As soon as Tong Guowei heard Mingzhu's words, he suddenly turned his head and stared at the phoenix flag fluttering in the scorching sun, his face changing drastically.
The Imperial Noble Consort holds the same rank as the Vice Empress and takes charge of the duties of the Empress. The ceremonial procession she goes out with is similar to that of the Empress, with similar decorations and regulations.
But the Imperial Noble Consort is not the Empress after all. The most obvious difference between the two is the phoenix flag on the ceremonial guard—the Empress has the colorful phoenix, while the Imperial Noble Consort has the golden phoenix.
Soon after the current emperor ascended the throne, he redivided the system of concubines, and the norms of ceremonial vehicles were also written into the "Collected Regulations", which had to be followed by everyone from top to bottom.
But now his eldest daughter, the Imperial Consort who has regained power in the palace, actually used Caifeng!
To put it mildly, this was the dereliction of duty of the servants; to put it more seriously, this was the Imperial Noble Consort coveting the position of Empress, which was overstepping the boundaries, overstepping one's authority, and committing treason!
The seriousness of this matter is exactly the same as the prince mistakenly wearing a bright yellow dragon robe.
How could the Imperial Concubine make such a big mistake? !
Tong Guowei was so shocked that he was speechless, and his heart sank to the bottom.
Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, the emperor and his ministers are having fun together, and the empresses and concubines are all gathered. In such a lively occasion, everyone can see the phoenix flag, and even if you want to cover it up, you can't.
Tong Guowei's hands and feet were cold. He looked around and, as expected, the whispers became louder.
Mingzhu looked unhappy. She tugged at Tong Guowei's sleeve and whispered, "The Imperial Concubine has been plotted against! Send someone to warn her quickly."
"How could I not know?" Tong Guowei shook his head, as if he had aged ten years. "It's too late, too late. They all saw it."
There was an uncontrollable sense of despair in his voice.
"That's true." Mingzhu murmured, her mind working quickly, "There is a way to remedy this! Before the emperor arrives, let the imperial concubine order the ceremonial guards to be moved away, far away..."
Before he could finish his words, suddenly a whip sounded, ceremonial music began, and a voice came from afar:
"The Emperor has arrived—"
As soon as Mingzhu stopped talking, Tong Guowei's face suddenly turned pale. It was over.
***
When the imperial carriage was halfway on its journey, Liang Jiugong was startled when he heard the servant's report.
Seeing His Majesty's gaze, he could only lean over and whisper, "Royal Concubine... Guard of Honor..."
A guard of honor? A phoenix
Recalling the rumors in the womb a few days ago, Kangxi still smiled, but his eyes turned cold.
As the crowd shouted "The Emperor has arrived", long live the Emperor, outside the hall, the Imperial Concubine held Nanny Zhen's hand and led the other concubines to greet him with a smile on their faces.
The imperial concubine was not feeling well, so she and Yunxiu took leave and rested in Yongshou Palace.
Concubine De smiled gently, with the curve of her lips unchanged. Concubine Rong concealed her surprise. Concubine Hui muttered to herself, how come the Imperial Concubine became so radiant
It's strange.
Could it be that the Emperor is really going to take a queen
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!" The Imperial Concubine, with her round belly, bowed with great difficulty and looked at Kangxi with tenderness in her eyes. "The sun is too strong, please don't get burned. Please follow me to the table."
Kangxi nodded, gently turned the jade ring on his hand, and stared at the Imperial Concubine for a long time, making her feel a little uneasy.
The Imperial Concubine thought about it again and again, then smiled with shame: "Before, I did a lot of wrong things. When I was recuperating, I figured it out one by one. Whether it's Concubine Yi or Concubine De, they are sisters from the same family. They serve the emperor wholeheartedly, and I should treat them well..."
Her words and actions are gentle and virtuous.
Kangxi stopped smiling and after a long moment, he hummed lightly.
There were rumors of a queen being made queen, and the ceremonial procession of the colorful phoenix. A country is governed by rites, and if this were to be spread out, the Qing Dynasty would be in chaos.
Regardless of whether Tong Jia did it intentionally or was the result of someone else's scheme, he had to give an explanation to the court officials in front of everyone.
If she were to be plotted against, how would the Imperial Concubine have the face to lead the six palaces
If it's intentional...
There was a hint of anger in Kangxi's eyes. Are she and the Tong family going to force me to take a queen
Last time it was the Wanshou Festival, this time it is the Dragon Boat Festival, great, very good.
