For example, Yongshou Palace was completely sealed off.

For example, it was rumored that, apart from Consort An and Consort Jing, several other concubines who originally resided there had also been moved elsewhere. They were completely bewildered and knew nothing about it, so the concubines who inquired left disappointed.

For example, Consort Tong's pregnancy was unstable, requiring her to rest for several months. The imperial physicians even suggested that it would be best to keep her healthy until she gave birth. The Emperor and Empress were extremely worried and issued a special decree ordering Consort Tong's birth mother, Empress Hesheli, to enter the palace to accompany her.

For example, Consort Xi and Consort Duan were terrified.

While the two doted on Consort Dai and Consort Wei, they also surrounded their palaces so tightly that they were afraid of making any mistakes. Apart from the morning and evening greetings, the two were almost never seen.

All things considered.

The palace was incredibly peaceful and quiet during this period; even in the Imperial Garden, it was rare to see any concubines. Consort Xuan, not wanting to disturb the extremely busy Empress, could only…

"So you had no choice but to bother me?"

Wan Anran sighed: "The past two years have been tough. I hope next year will be peaceful and stable."

This seems a bit difficult.

First, neither Consort An nor Consort Jing appeared until the New Year. It was as if their existence had been erased from the harem, and no one knew what had happened. Apart from vaguely understanding that it was related to pregnancy, no one could explain the reason.

Shortly after the New Year, Consort Tong began her journey.

Then, Chengqian Palace was also sealed off—this news caused an uproar.

This is the third one!

Could it be that something happened to the child again? The rumors in the palace are impossible to suppress, and even the previous court is seeing a lot of gossip.

In this time of widespread anxiety and turmoil, Emperor Kangxi swept into the Chuxiu Palace like a cold wind. His face was so gloomy that everyone in the palace was terrified, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.

Wan Anran stepped forward to greet them.

Without Liang Jiugong needing to signal her, she instantly understood that the Emperor had come to her place to drown his sorrows.

She curtsied and then silently followed the emperor into the room, gesturing to the palace maids to bring the wine—the strongest kind.

Emperor Kangxi was deeply depressed.

Hai Tao brought out strong liquor, and I was a little apprehensive when she presented it to me.

Wan Anran slowly filled the emperor's cup.

Kangxi remained silent, picked up his wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp. One poured as much as the other drank, and as the jar of wine neared empty, Liang Jiugong's eyes practically popped out of their sockets.

No matter which palace or concubine you go to, they all advise you against it.

But when they arrived at Chuxiu Palace, Consort Qi not only didn't try to dissuade the Emperor, but instead kept drinking cup after cup in an attempt to get him drunk. Liang Jiugong was so anxious that he jumped up and down, his eyes flashing like knives as he glared at Consort Qi.

Wan Anran didn't pay attention.

Since the Emperor wanted to drown his sorrows in alcohol, she should naturally grant his wish and let him have a good drink. Therefore, she did not try to persuade him otherwise, and even sat down opposite Kangxi, drinking cup after cup with him.

Liang Jiugong was terrified.

He stepped forward: "Your Majesty—"

Before Liang Jiugong could continue, Kangxi, whose face flushed slightly, gave him a cold glance and uttered two words: "Step back."

His eyes were clear and his voice was calm.

It was as if all the wine he had just drunk had no effect on Kangxi at all.

Liang Jiugong's breath hitched.

He lowered his head and composed himself, quickly leading all the palace servants away.

Only Kangxi and Wan Anran remained in the hall.

Emperor Kangxi, having given up his ambitions, even felt it wasn't enough and ordered Consort Qi to change the cups and saucers to large bowls.

Wan Anran has a decent alcohol tolerance, but it's not exceptional.

As they exchanged cups, she became half-drunk, propping her face up as she listened to Kangxi's rambling.

Emperor Kangxi was displeased.

So many things have happened in the past two years, and most of the most frustrating things have happened in his backyard.

Wan Anran overheard a bit of gossip.

She was initially a little drunk, but by the end she was wide awake. The biggest gossip, of course, was about Consort An and Consort Jing. Consort An had her family obtain the medicine, unaware of the fierce infighting among the wives and concubines in her household, and also unaware that the concubine who was to send the prescription to the palace had secretly altered it, resulting in the loss of two children!

