in-law.
"This Consort Huo has become quite a figure recently. She may have one or two relatives outside the palace. Don't clash with them, or it will look bad if it gets to the Emperor."
Consort De was not being overly worried; such a thing had actually happened before. Emperor Kangxi favored a concubine, whose younger brother had a conflict with the Tenth Prince outside the palace. The Emperor punished both of them equally, and neither of them benefited.
The Fourteenth Prince's wife had always looked down on people without status: "Your Highness, please don't be sad."
Consort De shook her head: "Only when she is granted the title of Consort will she be qualified to come before me. Why should I be sad?"
Emperor Kangxi changed concubines so frequently that it sometimes took days. If he were really upset or jealous, he would be so sour that he would die of jealousy. There was no need for that.
Yi Hua didn't speak. She roughly knew who this Huo Tao'er was. She didn't expect that Ninth Prince would directly give her to the Emperor. Was he trying to plant a big time bomb for Eighth Prince?
Huo Tao'er, who was at the center of the discussion, was serving tea in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. She had recently learned the art of tea making, and although she could only draw very simple patterns, it was enough.
Through the screen, Huo Tao'er could vaguely see Kangxi leaning closer to read the memorials.
"Liang Jiugong, light some more lamps, it's too dark." There was a hint of anger in Kangxi's voice. His eyesight was getting worse and worse, and he could no longer see clearly without Western-style lenses.
He also didn't want to always summon his ministers wearing Western-style clothing, as it gave him a sense of defeat at the hands of Westerners.
Liang Jiugong quickly added more lamps and candles, making the room brightly lit. He rubbed his eyes, finding it quite dazzling.
"How long until that barefoot gentleman from the barbarian lands arrives?"
"Your Majesty, we will arrive in the capital in three more days."
Seeing that no one was looking at her and everyone was keeping their heads down to avoid attracting Kangxi's attention, Huo Tao'er flicked her finger lightly, and the fine powder fell into the teacup, slowly dissolving.
After calming her racing heart, Huo Tao'er gently carried the tray towards Emperor Kangxi.
A specially appointed eunuch would step forward and use a silver needle to test the poison, then quietly retreat. Huo Tao'er was already used to this; she didn't know what kind of medicine her master had given her, so she couldn't detect any toxicity.
Perhaps it wasn't poison at all. Although Huo Tao'er was puzzled as to how doing this could avenge her sister, she had already stepped in and couldn't turn back.
Emperor Kangxi glanced at it and said, "Tao'er has made great progress. This garden and landscape are already taking shape."
After drinking half a cup of tea, Kangxi looked at the beauty and felt much better: "Give me a shoulder massage to relax me."
"yes."
Huo Tao'er always kept her head down and remained meek in front of Emperor Kangxi. Although she rarely smiled, her attitude was respectful and submissive.
Emperor Kangxi observed her for many days and found that she did not do anything out of line. Even the tea was tested by a specialist every day. Could his intuition be wrong? This beautiful woman who suited his taste really had no background.
If that's the case, then it's definitely worth spoiling them.
Liang Jiugong frowned as he watched from the side. He felt that the emperor's mood had been unstable lately, and that the emperor would be in a good mood whenever Consort Huo came, which was really strange.
Perhaps I should investigate this Consort Huo further.
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