Secrets of Yuqing Palace

As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, the emperor's deep voice came into the hall.

"What middleman?"

Upon hearing the emperor's voice, Concubine Hui's already bad complexion turned pale in an instant.

【Oops! 】

[I was so angry that I forgot the Emperor would come to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager today.]

Although she was worried, she still forced herself to kneel down and salute the emperor along with everyone else.

"I send my regards to the Emperor. May the Emperor be blessed with peace and happiness."

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be blessed with good health."

"Your servant pays respects to the Emperor. May the Emperor be blessed with good health and happiness."

"The daughter-in-law pays her respects to Khan Ama."

The Empress Dowager smiled gently and said, "The Emperor is here."

Kangxi and the princes behind him all bowed to the Empress Dowager to pay their respects.

"My son, please pay your respects to the Queen Mother."

"Grandson pays his respects to the Royal Madam."

"Grandson pays his respects to the Royal Madam."

"Grandson pays his respects to the Royal Madam."

......

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Emperor, please come and sit down."

"Baocheng and Baoqing, quickly get up with your brothers."

Only after Kangxi stood up did the Crown Prince and the other princes stand up.

Kangxi went straight to the seat next to the Empress Dowager and sat down. He looked at the concubines and daughters-in-law who were still paying their respects below and then called out.

After the emperor woke up, he looked at the empress dowager and asked with a smile.

"What was the Empress Dowager talking about with the concubines just now?"

"When I came in from outside, I heard the Empress Dowager talking about misunderstandings and middlemen."

"The Empress Dowager seems a little uneasy."

"But who has made the Empress Dowager unhappy?"

Concubine Hui's face turned even paler.

The Empress Dowager first glanced at Concubine Hui, who was nervous about the attack, then looked at Concubine Yi and spoke in a gentle voice.

"Concubine Yi, you are very eloquent, so please tell His Majesty."

Concubine Yi bowed slightly and said, "Yes, I obey your order."

Then Concubine Hui heard Concubine Yi's excited expression as she told the emperor word for word the conversation she had just had with the Crown Princess. She wanted to tear Concubine Yi into pieces!

After hearing this, the emperor's face immediately darkened.

"Concubine Hui, is what Concubine Yi said true?"

Yinreng looked at the young wife beside him, gave her a thumbs up in his heart, and then winked at her.

The meaning is clear.

【Xiaofujin performed very well! 】

"Of course!" Wanyu raised her head proudly.

At this time, no one noticed the flirting between the two, and everyone's attention was on Concubine Hui.

Especially the eldest prince Yinzhi, who knew that what his mother had just said was taboo, so he looked at Concubine Hui anxiously.

Concubine Hui's face turned pale and she stammered, "Your Majesty, I...I didn't mean anything else."

"I am just expressing my concern for the Crown Princess as an elder."

"Besides, I also think that everyone will be happy if the Crown Princess gives birth to a legitimate son. As the emperor's father, the emperor should also be happy."

Kangxi snorted coldly, "The Crown Princess's elders are only me and the Queen Mother. You are just the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess's concubine's mother, not a proper elder."

"Concubine Hui, recognize your identity!"

The Queen Mother nodded in agreement.

Strictly speaking, the only legitimate elders of these princes and princesses are the empress dowager, the emperor, and the emperor's three wives.

As for the biological mother of the prince and princess, she can only be regarded as a servant of the royal family.

Even if the princes and princesses recognize their maternal families, they are still the families of the emperor's three legitimate wives, not the families of their biological mothers.

At this time, Concubine Hui had lost all her dignity and face, and she hated Concubine Yi and the prince and his wife very much.

Even Yinzhen felt that Khan Ama was too harsh on his mother.

He thought angrily: [Isn’t my stepmother an elder?!]

[The Crown Princess is now disrespectful to her elders, why doesn't Khan Ama reprimand her?]

【Khan Ama is partial to the prince.】

【hateful!】

Yinreng glanced at Yinzhi who was kneeling beside Concubine Hui, with disdain flashing in his eyes.

