Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Three months after Tong Jia entered the palace…

Three months after Tong Jia entered, Emperor Kangxi officially granted her the authority to assist in the management of the six harems. Now, Noble Concubine Nianhulu was in charge of palace affairs, with Concubine Tong and Wen Shan assisting.

With this energetic young woman, Wen Shan rolled up her sleeves and got to work, finally returning to her comfortable position as the harem's mascot.

For the first six months, for some unknown reason, Noble Concubine Nianhulu had sent for Wen Shan early in the morning to discuss palace affairs, tormenting her to the point of numbness. She had barely gotten up early since entering the palace.

Empress Nianhulu had already passed away when she entered, so without a Central Empress, there was no need to attend the daily morning and evening visits. Soon after, although Empress Tong Jia was promoted to Imperial Noble Concubine, she was pregnant and unwell, so she was exempted from the duties. Furthermore, after her subsequent miscarriage, she was bedridden, refusing to see even guests, and naturally, it was impossible for them to visit her.

So sometimes, when Wen Shan had some free time, she'd consider her luck quite good; she'd gotten away with it all.

When she first arrived, she'd been depressed for days over the morning greetings.

Unexpectedly, Wen Shan, who'd never paid her respects in a few days, would be singled out by Noble Concubine Nianhulu.

And Nianhulu had her reasons. They were the only two imperial concubines in the palace, so naturally, they had matters to discuss.

Nianhulu even solemnly argued that their ranks were equal, and it wouldn't be easy for her to monopolize power.

Wen Shan's face twisted, and she desperately wanted her to take control.

She'd been doing it for years, so why was she suddenly acting like she'd had a sudden realization?

Later, Yinzhen and the others, fed up with Wen Shan's sleepy days spent imprisoned in Yongshou Palace, manipulated Nianhulu into removing her from the decision-making process.

Wen Shan nearly cried with joy.

"Mother, Concubine Nianhulu is somewhat trying to curry favor with you, but she doesn't have any ill intentions," Yinsi told her. "But since you're not interested in this, please don't bother."

He was overseeing the palace affairs anyway, so Mother could do as she pleased.

Concubine Nianhulu's sudden move was due to the recent rise of Yinzhen and Yinsi, who had gained Kangxi's favor. Concubine Nianhulu's own Tenth Prince was now a shadow of Yinsi, constantly beating him up. His own lack of talent meant Kangxi treated him with indifference, so Concubine Nianhulu naturally wanted to curry favor with Wenshan.

Whether Yinzhen or Yinsi ascended the throne, they would have to rely on Wenshan's wishes.

Wenshan thought, this wasn't currying favor; it was clearly a punishment!

They'd been in the same palace for so many years, and Concubine Nianhulu still didn't understand her at all. If she really wanted to please her, she might as well have given her some jewelry.

The day after Wen Shan finished recounting this, Concubine Nianhulu arrived, ostensibly to thank Yinsi for taking care of the Tenth Prince.

Wen Shan's eyes lit up. "The Nianhulu family is truly wealthy!"

Seeing so much jade and antiques piled together, filling two large boxes, was quite a sight.

She's just such a vulgar person. Let's hit her with more of these vulgar things from now on!

Yinzhen and Yinsi were in when the items arrived; Yinxiang had gone to the Yanxi Palace to visit the pregnant Concubine Min and hadn't returned yet.

"Mother, your family is quite wealthy too." Yinsi came over to take a look. They were indeed fine items, but he wasn't particularly interested. He flipped through them and put them down.

Wen Shan hadn't been to the storehouse lately; Yinzhen and Yinsi had already stuffed dozens of boxes with these things.

The Borjigit clan was indeed a prominent family, but when Wenshan entered the palace as a concubine, her family didn't prepare much jewelry for her. Instead

, they exchanged most of it for banknotes and property deeds. This emphasis on pragmatism was their desire to ensure Wenshan had enough money to live comfortably while alone in the palace.

In later years, her brother Bandi often sent gifts to the capital, but since Yinsi had regained his ability to run and jump, Wenshan had no shortage of money, so he didn't ask for gold or silver, preferring instead Mongolian specialties.

Wenshan even specifically requested more beef and mutton.

The cattle and sheep raised in Mongolia truly tasted far more delicious than those in the capital.

The following year, Bandi sent her three hundred cattle and five hundred sheep, nearly shocking Wenshan to death.

