As the court officials came back to their senses, Suo’etu immediately wanted to speak up and refute, but he opened his mouth and found himself at a loss for words.
Just moments ago, for the Crown Prince’s sake, they had fought tooth and nail to praise Noble Consort Zhaoyuan, extolling her discipline in managing the harem, her trustworthiness to the Grand Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager, and even spun tales about her punishing the Crown Prince with a cane in the imperial garden.
Now, if they opposed her, wouldn’t that be slapping their own faces?
Of course, for the sake of the Crown Prince and their own interests, all the civil and military officials present could afford to lose face, but the moment the Emperor raised this matter, their master had no tolerance!
If they dared to twist the truth, the Emperor would surely mete out multiple punishments, flogging both factions fifty strokes apiece.
Even the dullest among them had now caught on.
No wonder the Emperor had suppressed the memorials presented by both sides earlier without responding; it was clear he had been waiting for this moment.
Was it also part of the Emperor’s plan that Noble Consort Zhaoyuan had become the fisherman in this tug-of-war between the two factions due to their quarrel today?
The more they realized how unfathomable the Emperor’s heart was, the more cautious they became in their actions.
Still, elevating a Noble Consort was no trivial matter; when the Tong Family was made Imperial Noble Consort, there had been considerable discussion in the court.
Kangxi wasn’t incapable of issuing an edict directly but didn’t want to leave any hidden dangers for Fang He.
“This matter should be discussed by the Ministry of Rites and an ancestral offering made first; there’s no need to rush. Let’s hold the Fifteenth Prince’s hundred-day banquet first.”
With these few light words, Kangxi ordered Liang Jiugong to dismiss the court.
Yinreng, Yinzhi, and the other officials knelt to see Kangxi off.
Before they even passed through the gates of the Nine Classics and Three Duties Hall, the previously quarrelsome officials from both factions had already changed their expressions.
The eldest prince faction’s officials spoke cautiously and politely.
“If you ask me, holding the banquet for the Noble Consort’s son in the Baohedian Hall isn’t a big deal. After all, the Noble Consort has enjoyed the Emperor’s favor for a long time; a little banquet won’t hurt. Brother Yang, what do you think?”
The Crown Prince faction’s officials replied with warm smiles, “Indeed, indeed. The Crown Prince is upright and gentlemanly; the eldest prince is loving to his brothers. It’s only natural to pamper the Fifteenth Prince a little more. There’s really no need to block the Noble Consort’s dignity!”
They kept calling her ‘Noble Consort’, and between exchanged glances, there were no longer sparks flying—only a deep tacit understanding.
In short, the state banquet could proceed, but it was best not to add the ‘Imperial’ title in front of ‘Noble Consort’ for now.
Suo’etu scowled as he slunk over beside Mingzhu.
“If Noble Consort Zhaoyuan becomes Imperial Noble Consort, I fear Consort Hui’s illness will never get better.”
“The eldest prince’s reputation for filial piety is no less than the Crown Prince’s; weren’t you the one who raised the eldest prince’s name before? You won’t slap your own face, will you?”
Mingzhu’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly cupped his fists toward Suo’etu with a smile.
“Minister Suo, you speak too harshly. Although the eldest Prince is filial, he cannot compare to the deep bond between the Crown Prince and the Emperor, who has long set an example. As a son, how could one oppose the Emperor?”
Suo’etu: “…..”
‘Wasn’t it your old master’s disciple who said the Fifteenth Prince was unfit to hold the banquet in the Baohedian Hall?’
They’re all big wolves—why pretend otherwise with a green onion stuck in their nose!
Seeing the eldest prince still ambling ahead, clearly waiting for Mingzhu, Suo’etu glanced coldly at Mingzhu with a pointed look.
“Seems Minister Mingzhu doesn’t think much of the eldest prince and intends to find himself a new ally!”
“We loyal fools truly can’t compare to Minister Mingzhu’s wisdom!”
Hearing this, Yinzhi couldn’t help but grow suspicious.
He wasn’t a fool.
Mingzhu hadn’t spoken much in court earlier, but upon closer thought, all his words intentionally led others to praise Noble Consort Zhaoyuan’s merits.
When they were alone, Yinzhi couldn’t help but ask Mingzhu, “Uncle…”
“I did it on purpose!” Mingzhu cut him off directly.
“The Emperor intends this. The memorials Suo’etu submitted must not be discussed in court!”
He looked Yinzhi in the eye without flinching.
“You and Consort Hui have already offended the Noble Consort. If we can push her a bit, turning hostility into peace and letting Consort Hui manage palace affairs again, it would be better than letting the Tong Family benefit from silence all along. That old fox in the Tong Family is silent precisely because he has counted on the Emperor’s intentions.”
Yinzhi’s face darkened and he replied, “If it weren’t for Noble Consort Zhaoyuan, Mother would never have ended up in such a state!”
Mother shed tears every day in Changchun Palace, lost all interest in life, and even his wife treated him coldly—all because of Noble Consort Zhaoyuan.
“It’s precisely because Mother was driven out and lost her standing in the palace that I can’t lower my head. Otherwise, how will others look at me, the eldest prince?” Yinzhi said coldly.
Mingzhu shook his head and replied, “Then just wait and see. Sometimes, even if you want to back down, the opportunity might not come.”
He had long lost hope in the eldest prince.
