Chapter 093

Chapter 093

Although Suma Lagu's words implied that Imperial Noble Consort was kept in the dark by Nanny Wang, Nanny Wang, who had been holding onto a sliver of hope, now understood the truth.

The truth about the fourth prince's illness had leaked, and now the charges against her were that she had deceived the Imperial Noble Consort, harmed the fourth prince, and framed the wet nurse, which had been exposed.

At most, the Imperial Noble Consort was guilty of lax supervision and being deceived by her maids. If it were proven that the Imperial Noble Consort had deliberately made the fourth prince ill to compete for favor and harm other concubines, the severity of the matter would be entirely different.

Now, this was said to preserve the face of the Imperial Noble Consort.

"No, Nanny Wang..." Imperial Noble Consort wanted to explain something, that Nanny Wang had not deceived her, that it was she who had momentarily lost her mind and done such a thing.

"That's right! This old servant indeed took advantage of the Imperial Noble Consort's trust to do this. The fourth prince's illness was entirely this old servant's doing. The Imperial Noble Consort knew nothing about it. The Imperial Noble Consort couldn't bring herself to do it, and this old servant, out of pity for the Imperial Noble Consort, acted on her own. This was all this old servant's doing, and it has nothing to do with the Imperial Noble Consort!"

Nanny Wang abruptly interrupted the Imperial Noble Consort's words, taking all the blame upon herself.

The Imperial Noble Consort turned sharply to look at Nanny Wang, her eyes glistening with tears, "Nanny Wang."

"This old servant knows that the Imperial Noble Consort cares deeply for the fourth prince and would never willingly harm him. So, taking advantage of the Imperial Noble Consort's trust, this old servant acted on her own and did such a thing, then framed the wet nurse in an attempt to deceive everyone.

The Imperial Noble Consort truly cares for the fourth prince, which is why she hurriedly summoned all the imperial physicians to treat him, even staying by his side all night without sleep out of concern. The Imperial Noble Consort's maternal love is genuine! The fault lies with this old servant, who thought she could deceive everyone. Now that it's exposed, this old servant has nothing to argue."

At this moment, Nanny Wang was even more determined to exonerate the Imperial Noble Consort. The Imperial Noble Consort was still the fourth prince's adoptive mother. If she were implicated in this matter, what reputation would she have left? She would never be able to ascend to that esteemed position in the future.

Nanny Wang was ruthless towards others, but she genuinely wished the Imperial Noble Consort well. How could she bear to see the Imperial Noble Consort implicated? This crime had to be confessed by Nanny Wang herself to protect the Imperial Noble Consort.

Suma Lagu had long anticipated that this old nanny would make such a choice. To smooth over the current situation, this old nanny could no longer be kept. Keeping her by the Imperial Noble Consort's side would only lead to more reckless actions in the future.

Secondly, this was also a lesson for the Imperial Noble Consort to remember well and not to act so recklessly again.

"Since you've admitted it, what are you waiting for? Why aren't you proceeding?" Suma Lagu stood there, her tone cold as she urged.

Immediately, Nanny Wang was pressed down and the beating began. Thirty strokes, not one less, and no mercy was to be shown. It had to be a severe beating.

As the strokes fell, even though Nanny Wang tried to endure without crying out, she had lived a life of luxury with the Imperial Noble Consort, rarely doing any heavy work. Usually, it was she who punished others, but now, being beaten herself, she couldn't bear it and couldn't help but scream in pain.

Seeing the nanny who had cared for her since childhood being beaten, the Imperial Noble Consort pushed aside those around her and threw herself over Nanny Wang to protect her, her voice filled with anger and sobs, "Stop! Who dares to strike!"

The executioners looked at Suma Lagu, somewhat at a loss. With the Imperial Noble Consort shielding Nanny Wang, they couldn't very well strike the Imperial Noble Consort.

Suma Lagu remained calm in the face of this situation, unhurriedly saying, "Help the Imperial Noble Consort up. This is the Grand Empress Dowager's command. If the Imperial Noble Consort insists on obstructing, is she willing to defy the Grand Empress Dowager's orders for the sake of this treacherous servant?"

