Chapter 083

Chapter 083

This was also the reason why the emperor had bestowed many rewards upon her recently, leading Consort Liang to slowly realize that Consort Rong's place in the heart of the emperor was being diminished, bit by bit.

Just as Consort Liang was about to make her move, Kangxi suddenly coldly turned his face and took two steps away, angrily saying, "Is it really so?! Then Consort Rong has indeed gone too far."

Consort Liang was about to lean in at that very moment when Kangxi suddenly stood up abruptly.

Because of this misalignment, Consort Liang missed and stumbled to the side.

At first she was stunned, and then she was embarrassed.

She immediately looked towards the emperor, only to find that he didn't seem to notice her mishap.

It was simply bad timing that as she was about to approach, the emperor happened to stand up.

Consort Liang cursed inwardly, regretting that she had hesitated earlier and should have leaned in first without wasting time. She missed her chance.

Remembering something, she then looked annoyedly at Liang Jiugong, who was standing nearby, his head lowered as though he hadn't seen a thing, his expression unchanged.

However, Consort Liang didn't buy that Liang Jiugong hadn't seen it; he must have caught a glimpse of it from the corner of his eye.

Having been seen making a fool of herself by a servant, Consort Liang felt secretly annoyed, but at that moment, she couldn't take it out on Liang Jiugong. She couldn't afford to provoke him either.

She could only pretend that she had simply lost her balance while sitting down, maintaining her dignity.

Then, hearing the emperor's clearly angry tone and seeing him pacing back and forth, unable to sit still, she wondered if this kind of slander was really that effective.

As the emperor walked a few steps away, his hands clasped behind his back, fists clenched, it was evident that he was suppressing his anger.

Consort Liang felt that her opportunity had arrived.

It was time to let the Emperor know that Consort Rong was not as gentle and easygoing as she appeared on the surface.

Although she couldn't expose Consort Rong without evidence, she could at least use this incident to make the Emperor view Consort Rong less favorably. As long as Consort Rong's facade cracked a little, she would have a chance to rise.

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Perhaps it's just a coincidence, and this concubine might be overthinking. Consort Rong seems so gentle and interesting, and she treats this concubine like her own younger sister. How could she possibly..."

Consort Liang's tone changed several times. From her lowered brows and downcast eyes, it seemed she had discovered the truth but was still trying to make excuses and speak positively about the other person.

Consort Liang continued speaking, unaware that mentioning Consort Rong's gentleness caused Emperor Kangxi's mouth to twitch slightly. Gentle? That was a huge misunderstanding. Consort Rong could be quite fierce inside and didn't hold back when scolding others.

Kangxi remained silent without speaking.

Seeing that the Emperor was silent and deep in thought, Consort Liang wondered if he was reflecting on the good things Consort Rong had done in the past. She had only spoken that way to emphasize her own grievances and kindness, not because she genuinely wanted to praise Consort Rong.

In reality, she still wanted to damage Consort Rong's image in the Emperor's mind. If this backfired and she ended up praising Consort Rong, all her efforts would be in vain.

Deciding to push forward, just as Consort Liang was about to take the Emperor's hand and say something, Kangxi, visibly emotional, cut her off. "Consort Liang, there's no need to praise Consort Rong anymore. I have decided to confront her directly and ask what she really thinks!"

With that, he pulled his hand away and stormed out. Consort Liang staggered a couple of steps from being pushed away, her face filled with shock. As the situation unfolded, Liang Jiugong hurriedly followed the Emperor from behind.

Consort Liang, being pushed away: ????

A nearby maid stepped forward to support Consort Liang, a smile on her face, clearly trying to flatter her. "My lady, His Majesty truly cares for you. You've suffered, and now His Majesty is going to confront Consort Rong on your behalf. No matter her rank, it seems you hold more sway."

As if their lady's favor also brought them honor.

Consort Liang didn't say anything on the surface, but in her heart, she couldn't help but feel a little flattered by the praise, waiting for good news to arrive.

Then the incident from just now occurred. After receiving the news, Consort Liang still felt that something was off.

