Chapter 221 Kangxi: I'm about to explode!

Jiang Nan found it amusing to see Kangxi so eager to change the subject.

She thought to herself, "Don't worry, this even more frustrating meal is coming to you soon."

She slowly picked up the teacup, gently stirred the foam with the lid, and then opened it.

"Your Majesty, do you still remember how you promoted Lady Wuya back then? If I remember correctly, it seems that you went to Chengqian Palace once and happened to see Lady Wuya kneeling as punishment, crying her eyes out. In addition, I reminded you before that I was afraid that Lady Wuya might harbor resentment towards her cousin Tongjia and cause trouble. You felt sorry for her and promoted her accordingly?"

When Jiang Nan mentioned it, Emperor Kangxi immediately remembered that such a thing had indeed happened, and nodded.

"That's true. What's the problem?"

He remembered clearly that Wuya's weak, helpless, and desperate appearance at the time had indeed aroused his pity.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan put down her teacup and looked at Kangxi with an expression as if he were a fool.

"Problems? Huge problems!"

Jiang Nan spoke in an exaggerated tone, with undisguised sarcasm.

"Your Majesty, what if I told you that the self-inflicted injury you witnessed that day was a whole drama orchestrated by Lady Uya? The kneeling punishment was entirely fabricated; it was something Lady Uya had arranged long ago, deliberately staged for your benefit. As for your cousin Tongjia, she wasn't made to kneel for three hours every day at all! Your poor cousin Tongjia! Yet she's been unfairly burdened with such a capricious and cruel accusation!"

"absurd!"

Kangxi's face instantly turned bright red, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and he suddenly raised his voice.

"How could this be! How dare the Uya clan deceive the emperor like this?"

Seeing Kangxi's embarrassed and annoyed expression, Jiang Nan could hardly contain her laughter.

She tried to maintain a serious expression, but her eyes gleamed with excitement at the spectacle.

"Whether it's true or false, why don't you call your cousin Tongjia over and ask her face to face? You'll find out immediately. Don't you know my temper? If I really dislike that Wuya clan and want to deal with her, there are plenty of ways. Why resort to such backstabbing tactics to sow discord among her?"

She leaned forward slightly, staring into Kangxi's eyes, and pierced his heart with every word.

"Your Majesty, look at this! You've been made a fool of by Uya and you're still completely unaware of it. What's most disheartening is that you probably still think your dear cousin is willful, capricious, and mistreats the servants, right? Forgive me for speaking frankly, but you're really wrong this time. You've wronged Tongjia so badly!"

Emperor Kangxi was so provoked by Jiang Nan's words about being treated like a fool and the way she looked at him that the veins on his forehead throbbed.

The emperor's dignity was shattered, and he roared in anger.

"How dare you!"

Jiang Nan readily nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes, yes, I also think she's incredibly audacious. To climb the social ladder, she dares to manipulate you, the Emperor, so easily. Perhaps..."

She deliberately dragged out her words, then threw out an even harsher suggestion.

"Why don't you just throw Wuya into the cold palace and get it over with? As the mistress of the harem, I also want to help you vent your anger when I encounter such a treacherous scoundrel."

Emperor Kangxi was so angry at Nan Nan's well-intentioned suggestion that his chest heaved violently, and he glared at Jiang Nan.

Banished to the cold palace? Under normal circumstances, for the crime of deceiving the emperor, it wouldn't be too much to cut off Wuya's head!

But unfortunately... Lady Wuya is now pregnant with a dragon's child!

He was just moments ago gloating, thinking it was an auspicious omen for the Qing Dynasty.

The breath caught in his throat, neither rising nor falling, making him feel like he was about to explode, and in the end, he could only fall into silence.

He sat there, his face ashen, without uttering a word.

Jiang Nan was secretly delighted to see his extremely frustrated and helpless expression.

He pretended to suddenly realize something and gently patted his forehead.

"Oh dear, how could I forget this? My sister Wuya is carrying your imperial offspring, she is very precious. What if something happens to her, and she is harmed or the royal heir is lost? You see, I was only thinking about avenging you, how could I not have thought of this? I am truly sorry."

Kangxi looked at her expression, which was clearly enjoying the show but pretending to be annoyed.

What's not clear yet? Nan Nan brought this up just to amuse him.

It seems that too much peace in the harem is not good. Nan Nan has lost her fun, so she has set her sights on him, the emperor.

