Chapter 147

Chapter 147

Su Yi pushed her away, now glaring at Kangxi in anger.

Though she looked frail, she wasn’t on her deathbed yet, and Niohuru’s time hadn’t run out.

Seeing the newcomer, Su Yi's face showed no surprise. "Ah, you're here," she said, her tone suggesting she’d expected Kangxi to show up.

"You showed up just in time. I’d already finished beating them all before you got here, thankfully without any interruptions," she added, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.

Those around her, even the maids who’d been beaten and could barely move, struggled to rise and bow, their bodies swaying unsteadily, their bows far from proper. Some even collapsed back to the ground, crying out in pain, too weak to get up again.

The injured lying on the ground looked half-dead, their gazes at Consort Rong filled with subtle curiosity, wondering what had driven her to beat the maids so brutally.

One even had strangulation marks on her neck, her clothes were stained, and she reeked.

This was... way too brutal.

So many couldn’t even get the upper hand; if Consort Rong hadn’t been so frail, her terrifying methods might’ve left no one alive.

Consort Rong looked unwell now, blood occasionally trickling from her mouth, all from her recent exertion.

The Emperor had rushed over in such a hurry, but... there was no need to worry—Consort Rong wasn’t the one at risk.

This was Liang Jiugong’s thought, gasping for breath from running, his legs on the verge of giving out.

Consort Tongjia, who’d been feigning unconsciousness, was now torn, debating whether to wake up. After a fierce internal battle, she chose to keep pretending.

What should she do if she woke up now? Act surprised? Panicked?

Whether Kangxi came early or late made a difference—coming early would’ve stopped the beating, coming late wouldn’t matter, but showing up in the middle was the worst.

Su Yi didn’t need Kangxi’s so-called ‘heroic rescue.’ Expecting her to be moved to tears by his arrival, thinking she’d found a protector, was out of the question.

Kangxi was pushed back two steps, his face still flushed from rushing over. He looked at Consort Rong’s condition and said, "You should rest. I’ve brought the imperial physician."

Though his expression was calm, his concern was clear.

When Kangxi arrived with his men, he saw Consort Rong with her back to the maid about to ambush her, ready to grab something nearby to hurl.

He saw the maid fail, her wrist seized by Consort Rong, who yanked her with such force that the maid’s bear-like frame was slammed into the ground, leaving a dent.

The one about to shout ‘Bold!’ ‘Impudence!’ choked, nearly swallowing his own spit, as everyone fell silent.

It was confirmed once more, beyond doubt, that it was Consort Rong—who looked as delicate as a flower—who’d done this.

Now, not only were the maids trembling in fear, but even the others were a bit shaken. Even the fiercest general’s daughters might not be this ruthless.

The imperial physician followed, hearing the Emperor’s words. Though somewhat nervous, he was ready to step forward and check Consort Rong’s condition.

A physician shouldn’t be afraid. Stay calm. Consort Rong usually treated him with respect—she probably wouldn’t lash out. He wasn’t about to ambush her.

Su Yi waved her hand. "No rush, Qinxin. Bring that bowl of Summer Cooler Soup over," she said, glancing at Qinxin beside her.

Why keep that bowl? Of course, it had its purpose.

Its fate wasn’t just to be poured out. Since it had been brewed, it had value—it was a ‘gesture of goodwill.’ How could it go to waste?

"Yes, Your Majesty," Qinxin immediately brought it over.

Qinxin thought Her Highness planned to tell His Majesty the 'Summer Cooler Soup' (a traditional remedy for heatstroke) was tainted, and the reason for keeping it was to preserve it as evidence to present to him.

With the imperial physician present, whose medical skills were highly advanced, he would surely detect what was inside upon examination.

Therefore, Qinxin dared not delay, holding the 'Summer Cooler Soup' steadily without spilling a drop.

The Grand Empress Dowager really crossed the line this time. If it weren’t for Her Highness’s quick thinking, she might have succeeded.

If Her Highness had actually drunk that stuff, she might not have lasted until His Majesty arrived to save her.

That earlier scene was really dangerous. Just thinking about it made Qinxin’s heart race. Fortunately, the Emperor arrived; otherwise, it would have been a mess.

