Consort Tong pleaded with Emperor Kangxi for punishment with great sincerity, taking all the blame upon herself, but Emperor Kangxi did not directly punish her.

In fact, Emperor Kangxi understood that there were many ways to make a difference in the selection of concubines, and Consort Tong could not please everyone.

Kangxi simply said, "You discovered this matter in time, which can be considered as making amends. I will investigate, and if the situation is true, we will discuss other matters."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your mercy."

Consort Tong was not surprised by Kangxi's reaction. If you really think about it, none of the high-ranking concubines in the harem could escape this. Although she was in charge of the selection of concubines, Consort Niohuru and the four other consorts had to assist her.

Furthermore, she was employing a strategy of retreating to advance.

That night, Kangxi did not return home but stayed overnight at Consort Tong's place. The next day, he ordered Liang Jiugong to investigate whether Consort Tong's words were true.

When Liang Jiugong received the information that Kangxi asked him to investigate, he was also a little dumbfounded. This was no small matter. If a prince were to marry a wife who was infertile, it would become a laughing stock of the royal family.

Having realized the seriousness of the matter, Liang Jiugong investigated with utmost care and thoroughness, and also checked the remaining candidates one by one.

When Liang Jiugong finally saw the result, he was somewhat surprised.

Not only is it true that Princess Ulanara the Second is infertile, but there is also another princess who is not a virgin.

This makes the problem even bigger.

Before the final imperial edict was issued, the selected women were, in principle, all candidates for the emperor's harem. Only those chosen by Emperor Kangxi were given to his sons and members of the imperial clan for marriage.

But now there is one who is not a virgin, which is equivalent to putting a green hat on Kangxi's head!

Liang Jiugong didn't want to talk about this at all. If His Majesty was unhappy, even the servants who served him wouldn't get away with it.

But this matter cannot be kept quiet. If His Majesty hears about it through other channels later, he can forget about losing his head.

So Liang Jiugong began to report with trepidation: "Your Majesty, I have found out the matter you asked me to investigate. That Princess Ulanara is indeed infertile. In addition, during the investigation, I also found out another matter: a young lady surnamed Tian is no longer a virgin."

When Kangxi heard that Ulanara was indeed unable to have children, his expression turned somewhat unpleasant. When he heard that there was another candidate who was not a virgin before the end of the selection process, his expression turned completely dark.

"Investigate. I need to know what happened."

They really don't take him seriously at all; this could be considered causing chaos in the palace.

Liang Jiugong could tell from the sound that His Majesty was in a state of rage. He said in a trembling voice, "Yes, this servant will go and investigate immediately."

Liang Jiugong worked incredibly fast under Kangxi's wrath. In just one day, he used all his abilities to investigate and finally figured out the whole story.

Now that things were clear, Liang Jiugong should have been able to breathe a sigh of relief, but in reality, his anxiety only intensified.

Looking at the final findings, Liang Jiugong discovered that this Miss Tian was actually connected to the First Prince.

If this were reported to His Majesty, who knows how furious he would be!

Liang Jiugong was someone who knew Kangxi quite well, and he knew that besides the Crown Prince, the eldest prince was the one he valued most.

As the first son to grow up, even if the affection wasn't as strong as that for the crown prince whom he had personally raised, the eldest prince still held considerable weight in Kangxi's heart compared to the other princes besides the crown prince.

It was precisely because of this considerable weight that Liang Jiugong could foresee how His Majesty would react upon seeing the result.

The son he valued slept with a concubine, which could be considered a cuckoldry on his son. Although strictly speaking, the concubine surnamed Tian was not a member of the harem at this time, Kangxi was the emperor.

Even if Liang Jiugong was unwilling, the result still had to be reported.

Liang Jiugong cautiously said, "Your Majesty, I have found out about the matter concerning that Miss Tian."

Kangxi could tell at a glance that the situation was probably not good; he understood Liang Jiugong's intentions all too well.

"Speak! I'm listening!"

Liang Jiugong: "When that Miss Tian was summoned by Consort Hui, she happened to run into the drunken First Prince. The First Prince mistook her for a palace maid. By the time Consort Hui realized it, it was too late. Now, Consort Hui and the First Prince plan to have Miss Tian keep her nameplate and enter the First Prince's backyard."

Logically speaking, Consort Hui's plan was not wrong. In the previous imperial concubine selection, Emperor Kangxi was generous to his eldest son, bestowing many women upon the eldest prince and the crown prince. Moreover, when bestowing women upon the eldest prince, he also consulted Consort Hui's opinion.

Emperor Kangxi clearly understood Consort Hui's plans and schemes, and it was precisely because he understood that he was even more furious.

What's this? They're just playing with him. He's not senile yet, and they're already trying to fool him. It seems he's been too lenient with them.

The consequences of Kangxi's fury were severe. The next day, the woman surnamed Tian was secretly dealt with. To Kangxi, the existence of this woman was a contempt for his imperial authority.

He was also angry with the eldest prince, but since he was still his son, he left no trace of it. As for punishment, Kangxi felt that even if he did nothing, it would be enough to make the eldest prince and Consort Hui tremble with fear.

Ultimately, they did something they shouldn't have done.

On the other hand, Shuwan was also sent out of the palace by Kangxi.

The purpose of the imperial concubine selection was to fill the harem and to choose consorts and servants for the princes and members of the imperial clan. Naturally, the goal was to ensure the prosperity of the Aisin Gioro descendants.

What's the point of keeping a woman who can't have children?

The changes among the imperial concubines were not drastic, but they were not insignificant either. In particular, these two imperial concubines were favored by two imperial consorts. One was expected to become the fourth prince's wife, and the other was expected to enter the first prince's harem. In the end, one was sent out of the palace, and the other disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

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