Rebirth Plan to Save Leader

Chapter 9

The one-month banquet for the legitimate Prince was perhaps the most grand celebration since the Emperor’s accession to the throne, second only to the Great Wedding of the Emperor and Empress.

Cups were exchanged and wine flowed freely during the feast. Kangxi was overjoyed; seeing Yinreng’s fair and plump appearance, he felt deeply that the Empress had raised the child well. Having lost so many Princes before, he was finally able to raise a second Prince to health besides Baoqing. He patted the Empress’s hand with a gentle, tender motion.

Li Mu looked at him with a smile, her gaze as soft as water, as it had always been.

The harmony between the Emperor and Empress was a beautiful tale. Members of the Empress’s maternal family sitting in the hall couldn’t stop smiling at the sight. However, another faction was not so pleased—this included not only the concubines of the harem but also the Tong family.

The Tong family had produced an Emperor (Kangxi’s mother was a Tong), so their status was naturally noble. But at this moment, no matter how noble their status, it could not surpass that of Yinreng at his one-month banquet. Every move the legitimate Prince made on the dais was enough to keep everyone’s eyes fixed on him. Even though Yinreng could do nothing but lie there, it did not stop the Grand Empress Dowager from smiling as she personally put a small mandarin jacket on the child.

The Grand Empress Dowager only made an appearance for Yinreng’s banquet; thus, this was the first time Li Mu had met both the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager. These two elders were delighted by Yinreng’s healthy appearance. The Empress Dowager even took a jade bracelet she had cherished for a long time and put it on Yinreng’s wrist. “My dear grandson, grow quickly into a brave Baturu.”

The Empress Dowager had no biological children of her own, so she was happy to see any grandson, especially when she saw Yinreng vigorously smacking his little lips at her. She laughed so hard her eyes turned into mere slits.

“The Empress has raised this child well; he is fair and plump.”

“Imperial Mother, you are mistaken on that point,” Li Mu said with a smile.

“Oh? Is there a hidden story? Tell us, Empress,” the Empress Dowager said jovially, carefully holding Yinreng’s small hand.

“You’ll have to ask His Majesty. You have no idea—these days, as soon as Yinreng sees his Imperial Father, he starts blowing bubbles with joy. This child has grown closer to the Emperor than to me.” Toward the end of her sentence, Li Mu even sounded a bit “resentful.”

“Hahahaha!” The Grand Empress Dowager couldn’t help but laugh. “Empress, it seems that in terms of looking after Yinreng, the Emperor has been sneaking around behind my back to bond with him many times.”

“Ahem, Imperial Grandmother.” Kangxi was an Emperor, after all; being teased by his Empress and grandmother in public about his private time with Yinreng made him feel quite bashful.

The Grand Empress Dowager, seemingly realizing the time, said with composure, “Oh, right. Emperor, you should announce the great matter now.”

Kangxi nodded, and a eunuch holding an imperial edict stepped forward.

Everyone else had a bad premonition. Tong Guowei’s expression shifted slightly, and the faces of the other concubines turned dark. For the Emperor to issue an edict during the legitimate Prince’s banquet… the contents were unlikely to be good news for them.

In front of everyone, the eunuch cleared his throat and spoke in an incredibly loud, clear voice.

“By the Grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Since ancient times, when Emperors succeed Heaven to establish the ultimate rule and govern the realm, they must establish a primary heir and strengthen the foundation of the state to ensure the boundless prosperity of the ancestral shrines. I have inherited this great legacy and worked with trembling caution day and night. Looking up to the glorious precedents of my ancestors, I am entrusted with a heavy burden. The legitimate son, Yinreng, possesses a brilliant and extraordinary bearing. His natural disposition is pure and beautiful. Now, strictly following the compassionate orders of the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, and having consulted the rites and the public sentiment, I solemnly inform Heaven, Earth, the Ancestral Temple, and the Altars of Soil and Grain: Yinreng is hereby granted the patent and seal and established as the Crown Prince. He shall occupy the Eastern Palace to emphasize the ten-thousand-year lineage and to bind the hearts of the four seas.”

An edict to invest the Crown Prince!

