sjar Chapter 307: Visiting the Imperial Garden and meeting Nanxi
Chapter 307: Visiting the Imperial Garden and meeting Nanxi
In the Imperial Garden, it was a rare sunny day today. Shi Nanxi and Cheng Guiren were walking in the Imperial Garden together. They talked about the demotion of Concubine De.
"It was so sudden that Concubine Wu was demoted. How could she suddenly behave so badly in front of the emperor?"
Noble Lady Cheng was holding the hand warmer with great emotion. That was Uya, who had climbed from a palace maid to one of the four concubines and was the Defei who gave birth to three sons and three daughters for the emperor. She was a role model for all the palace maids.
I didn't expect that such a powerful person would be stripped of her title by the emperor without any warning and demoted from the position of concubine to imperial concubine. It's really unpredictable!
Shi Nanxi, who was standing by, was holding Xixi in her arms, wearing a white fox cloak, which was made from the white fox that Kangxi had hunted in Mulan Paddock. It was very warm.
At this moment, she faced the cold wind, squinted her eyes, and said slowly:
“Who knows?”
Although she said this, she had some guesses in her heart that the incident when Shi Rongyue Jianhong met the prince outside the Cining Palace that day was most likely related to Concubine De.
That incident involved the crown prince, and given how much Kangxi valued the crown prince, he would definitely investigate it thoroughly. In the end, he found out that it was Concubine De, but he couldn't make it public, so he found an excuse for misbehaving in front of the emperor to punish Concubine De.
I just don't know why Concubine De plotted against Shi Rongyue and the prince, and why she was investigated by Kangxi. Lastly, she had a hunch that there was something fishy going on.
Because according to Defei's scheming and tactics, if she dared to lay out this plan, she must have cleared all the clues. How could she be caught by Kangxi so easily? She must have been taken advantage of by someone else.
But these had nothing to do with her. She was so happy that Concubine De was demoted that she had not forgotten the previous attacks on her.
Moreover, she had a guess.
It is also possible that Defei was demoted because Kangxi wanted to use this incident to divert everyone's attention and cover up the rumors about the crown prince and Shi Rongyue.
Noble Lady Cheng didn't know whether Concubine Xian really didn't know the truth or just didn't want to say it, but since Concubine Xian didn't mention it, it meant she didn't want to say it, so she tactfully changed the subject.
"It is said that your Majesty's birthday is coming up in a few days. I heard that the Emperor wants to hold a grand celebration and has specially instructed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to arrange it. Congratulations to your Majesty."
Shi Nanxi looked at the crabapple flowers in the imperial garden that were being carefully cared for by the gardener, blooming brightly in the warm sun. Her lips curled up slightly and she was in a very good mood.
"The Queen Mother is still ill, and I didn't want to hold a big ceremony. It was only two days ago that the Queen Mother recovered and asked for it herself. Otherwise, I would definitely not agree."
Cheng Guiren followed and stopped, flattering calmly:
"The Queen Mother is a true phoenix. She will surely recover. She has always been kind and loving. Your Highness is also very filial. God sees everything!"
No wonder many people like to hear others flattering them. Who doesn’t want to hear nice words? Shi Nanxi was very happy to hear it at this moment.
The two walked and stopped, talked and laughed. They turned a narrow path and saw a pavilion in front of them. There was someone sitting there. When they saw the two, they immediately stood up and greeted them.
"Sister Xianfei, Sister Cheng, what a coincidence, you are also visiting the Imperial Garden today!"
The one who spoke was Concubine Xi.
Opposite her was Concubine Guo Luoluo.
Seeing the two people, Shi Nanxi raised her eyebrows slightly. She wondered in her mind why these two people were together, and walked towards the pavilion slowly without any hurry.
Cheng Guiren followed closely behind.
When they arrived at the pavilion, they greeted each other and sat down.
