Wan Anran and Consort Xi were both taken aback.
Consort Xi now fully understood why Consort Wei had sought out Consort Qi instead of her. Consort Qi had a fifth prince, and even if she helped Consort Wei, even if Consort Wei returned to the palace and moved to Chuxiu Palace, she could surely raise her own son and princess.
As for relying on oneself...
Consort Xi had to admit that she herself would most likely also have thoughts of separating the child from Consort Wei. Consort Xi's thoughts were complicated, and her gaze towards Consort Qi was slightly gloomy.
Having another child, I doubt Consort Qi would...
The next second, Consort Xi was shocked to see that Consort Qi was not happy at all, but rather looked disgusted.
Wei's child?
This Lady Wei became quite famous in later generations; even those unfamiliar with Qing history mostly know her. If not, just mentioning her son, the Eighth Prince Yinzhi, makes him a household name.
This is none other than the famous Eighth Prince.
At the same time, he was also Emperor Yongzheng's most hated enemy!
Put them both in the same palace?
Wan Anran shuddered at the mere thought. She seemed oblivious to the winks exchanged by the palace servants, and even more so, pretended not to see the expectation in Consort Wei's eyes, directly passing the matter on to Consort Xi.
A pie fell from the sky.
Consort Xi's face also showed a bit of confusion and bewilderment. She looked at Consort Qi with a slightly helpless expression, and then turned her gaze to Consort Wei.
Wei Ying bit her lip, looking completely at a loss.
If she had gone to find Consort Xi in the first place, it would have been better than finding Consort Qi and then having Consort Qi hand her over to Consort Xi... Her eyes held a mixture of fear, anticipation, and a hidden dread, which made Consort Xi's heart skip a beat.
But no matter what...
Without much hesitation, Consort Xi took Wan Anran's hand and thanked her profusely before excitedly leading Consort Wei away.
The room was completely silent.
Even the usually composed Zisu couldn't help but say, "Your Highness... why push Consort Wei to Consort Xi?"
"Silly girl."
"master……"
"Master is right."
Haitao interrupted Zisu, saying, "Don't forget why we moved from Xianfu Palace to Chuxiu Palace."
Zisu's voice stopped abruptly.
Granny Zhao nodded emphatically, her face solemn: "If you ask me, Your Highness has done a truly excellent job. Not only will Consort Xi be grateful, but the Emperor and the Empress Dowager will surely be pleased to hear of it."
One reason for Consort Qi's promotion is the balance of power in the harem. At present, the Emperor clearly does not want multiple children in one palace, whether it is Xianfu Palace or Yikun Palace.
Granny Zhao explained in detail.
Finally, she looked at her mistress with admiration: "Moreover, I don't think Consort Wei is a good person. If you really help Consort Wei, firstly, it will ruin your image in the Emperor's eyes, and secondly, you might be stepped on by Consort Wei and become her stepping stone."
Zisu's cheeks flushed slightly.
She slapped herself in the face and knelt down to admit her mistake. Hai Tao and the others looked at Wan Anran with admiration—their mistress's clear-headedness and composure were indeed beyond the reach of them, the servants.
Even Zhao Mama secretly had another thought in her mind—many people, including herself, felt that the Fifth Prince Yinzhen and the master had very different personalities. Now that she thought about it, perhaps the master was just hiding his calm side behind his lively personality?
True wisdom often appears as foolishness.
Perhaps this is what they're talking about! The more Zhao Mama thought about it, the more certain she became, and she followed the palace maid's gaze, casting an admiring look at Wan Anran.
Wan Anran maintained a perfectly appropriate smile.
She felt a little lost and guilty—had she not thought this far ahead at first? Of course, Wan Anran remained calm on the surface and said with a smile, "That makes sense."
Consort Xi, who was leading Consort Wei back to her courtyard, was beaming with joy.
Without delay, she settled Consort Wei's affairs and also summoned the imperial physician to examine her. After confirming that she was indeed pregnant, Consort Xi immediately reported the good news to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was indeed unaware of the details of Consort Miao's death. However, upon hearing of the tragedy of the mother and child's deaths, she was inevitably saddened and secretly burned some Buddhist scriptures for her unfortunate grandson who had died young.
Upon hearing that Wei was pregnant, the Empress Dowager's eyes lit up. She immediately perked up and beamed with joy: "Great news, great news! Quickly send word back to the palace so that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor can be happy too."
The palace also received this news.
