Chapter 074

Chapter 074

The little eunuch shook his head, "Liang Jiugong, I saw that Consort Rong seemed quite happy and didn’t appear unhappy at all. Perhaps Consort Rong was just pretending, and I didn’t notice?"

As he spoke, he noticed that Liang Jiugong’s expression wasn’t very good, so he quickly changed his tone, not wanting to sound too certain.

Liang Jiugong: ....

Consort Rong is truly formidable. At this stage, other concubines would be worried. Sending someone who resembles her is clearly meant to provoke Consort Rong.

Hopefully, Consort Rong will feel a sense of urgency and crisis. If she doesn’t yield, it might benefit someone else, someone who looks quite similar to her. But can Consort Rong really hold out like this??

Having no useful information, Liang Jiugong could only prepare himself and think about how to word his report.

"Has everything been arranged?" Kangxi asked casually, holding a book.

"Your Majesty, everything has been arranged. Consort Liang has also been settled in the side hall," Liang Jiugong replied with a professional smile, and then he fell silent.

He hadn’t figured out what to say, so he decided to remain silent. Whether he spoke or not, he would probably be scolded.

Kangxi calmly turned a page of the book. Hearing nothing further from Liang Jiugong, he turned another page. Liang Jiugong remained silent. After turning two more pages in quick succession, Kangxi closed the book and tossed it onto a small side table, saying, "I’m done reading. This book is dull."

Liang Jiugong lowered his head, intently studying the patterns on the carpet. The design appeared to have been recently changed, and it looked quite exquisite.

"Liang Jiugong."

"Yes, Your Majesty? What are your commands? I am listening," Liang Jiugong responded quickly, with an eager smile.

"Leave. I’m irritated just by looking at you," Kangxi said irritably.

"Yes, yes, I have no sense of timing. I’ll take my leave now," Liang Jiugong said, slipping out quickly.

At times like this, staying longer would be risky.

Liang Jiugong didn’t have the courage for that.

Kangxi sat in his seat but didn’t pick up the book again.

He propped his head on his hand, slightly narrowing his eyes in thought, while his other hand rested on his knee, idly turning the jade ring on his thumb.

These past few days, the words of Niohuru had been lingering in Kangxi’s mind during his leisure moments.

The future Niohuru described initially made Kangxi want to reject it outright, but upon closer reflection, some things seemed to align with his own thoughts.

Baocheng had been deposed once and then reinstated, but even after being reinstated, he was eventually deposed again. Every time Kangxi checked Baocheng’s studies, his feelings were always complicated.

This child, in whom he had placed so much hope, would eventually grow distant from him, the Emperor, due to Suo’etu and the Hesheri family.

Baocheng’s most trusted figure would no longer be his imperial father, but his maternal grandfather, Suo’etu. In the end, Suo’etu would sow discord between them, leading Baocheng to plot rebellion.

And the person Kangxi would eventually choose to succeed him would be the fourth prince, the young fourth prince who had just been born.

Would he really do that?

Perhaps, he would.

Kangxi began to entertain the thought that the fourth prince, born not long ago in Jingren Palace, might indeed be the one to sit on the throne. He would still be Kangxi’s son, but perhaps, like Niohuru, he had gained some kind of opportunity to start over.

The more Kangxi thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. The strange behavior of the fourth prince during that visit to Jingren Palace had been weighing on Kangxi’s mind ever since.

The information compiled from Niohuru's words, presented by the secret guards, sent shockwaves through Kangxi's mind.

Niohuru actually hailed from a world three hundred years in the future, and what she knew was all recorded in history books, especially the Crown Prince being deposed and reinstated twice, the Nine Princes' struggle for the throne, and the ultimate victor being the fourth prince, who had always remained inconspicuous.

Were it not for the fourth prince's current odd behavior, Kangxi would never have believed he'd hand the throne to a prince from a lower-status banner, ultimately sidelining Baocheng.

Regarding her own fate, Niohuru kept her lips sealed, as if clinging to her last shred of resistance, unwilling to reveal her original ending.

It was utterly baffling, but Kangxi had to ponder whether the future could be altered.

