Yunxiu hadn’t expected that in such a short time, the situation would escalate so dramatically.
Not only had the Imperial Noble Consort taken the initiative to demand Yinzhen back, but Kangxi had actually agreed. Moreover, Consort De’s mistreatment of Yinzhen had been unfortunately witnessed by the Imperial Noble Consort herself.
It was easy to imagine that the Palace of Eternal Harmony must be in utter chaos right now.
“Consort De… tsk.”
The Grand Empress Dowager frowned deeply, pondered for a moment, and then turned to Yunxiu beside her.
“Go and take a look. The Imperial Noble Consort is, after all, ill. We mustn’t let things get out of hand.”
Yunxiu nodded in agreement. Due to the commotion at the Palace of Eternal Harmony, she had been delayed for a while. Coincidentally, Yinsi and Yinqi were brought back from the Imperial Study by the servants of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility at this moment.
The two brothers happened to be wearing matching dark red robes embroidered with Ruyi Cloud Patterns and sacred lotus motifs, paired with small hats trimmed with white fur. They looked exceptionally spirited, like two energetic young calves. The fabric was Suzhou embroidery, and this particular pattern had been offered to the capital in only one bolt last year by the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau. Kangxi had given it to the Grand Empress Dowager, who then had two sets of clothing tailored for her two precious grandsons.
As soon as they entered the room, the two boys properly paid their respects before each scurrying to one of their elder ancestors to act spoiled.
Yunxiu had originally planned to leave Yinsi temporarily at the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, considering the Palace of Eternal Harmony was likely in disarray and bringing him along would be inconvenient. Unexpectedly, Yinsi’s sharp ears caught wind of the situation, and he insisted on going along.
“Fine, take him with you. Otherwise, who knows what mischief he’ll stir up,” the Grand Empress Dowager said, shaking her head indulgently.
Yinsi clung to Yunxiu’s arm, pleading, “E’niang, take me with you. I promise I’ll behave.”
Yunxiu had no choice but to bring Yinsi along to the Palace of Eternal Harmony. On the way, they ran into Noble Consort Niohuru, who was also rushing over in haste.
The two exchanged glances, sharing a silent, bitter smile.
There was no doubt that today would be another chaotic mess.
As soon as they entered the Palace of Eternal Harmony, they saw Yindan, the chief palace maid of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, leading over a dozen servants standing imposingly in the courtyard, as if laying siege to the palace. Only upon seeing Yunxiu and Noble Consort Niohuru did she curtsey in greeting.
“This servant pays respects to Your Highnesses.”
“What is all this? It looks rather intimidating,” Noble Consort Niohuru raised an elegant eyebrow, scanning the surroundings. “Is the Imperial Noble Consort planning to surround the Palace of Eternal Harmony?”
Yindan lowered her head, neither submissive nor arrogant, and replied, “This servant is merely following orders. The Imperial Noble Consort is inside the main hall. Please proceed, Your Highnesses.”
Noble Consort Niohuru came from an outstanding family background and was the biological younger sister of the late Empress. She had been granted the rank of Consort upon entering the palace and, due to her stunning beauty, had always enjoyed the Emperor’s favor. She had never held Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia in high regard. Now, having recently given birth to a prince, her position was even more secure.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Noble Consort had been ill for over half a year and seemed to be at the end of her rope. Noble Consort Niohuru, who held authority over the palace, was effectively the manager of the six palaces. Hearing Yindan’s words, she naturally felt offended and disrespected. Frowning in displeasure, she was about to say something more when Yunxiu, concerned about Yinzhen, gently tugged at her sleeve and whispered, “Sister, don’t bother arguing with a servant. Let’s go inside and see what’s happening first.”
Only then did Noble Consort Niohuru hold back the reprimand that was on the tip of her tongue. She shot Yindan a cold glance, snorted, and headed into the main hall.
Yinsi tightly held Yunxiu's hand, his heart also somewhat uneasy. As soon as they entered the main hall of Yonghe Palace, he looked up and saw the Imperial Noble Consort sitting above, coughing incessantly, while Fourth Brother stood beside the Imperial Noble Consort with his head lowered. Consort De stood below, her back turned to them, making it unclear what expression she wore.
