Chapter 071

Chapter 071

For a low-ranking consort whose face he could hardly remember, Kangxi merely nodded slightly, showing little interest, his gaze not lingering on her.

Seeing that the Emperor did not pay much attention to Uya, Consort Tongjia's smile deepened as she observed Uya's demeanor.

"Consort Uya, since you've already paid your respects, you may leave. I can attend to His Majesty here," Consort Tongjia said, her eyes filled with a warning as she looked at Uya.

After rising, Uya did not immediately retreat upon hearing Consort Tongjia's words.

Knowing that Consort Tongjia would scold her after today, and aware of the Consort's pettiness, Uya decided to seize this opportunity to make an impression in front of the Emperor, believing that wealth comes from taking risks.

It had been a long time since she had seen the Emperor. As a low-ranking consort, if she did not take this chance to show herself when the Emperor visited Jingren Palace, it would be difficult for her to see him again.

Only by gaining another chance to serve the Emperor and bear another child could she escape Jingren Palace!

The Emperor would not allow two princes to be raised by Consort Tongjia in Jingren Palace.

Having made up her mind, Uya did not leave but instead found an excuse to stay.

"Your Majesty, Imperial Noble Consort, my presence here to pay respects has indeed disturbed Your Majesty and the Imperial Noble Consort during your dinner. Knowing my place, perhaps I could serve Your Majesty and the Imperial Noble Consort during the meal, to show my sincerity."

She behaved gracefully, her tone soft and considerate, appearing very thoughtful. As she finished speaking, she had already moved to the position of the maid who usually served the meal, ready to take over.

This angered Consort Tongjia. Could Uya not understand plain speech? How could she be so brazen? If not for the Emperor's presence, she would have immediately punished this insolent woman!

Seeing the fire in Consort Tongjia's eyes, Nanny Wang, worried that the Consort might lose her composure in front of the Emperor, subtly made small gestures behind her to remind the Consort to be careful.

It would not do for the Emperor to think that the Imperial Noble Consort could not endure a low-ranking consort.

Consort Tongjia also knew this was not the right time to make a scene. She forced herself to maintain a calm and gracious demeanor, turning to the Emperor beside her.

"Your Majesty, what do you think? Should we allow Consort Uya to serve the meal? I have no objections."

"As you wish," Kangxi replied coldly. A low-ranking consort meant nothing to him, but he was irritated by Consort Tongjia's hypocritical display of magnanimity.

Consort Tongjia, who had hoped the Emperor would refuse and dismiss Uya, felt a deep disappointment and could not help but feel bitter.

However, her bitterness was not directed at the Emperor. She blamed Uya for her scheming, lack of propriety, and deliberate attempt to seduce the Emperor under the pretense of serving the meal.

Reluctantly, Consort Tongjia nodded, signaling Uya to start serving the dishes.

Seeing Uya take over the role of the maid who usually served the Emperor, Consort Tongjia thought to herself, "Indeed, if she had no ulterior motives, she wouldn't have come to my side but instead replaced the Emperor's serving maid!"

Previously, when Uya had served Consort Tongjia, she was not specifically a serving maid. Serving meals had its own etiquette.

Initially, Uya did not know how, but after becoming the Emperor's woman, even after being promoted to Virtuous Consort, she would stand by the Emperor's side during meals to show her attentiveness and gentle care.

Thus, Uya had some understanding of the Emperor's dining habits.

Now, as she served the dishes, Uya was calm and composed, showing no signs of nervousness. Consort Tongjia, wanting to find fault, could say nothing and could only curse inwardly, "Truly a servant's spawn!"

Although Kangxi's usual dining habit was to take no more than three bites of each dish, and he would not show dislike for any dish, Uya's serving seemed to align perfectly with his preferences.

Even the maids from the Qianqing Palace did not serve with such precision. How did Uya know?

Kangxi was naturally suspicious, especially when bizarre events occurred one after another, heightening his suspicion.

Moreover, with the recent issues surrounding the Fourth Prince, Kangxi couldn't help but suspect that Consort Wuyal might also be involved.

Consort Tongjia noticed that Wuyal had not made any mistakes, which might leave a bad impression on the Emperor.

She subtly signaled to the maid behind Wuyal, who nodded slightly in understanding.

As Wuyal bent down slightly to serve the dishes, the maid was just removing a dish that the Emperor had already taken three bites from.

Before leaving, the maid quietly stepped on the hem of Wuyal's dress, timing it perfectly so that as Wuyal stood up, her dress was tugged, causing her to stumble. If she had been wearing flat embroidered shoes, she might have regained her balance.

But wearing platform shoes, Wuyal lost her balance and stumbled forward.

In her panic, the chopsticks in her hand fell onto Kangxi, staining his robe with some food, which made the fastidious Kangxi frown.