Empress Niohuru turned to Emperor Kangxi and asked, "What does Your Majesty intend to do with Sister Wei?"
After two months apart, Kangxi hesitated for a moment after the Empress mentioned it before finally remembering Lady Wei. He said with little interest, "Your Majesty, handle this matter as you see fit."
Empress Niohuru thought for a moment and said, "In my opinion, Consort Wei seems to be more familiar with Consort Xi. Why don't we arrange for her to stay in Qixiang Palace?"
The honest and reserved Consort Xi didn't leave much of an impression on Emperor Kangxi. However, being honest was better than being as troublesome as Consorts An and Jing, so he nodded in agreement.
"There are still ranks?"
"Let's wait until Consort Wei gives birth to the child. I think one consort is enough for now. Otherwise, it's easy for her to cause trouble if she grows up too fast." Kangxi frowned as he thought about the various things that led to Consort Wei and Consort Yi competing for the emperor's favor.
Emperor Kangxi enjoyed the moment.
Then he felt that Consort Wei was too unruly and didn't seem like a well-behaved person—if Consort Wei knew this, she would probably spit out blood.
Of course, Miao Chang's experience of losing both her unborn child and the baby also gave him a lot of stimulation, so he obediently focused on the pregnancy and decided to talk about rewards later.
The Empress instantly understood the Emperor's thoughts. She smiled and agreed, instructing the palace servants to send the allotted personnel to Qixiang Palace. As for the other rewards, they were ordinary and far less generous than those given to Consort An or Consort Dai.
Wei was overjoyed.
Her ambitions from two months ago have been almost exhausted. Now, she will be content as long as she can return to the Forbidden City and give birth to her child smoothly.
Consort Xi was also overjoyed.
This was like a windfall for her, and her gaze towards Wei Yingying softened considerably.
The only one who was unhappy was Consort Yi.
Upon hearing the news of Wei's pregnancy, her mind went blank, and she turned around and smashed a teacup. Consort Yi's round face was filled with shock and disbelief, and she trembled with anger: "She actually has such luck? She actually, she actually, she actually managed to get pregnant at this time!?"
Despite having dispatched so many people to guard her, how could she still find someone to help her? Consort Yi bit her nails, instantly deciding in her mind that Consort Wei was one of the people she needed to be most wary of.
"Master, will it go smoothly..."
"Enough!" Consort Yi gave her a cold look: "You're not allowed to say such things."
Consort Yi is not that despicable.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions: "It's just a small promise."
She refused to believe that another Consort Qi could emerge!
Wan Anran sneezed loudly, pulled her clothes tighter, and couldn't help but sigh, "Autumn has arrived so quickly."
The carriage took the group back to the Forbidden City.
Wan Anran had missed Chuxiu Palace quite a bit since she hadn't seen it in a long time. She strolled around the courtyard and generously rewarded the palace servants who were guarding the palace.
She sat down comfortably; it was already time for dinner. Wan Anran wasn't picky about her first meal back in the palace; she simply asked the kitchen to serve her a bowl of noodles.
Don't be fooled by the simple bowl of noodles; there's a lot to it. For example, the soup base is made from pork bones, paired with char siu pork marinated with pork shoulder, thinly sliced dried bamboo shoots, and a sprinkle of scallions. The handmade noodles prepared by the chef are fresh, fragrant, and delicious, so good that you'll want to drink every last drop of the soup.
After finishing a large bowl of food, Wan Anran's forehead was beaded with sweat. She slowly got up and strolled around the palace, while Ju Bai, who had stayed in the palace, tactfully approached her at that moment: "Master."
"About Yongshou Palace?"
"The master knows too?"
"...Hmm." Even with poor communication, some information had somehow reached the West Garden. Wan Anran's expression was complicated, and she couldn't help but sigh.
Just as I once said.
In this era, having children is like passing through a series of perilous gates; overcoming them is incredibly difficult.
And the wondrous constant is something that has not been transcended.
Before Wan Anran could even sigh, Ju Bai added in a low voice, "The problem is that Miao Chang is in her belly..."
"Is Miaochang in her belly?"
"When Consort Miao was having a difficult childbirth, the Empress Dowager and the Empress rushed to her side, but afterwards they had the entire Yongshou Palace sealed off, and even Consort An and Consort Jing were confined to their quarters!"
Wan Anran gasped.
Her expression was solemn; even in a normal difficult childbirth, where the baby might die, she wouldn't be this serious. As for the disabled child, judging from the way Emperor Kangxi raised his seventh son, Yin You, in history, he couldn't possibly be the kind of person who would be so cruel.
