Liang Jiugong secretly raised his eyes and saw that Kangxi had a calm expression, and was somewhat unsure of what he was thinking.
After figuring out the status of Concubine Yi and Concubine De in the emperor's heart, he bowed his head and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, perhaps Concubine Yi had a nightmare in the middle of the night."
So he became a little angry and started a conflict with Master De.
Not to mention, Master Yi was wearing an apricot-white outfit, wasn't that abnormal enough
I heard that when Concubine De returned to Yonghe Palace, she asked someone to invite the imperial physician, as she seemed to have a miscarriage...
Kangxi pondered for a while, "… Tonight's dinner will be served in the Yikun Palace. Send the red coral in the storehouse and the sapphire headpiece there, and go there in person."
Liang Jiugong breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to accept the order, but he was secretly shocked.
This batch of red corals were treasures sent as tribute from the south. There were three pieces in total, one for the Empress Dowager, one for the Empress Dowager, and the remaining one was stored in the storehouse of His Majesty. The Imperial Concubine had sent people to inquire about it and was very concerned about it.
Liang Jiugong thought that His Majesty would eventually give the award to the Imperial Noble Consort, but unexpectedly it was Concubine Yi who got it!
There is also a sapphire headdress, which is exquisite and precious, and is the style for imperial concubines.
The things bestowed by the Emperor can be of a higher rank even if they are of a higher rank.
He thought to himself that the Emperor really cared about Concubine Yi. Even though the Empress could not sleep with him, his favor to her remained undiminished.
Look, I heard that she didn't sleep well last night, so I felt bad for her, didn't I care about her outburst at all.
As for Concubine De, she had no choice but to bear this loss.
Thinking of this, Kangxi continued: "Send someone to Yonghe Palace to reward cloth and a jade ruyi to see what Defei thinks."
There was a lack of passion in the words.
He basically understood the intrigues among the concubines. It was Concubine De who was unwilling to wear the same clothes as Concubine Yi, so she hinted that she should ask a shaman to exorcise the evil spirits. She was roundabout, unlike Concubine Yi who was straightforward. When the two were compared, Concubine Yi was inferior.
The emperor picked up the memorial again, recalled Yunxiu's words, and chuckled.
Sharp-tongued, what he said is quite right.
***
Yunxiu returned to Yiku Palace. The fourth princess Yilha, who had just woken up, came to the main hall under the guidance of her wet nurse and greeted her in a soft and gentle voice.
Ilha is the same age as Yinqi, just a few months older. He has rosy cheeks and is cute. He doesn't seem spoiled at all and is very sensible.
Concubine Le Yunshu and Yunxiu are brothers from the same mother, so naturally they are both good-looking; Yierha inherited Concubine Le's looks and is three points like Yunxiu, so she has the embryonic form of a beauty.
"Mother Yi." Yi Erha bowed, took Yun Xiu's hand and asked, "Mother Yi, are you not feeling well because you woke up last night?"
Yun Xiu touched the little girl's head, with a lot of thoughts in his mind, and said gently: "She was awakened, but when she saw our Yi Erha, Yi'er Niang became particularly energetic."
Ilha pursed his lips and smiled, his eyes sparkling.
Yunxiu asked the kitchen to prepare some snacks, and while the little girl was taking small nibbles, she leaned on the couch and asked the wet nurse Yilha about her daily life in detail.
The leader, Mrs. Dong, is from the same clan as Nanny Dong, and is also the wet nurse carefully selected by Yunxiu from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
She stood aside and replied respectfully with a kind look, "The princess has had a very good appetite recently. We had whitebait soup for dinner yesterday..."
"Take good care of the fourth princess." Yun Xiu finished asking, nodded, called Yi Erha to his side again, and coaxed her softly, "Okay, your mother misses you very much, let's go to the side hall to play."
Ilha's eyes lit up, knowing that Yi'eniang was busy with something, so he bowed like a little adult and happily took his leave.
Yun Xiu looked at her back with a smile, and when he came to his senses, he found that he was feeling sleepy.
Wen Yuan had already made the bed and was about to help her master change her clothes when Zhang Youde, the eunuch in charge of Yikun Palace, whispered outside the curtain: "Your Majesty, Chief Eunuch Liang has come to Yikun Palace in person, bringing the emperor's reward!"
Although the voice was low, it was very excited.
