Chapter 94

Chapter 94

The Grand Empress Dowager was advanced in years and had little energy left to care for the princes, especially the third and fourth princes.

It was highly likely that the Grand Empress Dowager intended to select a prince from the current group of princes to be fostered and cared for by the Empress Dowager. Currently, apart from the Crown Prince, two of the remaining princes had already been taken away.

Consort Hui couldn't sit still at this thought. If her eldest prince were still being raised outside the palace, wouldn't he also be taken away by the Grand Empress Dowager? Who knows what would happen then.

Now that the eldest prince was outside the palace, she had indeed been considering asking the Emperor to bring him back recently. But at this critical moment, if the eldest prince were to return, wouldn't he be targeted?

The eldest prince was the oldest among the princes, and compared to the frail third prince and the newly born fourth prince who might not survive, he was also the healthiest.

The eldest prince must not return at this time!

Yipin was also keeping a close eye on the development of this matter. It could be said that despite her seemingly reckless and indifferent appearance, if she didn't have some confidence, how could she easily be provoked by Rongpin to take the lead?

The Guoluoluo family was currently highly favored by the Emperor, and she did this for the sake of the Guoluoluo family. Her family had sent her younger sister into the palace precisely to give birth to a prince as soon as possible to help her consolidate her position.

But now her sister had only given birth to a princess, and her own belly had shown no signs of movement. The Emperor hadn't visited her recently either.

She was now considered an old-timer in the palace. If she didn't act quickly, when new faces started appearing one after another, and when Consort Rong's beauty faded and her favor waned, she would no longer be as fresh and tender as the newcomers. How could she not be anxious? She could only steel her heart. If the Grand Empress Dowager were willing to intervene, she wouldn't be afraid of dealing with Consort Rong.

But now, what was the outcome? It left her utterly confused. The Grand Empress Dowager didn't trouble Consort Rong, but instead, the third and fourth princes were taken to the Cining Palace.

Did her recent commotion amount to nothing but a futile effort?

Yipin was extremely vexed and couldn't help but vent her anger, smashing and throwing things around, ruining many items. After finally calming down, Yipin looked at the mess on the floor and felt even more annoyed, calling the maids in to clean up.

Wanbi was one of them.

She followed a group of maids, bowing her head as they cleaned up the scattered dressing table and jewelry boxes. When she noticed that no one was paying attention to her, she gently bumped into a hidden groove on the dressing table and then continued cleaning as if nothing had happened.

Until a maid asked in a puzzled tone, "What is this?"

Some powder-like substance had fallen on the floor, and it smelled the same as the scent from the dressing table.

Was it just some dust?

The maid's question drew the attention of the others. Yipin, somewhat displeased, asked, "What's going on?"

The maids collected the fallen powder with a handkerchief and presented it to Yipin. Yipin glanced at it, initially not paying much attention, but the familiar scent caught her nose. Wasn't this the same smell she often encountered while dressing?

"Your Highness, more powder has fallen on the floor." Just as they had wiped it away, more had fallen.

Yipin stood up and walked over, seeing that it was indeed the case. She thought of something and ordered, "You, go and kick it." She pointed to a maid.

Hearing this, the maid didn't dare to delay and stepped forward to kick the dressing cabinet. More powder fell out upon impact. Yipin narrowed her eyes, "Use more force!"

The maid kicked again with more strength, and this time, even more powder fell out.

Now, everyone vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Under Yipin's orders, the maids found the source of the powder and almost dismantled the entire dressing cabinet. They discovered that a section of the partition was almost hollow, filled with the powder to make it appear solid.

Yipin looked at these things, her eyelids twitching uneasily. This dressing table had been in her room since she first entered the palace. Because of its exquisite craftsmanship and the beautifully matching dressing case, which also carried a faint fragrance, she had always loved it and continued to use it.

Previously, because the dressing case had a fragrance, Yipin had been cautious and had someone carefully check if there were any hidden compartments or anything concealed inside.

But after the inspection, since the dressing case was made of sandalwood, it was normal for it to have a natural fragrance. Only then did Yipin feel at ease and continued to use it.

Since the dressing case and the dressing table were both made from a single piece of wood, and replacing them with others might not be as suitable as the original, Yipin had continued to use them.

But the sudden appearance of the powder and the hollow filling touched Yipin's sensitive nerves.

She immediately called for the imperial physician, and at the same time, dismissed the other maids. Upon hearing the news, Le Guiren hurried over to ask her sister what had happened.

However, Yipin instinctively did not tell her sister about her suspicions, instead making up an excuse and sending her sister to see the princess.

After Yipin dismissed Wanbi and the other maids, the other maids couldn't help but secretly discuss what it could be. Was it incense?

