Chapter 14: Yinreng: My job was taken away?

Chapter 14

After the Empress Dowager returned to the palace, Yinreng had one more thing to do every day: go to the Cining Palace to pay respects and talk with the Empress Dowager. Yinreng thought it was very simple. According to his memory from his previous life, Xiaozhuang died in the twelfth month of the 26th year of Kangxi. If this matter cannot be violated, there are only seven years left.

Seven years seemed like a long time, but time flies, and it was just a blink of an eye. There were not many people in this world who were sincere to him, and he didn't want to wait until the Empress Dowager passed away to regret it.

But he was stunned as soon as he entered the Cining Palace. Dai Jia stood beside the Grand Empress Dowager, serving tea and water, massaging legs and shoulders, and setting the table.

Yinreng: ...Are you stealing his job?

Palace maids & eunuchs: ...I feel like I'm about to be laid off.

The first day was like this. The second day was like this. The third day was like this.

She was also very diligent, and would not ask servants to do anything if she could. Every time Yinreng went, she was already there. When Yinreng left, she was still there. She spent every day in the Cining Palace.

After about ten days, Yinreng heard the news that Dai Jia was scolded by Tong Jia and was punished to kneel for more than an hour.

Chengqian Palace.

Tong Jia was so angry that she smashed a teacup that looked like the blue sky after rain: "You don't know how to appreciate my kindness!"

In the small courtyard at the back, the maid Xiangzhi looked at Dai Jia's injuries and couldn't help crying: "My lady, I will apply medicine to you now, please bear with it."

Dai Jia closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, not saying a word the entire time, and only breathed a sigh of relief after the medicine was finished.

Kaori felt very wronged and started crying louder. Although more than an hour may not seem like a long time, the young lady's skin was delicate and tender, and her entire body from knee to calf was covered in blood. Moreover, because she did not receive medical treatment in time, her flesh and blood had already stuck to her trouser legs. She had to use scissors to cut the trouser legs before taking them off.

Today, Tong Jia was obviously looking for trouble on purpose, and she insisted on making the young lady kneel on the gravel ground! The palace maids and eunuchs came and went. This was not only to torture the young lady, but also to humiliate her.

"My dear! Why don't you just give in?"

Dai Jiashi shook her head: "Xiangzhi, if you surrender, you must be obedient."

Why did Tong Jia punish her? Wasn't it because she was disobedient? But Tong Jia wanted her to fight with Concubine Wei, and she wanted to use her to get rid of the dragon seed in Concubine Wei's belly.

At first, they only hinted at it indirectly, and had people tell her that "Noble Wei revealed that she was pregnant after she gave birth to Yinyou, and was obviously stepping on her to climb up the ladder", hinting that she should fight back. Seeing that she didn't accept it, the hint almost became an explicit statement. How could she dare to obey such a thing!

Dai Jia smiled bitterly. Tong Jia had been in the palace for several years without a child, and she hated to see others get pregnant. The queens in other palaces were not to be underestimated, and Tong Jia had no choice but to vent her anger on those of lower status. After all, her father was only a seventh-rank treasurer, and Concubine Wei was about the same as her. Even if she gave birth to a child, what impact would it have on Tong Jia?

However, Tong Jia was too stubborn. She had many thoughts but her methods were not ruthless enough. She did not dare to attack the heir directly. Even when she dealt with Yin Zuo, she took a roundabout way, used rumors to attack him, and instigated the prince to join the battle.

Because she knew that as long as she didn't do it herself, with the relationship between her and the emperor, she would have a chance to redeem herself even if it happened. But if she did it herself, unless she guaranteed that she would not be discovered for the rest of her life, the emperor would never forgive her even if she died a hundred times.

She didn't dare to do it. How could a mere concubine dare to do it?

Xiangzhi's face was filled with sorrow: "My lady, is there no other way? She is the head of Chengqian Palace. As long as you stay in Chengqian Palace for one day, she will have many ways to torture you."

Dai Jia sighed. She had spent a lot of effort to keep the child, and she had tried every possible means. Tong Jia was the head of Chengqian Palace, so it was natural for her to adopt the princes born to other concubines of lower rank in Chengqian Palace. Even for Yinyou's sake, Tong Jia would treat her kindly. Unfortunately, Tong Jia already had the fourth prince Yinzhen. The emperor would never give Yinyou to her.

Dai Jia gritted her teeth and stood up: "Help me change my clothes, I still have to go to the Cining Palace! I can't delay any longer."

Kaori advised: "My lady, your leg is injured, why don't you not go today?"

Dai Jia shook her head: "It doesn't matter what happens to me, but I have to find a way out for the Seventh Prince."

Kaori opened her mouth, but closed it helplessly.

Cining Palace.

Yinreng thought he would not see Dai Jia today, but when he came over after class with Nan Huairen, Dai Jia was already making tea for the Empress Dowager. In the following days, he continued to do so, rain or shine, and would not show any pain or injury, unless he could not bear it any more, then he would find an excuse to sit down and relax, and then smile again after a while.

On this day, Yinreng acted like a spoiled child and got the Empress Dowager's permission to stay in the Cining Palace instead of going home. This was the only time that Daijia left before him.

Looking at her back, the Empress Dowager sighed: "How pitiful are the parents in the world."

Yinreng: ???

The Empress Dowager asked him with a smile: "Is Baocheng wondering why she suddenly fell in love with the Cining Palace and became so attentive?"

Yinreng had a rough guess, but he couldn't expose himself as eavesdropping, so he could only pretend to be confused.

The Empress Dowager waved for him to sit next to her and talked to him in detail about the proposal of adopting Yinyou.