[What kind of person is this? A mere slave, yet you think you are worthy enough to be my elder!]

"Khan..." Yinzhi just raised his head and wanted to speak to Khan Ama on behalf of his mother when he saw the disdain in Yinreng's eyes. He immediately became furious and wanted to rush over to beat him up, but his thoughts were interrupted by his father.

Kangxi looked at Yinzhen expressionlessly.

"Yinzhi, as the oldest prince, you should be able to distinguish right from wrong and set a good example for your younger brothers!"

"As a prince, you should focus on your studies and government affairs, and help me, the Khan, relieve my worries as soon as possible."

"Instead of getting involved in the affairs of the women in the harem, it's so petty!"

Seeing Khan Ama's cold eyes, Yinzhi lowered his head and clenched his fists, trying hard to hide the unwillingness and hatred in his eyes.

"Yes, son, I understand."

[It's like this again! It's like this again!]

[Whenever something happens to the second brother, Khan Ama always sides with him! ]

[Khan Ama, why do you treat me like this? I am your eldest son! ]

If he wasn't a legitimate son, how could the position of Crown Prince have fallen on him?

Kangxi did not directly order punishment for Concubine Hui, but simply called her up with an expressionless face.

Thinking that today was New Year's Eve and it was not appropriate to punish her today, he kept the matter in his heart.

Just wait until after the Spring Festival to punish!

When Yinzhi saw that Khan Ama did not punish his mother, although he still felt uncomfortable, he was relieved that his mother was fine.

However, Concubine Hui felt extremely regretful.

Even Concubine Yi and other old palace officials who knew the emperor well were gloating.

Everyone knows that if the emperor issues an order to reprimand and punish Concubine Hui today, the matter will be over.

If the emperor does not say anything at this time, it means that the emperor has kept this matter in mind and is waiting for the right opportunity to punish severely.

After the Emperor brought the princes to the Empress Dowager's Ningshou Palace, the people around the Empress Dowager had already arranged for the meal.

In order to show his filial piety, the emperor arranged to have breakfast on New Year's Eve in Ningshou Palace this year.

In addition, all the masters in the palace, big and small, would come to Ningshou Palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, and then have breakfast there, so that the Empress Dowager could have a lively New Year's Eve.

As for the New Year’s Eve dinner, it was arranged in the Qianqing Palace and was also a family dinner.

There were no ministers or ladies from outside the royal family attending. All who attended were royal relatives and masters of all ranks in the palace.

Although it was just breakfast, the Empress Dowager was very attentive, especially to the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess.

It was Su Malagu who ordered the chief eunuch and maids of Ningshou Palace to arrange it.

According to different grades and specifications, the dining tables of Kangxi and the Empress Dowager were the most sumptuous, with a total of twenty-one dishes!

The meal includes 1 dish of yellow rice, 1 dish each of bird's nest hanging oven duck, hanging oven meat, and game hot pot, 1 dish of bird's nest hibiscus duck hot pot, 1 dish of evergreen wine stewed duck hot pot, 1 dish of Eight Immortals bowl bird's nest apple sashimi fat chicken, and other 17 hot dishes.

As well as one piece of bamboo-rolled steamed bun on an enamel plate, one piece of sweet potato on an enamel plate, one piece of rice cake on an enamel plate, and one piece of side dish in an enamel sunflower box.

Next are the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, and then in descending order.

As the rank gets lower, the variety of food on the table becomes much smaller.

The concubines and other concubines each had a curtained table, and tea was served in different levels, including green dragon yellow bowl dishes, and red bowl dishes.

Each table also has 1 piece of yellow rice, 2 pieces of steamed buns, 3 pieces of meat, 1 piece of mixed meat, 2 pieces of silver snail box side dishes, etc.

Unlike everyone else who were eating with great relish, Concubine Hui, Concubine De and the Fourth Lady ate without any appetite because they had something on their minds.