Chapter 315

Chapter 315

As for how Lady Nala lost her title, those who needed to know were already aware. Even by leveraging the First Prince, Consort Hui didn’t fare well either, being demoted to Consort Nala. Since their ranks were now lower than hers and they lacked a prince to rely on, none dared to imitate Consort Nala’s behavior—lest they be severely punished.

The Imperial Noble Consort had not accompanied the imperial entourage, so the funeral rites originally fell to the high-ranking consorts. It should have been handled by the Noble Consort, but now the task was delegated to the three consorts. No matter how much Lady Nala wished to avoid it, she had no choice but to grudgingly participate.

Besides, since the Noble Consort was absent due to a foot injury, the Kangxi Emperor was unlikely to reprimand her over this matter. The others certainly wouldn’t step forward now, lest they invite trouble upon themselves.

The Kangxi Emperor decided to prolong their stay at the Mulan Hunting Park, as moving the First Prince while he was still recovering would be difficult. The Forbidden City, however, was already engulfed in turmoil—or rather, it was a disastrous time for the Bondservant clans.

First, Consort De succumbed to a sudden illness, which seemed like an ominous precursor to the misfortunes that befell the Bondservant families.

The Imperial Household Department’s primary function was managing the affairs of the imperial family—everything from clothing, food, lodging, and transportation to daily meals, attire, treasury storage, rituals, construction, estates, livestock, security escorts, and hunting. They even controlled salt administration, customs duties, and tribute collection.

The department was divided into "Seven Offices and Three Courts," with the most important being the Office of the Imperial Treasury, which stored the imperial family’s gold, silver, jewels, furs, porcelain, silks, garments, and tea. The Bondservant clans had long embezzled imperial supplies, even daring to defraud during procurement for the palace.

Most officials in the Imperial Household Department were Bondservants from the Upper Three Banners of the Eight Banners—the Bordered Yellow, Plain Yellow, and Plain White Banners, which were directly commanded by the Emperor. Over time, the Bondservant influence had become deeply entrenched, even forming an alarmingly unified front at times.

Among the current harem consorts, many were of Bondservant origin. Of the original Four Imperial Consorts, aside from Consort Ping, Consort Xian, Consort Yi, and Consort Nala were all from Bondservant families—though Consort Yi’s clan had been promoted to a higher banner due to her brothers’ merits.

Not to mention the late Consort De, Uya, whose family was among the first to face confiscation, receiving no leniency despite her passing.

Though Consort De had long been bedridden, she had at least given birth to the Fourth Prince. Even if he was raised by the Empress Dowager, she still had a prince to rely on in the harem. Her elevation to Consort despite her illness likely held some compensatory intent, and the Uya clan had once held hope.

The fact that Uya had once connected with the Noble Consort, even acting as a surrogate for her, was proof enough that the Uya family earned their confiscation sentence.

The Kangxi Emperor, who had once dismissed the Bondservants as mere servants, was now confronted with an enormous "surprise" after turning his attention to them.

Even in his early years after formally assuming power, though diligent in governance, the national treasury had never been abundant due to frequent disaster relief and refugee resettlement. The Kangxi Emperor himself practiced frugality, avoiding extravagance—yet the Bondservant clans usurped luxuries meant for the Emperor himself.

They even groomed their daughters according to the Emperor’s preferences, sending them into the palace during the imperial consort selection, waiting for the right moment—just like the next Uya. Among the current princes, only the Crown Prince’s mother was of Manchu nobility.

Seeing how, in recent years, no one in the harem could rival the Rong Noble Consort’s dominance, the Bondservant clans began cultivating girls to match her appearance, figure, and habits, waiting to introduce them to divide—or even replace—her influence.

For the Bondservant clans, who handled the imperial household’s daily affairs, obtaining such information was effortless. No flower blooms forever; newer flowers would inevitably replace her.

This enraged the Kangxi Emperor further. If left unchecked, the situation might unfold as in his dream—where, aside from the Crown Prince and the Tenth Prince, nearly all other princes were born to Bondservant women. Many current harem consorts were already of Bondservant descent.

Though the Kangxi Emperor did not wholly believe in the dream, the evidence he uncovered suggested that the quietly entrenched Bondservant clans could indeed become a dire threat—attempting to manipulate the imperial lineage and influence the next Emperor’s selection.

This clearly crossed the limits of the Kangxi Emperor’s tolerance. Suppressing his fury for the moment, he knew an Emperor’s wrath, once unleashed, would demand blood to be quelled.

Suo'etu, who had long been sidelined to recuperate at his residence, was reinstated. Together with Prince Yu Fuquan, they raided the Bondservant mansions, confiscating wealth equivalent to three national treasuries. The execution platform was never free of gore—viscous, layered stains before the previous could dry, the stench of blood lingering streets away.

The families of harem consorts were not spared. Though not all faced the full measure of punishment, most were either left ruined or financially gutted. Those who had relied on their consort daughters to commit atrocities were made examples—either the entire clan suffered, or select members were singled out.

After all, if the Kangxi Emperor executed them all, few would remain. Given their interwoven relations, it was more practical to cull the most corrupt offenders to replenish the treasury—and his imperial privy purse.

