Chapter 211

Chapter 211

Suo'etu was stripped of all his positions and was 'recuperating' at his residence. Because of this, the Hesheli residence became somewhat deserted compared to before, as they did not want to stir up any more trouble during this critical time.

After all, the Hesheli family is in a tough spot right now.

The Emperor's stance towards the Hesheli family was evident in the handling of Suo'etu.

It must be said that the Mingzhu faction is likely the happiest. With Suo'etu now idle at home, and with the old man gone, it's only a matter of time before his influence wanes. In the short term, it might hold, but in the long run, who knows?

Suo'etu was once a powerful figure in the imperial court. The Hesheli family first produced an Empress, the Xiaochengren Empress, and the young legitimate son was also crowned as the Crown Prince. Suo'etu enjoyed the Emperor's deep trust, and his influence was unparalleled. Even the Mingzhu faction felt the weight of his suppression.

Previously, the Emperor had always overlooked Suo'etu's actions, letting things slide lightly.

This only added to Suo'etu's arrogance. Though not as brazen as Ao Bai, his power in the court only grew.

At this critical juncture, the Grand Empress Dowager herself intervened and had Consort Rong take care of the Crown Prince. Despite Xiao Hesheli's imminent entry into the palace, this move was made. The Emperor also took the opportunity to dismiss Suo'etu from his positions, ordering him to 'recuperate' at home, with no mention of a return.

What's more, before all the ministers, the Emperor scolded Suo'etu for his misdeeds and unchecked arrogance, clearly indicating that his patience with Suo'etu had run out.

Even though the Mingzhu faction was pleased with Suo'etu's demise, they dared not be too overt about it.

Even in Suo'etu's absence, the court remained orderly. Some seemingly minor but powerful positions were reassigned to individuals who had previously been overlooked but had shown competence, lacking only a 'chance.'

These shifts were made discreetly, unlike the hollow promotions given to others, which held higher but hollow positions.

Without Suo'etu in the imperial court, even if he had the intention, he lacked the power and had to avoid suspicion from other officials. Otherwise, those waiting to catch him out would not hold back.

Having lost the Emperor's favor, many were eager to see him fall further. However, they still held a fear of Suo'etu and the Hesheli family. With the Crown Prince still in place, the Hesheli family's fall was not certain. Those who were prudent would not dare to go too far at this time.

No one could predict what the future might bring.

Observers were especially keen on the upcoming concubine selection.

The Hesheli family, the sister of Empress Xiaochengren, Xiao Hesheli, had now reached the appropriate age and was certain to enter the palace in this selection.

The position Xiao Hesheli would hold after entering the palace was also a matter of great interest.

At this critical moment, Xiao Hesheli suddenly fell ill, reportedly from shock. Initially, she was seen talking to herself when no one was around, and her behavior raised concerns about her mental state.

Originally, if Xiao Hesheli had just fallen ill from shock, it would not have drawn much attention from Suo'etu, the head of the Hesheli family. But these were special times.

If it were a minor illness, it would be fine, but if she did not recover quickly and missed the selection, it would be disastrous.

Missing this selection would mean waiting another three years, and the Hesheli family could not afford such a delay with so many eyes on them.

Especially since there was Consort Rong in the palace trying to win over the Crown Prince. The position of Consort would not remain vacant for long; it would soon be filled.

Therefore, Xiao Hesheli had to recover before the selection. Many doctors were called in to treat her, and for a time, Suo'etu, the 'sick' family head, was not as important as her.

Fortunately, Xiao Hesheli's condition improved quickly, and it seemed she would recover soon, not delaying the selection. This temporarily eased many people's worries.

Even if they could make arrangements, the person had to be normal, right?

However, Xiao Hesheli, who had already shown improvement, had been very unsettled these past few days. Besides being haggard, she was almost driven to paranoia by frequent 'accidents.'

At first, others thought she was overly shocked and had started talking to herself, showing poor mental state.

