Chapter 087

Chapter 087

Instantly, Kangxi recalled this scene; it was the moment the Crown Prince was deposed!

As Kangxi witnessed this scene, sounds that were once inaudible suddenly became clear.

"...I had hoped that he would truly repent and reform, so I endured and showed leniency until today..." 'He' wept bitterly as he listed Yinreng's crimes, his eyes filled with sorrow and disappointment.

Seeing the princely attire they wore, Kangxi gradually realized that these were his sons.

Kangxi silently watched everything unfold before his eyes.

The Crown Prince was deposed, leaving the heir apparent position vacant. The remaining princes started forming factions, colluding internally and externally, forming alliances for the throne. Among them, the eighth prince was most active in court, petitioning for the title of Crown Prince. His influence in the court was vast, and his support was highest, even surpassing the other princes.

At this moment, facing the ministers' recommendations, 'he' spoke to the kneeling eighth prince, "The eighth prince has never handled political affairs; he has recently committed crimes, and his mother's lineage is lowly, thus he is unsuitable to be named Crown Prince."

With the position of Crown Prince vacant, the struggle for the heir apparent would not cease. To thwart his sons' ambitions for the throne, 'he' chose to reinstate the Crown Prince once again.

The scene then shifted to the moment when the Crown Prince was reinstated.

'He' said, "The former Crown Prince was bewitched, causing his true nature to be lost. I summoned him to my side, treated him with care, and now he has recovered." 'He' then ordered the reading of an imperial edict written in red ink, making it clear that it was a document exonerating the former Crown Prince.

Only through this could the Crown Prince be reinstated smoothly.

Although the Crown Prince was reinstated, the position of heir was filled again, the original conflicts of the heir apparent remained unresolved, and an irreparable rift had formed in the father-son relationship.

Just two years after the Crown Prince's reinstatement, 'he' announced to the princes on the day he returned to the capital after inspecting the frontier, "Since his reinstatement, Crown Prince Yinreng has not shaken off his madness and has greatly lost the people's support. The great ancestral cause cannot be entrusted to him. I have already reported this to the Empress Dowager and have ordered Yinreng to be detained and guarded."

The Crown Prince was deposed again, and 'he' announced the reasons for Yinreng's deposition once more to the kings, princes, and ministers with an imperial edict written in red ink.

By this time, 'he' was already old and showing signs of aging.

The scene then shifted again, showing 'him' lying in bed, nearing the end of his life.

Several important ministers were kneeling in front of the bed, along with his sons. 'He' finally passed the throne to the fourth prince.

The scene shifted once more, showing the fourth prince ascending the throne. His reign was not long, but he was still a diligent emperor. Even though Kangxi had known this before, there was still some disbelief in his heart, like watching a parade of events from the fourth prince's reign to the ascension of Hongli and finally witnessing Hongli's retirement as a retired emperor. Kangxi also witnessed the Qing dynasty beginning to decay from this point.

Kangxi's fists clenched tightly, but he felt nothing at that moment. This scene's transition was extremely long. The surroundings were still the red walls and glazed tiles he remembered, but they were different now, with many strangely dressed people moving about. Occasionally, someone explained, just mentioning the famous struggle for the throne among the nine princes. Kangxi listened from the side.

The scene then shifted again, no longer the red walls and glazed tiles, but tall buildings and bustling streets. The clothes and hairstyles of the people were beyond his recognition, a completely new world.

Was this the future?

Kangxi wanted to continue watching, but the scene slowly began to crack, like a broken mirror.

Kangxi suddenly opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, gasping for air. His forehead was drenched in sweat. Looking at the familiar bed curtains, he realized that he had just been dreaming.

Hearing the movement inside, Liang Jiugong, thinking something was wrong with Kangxi, hurriedly entered. "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Seeing Kangxi sitting on the bed with sweat on his forehead, Liang Jiugong asked nervously, "Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell? Should I summon the imperial physician—"

Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder outside. Liang Jiugong was puzzled, as it hadn't been raining just now.