Originally, Wuyal was about to fall directly onto Kangxi, which would have seemed like an intentional move to throw herself at him, something she absolutely could not allow.

Knowing that Consort Tongjia had orchestrated this to make her lose composure in front of the Emperor, Wuyal gritted her teeth and twisted her body, spraining her ankle and falling to the side, crying out in pain.

"Ah!" Wuyal groaned, clutching her sprained ankle.

At the same time, some of her hair fell to the side of her face, and she slightly turned her head, revealing the line of her neck towards Kangxi, her face showing a forced expression of pain.

Seeing the chopsticks fall on Kangxi, Wuyal, despite the pain in her foot, knelt down, "Your servant has been disrespectful, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

She then took out a handkerchief to wipe Kangxi's robe but hesitated, not actually touching him, her expression hesitant and pitiful.

This display infuriated Consort Tongjia, who thought, "Here she goes again, this wretched servant never misses an opportunity," and said aloud,

"Consort Wuyal, what is going on? You were the one who volunteered to serve the meal, and now you've dirtied the Emperor's robe."

Consort Tongjia scolded Wuyal while trying to wipe the stain with her own handkerchief, but it was clear it wouldn't come clean,

"Your Majesty, perhaps we should have a servant fetch a change of clothes from the Qianqing Palace. Consort Wuyal is so clumsy, I shouldn't have let her serve. Look at this mess."

Wuyal knelt silently without rebutting, her demeanor making Consort Tongjia's attitude seem overly aggressive.

She knew her weaknesses and relied not on her looks but on her gentle nature, which had earned her the title of 'Virtuous' from the Emperor. The more aggressive Consort Tongjia appeared, the worse she looked in the Emperor's eyes.

Having served the Emperor for many years, Wuyal understood his temperament well. Even if the Emperor didn't say anything out of respect for Consort Tongjia, her behavior would surely make him think less of her.

Kangxi, tired of the back-and-forth drama, put down his chopsticks, took a wet towel from Liang Jiugong to wipe his mouth, and said, "No need, I will return after finishing the meal."

Consort Tongjia, who had expected the Emperor to stay the night, was taken aback by this turn of events and quickly tried to persuade him to stay,

"Your Majesty, won't you have a bit more? Is the food from my kitchen not to your liking? I will reprimand them and ensure they do better next time."

Kangxi stood up, his tone softening as if to comfort her, "You overthink, Consort. I just remembered some unfinished state affairs. I will visit you another day. As for Wuyal..."

He paused, glancing at the obediently kneeling Wuyal, a hint of deeper meaning in his eyes.

Seeing that Kangxi had noticed her, Wuyal felt a sense of pride. Having served the Emperor for years, she knew how to handle him.

"Since she is from your palace, and you are the head, you should discipline Wuyal more in the future."

To prevent a mere consort from presuming to understand the Emperor's mind and acting on her own.

After saying this, Kangxi left without waiting for Wuyal's response. Consort Tongjia quickly stood up to see him off, but by the time she rose, Kangxi was already out of sight.

Consort Uya's face turned pale as she knelt on the ground, her body feeling weak and powerless.

When the Emperor said this, wouldn't it provoke Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia...

"Ah!!" Consort Uya felt a sharp pain on her face as she was slapped. This time her cry was more genuine than before, her face immediately burning with pain. As she reached up to touch it, there was a stinging sensation, and she wondered if she had been scratched.

Looking up, she saw Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia retracting her hand, the long nail guards that had just slapped her. Her gaze was filled with resentment, as if she wanted to devour her. Since becoming Consort De, no one had dared to treat her like this for a long time!

But now, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia outranked her!

There was nothing she could do about it now!

As soon as Kangxi left, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia dropped all pretense. Seeing Consort Uya on the ground, she angrily raised her hand and delivered a hard slap!

"Wretched servant! Truly unfit for the court. The Emperor finally visited my palace, and you dare to compete with me! If it weren't for your clumsy and deliberate display, the Emperor would have thought I brought you out to seek favor. Why else would he leave?!"

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia couldn't contain her anger and pointed at Consort Uya's nose, scolding her.

Jingren Palace was her domain, and even though Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia treated Consort Uya this way, the servants kept their heads down, not daring to intervene.

Nanny Wang didn't advise Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia to calm down, but instead said,

"Just before the Emperor left, he mentioned that you, as the main consort, have the authority to discipline the lower-ranking concubines in the side halls. Consort Uya has been disrespectful in front of the Emperor, so Imperial Noble Consort should punish her properly to ensure she knows her place in the future."

Consort Uya had been well-behaved recently, thought to be worry-free, but who knew she was harboring ill intentions!

She deliberately chose to appear when the Emperor was present, trying to share Imperial Noble Consort's favor and attract his attention. This time, the Emperor might not have paid much attention to Consort Uya, but if she keeps this up, he might start to notice and remember her.

