Chapter 332

Chapter 332

It could be said that Noble Lady Qing’s goal was never anything else. By making herself noticed daily before her Imperial Noble Consort sister, she was hardly doing so merely to showcase deep sisterly bond. Once she sized up the situation, she understood even better what she could realistically strive for.

With so many unable to compete with Rong Noble Consort, how could she possibly succeed? She’d likely meet her downfall before even making progress. The fact that the Imperial Noble Consort was pushing her to contend only proved how desperate her elder sister had become—having failed to seize Fourth Prince from Consort De, she could only scheme against her own younger sister to make her easier to manipulate.

Though her injuries pained her, Noble Lady Qing showed little sign of it on her face. Instead, she took charge herself in tending to the Imperial Noble Consort, handling everything herself.

Logically, the Imperial Noble Consort shouldn’t have trusted Noble Lady Qing so readily at such a critical juncture. But with her previously trusted senior maids now replaced by replacements, the Imperial Noble Consort harbored resentment toward the newcomers, finding them unsatisfactory in comparison.

Moreover, with her face also marred by injury—something no woman in the harem would take lightly—no one would suspect a self-sacrificing ploy so extreme as to risk permanent scarring.

This effectively dispelled the Imperial Noble Consort’s suspicions. Seeing Noble Lady Qing devoted solely to nursing her illness, without any attempts to curry favor with the Emperor, and witnessing her meticulous care, the Imperial Noble Consort reluctantly allowed her to stay. After all, she still needed Noble Lady Qing to handle things behind the scenes, and the younger consort had no choice but to rely on her Imperial Noble Consort sister. If the elder’s position faltered, it would bring no benefit to the younger.

Yet, the more the Imperial Noble Consort wished to recover quickly, the more setbacks she faced. The imperial physicians repeatedly advised her to ease her mind, as pent-up resentment only worsened her condition—a same old advice, but one she couldn’t heed. The thought of her palace management authority now in Rong Noble Consort’s hands made relaxation impossible.

Once relinquished, reclaiming such power would be no easy feat. Reorganizing personnel and rearrangements would be chaotic, and the idea of Rong Noble Consort—hardly the image of a competent administrator—handling palace affairs was galling.

When Noble Lady Qing overheard the Imperial Noble Consort venting her frustrations in private, she offered soothing words but felt nothing but cold detachment. Why should her elder sister trouble herself with such concerns? It wasn’t her place anymore. Who would dare slight Rong Noble Consort now?

Had anyone truly benefited from opposing her?

Even the Eldest Prince had suffered—not in secret, but openly, swallowing a bitter pill he couldn’t protest. Those who were even the boldest were crushed, and covert tactics proved useless. Did the Imperial Noble Consort truly believe she could openly clash with Rong Noble Consort now? Had too much favor lately blinded her?

But...

Noble Lady Qing’s movements grew even gentler as she applied ointment to the Imperial Noble Consort’s hands, more meticulous than when administering medicine—more attentive than she was to her own care.

After all, they were merely faint red marks on the back of a hand.

Perhaps few, including the Imperial Noble Consort herself, would believe the truth—unveiled without disguise, yet dismissed as a seemingly trivial preference.

The brief cordiality, the illusion of alliance, was easily attributed to the shifting tides of the harem, a temporary camaraderie born of necessity.

The harem didn’t believe it. The Imperial Noble Consort didn’t believe it.

But Noble Lady Qing did.

Such delicate, jade-like hands—what a pity they weren’t hers.

---

In Yonghe Palace

Su Yi was likely one of the few still carefree, amusing herself at leisure.

She had changed into a newly tailored robe—a peach pink and willow green satin embroidered with ruyi motifs, a challenging palette that only accentuated her snow-white skin and flower-like beauty.

For once, she wore a Manchu-style headpiece instead of her usual hairpin headdress, adorned with a tourmaline flower hairpin, openwork butterfly pins, and pale silk flowers. Strings of lustrous rice pearls dangled beside her cheeks, enhancing her jade-like complexion with a lively charm.

Inspired, she summoned a painter and settled in a pavilion, its sides partially screened by woven blinds to let in just enough sunlight without glare. Ice basins were placed at each corner, while a chaise lounge stood at the center, flanked by a small table bearing sliced fruit.

Reclining on the chaise lounge, Su Yi was a vision of beauty in her own right, further enlivened by a white cat wearing a pink satin bow, diligently washing its face with its paws.

