"Your Majesty, the Imperial Noble Consort is here." A soft call reached Kangxi's ears.
Yunxiu was wearing a loose-fitting sky-blue Manchu dress, which made her features look particularly clear. She had rested in the east wing for quite a while, and her fatigue had disappeared without a trace. She walked into the palace with brisk steps.
The emperor's bedroom was still the same as it was in the morning. The furnishings had not changed at all, but it looked much brighter for no reason, without any gloom or sadness. There was a long dining table on the kang, with a bowl of thick rice porridge and a few side dishes on the table. On the other side were a few light dishes, and white rice in a porcelain bowl. From a distance, the heat was rising.
Kangxi was half-leaning on the kang, wearing a robe over his inner clothes, staring at the imperial concubine who was walking towards him with a look of eagerness.
Yun Xiu calmly deleted the word "eagerly" from her mind and sighed softly in her heart. The emperor had lost a lot of weight due to his illness.
… Let’s just believe that he has a poor appetite.
When he was about to bow when he came up to him, Kangxi pointed at the dining table and said softly, "No need to pay attention to these empty formalities. I noticed that Liang Jiugong has been delayed for some time. Could it be that he just woke up?"
He had not yet recovered from malaria and his voice was still weak, but the symptoms had been reduced to a tolerable level for him.
"I just went to see Sister Rongfei." Sitting opposite the emperor, Yun Xiu did not shy away from speaking. She picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and her voice gradually became softer. "She has some complaints about me..."
When Kangxi heard the word "Rong Fei", his eyes, which were gentle enough to drip water, suddenly turned cold.
"People with demonic obstacles are not worth worrying about," he whispered to comfort her, "I will not let you suffer any injustice."
Yun Xiu pursed her lips and smiled, saying angrily: "When have I ever been wronged?"
She continued, "I just thought of Princess Rongxian and the Third Prince. If they knew that Mother was like this... She even ignored the child."
"Ma Jia deceived the emperor and slandered you. Her words were disrespectful and unforgivable." Kangxi briefly mentioned it, with deep disgust on his face. He then changed the subject, "Don't worry. I can't take my anger out on my children. Rongxian is about to marry, and Yinzhi is old enough to understand things. It won't matter if he leaves his mother."
Since he never mentioned the treatment of Concubine Rong, Yunxiu did not ask any more questions.
"Has the emperor sent a letter to Prince Yu and the others?" Thinking of the raging war on the northwest border, she said, "My eldest brother must be eager to return home and is very worried about you."
Kangxi coughed softly, a slight smile on his face: "I've already done what you said."
During this period, Fuquan lived up to his expectations. Even when the news of his serious illness spread, the soldiers were agitated, but they were suppressed in the end.
The enemy has no way to retreat, and with the decisive battle imminent, they urgently need to boost morale. What could be more inspiring than the good news sent from the palace
As he put down his bowl of porridge, he felt regret and pride, and his mood was complicated. The imperial expedition had to be terminated halfway, and everyone would say that it was fate that made him play tricks on people.
This thought only lasted for a moment, and then he looked up at Yun Xiu, his eyes turning as soft as water.
Xiuxiu treated him more casually and intimately, and it was not an illusion. When they occasionally "took time" and chatted at night, she was so beautiful that he wished the time could last longer.
Thinking of this, he slowed down the pace of drinking porridge.
Yun Xiu glanced at him and his expression paused slightly. It seemed that the emperor really had no appetite. The thick white porridge was placed on the table, and he only ate a little more than half of it.
She was almost eight-tenths full, and while chatting and laughing, she did not forget to pick up some dishes for the emperor. On the contrary, the porridge in the bowl had already piled up like a small hill.
"Your Majesty, I'm full." She said with a faint smile, and without waiting for Kangxi to nod, she slowly got down from the couch, holding her waist, and sat down next to the emperor from the opposite door. Then she leaned over, picked up the porcelain bowl on the dining table, picked up the spoon and stirred the bowl.
