The matter of the fabric was directly suppressed by Xiuning, who was in charge of the relevant palace affairs.

It happened so quietly, without anyone noticing.

Xiu Ning's reaction was timely, giving Consort Ping no chance to retaliate. So by the time Consort Ping received the news, her carefully prepared fabrics were completely useless.

Consort Ping: ...

"Heh, Consort Jing is really unpredictable. This was clearly something that would only benefit her. If handled properly, it could have been an opportunity to get rid of a group of concubines vying for favor. I didn't expect Consort Jing to choose to give it up and calm things down like this," Consort Ping said, lying on her back on the bed with a thin gauze wrapped around her face.

With the light streaming in through the window, one could see the distinct bumps and undulations on Consort Ping's cheeks beneath the gauze, resembling tree bark.

Because she was afraid of being suspected, Consort Ping used the batch of fabric she produced herself. As a result, even if others hated her intensely, they would only be suspicious of Consort Ping as a suspect.

After all, they knew in their hearts that Consort Ping might be using a self-inflicted injury to gain sympathy, but seeing her disfigured skin still made everyone hesitate.

It was too tragic and too terrifying.

Could such a tragic and terrible consequence really have been caused by Consort Ping? It seems unnecessary.

Most people are shallow-minded; they wouldn't sacrifice so much for themselves, so they always look at others with the same eyes. This is one of the reasons why Consort Ping is still able to survive in the harem.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department's batch of fabric cost us most of our connections; almost all of them have been lost."

Now, if we want to take any further action, I'm afraid we'll lack the strength.

The personal maid looked exhausted; it wasn't just Consort Ping who had suffered from the busyness of these past few days.

On the contrary, the most exhausted were the ordinary palace servants like maids.

After all, you have to run around running around and check every detail to make sure there are no mistakes. You're on edge and your mind is tense. When you're immersed in it, you don't react, but when you relax, your bad habits will naturally come back to haunt you.

Consort Ping remained calm. "Don't worry, just tell the people who can help us to continue with the previous plans."

If we can't get the fabric, we still have food; we don't have much time left.

Even if Consort Ping were to leave the game, she would not be satisfied until she had finished what she wanted to do.

But the Emperor wasn't stupid. Consort Ping looked at the bed curtains above her head, thinking that she had to deliver a thunderous blow to those people before the Emperor dealt with her.

Consort Ping no longer wanted to live, and if her mistress wanted to drag everyone down to hell, she would have to ask her servants if they were willing.

The maidservant was naturally unwilling, but she had no choice.

Not only was her own life and fortune in the hands of her master, but her family and friends, who were far away in the palace, also worked and lived on Hesheli's estate.

If a maid wants to fight for her own and her family's lives, she must do as Consort Ping asks. Then, when Consort Ping gets her revenge, she must beg Consort Ping to send her out of the palace or give her a verbal guarantee that her family outside the palace will live, considering how hard she has worked.

The maid glanced at Consort Ping with a hint of hesitation, then nodded silently and softly replied, "Yes."

call

The maid still dared not think about who the "not much time" referred to, or who the word "we" included.

Perhaps, the master is merciful and will leave a way out for the servants of this palace.

...

The harem was in complete chaos these days. Although Xiuning had resolved the issue of the fabric, it was only the first step in extinguishing the fire, and subsequent problems continued to emerge.

They don't seem to affect each other. Food, palace servants, the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Kitchen... Except for the palace affairs under Xiu Ning's management, which don't have many problems, the palace affairs under Tong Jia Rong Yue's management are completely in chaos.

Wave after wave of attacks threatened the entire harem, except for the Qianqing Palace where Emperor Kangxi resided, which was able to escape unscathed.

Xiuning: ...Ha, bullying the weak and fearing the strong!

"Your Majesty, there are too many rumors circulating in the palace lately, and many of them are targeting Qixiang Palace."

Spring rain frowns. Rumors are not scary; what is scary is the clear targeting behind them.

Although the rumors she uncovered had various origins, they all ultimately led to Qixiang Palace.

It's obvious that Qixiang Palace has been targeted by some people again.

"That's normal. The harem is in complete chaos. Most people couldn't stop it, but Qixiang Palace is the only one who stayed out of it. Isn't that just being a loner?"

But despite their unsociable nature, the rumors didn't spread by them themselves.

"Are you thinking that I won't hold it against you?"

Xiuning asked a question in return, but this question was not directed at Chunyu behind her.

With a sigh, Xiu Ning felt that what she had said to the system before was coming true.

With so many people implicated by Consort Ping, it's only natural that Qixiang Palace would be dragged down as well. They might escape it today, but they can't escape it tomorrow.

There are too many people taking advantage of the chaos in the harem. Take the Crown Prince's two missing children, for example. The First Consort's unstable pregnancy was the Crown Prince's revenge.

The difficult time that Yonghe Palace has been going through is also due to Tong Jia Rongyue taking advantage of the situation to do something underhanded.

You see, anyone with a grudge will seize the opportunity to stir up trouble.

Xiu Ning has many enemies, and her two sons are both grown up.

With the Crown Prince's marriage settled, it will soon be Yin Yi's turn.

Previously, the Crown Prince had planned to give a young lady from the Hesheli clan to Yin Yi because Yin Yi was the right age and had a good social standing.

"Chunyu, regarding palace affairs, if there are any involving concubines and imperial heirs, let's put them aside for now."

"My previous strict control put Qixiang Palace in a passive position."

Since that's the case, let's just let it all fall apart.

Anyway, Xiuning wasn't worried about her being schemed against, and she had her own ways of protecting herself.

"Remind the princes Yinyi and Yinlu to be careful."

"At the latest, within half a month, the chaos in the harem will be quelled."

Emperor Kangxi would not give them much time, because he would definitely lead a military expedition next year, so the inner palace needed to be peaceful.

Otherwise, if Emperor Kangxi were leading troops to fight on the front lines while a fire broke out in the rear that could not be extinguished, it would be depleting the Qing Dynasty's fortunes, which would not be beneficial.

Upon hearing this, Chunyu nodded in agreement, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will certainly deliver the message."

Xiuning waved her hand, "Go and get busy. Qixiang Palace will be closed to visitors for the time being. No matter who it is, we will not see them."

Seeing it would only cause trouble for herself, so Xiuning simply decided to leave it to her and see how chaotic the harem could become.

Chunyu gave a curtsy and turned to leave.

The system in my mind couldn't resist popping up again.

"Aren't you afraid that the emperor will be displeased and take away your power in the palace?"

The fact that they were so blatantly abandoning their jobs made their own hosts even more reckless in their actions.

Xiuning shook her head. "What's there to be afraid of? I'm just doing what the Emperor wants. He's already happy, how could he possibly be dissatisfied?"

What a joke! The source of these rumors is untraceable; who else but the Qianqing Palace could be behind this?

Kangxi will lead his army on a campaign next year. With so many noble ladies in the harem, he needs to teach them a lesson and intimidate them.