Listening to the thunder outside, Kangxi felt a slight panic in his heart. Was it because he had just woken up and hadn't calmed down yet?

The thunder clapped once and then there was no more sound, no rain either.

"It was just a clap of thunder, thunder without rain." Liang Jiugong said, then looked at Kangxi, "Your Majesty, if you're feeling unwell, I'll immediately have someone summon the imperial physician."

Kangxi shook his head slightly. "I'm alright, you may retreat."

Seeing that Kangxi raised his hand to cover his forehead, eyes half-closed, seemingly not wanting to speak, Liang Jiugong assumed it must have been a nightmare and that there was no serious issue. He said, "Then, Your Majesty, I will take my leave."

The moment the thunder roared, Su Yi was fleeing with all her might. Unlike her earlier graceful arrival, she now looked quite disheveled.

The lightning was aimed directly at her. Just as it was about to strike, Su Yi raised her hand to disperse the accumulated purple energy, shielding herself. At the critical moment, the lightning barely missed her and struck a tree instead, splitting it apart instantly.

Although the lightning missed her, the force of the thunder still affected her. But Su Yi did not dare to stop. Not daring to look back, she fled, needing to return to her body as soon as possible. Another strike, and her soul would not withstand it.

The moment Su Yi returned to her body, she began to cough incessantly, soon vomiting large mouthfuls of blood, quickly staining half of the bed.

It was as if all her blood was being drained.

She collapsed in exhaustion, blood still seeping from her lips. Her face was pale, almost as if she would pass away at any moment.

Struggling to breathe, Su Yi looked up with a somewhat vacant gaze.

The dream she wove for Kangxi wasn’t entirely false. It merely recreated what was destined to happen. Since Kangxi already knew, she had simply shown him a more vivid version of it, without truly harming him.

If not for the purple energy that caused the lightning to miss its mark, she might have been set back to square one.

But returning to this body was punishment enough, which was why she hadn’t continued...

Su Yi endured the pain without crying out. The maid on night duty outside heard the commotion and, seeing the state of Consort Rong, immediately panicked and screamed, "Quick! Someone come! The Imperial Concubine is in a critical state! Hurry!"

The entire Hall of Eternal Harmony was thrown into chaos by the scream. The maids hurriedly got up, dressed, and rushed toward the main hall.

The maid standing by the bedside was at a complete loss, not knowing what to do. She didn’t dare to touch Consort Rong, as almost half of the bed was soaked in blood, and her white nightgown was stained red. It seemed as though Consort Rong might dissipate at any moment.

Frightened, her mind went blank. The first to arrive was Yun Hua, hastily dressed.

Seeing Consort Rong’s condition, Yun Hua rushed forward. "Imperial Concubine! What happened?!" She took Consort Rong’s hand, barely able to find her pulse, which was weak and slow.

"She was fine before sleeping. What happened?" Yun Hua looked at the maid who was standing there, stunned, and coldly said, "The Imperial Concubine is ill, and you didn’t even notice? Why are you still standing here? Go and fetch a physician immediately!"

The maid had never seen Yun Hua like this before. She replied hurriedly and ran out, colliding with Qinxin, who staggered backward, nearly falling to the ground.

"It wasn’t intentional," the maid panicked upon bumping into Qinxin. Seeing the situation, Qinxin said, "Never mind that! Hurry and fetch a physician!"

Qinxin then saw Consort Rong’s condition and became anxious. Yun Hua was checking Consort Rong’s breath, which was very weak, as if it might stop at any moment. With a grave expression, Yun Hua said to Qinxin, "The Imperial Concubine’s breath is very weak. The physician will take time to get here. If there’s any delay along the way, the Imperial Concubine might..."

It wouldn’t be good.

