Kunning Palace was unusually quiet.
The emperor and empress were dumbfounded, looking at each other in bewilderment, both feeling that something was amiss.
Emperor Kangxi had some doubts.
The Empress practically idolized Consort Qi, so why is she reacting like this now? Is she trying to educate Consort Qi? What did Consort Qi do wrong?
The Empress was also muttering to herself.
What is the Emperor plotting? Wait, could it be that he's using me to put a warning on Consort Qi?
The emperor and empress were filled with questions.
They both observed each other's expressions and asked at the same time, "Your Majesty/Empress, what mistake has Consort Qi made?"
The words were spoken, and the atmosphere in Kunning Palace grew increasingly strange. Not only did the Emperor and Empress find it odd, but even the palace servants throughout the palace looked on with puzzled expressions, each one filled with questions.
What exactly happened?
The Empress looked at the Emperor with a puzzled expression, and it took her a long time to realize what was going on. She gazed intently at the Emperor and asked cautiously, "Your Majesty has not blamed Consort Qi?"
Why would I reprimand Consort Qi for no reason?
"..." The Empress's expression was very strange.
She wondered if Kangxi was even more puzzled than the Empress.
He stared at the Empress and asked, "What do you mean by that, Your Majesty? What happened to Consort Qi?"
The Empress hesitated to speak, yet remained silent.
After a long pause, she said softly, "Your Majesty, last time you summoned Consort Qi to the Qianqing Palace to reprimand her..."
Emperor Kangxi interrupted the Empress.
A vein bulged on his forehead: "Who said I summoned Consort Qi and reprimanded her? Did Consort Qi say that?"
"That's not it..." The Empress paused, taken aback. She frowned slightly, thinking carefully. It seemed that Consort Qi had never mentioned being reprimanded by the Emperor? Nor had any rumors circulated in the Qianqing Palace? ...Thinking further, it seemed that everything started with the servants of the Chuxiu Palace looking somber and behaving strangely, and the rumors were mostly just the palace servants' own speculations?
The empress's expression turned strange.
She suddenly realized that... or rather, that all the concubines and servants in the palace seemed to have been tricked by everyone in Chuxiu Palace.
The Empress regained her senses.
She didn't have time to answer the Emperor's question, and for a moment she was both annoyed and amused: "What is this Consort Qi thinking about all day long?"
Could anyone in Chuxiu Palace have done this without her permission? The Empress simply couldn't believe it!
Emperor Kangxi looked puzzled.
After the Empress finished recounting the recent events in the palace, he couldn't help but laugh out loud: "I think she probably just wants to watch the show."
"Consort Qi is truly... I don't even know what to say about her!" The Empress sighed helplessly, and at the same time, she suddenly remembered something. The Empress's heart skipped a beat, but her expression became more serious: "It was all my fault for being so foolish. In fact, Consort Qi had mentioned it before... but neither I nor the two Empress Dowagers believed it!"
It's embarrassing to admit.
To appease Consort Qi, the Empress Dowager specially offered a special allowance. Upon learning of this, Consort Qi went to Cining Palace to politely decline, but was nagged about it for a long time by the Empress and the two Empress Dowagers.
The Empress roused herself and explained the matter.
Otherwise, if the Emperor were to visit Cining Palace and think that Consort Qi did it on purpose, that would be troublesome.
"Did you submit a sample?"
"Yes." The Empress's heart pounded as she could not discern much change in the Emperor's expression.
"Let it be brought up now." Kangxi waved his hand, not taking the matter to heart: "I'm planning to bestow titles upon the harem at the end of the year. It's just that I brought up the amount a few months in advance. Let it be brought up now."
The Empress breathed a sigh of relief.
Her lips curled up, and her eyes revealed obvious joy.
The Emperor's confident reaction and calm attitude suggest that this matter was decided from the very beginning. Perhaps the Emperor intends to promote Consort Qi to the rank of Imperial Concubine.
The Empress couldn't help but think of the gossipy concubines and palace maids, wondering what expressions they would have on their faces after learning the truth. Thinking of this, the Empress's eyes sparkled, and joy practically overflowed.
Emperor Kangxi stood to the side, watching the Empress.
The Empress's joy and happiness were genuine, which also made him feel happy. He patted the Empress's wrist, and instead of continuing to mention Consort Qi, he changed the subject, saying, "I have something else to tell the Empress."
