The Emperor avoided Fukang'an's dark and indifferent eyes and ordered the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall not to divulge what they had heard or seen that day, or they would be beaten to death on the spot!
The imperial physician was already covered in cold sweat upon hearing the emperor's imposing command.
"Aunt An is just tired from the long journey and has had some miscarriage trouble!"
The Emperor's voice floated up to his head, like a thousand-pound iron ingot, pressing down on the imperial physician, who then bowed his head in obedience and knelt to take his leave.
The palace maids and eunuchs all bowed their heads and left. Inside the hall, only the Emperor and Fukang'an remained. Separated by a curtain, Wuchun and Yanning dared not even breathe. Their eyes met, each lost in their own thoughts.
Although Yan Ning's face was pale, she looked as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart as she tapped Wu Chun.
The entire inner hall was eerily silent.
Few people lived in the side hall. Although the palace maids had cleaned it up and burned strong incense, they still couldn't cover up the dusty smell inside.
The Emperor coughed a few times and looked at Fukang'an, who still stood as still as a rock in the hall. "Once she is feeling better, you will take Yan Ning back to the manor with her!"
Now that things have come to this, Fukang'an's childhood memories of being murdered have been unearthed and are swirling around the hall.
The Emperor knew this was only one of the two things Fukang'an wanted. But when it came to military affairs, even if the world was at peace now, the Empress Dowager was wary of Fukang'an taking advantage of the chaos to rebel. Although today's events were the Empress Dowager's fault, she was still his mother, and even if the Emperor felt sorry for Fukang'an, he would not easily go against her wishes.
After a long standoff, Fukang'an knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"
In the bedchamber, Wu Chun held Yan Ning's hand, a sense of relief washing over her after surviving a near-death experience. She looked at Yan Ning, revealing her pearly white teeth. "After returning to the manor, Wu Chun will certainly follow Madam's lead and dare not overstep her bounds in the slightest!"
Yan Ning also smiled gently. "Your safety and the safety of your child are a blessing to the Fucha family!"
After the incident with Wuchun, the Empress Dowager's condition improved considerably. Although the Emperor had ordered the palace maids and eunuchs not to spread the word about Wuchun's bleeding in the side hall that day, their true master was, after all, the Empress Dowager. With just a few words, the Empress Dowager already knew what had happened that day.
The Emperor kept this a secret from the entire palace for her sake, but this very act of keeping it a secret meant that the Emperor already believed it was her doing.
Wu Chun was still recovering from her illness, but the Empress Dowager would come to visit her in the side hall every day, showing no intention of avoiding suspicion.
The water around Changchun Xianguan remained calm and still, but in Yan Ning's eyes, the Yuanmingyuan Garden seemed increasingly desolate, with politics and intrigue lurking everywhere.
Yan Ning knew from Fukang'an and Wuchun's behavior that the Empress Dowager had been framed by them, but the stakes were Wuchun's unborn child.
The Emperor never imagined that Fukang'an would use his own child to frame the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager never imagined that Wuchun would harm the child in her womb.
Musk is a major taboo for pregnant women; improper use will surely bring disaster!
Fukang'an's strategies were full of military tactics, putting himself in a desperate situation to survive. Such courage was something that women in the deep palace could not match.
The Empress Dowager, having served three emperors, was ultimately defeated by Fukang'an, who was not yet twenty-five years old. Women are not political strategists; no matter how much power they wield in the inner palace, they are ultimately insignificant in the men's court.
When Yan Ning saw Fukang'an again, she felt a slight pain in her lower abdomen for no reason and dared not look him in the eye.
She had no idea when she would become a pawn in Fukang'an's schemes.
The wife and the chess pieces, upon hearing this, made no difference to each other.
Wu Chun's health is gradually improving, and his return is approaching.
Yan Ning still had something unresolved in her heart. After that day, Consort Rong, like the Empress Dowager, placed the jade pendant inside the collar of her mink coat. Yan Ning never had the chance to see her again. As time passed, her memories of that day were mostly of bleeding during her spring, and she only vaguely remembered that the jade was similar to her own.
But the "Miss Yue" mentioned by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor remained unforgettable for Yan Ning. Why did Emperor Kangxi favor this young lady instead of his concubines? If the "Miss Yue" mentioned by the Empress Dowager was truly so favored, why didn't she even have a title? She had tentatively asked the palace maids and eunuchs in Cining Palace, but they knew nothing about this "Miss Yue."
Ask Granny Zhuang?
Yan Ning felt that not only would she not get any answers, but she would also be drawn into a new vortex of court politics.
Ask Consort Rong?
Yan Ning saw Consort Rong leaving the Empress Dowager's palace several times through the window. This foreign woman had gentle, kind eyes, like a warm spring. Whenever Yan Ning saw her, she felt that she was probably the most calming person in the palace. No wonder the Emperor had no objection to the Empress Dowager's decree, and even Consort Dun, the most favored mother of the Tenth Princess, was overshadowed by Consort Rong.
Although she did not have the title of Imperial Concubine, she already possessed the power of one.
However, Consort Rong's feelings for the Empress Dowager made Yan Ning unsure whether she should ask her about Miss Yue. With her departure from the palace drawing near, Yan Ning knew she could no longer hesitate. After leaving the Yuanmingyuan, she didn't know when she would be able to return to the palace and see these women again.
As Yan Ning came out of the side hall, she happened to run into Consort Rong, who had just finished paying her respects to the Empress Dowager. Consort Rong smiled at Yan Ning as usual, her long, curved eyelashes drooping.
After receiving the Empress Dowager's jade pendant, she became the highest-ranking of the three consorts, yet she remained humble and gentle.
After Yan Ning curtsied to her, she followed Consort Rong outside.
Beyond the palace gate of the East Courtyard of Changchun Immortal Hall lies a wooden arched bridge. Behind the bridge stretches a desolate scene, resembling a faded painting from a bygone era.
Consort Rong stopped in her tracks, looking at Yan Ning with gentle eyes, "Does Lady Fucha have something to ask me?"
Yan Ning wore flat, low-cut embroidered shoes. She looked up at Consort Rong, who was slightly taller than her. In this palace, only this foreign woman could bring her warmth.
"This concubine wishes to ask who Miss Yue is? The Emperor said that she was deeply favored by the Holy Ancestor? But why does she have no official title despite such favor?"
Consort Rong frowned slightly, turned her head slightly, and the tassels and beads on the shelf swayed, revealing the landscape and wooden bridge painting in Yan Ning's eyes.
Yan Ning also knew that she had asked too many questions.
Consort Rong's expression softened; she had already applied a light layer of powder to her face. Now, with the winter wind blowing, her face was no longer covered.
She had long since passed away, and her appearance had aged.
"Do you really think the glory and wealth in this palace will last? With the passing of the Holy Ancestor, the past affections and favors are nothing but fallen petals and flowing water, ultimately meaningless. Leaving behind empty titles is just being buried in the palace, watching the gilded and jade-painted pavilions fade. Guarding that bronze mirror, waiting alone for black hair to turn white. If it weren't for those empty titles confining you, you could step out of the Gao'e Palace walls and see if the other parts of this royal land are just as empty, cold, and lonely!"
Consort Rong spoke slowly, as if reminiscing, or perhaps thinking of herself. Although Miss Yue was a taboo subject in the palace, she was someone every concubine envied.
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