As the person with the highest position, Shi Nanxi put Xixi in her arms on her lap and spoke first:
"Are you two sisters here to visit the Imperial Garden as well?"
Concubine Guo Luoluo looked at Concubine Xian opposite her. She had a ruddy complexion, was dressed in low-key yet luxurious clothes, and was holding a Persian cat. She looked like a person in a position of power who had been pampered for many years. There was no trace of her pale, timid and sickly appearance.
All this was gained by stepping on her and Old Nine to get to the top. Thinking of the news she got from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Concubine Guo Luoluo tightened the handkerchief on her knees.
His expression remained calm, but when he spoke, he showed a bright and generous smile.
"Yes, I saw that it was a rare sunny day today, so I went out for a walk, otherwise my bones would be brittle. When I was tired, I saw a pavilion and came in to rest. I didn't expect to meet Sister Xipin here. What a coincidence, now I meet Sister Xianfei and Sister Cheng."
Concubine Xi bowed her head:
"me too."
No matter what grudges everyone had inside, they would not show it in public. A few people chatted and laughed, and the topic came up: Defei's demotion.
"Speaking of which, the same is true for Concubine Wu. She has served the emperor for more than ten years, but she actually misbehaved in front of the emperor. It is really inappropriate. I heard that the Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince went to plead for Concubine Wu, but the emperor not only did not withdraw the punishment, but also scolded them back."
Concubine Xi spoke lazily, and while speaking she took out a glass ball to tease Xixi.
As a cat, Xixi likes shiny things. Her round cat eyes followed the movement of the glass ball in Concubine Xi's hand. But Concubine Xi was naughty and moved the ball up and down, left and right, which made Xixi very busy.
Shi Nanxi looked at him and curled her lips, but said nothing. When Guo Luoluofei saw this, her eyes flickered slightly, and she said:
"Your Majesty is the supreme ruler. How can you change your imperial decree overnight? Sister Wupin is desperate and is seeking medical advice. If you ask me, you should reflect on your mistakes. How can you ask your child to beg for mercy? Isn't this harming the child?"
After that, he sighed:
"Alas, especially the Fourth Prince. I heard that he was not only scolded by the Emperor, but was also punished to kneel. It's winter now, and the ground is freezing cold!"
When Shi Nanxi heard this, she paused slightly while stroking Xixi's back with her hand. Looking at Concubine Guo Luoluo who looked very pitiful for the Fourth Prince, she felt that there was something else behind her words.
Before she entered the palace, she and Concubine De were both the two most favored concubines in the harem, so it was impossible for them to have no grudges against each other.
So... was she gloating? Or was Defei's demotion related to her?
His mind was full of thoughts and he spoke to him in a nonsensical manner.
The two people opposite may have learned the news about the imperial concubine's auspicious dress from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After telling the story of Concubine De's demotion, they began to test Shi Nanxi.
Shi Nanxi used little effort to achieve a great result and pretended not to understand. As long as the imperial edict was not issued, accidents could happen, so she would not be exposed.
Cheng Guiren knew that she was of humble status and spoke very little.
After a while, it was getting late and everyone went their separate ways.
Cheng Guiren and Shi Nanxi were not going in the same direction. In the end, only Shi Nanxi and his servant were left to go back. Hongying said unhappily:
"Your Majesty, what's going on with the Ministry of Internal Affairs? They actually exposed the matter of making the imperial concubine's auspicious clothes. Now everyone has guessed that you are going to be promoted to the position of imperial concubine."
Shi Nanxi hugged Xixi, but she was not angry.
"With the management of those two in the palace, even if the Ministry of Internal Affairs conceals it, it won't be able to keep it a secret for long. And even if they guess it, it doesn't matter. They can't change the emperor's decision."
Hearing this, Hongying was happy. Her Majesty was right. So what if they were just guessing? They could only watch Her Majesty get promoted.
"Is that Sister Xian, the Concubine in front?" At this moment, a gentle voice suddenly came from behind.