Startled by Xiu Ning's question, the Crown Prince, after his initial surprise, chose not to engage in conflict with her.
He kept saying he dared not, even though he was unhappy. But the Crown Prince was not so confused as to think too much. At present, he lacked sufficient resources in the harem and could not afford to go head-to-head with Consort Jing's faction.
Seeing that the Crown Prince was somewhat sensible, Xiu Ning didn't press him too hard. She hadn't come here to make enemies with the Crown Prince, and besides, he had indirectly helped her. When Kangxi returned and took over the palace servants that the Crown Prince had captured, he would definitely be very surprised.
Hmm, she couldn't wait to see the changes in Kangxi's expression; it would be very interesting.
A smile flickered in the corner of her eye before quickly disappearing. Xiu Ning cleared her throat and turned her gaze to Cheng Xin, who was being treated like an object and constantly fought over by everyone.
"Although Chengxin is Consort Hui's person, the Crown Prince's words were not unfounded."
Since they are suspected, they cannot be kept in Chuxiu Palace any longer.
Otherwise, let's compromise. There are still a few empty halls in the harem that are not in use. Let's send Chengxin there to keep an eye on her for the time being.
"The Crown Prince and Consort Hui can be cared for by others; everything will be decided by the Emperor upon his return."
In the end, it all depends on the Emperor's decision, so let's just have the two sides supervise each other.
As soon as Xiu Ning finished speaking, Tong Jia Rongyue, who was standing next to her, agreed.
"I think Consort Jing's words make some sense. Consort Hui and the Crown Prince, what do you think?"
Tong Jia Rongyue wanted to finish dealing with the situation and return to the palace as soon as possible. Jingren Palace was still in a mess, and she hadn't forgotten that the Crown Prince had also taken a few rough palace servants from her.
The Crown Prince and Consort Hui were dissatisfied with Xiu Ning's approach of giving each of them equal punishment.
Consort Hui immediately refused, saying, "Chengxin is someone I'm used to. If I were to send her to another unused palace, I wouldn't be able to get used to it."
Furthermore, Consort Jing's words are utterly unreasonable. Chengxin has been my personal maid for over a decade, and I know nothing about her that could be suspected of wrongdoing.
Oh ho, it seems Consort Hui is determined to stick to her guns and fight the Crown Prince to the bitter end.
Xiu Ning raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. She wasn't angry; she just smiled and looked at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince shrugged helplessly. He was initially a little angry because Consort Jing's words had made him a bit worried. He knew perfectly well whether Cheng Xin had any problems.
I thought things would be tricky and difficult, but to my surprise, Consort Hui, that useless teammate, was willing to help.
Ha, the more Consort Hui doesn't want Chengxin to leave Chuxiu Palace, the easier it will be for her to handle things once Father Emperor returns.
"I agree with Consort Jing's suggestion. For the sake of the greater good, Consort Hui should hand over Chengxin."
Upon hearing this, Consort Hui sneered and refused. She already regarded Xiu Ning and the Crown Prince as enemies, so naturally she would not be willing to hand over Cheng Xin.
Chengxin shrank back, her heart pounding with fear. She felt she should jump out and agree.
Although Chengxin didn't think she had done anything wrong, she understood that it was definitely not the right choice for a suspect to stay by his master's side.
Consort Hui was unwilling to accept being placed under guard in an unused palace, but she was unwilling to lose face.
There wasn't much of a reason; Consort Hui simply wanted to save face.
Unlike Xiuning, she knew in advance that the Crown Prince was going to search the palace. She was also not clever; years of life in the harem had completely worn down her former temperament.
What Consort Hui is clinging to right now is nothing more than a ridiculous sense of pride.
She desperately needed this seemingly useless thing, because only in this way could she truly realize that she was completely different from before, and that she and her son had finally made it through.
Consort Hui's mindset is similar to that of frustrated adults who are suddenly appreciated by high-ranking officials. In the midst of intense emotional exertion, they are prone to losing much of their rationality.
Consort Hui insisted on not letting Chengxin leave, and Xiuning and the other two could not persuade her otherwise.
In the end, the crown prince chose to back down, but the look in his eyes before he left was unsettling no matter how you looked at it.
Unfortunately, Consort Hui was still immersed in her own emotions and couldn't extricate herself, completely unaware of the Crown Prince's behavior.
She held her head high and arrogantly told Xiuning and Tong Jiarongyue to leave.
Unlike those two, she couldn't even protect her own palace servants and allowed the Crown Prince to bully her.
Xiu Ning and Tong Jia Rong Yue were not mistaken about Consort Hui's smug look, after all, the Consort Hui in their memories had long been replaced by this superficial woman in front of them.
"Consort Hui's tactic of discarding someone after they've served their purpose is so skillful that it's truly admirable."
After Tong Jiarong finished speaking, she turned and left with her people.
Xiu Ning blinked and gave Cheng Xin, who was hiding behind Consort Hui, a meaningful look. "Consort Hui, since there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
"I'm sorry to trouble Consort Jing to make this trip," Consort Hui said, nodding as she tried to maintain her composure. "I'm busy with other matters, so I won't see Consort Jing off any further."
Xiuning smiled and said, "Of course." She didn't want to have any more contact with idiots, so she gave her something.
Xiu Ning left, not as fast as Tong Jia Rongyue. When she returned to Qixiang Palace, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"master"
Chunyu brought a teacup for Xiuning to rinse her mouth and soothe her throat.
Xiuning waved her hand, "His Majesty will be back in a while. I heard that the First Prince made many military achievements in the battle at the front." Unfortunately, Consort Hui in the palace is not up to par. Would His Majesty still be willing to give Yinti more leverage?
They should be willing, unless the Emperor brings Yinyi into the picture. Otherwise, who will oppose the Crown Prince and allow the Emperor to focus on governing?
Chunyu nodded, "The news has spread throughout the palace. Consort Hui's confidence today is all thanks to the First Prince's good performance."
Xiu Ning sighed, "Yes," this was also the reason why the Crown Prince was so eager to dig a pit for Consort Hui. The First Prince was taking off too fast, and the Crown Prince couldn't sit still any longer.
Sure enough, military officers were promoted faster than civil officials, provided there was a war to fight.
The enfeoffment of princes in the thirty-seventh year of Kangxi's reign was precisely because all of them had been sent to the battlefield by Kangxi in the thirty-fifth year of his reign to fight against the Dzungar Khanate.
Some titles of nobility cannot be conferred casually; even Emperor Kangxi had to find the right opportunity.
Shaking her head to clear her mind, Xiuning turned to Chunyu and asked, "Have all the people been taken away by the Crown Prince?"
As Chunyu listened to the words, she thought of the people who had been arrested by the Crown Prince today, and immediately replied with a smile, "As per Master's orders, most of them were taken away. Two of them came to their senses, but unfortunately they couldn't explain what they had done wrong." Besides, no one believed them.
The crown prince was eager to clear his name immediately, so the person was arrested and imprisoned.
Thinking of this, Chunyu smiled, clearly shocked by the Crown Prince's foolish behavior.
Xiuning clapped her hands. "Alright, now sweep up all those tails."
However, it will be some time before the Emperor returns; we have enough time.
Not worried about encountering trouble along the way and not having time to deal with it, Xiu Ning looked out the window and thought to herself that the situation in the harem had changed drastically. The concubines who could have lasted until the later years of Kangxi's reign might be out of the picture early. It seems that nothing is immutable.
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