Changsheng: Peak at the Beginning

Chapter 1122 Zhen Huan Enlarged to 48

The newly appointed Concubine Xin and Concubine Fu were not fools. Seeing that Concubine Qi was more respected in front of Big Fat Ju than Concubine Shun, they understood the importance of respecting the Queen. So after receiving the oral instructions from Jiang Fuhai and Jianqiu and the gifts from Jingren Palace, they quickly packed up their things and went to Jingren Palace to express their gratitude.

Knowing that the two of them might be more concerned about the issues behind the promotion, Jiang Xinxin readily accepted the gifts they sent and directly talked about the process of the promotion:

"Today, I went to the Yangxin Palace and talked about the upbringing of the three princesses. I suggested that the three princesses be raised together by the concubines. This way, the problem of the princesses being controlled by the nannies can be avoided. The emperor thought what I said made sense and agreed to it."

"Later, I mentioned that your rank was lower than that of the new concubines in the palace. The emperor promoted you to Noble Lady Xin for the sake of Princess Shuhe's reputation. Concubine Fu also took advantage of Princess Shuhe and Noble Lady Xin. After all, good things come in pairs."

The two of them stood up and thanked her. Jiang Xinxin hurriedly called out to them, feeling a little uncomfortable with their enthusiasm.

Concubine Xin was really grateful to Jiang Xinxin and she wished she could go back and offer a longevity tablet for Jiang Xinxin.

She couldn't go to Princess Shuhe often, at most twice a month, especially since she was just an unpopular maid before, and she couldn't do anything even if she knew that Princess Shuhe was being treated harshly by the nanny. She even had to cover up for those damned people, otherwise if she couldn't hit them in one go, she had to guard against them from torturing Princess Shuhe even more.

When Concubine Cao received the oral decree that Princess Wen Yi was officially renamed Princess Wen Shu, she felt like she had lost her parents. She also discovered that Princess Wen Yi's name in the past did not avoid the Empress' maiden name, Yi Xiu. It might have been fine if no one had mentioned it before, but now that Fatty Ju had personally sent someone to read the oral decree, how should the world view Princess Wen Shu now?

Yin Xiu, the senior maidservant beside Concubine Cao, was quite capable. She quickly helped Concubine Cao up and gave her advice: "Your Highness must pack up quickly and go to Jingren Palace to apologize. We can't ask the Queen to give up our Princess Wenshu!"

Things would always be different for Concubine Cao once she met the princess. She took a few deep breaths to clear her mind and said, "You are right. I must go to Jingren Palace to apologize. I cannot let the Empress be obsessed with Princess Wenshu."

To Concubine Cao, the Queen was not a good person, so she quickly packed up the most valuable things she had and took them all to Jingren Palace.

As soon as Jiang Xinxin heard that Concubine Cao had come to apologize, she knew what was going on. However, she did not meet Concubine Cao. She just asked Jianqiu to accept the gift from Concubine Cao as an apology.

Jianqiu understood the spiritual meaning, so she was very respectful when facing Concubine Cao, "Your Majesty has been tired today and is resting now. But no matter what Concubine Cao said, it is probably out of a loving mother's heart. Please rest assured, Concubine Cao, you have lost a child yourself, and you are the most soft-hearted towards the princes and princesses. Princess Wenshu will have a good future."

Without seeing Jiang Xinxin, Concubine Cao still couldn't feel completely at ease. However, this was Jingren Palace, and Princess Wenshu had offended Jiang Xinxin because of her previous name. If she continued to pester her, it would only cause Jiang Xinxin's disgust. So Concubine Cao walked out of Jingren Palace, looking back every few steps.

Seeing Concubine Cao's expression, Huichun curled her lips in annoyance: "What does Concubine Cao mean by this expression? Is she trying to take this opportunity to accuse the Queen of being unkind?"

Jianqiu glared at Huichun unhappily and said, "Don't worry about what Concubine Cao means. After all, Her Majesty is too lazy to argue with them, so let's not act on our own."

The changes in the harem could not be hidden from Shoukang Palace, Ningshou Palace and Cining Palace. The Imperial Noble Consort just thought that these were the responses of the Queen Jiang Xinxin. Although she didn't quite understand what her intentions were, they were all very happy that Ningshou Palace was about to welcome Princess Shuhe and Princess Wenshu to school.

Not to mention other things, just by accepting the education of these two princesses, the rewards for festivals in the palace can at least double. What's more, the reputation is also good, and the various filial piety from ladies outside the palace will surely be more.

However, Concubine Shu felt that something was wrong, so when Concubine Wan came again, she acted kindly to Huanbi again and agreed to Concubine Wan's request to send Concubine Xianduan's confidant Jixiang to Yiku Palace.

The movements between Concubine Shu and Noble Lady Wan were being watched by other concubines in Ningshou Palace. Concubine Shu was especially favored during the late emperor's later years and she had blocked the way for countless concubines. Now everyone was polite to her because they thought that the late emperor must have left a way to save the lives of them and their son. Therefore, they did not dare to provoke her easily and just turned a blind eye.

But the situation is different now. Concubine Shu is not a quiet one, and Concubine Wan is also a superficial person. Who knows what earth-shattering things they can do when they are together? What if they are implicated?

The Imperial Noble Concubine really figured out a lot of clues from her gaze. She quickly asked someone to report to Jingren Palace secretly, but she was still a step too late. Jixiang had successfully sneaked into Yikun Palace with the help of Concubine Shu and came before Concubine Nian who was about to give birth.

Jixiang is also a ruthless person. It is obvious that Concubine Duan did not value her very much during her lifetime, but she still regards herself as Concubine Duan's close confidant. She accidentally revealed the fact that Concubine Nian's Huanyi incense was made by Dapangju with musk added, and she also revealed the fact that the child that Concubine Nian had aborted in the palace was not loved by his biological father.

Concubine Nian knew that she was in a difficult situation. Even though she was trapped in the Yikun Palace, she was still proud of Da Pangju's feelings and protection for her. But Jixiang swore that he was so sure and could verify all the details one by one, leaving her no choice but to believe him. What's more, there was no one left in her Nian family now, and she felt that there was no point in living, so she really had to give birth soon.

But Jixiang would not let Nian Shilan have the chance to give birth safely. Taking advantage of the chaos in Yikun Palace, she broke free from the clamp and inserted a hairpin directly into Nian Shilan's throat. Even though her neck was twisted by Zhou Ninghai afterwards, when she fell down, she seemed to see the scene where Nian Shilan was declared dead by the imperial physician, and she could not help laughing.

The news of Concubine Nian's assassination in Yikun Palace shocked the entire harem and the court. Jiang Xinxin immediately suspected Concubine Shu. Moreover, she was sure that Concubine Shu and Prince Guo's mother and son were not innocent in the matter of Concubine Wan, so she did not cover up for them at all and told Dapangju all the news that the Imperial Concubine told her.

Dapangju did not expect that Concubine Shu and her son really had rebellious intentions. They directly announced the identity of the palace maid Jixiang, exterminated her three clans, and punished Concubine Duan's maiden family, Qi. However, the people from the Sticking Rod Office soon followed the clues and implicated Concubine Cao and Noble Lady Wan. Dapangju took a deep breath, made Concubine Cao die of illness, changed Princess Wenshu's jade book to make her the daughter of Concubine Jing, demoted Noble Lady Wan to a concubine, stripped her of her title, moved her out of Chengqian Palace, and confined her to the east hall of Jingyang Palace.