Xiao Hesheli feared that this would be seen as madness, and she did not know what the consequences would be.

It is said that those who suffer from madness or other reasons are usually sent to remote and austere family temples, where life is extremely difficult and unbearable. Once sent to the family temple, it is almost impossible to return.

Xiao Hesheli grew anxious at the thought, knowing that if she did not recover to a "normal" state before the selection, causing her to miss the selection, she'd be in big trouble.

Xiao Hesheli already knew that Suo'etu's plan had failed this time, and he was now staying idle at home after being dismissed by Kangxi, with no indication of when he might be reinstated.

At this moment, all expectations were on her to bolster the Hesheli family's standing after she entered the palace. If something went wrong, despite the current attention and care she received for her minor discomfort, she could easily face their wrath.

She was hell-bent on entering the palace no matter what!

The reason she had been so tormented and disheveled these past two days was because a ghost had come to haunt her, relentlessly trying to end her life. The constant gaze of those venomous eyes was terrifying, making her blood run cold.

Xiao Hesheli had never encountered such things before and originally did not believe in ghosts or spirits. But now that she had replaced the original Xiao Hesheli, which was already a strange event, having a ghost haunting her was truly frightening.

If it weren't for the concubine cultivation system helping her drive away the ghost and preventing it from returning, she might have really been doomed!

Now, thinking back to the time she fell into the water, it might have been a water ghost clinging to her feet!

The system appeared suddenly after she accidentally fell into the water and was nearly drowned by something pulling her down.

At that time, she was wondering why she didn't have any special advantages after transmigrating and almost drowned again. How could she compete with the original female lead after entering the palace? Then, this concubine cultivation system appeared.

Inside, there was a system shop with beauty-enhancing items, from head to toe, such as "slender jade hands," "autumn water eyes," and "willow-like waist."

There were even various secret medicines, including poisons and antidotes, a veritable treasure chest for palace intrigue.

However, these required points to exchange, and points were obtained by gaining Kangxi's favor.

The higher the favorability, the more points she could earn, allowing her to exchange for items in the system shop.

Initially, there were some free points and a starter pack, helping her stand out among the other candidates from the start. After all, with so many beauties in the harem, without an edge in looks, how could she ever catch his eye?

This twist of fate made Xiao Hesheli feel like she had struck gold. If not for this, she wouldn't know when the system would have appeared.

Originally, the free points and the starter pack were meant to be used when meeting Kangxi!

But now, because of the ghost, to drive it away and prevent it from approaching her, the initial points and the starter pack were all spent on the ghost!

As a result, she could only continue using the system shop's items after entering the palace and gaining Kangxi's favor.

Now, everything was locked and unusable, all because of the ghost!

If she had enough points, Xiao Hesheli wouldn't have just banished the ghost but obliterated it!

After burning the paper figure it inhabited, the ghost had the audacity to return!

Upon realizing that Xiao Hesheli could see her, the ghost became even more aggressive, behaving like a deranged specter hell-bent on dragging her to the grave. This caused Xiao Hesheli to frequently behave erratically, leading the servants to think she had gone mad.

The ghost even nearly choked her to death while she was drinking water.

Knowing that it could occasionally touch her, the ghost lay in wait for any chance to strike. In just two days, Xiao Hesheli was completely worn out.

At night, she was too terrified to close her eyes, leaving her utterly exhausted. The ghost loomed over her, glaring down, waiting to torment her whenever it could touch her, leaving her defenseless.

She couldn't defend herself at all!

The female ghost stared at her unblinkingly, following her closely wherever she went.

Being watched by such a venomous, snake-like gaze, who could possibly close their eyes!

The system assured her that once she entered the palace, the imperial palace would block these evil spirits, and ordinary ghosts would not dare to cause trouble within the palace.

The female ghost had only recently died, which was why she could linger in the palace, but after some time, if she became a fierce ghost, she would definitely be unable to approach her anymore and would be directly blocked outside the palace.