Wen Yuan and Rui Zhu looked at each other in surprise. Yun Xiu opened her half-closed beautiful eyes and rubbed her brows. She thought she still couldn't fall asleep. As she walked out, she lazily said, "Here's the tea."
Without her order, the palace maids had already come out to welcome her joyfully.
A large group of people came in outside, headed by Liang Jiugong, all of them were eunuchs and palace maids serving in the Qianqing Palace.
"Be careful. If anything goes wrong, you'll be the only ones we'll hold responsible!"
Liang Jiugong was looking after the largest piece of red cloth, constantly giving instructions. When he saw Yunxiu in white, he hid his deep surprise, smiled until his eyes wrinkled, and bent over and said, "Your servant greets Concubine Yi."
While paying his respects, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart that Master Yi's outfit was different from usual, which amazed even a eunuch like him.
Yun Xiu raised her hand, glanced at the red cloth, and asked, trying to suppress her sleepiness: "Manager Liang, please don't be polite. What is this?"
"Empress Yi, the Emperor has a reward." Liang Jiugong lagged behind Yun Xiu and followed her into the courtyard. He ordered the palace servants to put away the reward and cleared his throat. "The reward is a red coral and a sapphire headpiece..."
In addition to these two items, clothing materials, gold ingots and other items are also included.
Red coral? The one the imperial concubine wanted
Yun Xiu was silent for a moment, frowned briefly, and then quickly forced a surprised smile, held his waist, and was about to kneel down to express his gratitude.
Liang Jiugong quickly stopped her: "Your Majesty, there is no need to do this! You are in poor health, and the Emperor specifically asked me to exempt you from the ceremony."
Since he said so, Yunxiu stood up straight and, while expressing gratitude, asked a few words about Kangxi's daily life, doing a very face-saving job.
"Your Majesty is fine. He just heard about what happened last night and is worried about Your Majesty, so he sent me to check on her. It's cold outside, so I'll help you into the palace." Liang Jiugong smiled and supported Yun Xiu as they walked slowly towards the inner palace.
If other concubines were present, they would be shocked. When had they ever seen Liang Jiugong behave like this
Only the palace maids in Yikun Palace were used to it.
Nanny Dong thought that Manager Liang seemed to be more attentive...
Because of the frequent rewards from the Qianqing Palace, no one in the palace dared to neglect Yunxiu even if she could not serve the emperor in the emperor's bedchamber. The confidence that the people in the Yikun Palace had when walking outside was unique.
Today is even more different. Who doesn’t know how valuable that red coral is
Everyone had a smile on their face, happy that the emperor cared about his master.
After offering him a seat, Wen Yuan brought hot tea personally without Yun Xiu's signal. Ruizhu quietly handed a purse to Liang Jiugong, who accepted it generously, causing Ruizhu to smile.
Liang Jiugong was careful and noticed Yun Xiu's sleepiness and the dark circles under her eyes early on.
He sat on half of an embroidered cushion, leaning forward, and briefly explained the news that the emperor was coming to the Yiku Palace for dinner.
"I will not bother your Majesty any more." After saying this with a smile, Liang Jiugong bowed and took his leave in a very tactful manner.
“…” Without mentioning how happy Nanny Dong and the others were, Yun Xiu only felt his temples throbbing and his smile faded.
Come to Yikun Palace
If it were yesterday, she would have personally supervised the small kitchen to prepare exquisite dishes, for fear of any negligence.
But just because I had that dream, he came.
There were rewards and visits to Yikun Palace, but these things never happened in my dreams.
Yunxiu rubbed his forehead and frowned. He couldn't play with Yinqi today, and meeting Xiaowu would have to be postponed for another day.
Also, she has made up her mind not to compete for favor. In this case, what attitude should she take towards the emperor
She didn't want to take it too seriously, nor could she be too perfunctory, otherwise, the children would be disliked.
Concubine Yi seemed a little irritable for a rare time. Could it be that the Emperor was just too bored
The baby in the belly might have sensed the mother's fluctuating emotions and moved slightly. Yun Xiu exhaled slowly, softened her eyes, and gently touched her belly.
When enemies come, we will fight them with soldiers; when floods come, we will block them with earth.
Nanny Dong was keenly aware of her master's unhappy mood and thought that Yun Xiu was very sleepy, so she quickly asked someone to help her change clothes, lowered the bed curtains, and lit some agarwood.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Chunbai and the others are watching you in the small kitchen. When the time comes, I will call you." She said softly.
