Yinqi was sobbing in Chuxiu Palace.
Wan Anran instructed the palace servants to bring hot water and towels to wipe away the tears of Yinqi, who was crying like a little kitten. Then she whispered to Yinzhen and the Fourth Princess, "What happened? You didn't bully Yinqi, did you?"
Although Wan Anran's voice was soft, Yinqi still heard it. He sniffed hard, "It's not Fifth Brother, it's not Fourth Sister... Waaaaah!"
The crying nearly brought Chuxiu Palace to its knees!
Wan Anran hadn't been hit by Yinqi's direct tears in a long time, and she was completely stunned. She blinked, somewhat flustered, and hurriedly tried to comfort Yinqi: "Yinqi, be good—who bullied you? Your mother will stand up for you, okay?"
Yinqi sobbed twice.
Wan Anran had just breathed a sigh of relief when Yinqi's cries grew louder and louder: "No, no! Waaaaah! Waaaah!"
Why are you crying even more miserably now?
Wan Anran felt a wave of dizziness and wished she could just faint.
The palace maids were also terrified.
They both looked worried and sighed. While Wan Anran struggled to resist the piercing sound of Yinqi's crying, she also asked the two of them, "What exactly happened?"
Before Yinzhen and the Fourth Princess could explain the reason, a commotion broke out outside and a palace maid rushed into the room: "This servant greets Consort Qi."
These are palace servants from Yikun Palace.
The fear and tension on the palace maid's face were immediately apparent. Wan Anran's heart skipped a beat, and she asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"
The palace maid secretly glanced at the Sixth Prince.
She answered in a trembling voice, "Reporting to Consort Qi, Consort Yi, Consort Yi has given birth."
Wan Anran's expression changed slightly.
She couldn't help but raise her voice: "Consort Yi has started giving birth? She's only eight months along!"
Yinqi couldn't even bother crying anymore.
He stared longingly at the palace maid, and when he heard that Consort Yi had begun to give birth, his mind went blank.
Even though Yinqi was young, he knew from what he had seen and heard that pregnancy takes ten months!
And my mother is only eight months old...
Why did my mother have a premature birth? Could it be that—
Yinqi's pupils contracted slightly.
The image of him shoving his mother so hard flashed through his mind, and the color drained from Yinqi's face. He wanted to rush out.
He had only run two steps when he was grabbed and hugged tightly.
A palace maid from Yikun Palace looked to Wan Anran for help: "Your Highness Consort Qi, Princess Ning asks me for a favor—"
Wan Anran nodded.
Without the palace maids needing to say more, Wan Anran already knew. She pulled Yinqi aside and said, "Yikun Palace is in a mess right now. How about we go see Yinqi's mother tomorrow?"
Yinqi struggled for a while.
He wasn't crying as loudly as before; he stood there, tears streaming down his face. Yinqi looked at Wan Anran, then at Yinzhen, then at the Fourth Princess with fear: "Mother will be alright...right?"
Wan Anran: "Consort Yi will be fine."
Her voice was firm and her tone decisive; the confidence she exuded reassured Yinqi somewhat.
Meanwhile, things were in complete chaos inside Yikun Palace.
The Empress rushed to Yikun Palace and coldly questioned Consort Ning. Consort Ning only said that Consort Yi had gone for a walk, and perhaps because she hadn't been active for a long time, she had overexerted herself...
This left the Empress speechless.
What is Consort Yi doing? Her pregnancy is already in bad shape, why isn't she taking good care of herself? Not only is the Empress frowning, but the Emperor and the two Empress Dowagers haven't even come over. They are more pessimistic than optimistic about the child in Consort Yi's belly.
Seven out of ten will survive, eight will not.
Unfortunately, Consort Yi was already in her eighth month of pregnancy, not to mention that the pregnancy was already unstable.
From evening until the next day.
Consort Yi gave birth to a baby princess with great difficulty. The baby's cries were weak, and her chest barely rose and fell...
The midwife carefully handed the baby to Consort Ning, who had been waiting all night. Before she could even say congratulations, the tiny baby stopped breathing in Consort Ning's hands.
Consort Ning stood frozen in place.
Before she could even grieve, another exclamation came from the delivery room: "Master Yi? Master Yi!"
