binnovel Chapter 93 *The Legend of Zhen Huan* Borjigit Clan 9
Chapter 93 *The Legend of Zhen Huan* Borjigit Clan 9
"Big Fat Orange" spends 7 to 15 nights a month in the harem. Fortunately, he has recently been favoring Zhen Huan, which has caused resentment among the other concubines in the harem. So he has not summoned anyone to serve him in the past few days.
About four or five days later, the Emperor summoned Zhen Huan to his bedchamber again, but for some unknown reason, Zhen Huan was sent back to Suiyu Pavilion. The next day, Consort Hua and her group mocked Zhen Huan relentlessly, but Zhen Huan did not retaliate as usual. Everyone assumed she had somehow offended the Emperor and was now worried about losing favor. However, Yu Xi noticed that Zhen Huan's forced composure couldn't hide the panic in her eyes. She understood what was going on and waited to see what "Big Fat Orange" would do next.
For the next two months, the Emperor did not set foot in the inner palace, nor did he summon anyone to his bedchamber. However, people from the Imperial Medical Academy could often be seen entering and leaving the Qianqing Palace. As time went on, everyone knew that the Emperor's health was probably in trouble. Now, no one had the mind to fight anymore; everyone was worried about the future. Those with children were a little better off, but those without children felt that there was probably no hope for the future.
Yu Xi hasn't been wandering around lately, staying obediently in Zhongcui Palace every day. She can't afford to run into trouble, as she doesn't want to really "die" back in modern times. She also won't let Xia Dongchun come over, and just tells her to stay obediently in Yanxi Palace.
It wasn't until the Empress Dowager summoned the Emperor that the Emperor was brought back to the palace by the Fourth Prince Hongli and the Fifth Prince Hongzhou, who had been raised outside.
She arranged for tutors to teach the three princes, and personally checked the studies of her three second sons every day. There was no hope for the third prince, Hongshi; now she could only nurture the fourth and fifth princes. She also paid more attention to her only daughter, Princess Wenyi, because now there was no need to worry about Consort Hua becoming pregnant again. Therefore, she no longer added musk to the "Joyful Fragrance" given to Consort Hua to prevent it from harming Wenyi. Of course, Yuxi observed all of this through her spiritual power.
The Emperor's long absence from the inner palace, coupled with the series of actions that followed, led everyone to speculate about some things. After the initial panic, everyone began to make plans. Since they could not have their own children, the Fourth Prince, whose birth mother had died young, became the target of their efforts to win him over, especially the high-ranking concubines. If the Fourth Prince were to inherit the throne in the future, he would definitely have to change his imperial status. Since his birth mother was no longer alive, they could still gain status through their son.
The original storyline reveals that the Fourth Prince was inherently intelligent. Even in his humble beginnings, he sought opportunities to break free from his predicament. Now, under the tutelage of renowned teachers, this is even more evident. He understands the motives of the concubines trying to win him over, but he believes that with his own efforts, the other two princes are no match for him. As long as his father, the Emperor, continues to value him, why should he need a "mother"? If a "mother" truly needs to be arranged, then let the Emperor decide. Therefore, he consistently declines the concubines' advances with various excuses.
"Big Fat Orange" has a different way of thinking than others. After observing the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince for two years, although he disliked the Fourth Prince, he had no choice but to choose the tallest among the short. He couldn't just abandon his own son and adopt one instead!
Furthermore, since there were rumors circulating in the court that the emperor's health was failing, in order to stabilize the court, he directly registered the Fourth Prince under the name of Empress Chun Yuan and made him the Crown Prince. This stabilized the court, since as long as the heir was determined, even if something unexpected happened to the emperor's health, the court could smoothly transition.
But the concubines in the harem were furious. How could they be less powerful than a dead person? Especially Yixiu and Huafei. Yixiu hated Chun Yuan to the core. She, the empress, was still alive, and the emperor had registered the fourth prince under Chun Yuan's name. How was she supposed to face that?
Consort Hua felt that the Emperor should love her the most, right? He always knew how much she wanted a child, and now that she couldn't have one herself, he had a ready-made one but didn't even register it in her name. In extreme anger, she thought of Consort Duan, who had caused her miscarriage. And just like that, Consort Duan, who had been chronically ill, suddenly worsened and passed away prematurely. The Emperor found out but didn't pursue the matter; he simply posthumously honored Consort Duan with a grand funeral.
The matter is settled. The Emperor's decree has been issued, and they are powerless to change it. Moreover, everyone now knows that the Emperor has health problems, so they dare not harm those princes. If they are eliminated, the throne will fall to the offspring of the late Emperor's other sons, and their lives will be even more difficult!
They also had to find a way to maintain a good relationship with the Fourth Prince. If the Emperor were to pass away before them, they would have to rely on Hongli to make things better for them. After all, they didn't have any children of their own, and the more they thought about it, the more frustrated they felt.
Life in the palace settled down. Since the emperor no longer visited the harem, the only occasional bickering was when he paid his respects to the empress. Life without any hope was incredibly boring. The most pitiful one was Fang Chunyi, who was still a virgin! The poor thing was destined to remain a virgin for life!
When you're bored, you have to find something to kill time. So you see, people who like animals all go to the cat and dog room and bring one home to keep as a pet. The Imperial Garden also has more beauties strolling around. Yu Xi was extremely bored, so she invented mahjong. After all, mahjong evolved from leaf tiles, so it's reasonable to introduce it a little earlier.
Originally, it was just Yuxi playing with Xia Dongchun and the maids. Later, during a greeting, they chatted and somehow the topic came up. Consort Qi became very interested and joined in. After that, more and more people joined in.
Alright, let's all play mahjong. People of similar status can gather together. If you have a lot of money, play big; if you have less, play small. When we're short of players, who cares about past grudges? At most, we'll just have a few verbal exchanges at the mahjong table.
What's the point of Consort Hua relinquishing her power to assist in managing the six palaces? Let the Empress handle all the worries and toil; isn't she the head of the six palaces? Anyway, the Empress wouldn't dare to reduce her allowance.
Since the Emperor focused all his energy on the court, things have changed. Those who hoped that their daughters entering the palace would bring favor and promotion to their families can no longer count on it; now, they can only rely on the efforts of the men in their families.
Those ministers who never intended to rise through the ranks because of women are now working even harder. They no longer worry about anyone taking credit for their work because of connections within the palace, as the current emperor is fair and just, rewarding merit accordingly. In other words, the current court and harem are in a harmonious and progressive state.
According to the natural succession of dynasties, Hongli succeeded to the throne. In this life, he was probably personally raised by Yongzheng from childhood. In the later years of his reign, he was not as ambitious as in his previous life, nor was he as frivolous. After all, he was afraid of losing his reputation in his later years like his father.
Yuxi lived in Ningshou Palace until his death.