noffsinger Chapter 226 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 39
Chapter 226 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 39
While Zhen Huan was still in her postpartum confinement period, the palace appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents were actually surging.
That day, a seemingly insignificant incident occurred—Wei Lin accidentally broke his leg while resting at home. This fall gave him an escape route, and Wei Lin took the opportunity to submit a letter of resignation to the Imperial Hospital.
Although Wei Lin was a skilled physician in the Imperial Medical Academy, he was still just a junior doctor. His master, Wen Shichu, had been expelled from the Imperial Medical Academy, and without that backing, Wei Lin had no influence there.
Previously, although Consort Xuan Zhen Huan valued him, she never sent anyone to take care of him. Everyone thought that Consort Xuan only took care of him because of Imperial Physician Wen. After all, everyone knew that Consort Xuan had been using Imperial Physician Wen since she entered the palace.
The chief physician of the Imperial Medical Academy, Li, did not take Wei Lin's resignation seriously and approved it with a stroke of his pen.
However, when this matter reached Wen Yuan's ears, she kept her promise and immediately sent a message to Zhao Erjia, instructing him to protect Wei Lin and bring back the diagnosis book that Wei Lin had copied about Zhen Huan's fetus, thinking that it might be evidence that could deliver a fatal blow to Zhen Huan in the future.
As for Wei Lin, to ensure his safety, the only option was to have him change his name and move to Jiangnan with his parents.
Before leaving, Wei left a letter for the person sent to protect him and then hurriedly left the capital.
When Wei arrived in Jiangnan, Wen Yuan remembered this matter. She opened the letter and read that the Eighth Prince suffered from a leg ailment, which was not yet obvious and would only be discovered when he started walking at the age of two or three.
"Hmph, it seems that Zhen Huan is nothing special after all..." Wen Yuan's mood immediately improved. The Eighth Prince had a leg ailment, so he was naturally excluded from the selection of the heir to the throne. This was like removing a big stone from her heart.
"Your Majesty, Consort An is here again, waiting outside," Jing Ning reported respectfully.
"Hmph, Your Majesty, Consort An used to come once a year, but now she comes every few days. Every time Your Majesty doesn't see Consort An, she acts all aggrieved, as if our Your Majesty is mistreating her." Jingning muttered indignantly.
"Alright, let her in." Wen Yuan's lips curled up slightly, a half-smile playing on her lips.
During this period, An Lingrong must have had a hard time. Yixiu became extremely suspicious of her and now favored Zhenpin and Kang Changzai. However, these two were foolish and fickle, typical opportunists, and naturally would not wholeheartedly side with Yixiu.
The Emperor didn't have much affection for An Lingrong to begin with, and An Lingrong didn't know how to maintain the relationship. In addition, Zhen Huan took revenge on her, and the Imperial Observatory spread news that she was "ominous." It was already considered good if the Emperor would go to her to serve him once every two months.
Speaking of which, An Lingrong was quite skilled at pleasing the Emperor; she probably had a lot of tricks up her sleeve.
An Lingrong waited quietly in front of Chuxiu Palace, twisting her handkerchief idly in her hand, while Chunzhu stood quietly beside her.
Jingning stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Greetings to Consort An. Our lady invites you in."
Although Jingning was unhappy, she remained outwardly respectful, her eyes filled with reverence. As the head maid of Consort Jin in Chuxiu Palace, how could she easily reveal her emotions? She wasn't subtly criticizing Huanbi, who served Consort Xuan.
An Lingrong stepped into the Chuxiu Palace and was instantly overwhelmed by its magnificent splendor.
The walls inside the palace were painted with pepper and decorated with exquisite paintings. The palace lanterns were carved from precious Canaanite wood and adorned with dazzling pearls.
Upon entering the inner room, a jade cloud screen with openwork carving comes into view, and to the right is an incense burner surrounded by purple, emitting wisps of fragrance.
The level of luxury here is comparable to that of the Yikun Palace back then. However, although Consort Hua was favored, she had no children, so even the greatest favor was just a mirage.
Consort Jin, Wen Yuan, now has a powerful background, is favored by the emperor, and has a child to rely on. The emperor treats her differently, and Empress Yi Xiu dares not make a move against her easily. This shows how difficult Consort Jin is to deal with.
In contrast, although Jingren Palace was understated and luxurious, Yixiu followed the emperor's aesthetic and preferred plain colors, so the overall style was more elegant and could not compare to the magnificent Chuxiu Palace.
"Greetings to Consort Jin." An Lingrong withdrew her gaze and said respectfully.
