The sky was faintly bright, the daylight slowly emerging in the winter morning as beams of dawn light seeped through the window lattice, illuminating a corner of the imperial study.
It was the New Year holiday, and the grand court assembly where all officials would gather was still three days away. When the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince requested an audience, Emperor Kangxi had just finished his morning meal. He held a memorial in his hand but had not opened it for a long while, instead resting his head on the desk with his eyes closed.
Liang Jiugong stood by, waiting attentively with lowered eyes and light steps, not daring to make a sound.
His Majesty had always been diligent in governance, and since taking personal control of state affairs, such a weary scene was almost unheard of. Alas, it seemed the Imperial Noble Consort had truly struck a deep blow to the Emperor’s heart...
Kangxi closed his eyes, his thoughts in turmoil. Though no one from Cining Palace or Ningshou Palace had yet come to see him, given the commotion the previous day, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor’s mother surely knew of it.
He sighed inwardly. The explanations to the two Dowager Empresses must not be careless. Moreover, the interrogation of that wretched servant Liu Qin was still ongoing. The hidden circumstances behind Yinzuo’s poisoning, as well as the source of all the rumors, were being investigated by his personal guards. Once the testimonies were presented, unless proven innocent, Mrs. Tongjia would no longer remain the Imperial Noble Consort.
Hah, the Imperial Noble Consort. He had been deceived for years, never truly recognizing the nature of his cousin—always putting on a facade, hiding a viper’s heart beneath her gentle appearance.
Even if she had grievances with Noble Consort Wu, what fault lay with Yinzuo?
How could such a venomous woman be worthy of presiding over Chengqian Palace?
She might as well join Mrs. Wuya in disgrace!
The Emperor’s thoughts swirled, his expression growing colder as he slowly set down the memorial. Mrs. Tongjia was unfit to be a mother—only poor Yinzhen suffered for it.
Yinzhen’s genuine affection for Mrs. Tongjia was unmistakable—how could Kangxi not see it?
A child of six or seven, yearning for a mother’s care, yet his birth mother turned a blind eye, and his adoptive mother harbored schemes...
Every time he thought of this, overwhelming fury surged in his chest, mingled with guilt and pity. He had misjudged her character—how gravely he had misjudged!
Once Mrs. Tongjia was gone, Yinzhen would be left without a mother. Looking across the harem, who could truly be a good mother to him?
The child had suffered enough!
The matter of registering him under another consort’s name would require careful discussion with the Empress Dowager.
Just as he was pondering this, Liang Jiugong announced the arrival of the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince.
He had not expected Yinzhen to say such words—refusing to alter the imperial genealogy, unwilling to trouble his elder brother...
—This child was far too sensible.
Amidst his heartache and relief, the Emperor sensed something amiss. What did he mean by "not troubling his elder brother"? Where had the boy heard such words?
Setting this aside for now, Kangxi sighed gently and spoke kindly to the little figure before him, "Rise, rise. I have already rescinded the decree. The Imperial Noble Consort’s actions make her unfit to be your mother."
He paused, intending to offer words of comfort, but Yinzhen stood up, his round face lifting as he nodded, then shook his head, his eyes reddening slightly. In a small voice, he said, "Imperial Father, what I mean is... I never want it changed again."
His small hands clenched tightly around his sleeves, as if wrestling with himself, before he finally mustered the courage to speak haltingly, "I heard the Imperial Noble Consort... no, Mrs. Tongjia, talking with Nanny Zhen. Nanny Zhen wanted me to change my status, to compete with the Crown Prince... I—I won’t, Imperial Father. I don’t want to..."
Yinzhen stammered, his voice breaking into a sob by the end. Listening intently, Kangxi grasped the meaning behind his words.
Changing his status to contend with the Crown Prince... So that was it!
Now he understood everything.
Noble Consort Wu was no longer Consort De. Coming from a lower-ranking banner and demoted to Jingqi Pavilion, Yinzhen’s standing was already diminished compared to Yinti and the others, placing him at a natural disadvantage.
Though young, the child had already realized the implications of altering the imperial genealogy—knowing that if he were registered under the Imperial Noble Consort’s name, his status would shift dramatically.
Kangxi’s expression darkened. The Empress Dowager’s fears had come true—Mrs. Tongjia’s desire to become Yinzhen’s birth mother was not out of maternal love, but for her own ambitions, even to the point of undermining the Crown Prince and destabilizing the empire!
The puzzle pieces fell into place, but for now, he suppressed his anger. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Good child, come here, to my side."
Yinzhen’s eyes were red like a rabbit’s. After a moment’s hesitation, he pressed his lips together and shuffled forward as instructed.
Kangxi reached out to ruffle his hair, an uncharacteristically faint smile appearing on his face.
Man proposes, but Heaven disposes. Mrs. Tongjia could never have anticipated that her manipulative words would backfire, filling Yinzhen with guilt and fear—afraid that changing the genealogy would make him a threat to his elder brother.
Listen to what Yinzhen said—never wanting it changed again...
He must have been terrified.
The Emperor’s heart ached with emotion. His fourth son, though longing for a mother’s love, still understood right from wrong and remembered the Crown Prince’s kindness to him.
Wasn’t this the very scene he had hoped for—his children supporting one another, as close as brothers should be?
"I understand," Kangxi said softly, his chest swelling with indescribable warmth. "Do not fear. Your Imperial Father sees all. Our Yinzhen is a good child—why should you worry about such things? And do not trouble yourself over your elder brother. I will handle everything properly."
Yinzhen clearly sensed the Emperor’s joy, and a great weight lifted from his heart, his entire body relaxing.