Since Your Majesty was concerned about her, and was going to demand an explanation from Consort Rong, why did he leave again without returning to the side hall to see her?

What's more, Your Majesty had only stayed for a moment before leaving in a huff.

But in front of the maids' flattery, Consort Liang had to pretend to be calm and composed, but in reality, she had none.

Qianqing Palace

Kangxi kept his anger in check all the way back, and Liang Jiugong followed behind him, trembling in fear, convinced he was doomed.

Seeing how angry Kangxi was, he slammed his hand on the table, and Liang Jiugong flinched.

Kangxi slammed his hand on the table so hard that his hand went numb. He then turned to look at Liang Jiugong, who was trembling beside him.

"Liang Jiugong, come here," Kangxi said with a smile devoid of humor, motioning for him to come over.

Liang Jiugong's heart dropped. He knew he couldn't escape this after all.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger," Liang Jiugong stammered, his tongue tied in nervousness, as he walked over to Kangxi.

Kangxi lashed out with a kick and shouted, "Your awful advice! It was completely useless!"

Consort Rong wasn't in the right frame of mind; I couldn't even start an argument, and I ended up in a worse situation by just knocking something over!

"I was angry but didn't do anything to her, and yet she, did you see that chopstick?"

Kangxi admitted that he had deliberately provoked Consort Rong in feigned anger at first, but later, he grew even angrier.

He paced back and forth, his robes fluttering with each step, seething with anger.

Through clenched teeth, Kangxi said, "She was angry over that dish?! That's how she treated me! What kind of bad advice did you give me!"

Liang Jiugong rolled to the side. He fully understood Your Majesty's anger. Earlier in Yonghe Palace, he had already sensed that something was wrong, and he knew he would be in for a kicking when they returned.

"Your Majesty, this might be a misunderstanding. Consort Rong's temperament is... quite fierce, so her reaction to situations might differ from other women," Liang Jiugong said, trying hard to find an explanation after receiving the kick. Sigh!

He really had given terrible advice.

Consort Rong's explosive temper.

The chopstick luckily only stabbed the table; it pierced through the solid wood table! Who could handle such strength?

It turns out that Consort Rong isn't just good at kicking doors; her strength is also formidable.

So, about the previous incident in the Imperial Kitchen where Chef Wang, the one who led the trouble, had his ribs broken, it was indeed Consort Rong who did it! It wasn't just a rumor.

This lady, he had misjudged her.

Consort Rong's reaction wasn't as anticipated; there was no argument at first, and it only escalated when she started throwing things in anger, all because of that dish.

Initially, Consort Rong remained unmoved, no matter how Your Majesty tried to provoke her.

Later, she became angry, but not because of Consort Liang's issue—because Your Majesty had thrown her food.

Seeing this, Liang Jiugong felt aggrieved for Your Majesty; was this really all because of a plate of food?

Why is Consort Rong's thoughts so difficult to predict!

During this period, the Emperor and Consort Rong are still in a stalemate!

The Emperor has already offered her a way out, but she’s acting as if she didn’t see it and isn’t stepping down.

If she were to step down, wouldn’t the restrictions be lifted right away?!

It’s likely that Consort Liang would have to move out of Yonghe Palace as well.

But Consort Rong, after speaking plainly last time in the Qianqing Palace, has started to act more freely.

They’ve met, but there’s been no real progress. Previously, she would speak softly and gently, but now, not a single word.

And Consort Liang is right under Consort Rong’s nose every day in the Yonghe Palace, with all the rewards given to Consort Liang, flaunted in the main hall, deliberately ignoring Consort Rong, just to create a sense of disparity for her.

Even when Consort Rong sees that Consort Liang seems to be gaining favor, her reaction remains the same.

There’s no reaction at all!

She even continues to enjoy flower viewing and listening to stories with Consort Liang, engaging in casual chats, with all the hidden daggers behind smiles and poison beneath the surface. There’s not even a single sign of jealousy.

And today, wasn’t Consort Liang stung by a bee?