The eunuch’s rhythmic voice struck like a heavy blow to everyone’s hearts. The Tong family’s expressions turned utterly unsightly. Conversely, the Empress’s family felt as if a meat pie had fallen from the sky; they were overjoyed beyond measure and hurried forward to congratulate the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

“Your servants congratulate Your Majesty! Congratulations to the Crown Prince!”

The one speaking was the Empress’s biological father, Gabula. Beside him was Songgotu, the pillar of the Hesheli clan in recent years. Both faces were filled with joy, and they stood up from their seats in excitement.

The daughter of the Hesheli clan was truly successful, and the Crown Prince was successful enough as well. From now on, they were the maternal family of the Crown Prince!

While offering his congratulations, Tong Guowei did not forget to signal to those around him.

Lady Ma Jia’s face darkened. What an eyesore. How could the Empress’s life be so prosperous? It was she who had given birth to the Emperor’s eldest son, but that child simply couldn’t be kept alive. To this day, everyone in the palace knew she was the concubine who had borne the most sons for the Emperor, yet only one daughter remained by her side.

What use was a daughter? A daughter couldn’t help her obtain a high rank in the Grand Investiture!

The younger Lady Guo Luo felt deeply threatened by the Empress and her son. The Empress had a Crown Prince to solidify her status, and she herself was monopolizing the Emperor’s favor… she was truly impossible to guard against!

The two women looked at each other, both feeling wretched. The Empress was simply too glorious, too dazzling.

The Master of the Central Palace, with a son who was the heir—long term, there would be no place for the concubines to stand.

Ma Jia whispered in her heart, Perhaps I should seek refuge with that person.

After the banquet ended, Tong Guowei spent some time catching up with his imperial nephew as usual before returning to his manor.

The Tong Manor was a grand estate with countless servants. The family tree was vast; Tong Guowei had many concubines and many children. However, at this critical juncture, it was his legitimate son, daughter, and primary wife who came out to meet him.

His expression was grim, and those greeting him looked no better. Lady Tong-jia, his wife, nodded, indicating she had already heard the news from the palace.

She supported her husband, her face unfriendly as she said, “The Empress’s legitimate son is now the Crown Prince. The Hesheli clan is at the height of its glory. When our daughter enters the palace, where will her place be?”

In the palace, as a consort, wasn’t one just fighting for status, favor, and children? The Empress had status and now a Crown Prince. These days, the Emperor’s favor was so biased toward the Kunning Palace, and the Empress was shameless, never pushing the Emperor to other palaces. Even she, a woman who rarely entered the palace, knew the Empress’s attitude. From now on, the Empress would surely try to monopolize the Emperor—she didn’t act like a Master of the Central Palace at all!

Even more infuriating was that, perhaps because of the Crown Prince, the Grand Empress Dowager was turning a blind eye to it all, acting as if she didn’t see the Empress soliciting favor. It truly enraged her.

“My poor daughter. Despite being the Emperor’s cousin, she is being suppressed by an outsider.” Lady Tong-jia seemed to imagine her daughter being bullied after entering the palace, and tears couldn’t help but fall.

“Enough, what use is talking about this?” Tong Guowei barked. He looked at his daughter, whose beauty was said to “sink fish and shy the moon.” Compared to the Empress’s vivid beauty that required cosmetics to tone down, his daughter’s look was exceptionally “clear and cold,” like a celestial being from the lunar palace. She was a beauty of a different style than the Empress.

He was very satisfied with his daughter’s looks, but also slightly dissatisfied. “If only you had been born a few years earlier. I would have found a way to send you into the palace, and the Hesheli clan might not have been so triumphant. But it is not too late. I spoke with the Emperor just now; he still holds much affection for you, his cousin. As long as you enter the palace and firmly grasp his heart, all will be well.”

“Yes.” A blush of shyness crossed Lady Tong’s face, but her eyes were filled with determination. This journey into the palace was not just for her cousin, but for her family. She absolutely could not lose.

“Furthermore, the Empress is too prominent right now. It’s not just our Tong family watching the Empress and the Crown Prince; many clans are waiting for ‘good things’ to happen to her.” No one can have all the luck in the world. Tong Guowei was certain that all the concubines were waiting for the Empress to stumble. His Tong family couldn’t just sit and wait; they had to show the Empress that there is always a higher heaven and more capable people.

