newbobooks Chapter 209 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 22
Chapter 209 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 22
After Wen Yuan gave birth to the Seventh Prince, she now had two sons. With her promotion to the rank of Consort, the Emperor's trust in the Zhao'erjia clan deepened even further. After all, the children were still young, and even the most illustrious maternal family couldn't cause any trouble. Since the birth of the Sixth Prince, the Zhao'erjia clan had fully supported her. Her father, Emin, was promoted to the second rank, her eldest brother, Cheng'an, reached the fifth rank, and her second brother, Chengning, was one of the few Manchu bannermen to have passed the imperial examinations. Although his rank wasn't high, it was enough to secure the family's position in the court.
Eight months passed in the blink of an eye, and Wen Yuan keenly sensed the undercurrents between An Lingrong and the Empress. On this day, when paying her respects, Yi Xiu sat on a high seat, while Wen Yuan was already the head of the three consorts—born into the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner, with a capable father and brothers, and enjoying the Emperor's favor, the brilliance of her twin sons almost overshadowed the Empress's throne in Jingren Palace.
"Speaking of which, Consort An is an old maid who entered the palace in the first year," Wen Yuan said, fiddling with her gilded nail guards, her gaze sweeping over An Lingrong's flat stomach with a half-smile. "There's still no sign of pregnancy after all this time. Could it be that the imperial physicians summoned by the Empress are ineffective?"
An Lingrong's fingertips almost dug into her palms, yet she still wore a humble smile: "Thank you for your concern, Consort Jin. I have been frail since childhood..."
"Weak? I noticed Consort An was quite energetic when she served me." Wen Yuan suddenly leaned forward, her headdress of jewels gleaming dazzlingly in the morning light. "Whether she can conceive depends on luck, and whether she wants to or not depends on Her Majesty the Empress."
Jingren Palace fell silent instantly. Yixiu's hand, which was holding Buddhist prayer beads, bulged with veins. Consort Kang was so frightened that she knocked over her teacup. Consort Zhen hurriedly covered the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. Feng Ruozhao lowered her eyes and stared at the tea soup, as if she could see a flower in the green color.
"Enough." Yixiu suddenly spoke, her phoenix bracelet clinking against the table. "If Consort Jin is so idle, why not copy a few more Buddhist scriptures to pray for the Seventh Prince's well-being?"
Wen Yuan chuckled softly, the sleeve of her Shu brocade robe inlaid with pearls brushing against the gilded chair back: "Your Majesty is right, but I've heard that the Third Prince has been frequently visiting Changchun Palace lately. As his legal mother, you should also put in more effort." She deliberately emphasized the words "legal mother," watching with satisfaction as the veins on Yi Xiu's neck throbbed.
Feng Ruozhao was used to this scene. Every time Wen Yuan paid her respects, she would say a few words and criticize the Empress. Consort Duan still claimed that she was not well and did not come to pay her respects, so Yixiu simply exempted Consort Duan from paying her respects.
The Emperor softened his attitude towards Consort Li, but unfortunately, she still didn't remove her feet, so she naturally didn't come to pay her respects. The two newly arrived concubines, Consort Kang and Consort Zhen, were both attached to the Empress and were considered to be favored.
By the way, there's a horse trainer named Ye Lanyi. Wen Yuan was worried that she would ruin things, so she transferred Ye Lanyi to Prince Guo's residence. She'll probably never leave Prince Guo's residence for the rest of her life. As for whether she can succeed, that's not Wen Yuan's fault.
There were also some junior ladies-in-waiting, all of whom had risen from the ranks of palace maids. Yixiu didn't want to see them, so before each greeting, she would kowtow at Jingren Palace and leave.
Shen Meizhuang had served the Empress Dowager for many years, and the Empress Dowager bestowed upon her the favor of promoting her to Consort Hui, along with Wen Yuan and Consort Zhen.
Only Shen Meizhuang still cared about Zhen Huan. She would visit Princess Longyue at Consort Duan's Yanqing Palace whenever she had the chance, fearing that Princess Longyue would be mistreated by Consort Duan. Even Consort Duan had a problem with Shen Meizhuang.
In addition, after Shen Meizhuang was made a concubine, she moved to Suiyu Pavilion on her own initiative, hoping to evoke some sympathy from the emperor.
After Hongxu was born, the Empress Dowager often summoned Wen Yuan. Each time, she would bring Hongxi and Hongxu to Shou Kang Palace. During this time, she also encountered Shen Meizhuang a few times. Shen Meizhuang had no hostility towards Wen Yuan, and each time she would tease Hongxi with a gentle expression on her face.
