Chapter 105

Chapter 105

"What’s wrong?" Su Yi looked puzzled.

Wasn’t the cold compress already applied? Oh, is it not cold enough?

Su Yi grabbed the handkerchief and scooped up some ice from the water, wrapping it inside. "Here, this should be better now." She was about to press it to Kangxi’s face.

"Stop!" Kangxi raised his hand to stop her. "Let Liang Jiugong do it. Consort Rong, you should rest."

He was genuinely wary of her. If she continued, who knows what she might do next. It was better for her to sit quietly. He had actually believed that Consort Rong would properly apply the compress for him.

When she heard she was no longer needed, Su Yi didn’t insist. She turned to Liang Jiugong with a polite smile and handed him the handkerchief. "Then, Eunuch Liang, it’s your turn."

But she hadn’t applied it incorrectly. If he wasn’t actually suffering from heatstroke, wouldn’t he know?

With only one handkerchief, she had to cover both sides of his face this way to ensure both sides were taken care of. Although it looked a bit funny, it was practical.

Su Yi thought confidently.

Eunuch Liang hastily took the handkerchief and replied, "It’s no trouble at all. This is what I should do. You’re too gracious, Your Highness."

Although he said that, Consort Rong was truly eloquent. She was beautiful and approachable, and her words were so pleasant to hear, putting one at ease.

Kangxi: "..." Why had Consort Rong never been so polite to him?

Why did she seem to favor Liang Jiugong over him?

This obvious favoritism nearly made Kangxi laugh in exasperation.

Liang Jiugong felt somewhat pleased, but as soon as he approached the Emperor to place the handkerchief on his forehead, his excitement vanished under Kangxi’s gaze. All his happy thoughts disappeared.

He dutifully applied the compress to the Emperor’s forehead, not daring to think of anything else. He felt as if the Emperor’s eyes could see through everything, making him uneasy.

——

"Bang!" Kangxi slammed the report in his hand onto the table, his expression cold and his eyes filled with killing intent. The air around him turned icy.

His beloved uncle had truly lost his senses. The Consort dared to entertain such thoughts, and he, with an unclear mind, actually helped her and even covered up her tracks. Did they think they wouldn’t be discovered? They were utterly fearless.

How wonderful.

It seemed his leniency over the years had only made them greedier.

The Hesheri family was the same, and so was the Tong family.

A Shadow Guard, clad in black, knelt before Kangxi. They would gather information and present it to Kangxi for review, serving as his eyes and ears everywhere.

Kangxi closed his eyes, suppressing all his emotions, and said in a deep voice, "Monitor closely. Take no further action for now."

"Yes."

——

"What did you say?" Consort Tongjia spoke with a mix of doubt and suspicion, but that didn’t stop her from pressing further. "Say it again in detail. Is Uya scheming again? She can’t hold back anymore."

If anyone thought Uya was well-behaved, Consort Tongjia would be the first to disagree.

Ever since Uya had outmaneuvered her once before, even though Uya now appeared low-key and unassuming, Consort Tongjia remained skeptical.

However, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia had also been closely monitoring Uya Noble Lady’s every move, fearing that this wretch might scheme against her again behind her back, turning her into a laughingstock in the imperial harem.

Those women were all secretly laughing at her for being foolish, not even noticing that a palace maid under her nose had been pregnant for four months. It was only discovered when the court physician diagnosed it, making it public.

She wanted to secretly find an excuse to accuse Uya Noble Lady of having an affair with a guard, resulting in an illegitimate child, but she couldn’t even do that.

Not only could she not take action against Uya Noble Lady, but she also had to watch her safely give birth to the child.

How could Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia not resent this?

As long as Uya Noble Lady remained in the Jingren Palace, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia would never allow her to rise again!

"Your Highness, this is what I personally heard, and the palace attendants serving Uya Noble Lady also confirmed it. They said that Uya Noble Lady has been having frequent nightmares lately, dreaming of frequent earthquakes, with many palace buildings collapsing and many people dying.

