EBE Chapter 108 Porcelain is poisonous
Chapter 108 Porcelain is poisonous
Chapter 108 Porcelain is poisonous
In the warm spring of March, with grass growing and birds singing, the whole capital city begins to bustle. Whether it is a jewelry shop or a rouge shop, business has been extremely hot recently, and the inns in the capital city are also full.
During this period, the ninth prince Yinzhen walked with a breeze and would smile at everyone he met, which made Buerhe laugh.
Her rouge shop recently launched its essential oils, and the main products are two: plum blossom and peach blossom, which are also very popular among women. In the entire capital, it can be said that if a family does not have two bottles of essential oils, they will be looked down upon.
Of course, the nanny job this year is in extremely short supply. This year's election is a good time. Not only do they need to choose a principal wife for the seventh, ninth and tenth princes, but the previous princes also need to choose a concubine. Among them, the most popular ones are the Prince's Yuqing Palace and the Prince's Mansion.
Hongye and Jingyi were quite sensible. When they heard that the palace maids and eunuchs were discussing the selection, they immediately returned to Yuqing Palace to comfort Bu Erhe.
Buerhe looked at the two children with relief: "It's okay, don't worry about it. Mother doesn't take it to heart. Besides, Mother knows the seriousness of the matter. She has a little brother/sister in her belly, so she won't get angry about it."
Buerhe didn't say much about the rest. Besides, it was not convenient to talk about these things with two four-year-old children. She was just wondering why the twins were paying attention to this matter. No one in Yuqing Palace would say anything too much in front of the twins.
Jingyi lowered her head and said, "Today we went to Jingyang Palace to play with Sixteen Years Old. On the way, we ran into two palace servants discussing this matter. They also said that Yuqing Palace will have a concubine this year. When the time comes, my father will love the little brother born by the concubine more than his daughter and brother."
Bull and raised an eyebrow: "Do you believe it?"
Jingyi: "I don't believe it. I can still understand such obvious provocations. But what the palace maid said is right. If the emperor can reward someone to enter Yuqing Palace this year, will my father be partial to that person? Like Third Uncle? Brother Hongqing said that Third Uncle is partial to the concubine now."
Buerhe asked Mo'er beside him in confusion: "Has the concubine of the Third Prince given birth?"
Mo'er replied softly, "She was born last month. I heard she's a sickly little princess. The imperial physician diagnosed her and said if she's well cared for, she might make it to adulthood. The Third Prince said they didn't need to celebrate the full moon even after three days, as they were worried the little princess was too weak. Plus, she was a concubine's daughter, so the Yuqing Palace only sent a small gift to save face."
Buerhe let it go after hearing this. In this situation, the other party didn't want him to know. Only after the child grew up would he be truly stable. Besides, she was just a concubine's daughter, so it was not worth his personal attention.
Buerhe reached out and stroked the small tuft of hair on Jingyi's head. "Your third uncle is indeed not very respectable, but the situation in Yuqing Palace is different from that in your third uncle's house. From childhood to adulthood, when have you ever seen outsiders in Yuqing Palace? Besides, even if you don't believe others, you have to believe your father. Your father is not the kind of person who favors concubines and abandons his wife, and he will not stop loving you for the sake of other children. Besides, these are all unfounded things. Aren't you thinking too much?"
Jingyi lowered her head in embarrassment, and Hongye also blushed. It was true that the brother and sister were overthinking this matter. It was mainly because the children had been playing together in the past two days and talking about things in their respective homes, which scared the brother and sister.
Especially the sisters in Zhi Beile's mansion, when they went to Huifei's house to pay New Year's greetings in Yanx Palace, they heard with their own ears that Huifei wanted to have another baby for the eldest prince, and also said that this year she would give Zhi Beile a legitimate wife and give birth to a little brother for them.
When these words came out, the three sisters were really scared. Their mother was still pregnant with a younger brother, and their nanny wanted to give their father another wife, and a concubine at that. If their mother had not given birth to a younger brother, would there be a place for them in the entire Zhi Beile Mansion?
The more they thought about it, the more heartbroken they became. As they talked, the three sisters began to sob, and even the children present started to cry. The twins were more mature and could understand what the older sisters were saying. So, they started to worry.
Buerhe then patiently tried to explain. He wondered what could be done about this sort of thing. It couldn't be stopped. Even if Yinreng said he wouldn't bring anyone in this year, what would happen in the future? Would the Emperor just watch him become the sole favorite? He had to remember that the Emperor had suffered greatly from Dong E's exclusive favor.