He clenched his teeth and forced out a sentence.

"Nannan... do you feel especially happy seeing me get the short end of the stick?"

Jiang Nan nodded firmly without hesitation, her face beaming with a bright smile.

"Happy, of course I'm happy! Your Majesty, you don't know how rare it is to see you make a fool of yourself. You are usually so wise and powerful, your majesty growing stronger every day. Today, I've finally gotten my chance. I must thank Lady Wuya for her audacity in providing me with such a good show."

Emperor Kangxi was so angry at her blunt words that he felt dizzy and stopped acting. He pointed at her and finally managed to utter a sentence after a long while.

"You...you are utterly despicable...what kind of empress are you!"

Jiang Nan ignored him and continued to add fuel to the fire, her tone still carrying a hint of mockery.

"Your Majesty, have you come to your senses now? This Lady Wuya is quite clever and cunning. Even with the momentous occasion of her pregnancy with the Emperor's child, she meticulously arranged for a crane to deliver the child, making you feel that her pregnancy was extraordinary, so that you would pay special attention to her."

She paused meaningfully, then posed the most crucial question.

"This woman is pregnant. Her pulse is clear, and she can feel it in her body. Does she really not know anything? Yet she insists on waiting until she serves the emperor to reveal it through a strange dream... Your Majesty, just think about it. If all the concubines in the harem follow this example, and every time someone is pregnant with the emperor's child, they hide it from you first and then come to you with an auspicious story, then the auspicious children born in the palace will probably be numerous!"

Jiang Nan's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Kangxi's head, completely extinguishing the last bit of enthusiasm that Kangxi had felt because of the auspicious omens.

All that remained was the shame and indignation of being fooled and the emperor's fury at being provoked.

He clenched his fists tightly, his face so dark it seemed to drip water, and after a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth.

"Enough! I...I want some peace and quiet!"

After saying that, he suddenly stood up and left as if fleeing, not even bothering to eat his dinner.

Inside the Kunning Palace's sleeping quarters, only Jiang Nan remained.

Watching Kangxi's hurried departure, he finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.

——————————

After leaving Kunning Palace, Emperor Kangxi felt as if a fire was burning in his chest, causing pain to his internal organs.

He wanted to rush to Yonghe Palace immediately, grab Wuya's collar and question her, asking how she dared to deceive the emperor like this!

But after taking only a few steps, he abruptly stopped.

Does he really want to openly tell everyone that he, the supreme ruler, has been completely fooled by a mere eunuch using clumsy tricks?

Should we really banish Uya, who is pregnant with the dragon's offspring, to the cold palace because of this?

He could only swallow his anger, his temples throbbing with rage.

"Liang Jiugong!"

Kangxi turned around abruptly, his face grim.

"Prepare the carriage for Chengqian Palace!"

"Yes, sir!"

Liang Jiugong's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed and replied, not daring to ask a single unnecessary question.

He heard it clearly outside the palace; the Empress was rubbing the Emperor's face in the ground.

To run into bad luck at this time is practically suicide.

He could only lament in his heart.

Your Majesty, if you're just looking for fun, why make the Emperor so angry? What if he gets seriously injured...?

But then he thought again, and realized that the source of this information seemed to be one of his own men who had inadvertently leaked it to Kunning Palace…

Liang Jiugong immediately shrank back and dared not utter a sound.

At Chengqian Palace, Lady Tongjia, having heard that the Emperor was about to arrive, had already prepared herself and was waiting outside the palace.

But Kangxi had a sullen face and didn't even glance at her, walking straight past her into his bedchamber.

Tongjia's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Liang Jiugong for help.

Liang Jiugong shook his head almost imperceptibly, signaling her to be careful.

Tongjia followed nervously into the bedchamber, only to find Kangxi already seated in the main seat, his face still grim.

She was about to bow when Kangxi waved his hand, his voice hoarse and filled with suppressed anger.

"Cousin, sit down. This is none of your business. I've come to ask you a question, and you must answer me truthfully without uttering a single lie."

Tongjia hurriedly stood up and said.

"Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you."

"Sit down and talk."

Kangxi tried to calm his turbulent emotions and kept his eyes fixed on Lady Tongjia.

"I ask you, when you first entered the palace, after you whipped that Wuya clanswoman, did you also punish her by making her kneel in the side hall for three hours every day?"