Yinsi quietly observed his Fourth Brother's complexion, noticing it seemed even paler than yesterday, with a few spots of crimson blood seeping through the gauze bandage on his wrist.
Yunxiu and Noble Consort Niohuru paid their respects to the Imperial Noble Consort, who waved her hand without even looking up, her speech somewhat breathless.
"Rise. I had estimated that the two of you would come. Qingdai, offer a seat to the Noble Consort."
Noble Consort Niohuru glanced around and spoke first: "Your Highness, you are ill, yet you have come to Yonghe Palace and brought so many servants. I am quite alarmed. Don't frighten Consort De."
Noble Consort Niohuru was purely feigning ignorance. As for why the Imperial Noble Consort had come to Yonghe Palace and why things had escalated to this point, Yunxiu did not believe for a moment that she knew nothing. It was just that both the Imperial Noble Consort and Consort De were rivals of Noble Consort Niohuru—one outranking her in status, the other competing with her for favor. So, with these two now clashing, Noble Consort Niohuru had come purely to watch the spectacle today, with no intention of mediating at all.
Thus, her words were filled with frivolous sarcasm.
Yunxiu remained silent, only observing Consort De and the Imperial Noble Consort. The Imperial Noble Consort's illness indeed appeared as severe as the Imperial Physician had described. After not seeing her for several months, she had become as thin as paper, her face deathly pale, her cheeks sunken. Perhaps due to her hasty arrival, she wore no lip rouge, making her lips appear somewhat ashen. Her clothes seemed to hang loosely over her frail body. Yunxiu frowned as she watched for a moment, sighing inwardly.
It was the sign of a lamp burning out its last oil.
That she could still force herself out of bed to come here now was truly driven by sheer will.
Upon hearing Noble Consort Niohuru's words, the Imperial Noble Consort did not get angry—or perhaps her energy was simply too depleted to contend with Noble Consort Niohuru any further. She exhaled a heavy breath and said, "I requested the Emperor's permission to bring Yinzhen back to Chengqian Palace, but Consort De repeatedly obstructed me. Left with no choice, I had to come here personally."
Consort De stood below, appearing relatively composed. Upon hearing this, she smiled faintly and said, "Your Highness, I am not sure what you mean by that. I was thinking that since Your Highness is ill and Yinzhen is mischievous with injuries on his hand, it would be better to let him stay a few more days, which could also help ease Your Highness's worries."
"If Your Highness truly misses Yinzhen and does not permit it, that would be fine. Why go to such lengths?"
The Imperial Noble Consort sneered, "Such a glib tongue. Is it with this clever mouth that you have charmed the Emperor?"
"Unfortunately, I am not the Emperor. Yinzhen's injuries are real. As his birth mother, you allowed the Sixth Prince to lay hands on his elder brother and afterward did not seek treatment for Yinzhen. What a malicious heart!"
With that, the Imperial Noble Consort turned to Yunxiu, her tone softening slightly: "I heard that yesterday at Cining Palace, Consort Hui examined Yinzhen's injuries. Today, I must trouble you once more, sister, to take another look at Yinzhen."
Since the Imperial Noble Consort had spoken, Yunxiu could hardly refuse. The Imperial Noble Consort's senior palace maid, Qingdai, accompanied Yinzhen over.
"Your son pays respects to Consort Hui."
At this moment, Yinzhen still performed the formalities of bowing and greeting her with rigid precision.
Yunxiu hurriedly helped him up and had him sit down, carefully unwrapping the silk bandage from his wrist. Her brows immediately furrowed tightly, and even Yinsi, who had craned his neck to look, was so startled that he cried out.
"Fourth Brother, what happened to you!"
Noble Consort Niohuru took one glance and was also shocked. On Fourth Prince's right wrist was a wound the size of a bowl, with the surrounding flesh torn and mangled, a bloody mess. Yellowish fluid was oozing out, making it look truly frightening.
Yet Yinzhen remained calm throughout, as if these injuries were not on his own body.
