Upon hearing that Consort De had arrived, the Sixth Prince's eyes immediately lit up. With E'niang here, Imperial Father surely wouldn't scold him anymore!
The Grand Empress Dowager gently twirled the sandalwood prayer beads in her hand and calmly instructed, "Suma, go summon the Imperial Physician to examine the Fourth Prince."
Sumalagu bowed and hurried out to call for the physician, just as Consort De entered the hall. Consort De showed Sumalagu due respect by giving a slight nod of acknowledgment.
Sumalagu was an old servant by the Grand Empress Dowager's side; even Kangxi had to show her some deference, let alone Consort De, who had always been cautious and gentle in Kangxi's presence.
Consort De had also been summoned by Kangxi's decree. However, before arriving, she had already roughly learned what had transpired today, so she entered the main hall with relative composure. As expected, she saw Kangxi and the two elder ancestors inside, and Consort Hui had already arrived as well.
Yunxiu knew some medicine. Given the Grand Empress Dowager's advanced age, the Cining Palace often kept medical supplies on hand. Seeing Yinzhen injured like this, Yunxiu didn't hesitate—no matter how cold, stern, and formidable an emperor he would become in the future, he was now just a child under six years old. She quickly had someone fetch the medicine chest and began cleaning and bandaging Yinzhen's wounds before the Imperial Physician arrived.
Yinzhen lowered his eyes and obediently allowed Yunxiu to tend to him. With one glance, Yunxiu understood the situation: he had likely fallen on a sandy, dirt-mixed ground. The wound looked frightening but was likely only superficial, though there was some embedded sand and dirt that needed cleaning.
Holding Yinzhen's wrist, Yunxiu moved it gently and asked cautiously, "Does it hurt?"
Yinzhen shook his head.
Yunxiu breathed a sigh of relief. That was good—it seemed no bones were injured.
Yinsi also leaned over and whispered, "E'niang, is Fourth Brother alright?"
Yunxiu gave him a helpless glare. This child—usually when she urged him to play more with Yinzhen, he wouldn't listen, yet now he was stepping forward at such a time.
Yinsi scratched his head. Clever as he was, he knew Yunxiu was somewhat angry, so he tugged at her skirt and began to act spoiled.
"Alright, stop fooling around. Go to your Grandmother," Yunxiu said softly.
Yinsi responded crisply and ran back to the Grand Empress Dowager.
Yinzhen watched blankly from the side, a pang of bitterness in his heart. Consort Hui treated Eighth Younger Brother so well. Perhaps all the consorts in the palace were like this with their own sons.
Kangxi observed Yunxiu skillfully and meticulously bandaging Yinzhen, his brow slightly raised, before hearing Consort De's gentle voice.
"Your servant greets the Emperor, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager."
Consort De was slender and petite, with a face like peach blossoms. Her beautiful eyes, paired with delicate willow-leaf eyebrows, resembled a figure from an ancient painting. With a cherry-like nose, pink lips, and fair skin, she was a rare beauty, gentle as water.
Her appearance and temperament perfectly aligned with Kangxi's aesthetic preferences. Otherwise, Consort De would not have risen from a palace maid to the rank of Consort within a few years, giving birth to two sons and two daughters in quick succession—a testament to how deeply Kangxi favored her.
"Rise. Grant her a seat."
Kangxi raised his hand to signal her to rise, but Consort De remained kneeling, her head still bowed respectfully. "Your servant is guilty. I failed to discipline Yinzhen and Yinzuo properly, troubling the Emperor and the two elder ancestors on this Lantern Festival. Thus, I dare not rise."
After speaking, she looked up at the Sixth Prince, who was fidgeting uneasily nearby, and said with a frown, "Yinzuo, come quickly and apologize to your Imperial Father."
Upon hearing this, the Sixth Prince obediently knelt beside Consort De.
The Grand Empress Dowager observed the scene of maternal affection and filial piety for a while before leisurely speaking: "Consort De, Yinzuo's matter can be set aside for now. Yinzhen is quite seriously injured this time—you should pay more attention to him as well."
Yunxiu had already bandaged Yinzhen's wounds simply and, upon hearing this, stepped aside to avoid hindering Consort De's performance.
Yinzhen's face was somewhat pale. Watching the intimate interaction between Consort De and the Sixth Prince, he softly greeted Consort De: "Yinzhen pays respects to E'niang."
