Emperor Kangxi found the box unique and, being a man of good taste, quite liked it.
Youqing could tell that Kangxi genuinely thought the box was good. She was even happier that Kangxi, who had seen many fine things, thought it was good. She had made most of the box herself.
The sense of accomplishment made Youqing feel very fulfilled.
"As long as His Majesty doesn't think my concubine is being silly, that's fine."
"This is not nonsense. I find it quite rare that my beloved consort has such thoughts. In the future, if you want to do anything, just give the order to the Imperial Household Department and let them help prepare it."
"Then this concubine thanks Your Majesty."
Emperor Kangxi had actually been somewhat indulgent towards her, but Youqing herself managed to maintain a proper balance, preventing outsiders from perceiving it as excessive.
Then Kangxi didn't leave. After having dinner, he rested at Yongshou Palace after dark.
The next day, after Kangxi left, the nanny who served Consort Tong came over and told her something, something that was not particularly good for Youqing.
Consort Tong said that she would also go to the Cining Palace to pay respects to Consort An in the future, saying it was a favor from the Empress Dowager.
This favor is a blessing for an ambitious concubine. If she can become familiar with the Empress Dowager or the Empress Dowager, even without the Emperor's favor, her life will not be bad. If she can win the Empress Dowager's favor, she might even catch the Emperor's eye.
Which concubine in the harem wouldn't want such an opportunity?
After Consort Tong's nanny left, Cheng Ying thought for a moment and said, "It seems that the Empress Dowager quite likes the box made by Your Highness, which is why she gave such an order."
Youqing sighed inwardly and said, "Since it's the Empress Dowager's grace, then let's prepare!"
Fortunately, there was no need to pay respects today. What comforted Youqing even more was that the Empress Dowager preferred quiet and disliked being disturbed by too many people. Since there was no proper Empress in the harem, the audience was only held once every five days, and basically, she would just go to Cining Palace to sit for a while, say a few words, and then return.
The Empress Dowager's sudden permission for concubines to pay their respects at Cining Palace was a significant event in the seemingly peaceful inner palace, and many people wondered why the Empress Dowager had suddenly issued such an order.
So they all sent people to investigate.
The people in the Imperial Household Department, well, they only care about money, not people, and they're not very reliable. It only takes a little effort to find out the whole story.
After learning the reason, the concubines in the harem reacted in different ways.
The ladies of the rank of concubine and above were naturally unhappy. Regardless of how tiring it was to pay their respects, they were still able to do so because Emperor Kangxi only looked at the high-ranking concubines and did not touch them.
But now even concubines can pay their respects, isn't that taking away their dignity for no reason?
Therefore, they naturally didn't like Youqing and said many unpleasant things about her behind her back, but no one dared to say it in public.
The concubines were indeed happy, but after their happiness, they felt no gratitude towards Youqing, their "benefactor," and some even made sarcastic remarks.
As for those below the rank of Consort, such as Noble Lady, Attendant, and Lady-in-Waiting, they could only feel envious in their hearts.
In Yonghe Palace, Consort De was playing with her son Yinzhuo while listening to the nanny talk about Youqing. After she finished speaking, Consort De raised her head and said, "That Consort Shu is really dishonest. She always does these fancy things and makes a fuss about the work of servants."
The old nanny beside her quickly said, "Consort Shu has neither talent nor virtue, except for her pretty face. So she has to resort to these unorthodox methods. It can't last long. I don't believe she can stay popular just because she can weave a few boxes. At most, the Empress Dowager will find it novel. Once the initial excitement wears off, she'll definitely find it annoying!"
Consort De liked to hear these words.
"That's true, but I've seen her handling these things and even the Empress Dowager is captivated. We can't just do nothing! Since the Empress Dowager likes these boxes, they must be quite nice. Send a message out of the palace to find some skilled craftspeople to join the Imperial Household Department. I want to see if she can still be so smug when her craftsmanship becomes commonplace."
If Youqing heard this, she would definitely cry out "Injustice!" When did she ever feel smug? It was all a coincidence. She didn't even like going to Cining Palace to pay her respects! Wasn't sleeping in more appealing?
Consort De came from the Uya family, a prominent family of bondservantes. Her family had some influence in the Imperial Household Department, and with her marriage ties, her network of connections was second to none among the concubines.
She rose through the ranks from palace maid to imperial concubine. If it weren't for the Uya family's connections within the Imperial Household Department, it would have been impossible for a palace maid like her to establish herself.
The old woman smiled and said, "This servant will go right away."
It was against the rules for concubines in the harem to send messages out of the palace, but the Uya family had many servants working in the Imperial Household Department, so sending a message out was not a problem.
So, unbeknownst to Youqing, someone began trying to make her fall out of favor. If she knew, she would probably be genuinely grateful.
Half a month later, several people with very skillful hands entered the Imperial Household Department. Youqing happened to have woven two small boxes for the Imperial Household Department, so this gave these people an opportunity.
"Your Majesty, someone from the Imperial Household Department came today and said that they are quite busy and short-staffed, so the box will have to wait a few more days to be delivered."
Youqing recently wove these two small boxes to give to Chengying and Sangzhu. The two serve her closely and wholeheartedly every day, and Youqing naturally doesn't skimp on their money and expenses. However, she also wanted to do something by hand, so she made two small boxes.
Although she wasn't in a hurry to send it out, she felt something was off. She knew the people in the Imperial Household Department quite well, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were sycophantic.
Since moving to Jiangxuexuan and now to Yongshou Palace, the Imperial Household Department has always prioritized her needs.
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