The throne struggle, in particular, struck a nerve with Kangxi.

The factions vying for the throne had evolved into a rivalry between the fourth and eighth princes after Baocheng's deposition and Suo'etu's downfall, and Kangxi would come to despise the eighth prince, branding him the son of a lowly Xinzhuku servant.

The mention of Xinzhuku instantly brought to Kangxi's mind the Xinzhuku servant he'd 'run into' a few nights back.

At first, he hadn't given it much thought, but Kangxi promptly tasked Liang Jiugong with verifying if the Xinzhuku servant from that night was Wei Shi.

The findings lined up with Niohuru's account of the eighth prince's future mother.

Without investigation, he would have remained in the dark, but digging deeper revealed it wasn't due to Wei Shi's current plight in Xinzhuku, but rather her identity wasn't as lowly as it seemed; Wei Shi was actually related to him by blood.

Wei Shi was the daughter of Princess Makata, Emperor Taizong's Gurun Wenzhuang Princess, and Prince Abunai of Chahar, making her a cousin.

Abunai, arrogant and ignorant, refused to pay tribute to the Qing dynasty, his disloyalty already evident.

Long dissatisfied, Kangxi, after handling Ao Bai and his clique, stripped Abunai of his princely title and locked him up in Shengjing, letting his son Burni take the title, sparing Abunai's life as an act of mercy.

But Burni and Lobzang dared to conspire with Mongolian princes to rebel and try to free Abunai.

Since Kangxi's ascension, Mongolia had always been a concern.

Not a single Mongolian concubine was in Kangxi's harem, precisely to prevent Mongolian concubines from bearing royal heirs, as Emperor Taizong's harem was almost entirely Mongolian, dominated by Mongolian concubines.

The current relationship between Mongolia and the Qing dynasty wasn't as it used to be, and Kangxi, to prevent Mongolian concubines from occupying high positions in the harem, had repeatedly refused his grandmother's requests.

Burni and Lobzang daring to collude with Mongolian princes to rebel greatly crossed Kangxi's bottom line, and he eventually sent troops to quell the rebellion, even executing Abunai.

Only Abunai's sole daughter remained, as a direct descendant of a traitor, naturally falling under the jurisdiction of Xinzhuku for the descendants of criminals, renamed Wei Shi.

The more Kangxi knew about Wei Shi's identity, the more he could understand the reasons upon careful consideration.

The reason for his aversion to the eighth prince wasn't because the eighth prince was truly of low birth, but because even though he carried royal blood, he couldn't change the fact that he was also a direct descendant of a traitor.

According to Kangxi's thinking, he would never allow such a prince to sit on the throne.

Choosing such a prince to succeed would be equivalent to telling others that even the families of traitors who once rebelled could rise again, becoming the emperor's maternal family and regaining their former glory!

Then others would no longer hold the royal family in awe, but would think of gaining high positions through rebellion!

Kangxi would never allow such a thing to happen, so he would indeed choose to do so, completely cutting off the possibility of the eighth prince's succession.

Such a thing, Kangxi would indeed do.

But now Wei Shi still had her uses; he needed her to confirm some matters, so he took the opportunity to confer her the title of Consort Liang, keeping her under close watch in the harem rather than leaving her in Xinzhuku where unexpected changes could occur.

Kangxi could only have people obtain more information from Niohuru, but the secret guards brought news of Niohuru's death.

They had strictly guarded Niohuru to prevent her from committing suicide, and the secret room had multiple mechanisms to prevent intrusion.

Yet, Niohuru still died.

Although the mechanisms were not triggered, Niohuru found an opportunity to end her life, which didn’t make sense and seemed more like a skilled infiltrator had intervened, giving Niohuru the chance to commit suicide.

By the time they attempted to save Niohuru, she had already died.

The leader of the secret guards listed his theories one by one. Although there was a hint of avoiding responsibility, this time it was indeed their failure, and they would accept their punishment.

With the loss of the Niohuru lead, only one other lead remained.

The leader of the secret guards said expressionlessly, "Your Majesty, should I notify Dark Nine to act..."

"Silence," Kangxi coldly interrupted him.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the leader of the secret guards immediately stopped speaking, lowering his head to await further orders.

