Favoured Consort Goes on Strike Every Day: Chapter 38

Translator: Jalyss

Editor: Odyssey

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Chapter 38 

In October of the twenty-second year of Kangxi, with the two imperial edicts, the structure of the six palaces changed suddenly.  

The four consorts became three, and the sixth prince became the Second Rank Prince Rong. Two days later, the imperial noble consort, who had been lying on the couch for a long time, appeared in Cining Palace. She had dragged her sick body to respectfully greet the two empress dowagers. 

It was not over yet. The great empress dowager, who was getting older and energy levels were not what they used to be, issued a decree after many years. She ordered for Niu Gulu, the noble consort, to manage the affairs of the harem, and the three consorts, Consort Hui, Consort Yi, and Consort Rong to assist. This move was huge! 

… 

Madam Tong was so angry that she couldn’t stop rubbing her forehead and pacing back and forth in the bedroom. “The imperial noble consort is still there. She passed over Ruying. Now, Consort Hui and the others can intervene in the palace affairs! What does the great empress dowager mean by this?”  

Tong Guowei was stunned by her. He put down the teacup heavily, and sighed. “It’s a good thing for the imperial noble consort to come out. What else is the madam looking for?” 

The imperial noble consort lost face with her schemes, lost all her prestige, and even damaged her health. If she regained power in the palace, she would definitely not be able to convince everyone. When Tong Guowei thought of this, his expression was livid. He could only comfort himself in his heart. They were still family, so the emperor still took care of the Tong family.  

“What am I looking for?” Madam Tong stopped walking, turned her head, and said, “Look, with the empress’ decree, does Ming Zhu still have the intention of joining forces? With his cousin in power, Grand Secretary Ming is like a fish in water!” 

Tong Guowei smiled, then shook his head and said, “Where is the power? There is the noble consort. She is just an assistant.”  

“You only thought of this level.” Madam Tong sneered, “You don’t know that the noble consort is about to give birth…” 

That’s right. The noble consort was about to give birth. How could she have the energy to manage the affairs of the harem?  

Consort Hui was the head of the three consorts. She had the eldest prince. She would be the one who called the shots due to her status. 

Tong Guowei was silent for a moment, then sighed again. “One wrong step, one wrong step. I never thought that the emperor had no intention of choosing an empress..”  

He made a wrong move and the Tong family also made a wrong move. The imperial noble consort’s body was seriously injured, so she may not have a chance to ascend. 

When Madam Tong heard the words ‘choosing an empress’, she felt great pain in her heart. She thought of her poor daughter and her eyes reddened. “Without palace power  and without favour, I can imagine what kind of life she is living! Fortunately, after she suffered retribution, Imperial Concubine Wu also suffered retribution. Ruying finally managed to vent her anger.” 

When the matter of ‘retribution’ was brought up, Madam Tong paused, then gritted her teeth and said, “And Suo Etu! This time, he managed to clean the Imperial Household Department, removed the noble consort’s spies, and removed husband’s spies. I don’t know how many he got…” 

Tong Guowei nodded slowly, closed his eyes, and said nothing. His expression was extremely solemn.  

Some time passed before he said, “Yesterday, she sent a message saying that it is time to make a move in front of the emperor after the arrangements made for Mrs. Liu and the sixth prince.” 

“She despises Suo Etu, so Husband should do what she said…” Madam Tong squeezed the veil tightly. Her eyes were slightly bright and there was a trace of joy on her face.  

However, Tong Guowei interrupted her before she finished speaking.  

“It was supposed to be like this.” Tong Guowei tapped the back of his hand and said in a deep voice, “But times have changed. The situation is very different now. She can wait patiently. The day will come where Suo Etu is punished.” 

The joy in Madam Tong’s eyes faded, and she looked at him in disbelief. “Husband?!”  

Her daughter had suffered such a blow, and the Tong family had suffered such a blow, yet he said it wasn’t yet time to make a move? 

Tong Guowei half-closed his eyes and waved his hands. “The current situation has changed a lot. The Nala family has Consort Hui helping them. Ming Zhu is even more powerful. As for Mrs. Hesheli… What is the use of an imperial concubine? Suo Etu has the crown prince, so he can be compared with Ming Zhu. It’s not certain who will win in the future.” 

If the Tong family was to prosper, Ming Zhu could not be allowed to grow more powerful.  

