Yanxi Palace.
On the desk, Concubine Hui rubbed her sore wrist, her face as gloomy as water. After a while, she closed her eyes slightly and let Ying'er massage her temples.
"Your Highness, you have written enough. Let me handle the rest, okay?" Ying'er frowned and looked at the pile of papers. She said softly, "The Emperor won't read it carefully..."
"The Emperor asked me to do it, what can I do? Can I forge something to fool him?" Hui Fei knew that Ying Er was worried about her, so her expression softened a lot. She was lost in thought for a moment, then waved her hands tiredly, "It has come to this... If your handiwork is discovered, everyone in Yanxi Palace will be in trouble."
One wrong step, one wrong step after another. She had made so many mistakes, and her former glory as the head of the Four Concubines was gone. For Yinzhi and her cousin in the court, she could not make any more mistakes.
Now, Concubine Hui dared not imagine how much status she still had in the emperor's heart. Once she thought about it, her heart was filled with ashes and hatred!
It was her fault for being careless and losing her vigilance, which caused Mingzhu's plan to win over the Guo Luoluo family to fail, and led to the imperial concubine and the bitch Wei to join forces to plot against her... She also fell into trouble with Liu Qin and fell into the trap of Tong Jia, completely offending Concubine Yi and Guo Luoluo, and also implicated Yinzhi.
She only hoped that the emperor would consider their old friendship, and let this matter go, considering that she had sincerely apologized for her crime without leaving her house and had copied a thick stack of Buddhist scriptures.
After calming herself down, Concubine Hui picked up the pen again. Just as she dipped the brush in ink, she heard a message from outside the curtain saying "The eldest prince wants to see you."
"Mother." Yinzhi's resonant voice floated into Huifei's ears, "You haven't finished copying the Buddhist scriptures yet?"
He paused again and muttered, "When did the emperor give this order? My son didn't even know about it."
Concubine Hui knew that she couldn't finish writing now, so she put down her pen immediately and looked at him unhappily, "Why, is the teacher in the study taking a day off today? Come to my place when you have time."
For some reason, the emperor has become more and more picky about Yinzhi recently, punishing him to kneel and scolding him. Compared with the crown prince who he favored more, Concubine Hui felt very uncomfortable after being panicked.
In her eyes, Yinzhi was of course the best. Apart from being the legitimate son of Empress Yuan, what else did Yinreng have
This discomfort lasted for a long time.
It was not until she was copying Buddhist scriptures that Concubine Hui calmed down and finally figured things out. If Yinzhi hadn't angered his father, the emperor would have had nowhere to vent his anger. After all, Yinzhi's actions had something to prove his wrongdoing!
After thinking it through, Concubine Hui had a bad face when she saw her son.
Haha, Buddhist scriptures!
Look, who can be as impatient and hasty as him, and poke at people's sore spots right away
On the other hand, when Yinzhi heard Concubine Hui mention the matter of the study, he had no time to doubt her attitude, and his handsome face wrinkled: "What happened before, mother is still unclear? Fifth brother fell asleep in the study and even snored. The emperor asked his son to go to the Qianqing Palace..."
As he spoke, his tone became somewhat unbelievable, "Mother asked me to take good care of my fifth brother, but I don't think it's necessary. The emperor wanted to punish Yinreng, but Concubine Yi just wanted to see him, so the emperor had no time to care! Humph, he got away with it..."
As Concubine Hui listened, she gradually felt that something was wrong.
After being told about the daily life of Concubine Yi and Emperor Kangxi, Concubine Hui took a deep breath, and her temples gradually began to throb. She interrupted him in a low voice: "Yinzhi."
Even if Concubine Hui had ten times more courage, she could not imagine that Concubine Yi and the Emperor would get along like this.
Yinzhi was surprised, so how could she not be surprised too
Even if Empress Renxiao were still alive, she wouldn't dare speak to the Emperor like this!
For a moment, Concubine Hui's cognition was shattered. She closed her eyes, suppressing the bitterness and shock in her heart, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses.
In the past, when Concubine Xi and Concubine Ping accused Concubine Yi of being the only favorite, she just sneered as if watching the fun, but she never thought that the emperor would tolerate her to such an extent.
This kind of relationship is more terrifying than being the only one loved.
Ying'er, who was serving her master, cast a look of disapproval. The eldest prince paused when he saw this, and immediately realized that his own mother was also the emperor's concubine... It was said so clearly, wasn't this just a poke at her heart!
He smiled awkwardly, skipping over that daily routine, then frowned and expressed his worries in his heart: "It is true that Concubine Yi is favored, but from my son's point of view, the emperor's favor to her is due to the help of Yinreng. Mother, with that person in Yikun Palace here, how can uncle's plan succeed?"
After an unknown amount of time, Concubine Hui said calmly, "No matter how favored she is, she is still inferior to my mother. She cannot influence the court, nor can she approach the prince openly."
Since she is a favorite concubine, if she behaves in an inappropriate manner, the Censorate can simply report her to the emperor for impeachment.
In fact, if the harem is unstable, court officials do have the duty to advise the emperor.
During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Concubine Zheng was extremely favored. The son she gave birth to, Prince Fu, threatened the position of the crown prince and caused a dispute over the foundation of the country. Throughout the court, there were many upright officials who impeached the concubine!
Since the literati were not subject to punishment, Emperor Wanli had no choice but to suppress the impeachment and give a few mild reprimands. As a result, Concubine Zheng's reputation as a witch became more and more widespread, but she had no choice but to accept it.