Glancing at the Imperial Concubine's bulging belly, the Emperor finally suppressed his anger and sarcasm and slowly took his seat.
…
Although it was a celebratory banquet, the emperor was in a bad mood, and a sense of silent stagnation quietly spread.
Which of the ministers present here is not a shrewd person? They are secretly guessing in their hearts, looking at each other, and keeping silent.
Liang Jiugong had a bitter face, unsure of the right time to "start the banquet". Suddenly, Wang Yong, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, stood up and broke the silence.
"Your Majesty, it's a festive occasion, so I shouldn't say too much. But in ancient times, there were rules for the virtues of empresses and concubines, and now there is the Qing Dynasty's "Collected Regulations". Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia exceeded the rules by using the phoenix ceremonial guards, coveting the position of empress, violating morality and disobeying the will, which is extremely disrespectful!" Wang Yong's stern voice resounded throughout the hall, "I want to impeach her. To correct the atmosphere, please punish her severely..."
One stone can cause a thousand ripples.
Tong Guowei's hands trembled, his face turned pale in an instant, and his eyes like swords shot towards the Left Censor-in-Chief.
The Censorate was independent of the Six Ministries and was as noble as the Hanlin Academy, with all its members being ministers of remonstration.
Their duty was to impeach and make remonstrances. They were known for being stubborn and not afraid of power. The Left Censor-in-Chief Wang Yong was the best among them and was deeply trusted by Kangxi.
Wang Yong was a loyal minister who didn't give in to anyone. When he showed his stubbornness, he even dared to impeach the emperor. How could he be afraid of the imperial concubine in the deep palace? Even though the imperial concubine was a member of the Tong family and the emperor's cousin.
Even during the Dragon Boat Festival, he would still play it!
As soon as Wang Yong finished speaking, there was an uproar at the banquet. The imperial concubine's fingers trembled and her rosy face turned pale.
Concubine De covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and her smile became even gentler; on the courtiers' side, Soetu stroked his long beard calmly, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, Kangxi narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "Your impeachment... is reasonable, but also unreasonable."
Wang Yong was stunned for a moment, then he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am all ears."
"I have never intended to establish a queen. If that is the case, how can the imperial concubine covet the position of queen?" Kangxi smiled and nodded at Wang Yong. "But the omission of the ceremonial guard is indisputable..."
Never had the intention of establishing a queen
There was no intention of establishing a queen!
The Imperial Concubine's mind went blank and her ears were buzzing. As for the words that followed, she couldn't hear a word.
The breath that supported her was gone!
***
Yikun Palace.
Yunxiu's belly was getting bigger and bigger, and her movements became much more clumsy. Nanny Dong, Wen Yuan and Ruizhu kept watching her closely, fearing any accidents. It was like they were facing a great enemy, and it was no exaggeration to say that they were on high alert.
Now, she was wearing plain clothes, with black hair, leaning on the couch, looking through the cloth, looking very casual.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs received instructions from Emperor Kangxi and rushed to send the items to Yunxiu for her to choose while she was free today.
The leader, Little Li, was Liang Jiugong's direct disciple. He ran errands for the Qianqing Palace and was very diligent.
He smiled and said, "These brocades are all fine materials imported from the south. They are light and heat-dissipating, suitable for wearing in summer. They are tailor-made for the queen and the young prince."
Yun Xiu was carrying brocade and smiled when she heard the words: "That's right! This one, this one... put them all in the warehouse."
Long before the Dragon Boat Festival, Yunxiu had the delivery room set up and the midwives were also arranged.
In the dream, she was pregnant for ten months and gave birth to Yinzhen successfully in early autumn. However, during the confinement period, the autumn heat had not yet gone away and the weather was hot and humid, so she suffered a lot.
For her own comfort, she specially cleaned up a room that was close to the wind, which was much cooler than other places.
Not only has the production environment improved, but now the emperor has also sent cool cloth.
After sending Little Li away, Yunxiu stroked her belly with a smile on her face. She was about to praise Kangxi when Ruizhu lifted the curtain and came in with a rare look of anxiety on her face: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has started!"
Launched? It's only been eight months, right
It doesn't match the dream.
Yun Xiu was stunned and said softly: "Today is the Dragon Boat Festival..."
Giving birth on the fifth day of May was not a good day for the Imperial Concubine.
