Kangxi glanced at Lin Miaoting again, thinking that she was already restless before even officially entering the harem. If it were before, it would have been fine, but now he didn't want anything to happen in the harem.
If he could, Emperor Kangxi would have preferred the harem to remain as calm and undisturbed as it is now.
“It’s a good one. Since the Imperial Noble Consort wants to keep her as a sister, then I will grant her permission.”
After saying this, Kangxi did not immediately have someone sign the nameplate. Instead, he said, "Lin Miaoting is gentle, virtuous, kind and honest. So, I will bestow upon her the Manchu surname Tongjia. From now on, there will only be Tongjia Miaoting, and no more Lin Miaoting. She will be the adopted sister of the Imperial Noble Consort. After the selection of concubines, she will depart for Mount Wutai to pray for the royal family."
Upon hearing this, the people around Kangxi were immediately in an uproar. Suddenly, the imperial concubines were being called "nuns."
She went to Mount Wutai, but not as a royal concubine. She was the adopted sister of Consort Tong, which was no great honor. Even if Consort Tong's own sister went to Mount Wutai without any official title or status, she would be completely lost.
Consort Tong couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Your Majesty!!" That wasn't what she meant.
With a single glance from Emperor Kangxi, Consort Tong dared only keep the rest of her words to herself.
Everyone was confused by Kangxi's actions, and Youqing was also puzzled as to what he meant.
The subsequent selection process was rather uneventful. The Empress Dowager had been unwell a couple of days ago and had summoned the imperial physician, so she didn't come today. Emperor Kangxi didn't want to trouble her with the selection process either.
The Empress Dowager did not come, and the Empress Dowager did not come to join in the fun, so this selection of concubines was really just a casual arrangement by Emperor Kangxi.
Consort Tong dared not speak again, nor did the others. Of the remaining batches, Kangxi selected those from good families to keep their nameplates, while the rest were rejected.
After the talent show, some were happy and some were sad. Lin Miaoting was filled with sorrow, but no one cared about her pessimism.
Three days after the selection process ended, imperial edicts were sent to various residences in the capital. Emperor Kangxi bestowed all the selected women who had their names on the list of candidates upon members of the imperial family, and kept none of them in the palace for himself.
Consort Tong, as the highest-ranking concubine in the harem, was the first to know about this. By the time she found out, it was too late; the imperial edict had already been issued. Moreover, even if it hadn't been issued, it seemed she wouldn't have been able to change Kangxi's decision.
This was utterly absurd to Consort Tong; such a thing had never happened before!
The more Consort Tong thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. She suddenly thought of Youqing. Could it be that His Majesty had really fallen in love with Consort Shu?
She didn't believe it. Anyone could fall in love, but he couldn't. During the Shunzhi reign, Consort Dong'e's favored position in the harem led to bitter consequences, which Kangxi personally experienced. How could he possibly fall in love with a woman again?
But she felt a vague sense of fear. If it really was impossible, then why hadn't the palace kept any newcomers after this selection?
It is obvious who benefits most from this outcome.
Youqing received the news a little later, but the news from Yongshou Palace came quite quickly. However, she had been sleeping in late, and when she heard the news after waking up, she thought she was still asleep.
But as it turns out, she was awake. Then she wondered if Kangxi was still half asleep when he issued these imperial edicts, otherwise why would he not even want beautiful women? It is true that Kangxi made great contributions to the country, but he was not very popular when it came to women.
Youqing was puzzled, but all the servants in Yongshou Palace were very happy. Yongshou Palace was the biggest beneficiary of this. With no new people, it meant that the favor would remain and there was no need to worry about the possibility of new people replacing the old. As a result, they were very motivated to work recently.
"What's wrong with them all? They're all so energetic lately."
Having energy and spirit is good, but everyone being so energetic is a bit puzzling for Youqing.
Summer isn't over yet, and she can understand if her subordinates slack off, but her energy level is unusual.
Cheng Ying, standing to the side, said with a smile, "Isn't it because everyone is very happy that His Majesty didn't keep any concubines this year? That's why they're so energetic."
Youqing: ...
That's really hard to refute.
When the news of this reached the ears of the Empress Dowager, she felt something was amiss. In fact, something had been amiss ever since he began to favor Consort Shu. It had been two years already, and it was already unusual for Consort Shu to be promoted to the rank of Consort without having a child, yet he still hadn't grown tired of her after two years. This made her somewhat unsure of what was going on.
The Empress Dowager knew Youqing's temperament well; she wasn't the type to cause trouble. It was fine for Kangxi to spoil her a bit, but people can be clear-headed for a while, but sometimes they might be confused. If she didn't cause trouble now, what about later? Who could guarantee that?
The Empress Dowager knew her own health was failing and she didn't have many years left to live. If she were still young, she wouldn't have to worry. But if something went wrong, she could kill Youqing directly. But what if she were gone? Could she really be without desires in a place like the harem?
The more the Empress Dowager thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.
"What do you think the Emperor really means to Consort Shu? He's not exactly heartless, but he's more suited to be emperor than his father. But seeing how he treats Consort Shu now, I'm truly terrified! If she were to follow in her father's footsteps, I wouldn't be able to die in peace!"
Su Ma La Gu never expected that His Majesty would not keep any of the imperial concubines.
“His Majesty is a man of great sense. I have seen Consort Shu many times. Putting aside everything else, I think her personality is not like that of someone who lives in the palace. She is truly calm. His Majesty has favored her for two years now, and nothing has happened to her. So please don’t worry.”
How could the Empress Dowager not worry? Although the Qing Dynasty was ruled by the Aisin Gioro clan, its relationship with her was already inseparable.
After thinking it over, she figured she could live a few more years, so she'd wait and see. She figured it wouldn't be too late to make plans after Consort Shu showed signs of arrogance.
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