"Regarding the murder of Zhishu, the palace maid serving my beloved consort, for the sake of peace and tranquility in the harem, I had no choice but to take the matter seriously and then gently let it go. My beloved consort will not blame me, will she?"

After speaking, Kangxi turned his head and looked intently at Xu Lejin in the darkness of the night.

Xu Lejin served him briefly, pondered for a moment, sighed softly, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty is wise and mighty. I dare not blame Your Majesty for the murder of Zhishu, but..."

After hesitating for a moment, Xu Lejin spoke softly, "This concubine originally thought that since Zhishu has always served me with utmost care, I would ask the Emperor for a favor on her behalf in a year or two."

"What does my beloved concubine mean?"

Kangxi looked puzzled, thinking to himself, "Doesn't Xu Muer know that Zhishu's master is someone else? What does Xu Muer mean by asking for a favor for Zhishu?"

What's the real purpose of this?

Xu Lejin glanced timidly at Kangxi and murmured softly.

"Your Majesty, my uncle works at the Imperial Stables. My second cousin, now twenty-three, lost his wife three years ago, leaving behind a daughter. For the past three years, he has been raising his niece alone, acting as both father and mother. This humble servant…"

"I thought that Zhishu was gentle and steady in her actions, and I even thought of asking the Emperor to grant Zhishu a favor and allow her to leave the palace to marry. I never expected that Zhishu was so unlucky and was actually murdered."

Emperor Kangxi's expression was solemn, and his suspicious gaze fell on Xu Lejin.

After a long while, Kangxi laughed loudly and said, "Besides Zhishu, there are two other palace maids by my beloved concubine's side. I think Ruhua is quite good. At fifteen or sixteen years old, she is in the prime of her youth."

“My beloved concubine’s cousin is going to remarry, and Ruhua is just the right age.”