Some maids shook their heads, thinking it unlikely. "The sandalwood itself has a natural fragrance. Why would they fill it with incense? That would be redundant."

Wanbi listened without saying a word. Of course, it wasn't redundant. This was a 'special gift' prepared specifically for Yipin.

"Wanbi, what do you think it is?" Seeing Wanbi silent, a maid asked.

"How would I know? You'd better not discuss this now. If Her Ladyship finds out, it won't be good," Wanbi said with lingering fear.

Hearing this, the other maids instinctively covered their mouths.

They knew Yipin had a bad temper and were really afraid she might punish them over this. Wasn't Wanbi an example?

Last time, Wanbi worked hard for Yipin but got no reward and was even deemed useless, gaining nothing. So they all scattered.

Watching the dispersing maids, Wanbi secretly sneered. Yipin's smiling face wouldn't last long.

Since the last injury, Yipin had deemed her useless and found a replacement. Her treatment was much worse than when she was Yipin's personal maid. Originally, she could have endured it.

But with the Imperial Noble Consort deposed, the maids who served the deposed consort in Yikun Palace were also to be scattered and assigned to other places. Being implicated by a deposed consort, where could they find a good place? In the palace, when the master suffers, the servants don't fare well either.

Her sister was assigned to a place that was a bit hard but still bearable. Life wasn't too difficult, except that an old eunuch had taken a liking to her sister and wanted to force her into a secret relationship.

Upon learning this, Wanbi was extremely anxious. Risking Yipin's punishment, she begged Yipin to save her sister. She didn't ask Yipin to transfer her sister to her service, just a word from Yipin to make the old eunuch back off and stop pursuing her sister.

But Yipin ignored her, instead scolding her for making noise and punishing her to kneel outside for the afternoon. Just when she was in despair, her sister told her it was all right because she had tried to seek help from Yonghe Palace, and Consort Rong had arranged everything.

Her sister also told her that Consort Rong was really kind. Initially, she hadn't held much hope, but after learning she was from the deposed consort's palace, Consort Rong told her to wait and then arranged everything. After that, the old eunuch stopped bothering her and behaved much more properly.

Wanbi, however, didn't think as simply as her sister. Although Consort Rong was the deposed consort's sister, it didn't mean she would take extra care of the people who served in her sister's palace. Moreover, having met Consort Rong before, Wanbi didn't believe she was such a kind person.

Sure enough, after some time, Wanbi found a small note in her steamed bun. It didn't say much, just three words: "Dressing table," and a symbol.

Previously, the deposed consort had placed her by Yipin's side, while her sister stayed in Yikun Palace. After the deposed consort fell, her sister was no longer under her control, and Wanbi thought she could live peacefully until leaving the palace.

But the note reminded her that without the deposed consort, there was still Consort Rong. The resources left by the deposed consort had all been taken over by Consort Rong. However, since Yipin had excluded her from close service, there wasn't much left for her to do, and she thought it was all over.

Just as Wanbi anxiously waited for further instructions, nothing happened, and life returned to peace.

Until today, it appeared again—the symbol she had seen on the note before.

Wanbi initially didn't understand what she was supposed to do. She could no longer casually approach the inner chamber, meaning she couldn't get close to Yipin's dressing table. Was she supposed to tell Yipin about the things inside?

That would surely get her killed by Yipin! But if she didn't do it, her sister might...

But then, when Yipin threw a tantrum, smashed things, and called for people to clean up, Wanbi realized it was an opportunity and followed. While cleaning up with the others, she took the chance to open the hidden mechanism.

Actually, the powder wasn't the problem, nor was the sandalwood. The problem was something else.

The hollow was just reserved for easy replenishment of the liquid medicine, which would be absorbed by the powder inside. Replenished every three months, it was completely masked by the natural fragrance of the sandalwood, making it very hard to detect.

Previously, when she was personally attending to Yipin, she didn't need to pass messages to the Yikun Palace. All she had to do was pour the newly prepared medicinal liquid into Yipin's dressing table every three months.

Later, after being disliked by Yipin, Wanbi no longer had the opportunity to approach the inner chamber, so she gradually forgot about this task. She wasn't entirely sure what the medicinal liquid was for, but she slowly began to guess its purpose.

Yipin had never shown any signs of pregnancy since entering the palace, even Le Guiren, who received less favor than Yipin, was able to conceive. Yipin, however, remained without any signs, and Wanbi gradually guessed that it might be due to this substance preventing Yipin from conceiving.

If Yipin were a good mistress, perhaps after the deposed consort fell, she would have turned to Yipin, allowing Yipin to discover the truth. After stopping the medicine and having the imperial physician carefully regulate her health, Yipin might have been able to recover. But given how Yipin treated her, she decided not to tell Yipin, letting her continue in this state.