The imperial noble consort could no longer be the empress. The name he had hoped for as a descendant of two dynasties turned into a dream in a blink of an eye. It was unattainable. Next, there was only one path for the family, and that was to stay by the emperor’s side by making great military achievements. 

He didn’t want to support the crown prince, let alone the eldest prince.  

The crown prince had his maternal family, and so did the eldest prince, but their surname was not Tongjia! 

As for the imperial noble consort asking the emperor to record the fourth prince under Chengqian Palace, and to support the fourth prince to ascend the throne with the backing of her whole family… It was absurd. 

He was still the son of an enemy, so why should she do her best to plan for him?! 

He praised Imperial Concubine Wu’s son, and as a result, lost his worth for nothing! 

It was impossible for the fourth prince to sit in that position. This was to drag the Tong family into trouble. 

As Tong Guowei spoke, his face gradually turned cold. “The court cannot live without Suo Etu. For the sake of the family, Ruying will need to be wronged. She is the daughter of my Tongjia family, and she was born to take on the important task of revitalising the family. If you enter the palace, tell her that taking care of her body is top priority, and that she must be more cautious in her words and deeds. She should never mention the matter of changing the jade records in front of the emperor, do you understand?” 

For the family? 

For the family. 

After some thought, her husband instantly understood how useful Suo Etu was. Madam Tong opened her mouth, but the dissatisfaction in her heart finally disappeared.  

She hesitated for a moment, then responded in a low voice. 

*** 

Chuxiu Palace.  

Imperial Concubine Ping, Mrs. Hesheli, was fidgeting with the handkerchief that she had just embroidered. She stared forward with deep almond eyes, and said softly, “Uncle didn’t deal with Consort Yi, but instead blamed me.”  

Zhu Chai stopped making tea. “Imperial Concubine…” 

“Isn’t he the most concerned about face? Mrs. Guo Luoluo’s ‘kindness’ to promote Us to Imperial Concubine is like a slap in the face towards the Hesheli family!” The handkerchief was already crumpled up and one was unable to tell what it originally looked like. Imperial Concubine Ping’s voice was incredulous. “Uncle actually wants to win over Mrs. Guo Luoluo’s family. He doesn’t even have the slightest intention of standing up for Us.” 

Recently, major events happened one after another in the palace. It was dizzying. 

Consort De was demoted to Imperial Concubine De, and the sixth prince was to inherit the Second Rank Prince’s position. The noble consort held the palace power now and the three consorts were to help her. Who knew how many people were angry at this change? One of those angered included her uncle. 

Consort Hui had Ming Zhu backing her, so she did not have to deal with any hardships. She was still an imperial concubine. She had no love, no power, and no support from her family. Even her last trump card – the power of the Imperial Household Department which was left by her older sister, was taken away by Mingzhu.  

In the palace, she was now isolated and helpless. She would struggle to move forward. 

Uncle is angry, so why would she be angry?! 

Well, she wouldn’t think about it anymore. There were more important things right now… 

Imperial Concubine Ping restrained the cold look on her face. A faint flame ignited in her eyes. Gradually, the flame became more vigorous, transforming into a prairie fire.  

Mrs. Wuya shot herself in the foot and was demoted to Imperial Concubine Wu by the emperor. There was now a vacancy in the four consorts. Below the position of consort were 7 imperial concubines! 

There were only four consorts and six imperial concubines. It was recorded and written into the regulations. The emperor has always loved tradition and would not allow the situation of having three consorts and seven imperial concubines to continue. There was a high possibility that he would promote an imperial concubine to a consort. 

The talent competition had ended. Now, among the concubines, there was no one of note. Except for Imperial Concubine Wu, the emperor would definitely choose one of the other six imperial concubines to be promoted to a consort…  

Thinking of this, Imperial Concubine Ping’s breathing stopped for a moment. She quietly clenched her fists. 

She and her uncle had planned things out. As long as she successfully ascended to the position of consort, she could assist in the affairs of the harem. At that time, all their difficulties would be solved. Would Consort Yi be able to suppress her?  

Imperial Concubine Ping took a deep breath, suppressed her excitement, and calmly planned. 

Imperial Concubine Duan, Imperial Concubine Jing, and Imperial Concubine An were all old. They entered the palace during Kangxi’s early years. Imperial Concubine Duan gave birth to a princess, but the child died early. The other two had no achievements and no children. The palace they lived in was no different from the Cold Palace.  

