Chapter 129

Chapter 129

The earthquake not only directly impacted the capital but also caused varying degrees of damage to over 200 counties in surrounding regions such as Hebei, Shanxi, Liaoning, and Shandong.

Countless houses collapsed, but casualties were relatively low. This was thanks to the timely deployment of soldiers to guide the people to open areas, thus minimizing the loss of life.

Those who perished in the earthquake were mostly those who lived in remote areas and could not be notified in time, or those who, reluctant to leave their wealth behind, secretly returned home, only to be crushed when their houses collapsed during the earthquake.

Overall, the situation was much better than anticipated, though the severe material losses were indeed a headache. The financial resources needed to fill this gap were a massive burden.

Kangxi had been extremely busy for a considerable period, working around the clock. Even when he could no longer hold on, he would only sleep for two or three hours before being awakened by Liang Jiugong. This relentless schedule caused him to lose some weight.

In Confucian doctrine, earthquakes were seen as a "celestial warning."

To calm the people's hearts and take the opportunity to reform the administration, Kangxi chose to issue an edict of self-reproach and personally led the princes and ministers to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices.

He declared that while the will of heaven was important, human effort was crucial. To gain heaven's forgiveness, it was necessary to rectify the administration and alleviate the people's suffering to demonstrate sincerity.

Using the earthquake as a warning due to my lack of virtue and the disharmony in governance, Kangxi began to reform the administration.

He pointed out six major flaws in the current administration and emphasized that to eliminate these flaws, it was essential for high-ranking officials to lead by example. He ordered the ministers to draft specific measures to eradicate these six malpractices.

At this time, the Left Censor-in-Chief, Wei Xiangshu, also submitted a memorial impeaching Suo'etu for abusing power and corruption, requesting the emperor to severely punish him.

Suo'etu and Mingzhu had been forming factions and vying for power, protecting their own, which Kangxi had observed.

Previously, Kangxi had specifically summoned Suo'etu and other ministers to the Qianqing Gate, where he publicly recounted the dangers of factionalism. This served as a warning to the ministers, expressing Kangxi's aversion to and taboo against forming cliques.

At the same time, it was also a public warning to Suo'etu and Mingzhu, especially Suo'etu, to rein in his behavior.

This time, the reform naturally had to start with Suo'etu.

Without Kangxi's intention, why would the Left Censor-in-Chief Wei Xiangshu choose this moment to impeach Suo'etu for abusing power and corruption?

Despite risking offending Suo'etu, who was at the height of his power in the court, Wei Xiangshu chose to impeach him at this time.

This was because Suo'etu's arrogance had become increasingly intolerable, and Kangxi was already dissatisfied with him, using this opportunity to reprimand Suo'etu.

This was a conflict between the emperor and a powerful minister.

Previously, there was Ao Bai, who had wielded immense power. Due to his young age at the time of his ascension, Kangxi had endured for a long time, gradually removing Ao Bai's close associates by promoting them openly but secretly transferring them away from Ao Bai, leaving him isolated.

Only when he had grown stronger did Kangxi finally eliminate Ao Bai.

Having spent so much effort to remove Ao Bai and clean up the mess he left behind, Kangxi naturally wanted to prevent Suo'etu from becoming another Ao Bai.

During the suppression of the Three Feudatories, Suo'etu had contributed significantly, and Baocheng needed strong maternal support. This was why Kangxi had tolerated Suo'etu repeatedly, but even so, he needed to reprimand him to prevent him from overstepping his bounds.

Suo'etu was also a cunning fox. As soon as Wei Xiangshu impeached him, he immediately understood the emperor's intentions.

After some thought, he realized he needed to temporarily retreat. If he did not show restraint now and pretended to be oblivious, the emperor might not even give him a chance to turn back.

Soon after, Suo'etu requested to resign from his position as Grand Secretary, citing illness, making a public concession.

In reality, Suo'etu was confident that the emperor would not completely dismiss him. If he were gone, the court would lose someone who could counter Mingzhu.

Upon learning of this, Kangxi issued an edict praising Suo'etu as an important minister who was diligent and capable, and who had contributed significantly to military planning since the start of the war.

These diplomatic words seemed to indicate that Kangxi did not intend to grant Suo'etu's request, but in reality, Kangxi immediately approved Suo'etu's resignation as Grand Secretary.

It was clear these were just empty words for show.

But Kangxi didn’t fully remove Suo'etu, since the court’s stability still relied on him to keep things balanced. Kangxi had other plans in mind.

Su Yi only caught a glimpse of Kangxi the day she woke up and didn’t see him after that.

She was then put back into confinement again.

During this time, anyone who tried to visit was turned away, told she needed to reflect on her behavior.

Su Yi: Reflect? Yeah, right.

But the confinement wasn’t so bad—it gave her a chance to rest up.

Claiming headaches and dizziness, Su Yi spent most of her time in bed, sleeping. The servants left her alone, though it seemed more people were secretly keeping an eye on her—not that it mattered much.

But her constant sleeping had Qinxin and the others worried.

The imperial physician explained that while her brain wasn’t injured, it was close, and the blood loss left her feeling more tired and sluggish than usual. Her pulse showed signs of weakness, so proper rest was essential.

Plus, Consort Rong’s rest routine seemed to be working—her health improved daily, easing everyone’s concerns.

So Su Yi milked it for all it was worth, spending nearly the whole day in bed, sleeping.