Yunxiu quickly sent someone to fetch the medicine chest, feeling both anxious and heartbroken. The wound was even more severe than yesterday—not only had it not been treated, but it seemed the wrong medicine had been applied, or perhaps someone had aggravated the injury further.
She looked up at Consort De, once again stunned by her cold indifference toward Yinzhen.
Who would have thought that Yinzhen could end up in such a state in Yonghe Palace? Consort De was not merely neglectful; there was likely even suspicion of mistreatment.
Yinsi, after all, was only three years old. Seeing such a wound left him terrified and dazed. He circled anxiously nearby, staring wide-eyed at Yinzhen and asking softly, "Fourth Brother, does it hurt a lot?"
Yinzhen had never been particularly close to this Eighth Younger Brother, but he remembered how Yinsi and Fifth Brother had stood up for him yesterday. Because of this, he felt a bit more warmth toward Yinsi, and his tone was not as cold and rigid as usual.
"It's fine, it doesn't hurt."
"You're lying, it must hurt a lot." Yinsi was so anxious he was almost in tears, tugging at Yunxiu's sleeve and saying, "E'niang, please save Fourth Brother!"
Doukou gently pulled Yinsi aside, comforting him, "Eighth Prince, don't worry. Isn't Your Highness already treating Fourth Prince's wound?"
Yunxiu carefully cleaned Yinzhen's wound, reapplied medicine, and bandaged it properly. She then said to the Imperial Noble Consort, "Your Highness, Fourth Prince's wound has begun to fester. It needs careful care, with cleaning and medicine applied three times a day. I have only done a simple bandaging for Fourth Prince. Later, Your Highness should summon an Imperial Physician to properly examine and treat him."
Now, in winter, the wound has already festered. If it drags on any longer, a minor ailment could very well turn into a serious illness. If it becomes infected and inflamed, given the current medical standards, it would truly become troublesome.
The Imperial Noble Consort nodded. "Thank you, Sister Hui. Another day, I will certainly send a generous gift to Changchun Palace."
Yinsi followed his Fourth Brother like a little shadow. He glanced at the Imperial Noble Consort and Consort De, then quietly asked Yinzhen, "Fourth Brother, did Consort De and Sixth Brother bully you? Tell me, and I'll go tell Grandmother and the Empress Dowager!"
Yinzhen lowered his gaze to the bandaged wound Yunxiu had just tended to. After a moment, he snapped out of his thoughts, slowly blinked, and shook his head.
"Don't stand up for me anymore. Let's not bring this up again in the future."
Yinsi, who had been filled with righteous indignation and ready to take up Yinzhen's cause, felt as if his Fourth Brother had poured cold water over his enthusiasm.
Sure enough, he was still that Fourth Brother, hard as a rock, who wouldn't even say a kind word or lodge a complaint. No wonder Sixth Brother always bullied him.
Yinsi pouted. Well, Fourth Brother was already injured like this. He would be magnanimous and let it go.
While the two children were whispering to each other, the adults were not idle either. The Imperial Noble Consort confronted Consort De, yet Consort De remained unflustered throughout, exuding an air of "what can you do to me?"
Yunxiu found it rather strange. After all, Yinzhen's injury was undeniable evidence, at least proving that Consort De truly did not care about Yinzhen. So why did Consort De still appear so composed and unperturbed?
After listening for a long time, Noble Consort Niohuru also felt that no clear outcome could be reached. Although the Tongjia clan held the position of Imperial Noble Consort, she did not have the authority to punish a Consort—that required an edict from Kangxi. Therefore, this matter could not be resolved here today. In the end, it was Noble Consort Niohuru who stepped forward to halt the farce, suggesting that the Imperial Noble Consort first take Yinzhen back to Chengqian Palace for treatment.
The Imperial Noble Consort understood that she could do nothing about Consort De for the time being, so she could only leave behind harsh words, saying she would report the matter to Kangxi, before departing with her entourage.
Yunxiu and Noble Consort Niohuru did not linger either. After leaving Yonghe Palace, Noble Consort Niohuru raised an eyebrow and looked at Yunxiu. "Sister Hui is truly compassionate. Even the Emperor finds the messy affairs between the Imperial Noble Consort and Consort De a headache. Sister must be careful, lest the Imperial Noble Consort tries to drag you into this."
