Chapter 41
After Kangxi finished speaking, he gently pulled Yun Xiu over and held her hand tightly. He had an undisguised look of joy on his face.
The crown prince had grown up. His recent performance had made him more satisfied and happy.
Not to mention his studies, Baocheng would not slack off. He didn't even need to be supervised. He was filial to his elders, friendly to his brothers, and took care of Yinzhen and Yinqi. He worked hard and everyone could see it.
A few months ago, Kangxi and the great empress dowager talked about the crown prince and sighed. The child had a noble character and pure heart, but he was a little naive and impulsive. This was obvious from the fact that he did not care about the harem disputes and interceded for Yinzhen.
Having said that, the emperor actually didn't mean to reprimand him at all.
It was this kind of innocence and impulsiveness that made Kangxi deeply touched and willing to indulge him. He thought that as time went by, he would certainly be able to educate him to be a wise ruler and to continue the legacy of the Qing Dynasty for thousands of generations. He would then live up to the expectations of his ancestors.
…
A few days ago, the crown prince just so happened to invite his brothers to pick a horse. Together with Yinqi, he saved Yinzuo's life.
If Baocheng hadn't made the immediate decision to call for an imperial doctor, one could only imagine what Yinzuo's situation would have been!
In addition, in the past few days, there were several 'confrontations' between the eldest prince and the crown prince. Every detail reached Kangxi's ears.
The emperor remained calm on the surface, but in reality he frowned. There was a slight feeling in his heart. He unconsciously made a rough comparison between the two sons he valued most – the eldest son and the legitimate son.
After comparing, he sighed secretly.
Compared with Baocheng, Baoqing (Yinti) required more training.
The crown prince was his younger brother, and he was also the crown prince. Therefore, it was fine if he couldn't match the crown prince's bearing, but he should not lack etiquette.
Baoqing was older than Baocheng, but not as sensible as his younger brother. Consort Hui said that Baoqing was lively like a monkey, and these words were really accurate!
All these thoughts swirled in his head for just a moment. Kangxi came back to his senses when he heard Yun Xiu softly calling him.
Little Nine had just turned one month old, but he remembered his second older brother holding him. The emperor, out of curiosity, looked at Yun Xiu with an unprecedented gentleness in his eyes. "We are at ease knowing that you can hand Yintang over to Baocheng without any issues."
Being able to hand over the child to the crown prince without any hesitation revealed how much trust she had towards the crown prince. This move made Kangxi's heart soft, and it felt as if it was being soaked in honey water.
It was precisely because Xiuxiu loved him, and loved his heir more than him…
This was unlike the other women, who avoided Baocheng and even harboured evil thoughts in trying to get close to him.
At this time, Kangxi selectively forgot the 'jealous and poisonous' words that Consort Yi said when she gave birth, and when she acted like she was incredibly angry. He thought of the phrase 'loving someone so much that one loved everything close to that person' and his smile softened.
Yun Xiu didn't know what the emperor was thinking. Her heart was slightly restless, mixed with unspeakable emotions. She sighed.
Under the hazy halo, Yun Xiu lowered her peach blossom eyes. As she felt the warmth from the hands, she knew that she would not be able to escape from bed today.
Oh well.
As a consort, she would spend the rest of her life in the Forbidden City, so she couldn't escape serving him in bed.
The world belonged to the emperor. She may be able to reject favour for a while, but how could she do it for a lifetime?
At the moment, she still firmly had the title of favourite concubine. If she thought about it differently, it was lonely in the imperial palace. Rather than quietly withering away, it would be better to have someone help ease it.
…
In the future, the emperor would pamper whoever he wanted. However, who was serving who here?
Yun Xiu slowly looked up and arched her eyebrows. Her smile was as gentle and soothing as spring water, and her black hair fell straight down, diluting her boundless beauty.
She said softly, "Does the emperor still remember what this concubine said?"
Kangxi paused with his arms around her slender waist, and asked in a deep voice after a while, "…What words?"
As early as when the emperor was coaxing his youngest son, Liang Jiugong retreated with a wink. Along the way, he moved away from the servants and wet nurses.
Soon enough, the only ones in the tent were Kangxi, Yun Xiu and Yintang.
Yintang opened his mouth. He was so shocked that he even forgot how to make a sound.
Mother, there must be a limit to speaking nonsense. It was a crime to deceive the emperor.
