What mattered was that she was still alive, that wretched woman was still alive!
This realization almost made Kangxi want to burst into laughter, to let everyone know that Heaven had not been so cruel to him.
But aside from joy, a surge of inexplicable anger quickly rose within him.
No matter why that wretched woman had left him, she was still alive, yet she had never thought to let him know?
Did she ever think of how he felt when she heard that he had buried her with the honors of a noble consort?
The smile on Kangxi’s face gradually faded, and after a moment of contemplation, he instructed Zhao Chang—
“For now, you only need to keep an eye on Galdan and the princes of the western desert. There’s no need to investigate anything further.”
“Everything will wait until I return to the palace.”
Zhao Chang vaguely understood that the Emperor was afraid of alerting the Empress Dowager or the Grand Empress Dowager, which might stir up trouble, so he quickly agreed without further ado.
Kangxi returned to the palace just before the Banjin Festival.
Lady Zhangjia had successfully given birth to the Thirteenth Prince half a month before his return.
Thus, when Kangxi went to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, her face was adorned with a particularly relaxed smile.
“Lady Zhangjia is a fortunate woman, and it’s no wonder you favor her. Sumala has already seen the child-the Thirteenth Prince is robust and healthy. The imperial physician says his constitution is no worse than Yin’e’s.”
The Tenth Prince, Yin’e, had just celebrated his third birthday.
Perhaps because the Noble Consort had been overly anxious after losing her little princess, she had been closely monitoring the wet nurses and physicians, protecting Yin’e as if he were the apple of her eye.
Yin’e was also particularly hearty, even taller and stronger than Yinjiu, who was nearly three months older, like a little bull calf, a sight that brought joy to all.
Now that the palace had another robust little prince, for Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, who believed in the blessings of many sons, there could be no greater joy.
Kangxi also smiled, for he too wished for more healthy sons.
This way, when Yinreng ascended the throne, he would have more brothers like Fuquan and Changing to serve as his right-hand men, a sign of strength and prosperity.
He calmly said, “I also think she is fortunate. Now that she has given birth to the Thirteenth Prince, she has indeed made a contribution. Perhaps it would be fitting to promote her to the rank of concubine.”
“If she can give birth to a healthy prince, she will surely be able to raise the Thirteenth Prince well.”
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang’s smile faded slightly.
“This is against the rules.”
“Lady Wei was only promoted to the rank of noble lady a year after giving birth to Yinsi.”
“Among those who entered the palace through the selection process, the highest rank any of them has achieved is noble lady. If you promote a low-ranking lady like Zhangjia to concubine, what will others think?”
“Why should I care about what others think? Whoever pleases me, I will favor more,” Kangxi said with an indifferent expression.
“Lady Wei has never served by my side, and how can the others compare to Lady Zhangjia?”
“I find Lady Zhangjia pleasing to the eye and have long thought of preparing the Yanxi Palace for her to live in, so she can be closer to the Palace of Heavenly Purity…”
“You are being foolish!” Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang interrupted coldly.
“I don’t care whom you favor in private, but on the surface, you must maintain fairness.”
“Although this is the palace, you should understand the principle that harmony in the family leads to prosperity. If anyone harbors ill intentions, promoting Lady Zhangjia would only put the Thirteenth Prince in danger.”
She spoke firmly, “When Little Thirteen turns one, we can confer her the title of a noble consort and let her continue living in Yonghe Palace.”
“For Little Thirteen’s sake, after she finishes her postpartum confinement, she should go to the Grand Buddha Hall to pray for blessings, just like Wanliuha. Since it’s for praying, naturally, she cannot be favored, and she should even stay in the side hall of the Grand Buddha Hall with the little prince.”
Kangxi would not come to Cining Palace to favor anyone.
He lowered his eyes, shook his head helplessly, and softened his tone to coax Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, “Grandson was just sharing a few heartfelt words with you, how could I possibly do anything to disturb the peace of the harem? You are underestimating me too much.”
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang frowned and stared at Kangxi, who quickly put on a pleading expression and said a few more kind words, finally making Xiaozhuang smile again.
After Kangxi left, Sumal teased, “Your Majesty is becoming more and more like a child these days. If a word doesn’t suit you, you immediately get upset. It’s only because the Emperor is filial, otherwise, you might have scolded him to tears.”
The smile on Xiaozhuang’s face faded slightly, “You say we are similar, but have you ever seen the Emperor yield so quickly?
Kangxi was just using Lady Zhangjia to test her.
Sumal, thinking that the Emperor had just returned from Northern Mongolia, leaned closer to Xiaozhuang and whispered, “Are you saying… the Emperor might know that Fang He is still alive?”
Although the Empress Dowager felt she had acted discreetly and had not personally done anything, she had been raised by Xiaozhuang since she entered the palace at the age of thirteen.
Xiaozhuang didn’t even need to interrogate her personally to find out what she had done.
Just by listening to Wuyunzhu’s accounts of the Empress Dowager’s interactions with Tana and the questions about Fang He, Xiaozhuang could confirm that the girl was not dead but had been sent away by the Empress Dowager.
Since Fang He did not wish to stay in the palace, Xiaozhuang was happy to oblige and took the opportunity to have all traces wiped clean, so much so that even she did not know where Fang He was.
Even if The Emperor found out something and wanted to investigate, there would be no way to start.
