Rong Fei is not honored

In the blink of an eye, it was July of the eighteenth year of Kangxi's reign. In the past few months, Lady Uya gave birth to a prince, who was then taken to Consort Tong's side. However, Lady Uya did not move out of Chengqian Palace.

Chengqian Palace already had Consort Tong and Consort Shen, and now there's a prince and Consort Wuya, making it even more lively.

Emperor Kangxi did not show much importance to the son born to Consort Wuya. He did not bestow a name upon him, nor did he change the imperial genealogy. However, he tacitly allowed Consort Tong to take the child into her care and raised him, and turned a blind eye to her actions of separating him from Consort Wuya.

Opinions within the palace varied on this matter. Some said that His Majesty had stated that only a principal consort was qualified to raise imperial heirs, so Consort Tong's actions were understandable.

However, some have raised questions, pointing out that while it is true that before the birth of Uya, the princes and princesses in the palace lived with their birth mothers, not all of the imperial heirs' birth mothers held the rank of principal concubine.

That was because the princesses didn't bring much value, and Prince Wanfu, who was in poor health, was an even bigger problem. So the princesses simply and generously handed over the imperial heirs to the children's birth mothers, but on the surface, the imperial heirs were still raised by them.

There has never been a case like Tong Fei, who snatched someone else's child and even forbade the biological mother and child from seeing each other.

High-ranking concubines are a minority; most are not entitled to raise children themselves according to the rules. With Consort Tong as a precedent, how could they not worry that their own concubines would follow suit? Even if they are not yet pregnant, it concerns their own interests, so they naturally have to plan ahead.

Therefore, many concubines stood up for Uya in a short time.

No matter how fierce the commotion became, Kangxi remained indifferent and even issued an edict to confine the six palaces in the east and west just before the situation was about to spiral out of control.

Now everyone understood what the Emperor meant, and even those who were unwilling to accept it all quieted down.

By February of the eighteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, what were originally two joyous events had turned into one of sorrow and one of joy.

One incident involved a noblewoman named Nara giving birth to a prince, but the prince died just a few breaths after birth.

Upon hearing the devastating news, Consort Nara fainted from grief and suffered a severe hemorrhage. Although she was eventually saved, she was left with lasting effects and could no longer enjoy the emperor's favor.

It could be said that Wan Fu was all she could hope for in this life, but unfortunately, he was frail and sickly, and didn't look like he would live a long life.

When others received the news, some felt a sense of shared sorrow, while others gloated. But most people were observing the lawsuit between the Nara nobleman and the Hesheli family, or rather, the crown prince behind the Hesheli family.

If Prince Wanfu grows up smoothly and lives to see the most intense period of the struggle for the throne, then there will be quite a show to watch.

Upon hearing the news, Ji Nai did not visit Consort Nara, mainly because Emperor Kangxi had instructed her not to get involved in this mess.

Even though he had never met Consort Nara after the loss of her child, Ji Nai understood her regret and pain. Before the child was born, any feelings could only be limited, which is why Consort Nara chose Wan Fu, who had given so much.

From the very beginning, Noble Lady Nara may have been prepared to lose the child, but the child was saved, which gave Noble Lady Nara's wishful thinking the upper hand.

As the child stayed in her womb longer and longer, Nara Noble Lady's feelings for him deepened, and her guilt grew stronger. But just when she had endured ten months of pregnancy and had the greatest hope, she lost the child.

In particular, this was a prince, not a princess destined to marry far away to Mongolia. Having another son meant having more hope.

Does she hate him? Of course she does. The only uncertainty is who Nara will blame for her grief over losing her son—herself, the Hesheli family, or Jinai?

Ji Nai shared his concerns with Emperor Kangxi, and Kangxi's reaction made Ji Nai realize that this matter was not simple.

"Don't worry, even if she takes her anger out on you, the Hesheli family is still there to protect you."

When Ji Nai pressed for answers, Kangxi refused to tell her directly. Instead, he gave her a test and told her to figure it out herself, promising a reward if she guessed correctly.

Just as Ji Nai was about to use his charm and persistence to get the truth in an easier way, he was stopped by a single sentence from Kangxi.

"This is a perfect opportunity for you to learn. Aren't you feeling uneasy and unwilling to fully trust me? Then you'll have to rely on yourself. Don't worry, there won't be any punishment even if you guess wrong; I will teach you."

The emperor teaching his concubines palace intrigue would be an extremely explosive event, regardless of the dynasty or era.

Ji Nai had no way to refute, and she had to be careful not to be too clever, or she would arouse Kangxi's suspicion. Analyzing the matter of Consort Nara did not give her a headache, but dealing with Kangxi almost made her go bald.

The matter is actually quite simple. After Jinai's incident, Consort Nara's suspicion of the Shanghesheli family was not unfounded, but rather based on some clues. Back then, when Borjigit Qiqige was poisoned, a group of concubines fell and miscarried on the palace road, including Consort Nara.

At the time, Ji Nai thought it was fate, and that it was normal for a child who had never appeared in his previous life to die. No one else cared about the imperial heir who died before birth.

So after a while, almost everyone forgot about those few unlucky guys.

But clearly, they themselves remembered that, whether out of emotion or for personal gain, losing this child made them deeply hate Empress Hesheri.

However, Consort Nara kept this hatred hidden in her heart. Clearly, her choice was correct; no matter how the situation in the palace changed over the years, Consort Nara was never completely forgotten by Emperor Kangxi.

Despite the meager favor she received, she was still a mistress in the Imperial Hospital who could not be treated casually. She seized the opportunity to recover her health and had another chance to serve the emperor, and soon became pregnant with Wan Fu.

However, Wan Fu was in poor health from birth. Noble Lady Nara attributed all of this to the previous miscarriage. She believed that the miscarriage had damaged her body, which was why Wan Fu did not have a healthy physique. She also believed that it was because of Empress Hesheli's wickedness that her child suffered so many misfortunes.

Therefore, it's all the Hesheri family's fault.

Afterwards, Consort Nara, who was originally full of confidence, lost the bet with Consort Rong, and at that time, she had already become suspicious.

Who could do that? Few could do it. Empress Niohuru? Or Consort Tongjia? But they had no children. Now, to target a sickly prince, isn't that too lenient?

Could it be Consort Rong? On the surface, she made a bet with herself, but in private, she was removing obstacles for her child.

With the bet in place, most people's first reaction was naturally that Consort Rong was right; her Wan Fu was in danger, which was why she was unwilling to get involved. This was a case of being blind to one's own shortcomings.

Or perhaps another concubine? But among the concubines, only Consort Hui, who had long fallen out of favor, had children.