Nanny Wang, having already received the strokes, knew there was no turning back. How could she let the Imperial Noble Consort anger the Grand Empress Dowager for her sake? She endured the pain and pulled the Imperial Noble Consort off her, pushing her away, and said through gritted teeth,

"Imperial Noble Consort, there's no need to plead for this old servant. This is the punishment this old servant deserves, brought upon herself."

The other servants quickly pulled the Imperial Noble Consort away. The Imperial Noble Consort tried to push them away and throw herself over Nanny Wang again, but Nanny Wang's gaze stopped her. Nanny Wang's eyes were filled with pleading and dissuasion, telling her not to come any closer.

The Imperial Noble Consort halted, tears welling up in her eyes, on the verge of collapse. Nanny Wang was doing all this to protect her, to protect her!

Once the Imperial Noble Consort had moved away, the executioners breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to continue. The beating had to go on.

At first, Nanny Wang screamed, but soon she could no longer make a sound. At that moment, it began to rain. The rain fell on Nanny Wang, and the water that flowed down gradually turned red, becoming blood.

The Imperial Noble Consort stared fixedly, not reacting even as she was soaked by the rain. Although the servants quickly held up umbrellas for her, the Imperial Noble Consort was still drenched.

Rainwater streamed down her face, indistinguishable from tears. She had never been so pitifully disheveled before, always proud and aloof like a phoenix.

The scene was almost unbearable to watch, and some of the more sensitive servants couldn't help but look away.

Suma Lagu's expression remained unchanged. She had experienced too much to be moved by such a scene. She occasionally spoke up only to remind everyone not to let the Fourth Prince get wet from the rain.

After taking the medicine, the Fourth Prince fell into a deep sleep. The nanny holding him carefully wrapped him in a blanket and thoughtfully covered his ears with her hands, so the Fourth Prince was completely unaware of what was happening.

The thirty lashes had been completed, and Nanny Wang had completely lost consciousness, lying there motionless as if she were dead.

Someone went up to check her breathing and then turned to say she was still alive, but what they didn’t say was that although she was still breathing now, she wasn’t far from death. They had struck with deadly force, and even if she didn’t die immediately, she wouldn’t last more than a few days.

"Take her away," Suma Lagu waved her hand, signaling them to drag Nanny Wang away.

Nanny Wang was dragged away like a limp rag, leaving a trail of red bloodstains that stretched for a long distance.

Suma Lagu turned to look at Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia, "This treacherous servant has been dealt with on behalf of Your Highness. Your Highness need not grieve over such a servant. Why are you all still standing there? Hurry and help Her Highness inside. Her Highness's health is precious; she must not catch a cold from the rain. This servant takes her leave."

After saying this, she bowed and left with her entourage.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia collapsed in despair. The maids rushed to help her, but she pushed them away, screaming, "Get away, all of you! Get out! Go!"

Her eyes were bloodshot, looking terrifying. She appeared disheveled, but her eyes were filled with madness, making her even more frightening.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia's appearance at this moment was too frightening. Afraid of incurring her wrath, the maids dared not stay to witness her distress. They left an umbrella and hastily retreated.

However, they didn’t dare go too far, fearing that Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia might call for help or faint, and if no one noticed in time, they would be severely punished.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia's eyes were so drenched by the rain that she couldn’t open them. She staggered to her feet, wanting to walk to the puddle of pale red blood, but after only a step or two, she fell to the ground. "Nanny!" Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia cried out in despair, but there was no one to come and help her immediately.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia let out a piercing scream, her voice filled with anguish, causing the servants of Jingren Palace to shiver. Uya, hearing Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia's cries of despair, smiled. Such a sight of Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia was truly rare.

That old treacherous servant was finally dead. Even if given another chance, Uya would remember how cunning Nanny Wang had been, always advising Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia and causing her much suffering, both openly and covertly.