Miao agreed without saying anything.

After learning about this, Consort An actually considered abortion herself? And she even wanted to shift the blame to Consort Jing? Consort Jing knew that Consort An's prescription came from outside the palace, but she didn't report it? Was she thinking of being the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?

Originally, Consort Jing would not have been punished, but in order to test the authenticity of the prescription, she even had her family find someone to use the prescription to conceive and give birth...

Many people sought children.

The military commander Hua Shan and his family quickly found a group of women who were eager to have children.

Several of these women have already given birth to children.

Although many normal and healthy children were born, three or four out of ten had distorted faces or were disabled, which made even the trusted confidant in charge of the investigation unable to bear to look at them anymore.

The women who gave birth to these disabled children suffered even more tragic fates. Some were sent to temples to spend their lives or were abandoned and sent home, while others were beaten to death or drowned in lakes. Their tragic experiences were written down one by one, and the despair and sorrow in them made Emperor Kangxi unable to bear to look at them any longer.

There are still twenty or thirty unborn children.

Emperor Kangxi could hardly imagine how many families and women would follow the tragic path of those others.

The matter of appeasing and dealing with these people was not yet over when, during the thorough investigation, Kangxi learned of another piece of information—the Tongjia clan had also been asking around about this prescription.

Kangxi initially harbored doubts, but after Consort Tong gave birth to a disabled prince, what was there left to doubt? That's just reality!

Wan Anran was dumbfounded.

She hiccuped, clutching her stomach in pain: This melon is too big, what should I do if I can't eat it?

If he was somewhat sober just now, Kangxi was now completely drunk. He was oblivious to Consort Qi's pain and tried to stuff one large melon after another into her mouth.

Kangxi decided to let him speak his mind!

What angered him most was not these things, but Tong Guowei's reaction! He actually instigated the officials of the Imperial Observatory to claim that the Seventh Prince had a close relationship with the unfortunate Prince Chun, Longxi, who died young, and that he might be adopted as his heir.

Wan Anran was stunned.

She gulped down her wine, her biggest regret being that she had forgotten to ask the palace servants to prepare some snacks to go with it.

Kangxi grew angrier and angrier, and the angrier he became, the more he wanted to say it all: "If the Seventh Prince is adopted, his disability will no longer exist, and he can even become an asset to the next child..."

He slammed his hand on the table: "Uncle, uncle, how foolish you are! I have a sincere heart for the Tongjia clan, what have they given in return? Do they want my cousin to give birth to a prince, so that the Tongjia clan can continue to be the maternal relatives of the emperor generation after generation?"

Wan Anran was startled.

Just moments ago, I was incredibly excited about this gossip, but now I'm completely deflated. I didn't want to eat poisonous melons—wasn't the Emperor clearly implying that the Tongjia clan was aiming for the throne?!

Wan Anran suddenly felt that even the fine wine in her hand didn't taste good. Her face scrunched up, and a thought arose in her mind: Is this something she should listen to? Of course not!

Method 1: Immediately pretend to be drunk and collapse.

The advantage is that it shows you didn't hear anything, but the disadvantage is that if the emperor remembers this when he's awake tomorrow, he'll definitely find out that you've been deceived.

What will the reaction be then?

Wan Anran could neither be certain nor predict this.

What about the second option...?

Wan Anran looked up at the Emperor—Kangxi was still talking, and since Consort Qi wouldn't pour wine, he poured it himself, one cup after another without stopping.

His eyes held anger and heartache.

Emperor Kangxi's dissatisfaction with Consort Tong had been building up for some time, and now it was finally erupting. Considering the limitations of that era, Kangxi was actually quite good to Consort Tong; he had feelings for her and she held a certain status in his heart. His only Achilles' heel was probably the still-growing Crown Prince.

Consort Tong also had deep feelings for the emperor.

If there were no empress to compare with, no Niohuru clan to compare with, then it would be fine.

Unfortunately, the Empress remained firmly in power, and at the same time, she kept the Niohuru clan in check, striving to ensure that her family would produce outstanding male offspring.

As for Consort Tong?

