Concubine Hesheli never expected that, merely two or three days after Consort Yi’s childbirth, she would be abruptly summoned—let alone that Consort Yi would suddenly propose a promotion to the Emperor, catching her completely off guard.
The shock of the moment left her frozen, her face paling as she swayed unsteadily.
This was a privilege reserved for the Empress herself! Consort Yi was merely one of the four consorts—how dare she?
Such audacity! This was outright overreach…
When she finally grasped what Yunxiu was saying, Concubine Hesheli’s heart turned cold, her teeth clenched tightly.
A promotion to concubine? And alongside Concubine Daijia?
No—a daughter of the Hesheli family could never stoop to such a lowly rank as concubine! Worse still, dragging Concubine Daijia into this shattered her hopes of being promoted alone.
She had dreamed of being the exception, leaping straight to consort status and earning the envy of the entire palace—a position befitting her identity as the younger sister of the late Empress and the aunt of the Crown Prince.
Without that distinction, stripped of dignity and lacking the Emperor’s favor, who would ever take her seriously in the future?
Yet with just a few light words, Consort Yi sought to crush her ambitions!
Praising her for her gentleness, virtue, and thoughtfulness, claiming she couldn’t bear to see her languish as a mere concubine—every word dripped with false concern, leaving Concubine Hesheli feeling as though she had been plunged into an icy abyss.
Yes, a sudden rise to concubine, becoming the mistress of Chuxiu Palace, was supposedly a grand favor—who wouldn’t be grateful?
Mrs. Guoluoluo was forcing her to express gratitude, leaving her unable to voice her bitterness, swallowing her resentment while uttering, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."
If the Emperor took Consort Yi’s words to heart, her dignity would be utterly destroyed.
The Niugulu Family had fallen so low, yet the sister of Empress Xiaozhao was still granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort. Meanwhile, the Hesheli family stood at the height of power, with her uncle as a pillar of the court and as the maternal family of the Crown Prince—yet she was only being promoted to concubine!
And this promotion was all thanks to Consort Yi!
From now on, everyone would say Consort Yi had shown her immense kindness—an undeniable fact. Even her uncle would have to acknowledge Consort Yi’s generosity, and if she dared move against her, she would be branded ungrateful.
Once she fully grasped the situation, Concubine Hesheli was overcome with fury. In her agitation, she lost her usual composure and blurted out, "This concubine is unworthy of such a great favor!"
Consort Yi—Mrs. Guoluoluo! What a vicious scheme, what a brazen trap!
……
For all her usual poise, Concubine Hesheli was still only sixteen. Though cunning, she lacked the self-control to mask her emotions entirely.
Yunxiu’s proposal struck her like a bolt from the blue, and in her panic, she faltered, revealing her true feelings.
The moment the words left her lips, she realized her mistake. Quickly schooling her expression, she forced a smile and explained, "This concubine is still young, unlike elder sisters like Concubine Duan, who have served in the palace for years… Without merit or children, this concubine is unworthy of Your Highness’s favor…"
She subtly emphasized the word "favor," then turned her gaze to Kangxi, her eyes brimming with feigned grievance and shyness, hoping the Emperor would fly into a rage and punish Consort Yi.
Mrs. Guoluoluo, emboldened by favor and fresh from bearing the Ninth Prince, had overstepped her bounds, meddling in matters far beyond her station. Did she truly believe the Emperor would be so foolish as to indulge her yet again?
The Emperor had deigned to visit her in the birthing chamber, yet she had the gall to push further—how idiotic!
A cold sneer curled in Concubine Hesheli’s heart—until it twisted into stunned disbelief.
Why wasn’t the Emperor angry? Why did he instead seem… pleased?
So Yunxiu had brought this up—not to share favor, but for this reason.
Kangxi let out a quiet breath of relief, his earlier irritation vanishing instantly. Delighted by Yunxiu’s softened demeanor—no longer icy and distant—he paid no mind to her "overreach."
It was only when Concubine Hesheli hastily rejected the proposal, her voice laced with poorly concealed panic, then hastily covered with excuses, that his attention sharpened.
Slowly turning the jade ring on his thumb, Kangxi studied Concubine Hesheli, his smile fading.
That unmistakable hope in her eyes—what was she hoping for?
That he would rage and punish Yunxiu?