"Dark Nine doesn’t need to move yet. Without Niohuru, there is still another candidate. Have someone keep an eye on her; she also has some oddities."

The leader of the secret guards looked up at Kangxi, who had a deep and solemn gaze, and said in a heavy voice, "Uya clan."

"Yes!"

Yonghe Palace

"Your Highness, what are you watching?" Yun Hua saw that Consort Rong was still awake at this hour, leaning by the window and looking outside. When she approached, she didn’t see anything—just a tree outside, and looking up, only the sky was visible. "Are you looking at the stars?"

"Yes, the stars are stunning tonight. I couldn’t help but gaze at them a bit longer," Su Yi said, propping her chin with one hand and looking up at the sky. She was studying the celestial signs, which were quite interesting. There were now two imperial stars.

One represented Kangxi, clearly more radiant, seated on the throne, while the other pointed to Jingren Palace.

That could only be the Fourth Prince.

Even though he was historically the next emperor, he had just been born, and his imperial presence shouldn’t surpass the current crown prince’s, as if he were already king.

Wait, become... king?

Su Yi suddenly laughed. It seemed this world was in utter chaos.

And the star representing Niohuru had just fallen.

The one who 'died' in the cold palace earlier wasn’t the real Niohuru, because at that time, the star representing her had not yet fallen, only showing signs of fading. Though its light was weak, it still meant she was alive. Now that it had fallen, it meant she had truly died.

Who was responsible?

This world is truly bustling.

It’s all a series of nested dolls.

Yun Hua, standing nearby, was somewhat puzzled. Were the stars so beautiful that she laughed?

"Your Highness, are the stars that beautiful? There aren’t many stars tonight."

"It’s just that I haven’t seen them for a while, and today I found them quite intriguing," Su Yi replied with a smile, then got up and walked to the bed. Yun Hua quickly closed the window to prevent drafts while sleeping, then turned and advised, "Your Highness, you should rest early."

After closing the window, Yun Hua came to Su Yi’s bedside to tidy the corners of the blanket, speaking with concern, "Then I will extinguish the candles. Your Highness, have a good rest."

Su Yi looked at Yun Hua, who was carefully tucking in the blanket, and suddenly said, "Yun Hua, it would be nice if you could always stay by my side."

Yun Hua’s hands didn’t pause as she adjusted the blanket, but her head seemed to lift a bit slower than usual, finally looking up as she always did. "What are you saying, Your Highness? Isn’t Yun Hua always here by your side, serving you?"

Su Yi smiled, her eyes narrowing into beautiful crescent shapes, and said sweetly, "Because Yun Hua is very considerate. I've grown accustomed to Yun Hua taking care of me."

Yun Hua pursed her lips but couldn't hide her smile, clearly pleased.

Then Su Yi spoke with a hint of distress, "But when palace maids reach the age of twenty-five, they are all to be released from the palace. When that time comes, I won't be able to see you by my side."

Yun Hua secretly breathed a sigh of relief, realizing it was about this matter, and immediately smiled, "That won't happen. This servant will never leave the palace. This servant will always stay by your side to serve you, so please rest assured, my lady."

"Hmm..." Su Yi, drowsy, responded vaguely, her eyes blinking shut as she quickly fell asleep.

Yun Hua, watching Consort Rong fall asleep so swiftly, chuckled softly and shook her head gently. She then carefully got up, blew out the candle, and tiptoed out of the room.

At Jingren Palace

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia was furious upon learning of a new Consort Liang in the harem, smashing many things.

"What is the background of this Consort Liang? Why was I completely unaware of her, and she was given the title of a noble consort? A lowly servant from the Xinzhuku, even more despicable than the Uya clan, and the Emperor actually conferred her the title of noble consort. Could it be that her beauty is so enchanting that it has bewitched the Emperor?!"

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia felt extremely uncomfortable upon hearing about Consort Liang. A lowly servant from the Xinzhuku, being a constant attendant was already a promotion for her, let alone being a titled noble consort.

Didn't you see that even the Uya clan, who bore the Fourth Prince, was only a constant attendant?!

