The Tongjia clan's young lady was soon brought into the palace by Kangxi, though he was in no hurry to grant her Enfeoffment as Consort, merely having her reside in the Cining Palace to accompany the Empress Dowager.
As for whether the Empress Dowager, who only spoke Mongolian, and the Tongjia lady, who understood no Mongolian, could converse meaningfully, Kangxi cared not. Since they were destined to become mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, they would surely find a way to get along.
When Yinreng was taken by Longxi to pay respects at the Cining Palace, he met this Tongjia lady.
Before the meeting, Yinreng had assumed this Tongjia lady would be around the same age as Empress Niohuru, with a similarly naive and proud temperament. Yet upon seeing her in person, he understood why Kangxi was in such haste to bring her into the harem.
Elegant yet gentle, proud yet impeccably courteous, her delicate beauty went without saying. She carried an air of scholarly refinement rare among the Manchu, speaking with grace and poise, utterly unlike a mere fourteen-year-old maiden. Her noble bearing stood out even within the palace walls.
In contrast, Empress Niohuru, seated before her in resplendent robes and jeweled headdress, gave the impression of a child playing dress-up in adult clothing—unable to fully embody such dignity.
The Tongjia lady stepped forward to greet Yinreng and Longxi, neither servile nor overbearing.
Knowing she was a future imperial consort, Longxi dared not accept her full courtesy, turning slightly to return the gesture.
Yinreng mimicked him, following suit.
The Tongjia lady was overwhelmed by the honor, repeatedly demurring.
Other Imperial Princes might be one matter, but this was the Taizi—a semi-sovereign. Even if she were formally enfeoffed as consort, she would not dare accept such a salute.
"Good child, don't be afraid. The Taizi hasn't begun formal etiquette training yet—he's just copying Longxi for fun,"
the Empress Dowager said with a laugh. "Bao Cheng, stop playing now. Come let Grandmother Empress Dowager hold you."
Yinreng bounced over to the Empress Dowager's feet, clambering up the chair by himself.
Fearing he might fall, Longxi hurriedly supported him from behind. By the time Yinreng had settled on the Empress Dowager's lap, Longxi was sweating profusely.
"The wind is strong today—don't catch a chill. Go change your clothes in the back."
With Empress Niohuru and the Tongjia lady present, Longxi might feel awkward. The Empress Dowager, feeling sorry for her young grandson, found an excuse for him to rest privately.
Sitting on the Empress Dowager's knee, Yinreng listened as Empress Niohuru needled the Tongjia lady with barbed remarks, only to have them gently deflected one by one. He suddenly felt their positions were reversed.
Empress Niohuru's hostility toward the Tongjia lady was understandable, but as the latter remained a guest—even the Empress Dowager treated her with courtesy—such verbal sparring was truly unwise.
Observing the Tongjia lady, however, she responded to Empress Niohuru's words with measured calm, showing no disrespect or resentment. She seemed genuinely to regard Empress Niohuru as her superior, without a trace of petty jealousy.
The difference was stark.
Even the Empress Dowager couldn't help shaking her head inwardly with a sigh.
Originally, promoting the Tongjia lady was meant to counterbalance Empress Niohuru. Now it seemed unclear who would check whom.
The Tongjia lady's enfeoffment should be delayed. With the Taizi's investiture ceremony approaching, best avoid further complications.
No one could have anticipated that the Tongjia lady's flawless performance at the Cining Palace would instead hinder her path to becoming a consort.
Kangxi did not wish to contradict the Empress Dowager over such a minor matter, so he agreed to postpone the conferment ceremony until the following year. However, he did not send Lady Tongjia out of the palace. Instead, he arranged for her to reside in Chengqian Palace.
Since she was already living within the inner palace, it was clear that she was destined to become Kangxi’s woman. Yet, she was only referred to as a guest in the palace. Uncertain of how to address her, the palace staff followed convention and called her Lady Tongjia.
Although Lady Tongjia’s position in the palace was somewhat awkward, Kangxi treated her exceptionally well.
It was rare to find a woman in the palace who could discuss poetry and literature with Kangxi, and as his own cousin, he cherished her dearly. Not only did he bestow continuous rewards upon her, but he also granted her the privilege of entering Qianqing Palace—an honor previously reserved only for Empress Renxiao.
However, Lady Tongjia did not let favor go to her head. Despite the privileges granted to her, she never overstepped her bounds.
After all, the Taizi also resided in Qianqing Palace, and Lady Tongjia was well aware of the importance of maintaining propriety.
While Lady Tongjia was sensible, the same could not be said for others.
Empress Niohuru, by nature, could not tolerate being slighted. Considering herself the future empress, she insisted on being the center of attention in all palace affairs. The sudden emergence of Lady Tongjia, who stole her limelight, was something she could not accept.
In her anger and impatience, she even set her sights on Yinreng.
Yinreng looked at the woman before him, holding what she claimed were "homemade" pastries and urging him to try them, and couldn’t help but think:
Miss, aren’t you directing your flattery at the wrong person?
Lady Tongjia frequently slipped poetic and artistic notes to Kangxi, while you can barely speak Mandarin fluently. Your competitiveness is clearly lacking!
"Study characters together?"
Waving the large characters Kangxi had personally written for him, Yinreng sincerely suggested to Empress Niohuru.
Unaware of Yinreng’s goodwill, Empress Niohuru persisted in trying to get him to taste the milk cake in her hand.
Yinreng: …At the very least, she could have inquired about his preferences beforehand.
He truly did not enjoy dairy products!
That day, Kangxi and Empress Niohuru had a fierce argument.
