This was not due to Xiu Ning's arrogance; she knew the consequences of going against the will of Heaven.

But fortune favors the bold, and Xiuning thought that high risk meant high reward, and how could she do it without paying the price?

Furthermore, she's just adding fuel to the fire; she definitely won't actually do anything. At most, she might lose some points for an unintentional mistake, but it won't cause any real damage.

...

After the funeral of Tong Jia Rongyue, the imperial harem once again held a grand ceremony to bestow titles upon the six palaces.

This time, the emperor's new favorite, Lady Guarjia, was transformed into Consort He.

In addition, Yin Tao's birth mother, Lady Wanliuha, became Consort Ding.

Consort Wang, who bore the emperor two sons, became a concubine without a formal record.

The other concubines who gave birth to princes and princesses all became at least Noble Ladies, and many even became Consorts. It is clear that the Emperor was not stingy this time and was much more generous than when he was young.

With so many more people suddenly joining the harem, some previously unused palaces were put to use.

The palace servants of the Imperial Household Department were constantly running around the inner palace, either repairing palaces one day or sending out lists of palace servants the next. As a result, a lot of the good things stored in the Imperial Household Department were consumed.

Taking this opportunity, Xiuning boldly gave everyone in the harem a chance to develop themselves, while firmly adhering to the bottom line of never displeasing Kangxi. She quickly divided the harem into numerous factions of varying sizes.

The more people the concubines in the harem have at their disposal, the more they will want.

Xiu Ning once again chose to relinquish power, and Consort Yi and Consort De both gained considerable influence.

The three consorts jointly ruled the harem, a system that continued until the forty-fourth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

Emperor Kangxi's health deteriorated over the years, not suddenly, but gradually.

By the time Kangxi realized that something was wrong, it was too late to turn the tide.

Just then, the ministers of the previous dynasty began to get restless and start fussing again.

The remaining princes vied for power, each wanting to seize the throne for their own territory.

Kangxi: ...

If a person is not in good health, their mood is unlikely to be very pleasant.

That's how Emperor Kangxi was. When faced with a target for venting his anger, he would make the best of it, decisively disciplining the person and then crippling another group of people.

Unfortunately, this time, Yinqi, who wasn't really involved, was implicated.

The reason is the aftermath caused by Yinqi's younger brothers, Yintang and Yinsi.

However, Yinzhi had been completely abandoned by Kangxi and was not favored at all. This affected Yinqi as well, and even Consort Yi in the palace was dealt with.

It was only because Consort Yi served Emperor Kangxi for a long time that he developed some affection for her; otherwise, she would have died of illness as well.

Xiuning: ...

I've seen people harm their children, and I've seen people harm their parents, but I've never seen someone help an outsider harm their own family.

Yinqi and Consort Yi's misfortune was entirely due to Yintang's own actions of inviting trouble.

Xiu Ning patted her forehead, unsure of what to say. In any case, the decline and departure of Consort Yi and Yinqi's lineage had made the situation in the previous dynasty even more bizarre.

Tsk, only Yinyi, Yinzhen, and Yintao are left.

Just as Xiuning was preparing to take action against Consort De, Consort De struck first, framing Yin Tao, who was being raised by the Empress Dowager.

Yin Tao's mother, Consort Ding, of the Wanliuha clan, was caught red-handed for having private connections outside the palace and accepting bribes. With no way to defend herself, she was demoted from Consort to Concubine, enjoying the same treatment as Concubine Hui.

The Empress Dowager was furious. She not only summoned Consort Ding to her side and berated her, but also called over Consort Fucha, the wife of Yin Tao, to set rules.

It was also the Empress Dowager's bad luck that Yin Tao's wife, Lady Fucha, had not conceived for so many years. Although other women around Yin Tao had conceived and given birth, none of the children survived. To this day, Lady Fucha still holds sway over Yin Tao's residence.

Empress Fucha has been feeling unwell lately, and she has been even more listless since entering the palace.

This behavior further provoked the already upset Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager's words were rather sharp, showing little consideration for Lady Fucha.

As a result, Lady Fucha suffered a miscarriage after only one month of pregnancy and was left with health problems.

The drama in the harem unfolded one after another, keeping Xiu Ning completely absorbed. By the time she came to her senses, Yin Tao had already been reprimanded by the Emperor, who said that he was too busy with domestic affairs to be fit for a great responsibility.

Well, after hearing the Emperor's veiled insults, the Empress Dowager fell ill from anger.

She was truly ill, without any ambiguity, and her life could be in danger at any moment.

Thus, the concubines in the harem had something important to do and began to go to Shou Kang Palace on time to attend to the sick.

Less than a month had passed since he began attending to the ailing Empress Dowager when she suddenly passed away.

Tsk, this period must be a time of bad luck for the imperial harem, with one period of misfortune after another.

Xiu Ning clicked her tongue, thinking that after the funeral, she would definitely ask the Emperor to invite some monks in to chant sutras and pray for blessings to dispel the bad luck in the palace.

Before Xiuning could find an opportunity to mention this matter to Kangxi, Consort De and her son began to take action against the Qixiang Palace faction.

Consort De and her son have become arrogant.

Logically speaking, Consort De was not as favored as Xiu Ning, and Yin Zhen was not as outstanding as Yin Yi. The mother and son were good at disguising themselves and waiting for the benefits to come their way.

As a result of Yin Tao's affair, the mother and son ended up benefiting from it.

It's cheap, the kind of cheap that you can't get enough of once you've got it.

Both Yinzhen and Consort De were particularly fond of this feeling and couldn't wait to successfully eliminate their only remaining rival, Yinyi.

As a result, naturally, something went wrong.

The incident here refers to an unexpected event that occurred when Consort De and Yinzhen were making their move. Instead of harming Yinyi, they ended up harming themselves.

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