Chapter 102

Chapter 102

The titles of concubines are also a matter of great importance, and generally, they are not changed without a major reason.

If the changed title is not as good as the previous one, it naturally becomes a subject of ridicule.

Unless the Emperor bestows a new title that is more prestigious than the previous one, or if there is a promotion without an additional title, which would make others envious, other situations would be considered laughable among the concubines.

Moreover, the character 'Xian' is truly not as good as the character 'Rong'.

The character 'Xian' signifies gentleness and elegance, dignity and not frivolity.

The former Rongpin had no connection to the character 'Xian'.

Not to mention that it can also be pronounced like 'dislike'.

As for the attitude towards Lady Xian in the palace, the newcomers aside, the seasoned palace servants have had many conflicts with Lady Xian, viewing her as the most formidable opponent.

Not because Lady Xian was favored, but because of her fertility.

At that time, nearly half of the princes were born to Lady Xian's womb. If not for the fact that only the third prince survived, with several princes, she could have secured a high rank early on, and it's uncertain whether the current position of Imperial Noble Consort would still belong to her.

Many people secretly resented Lady Xian at that time, as she did not receive much favor, yet her womb was incredibly fertile, almost swelling once a year, making others appear inferior.

Many concubines were openly and secretly inquiring whether Lady Xian had some secret recipe.

Lady Xian infuriated everyone by claiming there was no recipe, it was all by chance, and could not be rushed.

That feigned indifference while subtly boasting was truly maddening.

If not for the fact that the princes born to Lady Xian were not very healthy and died one after another, she might have been on par with Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia.

This was something they were thankful for.

No matter how fertile the womb of a person without fortune is, the fortune still cannot be kept.

Now that Lady Xian has fallen to this state, it can only be said that the harem is truly fickle.

The servants' thoughts were much simpler: well, Lady Xian has changed her title, making it easier to gossip.

The change from Rongpin to Lady Xian had the most significant impact on Uya.

Because in Uya's impression, Rongpin was later promoted to Rongpin, and for decades after, her title never changed, always remaining Rongpin.

Previously, Uya could console herself that although some small things had changed, the overall direction would not change much.

But now that the fourth prince, who was originally raised by Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia, has been taken in by the Empress Dowager, it's already a done deal, and then Rongpin became Lady Xian.

Since her rebirth, these events combined can no longer be considered minor.

Uya, who had previously been a Virtuous Consort for decades and then a Dowager Empress, had developed a calm demeanor, but as things became increasingly uncontrollable, she could no longer remain composed.

How could she remain composed!

But limited by her current status as a lowly noble, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia restricted her from going out, and her access token couldn't even get her out of the Jingren Palace.

Uya calculated the time and was horrified to find that she had not seen the Emperor's face for a long time, and the last time they met, the Emperor might have already forgotten about her.

She must find a way, otherwise, how long will she remain in the position of a noble?

If Rongpin could become Lady Xian, what about her position as Virtuous Consort? Could that also change?

This was a complete shock to Uya.

The idea of being overshadowed by Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia forever was unbearable for Uya.

But what could she do to get the Emperor's attention,...

As Uya pondered, she suddenly thought of something, and her eyes lit up instantly, glowing with a fierce determination.

In the eighteenth year of Kangxi's reign, earthquakes frequently struck the area around the capital, even affecting the capital itself. Numerous homes were destroyed, and countless lives were lost. Even the palace was heavily damaged, causing great losses.

The Emperor even issued an edict of self-blame to comfort the people.

If she could warn the Emperor and help him prepare, though buildings might still fall, the loss of life could be minimized. The Emperor would not need to issue an edict of self-blame!

Such a huge accomplishment might allow her to rise to a high position, perhaps even regain her previous noble status.

If she let this chance slip, there might not be another like it.

At this idea, Uya couldn’t contain her excitement.

But, how could she tell the Emperor?

Not only was it hard for her to see the Emperor, but even if she could, she couldn’t just tell him an earthquake was coming and he should prepare.

If she did, she’d probably be labeled a lunatic or a witch spreading lies.