She didn't need to squander her initial points and the newbie gift pack on a mere female ghost; these should be used when meeting Kangxi to ensure she caught his eye at the first opportunity.

Xiao Hesheli was well aware of all this, and she originally thought the same way, so she gritted her teeth and endured, thinking it would be fine once she entered the palace. After all, looking at the female ghost, it was hard to believe she wasn't a fierce ghost!

But this female ghost was relentless in her attempts to kill her. With such a long time before entering the palace, how could she endure? What if she really died?

In just two days, Xiao Hesheli had already faced numerous 'accidents'. Boiling water suddenly spilled, nearly scalding her face had she not dodged quickly!

Although her face wasn't scalded, her hand was, and even after applying ointment, it still hurt.

What was the point of this? To scald her face with hot water so she couldn't enter the palace? Without this system, wouldn't she have fallen prey to this female ghost, only to be tortured by her?!

Why should she continue to endure? The female ghost would probably become even more aggressive. Before the selection, if she continued to rest poorly and remain on high alert, she might not even make it into the palace, worn out.

How could she stand out among the other candidates if she looked haggard?

Even if she could trade for those items in the system, the initial points were nowhere near enough to make her perfect from head to toe!

Now, with the female ghost lurking nearby, who knows what 'accidents' are waiting for her.

What if there's another 'accident' like boiling water splashing on her face?!

This infuriated Xiao Hesheli, who resolved to make the female ghost vanish at any cost!

But limited by her lack of points, she could only manage to drive her away!

However, Xiao Hesheli was deeply vengeful and had already planned to wait until she entered the palace, gain Kangxi's favor through contact, earn more points, and then deal with the female ghost!

At that time, she would surely torture her mercilessly before scattering her soul!

Only then could she quell the rage from all the suffering she had endured!

Initially, when Xiao Hesheli knew she was the sister of Empress Xiaochengren and Kangxi's Consort Ping, she was determined to enter the palace. What was a Consort Ping? The Hesheli family had produced an empress, so why not another empress.

Now, with the system at her disposal, Xiao Hesheli's confidence soared, not worried about competing with the original female lead, Rong Noble Consort.

Yes, there was also the original female lead. Since she had managed to dethrone the original Imperial Noble Consort and rise to become the current Rong Noble Consort, why should she only be a Consort, just a Consort Ping.

The title 'Ping' didn't sound very appealing either!

——

The female ghost, that Junior Concubine, who had been driven away, was seething with resentment but had no choice but to leave, now greatly weakened.

After her paper body was destroyed, she reverted to a state where she could only pass through anything she touched.

The only reason she could occasionally touch Xiao Hesheli was because that woman also had something peculiar about her!

Initially skeptical of the truth of Rong Noble Consort's words, but when Xiao Hesheli clearly had something strange, she became convinced.

While lingering in the Hesheli residence and wandering outside, the Junior Concubine also encountered other ghosts who appeared dazed and invisible to others, mindlessly repeating actions in one spot, as if on the verge of fading away.

In the palace, she had not seen it, which is why the Junior Concubine was frightened by her own condition.

She suspected Rong Noble Consort had tampered with the paper figure or her, compelling her to return to Rong Noble Consort's side, which is why she was freed after being trapped.

But once the paper figure was burned, she reverted to her previous state, and she deliberately did not return immediately, keeping a close watch.

If she did not return, and the paper figure was already destroyed, the only link was broken. What means could Rong Noble Consort use to summon her back? Rong Noble Consort had no good intentions.

Just as the Junior Concubine felt relieved that she was still unharmed as dawn approached, the first beam of sunlight hit her, and the burning pain jolted her awake.

Just being exposed to a little sunlight was already so painful; if she were fully exposed, she would likely be burned to ashes by the sun.

Terrified, she fled as fast as she could to a place where the sunlight couldn't reach.

The sunlight, once so ordinary, now seemed terrifying.

The spot where she had been exposed still bore the burns from the sunlight, and it still ached faintly.

