Following the Grand Empress Dowager's return, Yinreng added a new daily routine to his schedule: visiting Cining Palace to pay his respects and keep her company. His reasoning was simple and pragmatic. According to the historical timeline of his previous life, Xiaozhuang (the Grand Empress Dowager) would pass away in the twelfth lunar month of the 26th year of Kangxi. Even if fate could not be changed, she only had seven years left.
Seven years seemed long, but time was fleeting. In this sprawling, treacherous palace, few people genuinely cared for him. He refused to wait until she was dead to regret not spending time with her.
However, upon entering Cining Palace for his first routine visit, Yinreng was stunned.
Concubine Daijia was standing beside the Grand Empress Dowager. She poured tea, massaged the old woman's shoulders, and meticulously arranged the meals.
Internal Monologue: Yinreng stared. 'Is she stealing my job?'
The palace maids and eunuchs standing nearby exchanged nervous glances, feeling their employment security actively threatened.
This happened on the first day. Then the second. Then the third.
Daijia was incredibly diligent, refusing to let the servants do anything she could do herself. Every time Yinreng arrived, she was already there. When he left, she remained. She essentially lived in Cining Palace during daylight hours.
Ten days into this bizarre routine, Yinreng received intelligence: Concubine Daijia had been severely reprimanded by Noble Consort Tongjia and forced to kneel on gravel for over two hours.
***
Chengqian Palace.
'Crash!' Noble Consort Tongjia hurled a priceless celadon teacup against the floor, her face twisted in rage. "Ungrateful wretch!"
In the cramped rear courtyard of the same palace, the maid Xiangzhi wept softly as she examined Concubine Daijia's injuries. "My lady, I am applying the medicine now. Please bear with it."
Daijia closed her eyes, biting down hard on a cloth. She remained absolutely silent throughout the agonizing process. When it was over, she let out a long, shaky breath.
Xiangzhi sniffled, overwhelmed with injustice. Two hours did not sound long, but her mistress had been forced to kneel directly on sharp gravel. From her knees to her calves, the skin was shredded. Because medical treatment had been delayed, the blood had dried, fusing the flesh to her silk trousers. Xiangzhi had been forced to cut the fabric away with scissors.
Context: Tongjia was the master of Chengqian Palace. By punishing Daijia in the open courtyard where servants constantly passed by, she was not just inflicting physical pain; she was systematically destroying Daijia's dignity.
"My lady!" Xiangzhi pleaded. "Why don't you just yield to Her Ladyship?"
Daijia shook her head slowly. "Xiangzhi, yielding means obeying."
Analysis: Why was Tongjia punishing her? Because Daijia refused to be her weapon. Tongjia was furious about Noble Lady Wei's pregnancy but lacked the courage to strike at the imperial heir directly. Tongjia knew that if she were caught killing a royal child, Kangxi would never forgive her, no matter their deep history.
Therefore, Tongjia had been heavily implying—and recently demanding—that Daijia orchestrate Wei's miscarriage. Tongjia wanted to use Daijia's grief over her crippled son as a motive to attack Wei, who had "stolen her spotlight."
"I cannot obey her," Daijia smiled bitterly. "Tongjia is barren and insanely jealous. But she is a coward. She wants me to do the dirty work. If I succeed, she eliminates a rival. If I am caught, I take the fall, and my entire clan is executed. I cannot afford to yield."
Xiangzhi looked desolate. "But what can we do? She controls this palace. As long as you live under her roof, she has a thousand ways to torture you."
Daijia sighed heavily. When Yin You was born crippled, she had calculated every angle to ensure his survival. Normally, high-ranking concubines eagerly adopted the sons of low-ranking concubines. Daijia had hoped Tongjia would adopt Yin You, thus extending him her formidable protection. However, Tongjia had already adopted the Fourth Prince, Yin Zhen. The Emperor would never give her a second son, let alone a crippled one.
Daijia gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stand on her mangled legs. "Help me change my clothes. I must go to Cining Palace. I cannot be late."
"My lady, your legs! You cannot walk!" Xiangzhi cried out.
"It does not matter what happens to me," Daijia said, her voice turning cold and resolute. "I must secure a future for the Seventh Prince."
***
Cining Palace.
Yinreng had assumed Daijia would be bedridden. Yet, when he arrived after his tutoring session with Ferdinand Verbiest, Daijia was already there, calmly brewing tea for the Grand Empress Dowager. For the next several days, rain or shine, she appeared. No matter how agonizing her injuries were, her smile never wavered. Only when the pain became unbearable would she quietly excuse herself to sit for a moment before returning to work.
One evening, Yinreng successfully manipulated his great-grandmother into letting him sleep over. For the first time, Daijia left before he did.
