After the promotion of titles, there were naturally those who were happy and those who were not.
Concubine An of the Li clan possessed a background among the best of the palace consorts. It was both unexpected and yet entirely logical that she stood at the head of the six Concubines in this promotion. Concubine Duan of the Dong clan did not have a poor background either; in earlier years, she had given birth to the Second Princess, who was quite favored by the Emperor. Although the child had passed away, she had enjoyed a period of favor.
Concubine Jing of the Wangjia clan and Concubine Xi of the He-she-li clan were of Manchu Banner descent. One was a loyal follower of the Empress, and the other shared the Empress’s surname. Although there was a world of difference in their status, for the sake of the Empress—and considering their seniority and lack of troublemaking—it was no issue for their status to be elevated.
As for Concubine Rong of the Majia clan, she had birthed three princes and one princess for the Imperial Family in previous years. Even though only the princess survived now, it was understandable that the Emperor, remembering her merit, would grant her the rank of Concubine—especially since she was now the adoptive mother of the Third Prince.
These newly titled Concubines were naturally joyful. At the very least, they were the highest-ranking consorts in this promotion. Even if they could not compare to Consort Niohuru, they were the envy of all others.
On the other hand, Lady Zhaojia, despite having birthed a prince, did not hold a higher status than Lady Majia, who was raising the child. She was only titled a Noble Lady by the Emperor, with the title “Bu.” From her initial anticipation to her eventual disappointment, she had smashed countless vases and jars, yet she still could not vent the anger in her heart.
Why should Majia become a Concubine based on my child, while I, the biological mother of a prince, gain nothing? What right does she have!
After Noble Lady Bu finished her outburst, she became single-mindedly focused on reclaiming her child from Lady Majia. However, Lady Majia was hardly going to hand the young prince over. The dynamic between the two became quite interesting: one was now the mistress of Zhongcui Palace and the prince’s adoptive mother, while the other was a low-ranking biological mother who lacked the right to raise him. How they would struggle became a matter of strategic maneuvering.
Then there was Lady Little Guoluo-lo. She never expected that she would only be ranked as a Noble Lady alongside her elder sister. Although she was given the title “Yi,” being called “Noble Lady Yi” brought a thin flush of shame to her face, a humiliation she had never felt before. Before the Empress gained favor, she was one of the top favorite consorts in the palace. How did it come to this? It is said that the Emperor’s heart is unpredictable and his favor hard to keep; she was certainly tasting the bitterness of that truth now.
Lady Majia was indeed shrewd. I should have followed her example and asked for the First Prince; then I wouldn’t have lost my standing!
Regardless, the grand promotion was over. For these consorts, competing for favor was a necessity. In the past, they were restricted by their status as unranked consorts and could not voice their grievances against the Empress. But now, they were officially titled consorts. Not even the Empress could easily touch them. Had they not waited all this time for this very moment?
Consequently, a trend of soliciting favor suddenly swept through the palace. One by one, the consorts appeared either in the Imperial Garden where the Emperor frequently visited, or along the small paths near Qianqing Palace to “admire the scenery,” becoming quite a unique sight.
Li Mu did not think this was a major issue, except for the fact that she could no longer take Yinreng out to play as often. This frequently troubled her; the child often gazed longingly out the window, and she felt quite sorry for him. She sighed and tapped the child’s forehead. “Yinreng, perhaps before long, you will have a few more younger brothers.”
After all these months, the fact that the Emperor had remained at Kunning Palace was already surprising enough. She could not demand that he stay with her forever.
Yinreng, however, thought his Imperial Mother was playing with him. The child’s gloom vanished in an instant, and he buried his little head in her hands, giggling.
“What a little optimist,” Li Mu said, pinching his cheek and wiping away his drool.
Xuelian walked over. “Your Majesty, Lady Wuya and Lady Juechan have entered the palace through the minor selection.”
“Is that so? I see.” Li Mu continued wiping the child’s hands.
Xuelian hesitated. She had heard that both women possessed beauty that rivaled the most stunning consorts in the palace, and their poise was among the best. It was likely they had been specially trained by their families just for the chance to meet the Emperor and become palace consorts. Seeing that her Mistress had been quiet for several days, she worried that the Empress had fallen too deeply for the Emperor and would end up hurting herself.
Li Mu pulled the child onto her lap. “Yinreng, how about your Imperial Mother teaches you some characters?”
The fair and tender baby leaned against Li Mu’s chest without moving, as if he hadn’t heard her. Li Mu looked at him helplessly. “You are the Crown Prince, entrusted with high hopes by your Imperial Father. You cannot let him down.”
“Gu-gu!” Yinreng gave a half-hearted response, his little mouth pouting. Li Mu’s smile widened. “I really should let your Imperial Father handle you. I wonder where the Emperor is right now—”
“Your Majesty, the Emperor is currently in the Imperial Garden,” Xuelian said urgently. She both hoped her Mistress wouldn’t miss the Emperor so much and hoped she wouldn’t let those other consorts have their way. The Emperor and Empress were a proper husband and wife; even if the Emperor stayed at Kunning Palace all day, no one would dare say a word.
Li Mu glanced at Xuelian. “You don’t need to tell me where the Emperor has gone. It’s not interesting to hear,” she said, knowing he wasn’t coming to her anyway. “I know the Emperor will eventually go to other consorts. I never intended to keep him in Kunning Palace for a lifetime. Even if the Emperor goes to another consort’s quarters tonight, do not tell me.”