Seeing Qinxin approach, Su Yi gave Kangxi a soft, reassuring smile and said,

"Your Majesty, you came in such a hurry. Today’s heat is intense, and even Consort Tongjia passed out from heatstroke." As if suddenly remembering that Consort Tongjia was still pretending to be unconscious,

"Imperial Physician, please attend to Consort Tongjia first. She has been unconscious for a while, and I am truly worried her body might not hold up." It wasn’t good for her to keep standing there like that; it was time for her to 'wake up.'

The imperial physician: "..." He was like a jack-of-all-trades, always on call.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Consort Tongjia’s well-being was crucial. As the only imperial physician around, he naturally couldn’t stand by and watch her suffer from the heat without assistance.

Thus, with a casual glance, the imperial physician quickly noticed a palace maid supporting Consort Tongjia, who had her eyes tightly closed, standing not far away.

The maid looked nervous and unsure of what to do, holding Consort Tongjia for quite some time.

Likely, in the earlier confusion, the rough maids were too preoccupied with surrounding Consort Rong to think of moving Consort Tongjia to a side chamber for proper care. It was a complete disaster.

After being out cold from the heat for some time, it was unclear how Consort Tongjia was faring. Concerned her state might deteriorate, the imperial physician quickened his pace and hurried to her side.

From afar, everything looked fine, but up close, something didn’t add up.

The imperial physician knew all too well the signs of heatstroke: weakness, collapsing to the ground, and a maid wouldn’t normally be able to support someone in such a state.

Moreover, the complexion was wrong. After heatstroke, you’d get pale lips, red cheeks, and sweat buckets.

Consort Tongjia seemed completely unharmed, not at all like someone who had suffered from heatstroke. Her forehead was dry, showing no sign of sweat, suggesting... just a mild case?

Just as the imperial physician was about to take Consort Tongjia’s pulse, her eyes snapped open, looking like she’d just come to, wondering, 'What happened to me?'

The maid by her side, seeing her awake, exclaimed, "Your Highness, you’ve finally awakened." The maid’s relief was genuine, as she had truly believed Consort Tongjia had fainted. Now, seeing her mistress awake, her heart settled, as if she had found her anchor.

Consort Tongjia understood: !!

She had never actually fainted!

Now, she truly wished she had genuinely fainted from the heat initially, waking up oblivious, or remaining unconscious until someone took her back to her own palace to wake up.

With His Majesty here, Consort Tongjia had planned to continue feigning unconsciousness!

But then Consort Rong, of all people, remembered her existence. Consort Tongjia wished Consort Rong had forgotten about her.

Should she be grateful that Consort Rong hadn’t thought of her earlier when she was beating people?

If it weren’t for the imperial physician’s arrival, Consort Tongjia felt she could have kept up the act.

Rather than wait for the imperial physician to expose her, Consort Tongjia opened her eyes and began frantically signaling to the physician, hoping to convey something through her gaze.

If the imperial physician still couldn't understand, it would be a waste of all the experience he had gained over the years.

At the moment, he performed a perfunctory examination of Consort Tongjia's pulse, then said that her heatstroke was not severe, and after resting, she had recovered significantly, and the situation was not a big problem.

Ridiculous, the Consort never had heatstroke; she was perfectly fine.

Of course, there was no issue, but now the imperial physician began to linger here.

Then Consort Tongjia also understood, and the two of them lingered there, while also keeping an eye on what was happening with Consort Rong.

Over there,

Su Yi was holding the bowl of 'Summer Cooler Soup'. "This bowl of Summer Cooler Soup was originally prepared for me, but their attitude was hostile, which made me very angry and offended me."

"Take them all away." Kangxi calmly glanced at the haphazardly kneeling maids and ordered people to take them away.

Those maids saw that trying to plead for sympathy wouldn't work, as the Emperor didn't even reprimand Consort Rong for causing a scene in the Cining Palace, beating up the people there, and it seemed he even wanted to punish them.

They all wanted to beg for mercy, but their injuries were so severe that when the guards dragged them away, they didn't care at all if they aggravated their wounds, so as soon as they were pulled, the maids were in so much pain they couldn't even beg for mercy.

"You came just in time. I was wondering what I would do if you didn't come."