If the Emperor favors Consort Uya again and she doesn't get pregnant, it's fine. But previously, after just one night with the Emperor, she became pregnant and gave birth to the Fourth Prince. Even though it was a difficult birth, both mother and child were safe. Consort Uya has some luck on her, and we must be wary.

Nanny Wang was afraid that Consort Uya was of a constitution that easily gets pregnant, and if she gets pregnant again, and continues to have children, she might use the children to climb higher.

Once she escapes the control of Jingren Palace, even if Imperial Noble Consort wants to teach her a lesson, she would have to consider many things.

Might as well take this opportunity to severely punish her, to make Consort Uya know the consequences!

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia sat down, "Talking too much, daring to speak out of turn in front of the Emperor. Someone, slap her mouth, so she will know what it means to be cautious in speech and action, not to say what shouldn't be said, not to do what shouldn't be done!"

Previously, even if she was annoyed with Consort Uya, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia hadn't gone this far, but today, all her carefully prepared plans were ruined by Consort Uya. Did this wretched servant think she was easy to bully?!

As long as she is in Jingren Palace, Consort Uya must keep her tail between her legs!

"Imperial Noble Consort, you can't do this! Even if you are the Imperial Noble Consort, you don't have the right to arbitrarily beat and scold concubines!"

Consort Uya heard this, the slapping would surely make her face swell, and just now Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia had already scratched her face, but she endured it. She was anxious to go back and check her injury, but Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia wasn't satisfied with just slapping her, she even ordered the servants to slap her mouth?!

Did Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia want to ruin her face?!

Although she said this, this was Jingren Palace, and everyone here was under Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia's command. Did Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia need to consider anything when punishing her?

"Consort Uya, I see that you don't understand the rules, I am disciplining you, teaching you the rules, so you won't make mistakes in the future, hold her down!" Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia gently stroked the nail guards on her fingers, looking down disdainfully at Consort Uya kneeling on the ground.

Two servants held Consort Uya down on either side.

Originally, another servant was about to start slapping, but Nanny Wang made her stand aside, "Imperial Noble Consort, let this old servant do the slapping, the servants' strength is too weak, afraid they won't make Consort Uya remember this lesson."

"Then I'll trouble you, Nanny." Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia smiled.

Nanny Wang, having received the order, walked up to Consort Uya, rolled up her sleeves, "Consort Uya, this old servant is being rude, please endure it."

Uya Shi watched as Nanny Wang was about to say something, but before she could, Nanny Wang's first slap had already struck. Nanny Wang had a strong hand and was very skilled; with just one slap, Uya Shi's face immediately swelled up.

Compared to the earlier slap from Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia, Nanny Wang's specialized slapping technique was truly devastating.

With the first slap, Uya Shi's head was already spinning, and then the second slap came, turning her face to the side. Nanny Wang showed no mercy, slapping her repeatedly.

For someone like Uya Shi, when you have the chance to suppress her, don't let her have any opportunity to rise. It is right to crush her completely.

Otherwise, she might seize another chance to climb up. Uya Shi has great ambitions. Previously, she was treated too kindly, which is why she dared to provoke Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia today.

Uya Shi must have known she would anger Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia, but she still did it, aiming for wealth through danger, willing to brave Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia's wrath to make a move. This shows her immense ambition.

Slap after slap, Uya Shi's mouth filled with the taste of blood. She was bleeding, her ears ringing so badly she could hardly hear. Nanny Wang, tired from the beating, used all her strength for the final slap, causing Uya Shi to spit something out.

Before Uya Shi could react, a maid nearby saw it—it was Uya Shi's tooth!

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia also saw it and turned her face away in disgust, feeling sickened. She hypocritically said, "Alright, Nanny Wang, that's enough. Uya Shi must have learned her lesson by now."

Nanny Wang withdrew her hand and returned to stand beside Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia. "Yes, Imperial Noble Consort is most merciful."

The two maids holding Uya Shi down released her. Looking at her now-swollen face, which resembled a swollen mass, they sighed inwardly. There was no trace of the beautiful woman she had been just moments ago.

Now that Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia was the foremost person in the harem and held power over the palace, Uya Shi had no choice but to accept her fate this time.

Uya Shi was so disoriented from the slaps that it took her a while to realize she had spat something out. She groped around on the ground and found it—a tooth. She didn't dare to think about which tooth she had lost.

She wanted to accuse Consort Tongjia, but her face hurt so much she couldn't speak. She trembled, consumed with rage.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia walked over and looked down at her, finally feeling some relief from her earlier anger.

"Uya Shi, I'm telling you, as long as I am here, you will behave yourself. If you dare to appear before the Emperor as you did today, I will not spare you."

Then she casually added, "You've dirtied my floor. Have it cleaned at once."