However, there was one thing that satisfied Buerhe, that is, no matter how many people entered the Yuqing Palace, Yinreng would always be clean, and he would not have children with other people.
The imperial power is the greatest. No matter how noble Yinreng is now, he is only the crown prince and has to listen to the emperor in everything. If he sends someone to Yuqing Palace, no one can refuse.
The twins are already quite old, and they will definitely encounter many conspiracies and tricks in the future. The instability in the inner house is also a big problem. They have become accustomed to the peaceful life in Yuqing Palace over the years, and this time it is a good opportunity for them to have a sense of crisis.
The twins lowered their heads, not knowing what they were thinking. Buerhe did not ask any more questions, but just told the kitchen to prepare a pot for dinner tonight and made the plum blossom steamed cake that the prince liked. They would start eating as soon as the prince came back.
A little while later, Laifu, the twins' puppy, came into the house, followed by the Sixteenth Prince. From outside the door, he began shouting, "Niece, Laifu broke the little porcelain vase. What should we do?"
Jingyi could no longer pretend to be deep, and stood up and greeted Yinlu who was about to enter the house. When she saw the broken small porcelain bottle in Yinlu's hand, she immediately flew into a rage and quickly turned around and rushed towards Laifu.
Lai Fu was not stupid either. When he saw that his master was really angry, he quickly hid behind Hongye with his tail between his legs, and from time to time he would stick his head out to sneak a peek at Jingyi.
Seeing this, Bullhe did not intervene but just watched quietly. This kind of thing happened every few days, and she was already familiar with the process.
Every time, Lai Fu would accidentally break something. He was not afraid of his master, as he had broken the things of all four little kids before him. However, he was also smart, and the things he broke were not that valuable, just enough to cross his master's line. Therefore, he would be punished lightly and warned severely each time, and he would not cause trouble again next time.
It's amazing. It also knows who to hide behind every time to solve the problem. If the Sixteenth Prince's rattan ball is broken, it will definitely hide behind Jingyi, because Jingyi can't stand the Sixteenth Prince playing while studying. If the ball is broken, the Sixteenth Prince will definitely be scolded for wasting his time on playing with things.
If the broken item is Prince Hongye's incense pot, the one used to burn incense before playing the guqin, it will hide behind the Sixteenth Prince, because the Sixteenth Prince will directly say that Hongye's playing the guqin is like pulling a big saw. In this way, Hongye will directly divert the conflict and will not remember the culprit.
It was the same this time. The small porcelain vase was presented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs some time ago. Because Buerhe didn't like this kind of porcelain vase with big flowers and bright colors, it was put in the warehouse. Eventually, Jingyi saw it, and then this porcelain vase became her favorite.
Jingyi used this porcelain vase to grow flowers, but it is not clear whether whatever Jingyi planted died or the weather was too cold and not suitable for growing flowers. Anyway, since she used this porcelain vase to grow flowers, none of the flowers survived for more than three days.
Every time Lai Fu saw the vase, he always wanted to smash it. He dropped it on the ground once before, but because the floor was covered with carpet, it did not break. However, Jingyi found it and asked the palace servants to put it somewhere high.
I don’t know what the reason was this time, but the vase was completely broken and could not be used.
Seeing his sister's angry look, Hongye also had a headache. He didn't know what was going on between this man and the dog. The most important thing was that they were always arguing with the vase. Every time Lai Fu saw the vase, he would bark at it twice and even try to jump up and break it.
My sister also thought that this vase was both common and elegant, and its unique color and fragrance made it perfect for growing flowers. She refused to let Lai Fu touch it.
Wow, this might happen several times a day. This time Lai Fu completely got rid of the vase, and it really annoyed Jingyi.
Buerhe hadn't expected Jingyi to be so angry about a vase. Besides, the vase was just an ordinary one, what was so special about it? Laifu hadn't seen Jingyi get so angry when he damaged the daffodils she had carefully cultivated.
Hongye reached out to stop the angry Jingyi: "Sister, sister, there's no need to be angry with Laifu. He's just a dog that only cares about food and not about beatings. What can he understand? Besides, those damaged things before, which one is not more precious than this vase? If you really can't bear to part with it, can I go to the Imperial Household Department to pick out another one for you?"