Only when the sun set again and night fell could the Junior Concubine venture outside once more.

The Junior Concubine recalled what Rong Noble Consort had said before she left.

"You ate something you weren't supposed to, and even after death, you still carry the essence of a living soul. The underworld will not guide such a ghost." "After missing the seven-day guiding period, you can no longer enter the cycle of rebirth."

At that time, the Junior Concubine did not fully believe it because she did not trust Rong Noble Consort.

But if Rong Noble Consort's words were true, and she could no longer enter the cycle of rebirth, would she have to linger in the human world in such a pitiful state?

In the future, she would only be able to hide at night, retreating to dark corners before dawn, or else be burned to ashes by the sun.

No one could see her, and she couldn't touch anyone. She would have to remain like this until she dissipated, without even a next life!

Who was responsible for all this?

The Junior Concubine thought about it. Should she blame Rong Noble Consort?

But the one who killed her was... Wulang.

But the item was given by Xiao Hesheli, that strange woman. If it weren't for her...

As if she had found her enemy, she became frantic and clung to Xiao Hesheli.

When she discovered that the woman was not only strange but could also briefly touch her, she wanted to drag her down to pay with her life, but in the end, she was driven away by the woman's strange methods.

Now, as the Junior Concubine wandered outside, she saw the fate of those lonely ghosts and was stunned for a long time before finally understanding why Rong Noble Consort had not forced her to return by tampering with her or the paper figure.

Because even without doing so, she would still return to Rong Noble Consort.

When she wanted to return to the palace to find Rong Noble Consort again, compared to a few days ago, the familiar palace now had an indescribable oppressive feeling, making her very uncomfortable, as if she were being suppressed, and it was somewhat painful.

Perhaps it was because she was so weak at this moment that she felt this way.

When she arrived at Yonghe Palace, because the Emperor was accompanying Rong Noble Consort, she could not get too close and had to wait. Only after the Emperor left could she see Rong Noble Consort.

As she stopped to wait, a cat suddenly rushed out as if to pounce and bite her, startling her for a moment, and she wanted to avoid it.

But then she thought, why should she be afraid now? Afraid of a cat? So she decided not to dodge and let the cat pounce, since it couldn't touch her anyway.

With that thought, the next moment the Junior Concubine was knocked back by the impact.

How could this be?!

She looked in disbelief at the cat that had just shoved her aside, a large cat with only black fur on its head. After landing on the ground, the cat immediately turned around, its eyes fixed on her, and with a meow, it lunged towards her again.

The Junior Concubine was practically chased around by the cat, forcing her to float up to the eaves and stay put, refusing to come down. Even then, the big cat below seemed intent on jumping up to the eaves to continue chasing her.

If it weren't for the palace servants noticing the big cat's persistent attempts to climb up and taking it away, she might not even have been able to stay on the roof!

Kangxi looked at the cat with its slightly dirty white fur, now brought inside, and said, "Rolling around on the ground again, getting all dirty. Concubine, don't pick it up."

He was clearly seizing the opportunity to criticize the cat, acting like a cunning and scheming dog.

So, there's a reason cats dislike dogs.

The cat, having just returned from a big adventure, now wanted to charge over and continue the fight.

Does the human think the cat has no temper just because it doesn't show it?

The cat wriggled out of the servant's arms, landing gracefully on all fours, and meowed softly as it approached the fragrant human.

Its previously rough and loud cries outside instantly turned into soft, sweet meows upon seeing its favorite human.

It circled around her feet, rubbing against them, its tail gently swishing, and with its head held high, it meowed sweetly at Su Yi, begging to be held, not even glancing at Kangxi.

Kangxi couldn't help but sneer, thinking the little cat was two-faced.

Su Yi reached out and patted its head, her eyes smiling, "Good kitty, all tuckered out from playing, aren't you?"

The cat tilted its head, enjoying the pat, looking like a very well-behaved cat, "Meow~"

So tired, meow.