As the Hall of Eternal Harmony descended into chaos, those keeping an eye on the situation knew immediately that Consort Rong had suddenly fallen ill, and the situation was critical.

"Consort Rong has taken a sudden turn for the worse, and the situation is critical. The Hall of Eternal Harmony is in chaos," Consort Tongjia narrowed her eyes, as if deep in thought. A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes. "Summon all the physicians on duty to come immediately to Jingren Palace. The Fourth Prince has caught a cold and has a fever. I am concerned for the Fourth Prince. Have all the physicians attend to him without delay!"

She made the decision without hesitation.

She emphasized the word "all," making it clear that she wanted all the physicians on duty to come to Jingren Palace immediately.

"Mind your head."

The Hall of Eternal Harmony descended into chaos.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia's words were threatening, causing the young eunuch to feel a chill in his heart. However, he did not dare to delay. Her meaning was clear: if he failed to bring all the on-duty imperial doctors from the Imperial Medical Office to Jingren Palace, but they were instead called to Yonghe Palace to attend to Consort Rong, he would lose his life.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia would not let him off.

With his life on the line, the young eunuchs rushed to the Imperial Medical Office as though their lives depended on it. If they failed to bring the imperial doctors before the people from Yonghe Palace, their heads would not be spared.

The servants from Yonghe Palace were also running all the way; it was a race to see who would get the imperial doctors first.

Meanwhile, at Jingren Palace, after Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia mentioned that the Fourth Prince had fallen ill, she immediately instructed the wet nurse to bring the Fourth Prince over. At the same time, she ordered Nanny Wang to prepare cold water. Even though it was already spring, the cold water was still bitterly cold.

Since Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia had declared the Fourth Prince ill, he had to be ill.

The Fourth Prince, who had already been asleep, was carried to the main hall by the wet nurse.

The wet nurse was unsure why Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia wished to see the Fourth Prince at this time, but since it was the Imperial Noble Consort in charge, she did not dare to defy the order. Upon receiving the message, she immediately brought the Fourth Prince over.

Nanny Wang had already prepared the cold water. As for what was about to happen, Nanny Wang was somewhat hesitant, but it was too late; the order had already been given.

If the imperial doctors were summoned and discovered that the Fourth Prince was not actually ill, but Consort Rong's condition was critical, any delay could mean that Consort Rong would not receive timely treatment and might pass away, just like her deposed consort sister.

While it was a good opportunity, falsely reporting the Fourth Prince's illness to delay Consort Rong's treatment would eventually be known by the Emperor. If Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia were found to have deliberately called the doctors to prevent Consort Rong from receiving treatment, and if Consort Rong died, the Emperor would surely hold her accountable.

That could not be allowed.

So, the Fourth Prince had to catch a cold.

"Nanny, this is a helpless move on my part. Instead of waiting and planning, isn't this a good opportunity? Consort Rong is ill, and if the doctors are delayed even a little, she might not make it, solving the problem once and for all. As for the Fourth Prince's cold and fever, it is a coincidence. After all, when a prince is ill and in critical condition, it is only natural for me to summon all the on-duty imperial doctors to attend to him. If the servants from Yonghe Palace end up empty-handed, they can only blame bad luck."

It was unfortunate that Consort Rong fell ill at an inconvenient time, coinciding with the prince's illness.

"Imperial Noble Consort, the Fourth Prince has arrived," the wet nurse announced as she brought the prince over.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia glanced at Nanny Wang, who understood the signal and left the room to take the Fourth Prince from the wet nurse. Nanny Wang then told the wet nurse to return, assuring her that she would take care of the prince and that Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia wished to speak with him.

The wet nurse was uncertain about what was happening but did not dare to ask. Watching the Fourth Prince being carried inside, she felt a genuine sense of worry. These days, she had been taking care of the Fourth Prince, and he was very obedient and easy to care for, which had led to a bond between them. She truly hoped nothing bad would happen.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia would surely not harm him, the wet nurse thought.