Nearby, an attendant applied a spontaneously concocted nail dye—a faint, translucent pink at first, deepening to a sheer pink-red after layers. The rosy hue lent her slender fingers a dewy freshness, with a light floral scent wafting from her fingertips.

Su Yi carefully admired her freshly painted nails for a while before resting her hand to let the color be reapplied. With her free hand, she picked up a storybook to read leisurely, leaving the rest to the painter.

No one passed by to disturb her during this time—or rather, upon seeing the palace maids of Yonghe Palace, people automatically retreated, not daring to be tactless enough to approach and disrupt Consort Rong's leisure.

Given their current status, they couldn’t afford even the slightest clash with Consort Rong.

Yet, there was no lack of resentment in their hearts. However, circumstances were stronger than individuals. With the Imperial Noble Consort ill and confined to her palace, the authority over the palace—even the Phoenix Seal—now in Consort Rong’s hands, this signal was utterly alarming.

The Phoenix Seal! Previously, the Imperial Noble Consort, as the acting deputy empress, had been entrusted with its custody.

Consort Rong was still just a noble consort. By convention, even if she took over palace affairs, she shouldn’t have been qualified to hold the Phoenix Seal.

Yet, the Phoenix Seal was now in Consort Rong’s possession. This was no trivial matter—what if the Emperor intended to name a new empress?

That was the most terrifying thought!

The position of empress had long been vacant. Who hadn’t harbored ambitions for that seat? But even the Imperial Noble Consort had been thwarted at the final step, let alone the rest of them. Now, with Consort Rong securely holding her consort position, no one could compete with her.

Though their hearts ached with frustration, avoidance was the wisest course of action.

When the Phoenix Seal was handed to Su Yi, she played with it for a while under the nervous gazes of the palace maids, sating her curiosity before losing interest and ordering it to be put away.

The palace maids, watching the noble consort casually handle the Phoenix Seal, tensed up, ready to react to any mishap. When she finally set it down and had it stored away, they couldn’t help but exhale in relief.

This was the Phoenix Seal!

*Without a formal investiture, there’s not a shred of empress’s fortune to be gained.*

Growing bored with the storybook, Su Yi tossed it aside just as her other hand was being dyed with nail dye. She closed her eyes as if to nap, prompting the maids to fan her even more gently.

Her mind wandered aimlessly, sweeping over the palace for what felt like the hundredth time, finding it all rather dull. Those who could thrive here for eight or ten years must have had remarkable mental fortitude—especially with the backing of their families.

Had Su Yi been abruptly transported from the modern era to this feudal age, she likely wouldn’t have lasted more than a few scenes.

But there were no what-ifs.

A soft rustling sound reached her ears, followed by a familiar presence. Su Yi opened her eyes.

Kangxi had just motioned for silence to avoid waking the noble consort. Seeing her open her eyes—clearly not asleep but merely lost in thought—he approached naturally and sat beside her on the daybed, dislodging the comfortably sprawled cat, Pot Lid.

Pot Lid, now unceremoniously shoved aside, stared in feline outrage: *What a scheming human! Stealing a cat’s spot!*

Completely unrepentant about usurping the cat’s place, Kangxi reached out to stroke Su Yi’s cheek, visibly pleased. “I thought the noble consort had fallen asleep.”

He pulled over the thin blanket that had been pushed aside and draped it over her legs. “You’ve only just recovered. Don’t indulge in too much chill.”

He would have preferred removing two of the ice basins, but the noble consort would certainly object. Since he couldn’t take them away, he settled for ensuring she stayed warm.

Noticing the change in her nails, his smile deepened. Cradling her hand loosely in his palm, he leaned in for a closer look. The faint floral scent lingered on her fingertips, and the delicate pink hue made her skin appear even more luminous. The contrast between her fair, slender fingers and his tanned complexion was striking. His gaze flickered, and unbidden images arose—

While his mind wandered into less-than-proper thoughts, his expression remained perfectly controlled. Smiling, the handsome Emperor looked every bit the gentle and patient ruler. “This new nail dye suits the noble consort perfectly.”

Not just the nails—even her attire today was lovely, delicate yet vibrant. He made a mental note to have the Imperial Household Department prepare more garments and accessories in this style.