In Uya's eyes, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia was overly arrogant but not very intelligent, and she was also jealous. If it weren’t for Nanny Wang's cleverness, always guiding her, how could Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia have maintained her reputation as dignified and virtuous and held the position of Imperial Noble Consort for so long?

With that old hag gone, it was like cutting off one of Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia's arms. Who knows what foolish things she might do in a moment of impulsiveness now? Thinking of this, Uya couldn’t help but smile. Since her rebirth, this was the first thing worth being happy about.

Qinxin had been guarding Consort Rong, whose condition had stabilized. She only needed to watch over her until she woke up. However, after a night of tension, Qinxin couldn’t help but doze off while sitting by the bed.

As she slept, her hand slipped from supporting her head, and she was startled awake. Instinctively, she looked toward the bed and saw it was empty. Panicked, she stood up and looked around, about to call for someone, when she saw Consort Rong sitting by the window.

"Your Highness, you're awake!" Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, she noticed Consort Rong leaning on the windowsill with one hand, her chin resting on her palm, while the other hand reached out to catch the rain.

After the initial surprise, Qinxin realized what Consort Rong was doing and quickly stepped forward to pull her hand back. "Your Highness, you've just woken up. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Qinxin touched Consort Rong's hand and found it icy cold, making her shiver.

Su Yi's face was pale and bloodless, but she seemed to be in good spirits. She smiled and said, "I just woke up and noticed it was raining. Since I can’t go out, I thought I’d do this instead." As she spoke, she coughed a few times, appearing very weak.

Seeing this, Qinxin quickly patted her back gently. "Your Highness, you should go back to bed. It’s cold and rainy; don’t catch a chill."

Then, remembering something, she turned to close the window when something suddenly darted in from outside. It moved so fast that Qinxin couldn’t see what it was, and she screamed in fright. The window, which had been propped up, slammed shut.

She turned to see what had come in and found a cat with a flat head, meowing incessantly at Consort Rong's feet. Its once snow-white fur was now dirty, turning it from a pristine white ball into a grimy mess. Its paws were filthy, leaving wet paw prints on the floor.

"Flathead! It’s you!" Qinxin had been genuinely scared, thinking it was something else.

Su Yi looked at the dirty cat circling her, clearly wanting to be held. She cautiously stepped back, "Don’t paw at me."

With each step leaving a mark, she couldn’t bring herself to pick it up. The cat, with a pitiful expression, meowed at Su Yi a few more times, then sat back and began licking its fur, trying to clean itself. Once cleaned, it would be a neat little cat again.

Qinxin couldn’t help but laugh as she watched. Usually, Flathead was quite fierce, but in front of Her Highness, it was just a sweet little kitten, all sweetness and no ferocity.

"Your Highness, Gougaitou must have not seen you for a day and wanted to come to see you. The maids were watching closely, and now we don't know where it slipped through, making it all dirty," Qinxin explained on behalf of Gougaitou.

Just as she finished speaking, a maid came to report that Gougaitou was missing, and they couldn't find it anywhere, wondering if it had run here.

Gougaitou licked its fur for a while but found it still dirty, then couldn't help but look up at Su Yi and meowed, 'I really missed you.'

Su Yi crouched down and patted Gougaitou's head. Gougaitou narrowed its eyes and rubbed against her happily, but didn't extend its paws to pull her, just sat there obediently letting her pat its head, "Cough, cough, cough."

After crouching for a while, Su Yi felt a bit dizzy, coughed weakly a few times, and was helped back to the bed by Qinxin, sitting there breathing slightly.

Gougaitou anxiously circled around the bed, wanting to stand up, but it was still too small and couldn't stand steadily. Seeing this, Qinxin picked it up.

She was already prepared for Gougaitou to struggle and jump down, but this time Gougaitou didn't struggle, just meowed at Su Yi, but only made small fusses, no big movements, looking at Su Yi with pitiful eyes.

Somehow, Qinxin's eyes felt a bit warm.

"Alright, I really can't do anything about you," Su Yi said helplessly, then picked up Gougaitou, which curled up and stayed still, tucking its paws in.

Su Yi asked Qinxin to bring a slightly damp towel, and she gently wiped the dirt off Gougaitou.