Now, even if Yipin found out, it might be too late.

Indeed, after the imperial physician came, he left in a hurry, and the candles in the main hall remained lit until dawn.

Yipin didn't sleep all night, and the dark circles under her eyes and her haggard complexion couldn't even be covered by makeup.

Wanbi knew that Yipin must have realized why she had never shown signs of pregnancy.

After finding out, Yipin couldn't make a big fuss. Even if she wanted to find the source, she had to do it secretly, without letting anyone know or guess.

Otherwise, Yipin would only remain a concubine rank, unable to suppress her younger sister, Le Guiren.

Among the concubines who went to pay their respects that day, Yipin wasn't the only one whose makeup couldn't hide her fatigue.

For example, Consort Tongjia and Rongpin.

Consort Tongjia's eyes were still bloodshot. As usual, she paid her respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and sat on the embroidered stool beside her, occasionally speaking and smiling. However, Nanny Wang was no longer behind her; instead, a young palace maid was serving her.

Rongpin fell ill after getting caught in the rain yesterday, but she insisted on coming to pay her respects today, her face still showing signs of illness.

The other concubines instinctively kept their distance from Rongpin, afraid of catching her illness. They didn't feel any empathy for Rongpin's situation; instead, they thought that if Rongpin's third prince could be raised in the Cining Palace, his status would be more prestigious than being raised in Rongpin's palace. It might even earn the Grand Empress Dowager's favor.

Rongpin's family background wasn't particularly outstanding among the concubine ranks. Her father, Gai Shan, was just a minor official. If it weren't for her merit in bearing children, a minor official's daughter wouldn't have the qualifications to hold the concubine rank.

But why did Yipin also look like she hadn't rested well? Was she so angry yesterday that she couldn't sleep?

She had a temper worse than theirs.

At most, they were angry for a while and then let it go.

After all, seeing that Consort Rong, who had been accused, was unscathed while Consort Tongjia and Rongpin suffered, they couldn't help but sigh and then retreated. If even those who could stand up were like this, what could they do?

After staying for a while and noticing that the Grand Empress Dowager was listless, they knew she was impatient and tactfully left. No one dared to ask about yesterday's events, letting it fade away.

But Rongpin didn't leave; she stayed in the Cining Palace, wanting to see the third prince.

Seeing this, Consort Tongjia, who had also intended to leave, stopped in her tracks.

The fourth prince had also been brought over. Now that she no longer had Nanny Wang, she couldn't afford to lose the fourth prince as well. The Grand Empress Dowager couldn't raise two princes at the same time; she would have to choose between the third and fourth princes.

If the Grand Empress Dowager took pity on Rongpin and returned the third prince to her, choosing her fourth prince, then all her efforts to secure the fourth prince's custody would have been in vain.

Immediately, she followed Rongpin's lead and stayed, saying she wanted to see the fourth prince.

"The fourth prince fell ill yesterday, and I am very worried about him. May I see how he is doing now?"

Consort Tongjia's breakdown from yesterday was no longer visible. She wasn't a natural mother, but she could learn. As Rongpin spoke pitifully, she followed suit.

Consort Tongjia wasn't doing well herself, and she couldn't bear to see Rongpin doing well either.

"You need not worry. The third and fourth princes are doing very well. I am old and lack energy, but fortunately, I have Qiqi Ge to help. Both princes are being well taken care of."

The Grand Empress Dowager twirled her prayer beads with a benevolent smile, resembling a devout old lady who practiced vegetarianism and recited Buddhist scriptures, her tone tinged with a hint of contentment.

Qiqige is the name of the Empress Dowager.

Consort Rong, despite her illness, came today with the hope of seeing the Third Prince, but was the Third Prince being cared for in the Empress Dowager's palace?!

For a moment, Consort Rong felt as if she were about to collapse.

"Grand Empress Dowager, the Third Prince has a weak constitution. Every time he falls ill, it is I who accompany him. If he is separated from me, he might not adapt. I just want to see the Third Prince, only then can I, as his mother, feel at ease," Consort Rong said, unable to hold back her tears, her words sincere.

Seeing this, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia also chimed in, "I feel the same way, but the Third Prince is already three years old in nominal age, while the Fourth Prince has not yet reached his first year. Although I am not the Fourth Prince's birth mother, I also wish him well."

Not to be outdone, she wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and tears began to flow. The handkerchief had been prepared with a small trick; if she couldn't cry, a swipe with the handkerchief would make the tears fall continuously.

The Grand Empress Dowager watched as these two women wept in the Cining Palace, as if the princes would not be well cared for after being sent here. Were they doubting Qiqige's dedication to the Third and Fourth Princes?