Because of Consort Liang’s fragrant pouch, it attracted a swarm of bees. Consort Liang is even suspecting that Consort Rong tampered with the pouch.

But Consort Rong didn’t do it.

But that didn’t stop Liang Jiugong from instantly coming up with a new idea.

Since simply giving rewards to Consort Liang hasn’t triggered any reaction from Consort Rong.

Liang Jiugong then offered a suggestion to the Emperor. If Consort Liang starts hinting to the Emperor about the incident with the fragrant pouch and the bees.

The Emperor should pretend to believe her and get angry, then confront Consort Rong to demand an explanation on Consort Liang’s behalf.

But if Consort Rong didn’t do it, she would definitely refute the Emperor’s accusation. And because the Emperor’s actions would appear to favor Consort Liang, Consort Rong might get anxious.

She might realize that if she continues to hold her ground against the Emperor, the Emperor’s heart might completely lean towards Consort Liang.

According to Liang Jiugong’s plan, this would create a sense of crisis for Consort Rong, making her unable to view Consort Liang as just a normal rival anymore.

Moreover, after the argument about Consort Liang’s involvement, Consort Rong would believe that Consort Liang had been secretly undermining her, leading to the Emperor’s misunderstanding and confrontation. She would definitely be angry at Consort Liang for her scheming and feel wronged because of the Emperor’s misunderstanding.

Women, no matter how calm, would still feel jealous and angry at this point. She needs to understand that if she continues to hold her ground, the Emperor might truly be won over by Consort Liang. She needs to feel that sense of crisis.

Afterward, when the Emperor goes to make peace with Consort Rong again, saying it was an impulsive moment and that they will be fine from now on, the way out would be given to her.

If Consort Rong doesn’t want to give Consort Liang another chance and wants to fight for her pride, and avoid being watched and undermined by Consort Liang, she should take the opportunity to reconcile with the Emperor.

Liang Jiugong’s advice is based on years of experience in the palace. Although the eunuchs don’t have partners, they’ve seen enough to understand the mindsets of the imperial concubines in the harem.

The conclusion is, never quarrel with the Emperor, because there are other concubines competing in the harem.

If you push the Emperor away because of a quarrel, you might end up benefiting another concubine. So even if you’re favored and act a bit spoiled, you wouldn’t dare to go too far. There have been cases where concubines, initially favored and acting spoiled, held their ground too long, and by the time they realized it, they were already forgotten, like yesterday’s news.

This also served as a warning that generally, those who threw tantrums because of their favored status would quickly soften and coax the emperor, fearing that if they took too long, someone else might seize the opportunity, rendering them yesterday's news, which would be not worth the candle.

Liang Jiugong thought that Consort Rong, being a woman, should be no exception. The longer this stalemate lasted, the less urgent it seemed—likely because the sense of crisis wasn't strong enough. Thus, he came up with this plan.

Who knew!

This was how it all turned out in the end.

What kind of fight was this supposed to be?

In the end, it was the emperor who ended up feeling wronged, and he was the one who got kicked.

Liang Jiugong thought that this was his bad idea after all. Well, if getting kicked was the end of it, that would be fine, but what he feared most was that it wasn't over yet. He was still serving in front of the emperor, and just thinking about it made him feel dizzy, wishing he could just collapse right then.

He was having a hard time.

From now on, he'd never dare to give random advice again!

Yonghe Palace

Qinxin watched as Consort Rong simply changed her chopsticks and continued eating. At first, she had been nervous and flustered, but seeing that the Consort was still dining as gracefully as before, completely unaffected, she almost thought that nothing had happened if not for the broken pieces on the floor.

It was like nothing had happened.

She had matured a little. At that moment, she found the Consort truly impressive, rather than worrying about how to handle the situation after the emperor had stormed out angrily. What would happen next?

She even asked calmly, "Consort, would you like some soup? You must be thirsty after all that talking."

She moved forward to serve Consort Rong a bowl of soup.

"Sure."

Yun Hua, holding her chest with her hand, looking anxious, said, "That was really scary just now, Your Highness." She then told the maids not to just stand there stunned and to start cleaning up quickly.