When it was almost clean, Gougaitou fell asleep. Su Yi handed it to Qinxin and made a gesture, be careful.

Don't wake up this troublesome little ancestor again.

Qinxin nodded, understanding, and gently took Gougaitou and left.

Su Yi got up and found her nightgown to change. After a series of actions, she felt extremely tired, weakly leaning against the head of the bed. This feeling of weakness was really terrible.

But today, someone was having a harder time than her. This rain was really timely, making her want to watch it for a while longer.

"The Emperor is here, the Crown Prince is here—"

Su Yi's eyes lit up, looking towards the entrance, and soon saw the little figure appear behind the screen, "Consort Rong! Consort Rong!" The little figure eagerly bypassed the screen, followed by Kangxi in a stone-blue casual robe.

Wow.

Su Yi smiled at them, her eyes filled with starlight and joy, still stunningly beautiful even in illness, looking over as if you were her whole world, she extended her hand.

As Kangxi walked over, he instinctively wanted to go up and hold her hand, but faster than Kangxi was the little milk dragon, who had already taken the lead with his short legs rushing over for a hug, "Consort Rong, Baocheng missed you so much." Tears couldn't help but well up.

Su Yi immediately reached out and hugged him tightly, then kissed his forehead, "Me too, I missed our Baocheng so much." The feeling of being surrounded by rich purple energy was really good, more effective than taking an elixir.

So, she really, really liked the little milk dragon, always appearing when she needed it most.

It was really, really great.

Kangxi realized that Consort Rong was reaching out to Baocheng, and naturally put his slightly raised hand behind his back, pretending nothing happened as he sat down on the stool brought by the maids.

Watching Consort Rong and Baocheng hugging and talking warmly, Kangxi said, "Are you feeling better? Baocheng was very worried about you, so I brought him to see you."

Su Yi was in a good mood now, looked up at Kangxi with a smile, and said gently, "I'm better now, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." She seemed a bit more gentle and fragile than before.

Kangxi hadn't seen such a smile from Consort Rong for a while, let alone such a tone, which made him feel somewhat flattered.

It could be said that since Consort Rong had completely let go before, her attitude towards him had been quite perfunctory, speaking in a way that was indifferent. After falling ill, she became a bit gentler?

Kangxi somewhat unnaturally shifted his gaze and lightly hummed, sitting there seemingly watching the interaction between Consort Rong and Baocheng. Liang Jiugong glanced over, what's wrong with His Majesty, why is he sitting so stiffly all of a sudden.

"Consort Rong, Baocheng missed you so much. If it weren't for His Majesty not allowing it yesterday, Baocheng would have come to see you. I hope it's not too late now."

The little milk dragon lay by the bed, wanting to get closer, so he slowly squeezed towards the head of the bed, pushing Kangxi, who was sitting there, to move outward a bit.

Seeing Baocheng's bottom pushing him out, Kangxi's gaze gradually became 'kind' as he looked at Baocheng.

"Not late at all, Baocheng came just in time," Su Yi said with a smile, reaching out to pat his head, her eyes filled with tenderness as she looked at his innocent and pure gaze.

The little milk dragon couldn't help but cover his face and laugh happily, wanting to appear mature and reliable.

Little Baocheng felt a chill on his back, but he ignored it for now, instead wriggling at the head of the bed, eager to climb up. Kangxi couldn't resist giving him a tap on the bottom, "Baocheng." Wriggling around, what kind of behavior is that?

The little milk dragon, feeling wronged, covered his bottom and turned back with a puzzled cry, "Imperial Father?"

Why did he have to hit his bottom? How could he do that in front of Consort Rong? Doesn't he care about his dignity?

Su Yi covered her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter, but ended up coughing. Fortunately, it was just a cough, not blood, or else the little milk dragon would have been scared.

Even so, the little milk dragon was very nervous, wanting to hug her but unsure if it would make Consort Rong feel worse, so he turned to his imperial father for help.

Kangxi calmly reached out and gently patted Consort Rong's back, then looked at the maids, "Has the imperial physician's medicine been taken?" Why is she still coughing so badly?