This means...
She looked up at Ju Bai, who lowered her voice and said, "There's news from the palace that Consort Miao gave birth to a stillborn child!"
Stillborn? No, impossible.
If it were truly a stillborn child, why would the Emperor have returned so hastily? Wan Anran felt an even stronger sense of foreboding. Her brows furrowed tightly, and she sternly rebuked Ju Bai: "This matter is not to be mentioned in the Chuxiu Palace in the future, and Ju Bai, you are not allowed to inquire about it anywhere either."
The palace servants, their faces solemn, all responded in unison.
The second day after returning to the palace was the long-awaited greeting. When Empress Niohuru saw Consort Qi, her face immediately relaxed, and when the ceremony ended, she deliberately pulled Consort Qi aside and talked about her for a long time.
The Empress's unusual enthusiasm startled Wan Anran. She rattled off a long speech, and while feeling relieved, she also blushed slightly: "I've been feeling troubled lately, and I can't help but nag about Consort Qi whenever I see her."
Wan Anran smiled, pursing her lips.
She took the Empress's small hand in return and said softly, "I've noticed that Your Majesty has lost a lot of weight lately. Let's have a nice meal together sometime to help you recover."
After paying her respects to the Empress Dowager, Wan Anran began to ponder the matter.
Duck meat is an essential ingredient for nourishing the body in autumn. Other seasonal ingredients include chestnuts and mushrooms. Wan Anran immediately came up with a recipe for braised duck with chestnuts, a simple tomato, wood ear mushroom, and egg stir-fry, a fish and mutton dish specially prepared by the imperial kitchen, and a whole pot of mushroom hot pot.
Oh, right.
Although crabs are considered cooling in traditional Chinese medicine, they are delicious, so Wan Anran didn't hesitate to include them on the list.
Eating crab is the best enjoyment in autumn!
That leaves only drinks and desserts. Autumn is the season for nourishing the lungs, and the palace often uses a soup made with dried tangerine peel and autumn pears. Of course, as a staple in the palace, it goes without saying that the Empress must have drunk quite a lot of it.
That would be too ordinary!
Wan Anran sat at her desk, holding a wolf-hair brush, lost in thought. What kind of drink should she prepare? Suddenly, her eyes lit up. How about an upgraded version of milk tea? Ordinary milk tea was about to become a thing of the past; milk tea porridge was about to be introduced—but that wasn't necessary.
You only need to add one thing.
That's the essential element of an upgraded milk tea – salty milk foam.
At this moment, the sweet milk tea once again feels threatened by the salty milk tea. The soft, light, and cloud-like snow-white milk foam mercilessly settles on top of the sweet milk tea, adding the power of saltiness to the sweetness. The saltiness and sweetness blend together at this moment, becoming one, bringing a unique flavor.
Delicious!
It's a little too sweet, and not everyone will like it. Wan Anran thought and thought, and quickly prepared another drink: pear, apple, and fig tea. Although it's called tea, it's actually made entirely of fruit, with a sweet and sour taste that's quite charming.
Still not satisfied?
There are also sweet and sour pomegranate juice, apple orange black tea, and hot brown sugar red date milk for you to choose from. It can be said that there is nothing that Chuxiu Palace cannot prepare if you can imagine it.
There were also some snacks at the very end.
In addition to crabs, there are also salted duck eggs in autumn. Wan Anran made small and exquisite molten salted egg yolk cakes, cheese-baked sweet potatoes, and various kinds of red bean cakes.
Empress Niohuru came at the invitation.
The moment she stepped into Chuxiu Palace, a sweet fragrance wafted into her nostrils. The Empress's spirits lifted, and her sluggish appetite seemed to be awakened at that moment. Her stomach and intestines churned and gurgled, expressing their hunger.
The empress's cheeks flushed slightly.
She pretended nothing was wrong and led the eldest princess into the palace, though her steps seemed somewhat hurried.
There were quite a few people who arrived before the Empress.
Consort Xuan, Noble Lady Nara, and Crown Prince Yinreng and Third Prince Yinzuo, whom Wan Anran hadn't seen for a long time, gathered around the table like ordinary family members, enjoying a harmonious meal together.
The warm interior was filled with the aroma of food.
Everyone wore a genuine smile, and their cheerful laughter echoed throughout Chuxiu Palace. Many people still remembered this scene years or even decades later.
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