For the sake of balancing the court and the harem—and for the Crown Prince’s sake—the Empress Dowager had arranged for young Mrs. Hesheli to enter the palace three years prior.
Kangxi had never paid her much mind, recalling only that she had been too young upon arrival, her figure unformed, her face still childlike—nothing like the late Empress.
He had granted her the title of concubine and assigned her to Chuxiu Palace, but nothing more.
As for her rank, he had long held a plan.
Young Mrs. Hesheli was the late Empress’s sister and the Crown Prince’s aunt. Once she matured, he would naturally grant her the dignity befitting her status—promoting her to consort.
Recently, he had even considered that if Yunxiu bore him a prince, it would be a great merit—and when the time came, she could rise further… At that point, there would be a vacancy among the four consorts, and he could elevate Mrs. Hesheli, granting the Crown Prince’s maternal family another honor.
—But it seemed she did not want this honor.
Yunxiu was never one to act without reason. Bringing up the promotion now felt almost like mockery—and Concubine Hesheli’s reaction, riddled with flaws, was laughable.
She had something to hide!
Had she targeted the Fifth Prince?
Well, well. Truly a worthy niece of Suo’etu.
Her uncle meddled in the Imperial Household Department, scheming against the Imperial Noble Consort, while the niece, unsatisfied with mere concubine status, harbored malice…
Kangxi narrowed his phoenix eyes, his expression inscrutable as he scrutinized Concubine Hesheli. After a long moment, he called coolly, "Liang Jiugong."
The eunuch’s respectful voice sounded from beyond the screen. "Your Majesty?"
"Announce an oral decree first, then draft the formal edict. Concubine Hesheli, gentle and virtuous in conduct, is hereby promoted to Consort Ping, granted residence in Chuxiu Palace."
After a pause, he continued, "Concubine Daijia, diligent and respectful, having borne a prince, is hereby promoted to Consort Cheng, granted residence in the Palace of Universal Happiness. The investiture ceremony shall be held in December, with Consort Cheng and Consort Ping receiving their honors together… The Imperial Household Department is to prepare their ceremonial robes without delay!"
Yunxiu’s suggestion was not without merit.
Concubine Daijia had borne the Seventh Prince, Yin You, yet remained a mere concubine—an oversight. Moreover, with Yin You’s lameness, having a mother of consort rank to protect him would ease his path in life.
Unseen by Kangxi, Yunxiu turned a gentle, smiling gaze toward Concubine Hesheli, her peach-blossom eyes curving with warmth.
Concubine Hesheli’s breath hitched. Flustered, she lowered her lashes, her nails digging into her palms as her entire body trembled.
In that instant, she hated Yunxiu with a venom that burned like blood in her heart!
When the decree naming her Consort Ping was proclaimed, Yunxiu’s smile only deepened, meeting Concubine Hesheli’s disbelieving—then despairing—gaze with serene grace.
She gently patted the infant Yintang in her arms, who stared blankly at his mother, his dark eyes shimmering with tiny golden flecks like scattered stars.
"Consort Ping, why not thank His Majesty?" Yunxiu covered her mouth with a light laugh, her eyes glinting with amusement as she playfully tapped the woman’s shoulder. "Look at you—though you’re overjoyed, you mustn’t forget propriety."
With a wave of her hand, she added warmly, "As for me, it was merely a passing remark—no need for thanks. Between sisters, there’s no need for such formalities, don’t you agree?"
Concubine Hesheli—no, Consort Ping—clenched her teeth so hard they trembled. Forcing a smile, she met Kangxi’s icy gaze and froze in place.
After a long pause, she bit her lower lip and dropped to her knees with a thud, pressing her forehead to the ground. "This concubine… thanks… Your Majesty’s boundless grace."
The gates of Chengqian Palace remained tightly shut, not a sound escaping its walls. The silence was suffocating, as if this corner of the Forbidden City had been abandoned, radiating an eerie chill.
Palace servants hurried past with lowered heads, lips sealed. Imperial physicians came and went with their medicine boxes, sighing upon departure, only for the oppressive stillness to return moments later.
"My little prince, my dear Yinzhen…" Cold sweat beaded on the Imperial Noble Consort’s forehead as she murmured in her sleep, her fingers tightening into fists. Suddenly, she let out a piercing scream and jerked awake.
Her eyes were sunken and bloodshot, devoid of any light.