She was physically weak, emotionally vulnerable, and had no desire to control the Tongjia clan; such a thought was simply wishful thinking. The Tongjia clan, instead of offering her any assistance, attempted to use their connections to climb the social ladder.

Things are a little better now, but they'll get worse in the future.

Wan Anran vaguely remembered some things, such as the historically famous Longkodo.

Of course, Longkodo was still just a young boy at the time, and Kangxi was more busy complaining about Tong Guogang's son, the legitimate son and the illegitimate son fighting in the street... It's shameful to even talk about it!

Tong Guowei wasn't much better off.

It's common knowledge that the eldest and second sons have a terrible relationship, and these two scoundrels were the only ones to be dismissed from their posts for fighting.

Emperor Kangxi talked on and on.

Wan Anran gleaned what she wanted to know from his words. Having made up her mind, she downed her drink in one gulp and then slammed the glass heavily on the table.

With a loud bang, she also hiccuped.

Wan Anran slammed her hand on the table: "Your Majesty! You're wrong about that—hiccup!"

Emperor Kangxi almost lost his drunkenness.

He opened his eyes wide, staring blankly at Consort Qi before him, and after a long while, he finally managed to utter a single word: "Ah?"

"Consort Tong is not that kind of person!" Wan Anran, half-drunk and half-awake, reached out and patted Kangxi's shoulder heavily.

This was the first time Emperor Kangxi had ever known that Consort Qi was so strong.

He grimaced, but being half-drunk and weak-limbed, he managed to dodge left and right, only to be caught red-handed by Consort Qi. Kangxi was somewhat displeased, and even more defiant: "How did you know? If you asked me, Consort Tong would definitely agree—"

"impossible--!"

Wan Anran was a little angry. With the effects of the alcohol, she said in a deep voice, "How could Consort Tong, who could cry so much, be so exhausted, and become so sick for the Eleventh Prince... possibly abandon her own child?"

Kangxi slightly widened his eyes.

Wan Anran muttered, "Although her personality is indeed a bit off, she's a bit arrogant and always looks down on people, and she's easily swayed by others, she's genuinely devoted to the child—"

Wan Anran looked at the drunken man.

In reality, she was perfectly lucid, and she spoke each word she wanted to say.

Emperor Kangxi stared at Consort Qi in astonishment.

In the eyes of everyone in the palace, Consort Qi was probably the one who disliked Consort Tong the most, including Emperor Kangxi. But he never expected that Consort Qi, who was drunk, would give such an answer.

Kangxi felt a little better.

If Consort Tong is really as she claims, someone who values ​​personal gain above all else, then wouldn't that mean Emperor Kangxi has been favoring the wrong person all these years?

Yes! That's right!

The more Kangxi thought about it, the more convinced he became, and the angrier he grew. Finally, he slammed his hand on the table and said, "Consort Qi is right. The one who is wrong is not the Imperial Concubine, but those who instigated her."

Wan Anran secretly rolled her eyes.

Come on! Don't you know I just want to find an excuse for your beloved concubine?

Emperor Kangxi was unaware of Consort Qi's thoughts.

He was now in high spirits. If he had chosen the most comfortable Chuxiu Palace earlier because he felt he had nowhere to talk, he suddenly realized that Consort Qi might be the soulmate he had been searching for.

Speak! Keep going! You've only said half of it!

The palace servants outside were terrified. More than half an hour had passed, and there was still no sign of the disturbance inside the palace. Would the Emperor be harmed if this continued? What would happen if the matter reached the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress?

"Eunuch Liang... there's no sound coming from inside!"

"..." Liang Jiugong pressed his ear to the door, finally gritted his teeth, and pushed the door open: "Quick! Go and see!"

The group hurried inside.

The Emperor had already slumped onto the table, fast asleep. Consort Qi, her face flushed, swayed and half-dragged, half-pulled a blanket over him, seemingly intending to cover him with it. The appearance of the group startled her, and she fell backward to the ground with a thud, letting out a drunken hiccup.

Good heavens! This is unbelievable!

Liang Jiugong was almost laughing in anger, but what could he say now that things had come to this? He could only quickly have someone help the emperor change his clothes and wash up, and then take him to bed to rest.