Then, clenching his fists, he opened his mouth as if to request permission to visit the Imperial Noble Consort at Chengqian Palace. But in the end, he hesitated and swallowed the words.
If he spoke them, the Emperor would be angry, and so would the Crown Prince... He could not betray Yinzuo.
Just as he hung his head in silent sorrow, the Emperor gently asked, "Yinzhen, among the consorts in the harem, who do you think is the kindest and would make a good mother?"
Meanwhile, at Yanxi Palace.
"I know less about the past than you do," the Noble Consort murmured, withdrawing her gaze from the distance. "It likely concerns the children she lost early on—perhaps connected in some way to the Imperial Noble Consort."
The Noble Consort had entered the palace later than Yunxiu, having been sent by Duke Niugulu’s Mansion to attend to the ailing Empress Xiaozhao.
She only knew that Consort Rong had once been deeply favored, bearing five sons and a daughter for the Emperor, but one after another, they had passed away, leaving only the Second Princess and the Third Prince—a truly lamentable fate.
Yunxiu nodded. "Consort Rong has always been cautious. This time, she risked everything, acting completely contrary to her usual demeanor."
"Even when she contended for power with Consort Hui, her urgency was unusual. I sensed something amiss... Who would have thought her grudge was against the one in Chengqian Palace?" The Noble Consort sighed. "If the truth is as Consort Rong claims, I wonder if she will also face the Emperor’s wrath."
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, in front of the entire court, Consort Rong had exposed the Imperial Noble Consort’s crimes. While it was a righteous act, it had also disrupted the banquet, leaving the Emperor’s New Year celebrations far from peaceful.
Yunxiu understood Consort Rong’s intentions—private accusations were far less striking than public exposure.
Truthfully, Consort Rong’s exposure of Liu Qin, the treacherous servant behind the scenes, had been a great help to her.
She remarked, "Disrupting the festival banquet will surely result in a deduction of salary. The Emperor has his own scales of justice, but the punishment will likely be symbolic, far from anything crippling."
"You certainly understand His Majesty well," the Noble Consort chuckled, tapping her lightly. "I’m nowhere near as perceptive!"
Seeing the Noble Consort still in the mood for teasing, Yunxiu shot her a glare and sighed, "With all the palace affairs weighing you down, you still find time to come here and chat. I’ll wager Yin'e sees his own mother less often than he sees me."
"..." The Noble Consort immediately protested, "Your tongue is as sharp as ever. Stealing a moment of leisure, what’s the harm in visiting my Ninth Prince?"
After a good deal of banter, the Noble Consort brought up the matter of the one from Yanxi Palace, smirking as she said, "You should have seen Consort Hui’s frantic expression—she practically wished for Liu Qin to drop dead the moment he entered the Punishment Office. So sure of her victory, only to realize she’d been fooled by the Imperial Noble Consort and her servants all this time. The scandal she’s caused now rivals that of the cruel servant mistreating the Eighth Prince."
The Noble Consort had long suspected that Consort Hui had planted spies in the Qianqing Palace, and Liu Qin, the deputy chief eunuch, had been her prime suspect. His behavior during the banquet only confirmed her suspicions.
If Liu Qin were to spill everything, and the Imperial Noble Consort fell from grace, what good would it do Consort Hui in the end?
At this, Yunxiu laughed. "I was wondering how she could be so confident in Fulu’s martial prowess—turns out Liu Qin was pulling the strings behind the scenes. With Mingzhu thriving in court, her stumble is only fair."
"Truly..." The Noble Consort shook her head, at a loss for words. "She’s woven her own trap."
Gradually, the topic shifted from Consort Hui to Mrs. Tongjia.
"With the Imperial Noble Consort on the verge of collapse, and the Tong family already weakened, losing their foothold in the palace will only make things worse for them," the Noble Consort said softly, a faint smile on her lips. "Having such a cousin must be a thorn in the Emperor’s side—who’s to say he won’t turn his displeasure toward the entire Tong family? Tong Guowei will have his hands full."
Yunxiu took a sip of tea and chuckled. "Even without the Imperial Noble Consort, there’s still the second daughter, isn’t there?"
The Noble Consort paused. "They’ve planned this all along?"
"Indeed."
"Would the Emperor allow it?" The Noble Consort’s smile faded slightly as she mused. "Such obvious intentions..."
Yunxiu set down her teacup and said meaningfully, "He may not have had such thoughts before, but after meeting the second daughter, who can say?"
The Tong Residence.
As Tong Guowei paced back and forth in the hall, his wife, Mrs. Hesheli, watched him with a mix of irritation and sorrow. "Stop pacing," she said weakly. "You’re making me dizzy."
Tong Guowei turned to his wife and sighed deeply. "Her Majesty is confined in Chengqian Palace, and you can’t even enter. What’s the use of repeatedly sending petitions to the palace? Save your energy. The Emperor won’t permit it."
At this, Mrs. Hesheli burst into tears, her voice rising sharply. "What do you mean, ‘save your energy’? She’s your own daughter! The niece of Empress Xiaokang! How could the Emperor be so heartless..."
Tong Guowei turned away, silent.
"Father, Mother..." A delicate figure stood at the doorway, speaking softly. "I, too, wish to visit my sister in the palace."
Had Liang Jiugong been present, or any of the old-timers who had seen Empress Xiaokang in her youth, they would have been stunned—
The Imperial Noble Consort’s younger sister, the second daughter of the Tong family, bore an uncanny resemblance to the late Empress Dowager, down to seven parts in ten!
