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Inside Changchun Garden, lanterns and decorations were everywhere. Consort Tong methodically sent people to welcome the wives of the royal family and imperial clansmen. She was sure to have a grand banquet on the eve of the Lunar New Year this year.
In addition, Kangxi's firm decision to spend the New Year at Changchun Garden instead of returning to the palace was partly to eliminate any spies hidden in Yuqing Palace, and partly because he did not want to follow the Empress Dowager's rules for celebrating the New Year.
"Lanya, I'm entrusting the most important matter to you. Make sure to keep a close eye on the Empress Dowager. Xiao Guai's health is also getting worse, so remember not to let anything happen to her. The same goes for the eldest daughter of the eldest son!" Kangxi had arranged for Imperial Physician Yuan to be in the side room in advance, so that if Lady Yin Genjue Luo or Qingyan were unwell, he could examine them immediately.
"Xuan Ye, what are we going to do about Consort Yi and the others causing trouble again? Recently, the Empress Dowager and Consort Yi have been getting very close," Consort Tong asked.
After a moment's consideration, Emperor Kangxi realized that the Empress Dowager was also a hot potato. Now, because of the matter concerning the fifth and ninth princes, Consort Yi had begun to join forces with the Empress Dowager. Fortunately, Consort Yi's sister's princess was not raised by her side; otherwise, Consort Yi would definitely have sent the princess to Mongolia for a political marriage.
"Give her a piece of your mind. If Consort Yi doesn't even have this much sense of propriety, then punish her directly after the New Year." Kangxi had lost patience with Consort Yi. "Remember, if Consort Yi goes too far, after the Lantern Festival, have her go directly to the Great Buddha Hall in Cining Palace to worship Buddha!"
"Yes, sir!" Consort Tong replied.
Just past eight o'clock, Changchun Garden gradually became lively. The imperial family members arrived first. Kangxi sat in the main hall, waiting for the arrival of the princes. Consort Tong, dressed in a golden palace gown, wore a headdress specially made by Qingyan with a hollowed-out nine phoenixes returning to their nest. She greeted each of the princes with a smile.
Yin's carriage slowly entered the courtyard. Yin helped Qingyan down from the carriage, and the two separated. Qingyan helped Sulan walk towards the Consort's courtyard. When they entered the courtyard, Qingyan noticed that some new palace maids had been added.
She glanced at them briefly and realized that these palace maids were all very ordinary-looking; if they were placed on the palace path, no one would recognize them.
"Fourth Princess Consort, the Imperial Concubine is already waiting in the palace!" Shu was given advance notice. "Also, please try to remain calm. If the wives of the princes from beyond the Great Wall say anything too outrageous, pretend you're feeling unwell and quickly go to your inner chambers!"
Consort Tong was worried that if Qingyan got pushed too far, she would definitely snap back at people.
"Alright, Aunt Shu, don't worry, I still have to help Mother!" Qingyan understood Tan Gufei's worries. The wives of the princes outside the pass were all very eloquent. Under the arrangement of Yuqing Palace, the Crown Princess had already stirred things up.
If these wives were to make trouble for Consort Tong, Consort Tong wouldn't be able to say much, and Qingyan's side would definitely be blamed.
"You dare to put pressure on me layer by layer, Crown Princess, you underestimate me too much!" Qingyan chuckled inwardly. She had been waiting for this day when the Crown Princess would make a rash move.
"Master, we're almost at the flower hall!" Su Zhu glanced at their location; they were about to enter the real battlefield.
Qingyan's lips curled slightly upwards. Sulan lifted the curtain and stepped into the hall. She discovered that there were some noble ladies she had never met before. No wonder, Yin had said that this year's festival would definitely be the most lively.
After bowing, Consort Tong casually pointed to the lower right corner.
"My two wives, this is the fourth prince's wife, the biological mother of those twins!" Consort Tong said with a smile to the two wives.
Both of the elderly ladies are nearly seventy years old, and this trip from beyond the Great Wall to celebrate the New Year may be their last.
"The Fourth Prince's wife will be well taken care of. She looks very fortunate. No wonder she has twins." The two prince's wives never interfered in affairs, let alone obeyed the Crown Prince's orders or opposed Kangxi.
They had all lived through the reigns of three emperors, and their families had also suggested that Kangxi might have been a descendant who had learned the ruthlessness of the Empress Dowager.
"You flatter me, ladies!" Qingyan smiled gently at the two ladies.
"Fourth Princess Consort, I heard she's pregnant again?" After the old princess consorts came to the capital, some people often whispered in their ears that the Fourth Princess Consort was pregnant, yet she was still monopolizing the Fourth Prince. In their eyes, having twins was an absolute blessing, a grace bestowed by the Eternal Heaven.
"Yes!" Qingyan was a little reserved. If it were Consort Guang, she would have been more talkative.
"You must take care of your health. Don't pay too much attention to those rumors outside!" the old lady said directly.
"Yes, we've only been in the capital for a few days, and those wives of the imperial family are already getting restless. They're even urging us to petition you, saying they want to send two princesses over. It would be great if the Fourth Princess's good fortune could be unchecked. With a legitimate son, what's the point of having a son born of a concubine?" The old wives had suffered in silence before, so they understood to some extent.
“What the Princess Consort says is absolutely right. I didn’t even agree to be the mother of the fourth prince, but those people have talked about it to me a lot. They even brought up the matter of the imperial edict!” Consort Tong had heard Kangxi say that these two princess consorts were reasonable. “They said that I am not his biological mother and that he certainly doesn’t care about his future.”
"Your Highness, don't listen to those people's nonsense. Having a legitimate son is definitely a good thing. Do you think it's better to cause trouble like those princes' families outside the Great Wall?" The old lady sneered.
The wives of the princes outside the Great Wall had suffered a lot. After arriving in the capital, the Crown Princess instigated them again, and they planned to take this opportunity to make trouble for Qingyan.
“That’s what I think too. Xiao Guai is pregnant again. Putting everything else aside, we should make sure she’s happy during this time!” Consort Tong used Xiao Guai’s pregnancy as an excuse to reject all attempts to curry favor. “Besides, the eldest son’s wife is also pregnant. Both children have to go to the naval port with the princes. Who can go through all that trouble?”
The old wives all nodded in satisfaction. In their youth, they had all fought alongside their husbands, and the hardships they endured were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
"Fourth Princess Consort, are you tired?" the old princess consort asked Qingyan.
"I feel so good to be with you, Master. I've never been separated from you for too long since I was little!" Qingyan said shyly.
The two old wives looked at Consort Tong and repeatedly asked her what she meant by the banquet.
"Hehe, His Majesty arranged for the princes to be raised in the residences of the wives of the emperor. The Empress Dowager said it was for the safety of the Crown Prince, and that the princes should leave the palace to avoid the auspicious occasion." Consort Tong didn't mince words and directly told the reason why the princes were leaving the palace.
The two consorts did not look very good. Before leaving, the Empress Dowager was somewhat confused and had lost all the wisdom she had shown outside the Great Wall. She actually drove all the princes out for the sake of the Crown Prince.
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