Wan Anran boasted about Consort Xuan.
As Hai Tao listened, she was secretly puzzled. Perhaps she could understand why Consort Xuan was satisfied with Consort Wan, just as she had seen Consort Xuan paying her respects to Empress Niohuru in Kunning Palace.
When the Empress mentioned the New Year's arrangements, all the concubines' eyes lit up. The palace was lonely, and everyone looked forward to watching plays and enjoying the festivities during the New Year. Furthermore, the Emperor had been busy dealing with the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories and rarely visited the inner palace recently; the New Year was the best opportunity for them to meet.
The only exception was Consort Xuan, who sat at the very back.
Just like Wan Anran who had paid her respects earlier, Consort Xuan lowered her head and composed herself, her gaze fixed on the bowl of tea in front of her, letting the words of the concubines in the hall go in one ear and out the other.
Anyway, the emperor's favor is none of her business.
Only when she heard the list of attendees at the banquet in Xianfu Palace would Consort Xuan get up and say "yes" as a way of handing over her duties.
After discussing some arrangements, the topic quickly shifted to other things—usually, the Empress was the main person in charge of the morning and evening greetings. Consort An, Consort Jing, Consort Duan, and others would take turns speaking to the Empress.
For example, Consort An covered her mouth and laughed, "This morning, I saw magpies chirping, and sure enough, Her Majesty the Empress's complexion was better than usual."
Consort Xuan secretly rolled her eyes.
The Empress's makeup was three times thicker than usual, clearly indicating that she was overworked and had applied more palace powder to cover her complexion.
For example, Consort Jing might say, "The tea and snacks here at Her Majesty's palace are much better than those in my own. No wonder Her Majesty the Empress knows how to please the palace servants."
Consort Xuan couldn't help but roll her eyes again.
Good heavens! A plate of pastries costs five yuan, and it's still five yuan now. Are you eating air?
Consort Xuan shook her head secretly.
Looking at Empress Niohuru's unchanging smile, she could only admire her. After flattering the Empress, it was time to launch a barrage of attacks on the concubines who had been favored the previous day.
For example, Consort Tong, who was favored yesterday.
Unlike Empress Niohuru, who would give people some face, Consort Tong, who was naturally aloof, remained indifferent to the sarcasm and ridicule of others, mostly ignoring them and simply responding with a "heh."
Faced with this situation, some imperial concubines inevitably felt like they were clowns.
For example, Consort Yi felt very uncomfortable.
Consort Tong, however, was like a hedgehog, unable to find a way to approach her. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Consort Xuan, who was lost in thought, and a thought suddenly struck her: "Sister Xuan, I heard that Consort Wan in your palace... is cured?"
Despite being just a lowly concubine, Wan Ying was quite famous in the harem. Upon hearing Consort Yi mention her, many of the other concubines couldn't help but prick up their ears, their curious gazes all falling on Consort Xuan.
"Indeed," Consort Xuan calmly replied, placing her teacup on the table.
“Wan Yingying…?” Consort Rong was taken aback. “I remember she was sick for two months, didn’t I? But Sister Xuan is quite capable; I remember she was almost dying when she was moved to Xianfu Palace, wasn’t she?”
This matter is common knowledge.
After all, Consort Wan was unable to walk at the time and was carried into Xianfu Palace in a sedan chair. For Consort Wan, who was not yet a proper consort and was merely a palace maid, being moved out would not have been a big deal. However, bringing it up now makes Consort Tong seem somewhat harsh and ruthless.
As soon as she finished speaking, Consort Rong, realizing she had spoken out of turn, quickly shut her mouth.
The Kunning Palace was completely silent.
Almost everyone's eyes secretly turned to Consort Tong.
Consort Tong sat upright in her seat.
She was extremely beautiful, with a pair of phoenix eyes that were as cold as ice, carrying an innate air of aloofness and pride, especially when she wasn't smiling, she exuded an imposing aura.
Consort Yi, with her head bowed, secretly pursed her lips.
What's with the pretentious plum blossom act? She's just consumed by jealousy. She was nearly dying in Yikun Palace, but she recovered completely in Xianfu Palace? If you want to know, it's probably because Consort Wan suffered a lot in Chengqian Palace!
Consort Tong was displeased.
She remained calm and composed, saying, "Sister Xuan has taken excellent care of me; I am truly ashamed of my own in comparison."
Consort Xuan is not worthy of Consort Tong's praise.
She quickly stood up and replied respectfully, "This concubine was merely following the imperial physician's instructions; how could I possibly deserve Your Highness's praise?"