Kangxi could not tolerate Empress Niohuru’s attempts to approach the Taizi. Even if she were already the empress, she should have known to maintain propriety, let alone before her official status was confirmed.
Empress Niohuru, however, had no such considerations. Her efforts to please Yinreng were merely a roundabout way of currying favor with Kangxi. Little did she expect that her flattery would backfire, earning her a stern reprimand from Kangxi. Enraged, she burst into tears on the spot, wailing that she wanted to go home.
Watching Empress Niohuru argue with Kangxi while crying about returning home, Yinreng was stunned. Suddenly, he understood why Kangxi had been so eager to bring Lady Tongjia into the palace—
With Empress Niohuru’s temperament, even if she were conferred as empress, could she possibly manage the inner palace effectively?
Although Lady Tongjia might never attain the official status of empress, she would likely shoulder the responsibilities of one in the future. No wonder Kangxi treated her so well—aside from affection, there was likely also a sense of indebtedness.
When the Empress Dowager hurried to the scene and witnessed the commotion in Qianqing Palace, she felt a moment of disorientation.
The last time she had seen a similar situation was during Emperor Shunzhi’s youth, when he was at odds with his deposed empress. The two would often quarrel incessantly, even coming to blows, and she would have to step in each time to mediate patiently.
Now, thirty years had passed without such an occurrence.
"Is this an attempt to turn the world upside down?"
The Empress Dowager tapped her cane firmly on the ground. Though she was already in her sixties, the cane in her hand seemed less like an aid for walking and more like a weapon.
Kangxi feared nothing in the world, except his grandmother. Even though he had long passed the age of being taught at her knee, if the Empress Dowager truly raised her cane to strike, he could only obediently endure it.
Kangxi glanced at Yinreng, who was staring wide-eyed with curiosity at everything, and felt he must maintain some dignity as both ruler and father in front of the Taizi. He quickly cleared his throat, straightened up, and said with a formal bow:
"It was merely a trivial quarrel. I am at fault for troubling you, Grandmother."
As soon as Kangxi softened his stance, Empress Niohuru’s pent-up grievances burst forth. She threw herself to her knees before the Empress Dowager, clutching her legs and weeping: "Empress Dowager, I have done nothing wrong, yet I was unjustly scolded by the Emperor for no reason—I beg you to uphold justice for me!"
The Empress Dowager tightened her grip on her cane, reminding herself that this was her grandson’s wife, not her grandson, and could not be struck.
Yinreng casually picked up a pastry, planning to nibble on it slowly while continuing to watch the drama unfold.
But he was so engrossed in the spectacle that he failed to notice he had taken a milk cake brought by Empress Niohuru. With one bite, a strange milky odor spread in his mouth, causing his little face to contort as he gagged twice.
Instantly, everyone’s attention shifted from Empress Niohuru to Yinreng.
Kangxi’s face darkened. He strode over, snatched the milk cake from Yinreng’s hand, and tossed it onto the table. "Summon the imperial physician at once to examine what foul substance has been added to this pastry!"
The Empress Dowager was also startled. She lifted Yinreng onto the couch, cradled him in her arms, and repeatedly asked where he felt unwell.
Yinreng quickly explained, "No, I just don’t like it."
He simply disliked the milky odor and hadn’t meant to add fuel to the fire.
Which consort was favored in the harem had nothing to do with him, and he had no desire to get involved.
Though Yinreng appeared fine, Kangxi remained uneasy and insisted on summoning the imperial physician for a thorough examination.
The physician carefully sniffed the cake, then pinched off a small piece to taste. His expression turned peculiar. "Your Majesty, it seems this milk cake was not made with goat’s milk."
Guwen Xing waved his hand, and the eunuch responsible for tasting food immediately stepped forward. He took a bite, savored it for a moment, and hesitantly replied, "Your Majesty, this humble servant tastes… what seems to be human milk?"
What?
Human milk?
Yinreng’s face instantly changed—
It wasn’t that he rejected human milk. Although he couldn’t accept being directly nursed by a wet nurse, he had drunk milk expressed into a bowl.
The main issue was that humans, unlike cows or goats, were not specially raised and inspected to ensure safety. Who knew where Empress Niohuru had obtained this human milk?
She wasn’t raising any Imperial Princes or princesses and had no wet nurse in her service. How could she have produced a plate of pastries made with human milk out of thin air?
Kangxi’s face turned completely dark, and the Empress Dowager wore a stern expression. Everyone turned their gaze to Empress Niohuru, kneeling on the ground.
"Speak! Who exactly made these pastries?" Kangxi roared in anger.
Empress Niohuru now realized something was amiss and dared not argue further. She stammered, "It… it was sent in by my family. They used… the milk from my niece’s wet nurse. It is absolutely… absolutely clean."
The Empress Dowager slammed her cane onto the floor with a sharp crack. "Outrageous! How dare you bring something from outside the palace to serve before the Taizi?"
Empress Niohuru bit her lip, defending herself, "Empress Dowager, please see clearly. This was personally made by my mother; there would absolutely be nothing unclean inside. I only heard from my mother that my little niece loves to eat it, and since Taizi is about the same age, I thought he would surely like it too. That’s why, that’s why I brought it over. I truly meant well!"
The Empress Dowager pondered Empress Niohuru’s words carefully, her expression becoming somewhat inscrutable.
She stopped Kangxi from continuing to scold Empress Niohuru and said calmly, "Regardless, you should not have brought food from outside the palace to Taizi. You may return now and reflect on your actions behind closed doors. Until further notice, your family members are not permitted to enter the palace."