There had been no good news from the palace since Consort Liang gave birth to the Eighth Prince. The Eighth Prince was born in the first half of this year, and he's been a few months old, so this is indeed good news.
Chun agreed with a beaming smile, and everyone around her smiled too, but how much of it was genuine was anyone's guess.
When the emperor's concubines are pregnant, it is naturally a joyous occasion for everyone. However, Emperor Kangxi, sitting at the very top, smiled, but his eyes revealed a coldness.
She got pregnant even though he hadn't touched her; she's really something.
However, it's hard to say in this situation; he still cares about his image.
After a rather uncomfortable dinner, Youqing didn't return home until very late. It wasn't that she wanted to stay any longer; she couldn't possibly leave before Emperor Kangxi! She could only stay up to welcome the New Year, not returning home until after midnight.
Afterwards, she returned to Yongshou Palace. While disassembling her clothes and jewelry, she asked the kitchen to prepare some soup noodles. Cold dishes don't taste good, so she hardly touched them and was extremely hungry.
After taking apart a bunch of clothes and jewelry, removing my makeup, washing my face, and changing into some loose-fitting clothes, I felt completely refreshed.
At this moment, the soup noodles were served. The soup noodles were fresh out of the pot, and the soup base was made with beef bone broth. I don't know how it was made, but there was only a little bit of oil, so it didn't taste greasy. There were also some chopped green onions on top, which were grown in a room with charcoal fires, and a few drops of sesame oil. It smelled delicious.
Youqing couldn't resist and quickly started eating. After taking a bite, it was indeed as delicious as she had imagined. In winter, after a long day, nothing felt better than having soup noodles at night.
After taking a couple of bites, Youqing remembered to instruct, "I told the kitchen to make more food. Anyone who's hungry, go to the kitchen quickly. I don't need that many people here."
Compared to Youqing's carefree life, Kangxi's face darkened when he returned to the Qianqing Palace.
Being cuckolded is something no man can tolerate, let alone an emperor.
After dismissing Liang Jiugong, Kangxi summoned his secret guards. He couldn't bear the thought of being cuckolded, so he needed to investigate Chun's affair thoroughly. Even if it was true, he wanted to know who the man who had committed adultery with her was.
Chun, the concubine, was overjoyed to be pregnant. She had just returned from a banquet, and the palace maids and eunuchs in her room were all waiting to congratulate her! The scene was filled with joy, which made Miao, the concubine who lived not far from Chun, feel very uncomfortable.
With Consort Shu enjoying such favor before them, these other concubines received very little attention. Concubine Chun had only been favored once a month ago. Before Concubine Chun, she had also been favored, receiving similar amounts of attention. However, one of them was pregnant, while the other's belly showed no signs of pregnancy, so naturally, she felt uneasy.
Seeing the mistress's displeased expression, the maidservant in front of Consort Miao spat lightly and said, "Consort Chun is always arrogant when she gains power. Judging from her arrogant appearance, it's not certain whether she will even give birth to the child! Mistress, let me help you wash up."
Miao Yuning took the palace maid's words to heart. She was right; getting pregnant wasn't the real skill, but giving birth was.
Miao's expression softened somewhat, and she gently scolded, "You can't say things like that." The implication was that it was enough to keep it to yourself.
Knowing that the mistress meant no offense, the palace maid cooperated, saying, "Your Highness is right. It's all my fault for being so quick-tongued."
"Let's leave it at that this time."
"This servant thanks Your Highness for your forgiveness."
"Also, keep an eye on things, don't let anyone else take advantage of the situation. Everyone in the harem is watching Consort Chun's pregnancy, and she's quite domineering. Just bear with her if you can. There's a jewelry box at the bottom of the dressing table with some silver inside. Take it and divide it among yourselves."
The palace maid immediately agreed, feeling wronged.
Miao Yingda was quite sensible; she knew she couldn't give anyone leverage against her, so she began to restrain those around her.
The next day, the first day of the Lunar New Year, was naturally another busy day for Emperor Kangxi.
On this day, the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and other concubines in the harem sent their gifts and presents to Consort Chun's residence. Youqing also followed suit and sent the least likely thing. Consort Chun looked at these gifts and presents and her face lit up with joy.
But in the end, Chun Yingying could no longer smile. Everyone in the harem, from the Empress Dowager to Miao Yingying, who lived with her and had constant conflicts, sent gifts, but the Qianqing Palace did not send any rewards.
Although Emperor Kangxi was busy that day, he didn't need to go to the storeroom to fetch the rewards himself. He could simply give an order, and the servants below would naturally handle it properly and well. Yet, he didn't even give a single word of instruction.
Something's not right.
Chun couldn't help but let her mind wander: "What does His Majesty mean by this?"
She had been in the palace for several years, and she had seen the Emperor bestow gifts upon other pregnant women like a flowing river. Why was her treatment different?
Double standards!
Chun replied to the palace maid beside her, fearing that her overthinking would be detrimental to her pregnancy, saying, "Your Highness, this pregnancy was discovered during the New Year's Eve checkup, which is a very auspicious occasion. His Majesty will naturally take it seriously. Today is the first day of the new year, and I slept late last night and had to get up early this morning. I guess he's been so busy that he forgot about it. When he has some free time, he will naturally remember Your Highness."
Chun felt something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. After listening to the palace maid's words, she finally calmed down. The palace maid breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that it wasn't easy following such an overthinking mistress.
Emperor Kangxi forgot about it for an entire day, and it wasn't until the next day that he symbolically gave some rewards. The things in Emperor Kangxi's private treasury were naturally of high quality, but what he gave to Consort Chun were all outdated and useless items.
This almost caused Chun Ying, who was full of expectations, to have a miscarriage. It was only after much persuasion from the palace maids that she was able to convince her not to "hold a grudge" against the Emperor.
Although the rewards given by Emperor Kangxi were not very practical, she would have probably shown them off to Consort Miao if she had received them under normal circumstances. However, with the emperor's unborn child in her arms, such rewards were rather meager.
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