She herself organized the food on the table and placed the chopsticks that had been removed to the side. She casually pretended to touch the two holes made by the chopsticks.

As she instructed the maids to fetch a new tablecloth to replace the one on the table and to have the Imperial Household Department send a new dining table, she thought to herself that it wasn't as simple as it seemed on the surface. Others might think it was just a matter of strength, but inserting chopsticks so perfectly into wood couldn't be done with just brute force.

Since the tips of the chopsticks were blunt, using too much force would easily break them.

Consort Rong's movements just then weren't particularly fast, but it was still clear to see. Without borrowing much force, the chopsticks pierced through the table as if it were a piece of paper.

How could this be done without inner martial arts?

She had checked Consort Rong's pulse multiple times, and there was no sign of internal force in her body. Even if she was stronger than the average woman, how could she achieve this without internal force? Could Consort Rong possibly possess the legendary innate divine strength?

"Yun Hua, Yun Hua?!" Qinxin called her several times, seeing that she seemed to be lost in thought. After calling her a few times with no response, she raised her voice, dissatisfied that Yun Hua was spacing out and didn't know what she was thinking about at such a time.

When Qinxin raised her voice, Yun Hua immediately snapped out of it and, feeling embarrassed, said, "Ah, Sister Qinxin, you called me. I was lost in thought just now and didn't hear you."

"Consort has finished her meal, and now we need to prepare the bath. Don't space out again. What were you thinking about just now that you were so absorbed?" Qinxin asked with a stern face.

"I was just thinking that when the emperor came just now, he..."

Yun Hua pointed in the direction of the side hall, her face filled with anger. "He was instigated, and now he's setting traps for the Consort. Considering how kind Consort has been to her, even allowing her to skip the daily greetings—which Consort in the palace would be so amiable? And yet, she's badmouthing the Consort behind her back!"

Shift Qinxin's attention onto Consort Liang.

Qinxin was initially somewhat dissatisfied that Yunhua had been distracted at such a moment, but after hearing Yunhua's explanation, Qinxin's dissatisfaction faded. What Yunhua said was indeed right.

The Emperor came suddenly, seeming to want to hold Consort Rong accountable. His words implied he was questioning whether Consort Rong had harmed Consort Liang, causing her to be stung by a bee.

It was clearly Consort Liang who had tampered with the spices and sachets. Instead of using the readily available spice sachets, she insisted on tinkering with them herself, as if she could create something magical. Because she neglected the proper proportions, this embarrassing situation arose, and she even had the audacity to slander Consort Rong in front of the Emperor, inciting him to demand an explanation from Consort Rong.

What an ungrateful wretch! Probably at this very moment, Consort Liang was secretly pleased with herself!

Although Qinxin also wanted to say this, she knew she had to watch her words in the palace. Especially now, if something was said and it got out, people might think that Consort Rong was dissatisfied with Consort Liang, leading to more malicious rumors if Consort Rong didn't make public appearances.

"Yunhua, it's not for us to comment on Consort Liang. We must be careful with what we say to avoid causing trouble for Consort Rong."

Yunhua pouted, thinking Qinxin was too by-the-book. Consort Liang had done something wrong, yet no one could even mention it. Still, what Qinxin said made sense, "Yes, I understand, Sister Qinxin."

Fortunately, the matter of zoning out had been explained away.

The disturbance had been quite significant, and it was still easy to gather information because of the current influence of Jingren Palace.

Especially now, Consort Tongjia had people specifically keeping an eye on Yonghe Palace, ready to report any news immediately.

Consort Tongjia wanted to keep a constant eye on every move in Yonghe Palace.

She immediately learned that Consort Liang had incited the Emperor to demand an explanation from Consort Rong.

In the end, the Emperor and Consort Rong got into a huge argument. In front of everyone, the Emperor angrily threw something, clearly furious. Consort Rong coldly turned away and slammed down her chopsticks, both genuinely angry.