Even though times have changed and the current emperor holds great power and does not tolerate doubts from his subjects, they dare not point fingers at the emperor... But with Mingzhu around, wouldn't it be easy for a low-ranking official who doesn't know the rules to rashly impeach the concubine
The crown prince is the foundation of the country, and the prince's maternal family is the Hesheli clan. Concubine Yi is from the Guoluo clan, and they are not related at all. If she gets close to the crown prince, she will shake the foundation of the country. What is her intention
By then, the more the emperor protected him, the greater the opposition would be. Could Suo Etu just sit there and watch others pick the fruits
Thinking of this, Concubine Hui had an idea.
Because she was carefully trained by the Nara clan, she was somewhat familiar with the history of Ming Dynasty. If Concubine Yi repeatedly helped the prince and ruined the Nara clan's plan, why not imitate the case of the demon book during the Wanli period and publish a storybook to curse her and smear her reputation
However, this method was too insidious, and she and Concubine Yi had not yet formed a deep hatred...
Concubine Hui closed her eyes, hesitated for a long time, and finally gave up the idea.
Fu Qing from the Fucha family became the fifth prince's study companion. Two neutral families in a row really made people jealous. A few days ago, Mingzhu once again plotted to win over the Guoluo family. She couldn't hold back, right
If you smear too harshly, you will really make enemies.
"If the fact that Concubine Yi is close to the Crown Prince is exposed to the court officials, someone will surely impeach her." She smoothed the wrinkles on her clothes, looked at Yinzhi, and said slowly, "Don't worry too much. This is Mother's backup plan. Go back to the prince's place. Have you practiced riding and archery?"
The eldest prince was slightly excited and couldn't help thinking that his mother was resourceful. He cupped his hands and laughed loudly, "Don't rush me, mother. I'll be back soon!"
Concubine Hui looked at his back and sighed helplessly, but there was a smile in her eyes.
******
The next day, Cining Palace.
"Come, sit here. I don't know what you said to Xiaowu. He got up early without waiting for Nanny to call him." The Queen Mother waved to Yunxiu and said cheerfully, "When Nanny came to report, I didn't dare to believe it, and the ancestor didn't believe him either!"
Yun Xiu bowed, then sat down at the lower left, his eyes full of light, smiling without saying a word.
No longer staying in bed, of course he had learned enough lessons, enough for Yinqi to change his ways and learn his "Three Character Classic" well. Thinking so in her heart, Yunxiu didn't tell the process of the lesson after all, so as to avoid the two queen dowagers saying that she was a cruel mother.
God knows, all mothers have the same desire for their sons to become successful.
…
Half an hour ago, when Su Malagu came to ask for a meeting, Yun Xiu did not have time to put away the birthday gift - a half-finished casual dress, and hurriedly invited her in.
Glancing at the red marks on Concubine Yi's fingers, Su Malagu immediately had some guesses and her smile became softer: "… The ancestor invites the queen to come over for a chat."
Yunxiu was a little unsure, but the harem was peaceful and there were no concubines making trouble. After much thought, she thought that the Empress Dowager might be looking for her because of Yinqi's matter.
As soon as he entered the palace, the Queen Mother mentioned Xiao Wu, and Yun Xiu was certain. After the Queen Mother finished speaking, she smiled and said, "I didn't do anything, I just told him earnestly - if you are not afraid of disappointing the expectations of the Royal Madam and the ancestors, and are not afraid of being beaten by the Royal Father, just be lazy. When he heard it, his face turned red like a monkey's butt, and he kept saying I was wrong, I won't dare to do it again..."
Yun Xiu's description was so vivid that it was like a reenactment of the scene. The Queen Mother laughed so hard that she fell backwards. The Grand Queen Mother couldn't help herself and pointed at her with a smile: "You still have a way to deal with that monkey."
"I called you here to announce a great event." After laughing enough, the Empress Dowager said kindly, "The Emperor has told me that he wants to promote you to Imperial Concubine. He will issue the decree first and then hold the canonization ceremony after the southern tour. What do you think?"
…Royal Concubine
The news came too suddenly. Yun Xiu was stunned for a moment. After a long while, he said, "This, ancestor..."
How did she get promoted without any warning
In the dream, she worked hard for the position of imperial concubine all her life, but couldn't even get it, so she never thought about promotion in this life.
There is no need for the emperor. After the prince ascends the throne, he can just grant him a favor and the noble concubine will be easily captured, right
Concubine Yi had planned everything well, but she never expected that Kangxi would not play by the rules!
She was happy, surprised, but mostly bewildered. With so many mixed feelings at once, Yun Xiu stuttered, which was rare for her.
After appreciating her bewildered look, the Empress Dowager continued with a smile: "I have waited for a long time, and now my wish has finally come true. The Emperor couldn't wait any longer. He wanted to give you a surprise, but I didn't agree, so I hurriedly summoned you before him."
There was a hint of joking in his words. Yun Xiu came back to his senses and his cheeks suddenly turned red.
Her peach blossom eyes were full of brilliance. She smiled and bent down neatly: "Thank you, old ancestor, for your grace. Thank you, Queen Mother, for your grace!"
"Good boy, get up quickly." The Queen Mother liked Yun Xiu the most. Seeing this scene, she was indescribably happy. "I told you that you have enough experience and offspring to be the Imperial Concubine. In addition, I know that you have a good relationship with the Imperial Concubine... The Emperor said that he would give Imperial Concubine Niu Hulu a title, well, she will be ranked above you..."
"That's natural," Yun Xiu had expected this, and said with a smile, "I am impatient with palace affairs. If it weren't for the Imperial Concubine taking the lead, I don't know what would happen."
The Queen Mother nodded with amusement and was about to speak again, but the Grand Empress Dowager gave her a look and brought up another topic that was completely unrelated.
"To be honest, the one I can't let go of the most is Baocheng..." The Empress Dowager was silent for a while, then decided to open up. She sighed softly and asked kindly, "If I entrust him to you, would you be willing?"