Nanny Wang carried the Fourth Prince over. By now, the Fourth Prince had woken up, and though disturbed by being carried around, he remained quiet and obedient, looking very calm and focused. Nanny Wang, filled with guilt about what was to come, hesitated to meet the young prince's gaze directly.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia gave only a brief glance at the Fourth Prince.

"Proceed, Nanny Wang. If you don't act now, it will be too late."

Looking at the Fourth Prince, who was unaware of what was about to happen and remained so well-behaved without making a fuss, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia felt a twinge of guilt but quickly steeled herself. After this, she would make it up to the Fourth Prince for the suffering he endured. But for now, this was necessary.

The Fourth Prince, hearing the cryptic words of Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia and seeing Nanny Wang's eyes filled with sorrow, wondered what they were about to do.

But soon, he understood.

Nanny Wang led him to a basin of cold water and started to remove his clothes. Nanny Wang hesitated, but did not stop.

"Fourth Prince, be brave. After this, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia will surely reward you greatly. Endure this trial, and everything will be fine. Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia is also going through a lot of hardship. Don't blame her; blame me instead."

As she spoke, she placed the Fourth Prince into the cold water. To prevent him from struggling too much, she held him tightly under the water.

The icy cold water engulfed him, and his eyes widened in disbelief and shock. He tried to struggle, but his infant body was no match for the old nanny's strength. She held him under, and the splashing water reached his mouth and nose. He wanted to cry out, but Nanny Wang had anticipated this.

As soon as the Fourth Prince was submerged in the freezing cold water, Nanny Wang covered his mouth with her hand, stifling any sound.

Consort Tongjia's eyes flickered with murderous intent. How dare this old nanny!

Nanny Wang was ruthless in her actions, but she knew just how far she could go. She quickly pulled the freezing four-year-old prince out of the cold water. By now, the fourth prince had lost the will to cry. Even though he was out of the cold water, it still felt like he was in an ice cellar, a cold that pierced him to the core. The coldness of his body was nothing compared to the coldness in his heart.

He couldn't believe that Imperial Noble Consort would do something so heartless to him.

He had thought that after being reborn, he would be able to honor and care for his dear Imperial Noble Consort. In his heart, only the Imperial Noble Consort who had raised him was his mother, not his birth mother, who was only the mother of the fourteenth prince, not his own.

In his memories, the Imperial Noble Consort was gentle and dignified, treating him with kindness and care, to the point where he had always believed he was her biological child while growing up by her side.

Heaven knew that after his rebirth, he had once again seen the Imperial Noble Consort, whose image had grown blurry in his memory. He had thought that this time, he would be able to grow up well by her side and would not let her fall ill and pass away early again. Although the Imperial Noble Consort had not been very close to him recently and they had grown somewhat distant, every short moment they spent together filled him with joy. This was still the Imperial Noble Consort he was familiar with. Although they were not very close yet, with time, she would once again treat him with the same gentle and attentive care.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that Imperial Noble Consort would summon him tonight just to make him ill.

Although the fourth prince, still in an infant's body, wanted to ask why, all that came out was a series of 'ahhh' sounds that conveyed nothing.

The cold water immediately had its effect. The fragile infant body could not bear it and began to feel an intense cold. Nanny Wang quickly dried him off, changed him into dry clothes, and covered him with a thick quilt. Despite this, the fourth prince continued to shiver uncontrollably, his consciousness gradually slipping away.

At the Imperial Medical Bureau, the deadly threat from Consort Tongjia was more terrifying. Moreover, Jingren Palace was closer to the bureau than Yonghe Palace. By the time the eunuchs arrived, the physicians on duty were still there.

Seeing the young eunuch who had rushed over, still out of breath, he blurted out, “The fourth prince has caught a cold and has a fever. The Imperial Noble Consort is extremely worried. Please, physicians, hurry to Jingren Palace to attend to the fourth prince.”