Jingyi also calmed down at this time. She was actually angry for only a moment. She didn't like the vase very much. It was just because Lai Fu always wanted to break it before, but she didn't want to. Then Lai Fu tried every means to get the vase every day, so she started to care about the vase.
Seeing that Jingyi was no longer angry, Hongye breathed a sigh of relief, and Lai Fu also ran out from behind Hongye and went to Jingyi to act coquettishly and cutely.
Lai Fu was raised by those little kids. Seeing this, Jingyi's heart softened. How could she bear to blame Lai Fu?
At this moment, Mo'er, who was cleaning the broken vase, exclaimed: "What is this?"
Mo'er's voice attracted the attention of everyone present. Buerhe originally wanted to ask Mo'er to present the things, but was stopped by Aunt Pang who heard the noise.
Aunt Pang: "Master, please sit there and rest. I will take a look at this matter. It is best to be careful."
After seeing Bull nod and instruct the servants to send the little kids back to the side hall, Aunt Pang began to pick up the broken vase and examine it carefully. From time to time, she would dip her fingers in water, rub the vase a few times, and then put it in her mouth to taste it.
After a while, Madam Pang said to Buerhe, "Master, please call the imperial physician. This matter should be handled by the imperial physician. Although I am very confident, I am not as professional as the imperial physician after all."
Seeing this, Buerhe also knew that there was something wrong. He nodded and signaled the palace servants to call the imperial physician, and then asked, "What is it?"
Nanny Pang didn't hide it either. If she didn't say it now, the imperial physician would tell her later. "It's cinnabar. It seems there's something else in it. I can't tell what it is at the moment, but I'm sure it's no good. And if it weren't broken, you wouldn't be able to tell. Long-term use will affect lifespan, and if a pregnant woman uses it, it will directly harm the fetus."
Buerhe's heart trembled: "Is this coming for me?"
Matron Pang: "It's still unclear, because this porcelain vase is very common in the palace. Apart from this one, I've seen quite a few in the Empress Dowager's storehouse, and there are also several in the master's storehouse. As for the problem, it's not clear if it's this one or all of them."
Upon hearing this, Buerhe did not hesitate. He waved his hand to signal Moer to bring all the porcelain bottles in the warehouse and let the imperial physician check them all.
Mo'er acted quickly. Before the imperial physician even stepped into Yuqing Palace, she had already led the palace maids and eunuchs to bring over the porcelain bottles.
They are all exquisitely made and brightly colored, and look very festive from a distance. Usually, they are displayed in Yuqing Palace during the Chinese New Year. This year, because Bu Erhe doesn't like this color, they are put in the warehouse.
The imperial physician arrived quickly. After listening to Nanny Pang's explanation, he carefully examined the porcelain, sniffed it, and licked the water. He then bowed to Buerhe and said, "Princess Consort, there's something wrong with this porcelain. The pigment is mixed with a small amount of cinnabar, and it seems there's also lead powder and mercury in the materials. These won't have any short-term effects, but prolonged use, or even using this porcelain to hold water, could be very harmful."
Hearing the doctor's words, Bull and knew what was going on. Then they asked the doctor to look at the other colored porcelains found in the storeroom. Unsurprisingly, all of them were in the same situation.
Bu Erhe nodded and signaled Mo'er to send the imperial physician out of the palace. Then he asked Madam Pang to dispose of these porcelains. There was no need to keep such colored porcelains in Yuqing Palace in the future.
At this moment, Aunt Pang seemed to have thought of something, and her face suddenly changed. Buerhe happened to see it, and Buerhe hurriedly asked: "Aunt, have you thought of something? Why don't you just tell me."
Nanny Pang looked at Buerhe and stammered, "Slave, I thought of the late Imperial Noble Consort and the late Empress Dowager. At that time, the Chengqian Palace and Jingren Palace were all decorated with this kind of colored porcelain."
After hearing this, Buerhe gasped and exchanged glances with Aunt Pang. Seeing the certainty in the other party's eyes, he was even more horrified. However, Buerhe quickly calmed down and said, "It's been so many years since this happened. Let's just pretend we know nothing about it."
After seeing Nanny Pang nod, Buer and Cai breathed a sigh of relief. Dong E was a thorn in the emperor's heart, and the late empress dowager was the regret of the emperor's life. If this matter were to be exposed, it would definitely cause a big earthquake in the palace.
Bull now has to consider whether to expose the fact that the colored porcelain is poisonous.