The gift-givers also included Bandi's explanation that the grasslands weren't growing as well as in previous years, so they couldn't select the best ones. He told her to make do with what she had and wait until the next year to send another thousand.

Wen Shan hurried to stop this madness. This was enough to last her more than a decade.

The thought of seven or eight hundred cattle and sheep crammed together numbed her.

She had assumed the bandits would at most send a hundred or so pounds of slaughtered beef and mutton, but who could have imagined they'd send eight hundred of them alive to the capital!

Just the thought of where to place them was enough to give Wen Shan a headache.

Yinzhen and the others didn't think much of it. Gifts between princes and nobles were always like this. Not only were they given to the mother to eat, but most of them were also given as gifts to others. Who would send just a few pounds of beef and mutton from so far away?

Wen Shan thought about it and realized she didn't have many people to give gifts to, so she only slaughtered a few and gave some to the concubines in the harem. There were still a lot left to keep.

Yinzhen told her it was okay. They had gardens in the capital that were more than enough to keep all the cattle and sheep. Whenever Wen Shan wanted to eat, she could have them slaughtered and sent to the palace.

And until now, most of the ones sent by Bandi are still being fed in the garden, and have even bred for several generations.

Wen Shan has a feeling that she will never be able to eat all of them in her lifetime.

When Yinsi mentioned her family background, Wen Shan thought of the hundreds of lively cattle and sheep. If she doesn't eat meat soon, she will be old!

"Yinsi, what you said reminds me. Let's give some of the cattle and sheep sent by your uncle in our garden to Yinzhen's father-in-law's family."

In fact, it seems that her only relatives in the capital are Yinzhen's relatives.

Yinzhen: "..."

He suspected that his mother was just annoyed by the sight of all the beef and mutton that could not be eaten.

Yinsi, always the most supportive of Wenshan's decisions, stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and nodded, saying, "It's almost New Year's Eve. Fourth brother just got engaged this year, so it's only natural for Mother to send some holiday gifts in the first year."

So, Fucha, Majia, and Ulanara each received hundreds of cattle and sheep from Concubine Xuan during the New Year.

Fucha, as the legitimate wife, received an especially large share.

So, this vast herd of cattle and sheep was moved to a new home and raised by these families.

They were all a little puzzled; giving holiday gifts was normal, but giving such lively cattle and sheep was something they had never seen before.

The daughter of Ma Qi, Yinzhen's legitimate wife, was amused when she heard about it, saying that Concubine Xuan was truly a wonderful person.

These matters were always handled by Yinsi. Besides the cattle and sheep Wenshan personally ordered, he also managed the situation very well. Each of the young ladies received two exquisite headpieces made in the palace and a Hetian jade Buddha statue.

In this way, it seems that these jewelry and jade Buddha are the real festival gifts given by Concubine Xuan to her future daughter-in-law, and those cattle and sheep are just given to a few families as a gift to please Concubine Xuan because she was born in Mongolia.

The New Year arrived in a flash, and the palace was bustling with activity. Noble Consort Nianhulu and Consort Tong Jia were in charge of arranging the palace banquet this year, one in charge of the banquet and the other of the singing and dancing. The two of them worked together to prepare the rest of the overall plan. Consort Tong Jia, in her first year at the palace, was incredibly motivated to oversee such a large event.

Although Consort Tong Jia had arrived late and didn't yet have children, her status was already ahead of the other four concubines. At the New Year's Eve banquet, she was seated below Wen Shan.

While others were fine with this, Consort Hui was the most indignant. She had the most seniority and even gave birth to the Emperor's eldest son, yet she was outshined by such a young girl. Was being the Empress's sister any less important?

Consort Hui quickly instigated Consort Ping, who was standing nearby. Of the three Empress' sisters, Consort Ping was the worst-off.

Both Noble Consort Nianhulu and Consort Tong were immediately promoted to Noble Consort upon entering the palace. It seemed likely that Consort Tong would also be promoted to Noble Consort sooner or later. However, Consort Ping, upon her arrival, wasn't even a concubine, but a noble lady. It took years for her to be promoted to Consort. This led Consort Hui to speculate that if there was anyone in the palace who inherently disliked Consort Tong, it would undoubtedly be Consort Ping.

