Kangxi's face, which had been calm, immediately tensed up after hearing Ji Changming's words.

"You say the severe drought in North China is related to these two auspicious stars?" Kangxi remained silent for a long time, while Ji Changming's heart pounded. He knew that his words sounded somewhat absurd, but as the head of the Imperial Observatory, wasn't he in charge of the connection between celestial constellations and the fate of the imperial family?

"Yes, Your Majesty, I believe that this severe drought is a harbinger of the conflict between the stars Wen and Wu!" Ji Changming said.

Kangxi's eyebrows twitched, his eyes filled with doubt. After a long while, he stared at Ji Changming for a long time before finally asking, "Are these two stars predicting someone?"

Ji Changming tightened his grip on his official robes and bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty, I have long observed these two constellations and have discovered that they foreshadow the Qing Dynasty's imperial family. These auspicious stars, Wenwuqu and Qu, should be among the descendants of the Aisin Gioro clan."

"Oh, you mean it's in the inner palace?" Kangxi said. "But none of the concubines are pregnant these days!"

"Your Majesty," Ji Changming said, "While I said they are in the royal family, they may not necessarily be in the inner palace. It could be in the inner palaces of Your Majesty's adult princes, or in the inner palaces of the imperial clan. Your Majesty, these two are natural enemies. If they were together, they would turn the Qing Dynasty upside down, and there is even a danger of its destruction!"

Kangxi's heart skipped a beat, and he stared at Ji Changming in disbelief, saying, "What did you say? You mean these two people will decide the fate of my Great Qing?"

Ji Changming said, "Because both the civil and military stars are within the imperial family, as descendants of the Aisin Gioro clan, their fate has been closely intertwined with that of the Qing Dynasty since birth."

Kangxi said, "Are you saying that these two people are very likely to be the successors to the throne?"

Upon hearing Kangxi's tone, Ji Changming knew he had touched a nerve with the emperor. He immediately knelt down and said, "This humble subject deserves to die. As Your Majesty's subject, I have no choice but to speak the truth. If we do not properly control these two auspicious stars, the future of our Great Qing will be shrouded in chaos."

"Minister Ji, I entrust you with the task of calculating for me which of those two stars will be associated with me. This matter is a secret known only to you, me, heaven, and earth; no fifth person can know it. Your words are enough to stir up the entire imperial clan. If anyone were to discover the existence of these two stars, my Great Qing Dynasty would likely descend into chaos once more. Therefore, Minister Ji, I beg you to find those two stars for me. And absolutely, you must not reveal this to anyone else. You are only responsible to me, and I am the only one who can command you. Do you understand?" Kangxi said coldly, his imperial authority evident in his words.

"Your Majesty's decree will be obeyed. Your Majesty will certainly find the person corresponding to these two constellations. Please rest assured, Your Majesty," Ji Changming said.

"Yes, this matter must not be known to anyone else. You may leave!" Kangxi said with a sigh of relief.

"Your humble servant takes his leave!" Ji Changming bowed and then withdrew.

At this moment, Kangxi had no desire to have sex with Consort Shu anymore. He sat alone for a while before saying to Liang Jiugong, "Send Consort Shu back to Tingyuxuan."

Meanwhile, after reporting to Emperor Kangxi, Ji Changming felt a great sense of relief. He had long ago foreseen this calamity for the Qing Dynasty, but hadn't yet seen the corresponding constellation appear. Today, after his two disciples discovered the strange Wenwu Qu star, he immediately reconciled it with his own calculations.

Judging from Kangxi's attitude, he didn't want anyone to know. Of course, it was impossible for others to know about this. If the two celestial beings he had divined fell into the hands of another member of the imperial clan, that would absolutely not be allowed.

Ji Changming walked back to the Imperial Observatory, where his two disciples were waiting for him. Upon seeing their master return, they immediately went to greet him.

"Master, what was the Emperor's conclusion about you?" Dongfang Bufan couldn't help but ask.

"Master, did His Majesty say who the Wenwu Quxing (a star associated with literature and martial arts) is dealing with?" Jin Shikang asked.

"You two, just forget about this now, as if it was never mentioned. Do you understand?" Ji Changming said, "I didn't mention you to the Emperor, so as long as you don't say anything, no one will know about you."

Ji Changming knew that possessing such a secret about Emperor Kangxi meant his life and fortune were in grave danger. He was determined to find the two people who could deal with the Emperor, or his life would be in grave peril.

"Master, what's wrong?" Dongfang Bufan sensed something was amiss in Ji Changming's words and asked.

"Don't ask anymore. Your master would never harm you. Remember, you must not tell anyone, absolutely not!" Ji Changming instructed.

Seeing how serious Ji Changming was, the two could only nod, indicating that they would not tell anyone.

“You must swear an oath; if you do, you will be struck by lightning!” Ji Changming said.

Dongfang Bufan and Jin Shikang exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

"Master, what's wrong? Why are we being made to swear an oath?" Jin Shikang asked. He was always calm and collected, and was highly regarded by Ji Changming.

“There’s no need to ask anymore. The more you know, the more disadvantageous it will be for you. Listen to your master, from now on, you will know nothing and ask nothing. Now, help your master calculate the directions of those two constellations,” Ji Changming said.

They returned to Ji Changming's room and spent the whole night calculating, but they still couldn't figure out where the person who was supposed to respond was!

Meanwhile, Emperor Kangxi was already seated in his palanquin. He was heading towards Yonghe Palace. Whenever he encountered something he couldn't process, Kangxi habitually sought help from Consort De.

"Your Majesty, it's been quite a while since you visited Consort De at Yonghe Palace," Liang Jiugong said, walking alongside the palanquin.

"Is that so? I haven't come this late?" Kangxi asked.

“His Majesty has been busy with state affairs,” Liang Jiugong said.

Indeed, Emperor Kangxi neglected his older concubines. Whenever he needed them, he mostly chose young and beautiful ones.

When Emperor Kangxi appeared at the gate of Yonghe Palace, the young palace maids guarding the gate were so surprised that they were speechless and could only run inside to report.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you! May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" Consort De hurriedly came out of the palace, reached the door, and bowed. Although it was the middle of the night, Kangxi was the emperor, and lanterns could be lit for his arrival anytime, anywhere.

"Rise!" Kangxi walked to Consort De's side, grabbed her hands, and pulled her inside, saying, "Let's go in, I'm a little hungry."

Consort De gave a wink to Granny De, whose small kitchen was usually used to prepare the Emperor's late-night snacks. In the past, when the Emperor frequently visited, Consort De probably prepared more than a dozen different kinds of snacks.