It was just a matter of bullying him because he couldn't speak. They also inverted what was right and what was wrong.
Since when did he get close to the crown prince? Since when did he miss the crown prince's hold?!
It was obvious that the boy had put on the wrong pants!
If Wet Nurse Dong's conscience hadn't been poked… Haha.
Before Yintang could react, he heard his imperial father laugh loudly, and then he was full of praise for the crown prince.
In an instant, the ninth young master stretched out his foot in front of Kangxi without expression. He aimed it at the dragon's face, ready to kick him.
The emperor's scalp suddenly itched. He had a bad premonition and he quickly recalled Liang Jiugong. He had told him to take good care of the ninth prince, and then drove the chief steward out.
This made Yintang very angry!
In the side hall, the emperor had made Liang Jiugong miserable. Liang Jiugong was unable to do anything at all. He had no energy to worry about the emotional problems of the two elders, nor did he have the energy to speculate on Consort Yi's attitude.
…
If Liang Jiugong were still here, he would definitely be shocked.
If one listened carefully, the emperor's questioning voice was not only not angry, but contained a faint guilty conscience. There was also a touch of fleeting helplessness to his tone.
As expected, Yun Xiu smiled slightly and whispered in his ear, "What did this concubine say? That this concubine is jealous, vicious, and narrow-minded. This concubine does not deserve the emperor's favour-"
The same words, in different contexts, had completely different effects.
Before Kangxi frowned and issued a 'punishment', Yun Xiu paused and suddenly spoke, "—These are words spoken in anger, but they are also the truth."
On the day she gave birth to Little Nine, Yun Xiu said all the disrespectful words because she was worried about Little Five and it was a way to vent her feelings. Therefore, her saying they were words said in anger would not be considered deceiving the emperor.
The phrase 'words said in anger' reached the emperor's ears. It was as if a winding road had turned, and the scene in front of him had suddenly brightened!
In an instant, all of Kangxi's awkwardness and discomfort, including the invisible barrier built between the two, turned into ash and fluttered away.
"So," Yun Xiu turned her face away, and said softly, "There are three thousand beauties in the harem, and everyone is vying for favour. It's really a knife to my heart. If this concubine offends you again, it may be out of impulse or out of sincerity. If Your Majesty punishes this concubine, then this concubine will accept it without any complaints."
The implication was that her jealousy, viciousness, and narrow-mindedness were all real.
She would get jealous a lot in the future, so he needed to be aware. If he really couldn't stand it, then he couldn't blame her for not warning him!
…
The dim candle flickered. The faint light almost blurred into a ball of flames, sweeping through the deepest parts of the emperor's heart.
He stared at Yun Xiu closely. His eyes suddenly darkened. He leaned over and kissed her lips, and said in a hoarse voice, "No."
"We… will never let you down."
With a shallow reply, their clothes slipped down and the brocade curtain closed, blocking the beautiful spring light in the room.
At the same time in Yonghe Palace.
Imperial Concubine Wu, Mrs. Wuya, woke up in the dark bedroom. She turned over and sat up. She closed her eyes for a long time and suppressed the panic in her heart. There was cold sweat dripping down.
"Yinzuo…" Imperial Concubine Wu covered her eyes with trembling hands.
She dreamed that her Yinzuo was gone…
Before leaving, Yinzuo grabbed her hand and kept calling 'mother'. His shrill voice was like a nightmare, and it had haunted her for several days and nights.
Even though she knew it was fake, Imperial Concubine Wu still couldn't break free. She couldn't escape.
The candlelight reflected her haggard and aging face.
She murmured, "Yinzuo has never left Us. How can he take good care of himself and live happily in the prince's place?"
He was only a few years old, and did not know how to live without his mother. If someone bullied him, who would stand up for him?!
That day, she had fainted and returned to Yonghe Palace. She then lay on the couch and did not improve.
The emperor scolded her for being vicious, grounded her, and forbade her to see Little Six, the current Second Rank Prince Rong. Only a few days after giving birth, Mrs. Wuya woke up with pain in her heart. Her face was pale, and she vomited blood straight out of her mouth.
She didn't notice the imperial doctor's remedy. The little princess cried weakly. Her lips trembled and tears streamed down her face.