There was no point. Who was her nominal husband? He was the legendary Kangxi Emperor of later generations, a man who fathered over fifty children. Not counting those who died young, over thirty grew to adulthood. Could she expect such an Emperor to stay in Kunning Palace forever?
Truthfully, she was already satisfied that the Emperor hadn’t let Lady Majia conceive the Third Prince, hadn’t made Lady Little Guoluo-lo a Concubine, and hadn’t let the Tong daughter into the palace. To expect the Emperor to remain chaste would be unfriendly.
Li Mu considered herself a fairly easy person to satisfy. Thinking that she should better align with her persona of being single-mindedly devoted to the Emperor, she added gently under Xuelian’s complex gaze, “As long as the Emperor is happy, I have no complaints.” So long as he smoothly allowed Yinreng to succeed the throne, she could even be generous toward his other children.
Xuelian’s gaze became even more sorrowful. Her poor Mistress!
“Your Majesty, you need not say more. I understand. I understand everything.” She felt like retreating to give the Empress a place to weep in private. How bitter her Mistress’s life was—to have a heart full of love that received no echo.
Sensing that Xuelian’s gaze was becoming increasingly strange, and combined with her words, Li Mu belatedly realized the girl had imagined things that weren’t there. She had to emphasize again, “I really do not mind! I truly do not!” If I minded, may lightning strike me!
A guilty protest!
Xuelian saw that her Mistress didn’t even use the formal “we” to refer to herself, and her bright eyes seemed dimmed. Her heart ached beyond measure, and she didn’t want to pick at her Mistress’s wounds further. “Fine, fine. I won’t mention it again. It’s my fault for bringing it up. Your Majesty, the Crown Prince must be hungry now. I will take him down. You should have a good rest, alright?”
As Xuelian’s tone became increasingly cautious, Li Mu lost the heart to explain. She simply waved her hand, letting her take Yinreng away. She wondered strangely if she appeared to outsiders like someone whose heart had died of grief, but she wasn’t the jealous type.
She shook her head and picked up a medical book. While she had some free time, it was good to learn more.
Meanwhile, Xuelian, who was silently grieving for her Mistress, kept her head down as she carried the Crown Prince out. She didn’t notice she was about to walk into someone. She instinctively shielded the Crown Prince, but Liang Jiugong was faster, snatching the boy into his arms. “Oh, Miss Xuelian, you must be careful. It would be terrible if the Crown Prince were hurt.”
Liang Jiugong affectionately wiped Yinreng’s little face. “Crown Prince, thankfully you aren’t hurt. I am Liang Jiugong; do you still remember me?”
Evidently, Yinreng did. Seeing a familiar face, his eyes sparkled, and his little hands began to tug at Liang Jiugong’s collar, making the eunuch overflow with joy. The Crown Prince was truly endearing.
Xuelian only then realized the person she had bumped into was Liang Jiugong, and the man standing beside him… was the Emperor!
She was scared out of her wits and wanted to warn the Empress, but she couldn’t find the chance. She had to force herself to stay calm, hoping the Emperor hadn’t heard the conversation just now.
Kangxi’s gaze fell upon the Empress. The image of the young woman with her eyes lowered remained tranquil, as if the scene of her grieving for him had never existed. He suddenly realized that while the Empress would be saddened by his favoring other consorts, she would continue to keep her heart fixed on him.
Yet, as he watched, he felt the Empress was drifting further and further away. It was as if she could give him her heart now, but in a year or two, or three or four, that sincerity would become increasingly blurred with the passage of time. For instance, the Empress would still greet him with a genuine smile when she saw him, but she could extract her emotions just as quickly once he was gone.
It had happened many times. He clenched his fists tightly, still watching her.
The Empress… my… Mu’er.
Perhaps because this was Li Mu’s first time doing a task in this kind of world, even though she was calm, when she encountered the focused attention of an Emperor, she assumed it was merely a temporary interest that would soon shift to someone else. But an Emperor was not so easy to deal with. He might not investigate her private actions, but he would probe her public feelings for him until they were crystal clear.
For example, Kangxi was now certain that the Empress had him in her heart, but he also knew that her affection was both deep and detached.
In other words… she was someone who dared to love and dared to hate.
If one day Kangxi truly stopped caring for her, she would still respect him as an Emperor. This was the confidence of an Empress; she did not rely entirely on the Emperor’s favor to survive. She had her children, her family, and her responsibility as the mother of the nation.
Kangxi stood there for a long while. The servants around him didn’t even dare to breathe. Liang Jiugong gave Xuelian a look, signaling her to take the Crown Prince away. Xuelian nodded, and their movements were exceptionally gentle.
Liang Jiugong couldn’t bring himself to urge the Emperor to go inside. The Emperor’s mood had been extremely strange lately. Even when he went to Concubine Rong’s palace the other day, he hadn’t stayed for the night. The more Liang Jiugong pondered this, the more terrified he felt. It was said that the Aisin Gioro clan was prone to producing obsessed lovers; could the Emperor have truly lost his heart to the Empress?
But an Emperor’s love is cold and thin. Over the years, Liang Jiugong had seen the Emperor with countless women, yet he had never seen him as focused on one as he was on the Empress. He felt the Emperor was merely experiencing a whim; how could an Emperor be devoted to one person?
He hoped the Empress would not truly lose her heart. Thinking of the lively and endearing Crown Prince, Liang Jiugong couldn’t help but feel a flicker of pity for her, and he prayed silently.
The love of an Emperor is not something just anyone can withstand.