Yunxiu was still pondering how Yinzhen's injury had worsened to such an extent. Hearing Noble Consort Niohuru's words, she did not immediately react and frowned, asking, "What do you mean by that, sister?"
Noble Consort Niohuru smiled and said, "I was just speaking offhand. Sister can take it as you will; there's no need to take it seriously."
With that, she bid farewell to Yunxiu and returned to her palace.
Yunxiu pondered for a while and felt that today's events were indeed strange in every way. So she simply took Yinsi to Cining Palace to join them for lunch, and incidentally, to ask for the opinions of the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager.
Unexpectedly, the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager seemed to have anticipated her arrival, as they had already prepared lunch and were waiting for her and Yinsi.
As soon as Yinsi entered Cining Palace, he rushed into the Grand Empress Dowager's arms and began vividly describing how miserable Fourth Brother had been in Yonghe Palace, how terrifying the injury on his hand was, and how Consort De had paid no attention to him.
"Is that so? Did it frighten our Yinsi?" the Grand Empress Dowager asked gently, patting Yinsi's back with a kind expression after listening.
Yinsi shook his head, biting his lip and said, "Yinsi is fine, but Fourth Brother is so pitiful."
The Empress Dowager, who had been listening to Yinsi for a while, turned to Yunxiu and asked, "I heard you bandaged Yinzhen's wound again?"
Yunxiu nodded. "Your Majesty, you didn't see it. Fourth Prince's injury has worsened significantly."
"In that case, the Imperial Noble Consort arrived at Yonghe Palace before you. Why didn't she think to summon an Imperial Physician to treat Yinzhen?" The Grand Empress Dowager held Yinsi and said meaningfully, "The Imperial Noble Consort was waiting for you."
Yunxiu recalled Noble Consort Niohuru's ambiguous words and finally understood.
The Imperial Noble Consort wanted to use her as a witness, after all, her status as a Noble Consort carried more weight than that of an Imperial Physician.
Yunxiu was not actually opposed to this, as she truly pitied Yinzhen for suffering such hardship at such a young age. Offending Consort De was not a big concern. However, the fact that the Imperial Noble Consort could endure not summoning an Imperial Physician and insisted on waiting for her arrival, even as Yinzhen's injury worsened, left a sour taste in Yunxiu's heart.
Was the worsening of Yinzhen's injury due to Consort De's neglect or the Imperial Noble Consort's deliberate actions…
At this thought, Yunxiu dared not dwell on it further.
She was beginning to understand, little by little, why the Yongzheng Emperor in the history books had such a temperament.
The Grand Empress Dowager observed Yunxiu's expression and leisurely asked, "Thinking of meddling in this idle affair?"
Yunxiu knew she couldn't hide anything from the two elder ancestors, so she simply admitted candidly, "The Fourth Prince is truly pitiful. I couldn't bear to watch."
The Grand Empress Dowager released Yinsi and had Sumalagu take him to the side hall to play with the Fifth Prince. Yinsi, being clever, knew he shouldn't listen to the following conversation and obediently withdrew. However, before leaving, he cast a hopeful glance at Yunxiu—he naturally also wished to help Fourth Brother.
After all, who wouldn't be angered by such a matter?
Only after Yinsi had left did the Grand Empress Dowager speak, "I must remind you—no one can interfere in the affairs of Yonghe Palace."
Yunxiu was greatly shocked, unable to understand what the Grand Empress Dowager meant. At most, this was just a power struggle between the Imperial Noble Consort and Consort De—surely it hadn't reached such a level?
"Still don't understand?" The Grand Empress Dowager glanced at her. "The Imperial Noble Consort, despite her frail health, has stirred up such a commotion in Yonghe Palace not only to wait for you but also for the Emperor to arrive. Yet the Emperor did not go, which shows he has no intention of delving deeply into this matter."
"If the Emperor does not wish to investigate, then no one can investigate."
The Grand Empress Dowager took a sip of tea, raised her eyes, and spoke word by word, "Because this matter involves the Crown Prince."
Author's Note:
None