After several days of being in a daze like this, Wet Nurse Wu reported the cause of Yinzuo's poisoning. Imperial Concubine Wu gradually regained her composure and returned to her senses.
Mrs. Liu… Yinzuo actually said Mrs. Liu's name!
"The sixth prince… The sixth prince did not hallucinate. Maybe he thought of his childhood experiences!" Wet Nurse Wu burst into tears.
At first, Imperial Concubine Wu didn't believe this at all.
Her bright and clever child had become dull. Her future caretaker and hope were all gone. Just thinking about it made her heart hurt to the point of numbness.
Then, the pain gradually turned into hatred. Imperial Concubine Wu sat for a long time, and finally hissed with tears in her eyes, "If Mrs. Liu had not died…" What if she had taken the punishment in the place of someone else?
Whoever it was took advantage of the fact that she was giving birth to give Yinzuo a poisonous sachet. Everything made sense.
The ones who planned all of this were nothing more than those sluts!
The imperial noble consort had come back, and Consort Yi was also out of confinement… Thinking of this, Imperial Concubine Wu was filled with a hatred that burned all over. She wished she could find Mrs. Liu immediately and have her cut into a thousand pieces!
She sent people to Qianqing Palace to ask for an audience, but Liang Jiugong blocked them all. She really had no choice but to think about it for a long time in anger and despair before laughing coldly.
…
Seeing that her master was awakened by a nightmare again, Wet Nurse Wu carefully lit the candle and said in a low voice, "Imperial Concubine…"
Imperial Concubine Wu grabbed the brocade quilt and was in a daze. "What did Yanxi Palace say?"
After this incident, the Wuya family could no longer raise its head in the Imperial Household Department. The power she managed was now in shambles. There was nothing left.
"Our people went in several times and finally met Consort Hui." Wet Nurse Wu paused, lowered her head and said, "He truthfully conveyed what Imperial Concubine Hui said. Consort Hui… waved her hand and refused…"
Even though Mrs. Wuya had expected this outcome, her heart sank.
"There is no hurry, no hurry! There is still room to recover." She clenched her fists tightly. Her forehead was throbbing. She said, as if to comfort herself, "…Consort Hui will be moved."
The next day, Yun Xiu got up with a sullen expression and faced everyone's beaming eyes in Yikun Palace. She rubbed her sore waist, staggered slightly, and scolded Kangxi thousands of times in her heart.
"His Majesty has gone to court and told this servant not to disturb the Consort. His Majesty ordered the small kitchen to cook warm and easy-to-digest food." Rui Zhu helped her to the dressing table, covered her mouth and smiled. "His Majesty is really kind."
Really kind?
It was because he had a guilty conscience.
Yun Xiu thought of the phrase 'We are resting in Yikun Palace tonight', and her complexion gradually became stiff.
She comforted herself in her heart. The emperor's service was not bad, and she also got a lot of fun…
There was no discomfort in her body.
The wooden comb ran through her black hair. Yun Xiu half-closed her eyes, and suddenly asked, "Did Yintang cry yesterday?"
Rui Zhu paused for a moment, hesitating, then said: "Consort, the ninth prince made Steward Liang miserable. Just now, His Majesty went to Nuan Pavilion to see him. Instead of hugging him, the ninth prince…"
Yun Xiu suddenly had a bad premonition.
"What else happened?"
…
At court, the ministers pretended to be oblivious. They lowered their eyes, not daring to stare at the two red lines on the emperor's cheeks. In fact, they had already imagined hundreds or thousands of different versions of what happened.
Careful officials also discovered that Steward Liang's face also had several red scratches. They were messy and distinct. There was one on the left and one on the right. They were symmetrical.
They hissed in their hearts and lowered their heads…
It was the first time that Kangxi had felt uncomfortable in morning court in the past ten years.
He sat on the dragon chair with a heavy expression. He endured the burning pain on his cheeks, he said impatiently, "Court is dismissed!"
Chapter 42
In the early morning, when Kangxi went to court, Yun Xiu combed her hair simply. She put a hibiscus flower in her hair and kept her face pure. After washing, she ate her breakfast slowly.
Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes were charming, and there was some blush left at the edges of her eyes. Although she did not apply powder, her breathtaking beauty was more visible. It was like a Chinese flowering crabapple after the rain, where its petals were wet and it bloomed more freely.