Her once-rosy cheeks had hollowed, her pallor ghostly, her frame gaunt. Her chest rose and fell like a statue’s shallow breaths, barely audible. After the scream, her face twisted with unconcealed terror, her hands clutching the embroidered quilt as she gasped for air.
"Your Highness," Nanny Zhen, who had been sitting vigil by the bed, gently wiped the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief, her eyes brimming with grief. "It was just a dream—pay it no mind!"
The Imperial Noble Consort, her hair disheveled, ignored Nanny Zhen’s words and stared blankly at the bed curtains.
After a long silence, she broke into a fit of coughing, her voice hoarse and broken. "I… dreamed of… Yinzhen…"
As she spoke, a sharp pain tore through her lower body, followed by a rush of foul discharge. Her ashen face contorted, and her words cut off abruptly.
"Your Highness?!" Nanny Zhen’s hands shook as she cried out, "This old servant will have them prepare medicine at once!"
"I… dreamed of Yinzhen," the Imperial Noble Consort repeated, ignoring the mention of medicine, her gaze unfocused. "Where is he? Where is my son?"
"The Fourth Prince resides in Cining Palace," Nanny Zhen replied, tears streaming down her wrinkled face as she assumed her mistress’s mind was slipping. "Your Highness hasn’t seen him in so long! Just yesterday, Lady Xu sent word that the Fourth Prince misses you terribly—he even begged the Emperor to let him visit you, heedless of propriety…"
At this, Nanny Zhen wiped her tears and sobbed, "The Fourth Prince is such a filial child. Why must Your Highness cling to the lost little princess? He’s only six! Without your protection, he’s visibly withering away, and now he’s been ensnared in vile schemes, nearly suffering a grave misfortune!"
Lost in her lament, Nanny Zhen failed to notice the clarity slowly returning to the Imperial Noble Consort’s gaze—or the sudden surge of anguish within them.
"Schemes… by whom?" the Imperial Noble Consort demanded, her voice low and deliberate as she stared into the void.
"When Consort Yi was giving birth to the Ninth Prince, chaos erupted in Ningshou Palace. They claimed the Fourth Prince pushed the Fifth Prince into the water." Sensing her mistress’s sharpening awareness, Nanny Zhen stifled her tears and whispered, "It was Consort De! She sought to kill Consort Yi and her unborn child—even at the cost of framing her own son!"
Since her traumatic stillbirth and the shattering of her path to becoming Empress, the Imperial Noble Consort had drowned in grief, teetering on madness. Day after day, she muttered about her lost children, shutting out the world.
Days earlier, palace seamstresses had come to take measurements, and Chengqian Palace’s servants relayed the rumors they’d overheard to Nanny Zhen.
Combined with the intelligence from the Tong Family, Nanny Zhen finally pieced together the culprit behind the sabotaged phoenix palanquin. Gritting her teeth, she laid it all before the Imperial Noble Consort.
Yet the Imperial Noble Consort had only blinked vacantly and murmured, "My little prince."
Nanny Zhen had nearly despaired—what more could she do? Her mistress had lost all will, even for vengeance!
But now, glimpsing a sliver of hope, Nanny Zhen steadied her voice and pressed on. "Not only the Fourth Prince… the phoenix palanquin was also Consort De’s doing. She conspired with Mrs. Hesheli to ruin you, which is why… your daughter was taken so soon after birth."
Consort De. Suo’ertu.
The Imperial Noble Consort’s lips moved soundlessly, her tears falling silently before erupting into wrenching sobs.
She had lost the throne, her authority, her dignity, and her health.
All she had left was Yinzhen!
Her daughter had been torn from her before she could even hold her, and now her son—her precious son—had been ensnared by that vile woman’s schemes.
The Imperial Noble Consort wept until she could scarcely breathe, as if her tears would never end.
When the storm of grief finally subsided, she clenched her jaw against the pain and rasped, "Summon the physicians. I will take the medicine now… Yinzhen cannot lose me too…"
Nanny Zhen, torn between sorrow and relief, hurried to obey.
Then, with a slow, venomous intensity, the Imperial Noble Consort whispered, "I will make Mrs. Wuya suffer a fate worse than death… so she can never steal from me again. And Yinzuo…"
Her bloodshot eyes burned with a terrifying ferocity, like a caged beast ready to tear free from its chains.