The scenes in her dreams are extremely terrifying, often waking her up in fright, leaving her unable to sleep peacefully. Even the tranquilizing herbal tea doesn’t help.

At night, she is often startled awake, her face pale and drenched in cold sweat. After waking up, she can’t fall back asleep until dawn. The palace attendants attending to Uya Noble Lady have been utterly exhausted these past few days!"

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia considered this and realized that Uya Noble Lady indeed looked quite haggard these days, but she wouldn’t pity her. She wished nothing but misery upon Uya Noble Lady.

Then the palace attendant whispered, "Your Highness, could this be a warning from heaven to the Qing Dynasty, and Uya Noble Lady has received this warning..." Before she could finish.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia interrupted, displeased, "Who does Uya think she is? Is she even worthy?!"

How could Uya Noble Lady be the chosen one?! No one else received such a warning, only her.

Is she even worthy?!

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia’s face darkened at the mere thought of such a possibility.

"Yes, yes, Your Highness is right."

The palace attendant, noticing Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia’s displeasure, quickly agreed, thinking that Uya Noble Lady had indeed predicted her reaction quite accurately.

"Maybe Uya is just faking these hauntings, only she would dare to think of such a thing." Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia said with disdain.

However, "Your Highness, if Uya Noble Lady is pretending to be haunted, we can just laugh it off, but what if she has ulterior motives?

What if Uya Noble Lady is doing this to attract someone’s attention? Your Highness, if this spreads, and if it spreads vividly, eventually reaching the Emperor’s ears..."

The unspoken meaning was clear, rumors tend to become more exaggerated as they spread, and one never knows how they might end up.

Uya Noble Lady’s recent behavior might not be about being laughed at, but rather about attracting the Emperor’s attention.

If it reaches the Emperor and he believes it, remembering Uya Noble Lady, then even if she was initially laughed at, the rewards could be immense.

Since Uya Noble Lady can’t easily leave the Jingren Palace or see the Emperor, if she does get to see him, what would there be to worry about?

"Imperial Noble Consort, this matter of predicting earthquakes sounds like a joke, unbelievable, but if it spreads, it might become more and more sensational. Eventually, the Emperor, who might have forgotten Uya Noble Lady in some corner, might remember her again.

With this, the Emperor might recall Uya Noble Lady, and if an earthquake really happens..."

Uya Noble Lady could even be hailed for the warning, and the Emperor might bestow honors upon her. She could then rise above her current status.

This could be her golden opportunity to ascend and break free from Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia’s grip.

Whether this succeeds or not, Uya Noble Lady stands to gain. If it succeeds, it would be a great merit, possibly even earning her the rank of concubine. If it fails, she could still use the opportunity to catch the Emperor’s attention.

This reveals that Uya Noble Lady is far from foolish; she’s cunning and manipulative.

"What a piece of work Uya is! I always knew she was ambitious and restless. It hasn’t been long since she quieted down, and now she’s starting again. It’s because I treated her too well that she dares to step over me again and again!"

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia was furious, her dissatisfaction with Uya growing by the minute. She wondered why Uya was causing such a fuss—it must be with ulterior motives, never ceasing. She immediately ordered someone to teach Uya a lesson.

But a maid intervened.

Hastily, she said, "Your Highness, please calm yourself. Right now, Consort Uya is only claiming to have nightmares, and the matter may not be true. If Your Highness punishes her for this, Consort Uya might feign pitifulness to gain sympathy. Wouldn’t that just play into her hands?"

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia was about to say, "Am I to fear Uya? A mere consort—I can punish her as I see fit. What could Uya possibly do?"

"Perhaps Consort Uya is precisely aiming for this—to force Your Highness to punish her, so she can feign pitifulness and innocence, making Your Highness seem like..." a villain.

