The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

October 1st is Yunxiang's birthday, while Shouen was born on September 7th. At that time, Qingwan was still in her postpartum period, so she didn't join in the celebration.

Yunxiang specifically instructed that no one should disturb her, and she was happy to have some peace and quiet. For a time, the huge garden was left with only her and Shouen, who was not yet a month old.

Only a few young maids who had returned from the manor chatted and laughed about how lively the manor was.

After her confinement period ended, she had people escort her back to the palace.

She gestured for the waiting people to rise, and without keeping them to speak, she simply told them to return to their rooms.

Life continued in this routine, except that she would occasionally visit Moyaqi.

However, there were many things to do at the end of the year. Kangxi was busy with the sacrificial ceremony, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was laid to rest in the underground palace, Yongzheng was busy, and Yunxiang was busy with him. Qingwan could not see this person for more than ten days.

Sometimes I vaguely feel that someone has returned at night, but when I wake up in the morning, they are nowhere to be seen.

Later, the seriously ill Consort Nian stayed at the Yuanmingyuan to recuperate. Qingwan was stunned for a moment. Now that she had returned to her residence, she should have gone to visit her if she were still in the garden.

These days, the most talked-about topic is the Nian family's imprisonment, which was once extremely popular. Even without making a special inquiry, news about the Nian family would inevitably reach Qingwan's ears.

For example, Nian Gengyao's father, who was reprimanded, had his eldest son Nian Xi, who had already passed away, arrested Nian Gengyao's adult sons Nian Fu, Nian Bin, and Nian Xing, who were in Beijing. At the same time, Nian Shou and his five sons and eight daughters in Hangzhou were also arrested. Even Ruan Yangjing, a military officer in Sichuan who had once adopted Nian's son, was investigated.

One of Nian Gengyao's daughters, who was already engaged to the Kong family in Shandong, had the engagement broken off immediately after Nian Gengyao's downfall.

Even Nian Xiyao was despised by Yun Si and the people of the Ministry of Works because of his relationship with Nian Gengyao.

She only regretted that the girl's family had committed a crime and her husband's family was not harmonious; what would happen after the engagement was broken off?

"Madam, we should go now."

Qingwan nodded. She had already submitted a memorial to the Empress and gone to the palace to pay her respects. She also brought back Ganjur, who had been staying in the palace for more than half a month.

Everything was going smoothly until a small incident occurred: he met Su, a concubine of Emperor Yongzheng who had just been appointed as a concubine in Yongshou Palace.

She had never met Consort Su before. She only learned who she was after Li Guotai, who was leading the way, greeted her. Logically, Consort Su should not accept her greeting, so she only nodded in acknowledgment.

Yongshou Palace and Zhongcui Palace are not in the same direction. It's unclear how she ended up running into them, but Consort Su didn't give Qingwan a friendly look, sullenly greeting her before leaving.

There's a difference between inside and outside. Right now, she's the wife of a prince, and Su Shi has agreed, but who knows what will happen in the future? She raised her eyebrows slightly but didn't say anything.

After a while, Li Guotai said, "It was because the Imperial Noble Consort was unwell that the Empress specifically instructed that no one in the inner palace should spread the news of the Nian family to Yanxi Palace."

But Su Yingying just…” Li Guotai didn’t finish his sentence, but Qingwan already understood.

Because the Consort was critically ill, Emperor Yongzheng issued an edict to confer upon her the title of Imperial Noble Consort. However, the edict stipulated that if anything happened, all the ceremonies would be in accordance with those for an Imperial Noble Consort. This edict, which was also intended to bring good fortune, was less warm than Emperor Kangxi's edict conferring the title of Empress Xiaoyiren. However, Emperor Yongzheng and Emperor Kangxi treated the women of the harem differently.

"So the Empress is angry with Consort Su and doesn't want to see her. You came to the palace today to pay your respects to the Empress, so Consort Su is bound to feel resentful. Please bear with her."

Qingwan only said, "Father-in-law, you're too kind."

The emperor's woman was not one to be expected to take care of him.

When the lights were lit at night, Yunxiang returned to his room and said to Qingwan, "You're back early today."

Yunxiang laughed and said, "What are you saying? It's getting late."

Qingwan smiled and said, "It's been quite a while since I've seen you come back before bed."

Yunxiang sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and had someone massage his feet. Once they were relaxed a bit, he said, "I'm leaving the capital tomorrow, and it will probably be less than a month. Have someone help me pack my things."

The people around Qingwan were used to doing the work of packing Yunxiang's things, and with just a glance from her, they all sprang into action.

"With your health, His Majesty is actually willing to let you go out of the capital to do business in the dead of winter."

"What are we going out of the capital for?" Qingwan sat down beside him, letting Muxiang and the others pack their clothes.

Yunxiang grabbed her hand and squeezed it, vaguely avoiding the question of what he was doing, and laughed, "You just gave birth to Shou'en, and you already complain that my body isn't healthy enough. Why don't you test my body again to see if it's really healthy?" After saying that, his face turned pale.

The maids inside didn't dare look at his face, nor did they know that his expression had changed. They laughed silently. Qingwan also assumed that leaving the capital was a confidential and important matter that couldn't be told to outsiders, so she didn't ask any further questions. She rolled her eyes at him and spat, "Aren't you ashamed?"

The group moved quickly. After a brief conversation, Yunxiang returned from washing up, leaving only the two of them in the room.

Yunxiang said he would leave the capital tomorrow, but he wasn't in a hurry to sleep. He sat under the candlelight, looking at something, sighing deeply.

Qingwan couldn't sleep anyway, so she simply asked him, "Why are you sighing?"

"You know about the Nian family, right?" Yunxiang also got up and walked to the bedside.

Qingwan gave up her spot by the bed: "I've heard quite a bit these days. Isn't Nian Gengyao still being punished?"

"Yes. He can't escape death in the end, and his family won't escape it either. It's just that His Majesty's intention is to execute both Nian Xialing and Nian Xiyao together."

Qingwan exclaimed in surprise, "The Nian family are Manchus."

The Nian family joined the Manchu banner system after the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains. Although they still retained a Han surname, they were legitimate Manchu banner members. Since there were few Manchu banner members, they were rarely implicated. Nian Gengyao was guilty, but his crimes did not warrant this punishment.

Yunxiang naturally understood her implication and said with a headache, "Fourth Brother acted impulsively this time. Moreover, the Nian family is, after all, the Eighth Prince's maternal family. Even if you care about the Eighth Prince, you shouldn't have gone so far as to exterminate the Nian family."

He's going to punish both Nian Xialing and Nian Xiyao right now, and he'll definitely regret it later.

I intend to protect the Nian family father and son; the memorial is already written. My only worry is that my fourth brother is currently in a fit of anger, and if I speak up, he will become even angrier, which would be counterproductive.

"If even you can't persuade him, who in the entire court can persuade His Majesty?" Qingwan recalled the news she received from Empress Cong when she entered the palace today, and said, "When I entered the palace today, I heard the Empress say that the Imperial Noble Consort is on the verge of death. The Prince has submitted a memorial, which may give His Majesty a way out."

"The Imperial Noble Consort is, after all, the birth mother of a prince, and has served His Majesty for so many years. And given that this is happening at this crucial juncture, His Majesty will likely show leniency out of consideration for her."

Yunxiang nodded: "I hope so." He was also worried that if Yongzheng insisted on executing everyone in the Nian family except Nian Gengyao, he would not only regret it later, but also cause future generations to talk about him as cruel and ungrateful.