Wen Yuan almost immersed herself in it. After finally regaining consciousness, she watched Yun Xiu eating and was happy and worried. She was happy about the emperor's love for her master, and worried about her body as her master had just come out of confinement.
She poured a cup of warm fruit juice, and said, "Consort, it's still early. There is no need for the Consort to pay respects today. Why doesn't the Consort go and lie down on the couch later?"
Yun Xiu rubbed her waist, put down her bowl and chopsticks, and nodded lightly.
Since the imperial noble consort was in bed due to her difficult labour, the concubines did not have to go early to pay their respects. The harem had a rare quiet time.
Now, although the imperial noble consort was able to come back, she still looked pale and weak. She took soups and medicines all day long. She really couldn't stand the daily morning and dusk gatherings, so she avoided everyone visiting.
She said that they were excused from paying their respects, but everyone was clear about how things stood. After the imperial noble consort lost her palace power, her prestige was ruined. She was in a rather embarrassing position in the Forbidden City. If someone didn't want to settle their accounts, there was nothing she could do about it!
After the great empress dowager's decree, the maids and eunuchs were probably more wary of the noble consort and the three consorts. They were mostly superficially respectful towards Chengqian Palace and were no longer as good to them as before.
Mrs. Tongjia had no way to reverse this bitter pill, so she could only swallow it in the dead of night.
On that side, the noble consort was about to give birth and was unable to manage the palace affairs. Therefore, the day before yesterday, the noble consort assigned those duties to Yun Xiu and the others.
Consort Hui took the initiative to take over several complex but lucrative affairs, such as the most important dining room, which was taken over with great enthusiasm. Consort Rong did not want to be outdone. It was as if she wanted to leave Consort Hui in the dust. After she took over the banquet matters, she stepped up courageously.
Yun Xiu didn't care at all about palace power.
She let Consort Hui and Consort Rong compete for work. Soon enough, the few errands left for her were either boring or cumbersome. It would take some time to get familiar with them, but it would take more energy.
In her dream, Yun Xiu had been in charge of the harem for decades. What matters did she not understand? What hadn't she seen? It was a familiar setting that she was long tired of.
In addition, their every move was observed by the great empress dowager and the emperor. They could use this as a pretext to plant spies, but it was a long shot. The losses would outweigh any gains from this move.
Instead of inviting trouble by doing things on her own, it was better to assign some work to the palace people, such as copying those Buddhist scriptures during the Longevity Festival last time. It took no effort and she was happy to be free!
Consort Yi, who was extremely leisurely, yawned lightly. She held Wen Yuan's hand as they made their way to the couch. She frowned slightly, then sat down slowly.
The resentment against Kangxi deepened in her heart. Thinking of the 'surprise' that Rui Zhu reported just now, Yun Xiu paused. The corners of her mouth were raised slightly, but her tone had a bit of morning laziness.
"…When Little Nine wakes up, bring him to me."
"Yes, Consort."
…
Knowing that Yintang was awake, Yun Xiu asked the wet nurse to pick him up and put him on the brocade quilt. She stared at him with a straight face.
The bright red clothes complemented the crimson brocade, and even more so the white and tender face of Yintang. The little baby's black eyes looked around and landed on Yun Xiu innocently. He appeared naive and innocent. No one would guess that he had made such a 'big mistake' and audaciously left scratches on dragon's face.
Yun Xiu looked at him for a long time, lightly tapped the tip of his nose, and pretended to sigh. "You are really bold. If your imperial father gets angry, mother won't be able to persuade him. What should I do? Even your second older brother doesn't dare to tease the tiger's beard like this!"
Yintang still pretended not to understand. He smiled sweetly at his mother, yawned a little, and blew a small bubble.
When the ninth young master attacked the emperor's cheek this morning, he was so happy. Then, he felt guilt and regret a few seconds later.
It was really interesting. How could he dare to do this in his previous life?
He was afraid the old man wanted to cut him into pieces!
Because the old man disliked him in his previous life, Yintang did not change for a while. When he saw Kangxi's face turned green and white, he thought that he had made a mistake.
Was it too late to cry at the top of his lungs?
Unexpectedly, the old man touched his face, sighed quietly, and said to the people around him, "When the consort wakes up, don't hide the evil deeds of this little demon."
Liang Jiugong also touched his face with concern.
A little demon? He was actually a big devil!