She didn’t dare to say it outright, but it was clear that if Her Highness couldn’t find a legitimate reason to punish Consort Uya, it might easily lead to rumors.

In the end, the reputation of the Imperial Noble Consort might be tarnished.

"Consort Uya is as lowly as mud, while Your Highness is fine porcelain. How can porcelain clash with rubble? It would be a losing proposition."

The maid’s analogy slightly satisfied Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia, but still,

"This won’t do, that won’t do. Am I to just sit back and watch Uya stir up trouble?"

"Your Highness might as well observe for now. You could summon a physician to treat Consort Uya properly. If she’s ill, she must be treated, lest she starts spouting nonsense in her confusion," the maid suggested.

"Very well, let’s do that," Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia nodded in satisfaction.

If she’s ill, she must be treated, mustn’t she?

It wouldn’t do for her to babble nonsense in her confusion. Such mad ramblings would naturally be dismissed, and we’ll see what tricks Uya has left.

This would silence Uya, preventing her from voicing any of her thoughts.

She shouldn’t even dream of catching the Emperor’s attention this way. As long as she was around, she’d keep Uya firmly under her heel.

Since Uya had the audacity to use her as a stepping stone to bear a prince, she’d better be ready to be crushed for life and never turn the situation around.

Consort Tongjia, in high spirits, rewarded the maid who delivered the news, then dismissed her.

The maid left, beaming, clutching her reward.

After leaving, she grinned from ear to ear as she admired the generous reward in her hands.

Consort Uya had leverage over her, and she assumed Consort Uya would use it to coerce her into doing her bidding.

But she didn’t expect that Consort Uya would actually have her speak about herself in front of Consort Tongjia like this. She was baffled as to why Consort Uya would do this.

Why would she even ask her to advise Consort Tongjia on how to handle Consort Uya? She really didn’t understand, but it was also quite good for her.

Because this was exactly what she was supposed to do. She thought Consort Uya would need her to do something else, which was troubling, but now it was also quite good. She got the benefits, didn’t betray Consort Tongjia, and could also handle things with Consort Uya.

Following Consort Tongjia’s instructions, a doctor from the Imperial Hospital quickly came to examine Consort Uya.

The doctor said that Consort Uya had been overthinking recently and hadn’t been resting well, which could easily lead to mental confusion. The manifestation of this was that she would talk nonsense even during the day. If she talked nonsense during the day, it wouldn’t be strange if she also dreamed at night. She needed to stay in bed and rest properly.

Uya, having not slept well for several days in a row, now had dark circles under her eyes and looked truly haggard, just as the doctor had described.

Uya had no objections to what the doctor said and instead agreed to follow the doctor’s advice and rest properly.

After the doctor left, someone from the main hall came and said that since Consort Uya was ill, out of concern for her illness and limited mobility, Consort Tongjia ordered her to rest up and not come to the main hall to pay her respects until she recovered.

"Thank you for your kindness, Imperial Noble Consort."

Uya bowed her head slightly, appearing obedient and unresisting. The maid nodded, satisfied, before leaving to report back to Consort Tongjia.

Uya didn’t dare to utter another word, only obeyed the orders.

After the maid left, Uya raised her head and sat there, looking rather pitiful.

Her personal maid couldn’t help but feel indignant, "My lady, this is clearly a form of house arrest. Before, you could at least leave your room, but now you're confined to it. You're bedridden and can't see anyone."

"My lady just hasn't slept well; she's still fine. Why would she need to stay in bed?!"

"Imperial Noble Consort has always oppressed my lady, but now she's going too far."

"Enough, say no more. Imperial Noble Consort is just concerned about me, which is why she excused me from paying respects," Uya said calmly, seemingly indifferent to the Imperial Noble Consort's disguised house arrest.

"My lady," the maid wanted to say more but feared causing trouble, so she kept quiet. "Imperial Noble Consort is too much; she can't even tolerate my lady, she's so jealous."