As for the Dzungar prince who was bitten by a snake near Ganlu Temple, Wen Yuan had him eliminated by Zhaerjia Emin's men. Releasing a tiger back to the mountain was the principle of the Holy Mother Zhen Huan, not Wen Yuan's way of doing things.
The Emperor sent four people to work around Zhen Huan, who would occasionally pass on messages to the Emperor. Although Prince Guo and Zhen Huan were in love, they only dared to meet once every ten days or once every two weeks, so as not to arouse the Emperor's suspicion.
Because of this, Zhen Huan's life did not improve. In her previous life, Zhen Huan suffered for half a year because of Prince Guo. After that, she moved to Qingliangtai. As a prince, how could Prince Guo not support a woman?
Zhen Huan dared not use the gifts from Prince Guo openly this time; even if she did, she would do so secretly. Zhen Huan's expression turned quite unpleasant.
Another month later, a rebellion broke out in Yunnan. The emperor sent Prince Guo to quell the rebellion, and his elder brother, Zhuaerjia Cheng'an, accompanied him.
Nearly two months later, the rebellion in Yunnan ended, but Prince Guo disappeared.
Shen Meizhuang learned from her father's message that Zhen Yuandao was in poor health and that Zhen Huan's sister's face had been disfigured. Worried about Zhen Huan, she wanted to leave the palace and go to Ganlu Temple to deliver the message to Zhen Huan.
Sure enough, that night, the Suiyu Pavilion was lit up. Shen Meizhuang knelt on the cold floor tiles, watching Wen Shichu dip silver needles into the medicinal soup: "Is there really no gentler way?"
"Your Highness, please reconsider!" Wen Shichu's forehead was beaded with sweat. "The princess is of noble birth; even the slightest mishap..."
"I only require her to have a fever for three days," Shen Meizhuang said, pushing a bag of golden melon seeds towards her. "Before Longyue recovers, I want to take this opportunity to see Huan'er, and I will personally apologize to her at Ganlu Temple then."
Three days later, Princess Longyue's high fever came on strangely, which made Consort Duan suspicious for a long time. She even wanted to change the imperial physician, but Imperial Physician Wen was someone Zhen Huan trusted and had cured her illness, so Consort Duan could not change the imperial physician. She could only ask the Emperor to send many imperial physicians to treat Princess Longyue. Looking at Princess Longyue's thin face, Consort Duan was extremely anxious.
Shen Meizhuang suggested going to Ganlu Temple to pray for blessings. The Emperor gave Shen Meizhuang a meaningful look, but finally agreed.
A thin layer of frost covered the bluestone steps behind Qingliangtai. Zhen Huan was wrapped in a worn gray cotton robe. She was already finding it hard to bear the austere life. Prince Guo said that when he returned to the capital, he would arrange for her to fake her death and come back to life. Then, the two of them would go to live in Jiangnan together.
Zhen Huan was discussing their future life with Huan Bi when Huan Bi complained, "Those four people the Emperor sent have really become young masters and misses, eating and lazily every day..."
"Alright, Huanbi, those are people sent by the Emperor." Doesn't Zhen Huan find those people annoying? Without them, her life would be so much better. Spending more time with Yunli like this easily arouses suspicion.
A young nun entered and respectfully said, "Master Mochou, a distinguished guest from the palace has come to visit."
Zhen Huan looked puzzled. She had been outside the palace for almost three years, so who could possibly come to visit her now?
Turning her head, Zhen Huan saw Shen Meizhuang dressed elegantly and dignifiedly, and quickly went to greet her, the two holding hands tightly.
"Huan'er, it's my fault that I only came to see you now." Shen Meizhuang's words were sincere.
The two sat down on the tatami mat together, and both of them couldn't help but shed tears.
"We've only met once in all these years, why are you just crying all the time?"
Shen Meizhuang glanced around and said angrily, "Why is my sister living in such a remote place? It takes me half an hour to get here from Ganlu Temple, even by sedan chair. Is this how Ganlu Temple takes care of a lady who has left the palace to cultivate?"
Zhen Huan couldn't possibly say that she moved here to see Yunli, so she could only say, "I've been sick for a while, so I moved here to recuperate. It has nothing to do with the abbot."
The abbot gave a Buddhist chant, and Jingbai also said some kind words. Shen Meizhuang was not willing to listen to their sophistry, so she asked the rest of them to leave. She then had some private words with Zhen Huan.