The Fourth Prince Hongli's luck has turned around!
After Su Peisheng finished announcing the decree of the fat orange, he led several disciples, each of whom had a purse that An Lingrong had prepared in advance, tucked into their sleeves.
After Baojuan led him down to have tea and snacks, he left Xinghuachun Pavilion.
An Lingrong couldn't wait to lead seven or eight palace maids and eunuchs, carrying large and small bags, to Hongli's residence.
The other concubines were nearly speechless with astonishment when they heard about this. The Emperor actually listened to anything related to the Fourth Prince!
When Consort Jing found out, her hand holding the scissors trembled. She had only intended to cut off the leaves, but the flower in front of her was cut in two with a single stroke.
She was destined to be infertile, and her personality was rather gloomy. If she could have a child, it would help her pass the long nights and provide support in the future.
She had considered the Fourth Prince before, but because of the Emperor's attitude and Consort Hua's monopoly on the harem, she gave up after considering it.
She had heard a bit about Consort Yu secretly sending things to the Fourth Prince. However, she didn't pay much attention to it. It was a thankless task, and only Consort Yu was kind-hearted.
But now that the Fourth Prince has become Consort Yu's adopted son, all the princes and princesses in the palace will have their mothers to take care of them. Even if she wanted to make a move, it would be too late.
Sighing that she didn't have that kind of luck, Consort Jing changed her mood and continued pruning the flowers in front of her.
As for the Fourth Prince's affairs, Consort Hua will handle them; she doesn't need to worry about them.
Qingliang Hall
After sending the messenger away, Consort Hua summoned Zhou Ninghai.
"His Majesty entrusted the Fourth Prince to Consort Yu's care. The head eunuch of the Imperial Household Department must have already led his men to arrange all the treatment a prince should receive."
"Go over there in a bit and send some fine writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones to the Fourth Prince, and also send those two bolts of Rain Silk Brocade."
The so-called "Rain Silk Brocade" is a famous product among Shu brocades. The brocade surface is made of pure white silk thread, combined with warp threads of other colors.
The colored warp threads gradually thin out, while the white warp threads gradually thicken, creating a gradual transition that forms alternating white and light-colored streaks resembling fine rain streaks.
Then, skilled embroiderers from Sichuan would decorate the rain strips with various floral patterns, or pine, bamboo, rocks and cypress.
Each year, only a limited number of Shu brocades were sent to the palace. Apart from the favored concubines, only the ladies-in-waiting with the rank of consort could receive one or two bolts.
Rain Silk Brocade is even rarer. The few bolts that Consort Hua possessed were specially presented to her by the pirates after they learned that she liked fine clothes and food.
Two of them were even patterned for men, the meaning of which is self-evident.
Zhou Ninghai said, "Didn't you say you were going to use those two bolts of Rain Silk Brocade to make two sets of casual clothes for the Emperor?"
"If Your Majesty finds the other materials unsatisfactory, you can simply replace them with a few bolts of Song brocade at the Fourth Prince's place."
"This servant has noticed that the few bolts of Song brocade in the storeroom are quite suitable for the children."
Consort Hua said, "I am in charge of the inner palace. It was fine before, but everyone's eyes were not on the Fourth Prince."
"Now that the Fourth Prince has caught the Emperor's eye, he has also caught the eye of everyone in the harem. It is a fact that he has been mistreated over the years, and I should also do my part."
"Just pick two bolts of fine silk for the Emperor and have the sewing workshop make them. He's old and frail; what difference would it make if he wore the finest brocade?"
Songzhi covered her mouth with a silk handkerchief and secretly laughed.
"Your Majesty is right. The Fourth Prince is young and his skin is delicate. Of course, he should be dressed in better fabric. Does Your Majesty intend to compete with your own son for clothes?"
"However, just after Consort Cheng came out of the Jiuzhou Qingyan, Su Peisheng led people to Xinghuachun Pavilion to announce the imperial decree."
"This Consort Yu, without making a sound, relied on her good relationship with Consort Cheng to have a son. I really underestimated her."
"She's not particularly outstanding in looks or figure, and her family background is so poor. She's only been in the palace for a short time, yet she's already outshone Consort Li and the others."
"Before Consort Yun served the Emperor, the number of times the Emperor visited Yanxi Palace was no less than the number of times he visited Suiyu Pavilion."
Consort Hua looked suspicious. "She's currently favored by the emperor, so why is she in such a hurry to find herself a son? Could it be that she knows something?"
Zhou Ninghai was startled and immediately said, "That can't be. We've been so careful with this. The imperial physicians check the Emperor's pulse every three days, and no one has noticed anything wrong."
"In such a long time, your servant has cleaned up everything from beginning to end, there will absolutely be no problem."
"Perhaps Consort Yu just wants to find someone to rely on first. What's wrong with having another son? Even if she does have a son later, she'll have an older brother to take care of her."
Consort Hua sighed deeply, "What you say makes sense. Ever since I did all this, my heart has been constantly on edge."
"I'm afraid that one day someone will notice something is wrong and it will implicate my brother and Nianfu and Nianxing."
"I do not regret doing these things, but I am afraid that I have not been thorough and careful enough, which may have ruined the grand plan."
Songzhi empathizes with this as well, and she sometimes feels deeply worried when she thinks about it.
If I lose my own life, that's fine, but this matter concerns the lives of my whole family.
Only Zhou Ninghai was confident about this and had no regrets after making his move. If it weren't for the fact that he became a eunuch, his whole family would have starved to death long ago.
If he hadn't become Consort Hua's confidant, how could his family have enjoyed so much wealth and honor for so many years?
If you accept his favors, you have to bear the potential consequences. The family always says that no matter what he becomes, they will always be family.
In that case, it's always best for the whole family to be together.
Zhou Ninghai glanced at Songzhi, even more worried than the Empress. He knew there was no hope of getting her to persuade Consort Hua to relax.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, there will be no problem. Besides, with Consort Yun there, everything is proceeding according to plan."
"His Majesty now prefers to dine at our Heyun Chang restaurant. The dishes from either restaurant are fine, but mixing them together can be harmful to his health."
"It won't be long before the Emperor's health completely deteriorates. At that time, the Empress will be able to rest easy."
Consort Hua couldn't help but laugh when she thought about how, a few years later, the chubby orange would be bedridden and need to be taken care of for its bodily functions after eating at two different restaurants.
She sighed regretfully, "It's a pity that it's not like this every day, otherwise my wish could be fulfilled in two years at most."
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