"Your Majesty, please speak?"
"I agree to let the young Hesheli and the young Tongjia enter the palace. The Tongjia will live with the Noble Consort in Chengqian Palace, while the Hesheli will be arranged to live in Yonghe Palace."
This is huge news!
The Empress looked shocked, but quickly composed herself and calmly agreed.
Emperor Kangxi casually mentioned it.
Instead of complaining about Empress Hesheli and Empress Tongjia to the Empress, he smiled and talked about Crown Prince Yinreng's recent studies and the eldest princess's recent homework.
The Empress would occasionally chime in with a comment.
This matter stirred up some ripples in her heart. After the Emperor left, the Empress asked with great interest, "Granny Zhou, what rank do you think the Emperor will give to Hesheli and Tongjia?"
Granny Zhou was still preoccupied with the matter of Consort Qi.
She came to her senses and thought for a moment: "This servant thinks that Lady Hesheli might be able to become a concubine? After all, she is the mistress of Yonghe Palace and the sister of the late Empress."
"She's just a half-sister."
The Empress took the teacup offered by the palace maid and slowly sipped it: "...There is still Consort Xuan in the palace. If you ask me, she may only have the rank of Consort."
Consort Xuan is a guiding light in the palace.
In the past, the emperor needed powerful clans and Mongol tribes to consolidate his power. Now, with his power growing, the emperor is no longer willing to be controlled by these clans and tribes. The idea of the Heseri and Tongjia clans to gain influence through the harem is destined to be met with the emperor's cold shoulder.
Hesheli, who lives alone in a room, will certainly be able to obtain the rank of Consort... but it's not certain that she will be able to obtain the rank of Imperial Concubine. What about Xiao Tongjia, who lives in Chengqian Palace? She will probably only be able to obtain the rank of Noble Lady at most.
The two are worlds apart, and it's hard to know what they think or how they will choose to break the deadlock. The Empress lowered her eyes and stared at the ripples in the cup, her eyebrows curving into a smile.
It looks like there's going to be a good show to watch from now on.
Just as the Empress had considered, the young Hesheli and the young Tongjia had many ideas. They were of similar age but possessed distinct charms. If the young Hesheli was as elegant and charming as an autumn chrysanthemum, then the young Tongjia was as delicate and captivating as a crabapple blossom.
The two had met on many occasions. Both were outstanding among the noble ladies of the Eight Banners in terms of appearance and talent. They also regarded each other as sisters. If they had married into ordinary Eight Banner families, their relationship might have been even better.
Unfortunately, both of them ended up in the palace.
The young Hesheli clan was relatively calm; at least the news from the palace indicated that she lived alone in Yonghe Palace, starting as the mistress of a palace. Furthermore, with the Crown Prince by her side, the Hesheli clan did not seek much favor from the young Hesheli clan, but only hoped that the young Hesheli clan would take good care of the Crown Prince and prevent him from being won over by certain individuals.
As for Xiao Tongjia, her situation was much more precarious. She and Consort Tong were not biological sisters and had never even met once since childhood. So how could they have any sisterly affection?
Furthermore, not only did the Emperor not adopt the Seventh Prince, but he also did not set foot in Chengqian Palace for several months. This meant that Xiao Tongjia would not only have to support the Consort upon entering the palace, but also compete for the Emperor's favor in order to give birth to a healthy prince.
Lady Tongjia carefully drew up the list, pondering the personality, preferences, and habits of each concubine. As for other miscellaneous details, she introduced them one by one.
Xiao Tongjia had a smile on her face.
When she turned back, she couldn't hold back anymore and secretly went to her birth mother's concubine, Ms. Kochiri, and cried twice.
Hesheli and Tongjia were busy, and the inner palace was relatively peaceful and harmonious for the time being.
After all, the emperor has started entering the harem!
After staying at Kunning Palace for three days, Emperor Kangxi, as was customary, was to stay in another palace. Consort Yi, in high spirits, was naturally the most favored concubine after Consort Tong's great loss of energy. Full of confidence, she immediately ordered people to prepare food, eagerly awaiting the Emperor's arrival.
Surprisingly, the emperor did not come.
Kangxi went to Chuxiu Palace with ease. As soon as he entered the main hall, he saw Consort Qi sitting on a mat, talking to Yinzhen with her head down. The mother and son were looking at something, completely absorbed.
