Emperor Kangxi's imperial entourage arrived in Beijing in the middle of the night. The entire city was still asleep.

The Fourth Prince and his entourage received the news and waited in the palace with some officials. Kangxi forbade anyone to bring troops to greet them.

"Fourth Prince, I have something I wish to say to you. May I speak with you in private?" Wu Ge, a retired official, was also waiting in the palace at this moment.

Fourth Master had no choice but to walk out of the house with him and head towards the courtyard of the South Fifth Residence.

In the inner palace, Consort De was not asleep; she was sitting in her warm chamber drinking tea.

"Your Majesty, a palace maid from the Crown Princess's side is outside requesting an audience with you," the palace maid Su Xin reported as she entered.

Consort De learned of Emperor Kangxi's whereabouts from the Fourth Prince. Naturally, no movement in the harem could escape her notice, and news of what happened in the Crown Prince's palace quickly spread throughout the harem.

Consort De was pondering when, at that moment, Granny De said, "It might not be good to see the Crown Princess's people at this time."

"There are many who kick someone when they're down, but few who offer help when they're in trouble! Let her in. The Crown Princess has always had dealings with us," said Consort De.

Granny De nodded to Suxin, signaling her to let someone in.

A short while later, a palace maid dressed in light pink palace makeup followed Su Xin into the warm pavilion of the main hall of Yonghe Palace.

"This servant greets Consort De. May Your Highness be well!" Jinxuan, the Crown Princess's personal maid, greeted Consort De.

"How is your master?" Consort De knew that the Crown Prince's palace had been sealed off by her son.

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty is well. It's just that the Third Princess is not feeling well. So Her Majesty sent me out to ask Consort De if she could request the Imperial Physician to take a look," Jinxuan said.

"Amitabha! Jia Rou is ill? Alas!" Consort De murmured.

“Yes, starting this morning, the princess suddenly lost her appetite and then began vomiting. Your Highness was terrified, but we can’t move around freely right now. I begged the gatekeeper for half a day, saying I was going to Consort De’s place, before he let me out. I beg Your Highness to have mercy and send a royal physician to see the Third Princess.” Jinxuan bowed again and said.

“It’s truly pitiful; the little one is only five years old. Suxin, take Jinxuan downstairs for some hot tea; it’s freezing cold here,” Granny De suddenly interjected.

Consort De understood her meaning, so she said to Jinxuan, "Alright, you go and rest with Suxin for a while, and I'll think about who to go see."

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness!" Seeing that Consort De had agreed, Jinxuan happily curtsied and took her leave.

After Jinxuan followed Suxin away, Granny De spoke up, "Your Highness! Now that the Crown Prince is under control, who knows how the Emperor will treat him? If you interfere now, someone might add fuel to the fire before the Emperor! Currently, the Fourth Prince is temporarily acting as regent, and it was he who sealed off Minqing Palace by imperial decree. It's best if you don't interfere; at most, you can send some medicine in. If you really alarm the imperial physicians, then you won't be able to hide it from others!"

Consort De was holding the Bodhi seed bracelet that the Fourteenth Prince had given her, which was covered with the character for longevity.

“Jiarou is the Emperor’s own granddaughter! Do you think the Emperor would blame me for summoning the imperial physician for her? It’s precisely because we don’t yet know the Emperor’s true attitude towards the Crown Prince that we must not do anything that would be like favoring the emperor over the emperor! Granny, don’t hesitate. Go yourself and invite Imperial Physician Fan to examine Jiarou. Take my imperial edict with you and go quickly!”

Tonight, not only is Consort De still awake, but the other women in the palace are also awake, such as Zheng Chunhua in Shufangzhai. She naturally knows about the sealing of the Crown Prince's palace, but she is unaware of the Crown Prince's current situation.

“My lord, you should rest! Even if the Crown Prince and the Emperor return today, you will not be able to see them!” Mo Yun said.

Zheng Chunhua looked dejected and shook her head, saying, "I was just worried. I'm relieved to know he's safe and sound."

Mo Yun poured Zheng Chunhua another cup of warm tea and stirred the silver charcoal in the brazier.

There was another person who was also awake, and that was Consort Yi, the mistress of Yikun Palace.

"My little Jiu is coming back! Thank goodness! He's finally coming back!" Consort Yi leaned against the bed, already asleep, but unable to fall asleep. Although Emperor Kangxi would still come to her palace to stay overnight, they basically only slept together. Without her husband's favor, a woman's thoughts were mostly focused on her son!

"Your Majesty, news has come from the Imperial Hospital that people from Yonghe Palace have gone there. They say they were summoned by the Crown Prince's Palace," said the palace maid Chunhua.

"I thought she was sick! To summon the imperial physician for the Crown Prince's people at this time? My dear sister is truly extraordinary!" Consort Yi said sarcastically. "She always likes to do things that please the Emperor."

"Your Majesty, the Emperor is returning to the palace tonight. Please get some more sleep. I'll wake you up when he does," Chunhua said.

"I can't sleep. Even though I might not see him, I keep thinking about him. Go to the kitchen and make some bird's nest soup; His Majesty loves that." Consort Yi yawned.

"Yes, Your Highness is always concerned about the Emperor's health. Unlike those minor concubines, who only think about how to dress themselves up to 'bewitch the Emperor,'" Chunhua said with a smile.

"What did you see outside?" Consort Yi asked upon seeing this.

"This servant saw Consort Ying and Consort Li making a ruckus in their own room!" Chunhua said mockingly to the outside.

"Hmph, two idiots with no sense of strategy! How could I have ever let them move in? They're really useless!" Consort Yi said disdainfully.

"That's right. Her Majesty originally let them move in so that they could attract more of the Emperor's attention and come to our Yikun Palace more often. Who knew that these two Chunhuas would say..."

"This person is simply wasting the Empress's good intentions."

"Consort Li used to enjoy some favor, but her womb was always uncooperative; she couldn't give birth even when she was pregnant. The Emperor only promoted her because he thought she might not ruin her health. Alas, in the end, I'm afraid the Emperor will blame me for not letting Consort Li give birth safely!" Consort Yi said.

“It’s her own bad luck, how can you blame Your Highness! Just looking at her with her pointed mouth and monkey-like face, I feel she’s unlucky!” Chunhua quickly comforted Guo Luoluo.

"Consort Ying comes from a good family and the Emperor also favors her, but this girl is straightforward and often throws tantrums like a spoiled young lady. She really doesn't know what's going on!" Consort Yi complained again.

“That’s all Ying Guiren is good for. They have all sorts of problems, and they all have to rely on Your Majesty!” Chunhua said.

"Alas, I am nearly forty years old, and I am no longer in my prime. The Emperor only remembers me because of the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince. Therefore, for women in the palace, offspring are the most important thing!" Consort Yi sighed.