Ruizhu recalled the news she had obtained, and nodded with a sense of shock: "It is the Dragon Boat Festival."
Then he leaned close to Yunxiu's ear and whispered a few words: "During the Zong Banquet, someone impeached the Imperial Concubine for using the colorful phoenix ceremonial guards and coveting the position of empress... The emperor said that he had no intention of establishing a queen... The Imperial Concubine had bleeding on the spot and had a difficult delivery!"
Yun Xiu suppressed his surprise, and after a moment, he sighed softly: "This is a plot."
Is it Concubine De or someone else
"I am ill and cannot go. You can deliver the century-old ginseng in the storehouse." After a moment's silence, she instructed her attendants, "This is a time of trouble. Keep our people under control. Wen Yuan, go to the side hall and tell Yun Shu to be careful..."
The palace servants all responded in unison and began to get busy.
…
Basins of blood were brought out from Chengqian Palace, and the imperial concubine's screams became weaker and weaker.
The Grand Empress Dowager kept turning her Buddhist beads, and she looked inside from time to time. Kangxi's face was as gloomy as water, and he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.
The imperial concubine fainted on the spot and had bleeding. How could the Zong Banquet continue? The whole place was in chaos.
This was the most chaotic Dragon Boat Festival since Kangxi ascended the throne... He couldn't tell what his mood was at that moment.
The emperor suddenly stopped and sighed, then called Liang Jiugong over and whispered, "Cancel the imperial edict that intends to demote her to imperial concubine. Don't draft it."
Liang Jiugong responded in a low voice, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Your Majesty, the court officials..."
The Imperial Concubine used the Empress's ceremonial guards, but because of a difficult labor, she had bleeding, and the Emperor did not want to make a fuss about it. The Censorate was fine, but the Eight Banners royal family and the old scholars were going to be furious, right
And the Han people! The Han people pay the most attention to etiquette and law.
"This is my family affair." Kangxi rubbed his brows and frowned, "They can make a fuss, but it will soon be over."
Liang Jiugong bowed and agreed without saying anything else.
From the bright sunshine to the deep dusk, near the last moment of midnight, the imperial concubine finally gave birth to a little princess with great difficulty.
The little princess was covered in bruises and looked like a cat. She cried weakly and died within half an hour.
Upon hearing the bad news, the Empress Dowager, who had been sitting in silence for the whole day, closed her eyes and chanted "Amitabha".
Kangxi held onto the back of his chair and said in a hoarse voice, "Give her the name Anle and bury her with the ceremony of a Princess of the First Rank..."
Everyone was shocked. This was truly a blessing from heaven!
The Imperial Concubine was still unconscious. The only person who could take charge of the matter, Nanny Zhen, knelt down with tears streaming down her face and bowed prostrate herself: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
***
The Imperial Noble Consort had difficulty giving birth to a princess, who died in less than half an hour. When the news came out, apart from the grief-stricken Tong family and Mingzhu who felt inexplicably regretful, no one, including the other important officials and concubines in the harem, felt sad.
Soetu breathed a sigh of relief. In his joy, he no longer cared about the little princess's affairs after her death.
She was buried with the rites of the First Rank and was given the name Anle. How could the princes and princesses who died young in the past have received such treatment
The court officials were all silent, and rarely objected, as if they had reached a tacit understanding and allowed the Emperor to act as he pleased.
After all, the Tong family is the emperor's maternal family, and the imperial concubine is the emperor's cousin. At this time, saying that the funeral is not in accordance with the rules, isn't that asking for trouble
Even the Left Censor-in-Chief Wang Yong fell silent.
Although the previous dynasty was peaceful, the harem was in turmoil. The concubines who had lost their children in their early years felt very upset.
It’s a good thing that the Imperial Noble Consort didn’t give birth to a prince, but why should a princess be treated like this
Among the four concubines, Huifei, Rongfei, and Defei all had children who died young.
Concubine Hui was fine, as her grief had long since faded; but Concubine Rong, however, lost four princes in succession, including the Emperor's first son, Chengrui!
Every time I think about it, it breaks my heart.
Rong Fei has always been low-key, chanting Buddhist scriptures all day long, and not easily getting into disputes with others, but she still broke several sets of tea sets, which made the bedridden Imperial Concubine resentful.
"My own Chengrui, Saiyinchahun... didn't even get a posthumous title, and what about her? She's just a little girl, why?!"