Su Yi's smile was a bit too wide, unnervingly bright. Her tone was gentle, but it gave people a creepy feeling, and the look in her eyes was more malice than joy.

This didn't sound like genuine happiness at all!

'Showing up at the wrong time, and missing when you’re needed.'

"I apologize for being late."

Kangxi's heart sank, he stepped forward and reached out to take her hand. This time it wasn't pulled away, but his heart didn't feel any lighter.

Because in that moment, he caught a flash of malice in Consort Rong's eyes, though it was fleeting, Kangxi still noticed it.

Kangxi already knew what was going on here; the Grand Empress Dowager had really miscalculated this time.

Su Yi smiled, "It's not too late; there's still time."

She smiled sweetly at Kangxi, "You must be tired from the journey. Why don't you drink this bowl of 'Summer Cooler Soup' to cool off? It would be a shame to waste such a 'good thing' after all the effort put into it."

The imperial physician immediately became alert upon hearing this. One must not drink anything carelessly, especially when it might not even be 'Summer Cooler Soup'.

Consort Tongjia also heard, "Stop! You can't drink that!" she loudly protested.

Who knows what might be in that 'Summer Cooler Soup'? How could you let the Emperor drink it? What if it's poison!

Who knows what the Grand Empress Dowager had added to it! Consort Rong clearly knew there was something wrong; why would she still want the Emperor to drink it!

Consort Tongjia quickly trailed behind the imperial physician.

Su Yi looked at her, feigning confusion, "Why not? Didn't you drink it earlier?"

Her tone was soft, but no matter how gentle Su Yi looked now, there was an unsettling air, yet she was still stunningly beautiful.

Clearly, she was just playing dumb.

Who couldn't do that?

Consort Tongjia couldn't help but tremble under Consort Rong's gaze. Her steps faltered, and she hesitated to advance. Cold sweat was forming on her back. "But... but..."

She might as well have actually fainted from the beginning!

Even if she claimed she had fainted, she couldn’t deceive Consort Rong, after all, it was Consort Rong who initially suggested she pretend to faint!

She wanted to claim she had fainted and had no idea if she drank it, but that wouldn’t work either.

What if she said that, and Consort Rong accused her of making excuses, and came over to beat her up like she did with those rough maids? She truly believed Consort Rong was still irrational, not back to normal yet, and might actually do it. She had the audacity to beat up a group of people in Cining Palace, so now she felt it wasn’t impossible for Consort Rong to beat her up too.

If she were to suddenly punch her, she would really be done for. Her body wasn’t as resilient as those rough maids!

But Consort Tongjia couldn’t simply reveal that the Summer Cooler Soup had been tampered with by the Grand Empress Dowager, that what she drank was normal, but the one given to Consort Rong was problematic.

With so many people present, if she disclosed that, everyone would learn of the Grand Empress Dowager’s actions. Had she known earlier, she wouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess to begin with. It was all the Grand Empress Dowager’s fault for dragging her into this.

Consort Tongjia was so anxious that beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but she didn’t know how to explain why the Emperor shouldn’t drink it.

“Um... this has been sitting for some time; the Summer Cooler Soup likely has lost its potency. Why don’t we have someone brew a fresh bowl for the Emperor?”

Consort Tongjia forced a smile, her eyes darting around, too afraid to meet Consort Rong’s gaze. She couldn’t help but raise her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

“Cooling substances are meant to be refreshing; what’s wrong with it being cold? I was very careful when I took it from those maids, ensuring not to spill a drop even while I was beating them.

Besides, isn’t this the Grand Empress Dowager’s wish? Surely she wouldn’t harm the Emperor.” Su Yi remained unmoved, only looking at Kangxi.

“I haven’t slept well these past few days, so if I’ve been irritable, it must be someone else’s fault.” She glanced at Consort Tongjia and explained, not wanting to scare the poor girl.

Consort Tongjia couldn’t help but tremble under her gaze. That explanation was completely unconvincing!

But she still managed to pull a somewhat strained smile, indicating she had heard.

Su Yi handed the bowl of Summer Cooler Soup to Kangxi, “Will you drink it?”

She asked with a radiant smile, her eyes fixed solely on Kangxi.

