The letter of explanation, specially sent by the Crown Prince, was delivered to Emperor Kangxi two days later along with the army's supply convoy.
The letter contained only a few words, much more abbreviated than those sent by the other women in the harem.
Surprisingly, after reading the above, Kangxi quickly calmed down and even had a clear smile on his face when he summoned his civil and military officials.
A smile?!
This daily routine not only left the ministers who had been secretly observing Kangxi's situation in recent days bewildered, but also made the servants who were attending to him feel uneasy.
Especially those from the Crown Prince and Suo'etu's faction, who had planned this palace search long ago, were paying close attention to the situation in Kangxi's quarters.
Unfortunately, Songgotu was not able to accompany the army this time as he had hoped. He could only arrange for his own trusted confidants to join the army and they often communicated through letters.
Seeing that Kangxi's performance was as they had expected, the trusted minister breathed a sigh of relief. He then secretly sent a letter to the capital, a thousand miles away.
Li Dequan, who served Emperor Kangxi, was extremely vigilant about Kangxi's condition. He was extra careful when attending to Kangxi's daily life, and he was very anxious.
Of course, no matter how panicked Li Dequan was inside, he could only pretend to be calm on the surface.
Even in front of Emperor Kangxi, Li Dequan had to try his best to appear happy in order to protect himself.
However, whenever Li Dequan finished serving Emperor Kangxi and was alone, he would always vent his inner pressure through various means, while harboring deep worries.
Oh dear, Master is really angry this time.
It's not scary when your master is angry; what's scary is when your master doesn't choose to retaliate but instead plans to hold a grudge and settle scores later.
As an old man who had served Emperor Kangxi for several years, Li Dequan believed that he was good at understanding his master's emotions.
Just like the master's inexplicably good mood these past two days, although he laughs happily, the smile doesn't reach his eyes, which is not good news.
Sigh, unpredictable emperors are hard to please.
“But what does this have to do with our family?” It was clearly the people in the palace who angered the emperor, while he was just a servant.
Li Dequan walked around the small room twice, then thought it over and over again before carefully writing a letter and putting it away.
The servants who served the emperor were not allowed to read, because they frequently handled various memorials and reports, which could easily lead to problems.
However, Li Dequan had studied writing for two years when he was young and could write a few simple characters here and there.
His audacity now is also a way of leaving himself a way out.
"Wait two days and see how things go. If there's no danger, send him back to the palace. If there is danger, then we'll have to prioritize our own safety."
After going over his plan in his mind, Li Dequan tidied his clothes, mustered his spirits, and went out with a smile, striving not to let anyone notice anything amiss.
...
After an unexpected and widespread search of the palace, the entire harem seemed like fallen leaves in autumn, swept down by the wind, silent and desolate.
The lower-ranking concubines trembled in fear, while the higher-ranking concubines secluded themselves in their palaces, where was the former splendor and beauty of the past?
"Hmph! They're just trying to give me attitude. It's only because my mother passed away early that I'm allowed to act so presumptuously!"
In the study of Yuqing Palace, Crown Prince Yinreng slammed his fist on the table in anger. Unfortunately, no matter how much resentment he felt, he could only complain in his own backyard. There was more to it than what a junior like him could say.
Standing opposite the Crown Prince, Suo'etu was inwardly groaning. He thought to himself that they had just accomplished something and should have been overjoyed, but what was this all about!
unlucky!
Soetu cursed inwardly, his expression extremely unpleasant.
The Crown Prince sat in his chair, his gaze fixed on Suo'etu, and he could clearly see the other's expression.
But who is the crown prince? After being raised out of control, his personality has become incredibly narcissistic.
The Crown Prince never imagined that Songgotu would have a disagreement with him. In his eyes, the two of them were bound together for life, and in some ways, Songgotu was even more reliable than Kangxi.
At least Kangxi had more than a dozen sons to choose from, but Songgotu only had the Crown Prince, who was the only prince with the blood of the Hesheli clan, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow suit.
“Uncle, you agree with what I said, right?” The Crown Prince looked up at Suo’etu for his approval.
Yinreng is now somewhat panicked, especially since he understands the importance of pillow talk.
The women in the harem are capable of stirring up trouble; they might even drown him in them.
Soetu sighed, "Your Highness, now is not the time to talk about these things."
The events in the harem have already happened and cannot be undone. All we can do is try to minimize the damage.
Does it matter whether you agree or disagree? Would the Crown Prince really bow down and apologize to the concubines in the harem? Even if the Crown Prince did apologize, would the concubines in the harem necessarily choose to forgive him?
We're not three-year-olds; some of the things we say are just self-deception.
The most important thing right now is to deal with Emperor Kangxi.
In other words, as long as Kangxi remained stable, everything in the harem was not a problem.
"What my uncle means is..."
The crown prince hesitated; he knew how to minimize the losses, but he didn't know how.
Keeping the harem quiet is no easy task. Those women used to give his mother a headache, and now they can leave him helpless.
"Keep arresting people!"
Soetu gritted his teeth, thinking that he might as well go all the way and capture everyone he could, so that they could escape later.
If enough people are arrested, the waters of the harem can be stirred up, and even the previous dynasty can be implicated.
The imperial harem and the imperial court are essentially one entity; if something happens in the harem, the imperial court will never be at peace.
The crown prince's eyes lit up, clearly attracted by the suggestion made by Suo'etu. He clapped his hands, feeling that his uncle was right.
No matter how clever the people in the harem are, they can only play petty tricks. As long as you imprison them, even if you don't force them to confess, as long as you find out their individual problems, the troubles he faces can be easily solved.
It should be understood that when faced with forces advocating for the restoration of the Ming dynasty and the anti-Qing regime, the imperial court has always adhered to the principle of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."
If the concubines in the harem discover the existence of such a person, even if the emperor usually dotes on them, they will have to think twice before taking any action.
"Yes, that's what we'll do!"
The crown prince nodded in agreement, then laughed to himself, completely ignoring the fact that Suo'etu was still present.
Songgotu ignored the Crown Prince's abnormal behavior; he was thinking that this solution had to be implemented immediately.
The war progressed rapidly, with the Dzungars suffering repeated defeats and the Qing Dynasty achieving great victories in every battle.
As expected, the Emperor is returning to the palace.
They had to get everything done before the emperor returned.
Next, Suo'etu and Yinreng continued to discuss and refine the plan to capture the person.
The women in the harem, unaware of what was about to happen, did not understand that they were about to face a storm greater than any they had ever faced before, one that might even cost them their lives.
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