She sighed, “Let him be. Although I don’t have much life left, as long as I am alive, I won’t let him bring her back.”
“That girl might have already married someone by now. I want to see if he will follow Fulin’s example and disturb my peace even after I’m gone!”
In fact, Kangxi had no particular feelings for Lady Zhangjia.
She was quiet and never caused trouble, unlike that scoundrel.
As the Emperor, he had to keep the harem stable to ensure the stability of the court.
Favoring Lady Zhangjia made it less unbearable for him.
He used Lady Zhangjia to test the Empress Dowager, not to see if Fang He could be brought back.
In his mind, there was no second possibility.
He only wanted to confirm one thing: whether Fang He’s departure was the work of the Empress Dowager or the Empress.
From Xiaozhuang’s attitude towards Lady Zhangjia, she did not oppose his favoritism but disliked his inability to treat everyone equally.
Considering Xiaozhuang’s past methods and temperament, if she wanted to prevent him from favoring someone, she would keep that person close rather than send them far away.
Kangxi was almost certain it was the Empress Dowager’s doing, which made things easier.
Under the heavens, there is no land that is not the king’s territory.
No matter how strong Xiaozhuang’s methods were, there were always places she could not reach.
That’s why he waited until he returned to the palace to have Zhao Chang investigate.
He was in the palace, and it was much easier to keep things from the Empress Dowager’s spies and ensure that those thousands of miles away had no way to seek help, forcing them to tell the truth.
As soon as Kangxi returned to the Qianqing Palace, he summoned Zhao Chang to the Zhaoren Hall and ordered him to handle three matters:
“Send people to block the routes from the Lakshen tribe to Hotan and Ili. Take my handwritten letter, and if necessary, use the power of the Chahar Four Banners to suppress their stallions. Make sure Lakshen knows it was my doing.”
“You personally go to Tana and tell her that if she is involved in last year’s assassination attempt on the imperial carriage, I will strip all her descendants of their inheritance rights to the tribe.”
“Then send someone to the Jasagtu Khanate to exert pressure on the right wing in the name of the Empress Dowager. Do this discreetly, and have the women of the Jasagtu go to Tana. Do you understand my meaning?”
Zhao Chang knelt: “This servant understands.”
This was a clear and forceful interrogation.
With her husband’s tribe under control, her descendants potentially stripped of inheritance rights, and the conflict between the left and right wings at stake, as long as Tana wasn’t completely delusional, she would no longer follow the Empress Dowager’s orders.
Kangxi continued with a cold expression: “Also, secretly order the imperial guards to intercept any messages coming into the palace, especially those heading to the rear palace.”
Zhao Chang vaguely sensed the emperor’s suppressed anger and became even more respectful, quickly rising to carry out his duties.
Beyond this, Kangxi did nothing else.
He went to the Cining Palace to pay his respects as usual, treated Lady Zhangjia no differently, and continued to visit the rear palace as he always did.
Even during the New Year, he happily joined Fuquan and Changing in a colorful performance to entertain Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, making her laugh repeatedly.
By the 26th year of his reign, both inside and outside the palace were calm.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was in good spirits, and her health improved significantly.
She even occasionally took people to the Cining Palace garden to enjoy the scenery.
Thus, Kangxi felt at ease and, after the Wan Shou Festival, embarked on his second southern tour.
He ordered the Crown Prince to oversee state affairs, leaving behind all the princes from the eldest to the fifth, and only took Consort De and a few newly selected concubines, traveling lightly and leaving the palace.
As he traveled down the river to inspect the Yongding River embankments, in Yizhen County, Fang He also received good news from Lady Liang.
***
“Hmm… your health has improved quite a bit,” Lady Liang said, removing her hand from Fang He’s wrist and teasingly patting her belly.
“It seems that with something to care for, you no longer find the medicine bitter. Were you just tormenting me before?”
Fang He smiled, revealing two rows of small white teeth, and wrapped an arm around Lady Liang’s shoulder, the other hand resting on her slightly protruding belly.
“I still don’t like bitterness, but what can I do? I’m about to become a father. I can’t set a bad example for the child, can I?”
“When the child grows up, I want to take him riding horses and strolling through the… cough… the county town!”
Madam Liang gave Fang He a playful yet meaningful pat, saying, “If you end up turning my son into a spoiled brat, I’ll slip Xiao Qiao some medicine to make sure he can’t perform. You’d better think carefully about this!”
Fang He: “…Are you talking about the whole person or just…?”
Marrying such a fierce woman was really tough for her.
“Let’s just say all his legs won’t be able to stand,” Madam Liang replied leisurely as she stood up, chuckling.
Fang He quickly straightened her expression.
“Don’t worry, Madam. Once the child is born, if he doesn’t behave, I’ll discipline him eight times a day. I’ll make sure he loves nothing but school.”
Though the child’s childhood might be a bit lacking, Fang He figured she could secretly make it up to him later for the sake of his father’s happiness.
Madam Liang: “…”
Maybe it’s better to keep the child away from this scoundrel.
Before leaving, Madam Liang added, “Take it easy. Although the medicine has stopped, you still need to drink the tonic. Don’t get too carried away, it’s not good for you or Xiao Qiao’s health.”
Both yin and yang energies need to be nurtured.
If too much is lost, it’s hard to fully recover.