Chapter 151 Winning Over Consort Fan: These past few years have been quite good for her. ...
Lady Fan had been living quite well these past few years. Although she was not favored by the emperor, her high rank as a principal consort meant that no one dared to mistreat her in terms of allowances. Firstly, she was one of the few former concubines from the prince's residence whose status was high, second only to the Imperial Concubine and Consort, who had been granted the title of Consort. Secondly, everyone in the palace knew how she had obtained her Consort title. Therefore, both the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Kitchen were willing to give her preferential treatment. Furthermore, the lower-ranking concubines, such as Noble Ladies, Attendants, and Ladies-in-Waiting, were also willing to flatter her.
Initially, not all the concubines fawned over Lady Fan, but in the end, they managed to get close to her. Their primary interest was naturally the Imperial Concubine, but unfortunately, she was not someone they could easily meet. The Emperor frequently summoned the Imperial Concubine to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and often visited the Palace of Eternal Longevity. If they went to see her, they risked causing offense; offending the Imperial Concubine would be disastrous, as she controlled palace affairs. Furthermore, the Imperial Concubine's palace housed two princesses, and the princes would also occasionally visit to pay their respects, making it even more difficult for them to disturb her.
Did any of them try to curry favor with others? Yes, some did. A few tried to flatter Consort Ke, but unfortunately, it was all one-sided; she didn't even look at those who hadn't been favored for years. As for Consort Jing, she was the type who would come and go as she pleased, completely ignoring the affairs of the other concubines.
Therefore, compared to other concubines, Consort He was easier to talk to and had connections with the Noble Consort, so they were all willing to go to Chuxiu Palace to get close to Lady Fan.
Originally, Lady Fan was somewhat displeased with several of the young concubines who had flattered Consort Ke, but Lady Liu, a Noble Lady who lived with her in Chuxiu Palace, reminded her that Consort Ke disliked people, but she liked them. Didn't this show that she was tolerant? If she was tolerant, then it meant that the Noble Consort was tolerant.
Ever since Liu entered the Chuxiu Palace and was of lower rank than Fan, Liu had become subservient to Fan, frequently offering advice and suggestions. Although Fan still felt somewhat resentful, Liu's words were indeed reasonable, so Fan changed her mind. Whoever came to her Chuxiu Palace, she would greet them with a smile, chat with them, do some embroidery, or set up a card table. For a time, they lived peacefully together.
However, Lady Fan knew perfectly well why these ladies-in-waiting had come to Chuxiu Palace, but she couldn't very well tell the Consort about it. She herself hadn't yet achieved anything, so how could she speak well of these juniors? She was worried that those below her, not getting any benefits, would speak ill of the Consort, ruining her reputation. Unexpectedly, during the New Year, the Consort allowed the Western Six Palaces to receive the ladies of high rank, which excited everyone. People in the palace all wanted a good reputation and status, and being able to receive ladies of high rank meant the Consort valued them. Therefore, besides going to Yongshou Palace to express their gratitude, the juniors flattered Lady Fan even more fervently.
While Lady Fan felt that the Imperial Concubine was a good person, protecting her face and making things right for her, she was also uneasy. Wasn't the Imperial Concubine promoting her just to keep an eye on Xianfu Palace next door? But she had been watching for years, practically seeing through the gates of Xianfu Palace, yet she still hadn't caught Consort Ke, Lady Li Jia, red-handed.
Madam Fan was furious, and even Liu's advice to calm her down wouldn't calm her down. But perseverance pays off, and she finally found a thorn in her side.
"I only found out about it these past few days," Madam Fan said excitedly. "A few days ago, the palace maids said that the head maid of Consort Ke's side had taken people to the East Six Palaces. I felt something was wrong, so I kept an eye on it. Guess what? Consort Ke sent people into Yonghe Palace, seemingly to deliver something to Consort De."
Cheng Qianyue frowned and asked again, "Send something to Consort De?"
Madam Fan nodded. "Yes, it's said that Consort Ke thought that although spring had arrived, it was still cold in the mornings and evenings, so she personally made hand warmers for Consort De." She felt a surge of resentment, thinking that Consort Ke dared to do this because the Empress was gone and the Emperor was at Mount Tai offering sacrifices; she completely disregarded the Imperial Concubine. Moreover, her efforts to win over the Imperial Concubine were a pretense; her true intention was to curry favor with the princes outside. Since Consort Ke had done this, the Imperial Concubine couldn't show weakness. What if Consort Ke really gained the upper hand? So, after finding out the whole story, she immediately rushed to report.
Cheng Qianyue lowered her eyes involuntarily. For a moment, she wondered why Consort Ke had suddenly become so bold. Then she wondered what she should do. Intervene? Don't be ridiculous, there's no way she could interfere, because offering tribute to the Dowager Consort wasn't a crime at all.
Seeing that the Imperial Concubine remained silent, Lady Fan grew anxious and tentatively said, "Your Highness, Consort Ke is trying to win people over like this; who knows what ulterior motives she might be plotting?"
Fan's words brought Cheng Qianyue back to her senses. She looked up and smiled, "I understand what you're talking about. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
In just a few breaths, Cheng Qianyue understood. Consort Ke was simply trying to win over people for the First Prince, Hongxi. But the Dowager Consorts and the Prince weren't fools; they wouldn't side with you just because of a few kind words and gifts. Besides, she had no reason or excuse to reprimand Li Jia, much less send gifts to the Dowager Consorts. After all, she was in charge of the Dowager Consorts' allowances, and if she were to supplement their allowances, it would seem like she was abusing her power for personal gain. Moreover, if Li Jia sent gifts and she followed suit, it would be like they were competing for power, and being too obvious would be counterproductive.