Using the back of her hand to test the temperature, Yunxiu moved her wrist, scooped up a spoonful and handed it to Kangxi's lips, her peach blossom eyes sparkling, "You are still weak and you can't use your whole body. I will feed you."
The screen had been removed, and Liang Jiugong was waiting in the compartment with a smile on his face, waiting to be summoned.
Two quarters of an hour passed and the emperor did not order the meal to be served.
Half an hour passed and the emperor still hadn't ordered the meal to be served.
…
He didn't know how much time had passed, so long that he was about to doze off, his chin nodding, his eyes half-closed, when he suddenly heard Kangxi's smiling voice: "Liang Jiugong, it's getting late, send the Imperial Concubine back to her room."
Then he whispered to Yunxiu, "It's fine to guard during the day, but a woman with a twin body can't stand it. Come and see me tomorrow."
Yun Xiu hummed lightly, and Liang Jiugong, on the other side, shuddered and immediately woke up.
Lifting the curtain and entering the room, the chief steward put on a smiling face again. He looked at the dining table calmly, and for a long time he did not react. He was very surprised. This -
There was not a drop of soup left on the emperor's side, and all the side dishes were also used up.
Wansui has always been health-conscious and in the past he would only eat two bites of pickled radish at most!
Liang Jiugong was in a trance, thinking that the appetite-stimulating effect of the Imperial Concubine was too strong. He couldn't help but feel awe in his heart, and bowed with some flattery: "My lady, be careful with your steps, I will support you..."
After sending the people back to the house, Liang Jiugong returned to the emperor's bedroom and quickly cleaned up the dining table.
Kangxi's lips curled up for a long while, and suddenly he seemed to remember something, his smile faded slightly, and he asked, "Is Ma Jia still behaving well?"
Speaking of this, Liang Jiugong's heart tightened, and he couldn't help but feel angry. He took a deep breath and repeated Rong Fei's "words" in a low voice, not daring to look at Kangxi's face: "... The Imperial Concubine was so angry that she slapped Ma Jia twice."
After the words fell, there was no movement for a long while. Liang Jiugong started to shudder, and raised his head in fear, only to see Kangxi laughing in anger, his eyes dark and his cheeks flushed.
"I originally wanted to give her some dignity." His eyes were extremely cold and stern, and he said slowly, "She has no regrets, very good, very good. She just cursed me to die early and hoped that my little princess would suffer."
"Emperor..."
"She doesn't have to return to the palace. Just say she's seriously ill and incurable, and bury her with the simple rites of a concubine... Rehe no longer has Rongpin, and there's only Ma Jia, a commoner who's used to doing rough work. Do you understand? How long she can hold on depends on her luck."
Liang Jiugong quickly agreed and asked hesitantly, "If the Third Prince and Princess Rongxian ask—"
Kangxi said calmly: "If they want to get to the bottom of it, I won't stop them."
Liang Jiugong was shocked. There is a huge difference between "getting to the bottom of the matter" and "pleading for mercy" and "asking for a meeting"!
"yes."
*******
Seven days later.
"A great victory at Ulan Butong, a great victory at Ulan Butong—the eldest prince captured Galdan alive—"
The urgent report of victory from eight hundred miles away shook the palace. On normal days, the servants would have cheered and jumped for joy, but now, after the cheers, there was a strange silence, and the smiles were very forced.
The Emperor was suffering from malaria, and summoned the Crown Prince to Rehe. Everyone knew what this meant. Even if they won a great victory, how could they be happy
…
In the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager said hello three times and her eyes suddenly became moist.
A few days ago, we received news that "the prince found a miracle drug from a missionary that can cure malaria." According to yesterday's secret report, the emperor has already taken the miracle drug. According to the imperial physician, he will be cured within half a month.