Unexpectedly, Consort Ping's temper had calmed down considerably in recent years, her devotion to the Crown Prince. Ever since the Yun Dai incident, Consort Ping had become even more cautious, fearing she might implicate the Crown Prince, and so she ignored Consort Hui's provocations. After all, the Crown Prince

's affairs were the top priority.

Consort Hui struggled for a long time, finding no one to respond. She didn't have the courage to confront Consort Tong head-on. After all, Consort Hui was no fool. Consort Tong was new to the palace, favored by Emperor Kangxi, and with her good family background, there was no need to confront her now. So, she decided to call it a day.

As the mantis stalked the cicada, the oriole was waiting behind. Concubine Rong, having discovered the secret rivalry between Concubine Hui and Concubine Ping, took advantage of it. Concubine Hui and Concubine Ping already disliked each other over the Crown Prince and the eldest prince, and with Concubine Rong fanning the flames, it was Concubine Ping and Concubine Hui who finally came to blows.

The incident became so serious that even Emperor Kangxi learned of it. He reprimanded both and confined them to their homes for two weeks. Concubine Niohuru, overwhelmed by the New Year's Eve banquet, was also given a feast.

The reason given was poor harem management.

Honestly, even Wen Shan couldn't help but complain about Niohuru. Not to mention her recent busy schedule, this matter was simply beyond her control.

Both were veteran consorts, each with their own whims. It was difficult for Concubine Niohuru to control them, let alone keep an eye on the imperial concubines twelve hours a day, which was unrealistic.

So Kangxi was simply trying to find a pretext to accuse someone.

Who knows what he was thinking, suddenly attacking Concubine Nianhulu?

Nianhulu didn't dare to defend herself, so she inexplicably took the blame.

So in the end, the one who got nothing out of it was actually Concubine Tong, the instigator of the whole situation.

Wen Shan, who had been following the series for two weeks with relish, cracking sunflower seeds like a TV series, exclaimed that the ending was a stroke of genius.

As expected, things are unpredictable, like large intestine wrapped in small intestine.

Yinxiang, the greedy little cat, overheard this and kept asking what large intestine wrapped in small intestine was, and then it was successfully served on the Xianfu Palace dinner table that evening.

Yinxiang devoured it with gusto, explaining that it was a very significant and famous dish he had just learned from Wen Shan.

Yinzhen and Yinsi, returning from their study in the Shangshufang, were completely baffled.

Wen Shan, amused and embarrassed, told them to hurry and eat.

"Yinsi, Liangpin hasn't been feeling well recently. Go see her after dinner. I've prepared something for her. Take it with you."

Wen Shan picked up a piece of food for Yinsi and instructed him.

Yinsi nodded. He knew Liangpin had been feeling poorly recently. She had a minor problem with her legs, and she would be in excruciating pain from time to time. The imperial physician had gone to see her and only told her to rest and not overwork.

"This year, Liangpin's legs aren't so good that she can't walk. Otherwise, Yinsi, you should go and accompany your mother on New Year's Eve. It would be boring for her to stay alone in the palace." Wen Shan thought for a moment and said.

In previous years, because she had so many children, Liangpin and Minpin would come to Xianfu Palace after the New Year's Eve banquet. They would sit around the fire with their three children, chatting and laughing.

But this year, with Liangpin's condition, she might even have to ask for leave to attend the New Year's Eve banquet, let alone stay up all night.

After speaking about Liangpin, Wen Shan couldn't help but think of Minpin.

"Yinxiang, your mother is almost eight months old now, and it's hard for her to move around. It's freezing outside, don't let her fall. How about you go to the Yanxi Palace and keep her and your sister company?"

Yinsi and Yinxiang exchanged a look of unease. If they left, only their fourth brother would be left to accompany their mother.

Yinsi frowned, wondering if there was any way to have the best of both worlds.

Wenshan noticed their hesitation and said with a smile, "Come on, forget it. Just do it. It's only for one year. Since this year is special, we'll make it this way."

Yinzhen nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll be there for your mother."

"Yeah, in two years, when Yinzhen gets married, he won't be able to spend New Year's Eve in Xianfu Palace anymore," Wenshan teased. "You might not even be able to find him then!"

After Yinzhen's wedding, he certainly wouldn't be able to stay up all night in Xianfu Palace anymore. Marriage would mean he had his own little family and officially became an adult, and he wouldn't be able to spend the night with his mother anymore.