Defei's mood is exactly the same as Rongfei's.
Thinking of the little princess who died young, Concubine De's chest heaved, but she soon calmed down.
"Does Tong Jia seem to be crazy?" She lowered her eyes and asked softly.
Nanny Wu whispered, "I heard that the lochia hasn't stopped yet, and she keeps crying 'little prince' all day long... His Majesty ordered the Imperial Concubine to rest, and then he took back the power of the palace and sent the imperial physician to watch over her all the time."
—It’s no different from a tiger with its teeth pulled out.
Defei was very happy and smiled naturally. Then she thought of another person: "Where is Yinzhen? How is he doing in Cining Palace?"
Nanny Wu paused and said, "The Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince have a great time together. Together with the Crown Prince, the three of them often go to the Yikun Palace."
Defei was startled, her smile gradually faded and finally disappeared.
Why would the prince go
It’s because the emperor favors Guo Luoluo!
Not only did she come to visit him every day, but even when she was busy with government affairs, she would never forget to give him rewards, such as cloth or jewelry.
… The emperor’s private vault is probably about to be emptied.
"Is Concubine Yi about to give birth?" She said calmly, "Always keep an eye on that end, don't miss any news."
***
Apart from having to deal with the increasingly abnormal emperor, Yun Xiu stayed in the Yikun Palace to take care of her pregnancy. She lived a secluded life and did not get involved in other affairs. Soon, the days passed by.
In the blink of an eye, it was August 27th.
When she woke up early, Yun Xiu seemed to have sensed something. She gently placed her hand on her lower abdomen, feeling the occasional fetal movement, with a faint smile on her face.
After a hearty breakfast, I began to feel slight pain in my stomach. Gradually, the pain intensified and suddenly spread throughout my body.
"Go to the delivery room, I'm about to give birth..." she shouted softly.
The Yikun Palace was suddenly thrown into chaos.
Nanny Dong was nervous but remained calm. She ordered in an orderly manner: "Zhang Youde, go to the Cining Palace to report to the ancestors and the empress dowager... You go to the Qianqing Palace to report to the emperor... Where is the midwife? Check carefully and make sure no unclean things are brought in..."
Wen Yuan supported Yun Xiu and kept saying, "My Lady, watch your step..."
Just at this moment, an inconspicuous eunuch ran in hurriedly. When he saw Ruizhu, he whispered a few words in her ear as if he had seen a savior.
Ruizhu’s face suddenly turned pale and she opened her mouth. How could this be
She gritted her teeth and decided to keep it a secret from her master, but Nanny Dong noticed the commotion here and asked sternly, "What happened?"
Yunxiu had a bad feeling and turned her head to look straight ahead. She heard Ruizhu's hoarse voice: "Someone from Ningshou Palace reported that the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince had a dispute... The Fifth Prince fell into the water..."
Yun Xiu's heart suddenly skipped a beat, her head felt dizzy for a moment, and then her body felt wet.
My water broke!
Severe pain swept over her. She had no time to think about anything else. She lay on the bed and tightly grasped Wen Yuan's hand: "Quickly find the imperial physician... Yinqi must not be in any danger..."
Wen Yuan had tears in her eyes and nodded heavily.
***
Yinzhen only felt his head was dizzy, and his whole body seemed to be soaking in a hot spring, warm and cozy all over.
What? I'm not dead yet
The fourth brother was a really cold-hearted person. He didn't even send a doctor to the prison and just tortured him to death.
Thinking of him, the great Ninth Master, dying in such a miserable way... I wonder how sad my fifth brother would be, and how upset my mother would be.
As he was feeling sad, suddenly, he was hit by a huge force and before he could react, he was out of the soothing "hot spring".
Suddenly his whole body felt cold, and after his breathing became smoother, Yinzhen couldn't help but burst into tears!
While crying, I realized something was wrong.
Why does this body look so much like a newborn baby
He... came back again
Then, I heard a faint voice of congratulations: "Congratulations, Madam, congratulations, it's a healthy little prince!"
After a while, a familiar voice with a pleasant but tired tone sounded: "… It's not a healthy little brother, it's a little brother who's here to collect debts."
Yinzhen was completely stunned.
Mother?!
Along with waves of ecstasy, emotions such as excitement, grievance, and grief surged into his heart. Yinzhen waved his hands and cried loudly: "Woo-wa-wa-wa-wa-"