Immediately afterwards, the head steward thought with relief that even His Majesty could not escape the claws of the little prince. We should really be thankful that the little prince showed mercy.
…
The emperor was not angry at all. After saying that, he strode away with a radiant face, leaving a stunned Yintang in the crib. Yintang then secretly rejoiced.
Now, after hearing his mother's exaggerated words, the ninth young master didn't panic at all. He pretended to be innocent. With a 'pop', the little bubbles he blew out burst.
The palace people were holding back their laughter.
How can the little prince understand what the consort was saying?
Yun Xiu didn't think that was the case.
She shook her head, pretending to be angry and said, "Mother didn't expect mother's words of advice to you would have no effect at all. Rui Zhu, at noon, send the ninth prince to Qianqing Palace so that the Emperor can beat and punish him as necessary. The emperor does not need to worry about Our feelings."
Her tone was serious and helpless. She was bluffing. As the ninth prince had been cheated many times in his past life, he took it seriously.
Yintang: "…"
Mother… Are you my mother?
He was only just one month old!
The flash of panic in the ninth prince's pitch-black eyes made Yun Xiu cough lowly. She covered the corner of her mouth with a smile. "Okay, mother won't bother you anymore."
She had been able to confirm that the one inhabiting Yintang's body was not a lonely ghost, but a friend, a big friend.
Recalling the events and scenes in her dream, she slowly narrowed her peach blossom eyes and hummed, "There will always be times when you show your flaws."
Suddenly, Yintang felt a chill in his heart. He looked around, then turned his head innocently with his big eyes open.
Who was cursing him?
…
The mother and son played intimately for a while. After a quarter of an hour, Wet Nurse Dong came to report that Imperial Concubine Cheng and the seventh prince had come to pay their respects to the consort.
Yun Xiu smiled happily, straightened her clothes, and slowly looked. "Please come in quickly."
Imperial Concubine Cheng wore indigo clothes, which were low-key and unobtrusive. Her delicate face was restrained and gentle. She held hands with the seventh prince, Yinyou, who stumbled a little while walking. When she saw Yun Xiu, she smiled and said, "This concubine would like to pay respects to the Consort. Yinyou, come and greet the Consort…"
The seventh prince was almost four years old. He looked cute, just like a little girl. Because he didn't go out often, he took his mother's hand and looked around shyly. He smiled shyly when he heard his mother's words, and called out 'Consort Mother Yi' in a low voice.
"Good child. What are some of your favourite snacks? What do you want to drink? Consort Mother Yi will tell them to bring it over." Yun Xiu pinched Yinyou's round face, causing Yintang, who was on the bed, to babble his protests.
He had never heard of any contact between his mother and Imperial Concubine Cheng. In his previous life, the imperial concubine lived in Yonghe Palace. The relationship between the seventh and fourth princes was not bad. Why was it the other way around in this life?
It must all be because of Imperial Concubine Ping. Mother was venting her anger for the fifth prince.
The ninth young master felt sour in his heart. That was all for fifth older brother, but mother was so gentle to seventh older brother. When he compared the two, it looks like she was picking him up.
Ever since Yun Xiu proposed the idea of promotion to imperial concubine to Kangxi, Imperial Concubine Cheng, Mrs. Daijia, gradually distanced herself from Yonghe Palace. She came to Yikun Palace more and more diligently.
Yun Xiu knew Imperial Concubine Cheng's temperament. She was kind-hearted, but because her child was born with a disability, she had to be cautious and live her life in the palace like she was always walking on thin ice.
From beginning to end, she had no ambition. She just wanted to find shelter for Yinyou.
It was not an exaggeration to say that the promotion from concubine to imperial concubine in one fell swoop was an unexpected blessing.
Last time Imperial Concubine Cheng came to express her gratitude, her words were extremely sincere and she showed her love for Yinyou, which moved Yun Xiu. After that, Imperial Concubine Cheng often came to Yikun Palace. Everyone who came and went understood her intentions.
"The emperor loves the Consort, but he doesn't know that there is a villain in the palace who is trying to ruin the reputation of the Consort." Imperial Concubine Cheng retracted her gentle gaze on the child. She then looked solemn, lowered her voice, and said, "Someone is thinking of complaining to the revered elder, saying that the emperor has not visited the palace in a long time… And that the Consort wants to be the only one doted on!"