Su Malagu hesitated and said, "My queen, the prince is still young!"

The implication is that this kind of thing is not appropriate to say to a six-year-old child.

The Grand Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "The children in the palace cannot be raised too innocent. Other princes have their mothers to teach them. What about Baocheng? Although the emperor loves him, he is a man after all. How can he understand so many women's minds? He himself may be blinded by the fog and cannot see the truth about many things, let alone teach Baocheng. Now while I am still here, it is better to talk to Baocheng in advance."

She hugged Yinreng again: "Why do you think she did this, Baocheng?"

"Does she want Mother Uku to convince Ama Khan to adopt her?"

The Empress Dowager smiled and shook her head: "During the days she has served me, she has never mentioned the matter of adoption, not even indirectly."

Yinreng was a little surprised, "What about her?"

"Does Yinreng know why she proposed to adopt Yinyou?"

Yinreng rolled his eyes and said, "Because my seventh brother has a leg disease, Khan Ama doesn't like him very much."

"Not only that. The Seventh Prince has a leg disease and an awkward position in the palace. His mother is not prominent, and his father does not favor him. Such a prince would not have an easy life in the palace.

"According to the rules, Dai Jia's position is low, so she can't raise the child herself. The Seventh Prince needs to find another foster mother. But the concubines who are qualified to raise the child have all hidden away, and your Khan Ama is also hesitating about how to arrange it. As a result, the Seventh Prince is still living in the East Fifth Residence, being taken care of by a servant."

The Empress Dowager continued, "If he can be adopted, Yinyou will be able to inherit the title of Prince Chunjing as soon as he goes. The princes have to start from Beizi Beile, and in the end they are just princes. Yinyou is not at a disadvantage in this regard. This is one reason. Second, after being adopted, he will become a member of the royal family in name, but he is still your Khan Ama's son in blood. Your Khan Ama will definitely treat him well and will not treat other idle royal family members like him.

"Thirdly, being adopted by Prince Chunjing can be regarded as fulfilling your Khan Ama's brotherly love, and it is good for your Khan Ama's reputation. Yinyou is regarded as making a sacrifice for your Khan Ama. Your Khan Ama will naturally feel guilty. His dislike will disappear, and he will even favor him a little more. And there is one last point."

The Empress Dowager looked at Yinreng with a more serious expression: "If he is not a prince, it means that he has withdrawn from the fight for the throne as soon as possible."

He is the crown prince, and if nothing unexpected happens, the throne will naturally be his in the future. The Empress Dowager said this to tell him that the other princes might not be convinced.

Yinreng was mentally prepared for this.

"Khan Ama hasn't decided whether to adopt him yet!"

"This is where Dai Jiashi is smart. She only mentioned it once and didn't say much, leaving everything to the emperor. The emperor would not suspect that she had ulterior motives. She didn't say a word when she came to the Cining Palace these days. Because everyone knows that I haven't been in charge of things for many years. If she really opened her mouth, it would be like revealing her thoughts directly. I might not agree not to say it, and it might anger me and the emperor.

"So she made two preparations. If the emperor agrees to adopt me, that would be the best. If not, as long as she can stay by my side and serve me, no one in the palace will dare to bully the Seventh Prince."

Yinreng's eyes lit up: "A fox taking advantage of the tiger's might?"

"Yes! But..." The Empress Dowager paused suddenly.

Yinreng was puzzled: "But what?"

"From what I know about Dai Jia, although she is not stupid and has some means, it is unlikely that she would come up with a plan to adopt someone else."

"Mother Wuku suspects that there is a master behind her?"

The Empress Dowager smiled and waved her hands: "I don't have much contact with these concubines, so maybe I don't know them well. I don't care if she has a master or not. Although she has selfish motives, she is not a bad person, that's all."

Then he turned around and instructed Su Malagu: "Go to my warm room and get a bottle of medicine from the wooden box and send it to Chengqian Palace. Remember! Send it to Tong Jia and have her pass it on!"

Yinreng's eyes flickered. He did not give it directly to Dai Jia, but gave it to Tong Jia. Although he did not explain it clearly, it was already a statement and a warning.

The Grand Empress Dowager leaned back on the soft pillow and squinted her eyes: "If Tong Jia wants to be the queen, she must have the bearing of a queen. There are so many concubines in the harem, and there will be more in the future. Princes will emerge one after another like bamboo shoots after rain. She has to get used to it."

Yinreng looked at the Empress Dowager with a gleam in his eyes. This is the real boss of the harem! After decades of immersion in the harem, he has seen everything. What Tong Jia and Dai Jia are playing now are all left over from her!

In Chengqian Palace, regardless of how angry and resentful Tong Jia was, she still had to greet Su Malagu with a smile. After she left, she smashed a teacup of the azure color after the rain, and gritted her teeth to let Chunying deliver the medicine to Dai Jia.

After Dai Jia thanked her, she immediately instructed Xiangzhi: "Find an opportunity tomorrow to quietly send a gift to Concubine De."

Dai Jia held the medicine bottle and looked into the distance, towards the direction of Yonghe Palace.

She remembered this favor.

The author has something to say:

① I didn't find out which palace Dai Jia lived in, but at that time, Dai Jia was still a concubine, so she definitely couldn't live in the main seat of a palace. I privately arranged for her to live in Chengqian Palace, and Tong Jia was the main seat.

② Because concubines of low status cannot be called "Niangniang", the term "Xiaozhu" is often used in movies and TV series. But from the information I have found, this title is not rigorous and is generally not used. But I can't find the specific name. So I will follow the movies and TV series. Anyway, just watch it for fun.