Uya wasn’t surprised by Imperial Noble Consort's actions; it was all expected.

Now, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia thinks she's just trying to attract the Emperor's attention with nonsense, but...

Her goal goes beyond that.

There will indeed be an earthquake this year, but the earlier ones didn’t reach the capital, and casualties were few.

After frequent quakes in the capital, no one realized the earlier ones were just the start. When the quake hit the capital, it caused many deaths.

But this is enough. She wants Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia to take the lead, to use her, not to let her benefit at her expense.

Uya's plan is quite cunning.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia has no clue when the quake will strike. If she wants to take credit before the Emperor, she just needs to alter the timing. If Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia really believes it and confidently tells the Emperor, it will only end up as a joke.

When the time comes and mistakes pile up, how dare she deceive the Emperor like this? Even as the Emperor's cousin, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia will still fall out of favor!

And that is when she will make her appearance.

She will appear as a person blessed by heaven with great fortune.

Only those favored by heaven can receive such a precious warning.

This is a symbol of heaven's blessing for the Qing dynasty, and she, Uya, is that auspicious symbol. When the time comes, what is Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia?

In her previous life, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia couldn’t outlast her, even though she raised the fourth prince, but in the end, it was not her who became the Empress Dowager. Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia died early.

In this life, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia still can’t outwit her. Uya even felt a sense of pride.

Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia didn’t take Uya's nightmare seriously, only thought she was playing tricks.

But unexpectedly, a few days later, an earthquake occurred in the capital region, and the Emperor was so busy that he was rarely seen.

However, the details of the matter were not clear, as the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, and saying too much could easily lead to taboo.

Connecting it with Uya's previous earthquake prediction, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia had to take it seriously.

Just as Uya dreamed of the earth dragon turning over, an earthquake really happened.

Just as Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia was unsure of how to deal with Uya.

Fortunately, her family had sent a message into the palace regarding the previous matter, agreeing to her earlier suggestion. It was difficult for her to find what she needed within the palace, but outside, she might have a chance. Indeed, her expectations were not in vain, as her father had agreed.

They mentioned discovering a secret medicine, colorless and tasteless, which could be added to ginseng soup. Even if tested with a silver needle, no issues would be detected, as it was not poisonous. After taking it, it would just feel like eating something very nourishing, undetectable and able to withstand inspection, unlike inferior drugs.

This secret medicine was rare, and to avoid drawing attention, it would be sent in separately in a few days. Consort Tongjia was told to grab the chance as soon as she got the medicine.

It was also noted that the Emperor had been busy with state affairs and had not visited the imperial harem for a long time. The best time to make a move would be once the Emperor’s busy period was over, as nothing would be discovered then.

Moreover, fearing that Consort Tongjia might not choose the right time, it was advised that with so many natural disasters happening, she should not act hastily. The Emperor was likely preoccupied and not in the mood for such matters at this time.

They’d also picked an auspicious time. If they were to be together at this time, it would surely fulfill their wishes.

Everything was ready, and the perfect time was chosen. It was clear that the Tong family was indeed in a hurry.

After reading it, Consort Tongjia immediately burned the note. Although the note was destroyed, she was beyond excited. She couldn't help but touch her abdomen; she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

However, her thoughts then turned to Uya, and her excitement cooled slightly. Was Uya not just speaking nonsense? Had she truly received a premonition?

The Emperor was currently troubled by this matter. If she could alleviate his worries...

"Someone, find out how Uya’s been doing lately. Is she still having the same nightmares as before? Be thorough; I want to know everything. Also, make sure that no news from outside reaches Uya's ears in the coming days."

If so, she would definitely get to the bottom of it. After all, Uya couldn't go anywhere now, and she would block Uya's ears so she couldn't even receive any news. Hmph.

Someone as lowly as Uya didn't deserve it. It would be better for her to be obediently used by me, thus making some use of her. This was what Uya owed I.

"Yes, daying."