boyutpedia Chapter 260 Fang Nanxi's Transmigration to the Qing Dynasty 14
Chapter 260 Fang Nanxi's Transmigration to the Qing Dynasty 14
In the backyard, the news that Fang Nanxi was pregnant again spread throughout the entire mansion in an instant.
Meanwhile, a batch of precious porcelain mysteriously disappeared from the manor. Upon hearing the news, Princess Niohuru sat alone under the carved window of Yunxue Courtyard, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the hem of her dress. She had not yet had her first menstruation, so naturally the Fourth Prince would not stay overnight in her courtyard.
Princess Niohuru frowned, lost in thought. Fang Nanxi was pregnant again. Whether she gave birth to a prince or a princess, she would have two children, and her status would be almost equivalent to that of Consort Li.
But just a quarter of an hour later, the confusion in her eyes gradually dissipated. She knew that she had not yet served the emperor, and even if she dealt with Fang Nanxi, the Fourth Prince would not favor her, and she would not be able to get pregnant in the short term.
Once discovered, it would only benefit others. There has never been a shortage of people in this mansion who are jealous of Fang Nanxi, and there will always be someone who can't resist making a move.
Upon learning the news, Geng Gege's face turned terribly gloomy.
Since entering the manor, she has been favored by the Fourth Prince, but almost a year has passed and her belly shows no signs of pregnancy. She entered the manor at the same time as Princess Niohuru, intending to compete with her.
Niohuru Gege was unable to serve the emperor, which gave her more opportunities. She and Yi Gege were locked in a fierce struggle, but unexpectedly, Fang Shufujin gained the upper hand in the end.
"No, we absolutely cannot let Consort Fang give birth to this child smoothly!" Geng Gege's eyebrows furrowed, and her originally beautiful face became somewhat ferocious.
Seeing this, her personal maid Qu Xia hurriedly tried to dissuade her: "Princess, you must think it over! If someone finds out, the consequences will be unimaginable..."
Upon hearing this, Geng Gege suddenly came to her senses. She had only been in the manor for a short time, was short-handed, had a weak foundation, and had no prince to rely on. Since there was no benefit for the people in the manor, they would naturally not easily pledge allegiance to her.
Thinking this, Geng Gege gradually regained her composure, her fingers rhythmically tapping the table. Indeed, there were undercurrents in this mansion, and there were definitely people who didn't want Fang Nanxi to give birth to the little prince smoothly.
In Xia Yue Garden, both Princess Yi and Concubine Zhang were consumed by jealousy. Back when Princess Yi was still a concubine, the Fujin (principal wife) had arranged for them to live in Xia Yue Garden, one in the west wing and the other in the east wing.
Later, Princess Yi gained favor and was promoted by the Fourth Prince, so she moved to live in the main courtyard of Xiayue Garden.
There was also a secluded Begonia Courtyard in the mansion, where a group of concubines without official titles lived.
They weren't even qualified to pay their respects at the main courtyard; they could only wait day after day for the Fourth Prince's favor, their lives utterly hopeless.
Princess Yi and Concubine Zhang were able to move into the new courtyard because of Consort De. The Fujin (principal wife) granted them this respectable status out of respect for Consort De.
The one who reacted most strongly to this news was Consort Li.
Upon learning that Fang Nanxi was pregnant, Madam Li turned pale with anger and trembled all over.
The fourth prince in the mansion was more favored than her third prince. She hoped that the fourth prince would come to Ruixiang Courtyard more often, but every time the fourth prince came, the third prince would be frightened and shrink back. After a while, the fourth prince would only come to Ruixiang Courtyard for lunch and then hurriedly return to the front courtyard.
"Damn it, how come she's always so lucky!" Li gritted her teeth, her face contorted with rage.
Last time, she sent Chun Tao to bribe the people at Shaoguang Courtyard, but Chun Tao failed to do a good job.
This time, she absolutely cannot let Fang Nanxi give birth to the little prince smoothly, otherwise, wouldn't Fang Nanxi be on equal footing with her?
Thinking of this, Madam Li summoned another maid, Xia Tao, and whispered a few words in her ear. Although Chun Tao was more favored by her, she had been unreliable last time, so this time she placed her hopes on Xia Tao.
However, Fang Nanxi did not take these undercurrents in the mansion to heart.
When the Fourth Prince was one month old, she was promoted to the rank of Consort. The Imperial Household Department also assigned her two eunuchs, Xiao Haizi and Xiao Fuzi, as well as two second-class maids, Dongsong and Dongzhi, all of whom were managed by Qiuzhu.