Even if the earthquake happened and she was right, she might not live to see the rewards.

Uya muttered to herself, her earlier joy turning into anxiety, as if a treasure was placed before her, but she couldn't immediately claim it.

Besides, even if she was right, how could she explain how she knew? It was a tricky problem.

Could she claim she’d been reborn and lived a second life?

No, that would make her look like a freak.

Plus, her rebirth was her secret, and she couldn’t let it out.

Otherwise, even if the Emperor didn’t think she was a monster, he’d know she’d lived a full life and was now young again.

What she feared most was being exposed.

If her secret got out, how could the Emperor still care for her?!

At most, she’d keep her title, but she also needed a son.

What could she do? She couldn’t reveal her secret, but she had to warn the Emperor about the earthquake.

Uya was torn—she wanted to use her knowledge to her advantage but couldn’t risk exposing her secret.

If she didn’t tell the Emperor herself and let someone else do it, how could she be sure they wouldn’t take the credit?

That’s just how people are, and Uya didn’t trust anyone.

Yet, such a great opportunity was before her, and Uya couldn’t bear to give it up.

Moreover, in the Jingren Palace, there was Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia and the scheming Consort Liang, always ready to act, forcing Uya to stay vigilant. In the Yonghe Palace, Yun Hua was happily telling Consort Rong about Lady Xian's change of title. Her expression was particularly animated as she spoke, and Qinxin couldn’t help but smile beside her.

This is actually great news.

Lady Xian had beef with our mistress before. During the locust flower incident, our mistress broke out in red rashes all over her skin and even had trouble breathing—it was serious.

In the end, Lady Xian just got a few days of house arrest—no big deal.

Just a few days ago, she had the nerve to show up at Yonghe Palace, using our mistress as a pawn to wait for the Emperor, and tried to stir up trouble in front of him. She didn’t get anywhere and got chewed out by our mistress.

But honestly, the title issue that day was hard to overlook. The pronunciation was identical—that was the real issue.

Luckily, we don’t have to sweat it anymore.

"Hmm," Su Yi muttered flatly, not showing much of a reaction.

"Your Highness, aren’t you thrilled? This is awesome news," Yun Hua asked, puzzled by her mistress's overly calm reaction.

"Wow," Su Yi faked an over-the-top smile, then dropped it instantly.

Like they say, she was just humoring them.

Yun Hua: ....

Qinxin: ....

This was worse than staying quiet. Our mistress was kinda half-hearted.

Consort Rong’s chill reaction made them think they’d overreacted. It wasn’t that big a deal, really.

Yun Hua and Qinxin’s excitement slowly fizzled out, and they went back to normal.

Su Yi, kinda bored, fiddled with a cat toy she’d made, which looked more like a fishing pole. It didn’t take much—just a flick to get the cat going.

The teaser always pulled back just as the cat lunged.

It’s just a title—no biggie. Just a name.

Whether it changes or not, why get excited?

Su Yi’s after something else entirely.

She’ll figure out how to get what she wants. She can’t hurry—her opponent’s too sly, so she’s gotta take her time.

Facing a suspicious and scheming opponent, playing the fool to catch the tiger, although cliché, is quite effective.

Su Yi's lips curled slightly, seemingly very happy from playing with the cat.

Liang Jiugong felt that he was becoming more and more skilled. Serving by the Emperor's side, he could understand the Emperor's intentions just by the tone of his voice, and he was becoming more and more adept at it.

Whatever the Emperor said, Liang Jiugong immediately knew what the Emperor wanted to hear, which made him feel somewhat inflated inside.

For example, after Lady Xian changed her title, the Emperor wanted to know what Consort Rong's reaction was, but he didn't directly ask. It was Liang Jiugong, being the perceptive one, who knew to pick the right moment to tell the Emperor.

Additionally, he had to slightly embellish Consort Rong's reaction with words to please the Emperor, maintaining a balance that also made his own life easier.

After all, if you don't know how to embellish a bit, it's Liang Jiugong who would end up unhappy.

As for the skill of speaking, if someone else were to do it, they really couldn't manage it so easily.