“Your Majesty...” The imperial physician was about to take out a silver needle to test for poison. The situation clearly seemed amiss. Although not directly stated, Consort Rong’s expression hinted that the bowl’s contents weren’t as simple as claimed, merely a ‘Summer Cooler Soup.’

Otherwise, with so many rough maids present and only one maid by Consort Rong’s side, it seemed there was an underlying threat.

Kangxi raised his hand to halt the physician, then gazed intently at Consort Rong, “If I drink it, will you be appeased?”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Su Yi also looked directly at him, her feigned smile vanished, her eyes brimming with barely contained anger.

She had been repeatedly provoked, and she was truly capable of anger.

The main hall had also been informed of the Emperor’s arrival, as the commotion was hard to miss.

The problem was that the Grand Empress Dowager’s headache had worsened. Despite her excruciating pain, she kept inquiring if Consort Rong’s matter had been resolved.

Upon hearing that the Emperor had arrived, the Grand Empress Dowager’s expression grew even more grim.

The maids who were handling the matter hadn’t returned to report, and the Emperor had already arrived. It seemed things had taken an unexpected turn. She promptly dispatched Suma Lagu to greet the Emperor, “Suma, go ahead and check.”

If the Emperor had arrived before things were wrapped up, Suma could go ahead and calm him down, stabilize the situation.

She could only hope that Consort Rong had indeed drunk the medicine. That way, at least her life would be spared.

Consort Rong was still alive, just unable to bear children. Only then would she leave Consort Rong alone, and only then could she feel at ease.

By then, if the Emperor shows more pity towards Consort Rong, she might stop taking any further action.

The Grand Empress Dowager believed that since Consort Rong had already gained immense favor, one couldn’t have it all—naturally, something had to be sacrificed.

She also feared that the child’s status might rise because of the mother’s favor, destabilizing the crown prince’s position. An unstable crown prince would mean shaking the foundation of the state.

Even if the Emperor were to be angry with the Grand Empress Dowager, it was all for the sake of the Qing dynasty and for the Emperor's own good.

Suma Lagu, seeing how much the Grand Empress Dowager was suffering from her headache, couldn’t leave her side. But with the Emperor arriving, she had no choice but to go and stabilize the situation.

"Yes, I’ll go right away." Suma Lagu nodded with tears in her eyes, then her expression changed as she looked at the surrounding servants, sternly commanding, "You, make sure to take good care of the Grand Empress Dowager! If anything goes wrong, it’ll be your responsibility!"

The servants replied with trembling voices, "Yes." They dared not neglect the Grand Empress Dowager.

Seeing that the servants had obediently responded, Suma Lagu turned and left.

Suma Lagu hurried over with her attendants, already planning what to say if Consort Rong tried to sway the Emperor with negative remarks about the Grand Empress Dowager, seeking his sympathy.

Suma Lagu had also looked after the Emperor when he was young. This bond gave Suma Lagu a special status among the servants in the palace, as she had not only been the Grand Empress Dowager's personal attendant but had also cared for the Emperor in his childhood.

Thus, she still held some influence in front of the Emperor, and now she was acting on behalf of the Grand Empress Dowager.

Just then, Suma Lagu saw the guards dragging away the rough servants. She widened her eyes and quickened her pace. The rough servants, upon seeing Suma Lagu, wanted to cry for help, "Aunt Suma, please save us, we were just following orders..."

They were about to say they were just following orders—but in the Cining Palace, whose orders could it be but the Grand Empress Dowager’s?

"Quiet! Gag them quickly—they’re talking nonsense!" Seeing that the rough servants were about to say something unfavorable about the Grand Empress Dowager, Suma Lagu swiftly turned back, without a word, slapped the speaking rough servant, and harshly scolded!

Her eyes were fierce, then she signaled the guards to gag all their mouths.

If they said anything inappropriate while being dragged away, it would spread throughout the harem in no time!

Actually, the one who had spoken earlier still had some strength left to talk, the others were beaten so badly they couldn’t even speak, moving slightly caused intense pain, the one who had screamed had already exhausted her strength, and now with Suma Lagu's slap, her head was buzzing, and she fell silent.

The guards recognized Suma Lagu, and since it was just a matter of gagging, they quickly tore strips of cloth to gag each one. Earlier, since all these people were to be dealt with, there was no need to gag them.