"Good child, let E'niang take a look." Consort De hurried forward to examine Yinzhen's injuries, speaking gently: "Your sixth brother is young and lacks judgment. E'niang will certainly punish him properly and make him apologize to you."
Consort De already knew the whole story. This time, the Sixth Prince had no grounds for defense. The best way to resolve this matter was to admit fault—absolutely no arguing with the Fifth Prince or the Eighth Prince. If she shed a few tears and Yinzuo sincerely apologized, the matter would likely be glossed over.
Listening from the side, Yunxiu rolled her eyes inwardly. Consort De was putting on a full act—seemingly concerned about Yinzhen but actually making excuses for the Sixth Prince. Kangxi and the two elder ancestors were shrewd; how could they not see through it?
However, when it came to matters involving the Sixth Prince, Consort De was indeed so concerned that she became flustered.
If this matter were mishandled, the Sixth Prince would completely lose face before the Emperor.
Thus, Consort De continued to humbly admit fault, taking all responsibility upon herself, saying that her lax discipline had led to the conflict between Yinzhen and the Sixth Prince.
Kangxi clearly had no intention of pursuing the matter further. Glancing at the gentle and obedient Consort De, he spoke: "Empress Dowager, the Fifth Prince passed away not long ago. Consort De also gave birth last year, and Wenxian is still young and requires care. Consort De is stretched thin and inevitably has oversights. Let today's matter end here."
Consort De had enjoyed the Emperor's favor greatly over the past two years. Unfortunately, she had just lost her eldest daughter earlier in the year and was in mourning when she gave birth to the Ninth Princess shortly after. Thus, Kangxi was currently most sympathetic toward her.
The Grand Empress Dowager smiled faintly and spoke calmly: "The Emperor is right. Consort De is currently overburdened and inevitably cannot attend to everything. Moreover, she should focus on recuperating. In my opinion, it would be better to send Yinzhen back to the Palace of Celestial Favor and let the Imperial Noble Consort care for him again."
Upon hearing the Grand Empress Dowager's words, Yinzhen's lips moved slightly. He couldn't help but glance secretly at Consort De. Seeing that her expression showed no change, he lowered his head dejectedly.
"The Imperial Noble Consort is seriously ill and recuperating. We should not disturb her." Kangxi's tone was steady but brooked no argument as he finalized the decision. "Consort De is, after all, Yinzhen's birth mother and will certainly not treat him unfairly."
Hearing this, Consort De quickly added: "This humble consort would never dare treat the Fourth Prince unfairly. I have always treated Yinzhen the same as Yinzuo."
The Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager had only gotten involved in this trivial matter because the Fifth Prince and Yinsi had pestered them. Since Kangxi had already made his decision, the Grand Empress Dowager said nothing more.
In the end, the matter was brushed aside perfunctorily. Kangxi had never been particularly concerned with such harem affairs. If the Grand Empress Dowager hadn't summoned him, he likely wouldn't have bothered to intervene. Now that the matter was resolved, Kangxi did not linger and returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to review memorials.
The Sixth Prince followed beside Consort De, feeling quite smug. So what if the Empress Dowager and Grandmother doted on Fifth Brother and Eighth Younger Brother? Imperial Father and E'niang loved him the most!
He even took advantage of everyone's inattention to make a face at the Fifth Prince and Yinsi.
"In that case, this concubine will also take her leave first and bring Yinzhen and Yinzuo back to Yonghe Palace." Consort De knew that the Grand Empress Dowager had never liked her, so as soon as Kangxi left, she hurriedly excused herself as well.
The Grand Empress Dowager gave a faint "hmm," and Consort De quickly took the Sixth Prince by the hand, then gave Yinzhen a meaningful glance, signaling for him to follow them out.
Yinzhen properly bowed to the Empress Dowager and Grand Empress Dowager: "Your grandson takes his leave."
The Empress Dowager smiled kindly and said, "Go back now. Have your E'niang summon the Imperial Physician to examine you properly."
The Fifth Prince and Yinsi were seething with anger, especially the Fifth Prince, whose eyes seemed about to shoot flames—when had he ever suffered such humiliation!
Yinsi wasn't much better off, though he had always been deeper and more reserved than the Fifth Prince and wouldn't show his emotions so openly. Still, his face was now dark with displeasure.