Moreover, Cheng Qianyue didn't want to do this kind of thing of trying to win people over. She had already stopped Cheng Yexing from trying to win over officials when he was in power, let alone now.
Cheng Qianyue made up her mind.
Lady Fan breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "Now that you say that, I feel more at ease." She thought that she had not let down the Imperial Concubine's kindness.
After Madam Fan left, Cheng Qianyue glanced at Lin Quan'an and said softly, "Did you hear what Master Fan said just now?"
Lin Quan'an hurriedly knelt down: "This servant heard you, this servant deserves to die! This servant has truly been so busy lately that I've lost my mind." He wished he could slap himself to wake up, thinking that he had been living too well these past few years and had forgotten his old skills as a eunuch—to be vigilant and attentive to everything. Good heavens, this is nothing! There are many more things to be careful about in the future, and he actually let his guard down at a time like this; he deserves to die.
Cheng Qianyue slowly spoke, "It's not that I'm blaming you. Everyone needs to rest sometimes." There are countless matters in the palace that require her decision-making, and just as many that require her people to handle. So it's normal for her subordinates to occasionally take a break and relax. Who would specifically target reasonable, trivial matters?
Lin Quan'an kowtowed and said, "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your understanding." You tell me what you want to do, and he will certainly make amends and handle things properly.
Cheng Qianyue breathed a sigh of relief and said, "No need to make a fuss, just have someone keep an eye on things."
Lin Quan'an was somewhat stunned. Was the Imperial Concubine not planning to seek redress at the Eastern Six Palaces? He whispered, "Your Majesty?"
Cheng Qianyue hummed in agreement, clearly indicating, "Don't interfere with anything else, just gather information and let me know." Although she didn't intend to get involved, she still needed to be informed. Most importantly, she would have something to say if Yinreng asked about it when he returned in the future.
After entrusting the matter to Lin Quan'an, Cheng Qianyue indeed received a lot of news about Li Jia Shi. For example, not only did she send someone to deliver things to Consort De, but now the person was heading directly to Yonghe Palace, and Consort De even kept her there for a chat and tea. Another example was that Li Jia Shi had sent things to the princes studying in the Imperial Study, especially Hongshi from the Fourth Prince's household and Hongchun from the Fourteenth Prince's household.
Cheng Qianyue was a little puzzled and asked, "Did Consort Ke only go to befriend Consort De?" What was Li Jia thinking? Didn't she go to the other consorts or the princes of other families to offer them any warmth?
Lin Quan'an went over the matter three times before daring to reply: "Your Majesty, this servant had the eunuchs in charge of cleaning the Eastern Six Palaces keep an eye on things for over ten days, and Consort Ke did indeed only enter Yonghe Palace." Yonghe Palace was where Consort De held the highest position, but other mistresses also lived, such as Consort Dai, the birth mother of the Seventh Prince, and Consort Duan. Therefore, it was difficult to say for sure whether Consort Ke only met Consort De; however, the rumors circulating outside were all related to Consort De.
Cheng Qianyue was immediately puzzled. She couldn't figure out Li Jia's thought process in doing this. If she was going to win over all the concubines and consorts, that would be fine, but why only win over one? But she quickly realized that without special treatment, how could she show sincerity? Thinking about it this way, Li Jia was simply single-mindedly trying to win over Consort De, or more precisely, trying to use Consort De to curry favor with the Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince outside.
Cheng Qianyue sighed, thinking to herself that Li Jiashi really had a good eye for people.
After ascending the throne, Yinreng treated his brothers exceptionally well, giving several of them important positions. The Fourth Prince, in particular, was entrusted with the Ministry of Revenue. It's said that in recent years, the Fourth Prince has been ruthlessly discrediting officials and powerful figures. However, the more the Fourth Prince does this, the more Yinreng values him, rewarding him frequently. Then there's the Fourteenth Prince, who, upon returning from Qinghai, was promoted to Prince of the Second Rank and appointed Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, in charge of patrolling the palace gates. Yinreng truly favored these two brothers immensely.
Cheng Qianyue raised a hand to her forehead. The affairs of the outer court were none of her concern, but she couldn't pretend she didn't see the inner palace. Li Jia's actions were truly unethical.
Why?
Since the imperial concubines still reside in the Forbidden City, Yinreng is essentially providing for them on behalf of the princes outside. Oh, does this mean only the Fourth and Fourteenth Princes are serving the Emperor? Don't the other princes also have duties? His brothers are diligently performing their duties outside, yet his own mother is being treated differently in the Forbidden City? If this gets out, wouldn't it be a slap in Yinreng's face?
Cheng Qianyue was utterly speechless at Li Jia's actions. Finally, she realized she couldn't let things continue like this and quickly devised a way to smooth things over with the Dowager Consorts. But even a way to smooth things over needed a pretext.
Finally, a flash of inspiration struck me, and I had an idea.
Cheng Qianyue said, "Have someone inquire in the Southern Prefecture if there are any good martial arts practitioners, and if they have any good plays being rehearsed recently."
Lin Quan'an was momentarily distracted and whispered, "Why did Master suddenly ask about the Nan family?"
Cheng Qianyue slowly spoke: "It's a rare and beautiful spring day. I'm afraid everyone will be bored in the palace. Tomorrow, I'll spread the word that I want to invite the imperial concubines to watch a play and listen to music."
Lin Quan'an's ears perked up immediately, thinking that their master had finally made his move, and he replied decisively, "Yes, sir."
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