Mingzhu said, “If I’ve wronged the eldest prince, I can give up my office, but I can never go against the Emperor. In the end, if it means ruin for the family, the eldest prince must consider carefully.”
After speaking, Mingzhu turned and left, leaving Yinzhi standing there with a troubled expression for a long while.
Even if he and Mother wanted to back down, Noble Consort Zhaoyuan wouldn’t necessarily believe it, and he would never allow himself to become a laughingstock inside and outside the palace.
While the two were talking, Kangxi had already returned to Chunhui Hall.
Jiujiu was accompanied by Chunlai and Li Dequan, spinning a top on the courtyard floor.
Chunlai handled the whip skillfully, and even Li Dequan quietly gave a few extra cracks, making the top spin even faster.
Only Jiujiu, holding a vermilion whip, dressed in a delicate butterfly-and-flower patterned flag robe with one corner tucked into her waistband, bent over with a chubby little face full of determination.
“Heh!”
“Ha!”
“Spin, spin, spin!”
She shouted the chant loudly, her small face beaming with pride, but despite all the effort, the bright red whip never managed to touch the spinning top—only saliva sprayed in the fierce sunlight, shimmering with rainbow sparkles.
Kangxi: “…………”
‘What exactly is my daughter so proud of?’
Jiujiu didn’t care whether she hit the top; she had tried her hardest, and the top was indeed whirling swiftly—rounding up, she was a spinning-top master!
She looked up, intending to show off to Aunt Xinke, but the moment she stood up, she saw Kangxi.
Jiujiu’s eyes brightened; she dropped the whip and hurried over to Kangxi, tugging on his dragon robe with a grin, pointing at the still-spinning top.
“Father! Jiujiu’s amazing! Father… I made it fly!”
This top was made to the Emperor’s specifications—not a child’s toy.
Jiujiu got excited and naturally spoke with omitted words.
Kangxi picked her up, wiping sweat from her forehead, amused as he pinched her rosy cheek.
“Father can’t fly. How about Jiujiu flies for Father?”
Without hesitation, Jiujiu raised her pudgy hand to her lips, gave herself a loud smooch, then another smack right on Kangxi’s face.
“Fly, fly~ love you!”
Li Dequan and Chunlai instantly dropped to their knees.
Everyone else in the imperial court and eunuchs were shocked and followed suit, kneeling with pale faces.
Li Dequan and Chunlai felt bitter inside.
The mother may at least avoid hitting others, but the little mistress was really… surpassing her mother.
Kangxi didn’t mind being slapped by his daughter; inwardly he grumbled about how this little one learned all the bad habits but still patted Jiujiu’s bottom without mercy.
“Who taught you to fly like this?”
Jiujiu, holding her bottom, looked confused and a bit wronged.
“Mother said, as long as there’s a little manhood, kisses must fly!”
Kangxi was speechless…
He definitely wasn’t small anywhere, so this slap was unfair.
But he couldn’t tell the child that.
Kangxi ground his teeth silently—this damned woman tells the child everything.
He’d have to settle accounts with her later!
But thinking of boys wanting Jiujiu’s kisses…
“It’s Father’s misunderstanding,” Kangxi said without changing expression, soothing Jiujiu as he carried her into the hall.
“In the future, when you see Father, no flying kisses. But if it’s anyone else, the more flying, the better!”
Seeing the Emperor unruffled, those who were shocked had secretly gotten up relaxed.
Well, you get the kind of mother you have, and you get the kind of father you have—they were used to it.
In the side hall, the fifteen-month-old Fifteenth Prince Er Bao had just woken and was busily chewing on a colorful cloth tiger.
Hearing the commotion, he looked up with big black eyes like pools of clear water that softened anyone’s heart.
“Ah…” Seeing Jiujiu in Kangxi’s arms, Er Bao grinned toothlessly and reached out to her, not giving Kangxi a glance.
Kangxi handed Jiujiu to Li Dequan to have her clothes changed.
Inside the hall was a cooling ice basin.
Jiujiu had been playing outside and sweating profusely; if she caught a chill, it would be bad.
He sat to the side, picked up the baby, and weighed him.
“Heavier again. Has Yin Hui been eating too much?”
Privately, Kangxi had already chosen a name for the boy; it would be announced at the hundred-day banquet, then everyone would understand his feelings toward Fang He.
Kangxi knew a child this age should weigh ten to fifteen jin.
Judging by his strength, Yin Hui was at least seventeen or eighteen jin.
The Imperial Consort’s Wet Nurse knelt and answered reluctantly, “Your Majesty, as per the noble master’s orders, feeding every one and a half hours… about eight times a day.”
These days, everyone fears overfeeding children.
Usually, children are fed four or five times daily; even the Wet Nurse feeds her own child this way.
But Fang He believes in modern scientific feeding methods.
She has many mother colleagues and has even met customers who bring children to hotels, generally feeding every two to three hours.
After giving birth in the palace, medicine and diet include substances that suppress lactation.
The child has no breast milk to drink, so if not fed enough, who knows if he’ll be weak.
Anyway, as long as he’s not overfed and wants to eat, he should.
“She gave strict orders—no one is allowed to stop it.” Kangxi frowned.
Though starving children was bad, moderate hunger aligned with the “Huangdi Neijing”‘s principle that “over-eating harms the intestines.”
He was about to speak when suddenly he felt warmth on his arm.
Looking down, he saw a wet patch on the bright yellow sleeve of the dragon robe near Er Bao’s swaddling.