Seeing Consort De leave, Yunxiu also stood up and said, "Old Ancestor, this concubine will also take Yinsi back first to change his clothes."
Yinsi had likely joined in pulling them apart during the scuffle, as a large stain dirtied the sleeve of his left arm.
The Grand Empress Dowager nodded: "Go back. This Cining Palace has become quite a mess as well."
Hearing the Grand Empress Dowager say this, Yunxiu understood she was expressing dissatisfaction with Consort De. Both the Empress Dowager and Grand Empress Dowager disliked Consort De, especially the Grand Empress Dowager, who always felt that Consort De was cut from the same cloth as the Previous Emperor's Consort Donggo—both adept at pretending to be gentle and delicate to seduce the emperor. She had never shown Consort De a favorable expression.
However, Kangxi was not Shunzhi. Even though he favored Consort De, he never overstepped boundaries, and his affection for her was not exclusive. Thus, the Grand Empress Dowager simply turned a blind eye.
Yinsi climbed down from the couch and walked dejectedly to Yunxiu's side. Yunxiu took his hand and went out, only to see Consort De still in the corridor, helping the Sixth Prince put on his cloak. Consort De crouched down, her slender fingers carefully and meticulously fastening the thick, fur-lined deer-hair cloak for the Sixth Prince. She seemed to be softly comforting him as well, tenderly stroking his cheek.
Meanwhile, Yinzhen, whose hand was injured, was having a palace maid help him with his cloak. That cloak didn't look as exquisite or heavy as the Sixth Prince's. Yinzhen watched calmly as his mother and younger brother spoke intimately, his expression blank—as if he were accustomed to it, or perhaps had long since given up any hope.
Yunxiu felt a mix of complex emotions. Now that she had a child of her own, she found it difficult to understand why Consort De would show such favoritism. Yinzhen was also flesh of her flesh.
Only when the palace servants greeted her did Consort De realize Yunxiu had also come out. She stood up and curtsied: "This concubine pays her respects to Noble Consort Your Highness."
Yunxiu raised her hand: "Rise. On such a cold day, there's no need for such formalities."
Consort De smiled and looked at Yinsi beside Yunxiu: "Speaking of which, this concubine should prepare a generous gift for the Eighth Prince, to thank him for mediating between Yinzhen and Yinzuo, those two who don't know any better."
The Sixth Prince snorted and turned his face away.
Although Yinsi was still angry inside, he maintained proper decorum on the surface: "Consort De is too kind. This was all Fifth Brother's doing. There is no need to thank me."
Consort De said with a smile, "Noble Consort Your Highness has raised the Eighth Prince so well—perfectly mannered and so sensible."
Yunxiu had little desire to engage in superficial pleasantries with Consort De. She gave a slight nod, then glanced at the silent Yinzhen beside her and couldn't help but add, "The wound on Yinzhen's hand needs proper medicine and bandaging. You must take care of it when you return, sister."
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. I will remember it."
With that, Consort De took her leave, departing with Yinzhen, the Sixth Prince, and a large retinue of palace attendants.
Banxia had already dressed Yinsi in his cloak and hat. Yunxiu looked at his puffed-up little face and couldn't resist poking it. "Alright, little hero, shall we return to the palace now?"
Yinsi stretched out his arms. "E'niang, carry me."
"You're so big already and still asking to be carried. Aren't you ashamed?" Though Yunxiu said this, she smiled and picked him up.
Yinsi was not yet three years old, which was about the limit of what she could still carry.
It wouldn't hurt to hold him a little longer while she still could.
Yunxiu and Consort De left through separate palace gates. Yinzhen, held by a palace maid, glanced ahead at Yinzuo, who was still clinging to Consort De's hand and acting spoiled, then couldn't help but look back in the other direction.
Consort Hui was carrying Eighth Younger Brother as they walked out. Eighth Younger Brother wrapped his arms around Consort Hui's neck and nuzzled against her. Consort Hui paused, adjusted her hold on him, then smiled and pinched his cheek. The palace attendants behind them were all beaming, watching the mother and son with joyful expressions.
Yinzhen withdrew his gaze, looking down at the withered grass covered in ice and snow. In the distance, snow-laden eaves trembled in the cold wind, and unmelted frost drifted down onto his cheeks.
He wondered in his heart when such a bitterly cold winter would finally pass.
Author's Note:
None.