Wen Shan had originally intended to be funny, but she actually upset Yinzhen, and then rushed to comfort him. However, the New Year's Eve celebrations were finally settled: Yinsi and Yinxiang would stay with Concubine Liang and Concubine Min, while Yinzhen stayed with Wen Shan in Xianfu Palace.

On the day of the New Year's Eve banquet, Wen Shan had assumed that Concubine Nianhulu, who had hosted palace banquets for countless years, would prepare them in the same orderly manner as before. However, something unexpected happened during the banquet.

The Empress Dowager had been a vegetarian in recent years, abstaining from meat and fish. Noble Consort Nianhulu, mindful of this, had prepared an all-vegetarian meal for the Empress Dowager. However, upon picking up a chopstick, the Empress Dowager detected chicken fat in a stir-fried vegetable heart dish. Her expression immediately changed dramatically, but she held back, fearing it would disrupt everyone's mood due to the fact it was New Year's Eve. However, those seated in the front row caught the Empress Dowager's sudden change of expression, and Wen Shan and Noble Consort Nianhulu, seated at the first table on either side, naturally saw it too. Noble

Consort Nianhulu blanched, fearing something was wrong with the dish.

Because the Empress Dowager was a vegetarian and Noble Consort Nianhulu wanted to show her filial piety, the Empress Dowager's dish was separate and distinct from theirs. Wen Shan could only see that it was a simple stir-fried vegetable dish, which seemed like it should be fine.

Yinzhen and the others who followed Wenshan naturally saw it, and Yinsi whispered, "Mother, is there something wrong with that dish?"

Wenshan was the most knowledgeable about these foods, so she might be able to tell something.

Wenshan shook her head and whispered, "I can't tell anything."

"There are many tricks to cooking, and it's no problem for such a simple dish to be complicated."

So it's hard to tell just by looking at it.

Yinzhen listened and nodded thoughtfully. After a moment's thought, he said, "The Empress Dowager has been practicing vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist scriptures lately, so she can't touch any meat, right?"

Wenshan nodded.

"She hasn't touched any meat for almost five months. They say the master of the Baohua Palace has personally consecrated a copy of the Lotus Sutra. You have to bathe, burn incense, fast, eat vegetarian food, and recite it for six months to accumulate Buddhist karma and ascend to heaven. The Empress Dowager firmly believes in this, and she's almost finished reciting it."

Yinsi narrowed his eyes. "If the Empress Dowager breaks her vows at this time, wouldn't it be a serious sin?"

After hearing this, Wen Shan pondered, convinced herself that

the Empress Dowager would undoubtedly be furious. "That's unlikely. I specifically warned Concubine Niohuru," Wen Shan said. "

The Empress Dowager's dishes for today were also specially prepared, and there was indeed no meat or fish." Concubine Niohuru had also been working hard to ensure the success of this New Year's Eve banquet, even consulting Wen Shan, renowned for her culinary skills. Both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor praised her

dishes. Wen Shan had carefully helped her plan the dishes and had specifically warned the Empress Dowager to avoid any meat or fish, a warning she took careful note of.

Yinxiang, after listening for a moment, said, "That's simple. Someone's plotting."

Concubine Niohuru had clearly considered this possibility

and glared at Concubine Tong. Concubine Tong had just finished toasting Emperor Kangxi with a few auspicious words, and she ignored Concubine Niohuru's scowl.

Concubine Nianhulu cursed inwardly. Judging from the look on Tong Jia's face, it was most likely her who did it. The Queen Mother

didn't touch a single bite of food after that. After sitting for a while, she said she was tired and went back to Ningshou Palace to rest.

Concubine Nianhulu was even more shaky, feeling that something was wrong.

Kangxi naturally saw what was going on but said nothing.

After all, there were so many princes and nobles present.

At the end of the night banquet, Kangxi bestowed festival gifts on the princes, princesses, concubines, princes and ministers as usual.

But this year was obviously different from previous years.

Among all the princes, Yinzhen only had one less jade ruyi than the crown prince, and Yinsi was right behind him with only one less oriental pearl. The two of them surpassed the eldest prince and were the princes who received the most generous festival gifts besides the crown

prince. Similarly, Wenshan's festival gift surpassed Concubine Nianhulu's and was the most generous among the concubines in the harem.

Even Yinzhen's in-laws, Ma Qi, were significantly more present than in previous years.