The urgency in the young eunuch's demeanor suggested that the fourth prince's condition was critical. The physicians on duty did not dare to delay and quickly packed their medical kits, hurrying after the eunuch.

Originally, one of the physicians had considered leaving a colleague behind at the bureau, just in case something happened and they would not be left without anyone. However, seeing this, the young eunuch secretly thought it was bad. If a physician stayed behind and was summoned to Yonghe Palace, it would not be good. He hurriedly urged,

"The Imperial Noble Consort has ordered all the imperial physicians to go to Jingren Palace to attend to the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince is still very young and has suddenly developed a high fever. The Imperial Noble Consort is anxious and is waiting for the doctors at Jingren Palace. It won't be good if there's any delay."

Hearing how dire the situation was, the physicians didn’t dare to delay. Imperial princes were precious, and the Fourth Prince was only a few months old. If something were to happen due to delayed treatment, they wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility. So, the physicians hurriedly followed the young eunuch to Jingren Palace.

Coincidentally, just as the physicians left, a eunuch from Yonghe Palace arrived at the Imperial Medical Institute. Seeing that none of the physicians were there, he asked the assistant anxiously, "Where are the physicians? Shouldn't there be on-duty physicians here at this time? How come there isn't a single one?"

The assistant, seeing how anxious he was, with sweat on his face that he hadn’t even wiped off, replied, "The physicians were just called away by Jingren Palace. The Fourth Prince has a fever from catching a cold. The Imperial Noble Consort has summoned all the physicians to attend to the Fourth Prince."

The Yonghe Palace eunuch was stunned, "All of them are gone?! But what about our Imperial Consort? Consort Rong is currently vomiting blood and her condition is critical! What should we do?!"

"Why don't you catch up to them? The physicians have just left for Jingren Palace and might still be on the way. Perhaps you can ask the Imperial Noble Consort to spare a physician for Consort Rong?"

The eunuch thought it was quite a coincidence that Jingren Palace called all the physicians just before the Yonghe Palace eunuch arrived.

With no other choice, the Yonghe Palace eunuch said to another eunuch who had just caught up, "All the physicians have gone to Jingren Palace. You go back right away and inform Qinxin. I'll head to Jingren Palace to request a physician for Consort Rong."

"How could this happen?! The timing is just... Could it be..." The eunuch who had just arrived looked thunderstruck, completely dumbfounded. It was too much of a coincidence that all the physicians were called away just before they arrived.

Even if they went to Jingren Palace now, would the Imperial Noble Consort release a physician? The Imperial Noble Consort and Consort Rong were not on good terms. Would she be willing to spare a physician?

The eunuch didn’t say it, but the other eunuch understood. "We have to try, even if it’s unlikely. We can't waste any more time." And with that, he ran quickly toward Jingren Palace. The first eunuch didn’t dare to delay either and hurried back to report to Qinxin and Yun Hua, hoping they could figure out what to do next.

Despite being exhausted, he ran back even faster than before.

"What?! All the physicians were summoned to Jingren Palace?! How could the timing be so coincidental? You're saying they left just before you arrived, and you missed them?!" Qinxin couldn’t help but raise her voice in frustration. She paced back and forth anxiously.

Looking at the imperial consort who had just fallen into a coma and was now barely breathing, Qinxin's voice became choked with anxiety. "What do we do? What can we do?!" Then she thought of something, "I'll go to Jingren Palace myself..."

But the Imperial Noble Consort might not allow a physician to come. With the Fourth Prince's illness, the physicians were focused on the prince. If the Imperial Noble Consort intended to delay things...

"It'll be useless. By the time you return from Jingren Palace, even if you manage to bring a physician back, it might be too late. Qinxin, stay here and take care of the imperial consort. I'll go." Yun Hua interrupted her and immediately got up to leave. She left so quickly that Qinxin couldn’t even stop her.