Tong Guowei smiled. “I must build momentum for your entry into the palace.”

Regardless, as the Emperor’s cousin, if the Tong family hadn’t risen so late, his daughter could have even taken the position of Empress back then.

Now, it was still not too late. Lady Tong and her father shared a knowing smile. She didn’t think the current situation was terrible. The Empress seemed glorious, but it was only surface deep. The Emperor’s children often died young; the Crown Prince might look healthy, but he might not live long. And with the Empress drawing so much attention, Lady Tong only needed to give a gentle tug, and it would be difficult for the Empress to live in peace.

Lady Tong thought about the contact she had already established with Ma Jia, the younger Lady Guo Luo, and some insignificant concubines. She felt at ease. She could now prepare for her entry into the palace. But before that, she wanted to send the Empress a “grand gift.”

Thinking of her cousin’s handsome face and his extraordinary conversation when they spoke, Lady Tong’s heart turned into a pool of sweet water.

She was willing to sink into it.

“Mother, Aunt, please sit.” The Emperor had gone to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and said he would only come back in the evening. Li Mu held Yinreng gently and warmly invited her mother (Lady Tong-jia) and Songgotu’s primary wife (Lady Tong) to sit.

After the banquet, it was not difficult for her, as the Empress, to meet her family.

“Good child.” Lady Tong-jia’s voice trembled with excitement. “After all these years, your bitterness has finally turned to sweetness. From now on, raise the Crown Prince well. The glory of the Hesheli clan depends entirely on you and the Prince. All our clansmen are your support.” She wiped away a tear. Although the Empress was not her biological daughter, the Empress’s birth mother had died early, and she had been raised under her care since childhood. Even if she wasn’t her own, she had long been regarded as her own flesh and blood.

The other Lady Tong was of a gentle temperament. Her eyes swept over the little Crown Prince. “Sister-in-law, please do not be so emotional. It wouldn’t be good to let the Crown Prince see a joke.” She handed over a handkerchief, subtly telling Lady Tong-jia to restrain her emotions.

“Yes, yes, yes, I was wrong.” Lady Tong-jia wiped her tears and laughed. Seeing the little Crown Prince’s fair and plump appearance, she adored him immensely. Her eyes were fixed on him and never moved away. Li Mu said with a smile, “Mother, would you like to hold Yinreng? Yinreng, this is your Guo-luo Ma-mu. Let her hold you for a bit, okay?”

Yinreng smacked his little lips. It was unclear if he understood his Imperial Mother’s words. His eyes darted around, his expression became listless, and he turned his head toward his mother. He looked… as if he didn’t really want to play with his grandmother.

Li Mu almost laughed out loud. This child was affectionate, but only to certain people. To his mother and father, he could be held any which way. But facing people he didn’t know, he gave no face at all. Li Mu was about to explain, but seeing Lady Tong-jia’s face filled with gratification—as if this was the temperament a Crown Prince should have—she was suddenly speechless.

Lady Tong-jia said with satisfaction, “Daughter, you must be careful in raising the Crown Prince. Our Yinreng is so lively and cute; you must watch out for the harem concubines.” Her expression became serious as she spoke. “As long as Yinreng grows up safely, your blessings will lie ahead.”

“I know.” Li Mu held her chubby son tightly. “But Mother, and Aunt—after you return, you must tell Father and Uncle to keep a close eye on the Hesheli clansmen. Yinreng and I are too high-profile in the palace; the Hesheli clan must remain low-key. We cannot draw more attention to ourselves. After all, only if Yinreng and I are well can the Hesheli clan be well. We cannot covet a moment’s pleasure.”

Seeing the Empress so serious, the two women stopped joking. “Rest assured, Your Majesty. We will definitely make sure the Masters keep the clan in check after we return.” No one would dare cause trouble for the Empress and the Crown Prince; anyone who did would be waiting to be expelled from the family.

A flash of sternness crossed both women’s eyes. They would not let anyone ruin what the Empress had achieved.