Kangxi's desire to elevate Yinzhen was obvious.

"A major event this year was the cowpox vaccination method presented by Yinzhen and Yinsi," Kangxi said. "Since its implementation, only a few people have died from smallpox vaccination, a significant achievement for both the country and the people."

Ma Qi and Tong Guowei, as ministers of the Shangshufang and now royal relatives, were also at the palace banquet.

Tong Guowei had been there every year, but this was Ma Qi's first.

Although both were important officials, the New Year's Eve banquet was traditionally reserved for royal princes and relatives. Logically, Ma Qi couldn't attend this year, as he was engaged but hadn't yet married. For example, the Third Prince's in-laws, Dong E, were absent.

This was Kangxi's unique favor to Yinzhen.

Tong Guowei said to Ma Qi, "Congratulations, Master Ma Qi, on finding a fine son-in

-law." Ma Qi waved his hands repeatedly, "Master Tong, I don't deserve your words. How dare we interfere with the princes? My daughter's marriage to the Fourth Prince is a blessing earned in a past life."

How could they, the princes, be picky

? "That's because the Emperor values him," Tong Guowei said with a smile, stroking his beard. "The Fourth and Eighth Princes are now quite favored by the Emperor, and they have always had a deep brotherly bond. It will be a blessing for the Qing Dynasty to have them serve the court together in the future."

This New Year's Eve banquet at Xianfu Palace was a huge success, with numerous rewards showered upon everyone from top to bottom.

After the banquet, Yinsi and Yinxiang went to the residences of Concubine Liang and Concubine Min, respectively. They were so unwell that they hadn't even attended the New Year's Eve banquet.

Kangxi, as usual, was about to go to the Empress Dowager's palace, but unexpectedly, just as he was about to leave, he and Aunt Yu arrived. "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has requested that you and Noble Consort Niohuru go with her today."

Upon hearing this, Noble Consort Niohuru paled.

Kangxi glanced at her subtly.

"I will go with Noble Consort Niohuru to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager in a moment."

Consort Tong, aided by the hand of a palace maid, stood up. On her way, she deliberately passed by Noble Consort Niohuru, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Your Majesty is truly favored by the Emperor. Even the Empress Dowager has personally chosen you to accompany the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to celebrate the New Year."

Noble Consort Niohuru gritted her

teeth. Seeing the triumphant look of little Tong Jia, what was there to be unclear about? She must have been behind

this. Wen Shan couldn't care less. She first sent Yinsi and Yinxiang to their respective mothers before returning to the palace with Yinzhen.

It snowed on New Year's Eve this year, a rare sight. A few snowflakes drifted down the sky on the way back to the palace, and the pavilions, flowers, and plants were covered in a layer of glistening white. Though the weather was so cold that water froze, the scenery was truly a scene of icy glass.

Yinzhen reminisced with Wenshan about the first time he met her in the Cining Palace.

They reminisced for a moment, and Yinzhen suddenly asked, "Do you know when my son first met my mother?"

Wenshan pondered for a moment, unable to recall the exact moment.

"Give me a hint," Wenshan said with a smile.

Yinzhen pursed his lips and smiled, "It was in the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

Wenshan:

Before raising Yinzhen, she had rarely been there. The only time she'd been was when someone from the Borjigit clan came to Beijing, and Kangxi had asked her to meet him.

"Could it be the nineteenth year of Kangxi's reign?" Wen Shan was shocked. She counted the days and said, "You were only two years old then and you already remember things?"

Yinzhen: "Mother, don't you remember this? At that time, you came to the Yangxin Palace to meet the Borjigit clansmen, and your son was studying in the inner palace with the prince."

Although Yinzhen was young at that time, Queen Tongjia never let him slack off in his studies since he was young. At that time, she would also deliberately let Yinzhen and Kangxi get close, so she would let Yinzhen and the prince be together whenever she had the chance.

Wen Shan thought for a long time and finally remembered: "My brother brought some milk tofu when he came that time. The emperor said you and the prince were inside, so I went to deliver a plate."

Yinzhen nodded.

"When you came in, you told the prince that I was young and asked him to be more considerate of me." Yinzhen smiled with pursed lips.

Wen Shan actually didn't remember so many details, but she didn't expect Yinzhen to remember them so clearly.

The two returned to Xianfu Palace and just sat for a while, but they didn't expect Kangxi to come over at this time.