She was referring to the carpet stained with Uya Shi's blood and the tooth she had spat out.

As soon as Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia finished speaking, someone hurried to replace the carpet. Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia no longer paid attention to Uya Shi on the floor and left, leaning on Nanny Wang's arm.

Only then did Uya Shi's maid dare to approach and help her up. The other servants didn't dare to assist Uya Shi, pretending not to see or busying themselves with their tasks.

Uya Shi had brought this upon herself. Didn't she know Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia was jealous? How dare she act like this? Now she's been beaten like this. Without Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia's permission, Uya Shi's token wouldn't even get her out of Jingren Palace, let alone allow her to lodge a complaint.

At this point, no one dared to offend Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia. No one could match her in status. Previously, there was still the Imperial Noble Consort above her, but now, well...

However, as Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia's power grew, the servants of Jingren Palace also gained prestige. When they went out, other palace servants would give way upon hearing the name Jingren Palace.

Qianqing Palace

After Kangxi returned and changed his robes, he summoned the servants attending to the Crown Prince. "Has the Crown Prince returned yet?"

He guessed he was still on his way back.

After all, he was his son, and Kangxi knew him well. He must be stalling for time. If he could return at this hour, he wouldn't have sneaked out in the first place.

Sure enough, the servant looked uneasy. "Your Majesty, we've already sent someone to check. Perhaps something delayed him on the way."

"Enough," Kangxi waved his hand, dismissing the servant. He sat on his chair, resting his forehead on his hand, eyes closed, silent.

Liang Jiugong stood quietly by the side without making a sound to avoid disturbing.

Suddenly, Kangxi asked, "How is Niohuru doing on her side?"

Liang Jiugong quietly lowered his head without answering.

A figure appeared and knelt down, "Your Majesty, Niohuru's words and actions are indeed unusual. She often says some nonsensical things. Additionally, Consort Rong sent someone to the cold palace to send supplies to Niohuru."

Hearing this, Kangxi looked up, "What was sent?"

"Some daily necessities, such as quilts and winter clothes, and food. Nothing else. Moreover, the food sent to the cold palace was mostly grabbed and devoured by the servants there. Niohuru received little. After seeing the servants fall ill, she refused to eat the food sent and even tried to escape when unguarded."

Then, he took out a record of Niohuru's every word and action over the past few days from his robe. Everything Niohuru said, did, and everyone she met was meticulously recorded.

Liang Jiugong stepped forward to take the record, without looking at it, and handed it to His Majesty.

Kangxi took it, opened it, and reviewed the detailed records.

As Kangxi had ordered, everything Niohuru said, even if it was 'delirious ramblings,' had to be recorded word for word.

Upon seeing the day Consort Rong sent the items and the delirious words Niohuru had spoken, Kangxi had already made up his mind.

Kangxi placed the record aside, "Since Niohuru has already caught on, let her 'die of illness.'"

By 'die of illness,' he meant that Niohuru would slowly fall ill in the eyes of others, never to recover, and eventually, the cold palace would be rid of her entirely.

Since Niohuru had already refused to eat the food, he had originally planned to wait a bit longer. But now, after visiting Jingren Palace, Kangxi no longer wanted to drag things out with Niohuru.

Now, no one would care whether the person who had fallen ill in the cold palace was truly Niohuru or not.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The figure in black responded and then disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.

Kangxi narrowed his eyes. He wanted to see who Niohuru truly was. Originally skeptical of ghosts and gods, Kangxi first gained the ability to read minds, then discovered that Niohuru, Consort Rong, the Fourth Prince, and even that lowly concubine were all extraordinary.

In the cold palace,

Niohuru hugged her knees and curled up in a corner, her face haggard and exhausted, but she didn’t dare to close her eyes. Someone was out to harm her!

The food sent to the cold palace had been poisoned!

Those disrespectful servants always snatched most of the food, leaving only scraps for her. At first, Niohuru harbored resentment, angrily thinking that if she ever rose again, she would make those disrespectful servants who dared to defy her pay dearly!

Make them regret daring to treat her like this!

But gradually, she noticed something was wrong. Those disrespectful servants fell ill one after another. At first, Niohuru was happy that those servants were unlucky, but then she herself started to feel unwell, with symptoms similar to those servants.

Niohuru then realized, was someone trying to harm her!

After seeing the food sent over, those disrespectful servants were too weak to snatch her food, lying half-dead, but Niohuru dared not touch the food anymore.

The only thing they had all eaten together these days was this food!

There must be something wrong with this food! Someone was out to harm her! But because those disrespectful servants always snatched her food, most of the poisoned food ended up in their mouths, and only a small portion was eaten by her, which is why she hadn't fallen as ill as those servants!

To think that even after being thrown into the cold palace, someone still wanted to harm her, wishing her dead! How laughable!

She refused to give in. Niohuru would rather starve than touch that food again.