Just after the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), Qingyan was woken up by Yin and changed into her usual palace clothes. Half-asleep, she followed Yin into the palace. He looked at the drowsy little darling, placed his large hand on hers, and then four hands covered her lower abdomen.
Honghui came back ahead of schedule, right?
"Little darling, when you pay your respects later, if you get tired, just tell your mother, and she will have Shu arrange for you to rest!" Yin had anticipated that most of the women who came to the palace to pay their respects today were there for her.
Within a single night, news of Qingyan's pregnancy spread throughout the capital. Many women saw this as an opportunity, as every prince would have a concubine to accompany him when his primary wife was pregnant.
Yin Ying was no exception; their daughters had all received special training, and only by entering the Fourth Prince's residence could they have room to make their mark.
Inside Chenggan Palace, the ladies of the court had gone there early, hoping to get the latest news from Qingyan.
"Shu, you personally bring Xiao Guai over!" Consort Tong felt very sorry for Qingyan, and she understood the thoughts of these women even better.
"Your Majesty, we are all very happy that the Fourth Prince's wife is pregnant. We can't let the Fourth Prince be left without anyone to take care of him, can we?" Madam Ma glanced at Consort Rong, and after the latter gave her a meaningful look, she spoke directly to Consort Tong. After all, as a mother, Consort Tong would definitely want the best for her son.
Although Consort Rong disapproved of Consort Tong's constant protection of Qingyan, which made the remaining concubines seem like wicked mothers-in-law, Emperor Kangxi valued Consort Tong's demeanor and always took extra care of her.
"Consort Rong, do you think so too?" Ma Jia did a good job. Yin Zhi's harem had quite a few female relatives. The Dong E clan was already very disappointed in Yin Zhi. During this year's election, the Dong E clan sent their legitimate daughter and illegitimate daughter to participate in the election together.
Consort Rong was taken aback. The news that Consort Dong'e was preparing to give up on Yinzhi spread throughout the capital. Consort Dong'e was considered a favorite at home, but Yinzhi did not treat her well, which forced Consort Dong'e to focus most of her attention on other people.
Consort Rong couldn't help but feel that the gains were not worth the losses. In the past few days, Yin Zhi had been trying to curry favor with Consort Dong E.
"Third Prince's wife, Xiao Guai also has good news. Now it's your turn to work hard!" Consort Tong smiled. Xiao Guai is doing well. Yin said there would be good news this year.
I never expected that she would become a grandmother so soon.
"Your Majesty, you've done a good job training her. Fourth Princess Consort looks so blessed!" Tong Guogang's wife smiled. Consort Tong liked Xiao Guai, and she liked her too. Sometimes even that rough and uncultured Tong Guogang would say that Fei Yanggu had a thoughtful daughter.
At the door, Qingyan smiled, and Madam Tong Guogang was also amusing. After receiving the good news, Madam Tong Guogang showed a bit of goodwill, which made Xiao Guai feel exceptionally good.
“Mother…” Qingyan was dressed in a peach-pink casual outfit, the color of which made her look exceptionally delicate. Her gloomy little face was quite a sight. When Consort Tong saw her little darling, she felt relieved.
Before Qingyan could even perform the proper courtesies, Consort Tong had Shu help her up. This was Yin's first child, and he needed to be protected carefully.
"This servant greets the Fourth Princess Consort!" The ladies-in-waiting rose one after another to pay their respects to Qingyan.
Qingyan smiled and quickly told everyone to get up, since all the ladies-in-waiting were going to get up.
"Fourth Princess Consort, you are feeling unwell, please have a seat!" Madam Ma smiled, emphasizing the words "feeling unwell," which made Qingyan chuckle. Was this Madam using this method to subtly hint that Qingyan was choosing women for Yin's harem?
Consort Tong beckoned to Xiao Guai, inviting her to sit in the chair closest to her.
"Look, these ladies are even more anxious than I am as their mother. I think the Fourth Prince should take good care of Xiao'er." Consort Tong took a sip of tea and then wiped her mouth with a silk handkerchief.
“I agree with that. Before Songkri Yirha was born, the eldest son was also very nervous and stayed by his side the whole time!” Consort Hui believed that Kangxi still cared for Yinzhi, at least much better than before.
The spies planted in Chenggan Palace always said that Consort Tong and Yin often mentioned the eldest princess to Emperor Kangxi, which helped her gain favor with him.
"Yes, I think Songkelierha is in very good health. At least, he's not as healthy as those illegitimate sons in the Third Prince's courtyard. None of them even turned one year old for the traditional lottery." Although Consort Ping had a grudge against the Tong family, Suo'etu's people all said they wanted to let the illegitimate daughter enter the Third Prince's residence. Hesheli had a high status among military officers, but it was different among Han officials. If she wanted to refuse, they couldn't even find a reason to refuse.
Among the princes, only Yinzhi held an extremely high position among the Han officials, and even the women he favored had a certain status among them.
The ladies-in-waiting all fell silent, not daring to say more. Consort Ping's words clearly pointed out that the Third Prince's children in his harem must have been the work of the Third Princess Consort.
Outsiders speculated about the truth, but no one dared to say it in front of the Third Prince's wife.
Today, Consort Ping exposed what everyone was hiding. Originally, those people were prepared to watch the Qing banquet, but several concubines seemed to dislike Consort Rong and launched an attack directly.
Consort Tong smiled coldly. The families of the palace concubines all had their own schemes. Apart from Yinzhi, the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince were to choose a secondary consort, while the Seventh Prince was to choose a primary consort. These three were the main focus.
The timing of Qingyan's pregnancy is perfect. At least before the imperial concubine selection, the Empress Dowager will not be swayed by the concubines and officials. The pregnant woman should at least maintain a good mood.
“My dear mother, Third Sister-in-law has the heart of a loving mother. The Crown Princess once said that those illegitimate sons were all raised in Third Sister-in-law’s courtyard.” Fifth Princess Consort said directly at the prompting of Consort Yi.
The Third Prince's wife was speechless after being cornered by the Fifth Prince's wife. Consort Rong and Consort Yi were even more at odds. Consort Yi was the legitimate daughter of the Guo Luo Luo clan and had always been suppressed by Consort Rong. Now that the two were of equal status, Consort Rong had always been arrogant and oppressive towards Consort Yi.
"I think Consort Rong is very magnanimous. Even after losing her grandson, she didn't mistreat the Third Prince's family. She's a mother-in-law who loves her daughter-in-law very much. Consort Gui, we should learn from her!" Consort Yi's words were very sarcastic, which stunned many good wives.
Now, Consort Yi's youngest son, the Eleventh Prince, is frail and sickly, and rarely appears in front of everyone. However, the concubines know that the Eleventh Prince was made like this by Yin Zhi.
When the eleventh prince was two years old, Yinzhi saw him fall into an ice cave, but he had no intention of saving him.
By the time the Ninth Prince arrived, the Eleventh Prince had already developed a chronic illness. It is thanks to Consort Yi's painstaking efforts that the child was able to survive the year safely.
"Consort Yi, what are you saying!" Consort Tong smiled. "Everyone knows Consort Yi is outspoken." (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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