Watching her limp slightly as she walked away, the Grand Empress Dowager sighed softly. "The heart of a mother is a pitiful thing."
Yinreng blinked, feigning ignorance. "Great-Grandmother? Why has she suddenly become so devoted to serving you?"
The Grand Empress Dowager patted the space beside her, gesturing for him to sit. Sumalagu, her loyal attendant, hesitated. "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is still very young."
Context: Sumalagu felt that exposing a six-year-old to the ruthless calculus of harem politics was inappropriate.
"Children born in this palace cannot afford to be naive," the Grand Empress Dowager dismissed the concern. "Other princes have mothers to teach them these survival skills. Baocheng only has the Emperor. The Emperor loves him, but men do not understand the subtle venom of women. He cannot teach Baocheng this. While I am still alive, I must teach him."
She wrapped an arm around Yinreng. "Tell me, Baocheng. Why do you think she is doing this?"
"Is she trying to persuade you to convince Imperial Father to adopt my seventh brother out?" Yinreng guessed.
"No," the old woman smiled, shaking her head. "In all the days she has served me, she has never mentioned the adoption. Not once."
Yinreng was genuinely surprised. "Then why?"
"Think about her situation," the Grand Empress Dowager guided him. "Yin You is crippled. The Emperor is disappointed. No high-ranking concubine wants to adopt a flawed prince. Right now, Yin You is abandoned in the Eastern Five Palaces, raised entirely by indifferent servants.
"If he is adopted by the deceased Prince Chunjing, he immediately inherits an 'Iron-Cap' princely title. This guarantees him immense wealth and absolute security—something he would never achieve if he remained a disgraced prince in the palace. Furthermore, by 'sacrificing' his son to continue his brother's line, the Emperor gains a reputation for brotherly love. He will feel guilty toward Yin You and compensate him with favor. Finally..."
She looked at Yinreng seriously. "...As an adopted royal, Yin You is permanently removed from the war for the throne. He will be safe."
Yinreng nodded, understanding the logic perfectly. "But Imperial Father has not agreed yet."
"And that is why Daijia is brilliant," the Grand Empress Dowager praised. "She planted the idea but left the decision entirely to the Emperor, ensuring he does not suspect her of manipulation. She knows I do not interfere in politics. If she begged me directly, I would refuse, and she would offend both me and the Emperor.
"Therefore, she employs a secondary strategy. By serving me constantly and becoming a familiar face in Cining Palace, she borrows my authority. As long as she is under my shadow, no one in the harem will dare touch her crippled son."
Yinreng's eyes widened in realization. "Borrowing the tiger's might to scare the foxes!"
"Exactly. However..." the Grand Empress Dowager paused, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"However what?" Yinreng asked.
"Daijia is clever, but she lacks the strategic depth to devise this 'adoption' scheme on her own. Someone guided her."
The old woman chuckled softly, waving her hand. "It matters not who the mastermind is. Her intentions are selfish but protective, not malicious. I will allow it."
She turned to Sumalagu. "Go to my private cabinet. Take a bottle of the premium wound medicine and deliver it to Chengqian Palace. 'Crucially', hand it directly to Noble Consort Tongjia. Tell her to give it to Daijia."
Yinreng's eyes flashed with profound admiration.
Strategic Masterclass: By giving the medicine to the abuser to hand to the victim, the Grand Empress Dowager was issuing a silent, absolute warning: 'I know what you did. I am protecting Daijia. Stop.'
"Tongjia wishes to be the Empress," the Grand Empress Dowager murmured, leaning back against her pillows. "Then she must learn the tolerance of an Empress. Princes will sprout in this palace like bamboo shoots after a rain. She must get used to it, or she will destroy herself."
Yinreng stared at his great-grandmother in awe. 'This' was the ultimate boss of the harem. Decades of surviving absolute carnage had refined her into a political deity. The petty games Tongjia and Daijia were playing were merely parlor tricks to her.
***
Chengqian Palace.
Despite the sheer humiliation and rage burning in her chest, Noble Consort Tongjia was forced to smile graciously as she accepted the medicine from Sumalagu. The moment the old servant left, Tongjia shattered another celadon teacup. Grinding her teeth, she ordered her maid to deliver the medicine to Daijia.
Upon receiving the medicine, Daijia bowed deeply in the direction of Cining Palace to express her gratitude.
Then, she turned to Xiangzhi, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Tomorrow, find a discreet opportunity. Deliver a valuable gift to Concubine De in Yonghe Palace."
Daijia gripped the medicine bottle tightly, looking toward Yonghe Palace.
Conclusion: She would never forget the debt she owed Concubine De for giving her the perfect strategy to save her son.