"So, it was Wuya Esen who was stewing something, and forgot to extinguish the fire after he finished, which caused the Imperial Kitchen to catch fire?" Consort Tong went straight to the point. Actually, Consort Tong's plan was to burn down the Imperial Kitchen and the South Third Palace, so that Wuya Esen could be sentenced to death. However, with the persuasion of Granny Tong and the deliberate obstruction of Consort Zhao, only the main room of the Imperial Kitchen was burned down.

"We'll have to ask Steward Wuya to find out." Liang Jiugong didn't dare to follow up on Consort Tong's words, since it was just a guess.

"Call Uya Esen over." Kangxi also wanted to figure things out quickly so he could go back and rest; he was still seething with anger.

Before long, Uya Esen was pulled out of bed by someone because he was disheveled when he came to Kangxi's presence.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, Consort Zhao, and Consort Tong, wishing you a long and peaceful life!"

When Uyasen arrived and saw thick smoke billowing from the imperial kitchen, he had already sobered up. A knot formed in his heart, and he knew that he might die here tonight.

"Were you the last one to leave the imperial kitchen tonight?"

Kangxi looked at Uya Esen kneeling before him, thinking that he was someone who had fought alongside Huang Taiji to conquer the world and was now seventy years old. His anger subsided considerably, though he looked like he was in his fifties. As long as it wasn't his fault, he would let him off the hook.

"I am the last to leave, but I always check before leaving and make sure the fire is extinguished. This has always been my habit."

Although Uyasen didn't know what was going on, he sensed the seriousness of the situation and tried to explain it.

“Even if you were the last to leave and managed to put out the fire, what happened? The fire started from inside. If no one had noticed, it would have burned all the way to the South Third Palace.” Consort Tong stepped forward and pointed to the smoking imperial kitchen.

"This... Your Majesty, I truly did not leave any source of fire!" Uya Esen could only say, on the verge of tears. This matter could be a big deal or a small deal, but the problem was that he was the last to leave and no one could prove it.

"He doesn't even remember it himself. Your Majesty, look at him, he's already so old, yet he's still managing the Imperial Kitchen. It's getting a bit too much for him."

“Sister Tongfei is right. We almost burned down the imperial kitchen. It’s because Uya Esen is too old and his memory is failing,” Consort Zhao chimed in.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, and spare this humble subject this time!" Uya Esen knew he couldn't escape, so he simply admitted defeat.

"Fine, considering you followed the Holy Ancestor in conquering the world, let him resign his post and return home to enjoy his retirement!" With a single sentence, Kangxi sealed Wuya'sen's fate.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life!" Uya Esen kowtowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late. You should go back and rest! You have court tomorrow!" Consort Tong was about to invite Kangxi to the Qiancheng Palace when Consort Zhao spoke first.

"Well, leave the rest to Consort Zhao. Consort Tong, you should go back and rest too!" Kangxi thought that his cousin was in poor health and should not stay up late, so he entrusted the matter to Consort Zhao.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave!"

Consort Tong reluctantly bowed and left. She didn't understand Kangxi's intentions at all! She only knew that her cousin, the Emperor, valued Consort Zhao more than she did.

Uya Esen pondered for a long time, then sighed. Tonight's events had truly caught him off guard, leaving him in such a passive position. It immediately reminded him of palace intrigues; perhaps his granddaughter had offended someone. However, he was fortunate she hadn't lost her life. Looking up at the moon, he saw only desolation and cold around him. Suddenly, snowflakes began to fall. Uya Esen walked towards his dwelling, passing a fishpond ahead, where the snow fell even heavier.

"Is the Eternal Heaven speaking out for me?" Uya Esen reached out and caught the falling snowflakes, their coldness seeming to freeze into one's heart.

With a "thump".

Suddenly, Uya Esen was pushed into the fishpond from behind. Although Uya Esen was startled, he knew how to swim, and it was clear that the person who pushed him knew this. So, they used a long wooden stick to press Uya Esen firmly into the water. Uya Esen was unwilling to die like this and kept thrashing about in the water. Unfortunately, due to his old age and lack of strength, he slowly stopped thrashing and sank into the water. The little eunuch quickly left the scene.

To ensure normal operations tomorrow, Consort Zhao ordered that one wall of the South Third Palace be knocked down to be used as the main kitchen. The kitchens in the other side halls of the Imperial Kitchen could still be used, so only the main room that had been burned down needed to be repaired.

"Your Highness, the matter has been taken care of," a young eunuch reported to Consort Zhao.

"Yes, go and collect your reward!" Consort Zhao looked at the dawning sky; the work in the imperial kitchen was almost finished.

"Thank you, Your Highness." The young eunuch bowed to Consort Zhao and then left.

"Let's go back and rest!"

Consort Zhao glanced at the imperial kitchen, revealed a strange smile, and then walked away.

"My lord, Xiao Dengzi just came back from gathering information that the Imperial Kitchen was burned down last night, and the head chef accidentally fell into the fishpond and drowned."

As soon as Hongxiu received the news, she immediately told Wanyi about it.

"The imperial kitchen was burned down; did the head steward die?"

Wanyi asked in surprise, "This didn't happen in my previous life, but in this life, the imperial kitchen has been burned down. It seems that the advantage of being reborn is gone."

“Yes, Your Highness, I have confirmed that the Imperial Kitchen was indeed burned down.” Hongxiu repeated herself, afraid that Wanyi would not believe her.

"How did the head chef of the imperial kitchen die?" Wanyi asked curiously. Was he executed by Kaixin?

"It is said that the Emperor spared Chief Eunuch Wuya and allowed him to return home to live out his days in peace. However, he accidentally fell into the fishpond on his way back to his quarters, and was discovered by the cleaning eunuch who had just gotten up early."

"What a coincidence, they drowned."

"The head of the Imperial Kitchen, Consort Wuya, Consort Tong!" Wanyi repeated these names.

"Oh, I see." Wanyi suddenly realized, and that made sense.

"What's wrong, my lady?" Hongxiu asked Wanyi, who was muttering to herself, with concern.

"It's nothing, we just roughly know who set the fire." Wanyi pieced together the whole story and knew the answer.

"Who is it?" Hongxiu asked Wanyi curiously.

"Have you investigated? Don't let anyone else get involved." Tong Fei had set up such a big scheme, she was afraid that she would drag a few people down with her.

"Little Deng has already sent people to investigate, but there won't be any news so soon. The young master hasn't said yet who set the fire?"

"Why are you so curious, you little brat! Don't you know that being too curious in this harem can be deadly?" Wanyi lectured Hongxiu directly.

"Yes, my lady, I'm only curious about your affairs. I don't want to know anything else." Hongxiu finished speaking and then grinned at Wanyi, acting like a complete idiot.