Nanny Wang, beside Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia, shared the news she had gathered, "Imperial Noble Consort, I heard that Consort Liang happened to encounter His Majesty one night by chance, and a few days later, she was given her current title. Moreover, she somewhat resembles Consort Rong in appearance, though not as beautiful as Consort Rong, her looks are comparable to Yipin."

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia's gaze shifted to Nanny Wang, "Nanny, are you saying?"

Then she immediately expressed her displeasure, "What does Consort Rong amount to, to be remembered by the Emperor?! If the Emperor truly had her in mind, why would he place a counterfeit like Consort Liang in front of Consort Rong? She should be kept far away."

Otherwise, seeing a counterfeit resembling herself flaunting around and gaining favor would disgust anyone, wouldn't Consort Rong be so angry as to spit blood?

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia couldn't help but gloat with schadenfreude.

She detested the women of the Niohuru family; the one she hated the most had died, and now there was another to contend with.

"Perhaps it's to force Consort Rong to yield?" Nanny Wang ventured her guess.

"Nanny, please continue," said Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia.

Nanny Wang elaborated her theory, "Since Consort Rong was previously punished for speaking out against the Emperor, she has been under indefinite house arrest, which seems like an endless duration but can actually be lifted at any time.

The people of Yonghe Palace can still move about freely. Only Consort Rong remains confined to Yonghe Palace, unable to leave. The concubines in the harem who wish to mock her cannot easily visit Yonghe Palace, especially since Consort Rong is under house arrest. How could they boldly go to see her?

The Emperor has been cold towards Yonghe Palace, and Consort Rong has remained quiet, living each day peacefully. If this stalemate continues, Yonghe Palace might as well become another cold palace. The longer the stalemate, the more disadvantageous it is for Consort Rong, who has not yielded to provide the Emperor with a way out.

With Consort Liang placed in Yonghe Palace, regardless of Consort Rong's feelings, if the Emperor wishes to visit Consort Liang, he must go to Yonghe Palace. As the primary consort there, Consort Rong would naturally have to pay her respects upon the Emperor's arrival. This back-and-forth, coupled with the presence of Consort Liang as a stimulus.

Consort Rong might eventually yield to the Emperor. By then, before Consort Liang could fully rise, Consort Rong might seize the opportunity to regain the Emperor's attention. Perhaps the Emperor is also waiting for Consort Rong to yield."

The more Nanny Wang analyzed, the more it made sense.

If this is the case, then Consort Rong holds a significant place in the Emperor's heart, posing a serious threat. The deposed consort in the cold palace didn't last a month, but Consort Rong, after offending the Emperor, still remains as Consort Rong in Yonghe Palace, her title not even demoted.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia isn't foolish. After Nanny Wang's analysis, she understood the situation. The more she listened, the darker her expression grew. Initially, she was just angry and disdainful of Consort Liang, but after Nanny Wang's analysis.

The threat from Consort Liang is not as significant as that from Consort Rong. Instead of allowing Consort Rong to regain favor, promoting a counterfeit first would be better. If Consort Rong is sensitive and overthinking, she might cut off her own retreat, and the Emperor's interest would wane.

Faced with suppressing the rising Consort Liang or the neglected Consort Rong under house arrest, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia chose the latter.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia, the highest-ranking in the harem, also manages palace affairs and has adopted the Fourth Prince. With status, power, and a prince, dealing with a disfavored concubine is easy. Compared to currying favor with the Imperial Noble Consort and offending Consort Rong, a wise person knows which choice to make.

Thus, the servants of Yonghe Palace noticed that the noon meal was not only late compared to usual but also consisted of oily and meat-heavy dishes. Moreover, due to the cold weather, the food cooled down quickly, and it was evident that no effort had been made to keep the food warm. As a result, thick layers of grease solidified on the oily meat dishes.

It looked absolutely revolting, making it impossible to even pick up their chopsticks. Qinxin was the first to confront the eunuchs from the imperial kitchen about what was going on. The leading eunuch delivering the meal replied, "Miss Qinxin, the imperial kitchen is swamped today, which is why the meal was delivered late. We even specially prepared some of the finest dishes. However, the cold weather caused the food to cool quickly. There's nothing we can do about it. Perhaps the mistress could make do with this."

