"I am aware of Cining Palace, but as for Kunning Palace, Jingren Palace, and other palaces, I am not familiar with them at the moment."
After a moment's hesitation, Chunyu gave Xiuning a not-so-clear answer.
This cannot be blamed on Chunyu. Most of the people in the imperial court were lowly eunuchs who were responsible for menial tasks and errands. Although they had a good relationship with Liang Jiugong, they couldn't be so blind as to ask such a question. Besides, even if they had asked, Liang Jiugong might not have told them. After all, his master was only Kangxi, and they were at most a backup option to communicate with.
The reason why Cining Palace knew about this was because Cining Palace had people in the emperor's court. For example, the old nannies who served Kangxi were all arranged by the Empress Dowager.
The reason Chunyu was unaware of the positions held by their connections in the imperial court was because she didn't know where they were in Jingren Palace and Kunning Palace.
“Kunning Palace may indeed be unaware, but Jingren Palace probably is,” Xiuning said, combining the information Chunyu had given her with the close relationship between Jingren Palace and Qianqing Palace. She rested her chin on her hand. “The other palaces should not be underestimated, especially since we can find out about Qixiang Palace.” Others may also have other sources of information.
Upon hearing this, Chunyu's expression shifted. "Your Majesty, what should we do next?"
Should we just leave this matter unresolved? But the Emperor's visits to the villa have clearly increased.
The downside of this was that the women in the detached courtyard directly squeezed out the space for the women in the harem to serve the emperor, indirectly affecting Xiu Ning's status in Kangxi's heart.
Imagine if Emperor Kangxi spent half a month of each month living in the villa. The time he could have spent with Xiuning would have been reduced by half, since he couldn't ignore the other high-ranking concubines.
"Someone will bring it up."
Of course, she can't ignore it, because doing so would harm her own interests.
If one did not value personal gain in the imperial harem, there would be no so much strife.
Squinting slightly, Xiu Ning decided to give the others some time. At the same time, she couldn't just wait idly. "Secretly leak the information to the servants you can confirm are clearly spies from another palace, and let them take action on their own."
Spies are best at gathering information and sending it to their masters.
The idea of letting Chunyu slowly release the news about the villa was to get these spies to do their work, thus successfully provoking some impatient people to make a fuss.
Seeing this, Chunyu nodded in agreement, "This servant understands."
...
It is unclear when exactly, but the story of the emperor riding a horse to the villa became a rumor that the emperor was going to meet a woman in secret.
Rumors are characterized by uncertainty and a strong sense of purpose.
In short, before anyone even realized it, rumors had already swept through the entire harem, and everyone, from the concubines to the servants, could say something about it.
Kangxi: ...
Kangxi was still immersed in the intense sensory stimulation of the affair, but then he was given a cold shower.
Enraged, Kangxi did not forget to send Liang Jiugong to investigate the whole story.
As a result, there was naturally nothing to be gained. All that could be confirmed was that the information came from the Qianqing Palace, but as for the specific person, all I can say is that anything can happen in a dream.
Originally, it was just a series of interruptions, one sentence after another, that led to some people saying too much, which was then overheard and spread by others, eventually resulting in the current unmanageable situation.
Kangxi: ...
Emperor Kangxi felt even more aggrieved and angrily smashed the teacup in his hand.
It was only recently that the situation in the previous dynasty became clear, and Wu Sangui was already at his last gasp. Kangxi was able to relax and have some leisure time, and as a result, he suffered a major setback.
Sure enough, one can't be too careless, or this will bring retribution.
Liang Jiugong was trembling with fear, mainly because he didn't expect that something hidden for so long would suddenly come to light. He went to investigate with a nervous mindset, but no matter how much he investigated, the problem still lay with those around them.
"Go down and receive your punishment. Replace all the palace servants in the Qianqing Palace."
Kangxi closed his eyes and lay back on the chair behind him, looking tired and exhausted.
Seeing this, Liang Jiugong didn't dare to say anything more, only bowed his head and replied "yes," then turned and quickly left.
Not long after Liang Jiugong left, the tightly closed door was knocked on again.
With an embarrassed look on his face, Liang Jiugong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, people from Cining Palace have come to invite you."
His expression instantly sharpened, and Kangxi asked coldly, "When?"
Liang Jiugong immediately lowered his head even further, saying, "Your Majesty can finish your official duties."
After a while, just as Liang Jiugong's forehead and temples were covered in sweat, Kangxi lazily said, "Pack your things and come with me to Cining Palace."
The Empress Dowager's purpose in summoning him at this time was self-evident.
Of course, Kangxi did not think that the timing of the Empress Dowager's summons was inappropriate. Rumors were already rampant, and he was the one in the wrong.
Kangxi rubbed his temples and eyes, then got up. After Liang Jiugong tidied up the table, he got into the sedan chair waiting at the palace gate and left.
Soon, we arrived at Cining Palace.
Emperor Kangxi alighted from his sedan chair and strode forward.
"This servant greets Your Majesty."
"No need for formalities," Kangxi waved his hand and asked, "I wonder if Grandmother is busy?"
Sumalagu replied neither servilely nor arrogantly, “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is currently worshipping Buddha. Please come into the hall and rest for a while.”
Kangxi nodded with an "Mmm" and followed Su Ma La Gu into the hall. A little while later, the Empress Dowager entered the hall with Su Ma La Gu's help.
Xuan Ye
"Royal Grandmother"
"Sit down. I called you here today to ask about the matter of the villa," the Empress Dowager said without beating around the bush. In her view, the matter was already out in the open, so they should just talk it out.
Kangxi replied, "Bring the person back to the palace."
While in the villa, he had done everything. Kangxi was not an irresponsible person, so he would definitely give him a title to appease people.
The Empress Dowager was not surprised. "Her status, in the early days of the nation's founding, was not a problem."
But has the Emperor considered how a widow should conduct herself after entering the palace?
The Empress Dowager knew the identity of the woman in the villa very early on, so her summoning of Emperor Kangxi can be seen as a preparation.
"Furthermore, this person is Consort Yi's elder sister, and they look very similar. This cannot be hidden from the people in the harem. If it causes trouble, how will these two sisters face the rumors and gossip?"
Perhaps since Kangxi ascended the throne, she has rarely had any headaches. The Empress Dowager has forgotten what it feels like to clean up other people's messes. Now, this unexpected turn of events is hard to describe.
As the Empress Dowager continued to question him, Kangxi's heart sank deeper. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about these issues, but rather that he hadn't thought about them deeply. Now that the Empress Dowager had brought them up, Kangxi felt more fear than anything else.
"Grandmother, according to your opinion, is it necessary to wait for the right time for Lady Guoluo to enter the palace?"
The Empress Dowager nodded, "We must always maintain appearances; the royal family cannot be without rules."
These words were also a reminder to Kangxi: it's good to be carefree and relaxed, but one must not lose one's sense of propriety.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