The word "ecstasy" is not enough to describe the Empress Dowager's mood. She tightly grasped the Buddhist beads and almost fainted again, but this time she was happy.
"Amitabha, Amitabha." The Queen Mother also cried for joy. Her tense heartstrings finally relaxed and she was incoherent, not knowing what to say.
The two empresses were still immersed in joy. On the second day, the war in the northwest came to an end. A great victory was won in Ulan Butong, and the rebel leader was captured alive... The Empress Dowager held the victory report and said in a trembling voice: "Isn't this an illusion?"
The Queen Mother also said in a trembling voice: "My Queen Mother! This is not hallucination."
The Empress Dowager let out a long breath and remained silent for a long time. After a while, she murmured, "Noble Concubine Yi, no, Noble Concubine Huang is really a blessed person. She told me that day that she has a strong life. If she goes to take care of the emperor, the emperor will be able to turn danger into safety and turn danger into fortune. Please allow her..."
The Empress Dowager's first reaction was to disagree, but when she looked into those eyes, she knew she couldn't resist.
Those eyes were full of prayer and determination, but not fear.
She is willing to share hardships with the emperor!
"Yes, Empress Dowager. This child has deep affection for the Emperor." The Empress Dowager's nose was sour and she wiped her red eyes. "Besides, he is blessed with good fortune, which brings great luck to Baocheng..."
The old lady was most fascinated by these things, not to mention that Yunxiu had raised three princes, so her fortune was sealed. That was why when the imperial edict to confer the title of Imperial Noble Consort came, the Empress Dowager had no objection at all.
Now it is another unprecedented victory!
After laughing, the Queen Mother calmed down a little and whispered, "Madam, should we announce the news that the Holy Saint is getting better?"
"Please hold off for now. The Emperor has his own reasons for ordering this." The Empress Dowager shook her head slightly. Her old eyes lost their joy and were filled with coldness. "I want to see who can't hold back any longer."
******
The emperor had malaria, and the people in the harem were in a panic. They could understand that Concubine Rong went to Rehe for her son, but Concubine Yi was pregnant, and she went there to take care of the sick without caring about anything. Was she crazy
Malaria is contagious!
When the imperial edict conferring the title of Imperial Noble Consort was announced to the six palaces, causing a shock among all parties, they finally realized what was going on.
Concubine Yi is not stupid, she is very smart.
Being promoted to the de facto head of the harem by serving as a waitress for the sick was a very good deal. Thinking of this, the concubines who had a grudge against Yun Xiu did not feel jealous at all.
So what if she was a royal concubine? She would soon become a royal concubine, and it was still unclear whether she could come back.
The harem was not peaceful, and the court was also surging with undercurrents. Officials from all over the country returned to Beijing to report on their work, including Cao Yin, the Jiangning textile manufacturer who was favored by the emperor.
Although he said he was going back to Beijing to report on his work, he could not see the emperor easily, not to mention that the emperor was seriously ill on his way to the war. The court officials knew that if the emperor died, the country would not be without a king for a day, and now the crown prince had been appointed, the successor would only be the prince!
So the prince became a hot commodity.
But Xiang Pai Bo is not in the capital now. It is said that after receiving the emperor's edict, the prince rushed to Rehe a few days ago.
The ministers couldn't find anyone, so they thought it didn't matter.
Soon, Yuqing Palace became bustling. Countless placards were handed into the palace, and nine out of ten princesses, princesses and noble ladies wanted to see the Crown Princess.
They were all aiming for the prince's backyard.
Concubines come first, and the next best is princesses. Everyone wants to fight for a place, and in a few days, you might become the most favored empress in the six palaces!
Jingchu rubbed his temples: "Who is it today?"
The personal nanny rubbed her shoulders and answered in a low voice: "The wife of Jiangning Weaving Master Cao Yin, Li."
Jingchu's expression paused, and she couldn't help but recall what the prince accidentally told her that day.
She murmured, "… Cornucopia?"