Especially Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia. Despite her current display of concern for the Fourth Prince, she knew exactly how the Fourth Prince had fallen ill.

Yesterday, to preserve her dignity as the Imperial Noble Consort, her nanny Wang had been made an example of. Today, she dared to put on a show of maternal worry for the Fourth Prince. How absurd.

"What do you think this place is, that you come here weeping and wailing? Do you think the Empress Dowager and I would mistreat the imperial descendants?" the Grand Empress Dowager said displeasedly, tossing aside the newly changed prayer beads, her face showing clear displeasure.

Seeing the Grand Empress Dowager's anger, Consort Rong quickly said, "No, Grand Empress Dowager, I did not mean that. I just miss the Third Prince. Since his birth, he has never been apart from me. Now that he is suddenly separated from me, I feel as if a part of my heart has been ripped out, leaving a void..."

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia, seeing Consort Rong's reaction, was about to join in when Suma Lagu, knowing the Grand Empress Dowager was growing impatient, stepped forward and said, "The Grand Empress Dowager is tired. Imperial Noble Consort and Consort Rong, perhaps you should come another day."

At this point, there was no point in insisting. Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia hadn't really wanted to see the Fourth Prince anyway; she just didn't want to be outdone by Consort Rong. She stood up and, taking the opportunity, pulled Consort Rong up with her.

"Then we shall not disturb the Grand Empress Dowager's rest any longer. We will take our leave now," she said, dragging Consort Rong along as she left.

Consort Rong, weakened by her illness, was also pulled away by Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia.

Once outside the Cining Palace, before Consort Rong could push her away, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia let go of her with a look of disdain, as if afraid of catching her illness, which infuriated Consort Rong. She hadn't even seen the Third Prince yet!

"If Imperial Noble Consort was in such a hurry to leave, why drag me along? I am not as carefree as Imperial Noble Consort. Even if the nanny who served me is gone, the next day you can still smile as if nothing happened..." *Slap!*

Consort Rong was nearly knocked to the ground by the slap, but her maid quickly caught her. "You! You dare hit me?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia sneered as she withdrew her hand, shaking it as if she had just touched something unclean, and scoffed,

"Why wouldn't I dare hit you? You have been disrespectful to me. I am the Imperial Noble Consort, and you are merely a consort. How dare you criticize and mock me? I am of higher rank, and today I am merely teaching you to recognize your place."

How dare a mere Consort Rong mock her? What did she think she was? No matter what, she still held authority in the palace. It was not Consort Rong's place to ridicule her.

Consort Rong, furious, raised her hand to strike back, but Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia raised an eyebrow, "Do you dare to defy your superior?"

If Consort Rong dared to strike, she would be charged with disrespecting the Imperial Noble Consort.

In the end, reason prevailed, and Consort Rong's trembling hand fell back to her side. She was shaking with anger, biting her lip as she said, "I dare not."

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia snorted coldly, then turned and, supported by her maid, boarded her palanquin and left.

Consort Rong watched Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia's retreating figure, her face pale with rage. Her maid cautiously asked, "Your Highness, are you alright?"

But before she could finish, Consort Rong slapped her.

With all her might, Consort Rong struck, "Do you dare mock me too?!"

The maid, who had been slapped, quickly knelt and begged for forgiveness, "I dare not, Your Highness, please forgive me." She had only asked if Consort Rong was alright, how was that mocking her?

The palace maid's face was burning with pain, but she dared not reach out to cover it. Yesterday, the elder sister who was slapped by Rongpin in a fit of anger still had a swollen and red face, even scratched by the nail guard. Who would have thought that today, when it was her turn to serve, she would be slapped by Rongpin again. She was truly suffering in silence.

The quarrel between Consort Tongjia and Rongpin in the Cining Palace was soon known to the Grand Empress Dowager, who said, "Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia is just venting her anger on Rongpin."

Yesterday, she had Suma Lagu take people to kill Consort Tongjia's wet nurse. How could Consort Tongjia not harbor resentment? However, she dared not show it in front of the Grand Empress Dowager, so she could only vent her anger on Rongpin.

Suma Lagu stood by, massaging the Grand Empress Dowager's shoulders.

"My Cining Palace, it seems, won't have peace anytime soon," sighed the Grand Empress Dowager.

Rongpin didn't seem like she would let it go. For the sake of the Third Prince, she would surely come to cry and make a scene every day, and Consort Tongjia would inevitably follow suit.

This was truly... The Grand Empress Dowager felt a headache coming on just thinking about it. She really suspected that the Emperor was deliberately making things difficult for her, his grandmother.

Meanwhile, Consort Liang was also not doing well. She was being relocated without any warning, having to pack her things and move out of Yonghe Palace to...