She ate just once a day, keeping her body in a low-energy state.

She could briefly take on her true form, using that time to gather some purple energy.

This time, Su Yi didn’t just take—she gave something back too.

The earthquake caused massive losses, and with the Three Feudatories still in rebellion, funds were tight everywhere.

So, like before, she offered up money-making ideas—like making glass and soap, which were both rare and valuable at the time.

Once Kangxi woke up, these methods would surely be tested to see if they’d work. If they worked, Kangxi would definitely put them to good use.

This world had little spiritual energy, and cultivation that could upset its balance wasn’t allowed.

If cultivators suddenly appeared in this ordinary world, they’d feel superior to regular people—something the world’s laws wouldn’t stand for.

Even if someone didn’t know how to break through the barriers to get here, staying here would still make them an outsider, bound by the world’s laws.

If someone recklessly used powers beyond what the world could handle, the world’s laws would catch on—either punishing them or kicking them out by any means necessary.

This human body was a temporary vessel that could slip past the world’s laws.

Every time Su Yi used her powers, this body would weaken, forcing her to rest, and the soul’s wounds would reopen. If not for the dragon energy in the palace nurturing her over time, she’d have suffered a lot more.

As for the attempt on the little milk dragon’s life, Su Yi had her doubts about who was behind it.

They could’ve easily killed the child after taking out the Shadow Guards, but instead, they went the roundabout route, using others to do it.

This roundabout approach was worth pondering. Although it was the mastermind, they always used others' hands, and they did not hesitate to kill those who were irrelevant.

They wanted the little milk dragon dead but chose a roundabout method.

Moreover, the timing of the earthquake was so precise, indicating that they also understood the workings of fate.

If she could make it here, others might too.

Maybe they’re from the same place.

No sooner had one 'fellow countryman' left than another suspected one arrived.

It’s such a pain.

Kangxi’s been swamped lately, so he hasn’t had time to visit Consort Rong. Occasionally, he asked about her, and her injuries were recovering well. He told her to reflect on her actions, but she was so caught up in resting that she had no clue, just getting sleepier. Kangxi’s gotten pretty good at rolling with the punches.

With that, Kangxi quickly came to terms with the situation. Keeping a low profile was already good enough; it was best not to draw too much attention right now.

Kangxi’s expectations have been dropping.

Liang Jiugong saw right through it.

This confinement seemed like a punishment for Consort Rong’s unauthorized wandering.

But for Consort Rong, it was no big deal. She usually stayed in her palace anyway.

It felt like a punishment, but not really.

It seemed more like a show for the other concubines.

After all, Consort Rong had run off after a cat, and they had to send people to find her. Though the incident with the young prince took most of the attention.

But after that, the Emperor naturally had to punish Consort Rong at this point.

And the Emperor had a pile of things to deal with, with hardly any free time. He couldn’t visit Consort Rong like he used to.

Consort Rong also needed to rest up, and it was a hassle for her to deal with the other concubines picking fights, to avoid the stress.

So this confinement, while seeming like a punishment, also protected Consort Rong during this time, giving her a legit reason to rest in peace.

After all, the Grand Empress Dowager wasn’t happy with Consort Rong’s behavior either. If the Emperor didn’t act, the Grand Empress Dowager might’ve had a reason to call Consort Rong in for a scolding.

And who knows what the punishment would’ve been then.

With Consort Rong confined, the Grand Empress Dowager naturally couldn’t defy the Emperor’s orders right now.

The prince’s birthday couldn’t be a big deal during this time and had to be postponed to make up for it.

By the time things finally calmed down, over a month had passed.

Kangxi’s frown finally eased. Everything was proceeding as expected, and he even got several methods in his dreams, which proved feasible after testing, solving his urgent needs.

Now that he was done, Kangxi casually asked, "How is Consort Rong's reflection going?"

Liang Jiugong: "..." Your Majesty, don’t you already know about this reflection?

Sleeping as reflection?

But he couldn’t reply like that.

So Liang Jiugong carefully worded his response, "Consort Rong has been resting and recuperating, not moving around much. However, it is believed that she has been reflecting in her heart."

Reflecting in her heart—it’s a clever phrase. If you say she has, then she has. You can’t say she hasn’t been reflecting in her heart, can you?

Kangxi: ....

"Hmm," Kangxi directly skipped the question about reflection, thinking it was a pointless question.

When Kangxi arrived, Consort Rong had not yet risen. Seeing that it was already time for dinner, Kangxi frowned slightly, "It's already this late, why hasn't Consort Rong been called to have her meal?"

Under Kangxi's somewhat displeased gaze, Qinxin bowed her head and replied, "Your Majesty, Consort Rong has recently been waking up for a short while in the evening to have some porridge, and she does not allow anyone to disturb her at other times."

There was no way to wake her up. They couldn't possibly wrestle the blanket away from her—she would just cling to it and act spoiled. It was truly difficult, and they were completely helpless.

After hearing this, Kangxi walked in quietly to take a look. Indeed, she was still sleeping soundly, showing no signs of waking up.

He sat by the bed and pinched her nose, watching to see if she would wake up from holding her breath.

Kangxi thought to himself, "But one can breathe not only through the nose, but also through the mouth, right?"

Kangxi watched as Consort Rong, with her nose pinched, simply opened her mouth slightly and continued to sleep, without a care.

Kangxi was speechless.