Previously indifferent to how his consorts dressed, Kangxi now took great interest in the noble consort’s preferences. Unaware of the concept of “Miracle Nikki” (a modern dress-up game), he was nonetheless heading in that direction. Whenever the noble consort lazily threw together an outfit, it became an exclusive style—until she whimsically decided to revive it.

Though Kangxi adored these exclusive styles of the noble consort, he never voiced it outright—too reserved for that. Instead, he privately sketched designs and had the Imperial Household Department craft them for her.

And it must be said—when he put his mind to it, his taste was impeccable. Every time the noble consort chose one of his designs over the department’s standard offerings, he maintained an air of nonchalance while secretly suppressing a smug smile. That subtle sense of achievement and satisfaction only spurred him to design even more fervently next time.

The Imperial Noble Consort's beautiful face lit up with a smile, her expression brimming with pride. "Of course," she replied, as if to say, "At least you've got good taste to notice immediately."

Seeing the palace attendant pick up the tools again to paint the Imperial Noble Consort's nails, the intrigued Kangxi dismissed the attendant and took over himself. Clearly, witnessing the rare occasion of the Imperial Noble Consort adorning her nails sparked his curiosity—just like when he'd watched her at her vanity, even offering suggestions for her attire.

Originally, he had heard that the Imperial Noble Consort had summoned a painter. Kangxi thought to himself that they had never been painted together before. Taking advantage of this rare moment when she was willing to sit still, he couldn’t let the opportunity slip. He set aside his memorials and came over, only to find her getting her nails painted—naturally, he wanted to try it too.

His inexperience made his movements awkward, as if he didn’t even know how to hold her hand properly. Still, when applying the color, though his technique was unrefined, he was gentle and meticulous, taking his time. If you didn't see what he was doing, you might have thought he was reviewing memorials, given how solemn and serious his expression was.

Su Yi couldn't help being amused, though she refrained from laughing outright—lest the man "accidentally" smudged the polish.

The painter had been doing fine with a solo portrait but now found himself at a loss with the Emperor present and even painting the Imperial Noble Consort's nails. He wasn’t sure whether to continue or withdraw.

Fortunately, as if sensing the painter’s dilemma, Liang Jiugong appeared at just the right moment to handle the situation appropriately and ease his master’s concerns. Since the Emperor had already set aside his memorials to come here, not painting them together would mean failing to grasp His Majesty’s intentions—something Liang Jiugong, after all these years of close service, would never allow!

The painter, of course, moved aside the preliminary sketch and began faithfully capturing the scene before him.

Meanwhile, the other consorts, who had initially thought Rong Noble Consort was merely indulging in a solitary pastime, were now furious to see the Emperor show up and join her in the portrait. Those who had retreated in deference gritted their teeth, their eyes red with frustration, yet powerless to do anything about it. Even their closest confidantes had been replaced, leaving them unable to vent their anger for fear of word getting out that they resented the Imperial Noble Consort.

But times had changed, and the smallest mistake could cause trouble now.

With the Imperial Noble Consort made ineffective by her "illness," there was truly no one left to stand above Rong Noble Consort—she now reigned supreme. The only hope left was that the Grand Empress Dowager would take offense and reprimand Rong Noble Consort, curbing her rising influence. Otherwise, how were the other palace women to endure? Surely the Emperor couldn’t spend his whole life doting on Rong Noble Consort alone!

This monopoly of power was undoubtedly treading on the Grand Empress Dowager’s nerves. Previously, there had at least been the Imperial Noble Consort ostensibly managing palace affairs. But now, not only had the Emperor reorganized the palace authority and handed it over to Rong Noble Consort, he had even assigned assistants to help her manage it. With the empress's seal in her hands, this was no temporary arrangement. Knowing her grandson well, the Grand Empress Dowager understood that even if the Imperial Noble Consort "recovered," the authority would not be returned to her.

Moreover, it was clear he intended to enthrone an Empress—and was already laying the groundwork for it.

When an Empress was present, an Imperial Noble Consort was not appointed. And once an Imperial Noble Consort was named, establishing an Empress afterward would create chaos if both the central palace and the deputy empress coexisted. Yet the Emperor still wished to enthrone an Empress...

The Grand Empress Dowager had reluctantly tolerated a favored consort after weighing all factors, but that did not mean she could tolerate that consort becoming Empress. The Empress was the mother of the nation, a model of virtue for the empire—how could such a role be treated lightly? Aside from her lineage, Rong Noble Consort lacked every qualification to be a nation’s mother!