He had once dismissed these servants as insignificant, never imagining their greed could run so deep. Though the treasury had grown through new revenue streams, expenditures were high—nothing was quicker than immediate confiscation.

As for the rest, they could be left to expand covertly again for future harvests. The Kangxi Emperor considered himself merciful for not exterminating them all at once.

It was simply their misfortune—they had sought to grow in secret, biding their time to accumulate power.

If these bondservant families were allowed to continue lurking in the shadows, by the later years of Kangxi's reign when the aging Emperor, in pursuit of "benevolence," had softened his methods and grown averse to bloodshed—not to mention acting as a credulous benefactor by opening the imperial treasury to lend money to his ministers—such diminished faculties would have left the enfeebled monarch powerless to suppress them as firmly as before.

Unfortunately for them, they faced a Kangxi at the peak of his strength, his methods long shed of the inexperience of his youth. At this moment of unyielding resolve, how could he tolerate being mocked by the very bondservants he once dismissed, let alone allow their delusions of usurping the throne?

Though Kangxi was at the Mulan hunting grounds, his orders issued relentlessly one after another. The imperial consorts in his retinue remained entirely unaware of their families' misfortunes, while back in the Forbidden City, even those desperate to plead for mercy found no opportunity for audience.

Clearing out one faction necessitated replacing them with another. Kangxi was an adept at maintaining equilibrium—just as he had once used the "Emperor's own" bondservants from the Upper Three Banners to check the Manchu nobility, he now employed the previously distrusted and weakened Lower Five Banners to counterbalance the Upper Three.

The Lower Five Banners, having learned their lesson, would demonstrate their loyalty. Yet, no matter how fervently they strove, Kangxi would not trust them in the slightest.

Mingzhu, as the chief minister of the Imperial Household Department, could not avoid being implicated and suffered heavy blows. Suo'etu, long in constant rivalry with Mingzhu and finally emerging from political disgrace, would not let this opportunity to regain favor slip by.

Kangxi's timing in reinstating Suo'etu was deliberate—externally, it could be framed as a reward for Consort Ping's family, since she herself could no longer enjoy the honor, while also serving as a check on Mingzhu's influence.

Since Suo'etu's dismissal and confinement to his residence, Mingzhu had grown increasingly overbearing, extending his influence beyond proper bounds. It was time to rein him in.

Next came the wholesale demotion of imperial consorts—women of bondservant origin were no longer permitted to hold the rank of concubine.

This was no minor purge; it affected numerous positions simultaneously.

Apart from Consort Yi, whose family had been elevated out of bondservant status, Consort Xian and the newly stripped Nala Consort were demoted two ranks at once, reduced to the status of noble ladies.

The hard-won consort ranks achieved after the collective promotions of Kangxi's 20th year were now abruptly rolled back to their earlier noble lady status.

The other consorts fared no better—several of the seven concubine ranks were suddenly vacated, leaving only one of the original Four Imperial Consorts remaining. Even Consort Yi, spared from demotion, could not suppress her trembling fear, let alone the privileged Nala Shi and Consort Xian, who had painstakingly climbed to consort rank only to faint from shock upon receiving the decree.

Even those who had long struggled below concubine rank despaired—this was an insurmountable barrier against bondservant women's advancement.

Moreover, only those of concubine rank or higher were permitted to raise imperial heirs.

This meant that even if they bore princes in the future, they would be denied the right to raise them.

For Nala Shi, having her title stripped without demotion had already been unbearable—only now did she realize how trivial that punishment had been compared to being demoted two ranks back to Noble Lady Hui.

Now reduced to Noble Lady Hui once more, the privileged Nala Shi, accustomed to the privileges of consort rank, took to her bed with illness under the relentless blows.

Noble Lady Xian fared no better, weeping as she clung to the Third Prince, begging him to seek an audience with the Emperor—but all such requests were uniformly rejected.

The imperial decree was final, with no room for appeal.

The lingering traces of bloodshed still hung in the Forbidden City. No one dared defy the Emperor now—who would test the sharpness of the executioner's blade with their own neck?

After all, who could have imagined the bondservant families' greed would surpass even the imperial treasury? And who would dare step forward at this critical juncture, unless they wished to join their clans in the extermination of nine generations of kin?

The Grand Prince had been unaware until someone secretly relayed the news to him. Upon hearing it, he tried to drag his injured leg to see his mother, but the palace servants, under strict orders, would not permit it.

Frustrated and blocked at every turn, the Grand Prince grew increasingly agitated. His leg, still unsteady, split open from the strain, bleeding anew. His furious struggles proved futile against the unyielding servants, whose panicked apologies only exacerbated his irritation.

The commotion grew loud enough that a servant reported it to Rong Noble Consort. With the Grand Prince recuperating under her care by the Emperor's order, his insistence on leaving despite his injuries required her intervention.

Upon hearing the news, Su Yi paused, then remarked, “I know you're anxious, but hold on a moment.”

But Su Yi was not one to abandon them without recourse. She promptly dispatched a servant to inform Kangxi—let him attend to his own son.