Imperial Concubine Xi was also from the Hesheli family, so she was considered a branch member. Her father had a low official position, and she had no contact with the main family. They were miles away. 

Because of her good looks and her surname, Imperial Concubine Xi was made a Noble Lady when she first entered the palace.  

But she was really brainless. She was proud because of being favoured. She ended up offending Empress Xiaozhao, which surprised the emperor. After she was made an imperial concubine, the emperor did not treat her as well as before, and she slowly faded. 

As for Imperial Concubine Cheng… Being promoted to the position of imperial concubine was already an extra grace. As for being a consort, it was absolutely impossible!  

After thinking about the other imperial concubines, none could compare to her in terms of status. The only thing she lacked were achievements! 

—With her uncle and the crown prince, what did achievements count for? 

Imperial Concubine Ping came back to her senses. She had an expression of faint joy. She took another sip from the teacup. 

The steam rose, blurring her delicate face. She spoke softly and with a smile. “A low family background will always be a low family background. How shortsighted. She can’t be a phoenix even if she climbs up to a high position! Look, it’s fine if she loses the child. The sixth prince is pitiful. After his serious illness, he became duller. He even hallucinates, saying that he was poisoned by Wet Nurse Liu…” 

Who didn’t know that Mrs. Liu had ‘gone home to visit relatives’? How could she appear in the palace at random? 

According to Imperial Concubine Ping’s knowledge, Mrs. Liu actually offended Imperial Concubine Wu and was sent to the Punishment Division. She was probably thrown into a mass grave and the body was probably rotten by now! 

… 

Mrs. Wuya had a low family background, but she became a consort and was above her. Imperial Concubine Ping was dissatisfied. 

Now, everything was different. If she could go further, she would thank Imperial Concubine Wu! 

*** 

A few days ago, Yinzuo survived the catastrophe and had fortunately woken up.  

It was as the imperial doctor said, although the poison was discovered early, the sixth prince would still experience side effects due to his young body. 

The imperial doctor checked his pulse. He carefully looked at Yinzuo’s eyes again. He felt a thump in his heart and opened his mouth, awkward. “To answer Your Majesty… Second Rank Prince Rong is no longer as agile as before…”  

He meant that he was much duller than before and was no longer smart. 

It wasn’t just the great empress dowager who was regretful, but the empress dowager and the emperor were as well. This matter was a foregone conclusion. The only thing left was to protect Little Six well in the future so that he could live a safe and smooth life.  

With regards to the origin of the sachet, Yinzuo vaguely mentioned the nanny, and fell asleep again after he lost his energy. 

Kangxi kept Mrs. Liu firmly in his mind and ordered the guards to conduct a strict investigation. As a result, they found the mass grave, and Yonghe Palace…  

If it wasn’t for the fact that Imperial Concubine Wu was under house arrest and that the little princess was weak and still needed to be taken care of by her mother, Kangxi was angry enough to destroy her! 

The great empress dowager thought over things and arranged everything in person.  

Second Rank Prince Rong moved to Ganxi Wusuo, and the fourth prince also moved in again. Their courtyards were next to each other. Next to them was the residence reserved for the fifth prince. After the next month, Yinqi would go to the upper study with his brothers.  

The investigation was still going on in secret. At the same time, the ninth prince’s one month ceremony was coming up. 

… 

Yintang had already lost his monkey-like red complexion. He turned into a white and tender fat doll. 

The fat baby was dressed in bright red. He was screaming in a lively manner as he looked around. 

Yun Xiu was dressed up and walked into his line of sight. He stared blankly at the beauty in front of him. His brain froze for a moment.  

He always knew that his mother was good-looking when she was young, very good-looking; otherwise, the old man wouldn’t be so fond of her. But after two lifetimes, in the face of her beauty, the ninth master, who had gone through thousands of tribulations, still felt that… it was a bit difficult to breathe. 

As he was having difficulty breathing, he saw imperial father, who was also in a daze. He suddenly felt furious!  

Before he could protest, Kangxi strode forward and held Yun Xiu’s hand. His deep phoenix eyes held a fiery and gentle expression. 

“We said that We would explain it to you. We did not break Our promise, did We?” He asked in a low voice, and then said gently, “They are all waiting in the front hall. Be careful where you step… I will lead you.” 

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