To take care of the Fourth Prince, Fang Nanxi specially arranged for Qiu Shuang to serve him personally, and now everyone in Shaoguang Courtyard is her confidante.
In May, the emperor toured the border regions, ordering the crown prince, the eldest prince, the thirteenth prince, the fourteenth prince, the fifteenth prince, the sixteenth prince, the seventeenth prince, and the eighteenth prince to accompany him.
The Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince remained in the capital to assist the Emperor in handling state affairs. On the surface, they each performed their duties, but in reality, they were engaged in fierce competition, which made the Fourth Prince even busier.
Fang Nanxi was resting peacefully at Shaoguang Courtyard, knowing full well that the day when the Crown Prince would be deposed for the first time was drawing ever closer.
On the fourth day of the ninth month, the emperor suddenly interrupted his northern tour and returned from beyond the Great Wall. On the way, at the Burhasu Palace, the emperor summoned all the princes and ministers. As a prince, the Fourth Prince had received the news in advance and hurriedly went to the palace.
A few days later, news spread that the Crown Prince had been deposed. The Emperor enumerated the Crown Prince's many crimes, such as being tyrannical and cruel, intercepting tribute, and showing no brotherly affection towards the Eighteenth Prince.
On September 16th, after dealing with the Crown Prince's affairs, the Emperor began to crack down on the Crown Prince's faction.
Subsequently, the emperor returned to the capital and imprisoned the deposed crown prince in Xian'an Palace. On the 18th, the emperor offered sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the State of the Land and Grain; on the 24th, he officially proclaimed the decree to the world.
With the Crown Prince deposed, the other princes could no longer remain calm. The Emperor was aging, and various factions were secretly vying for power. As a member of the Crown Prince's faction, the Fourth Prince found himself in a particularly sensitive position, becoming even busier, rarely even able to visit the inner palace more than a few times a month.
The vicissitudes of the previous dynasty seemed to have nothing to do with Fang Nanxi.
To her delight, at the end of August, her father was transferred back to the capital and promoted from a fifth-rank official to a fourth-rank official. In the capital, a place teeming with powerful figures, this might not seem like much, but it was at least a good start.
In November, the eldest prince suddenly suggested that the emperor kill the deposed crown prince, a statement that thoroughly enraged the emperor.
The emperor was already wary of the eldest prince, and since the crown prince was deposed, former court officials have submitted memorials demanding the establishment of a new crown prince as soon as possible. According to the tradition of primogeniture, the eldest prince has a natural advantage, and his faction has become increasingly arrogant as a result.
The eldest prince believed the position of crown prince was his for the taking, so he began to build up factions in the court, all of which were observed by the emperor. Now that the eldest prince had proposed killing the deposed crown prince, the emperor saw this as an opportunity to suppress the eldest prince's power.
Immediately afterwards, the Third Prince, Yinzhi, accused the First Prince of using a curse to entice the Crown Prince to seize the throne. The Emperor was furious and immediately ordered the First Prince's title to be stripped and him imprisoned.
The former Crown Prince's faction and the First Prince's faction were punished one after another. Meanwhile, Yinzhi secretly won over the First Prince's faction. By the time the emperor noticed, Yinzhi had already gained the support of a large number of people.
Left with no other option, the emperor summoned his ministers and announced that he would choose a new crown prince from among his sons. The turmoil gradually subsided, but the ministers were all secretly speculating about who the emperor would ultimately appoint as crown prince.
Subsequently, Yinreng was released, and Yinsi was reinstated as a Beile. The court appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents were surging beneath.
In December, perhaps due to the instability of the court, the Princess Consort became even stricter in managing the inner quarters.
The various underhanded tactics employed by the household were all exposed by the Princess Consort, and everyone was forbidden from leaving the mansion at will. Originally, the Fang family had already arrived in the capital, and according to custom, when Fang Nanxi was eight months pregnant, her family members were allowed to visit her.
However, the current situation is complicated, and to avoid any unforeseen complications, we can only wait until the situation in the previous dynasty stabilizes before allowing the Fang family to enter the mansion.
In mid-December, Fang Nanxi gave birth prematurely to twin princes—the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince. The Fourth Prince was overjoyed when he learned of this.
However, due to the numerous affairs of the household and the unstable situation in the previous dynasty, the full moon celebration for the twins had to be kept simple.
On New Year's Eve, the Fourth Prince felt that the situation in the palace was unclear and fraught with danger, so he asked the Fourth Prince to stay at the mansion and took the Third Prince and the eldest princess to the palace to attend the New Year's Eve banquet.