Qinxin immediately replied, "Your Majesty, it was taken earlier, the next dose is not due yet."

Luckily, Su Yi only coughed for a while before slowly calming down, weakly saying, "I'm thirsty." This bout of coughing made her mouth dry.

Then she added, "I want something sweet." Plain water has no taste, her mouth is bitter. How much bitter medicine did they force down her throat while she was unconscious?

"Wait until you're better," Kangxi said from the side. Does she really want sweet water now?

Su Yi glanced at him, smiling on the surface but thinking, I will drink it, as soon as you leave, I'll have someone make me a cup of extra sweet water.

Kangxi noticed Consort Rong starting to rebel again, thinking, this is more like Consort Rong, gentle for a moment then back to her old self. He was about to say, have someone find all the sweet things in Yonghe Palace and take them away later, so Consort Rong can't make sweet water.

The little milk dragon also disapprovingly said, "Consort Rong, be good, wait until you're better before eating sweets." When he was sick, the maids didn't let him eat sweets.

Then he reached out, wanting to pat Consort Rong's head like she did to him, but found his arms too short. The little milk dragon tried to stand on tiptoe but couldn't balance, feeling a bit discouraged and ready to give up, thinking he should just hug her instead.

Then he saw Consort Rong slightly lower her head and place his hand on her head.

The little milk dragon's eyes instantly lit up, like a little adult, he patted her head and said, "Consort Rong, you should be good when you're sick."

Su Yi indulged him with a nod, "Alright, since it's our Baocheng saying it, Consort Rong will endure for now."

Baocheng, successfully persuading Consort Rong, couldn't hide his joy and sense of accomplishment. Qinxin quickly brought a cup of warm water for Consort Rong.

Under the little milk dragon's watchful eyes, Su Yi drank it without any fuss, and the little milk dragon praised, "Consort Rong is so good."

This was a phrase Su Yi used to praise him, and the little milk dragon quickly learned to use it.

Kangxi, watching the harmonious scene, couldn't help but feel a bit sour. Why is Consort Rong treating them differently?

Didn't anyone tell Consort Rong what happened when she fell ill yesterday? He rushed over to stay by her side, while Baocheng was still asleep.

He brought Baocheng to see her as soon as she woke up.

Surely, the maids haven't had a chance to tell Consort Rong yet.

Consort Hui was copying Buddhist scriptures, looking very devout. Copying scriptures daily to calm her mind had become Consort Hui's routine. The maids were usually very careful during this time, afraid of disturbing Consort Hui.

In truth, Consort Hui wasn't that devout or fond of copying scriptures, but with the eldest prince not by her side, she could only pass the time with the scriptures. Over time, others thought she enjoyed it.

Consort Hui put down her brush and called the maids in to tidy up and put things away, then began to inquire about what else had happened that day. She had feigned illness to avoid paying respects, not wanting to get involved in the mess.

Although she had no intention of meddling, it didn't mean Consort Hui wasn't concerned about the outcome.

The maid tidied up while recounting the events that followed.

"Third Prince and Fourth Prince have both been taken to Cining Palace?" Hearing this, Consort Hui couldn't help but be shocked. Such an action wouldn't have been taken without the Emperor's consent, and the Grand Empress Dowager wouldn't have done it otherwise.

"Yes, I heard that Rongpin went to Qianqing Palace to beg the Emperor not to take Third Prince away, but even kneeling in the rain, the Emperor refused to see her. In the end, Rongpin fainted from kneeling and had to be carried back by the servants," the maid said with a hint of schadenfreude.

Rongpin had often flaunted in front of Consort Hui that she was the one who had given birth to the Emperor's eldest son. If it hadn't been for the child's untimely death, the current eldest son, originally the fifth in line, wouldn't have taken that position. It was truly infuriating.

Rongpin hadn't been as reserved back then, often smugly mocking their mistress. Seeing her in such a state now was undeniably satisfying.

However, Consort Hui wasn't as pleased as the maid, her expression turning somber.