Another midwife lifted the curtain and came out.
She cried out in panic, "Your Majesty the Empress! Consort Ning! Consort Yi... she's bleeding heavily!"
Empress Niohuru immediately sent someone in.
The Yikun Palace was in complete chaos, and it wasn't until the afternoon that things finally quieted down.
News of Yikun Palace spread to some extent.
The child died, and Consort Yi suffered a massive hemorrhage. A complex expression appeared on the faces of the palace concubines.
Isn't this just like passing through the gates of hell?
Fortunately, Consort Yi managed to pull through and survived, though...
The imperial physicians looked grave.
They left the bedchamber and respectfully reported to the Empress: "Consort Yi's health is severely depleted, and I'm afraid it will be very difficult for her to conceive."
The Empress nodded calmly.
Consort Ning's expression was complex, a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe. Finally, she changed the subject, inquiring in detail about the prescription for the tonics given to Consort Yi.
This pregnancy ended up being nothing but a mess.
Consort Yi's pregnancy was like a gentle breeze, leaving little trace in the Forbidden City. Only Yinqi could not accept this fact.
After hearing the news, he refused to go out.
Even when Wan Anran tried to persuade him from outside, and even when Consort Ning came to persuade him, the child stubbornly locked himself inside.
The homeowner, Yinzhen, was very troubled.
Because of Yinqi's behavior of occupying the house, he had to sleep at his mother's place for several days in a row.
Wan Anran would certainly welcome her a hundredfold or a thousandfold.
Yinzhen was so embarrassed that he wanted to crawl into the ground, but his mother stopped him from forcibly demolishing the house. He could only hope that Yinqi would come out soon.
Consort Ning, who reported to Chuxiu Palace every day, had lost a considerable amount of weight, and Emperor Kangxi belatedly noticed something was amiss. He came to Chuxiu Palace and asked Consort Qi, "What's wrong with Yinqi?"
"Yinqi...is he alright?"
"What are you doing lounging around Chuxiu Palace for no reason?" Kangxi frowned. He wasn't as gentle as Consort Qi and Consort Ning.
All it takes is a glance from the Emperor.
The palace servants immediately stepped forward and smashed open the locked door.
Yinqi appeared before the people like a moldy little mushroom.
Hiding in the corner, he was stunned, his round eyes wide open.
Kangxi strode in coldly and ruthlessly, picked up the weak, pitiful, and helpless Yinqi, and gave him a good beating.
Hearing Yinqi's wailing cries, Wan Anran stepped forward to dissuade him, saying, "Your Majesty, let's talk this out. Why are you like this? Look how frightened Yinqi is!"
"I think it's all because you spoiled him." Kangxi said with a dark face, his hands not stopping for a moment. He first gave his son a severe beating, then asked, "What are you doing loitering in the Chuxiu Palace, in your fifth brother's room?"
Yinqi remained silent.
Kangxi extended his hand threateningly, which made Yinqi shrink back in fright.
Wan Anran was extremely anxious.
She said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, it's normal for Yinqi to feel uncomfortable seeing Consort Yi suffering."
"Consort Yi, what's with this body running around everywhere?" Kangxi's face darkened, his gaze sweeping over the silent Consort Ning. He was about to reprimand her when he heard Yinqi mutter something.
"Yinqi?"
"No—it's not Mother's fault."
"Yinqi!" Consort Ning cried out anxiously.
"It's not Mother's fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault, waaaaah!" Yinqi burst into tears again, repeating various things over and over.
Wan Anran initially glared angrily at Kangxi.
After hearing this, she fell silent for a while. It has to be said that although Consort Yi may not be good to others, she is truly sincere towards Yinqi.
It's just that an accident and a coincidence happened to happen together.
With a dark expression, Kangxi dragged Yinqi to Yikun Palace, muttering as they walked: "Crying and sobbing over such a small matter, not even daring to apologize, how will he become a real man, how will he become a warrior?"
Consort Ning hurriedly followed.
Wan Anran stood there for a long time, then took Yinzhen's hand and said, "I suppose Yinqi won't be coming tomorrow."
"Um."
"He and Consort Yi should reconcile."
"Um."