Rongpin, oh no, now Lady Xian, it must be said, even Liang Jiugong felt a sense of relief after knowing about it.

Lady Xian's slap showed no regard for his dignity, and even though he was a servant, he was the Emperor's servant, and it wasn’t Lady Xian’s place to discipline him.

Liang Jiugong remembered this incident, and perhaps one day he would be able to return the favor to Lady Xian.

The change of Lady Xian's title was actually quite unexpected for Liang Jiugong.

The change of Lady Xian's title was clearly due to Consort Rong.

Otherwise, everyone’s titles remained unchanged; only Lady Xian’s was altered.

Liang Jiugong was the most certain about this.

A few days earlier, while cleaning up the discarded papers on the ground, Liang Jiugong noticed other words.

'Chen', 'Wen', but they were all crossed out and crumpled into balls and thrown away.

Liang Jiugong didn’t deliberately open them; he merely glimpsed them, and then they were gone, turning into discarded paper balls on the floor, only vaguely seeing some words.

At the time, he didn’t dwell on it, but now, thinking back, perhaps during those days, the Emperor was considering altering Consort Rong’s title to something else.

The character 'Wen' was standard, but 'Chen' was something else entirely. Since the dynasty’s founding, even the late Emperor’s beloved Empress Xiaoxian, at the peak of her favor, had never used the character 'Chen' as a title.

Only Emperor Taizong’s Consort Minhui Gonghe Yuan had used the character 'Chen' as a title during her lifetime.

Not only was her status in life second only to the Empress, but Emperor Taizong even created the rank of Consort Chen specifically for her, elevating her above all other consorts.

Even in death, she was honored as Consort Minhui Gonghe Yuan, with 'Yuan' signifying the original Empress, a title typically reserved for the Emperor’s first Empress, not even the succeeding Empress.

This highlights the uniqueness of the character 'Chen'.

Why would the Emperor consider using 'Chen' to alter Rongpin’s title? Given the favor, it could only mean the Emperor was considering it for Consort Rong.

As for why Lady Xian’s title was the one changed, it must have been the Emperor's consideration.

Kangxi was indeed hesitant about the title; changing it conventionally was not interesting, and the character 'Chen' had an excellent meaning, but the consort who had used this character as a title...

Although the meaning was good, it was also not good.

Because the consort who had used this character as a title had a short-lived beauty.

It was unlucky.

Moreover, the turmoil in the harem had just subsided, and the character 'Chen' would stir up waves again, and even the Empress Dowager might have objections.

Consort Rong might also think that he was plotting something again.

After thinking about it, Kangxi finally crossed out the character 'Chen'.

For several days, he couldn't think of anything particularly suitable.

It didn't roll off the tongue as smoothly as Consort Rong, and it always felt awkward, so Kangxi simply stopped thinking about it, saving himself the trouble of thinking seriously for several days, changing Consort Rong's title, and Consort Rong might not be particularly happy about it.

It was better not to change it.

Indeed, after Lady Xian's title was changed, Consort Rong's reaction confirmed his speculation.

Well, at least when they were present at the same time, it would be easier to distinguish.

After Consort Tongjia lost Nanny Wang and the custody of the Fourth Prince, these series of events made her extremely upset.

Consort Liang frequently approached her, no matter how Consort Tongjia ridiculed or intentionally provoked her, Consort Liang always appeared to be entirely submissive.

Gradually, as Consort Tongjia observed Consort Liang's face, which bore a resemblance to Consort Rong's, and her submissive behavior, she noticed that Consort Liang dared not resist her provocations.

This ongoing interaction allowed Consort Tongjia to release much of her pent-up frustration.

Moreover, with Uya as a comparison, Consort Liang slowly managed to improve her standing under Consort Tongjia's control.

Seizing the opportunity of Lady Xian's title change, Consort Liang started to incite discord in front of Consort Tongjia.

For days, she had been enduring humiliation in front of Consort Tongjia, striving to earn her trust, all with the aim of manipulating Consort Tongjia to fulfill her own ambitions.