Yun Xiu closed her eyes and nodded.
After waiting for an incense stick of time, Nanny Dong listened attentively, and waited until the breathing in the tent became longer before she tiptoed out.
After lifting the curtain, she saw the maidservant was full of joy, and she couldn't help but smile too, lowering her voice and saying, "Put some away for me, don't disturb the queen's sleep."
After that, she asked again: "Have those rewards been registered and stored?"
"Madam, they have all been put into storage." Lan Qiu, the second-class maid, followed her closely and said with a smile, "You haven't seen the red coral. It is so bright. This servant has been in the palace for so many years, but this is the first time I have seen such good quality coral! The emperor's favor to the queen is truly unique."
"Isn't it?" Xiyu agreed.
When the master is favored, the palace maids can only benefit from it. They hold their backs straight and when they do work outside, everyone has to call them "Miss".
Speaking of the harem, the only one who can be said to be favored forever is Concubine Yi, who enjoys at least ten days of favor every month.
I was originally worried that the Empress would lose favor due to her pregnancy, but who knew that the Emperor still bestowed rewards on her every few days!
Just the day before yesterday, the Emperor sat in the Yikun Palace for a long time. Only one day later, he was going to have dinner with the Empress again...
Having been happy enough, they quickly ordered people to work, cleaned the main hall and swept away the fallen leaves in the yard in preparation for receiving the emperor.
During the break, a young palace maid blinked and asked Xiyu quietly: "Sister Xiyu, why didn't the queen put the red coral in the main hall?"
Xiyu knocked her: "How can we guess what the queen is thinking?"
She thought that the queen must cherish the treasure and didn't want to leave it outside and get damaged.
The little palace maid nodded with a smile, bowed, and ran away with the broom in her hand.
***
Kangxi put down his pen and asked Liang Jiugong: "What time is it?"
Liang Jiugong bowed and said with a smile: "It's time to go to Yikun Palace for dinner."
When he reported just now, he specifically described Concubine Yi's delighted expression when she received the reward. Although His Majesty did not say anything, the corners of his mouth were raised. How could it escape Liang Jiugong's discerning eyes
As soon as he finished speaking, Kangxi kicked him and scolded him, "You are so smooth-talking."
There was no sign of displeasure on his face.
Liang Jiugong cried out in pain, and quickly apologized. He quickly ordered his disciple Xiao Lizi: "Go to Yikun Palace—"
It was early March, the weather was not yet warm, and the days were growing longer. When the emperor arrived at the Yiku Palace, it was getting dark, and lights were lit on both sides of the porch.
Yun Xiu slept for two hours and ate some snacks. All her tiredness disappeared and her complexion improved significantly, with a rosy complexion on her cheeks.
She was waiting outside the palace. Her apricot-white Manchu dress set off the rosy clouds in the sky, which surprisingly brought out the best in each other. Her red lips and white teeth made her look bright and attractive.
—Hands on her belly, still without makeup. Because of her pregnancy, she exuded tender maternal love, which made Kangxi pause. After being amazed, his heart softened as never before.
The emperor strode towards her, and Yunxiu's fingertips trembled. After the dream, the clear resentment and obsession remained in her heart. She lowered her eyes slightly, unable to tell what she felt at this moment.
Kangxi's appearance was neither handsome nor ordinary, with phoenix eyes, thin lips, and deep brows.
Not long after the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories was quelled, the emperor, who was in his thirties, was full of vigor and vitality, and his majestic aura became more and more profound as he grew older.
He had an extraordinary aura at a young age, and Yunxiu, who entered the palace at the age of fifteen, fell in love with him from then on.
After all, he is her love. After so many years, how can she give up her love so easily
But Yunxiu had made up her mind not to serve anymore - she didn't want to repeat the mistakes in her dream.
After she figured it out, she no longer felt depressed, her mind became clear, and Yun Xiu bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be blessed with good health."
Halfway through the walk, he was gently helped up.
"No need to be polite." Kangxi's eyebrows were gentle. He held her hand and seemed to be in a very good mood. He smiled playfully, "Why are you wearing such clothes? It's very different from usual."
Yun Xiu raised her eyebrows slightly and nodded, "Is the Emperor here to call for punishment?"