Consort Tong nodded.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere in the hall, Empress Niohuru spoke up: "The imperial physician did a good job, reward him."
The matter was glossed over with a single sentence.
Taking Wan Yingying's gift to vent her anger on the Imperial Concubine, Consort Yi quickly forgot about the matter.
Consort Tong's expression was also not good when she returned to Chengqian Palace. She really didn't mean to move the half-dead Wan Ying out; it just so happened that she had caught a bad cold those few days and hadn't recovered for three to five days.
Rumors inevitably circulated in Chengqian Palace, mostly pointing to Consort Wan, who believed that the Imperial Concubine's illness was caused by her. At first, it was just a casual remark and no one paid attention, but a minor cold caused the Imperial Concubine to fall ill for ten days without recovering, and the matter was brought up again.
Public opinion can be very persuasive, and in the end, even those in Chengqian Palace were somewhat convinced.
Seeing that Consort Tong's condition was getting worse, Zhao and Xu, the stewards of Chengqian Palace, finally decided to move Consort Wan out. And sure enough, Consort Tong's condition gradually improved after only two days in Xianfu Palace, and she recovered completely in just two days.
Now, the initial 30-40% belief among Consort Tong and everyone in Chengqian Palace had increased to 70-80%. Consort Tong, convinced that Consort Wan had infected her with the disease, naturally wouldn't punish the palace servants for it. Besides, Consort Wan was already terminally ill at that time, so Consort Tong quickly put her out of her mind.
If Wan Yi dies...
The matter was over, but no one expected that Wan Yingda would be so lucky, managing to snatch her life back from the clutches of the King of Hell.
Consort Tong felt something was off.
She felt uncomfortable standing, sitting, and lying down.
The palace servants were distressed to see their master unwell. They exchanged glances, and soon Granny Zhao and Granny Xu stepped forward to apologize.
"I know you are doing this for me."
“Master…should we…really reward Wan with something?” Granny Zhao asked hesitantly.
Consort Tong gave a bitter smile.
Now that things have come to this, how can a gift be given to get rid of it? Whether a gift is given or not, this matter of Wan Yingyi has been firmly placed on his head, and it is likely that he will not be able to get rid of it for a while.
Consort Tong was upset, but she didn't intend to blame the palace servants for her mistake. She leaned against the soft couch, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, lost in thought.
A simple yes is nothing to me.
But if she became a thorn between her cousin and herself, it would make Consort Tong restless and unable to eat or sleep. Thinking of the Empress Dowager's increasingly cold attitude towards her these days, Consort Tong pursed her lips, feeling both annoyed and regretful.
You know... it would be good to have the palace servants send some nourishing medicine.
---
Inside Kunning Palace, Consort Xuan was still talking with Empress Niohuru.
She was from the Borjigit clan. Although she shared the same surname as the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, it was clear to everyone that the Emperor would not allow the Borjigit clan to produce another Empress, not even a Noble Consort.
Empress Niohuru was wary of Consort Tong, but never regarded Consort Xuan as an enemy. As a result, the two had a harmonious relationship and were among the few people in the harem with whom they could talk.
Empress Niohuru was also somewhat curious about Consort Wan.
She frowned slightly: "Has Consort Wan really recovered from her illness?"
Consort Xuan smiled and said, "She has truly recovered from her illness."
Empress Niohuru breathed a sigh of relief, unable to hide the joy in her eyes: "Being able to get through this is a blessing. Consort Wan has also suffered quite a bit this time. I hope that in the future, she can learn from you and Consort Nara in Xianfu Palace and become more sensible and prudent."
How can we make Wan Yingda more sensible and reliable?
Consort Xuan's lips twitched, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, yet still wanted to.
Empress Niohuru immediately noticed that Consort Xuan's expression was off, and her smile faded slightly: "Could it be that you did something outrageous as soon as you woke up?"
Consort Xuan shook her head.
She recounted what had happened that morning, then laughed and said, "If you ask me, she has a rather charming and amusing personality, just like... my five-year-old sister when I left the grasslands."
How can you compare a teenage girl like Wan Yingda to her four- or five-year-old sister?
If it weren't for Consort Xuan's sincere expression, Empress Niohuru would have thought she was mocking Consort Wan.
Empress Niohuru became curious.
She continued, following Xuan Pin's words: "It just so happens that I haven't seen the Ninth Prince for several days, so Zhou Mama went to Xianfu Palace to invite the Ninth Prince, Consort Nara, and Consort Wan to Kunning Palace."
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