It seemed Consort Liang's instigation was quite effective, seizing the opportunity to cause trouble for Consort Rong, making her feel wronged this time.

Consort Liang was indeed not a fool; she knew how to stir trouble between the Emperor and Consort Rong.

Hmph, a lowly person, using these petty tricks quite skillfully, a vixen who is only useful at such times. She would never stoop to such despicable means.

Upon hearing this, Consort Tongjia couldn't help but laugh initially, but then she asked if the Emperor had issued any new punishment for Consort Rong in his anger when he returned to Qianqing Palace.

This was the most critical point. Though Consort Rong was currently of the concubine rank, in Consort Tongjia's eyes, they were only separated by a level and a half. If Consort Rong were to be demoted, even when the Emperor would grandly promote the harem, she would only return to this position rather than the current concubine rank. If Consort Rong were to be promoted to the rank of imperial consort, she would become a greater threat.

The servant, facing Consort Tongjia's pressuring inquiry, stammered, "Perhaps it was late, and the Emperor hadn't decided how to deal with Consort Rong yet?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a teacup thrown by Consort Tongjia hit him square on the head, drenching him in tea. His hat fell off, and he didn't dare to wipe the tea leaves off his head.

What a thankless job, gathering information and reporting back, especially when Consort Tongjia took out her frustrations on her servants. Just because she didn't hear the news she wanted, she immediately threw a teacup.

The servant cursed inwardly but dared not show any dissatisfaction, only continuing to apologize.

It was nanny Wang who saved him. Although nanny Wang sent the servants away to have a private conversation with Consort Tongjia, she also rescued him from a dire situation.

This job was becoming increasingly difficult.

"My lady, why must you get so angry? Things are moving in the right direction. This coldness of the heart didn't happen overnight; we mustn't rush." Nanny Wang earnestly advised.

At this moment, the most important thing for Consort Tongjia was to stay calm and not get directly involved.

"Nanny, how can you expect me not to worry?" She now seems to be in a position so high that no one can surpass her, and she is also raising the Fourth Prince, but she has been in the palace for a long time and still has not conceived. This is ultimately an empty position.

The Emperor has not come for a long time, and even when he does, after seeing the Fourth Prince, something always calls him away.

"Your Highness, you see Consort Liang is quite useful, right? You can use Consort Liang to bring down Consort Rong first. If it doesn't work the first time, then try again a few more times. Let Consort Liang charge ahead for you. By then, you'll have Consort Liang under your control, and by promising her some benefits, wouldn't she be easily manipulated by you? What you need to do now is wait."

Nanny Wang spoke with authority on the matter.

Consort Tongjia's temper flared up quickly, but she was able to listen to Nanny Wang's advice. Although she seemed to have a fiery temper and could act impulsively, she still knew how to distinguish what actions would be advantageous.

So she held back, and after a few more days, she sent another invitation to Consort Liang in the Yonghe Palace. By now, the bee sting should be fully healed. It was just a hand that was stung, not the face, so there was no reason to avoid seeing people. Consort Tongjia would not allow Consort Liang to refuse.

She selected a quick and efficient maid to ensure there were no delays in bringing Consort Liang over and to make sure Consort Liang came directly without any excuses. She also warned Consort Liang not to bring any scented pouches or perfumes, so as not to cause any issues in the Jingren Palace and to avoid attracting bees again.

The maid did not delay, and this time Consort Liang was brought over quickly and cooperated without any excuses, which saved a lot of trouble.

When she arrived at the Jingren Palace and saw Consort Tongjia seated above, dressed in an extravagant qipao that exuded a flamboyant and noble aura.

Consort Liang respectfully stepped forward to pay her respects to Consort Tongjia, but at the moment she lowered her head, a glint of ambition flashed in her eyes. She also wanted to sit high above others and have people kneel before her in obeisance one day.

Consort Tongjia's intention in summoning her was clear to Consort Liang. She indeed needed to borrow Consort Tongjia's influence.

Because suppressing Consort Rong was more difficult than she had imagined!

In the first few days, she hadn't figured it out, but later, she gradually sensed something was wrong.