Hearing the eunuch's explanation, Qinxin felt a surge of anger. This was clearly a flimsy excuse. It wasn't that they were too busy to deliver the meal on time; they had deliberately delayed it. Consort Liang's meal in the side hall had been delivered on time, and it was nothing like this greasy, heavy fare. The chefs had clearly cut corners, as the dishes were incomparable to what had been served before.

"Make do with this slop? These dishes are unsuitable for our mistress, who has a weak constitution. The meals previously delivered by the imperial kitchen were nothing like this. You're clearly neglecting your duties!" Qinxin said, struggling to contain her anger.

The eunuch's attitude grew even more dismissive, as if Qinxin's anger was of no consequence. He didn't even bother to fake a smile.

"Miss Qinxin, you're overreacting. These are high-quality dishes. Even poor families might not get to eat like this during the New Year. There are no vegetarian dishes here—it's all carefully prepared by the imperial kitchen. How can you call this neglect? It's just that the imperial kitchen is short-staffed today, so Yonghe Palace was overlooked. But we rushed to deliver it as soon as possible, didn't we?"

The eunuch spoke in one breath, not giving Qinxin a chance to respond. He then continued with a pitiful tone, "I didn't mean to ask Miss Qinxin to sympathize with our hard work, but accusing the imperial kitchen of negligence is truly unfair."

"What a slick tongue! Consort Liang's meal was delivered first. This is Yonghe Palace, yet our mistress, the main consort, is being treated worse than a side-hall consort?" This was what infuriated Qinxin the most. The eunuch was clearly twisting the truth. Someone must have instructed the imperial kitchen to slight their mistress, using Consort Liang's rise to humiliate their mistress.

And to make matters worse, the meal was deliberately designed to be unappetizing. The table was filled with dishes that looked extravagant but were inedible!

Their mistress was being starved!

"Miss Qinxin, those are your words, not mine," the eunuch said, his expression unchanged and showing no fear. The meals for the imperial consorts were all supplied by the imperial kitchen. Unless a consort had her own private kitchen, the imperial kitchen was in charge of all meals. What could Qinxin possibly do?

It would be better to say a few nice words and endure it. Even harder times were ahead!

Hadn't they noticed that Consort Rong had been sitting there silently the whole time?

Consort Rong looked frail and delicate. No matter how capable the maids were in speaking up, it was useless if Consort Rong couldn't stand up for herself. In this situation, they could only endure the humiliation.

Consort Rong had already lost the emperor's favor, and her sister had passed away in the cold palace. Previously, the imperial kitchen had followed the rules in supplying meals, but now, they could cut corners.

The eunuch signaled to the people behind him to prepare to leave. He gave a perfunctory bow and was about to leave.

This was already crossing the line.

Yun Hua had been afraid of saying the wrong thing and had let Qinxin handle the situation. But now, seeing the eunuch's dismissive bow, she was so angry that she wanted to grab him. "You little eunuch! I..." she said, about to rush forward. At this moment, Su Yi, who had been sitting quietly without speaking, finally spoke up.

"Yun Hua, calm down. A young lady shouldn't be so impulsive," Su Yi said softly as she slowly stood up and walked toward the eunuch, a gentle smile on her face. She looked truly kind and beautiful.

The eunuch turned to look at Consort Rong as she approached. Even though he was a eunuch, he couldn't help but be struck by her beauty. However, he also thought that Consort Rong was too soft-spoken. How could she still smile at a time like this? She was truly spineless.

"Your Highness!" Yun Hua exclaimed anxiously.

"We should be refined and rely on reason to persuade others," Su Yi said softly, her demeanor gentle and composed.

Qinxin was still fuming and was about to say that the mistress's gentle nature would only embolden... the other side?

Just then, Su Yi, still smiling gently, walked up to the eunuch and suddenly kicked him hard in the back of the knee. The eunuch immediately fell to the ground with a loud thud, his knees hitting the floor painfully. He couldn't help but cry out in pain.