"Yinzhen, what are you thinking about?"
"Your Majesty, I think I can go back to my room to sleep today."
"..." Wan Anran pondered for a moment, then stopped and pointed to the rickety door in front of her: "Sleeping here? I'm afraid I'll be carried away by mosquitoes tonight!"
Yinzhen: ...
The gate, swaying gently in the wind, looked particularly desolate. Judging from the way the middle gate was open, it would surely be a favorite spot for mosquitoes and rats at night.
Wan Anran gently embraced Yinzhen.
She smiled gently: "It's getting late, and the Imperial Household Department won't be here until tomorrow. Why don't you and your mother make do for today?"
Yinzhen: …………
His steps became noticeably heavier.
With the Emperor's intervention, Consort Yi and Yinqi quickly reconciled, and Consort Yi even showed signs of regaining favor. This time, compared to her past arrogance and domineering nature, Consort Yi appeared much more composed, which was quite impressive.
Wan Anran declined to comment.
Of course, as a concubine, she didn't need to pay too much attention to Consort Yi. She knitted—which she was getting a little tired of—played with the kittens and puppies—the little guys didn't want to move, and played with Yinzhen...
Sigh, this child is getting more and more mature.
Wan Anran was sullen and unhappy, much like someone suffering from the summer heat.
The Empress felt sorry for her.
If only he could go to the West Garden to relax, but the Three Feudatories Rebellion has just ended and the court has begun attacking Taiwan. These days, the emperor is so busy that he hasn't even stepped into the inner palace, let alone mentioned going to the West Garden to relax.
The Empress pulled Wan Anran aside: "Look how thin you've become."
Consort Xuan nearly spat out her tea. Besides looking pale, how had Consort Qi lost weight? The Empress was clearly lying through her teeth…
"I think so too."
"..." Consort Xuan rolled her eyes at Consort Shun speechlessly.
Wan Anran slumped back in her chair, looking dejected.
She muttered, "So boring, so boring...it's really so boring."
Empress: "How about I play chess with you?"
Consort Xuan: "How about we go to the backyard to play pitch-pot?"
Consort Shun: "How about we go listen to a play together? Didn't you quite like the acrobatic performance last time?"
Granny Zhou and the others standing nearby: ...
They had so much to say but no words, and hesitated to speak: Your Majesty the Empress, Consort Xuan, Consort Shun... you all just dote on Consort Qi!
Wan Anran wasn't interested in any of them.
She leaned to one side, lazily lost in thought, when suddenly Wan Anran's eyes lit up.
One, two, three... four!
There were exactly four of them!
When there are three people with nothing to do, they can play Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) together.
When there are four people with nothing to do, playing mahjong is the obvious choice!
Once Kangxi's busy schedule came to an end, he decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with Consort Qi. However, upon entering the Chuxiu Palace, he noticed that it was unusually quiet that day.
Kangxi: ...?
He asked the palace maid Ju Bai who came forward, "Where is your master?"
Ju Bai curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, the master has gone to Kunning Palace."
Emperor Kangxi suddenly realized.
He decided to visit the Yikun Palace next door.
the next day.
Ju Bai curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, the master has gone to Kunning Palace."
Emperor Kangxi was helpless.
He chose to go to Zhongcui Palace to talk to Consort Rong.
The third day.
Ju Bai curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, the master has gone to Kunning Palace."
Emperor Kangxi frowned.
He decided to go to Chengqian Palace to kill some time.
Day four.
Before Ju Bai could reply, Kangxi stopped her this time. Kangxi asked with surprise and uncertainty, "Has Consort Qi moved into Kunning Palace? Why is she staying there every single day?"
Emperor Kangxi decided to visit the Kunning Palace.
You wouldn't believe it until you see it. The Empress, Consort Qi, Consort Xuan, and Consort Shun were sitting at a square table, engrossed in playing with small boards in their hands.
Wan Anran slammed her hand heavily on the table.
She beamed with excitement: "Aha! I won this time!"
The Empress, Consort Xuan, and Consort Shun all sighed.
They reluctantly handed over the gold leaves they had, their conflicted and distressed expressions making it seem as if they were being asked for all their possessions.
Kangxi: …………
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