"No need for such a grand ceremony, get up quickly. Jingning, why don't you help Consort An up?" Wen Yuan sat at the head of the table, smiling and speaking in a friendly tone.
An Lingrong cautiously raised her eyes, secretly glancing at Wen Yuan, before sitting down on the stool next to her, not even having the courage to sit opposite Wen Yuan.
This cautious attitude made Wen Yuan raise an eyebrow. "Why is Consort An here in my Chuxiu Palace instead of serving the Empress in Jingren Palace?" Wen Yuan asked casually.
An Lingrong had anticipated Wen Yuan's question and quickly replied, "Her Majesty the Empress has Consort Zhen and Consort Kang serving her, so she is not short of people. If I have ever neglected you in the past, please don't take it to heart." An Lingrong's face was full of respect, even with a hint of flattery.
Wen Yuan patiently chatted with her for a few minutes, the topics being nothing more than trivial matters such as clothes and jewelry. Seeing that it was almost time, An Lingrong tactfully took her leave.
During this time, An Lingrong subtly expressed her desire to seek refuge with Wen Yuan, but Wen Yuan, like a slippery eel, completely ignored her. She only wanted to cause trouble for Yi Xiu, not for herself.
A few days later, Prince Guo successfully married his primary wife, Meng Jingxian. Meng Jingxian was not a Manchu, but a primary wife of a Han Chinese bannerman.
In this somewhat absurd court world, it's puzzling that the emperor would actually be wary of a prince who doesn't have much real power.
When news of Prince Guo's marriage reached the inner palace, Consort Xuan, Zhen Huan, in Yongshou Palace frequently summoned the imperial physician, saying that she had fallen and given birth prematurely, and her health had not been very good, but there was nothing seriously wrong.
Huanbi, on the other hand, longed to marry into Prince Guo's mansion every day, eagerly anticipating the change in her status.
Inside Yongshou Palace, Wei Lin had not been invited for several days, leading people to believe that he was not on duty.
Today, Zhen Huan was shocked to hear news about Wei Lin: "What did you say?"
"Your Highness, Imperial Physician Wei accidentally broke his leg on his way home and resigned from his position at the Imperial Hospital a few days ago," Huanbi reported truthfully.
Zhen Huan suddenly felt as if an invisible wall was tightly trapping her inside, and a sense of unease spread through her heart.
Wei Lin knew her secret and was Wen Shichu's apprentice, which is why she felt comfortable using him to conceal her pregnancy. Unexpectedly, Wei Lin left her during her postpartum period.
"Do you know where Wei Lin is?" A hint of malice flashed in Zhen Huan's eyes. It seemed that she had to find a way to get rid of Wei Lin.
"Don't worry, my lady, I've already instructed Xiao Yunzi to take care of things. He definitely won't ruin your plans," Huanbi said with a fierce expression.
"Alright, since there's no Imperial Physician Wei, let's go and fetch other imperial physicians," Zhen Huan said weakly.
She's been feeling down lately, and since she's in her postpartum period, she's started experiencing vaginal bleeding, with signs of heavy bleeding. She doesn't want to lose her life like this.
Then, half a month later, the Qing Dynasty's "giant" Third Prince finally married his primary wife.
However, the Emperor did not allow the Third Prince to leave the palace and establish his own residence. After all, the Third Prince was somewhat dull-witted, and the Emperor knew this. If the Third Prince were to be sown apart by the ministers, the relationship between father and son might be broken.
Consort Li was also released by the Emperor. After many years, when Consort Li went to pay her respects again, she was much more composed, and a few fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes. Now she no longer makes pronouncements easily.
Yixiu's scheme to sow discord had no effect this time. After Consort Li came out, she spent all her time in Changchun Palace except for paying her respects, rarely venturing out.
By the time Zhen Huan finished her postpartum confinement, it was already the last few days of September.
The Emperor originally wanted to hold a grand celebration for the twins' full moon celebration, but the Empress Dowager and Yixiu strongly dissuaded him, saying that two weddings had already been held in September and the Imperial Household Department had limited funds.
Finally, the twins' one-month celebration was held on a scale almost identical to that of the Seventh Prince. Zhen Huan was naturally dissatisfied and expressed her discontent both openly and subtly.
The Emperor felt sorry for her and granted special permission for Zhen Huan's relatives to enter the palace to accompany her. Originally, according to the plan, Zhen Huan's relatives would enter the palace after she was eight months pregnant, but unfortunately she gave birth prematurely at "seven months" and did not live to see her relatives enter the palace.