Kangxi leaned forward to take a look.
This is a thick stack of cards, with various utensils, animals and people drawn on them, and Chinese, Manchu and Mongolian characters engraved below. The design is ingenious and the production is meticulous.
These flashcards were also available in the palace, often used by the young princes and princesses to play with. Emperor Kangxi had even used them to amuse the crown prince before. However, although the cards in front of him were brightly colored and lifelike, they did not appear to be products of the Imperial Household Department.
"Consort Qi, did you make this?"
"Your Majesty? This concubine greets Your Majesty." Wan Anran rose and curtsied, then smiled and said, "This was not made by this concubine, but rather the design was drawn by Her Majesty the Empress herself!"
"The Empress did this?" Kangxi asked in surprise. Apart from her adopted daughter, the eldest princess, the Empress treated all the princes and princesses in the harem equally, even treating Yinzhen, the son of Consort Qi, with indifference.
But now it seems...
He chuckled to himself, then picked up the flashcards and studied them for a long time.
Wan Anran: "I am familiar with Chinese, but my Manchu and Mongolian are much worse. If it weren't for Her Majesty the Empress, I'm afraid I would have made mistakes when I was teaching Yinzhen."
Kangxi glanced at her.
Consort Qi wasn't lying. Although she chatted happily with the two empress dowagers in Mongolian, if she were writing in Mongolian, she would probably be completely lost.
Kangxi turned his gaze to Yinzhen.
Wan Anran seized the opportunity to praise her son: "Yinzhen is so smart! He can remember everything I say. He truly deserves to be my son!"
Emperor Kangxi seemed to want to speak but hesitated, and hesitated but still wanted to speak.
Someone seemed to have forgotten that just a few years ago, someone had to keep an eye on her while she copied texts. His sly look made Wan Anran blush, and she grumbled indignantly, "I haven't been studying for very long, but my knowledge... isn't bad either."
Wan Anran felt a little guilty.
Emperor Kangxi felt he shouldn't hurt Consort Qi's pride too much in front of his son, so he smiled and nodded, "Indeed, Consort Qi, you have made great progress. It would be even better if you could work harder on composing poems."
Wan Anran's cheeks puffed out.
She couldn't blame herself; she had absolutely no idea about level tones, oblique tones, single level tones, or single oblique tones. The rules of mutual adhesion, opposites, and opposites were even more confusing for Wan Anran.
Being able to recite many poems doesn't mean Wan Anran understands the rules. Just as she was feeling frustrated, Yinzhen reached out and patted Wan Anran's shoulder: "Mother, I will teach you when I have learned it."
Emperor Kangxi burst out laughing.
He laughed so hard he almost fell over, while Wan Anran's cheeks flushed slightly. Recalling Kangxi's roaring laughter, she suddenly felt a surge of malice and reached out to pinch Yinzhen's chubby cheeks hard: "Your mother thinks you need to learn the art of language first!"
If this continues, Wan Anran strongly suspects that Yinzhen will be ganged up on by his brothers in the future!
---
Emperor Kangxi thought Wan Anran's words were correct.
At the same time, he also had some concerns: "I hope Yinzhen won't be like you, otherwise..."
"What's wrong with that? Am I not likable?" Wan Anran asked disapprovingly and boldly, "I think Yinzhen's inability to speak properly is just like—"
Emperor Kangxi and Consort Qi stared at each other, wide-eyed.
Neither of them was willing to admit defeat, but in the end they both burst out laughing at the same time.
Yinzhen looked at Kangxi, then at Consort Qi.
He shook his head, got up, brushed off the non-existent dust from his knees, and slowly walked out like a little duck: "Your subject will take his leave first."
Granny Zhao followed with a smile.
Much later, Emperor Kangxi and Consort Qi could still hear Yinzhen and Granny Zhao talking: "We're going to play in the backyard, so we can't disturb Father and Mother."
"Fifth Prince is so clever."
"You flatter me too much, Granny Zhao," Yinzhen replied calmly and quickly.
Kangxi: ...
His shoulders shrugged, his stomach aching from trying to hold back his laughter. If Kangxi had been somewhat annoyed at first, now all that remained was uncontrollable laughter. Finally, he couldn't hold it in any longer, clutching his stomach and bursting into laughter: "This child, he's really funny!"
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