Youqing was enjoying a very fulfilling and carefree time in Yunnan, while at this moment, heavy snow was falling in the capital.
It had been more than half a year since Youqing left. Kangxi seemed fine, but he never summoned anyone to the Qianqing Palace to serve him in bed again, nor did he stay overnight in the inner palace.
Concubines with children could see Emperor Kangxi from time to time through their children, while concubines without children could only see him at banquets during major festivals.
This year, Emperor Kangxi stopped writing early. It was snowing heavily, and since he didn't have anything important to do, he took Liang Jiugong out of the Qianqing Palace.
As we walked, we arrived at the entrance of Jiangxue Pavilion.
Jiangxuexuan has been vacant since Youqing moved to Yongshou Palace, and no one lives there. The palace maids and eunuchs in charge of the Imperial Garden come to clean it every now and then.
Because no one lived there, and no one shoveled the snow after the heavy snowfall, a thick layer of snow piled up in the yard. Suddenly, Kangxi saw the not-so-pretty snowman that Youqing had built back then.
Kangxi said to Liang Jiugong, who was holding an umbrella for him, "Give me the umbrella, all of you go out, I want to be alone for a while."
Liang Jiugong gave the umbrella to Kangxi, and then left Jiangxue Pavilion with his men.
"Grandpa Liang, His Majesty...?" A young eunuch looked at Liang Jiugong, hesitant to speak.
Liang Jiugong glared at him: "You brat, do you think you can just talk about His Majesty's affairs like that? Go away."
Although the palace rules clearly stipulated that the concubines in the harem were not allowed to spy on the emperor's whereabouts, Kangxi went to Jiangxue Pavilion in broad daylight, and many people saw him on the way, so the news spread quickly.
In Jingren Palace, Consort Tong slammed her fist on the table in anger: "His Majesty still can't forget that slut, she's restless even in death."
Consort Tong is now the most powerful woman in the harem, with an unparalleled rank. However, her only regret is that she does not have a biological child. Yinzhen raised her child, who is a good child, but he was born to Consort De.
After Consort De was investigated, a lot of things were subsequently discovered about Imperial Noble Consort Tong. Consort De had used her as a stepping stone in her many schemes. Looking at Consort De's rise to power, she almost climbed up by stepping on Imperial Noble Consort Tong.
Knowing the truth caused a knot in the heart of Consort Tong, who had originally been quite sincere towards Yinzhen.
In retrospect, Yinzhen was the child of her enemy. She had raised him herself and had feelings for him, but he was not as good as before, so it was impossible for them to get along without any resentment.
She wanted to have a child of her own blood, but Emperor Kangxi wouldn't let her stay overnight. What could she do?
She can't drug someone to make them have a baby.
"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. There's still a long road ahead. No matter how much His Majesty loved Consort Shu, she's already gone. His Majesty could abstain from favoring others for half a year, or even a year, but what about after a year? Two years? His Majesty is still a man, no matter how devoted he is. When Consort Shu was still alive, His Majesty often summoned other women. I estimate that His Majesty will be able to return to his former self soon."
The "past" that the nanny was referring to was before Youqing was favored by the emperor, when the emperor's favor was still distributed evenly in the harem.
Unable to fathom Kangxi's thoughts, Consort Tong sighed softly and said, "I hope so!"
While some people are unhappy, others are happy.
Consort Hui and Consort Rong were quite happy.
Both women were old, and they had already received little favor before Consort Shu gained the emperor's favor. They also both had sons, so it was a good thing that Kangxi was focusing his attention on someone who was not yet alive.
After all, that way there wouldn't be any more children in the harem, and their sons would receive more attention from Emperor Kangxi.
Emperor Kangxi stayed in Jiangxue Pavilion for quite some time before coming out.
After returning to the Qianqing Palace, Liang Jiugong had some free time and heard from the eunuchs below that a snowman had appeared in the courtyard of Jiangxuexuan after the Emperor left.
It goes without saying who piled it up.
Upon hearing this, Liang Jiugong couldn't help but sigh inwardly: His Majesty's treatment of Consort Shu is truly extraordinary; it seems that Consort Shu will become a major taboo in the harem from now on.
At Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager also heard about Kangxi's visit to Jiangxue Pavilion.
"At first, I only noticed that the Emperor's feelings for Consort Shu were unusual. I thought it was just a passing fancy, but I never expected that he would truly fall in love with her. With the Emperor so heartbroken over love, I don't know whether I should be glad that Consort Shu is gone."
When Youqing was still in the harem, although she was favored by the emperor, she did not cause any trouble because of it. Emperor Kangxi did not do anything out of line for her either. The Empress Dowager was also afraid that the more she tried to control Emperor Kangxi, the more he would rebel. So she let him do as he pleased and even treated Youqing quite well.
It was only after Youqing left, and Kangxi's series of actions, that she realized that Consort Shu was different from the Emperor. It's been more than half a year now, sigh!
If Youqing were still alive, the Empress Dowager would certainly not have let her live, knowing how much influence her existence had on Kangxi. But she died, and Kangxi was depressed every day, which made the Empress Dowager feel bad too.
"Why should Your Majesty think about these things? No matter what kind of existence Consort Shu was to His Majesty, she is already gone. His Majesty was deeply in love, but he is the emperor. I think His Majesty will get over it. There are three thousand beauties in the harem. His Majesty has just not seen them for a while. There are many days ahead of him!"
"Too!"
Everyone felt that Kangxi's "devotion" and "deep affection" wouldn't last long.
...
Even in winter, Yunnan isn't that cold. Young Qing never spent her time alone; she lived with the people of Qingfeng Village.
After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, the head of the household, Liu Zhi, stood up with a bowl in hand and toasted You Qing: "We have no way to repay you for what you have done for us, so please drink this bowl of wine."
Yuqing isn't a big drinker, but it's hard to refuse this kind of alcohol. That's when the farm can be used to cheat, and in the end, all the alcohol ends up in the farm.
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