Granny Li lowered her head and said, "Please forgive me, Your Highness, it is my incompetence..."
Snap—
Before Granny Li could finish speaking, the teacup placed beside the octagonal table was swept away and shattered. Hesheli Fangyi was naturally furious. "Why can't you find out such a simple thing? Are all the people of the Hesheli clan useless?"
With such abilities, how can they provide her with assistance in the future? Could it be that the family really intends to abandon her as the Empress and turn to invest in Consort Hesheli of Jingyang Palace?
If she remembered correctly, Consort Hesheli had only served the emperor twice in the few months since she entered the palace. It seemed that the elders of the Hesheli clan had really lost their minds.
Granny Li was hunched over, and Tan Yun was also startled by Hesheli Fangyi.
"Your Majesty, the best evidence is that no one can find anything. The person who did this must have the ability to cover their tracks."
Granny Li offered her analysis, and after speaking, she observed her mistress's expression. Seeing that her expression was normal, she continued, "In my opinion, among all the people in the harem, those with this ability are fewer than a handful."
Hesheli Fangyi sneered upon hearing this, "The Empress Dowager, it must be her!"
Damn it, are they so eager to take back her power? They really aren't giving her a moment's extra time.
Granny Li: ……
The words that were on the tip of her tongue had to be swallowed back down once again. She felt that although the Empress Dowager had the biggest grudge, she hadn't gone so far as to use the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet as a pretext. After all, this was a matter concerning the face of the royal family.
Most likely, it's Consort Shu, who's lying in Yongshou Palace. It's probably a young prince, and the Niohuru clan isn't easy to bully.
"Consort Shu? Consort Shu is a fool. All she thinks about is love and romance. She doesn't have the cunning to do these things."
After the miscarriage, Consort Hesheli Fangyi completely looked down on Consort Shu. This arrogant attitude also sowed the seeds of future trouble for her childbirth.
At present, Hesheli Fangyi is unaware that she has strayed from the correct answer and still keeps her eyes on the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace.
Since ancient times, mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have been at odds. Hesheli Fangyi was determined to seize power and gain benefits. "Palace power cannot be relinquished. Since the Empress Dowager does not want to withdraw, let's see whose methods are superior."
...
Qixiang Palace
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather outside gradually cooled down.
Xiuning's life has been rather monotonous lately. During the day, apart from occasionally entertaining Nara, she spends the rest of her time doing her own things. In the evenings, if the Emperor summons her, she goes to perform well; if the Emperor doesn't come, she goes to bed early and gets up early.
"Your Highness, Consort Nara really knows how to climb the social ladder!" She'll jump up as soon as you give her a chance, calling out "sister, sister" happily. After all, their mistress is a high-ranking concubine.
"Let her call me whatever she wants," anyone could be called "elder sister" by her. Consort Nara chose her from among the newly arrived concubines just to take advantage of her and use her as cannon fodder. Pshaw, she doesn't even know her own worth.
"Speaking of which, both of the concubines next to Consort Nara are pregnant. She's been watching them all day long, and she must be quite jealous."
Although everyone understands that it is safer and more reliable for the Queen to have a child after becoming pregnant, everyone has ambitions, and over time, who can remain completely rational without any emotions?
Smiling and shaking her head, Xiuning was about to ask Chunyu to bring her a cup of warm tea when she suddenly heard an announcement from outside, "The Emperor has arrived!"
emperor?
Xiuning raised an eyebrow. "Why is the Emperor here at this hour?"
It was still daylight, and her small Qixiang Palace was far from being able to accommodate the great Emperor Kangxi.
Furthermore, the concubines in the harem were either recuperating or pregnant, and Emperor Kangxi should have visited them instead.
"Your Majesty, perhaps the Emperor wishes to see you," Chunyu said, supporting Xiuning as they walked, offering her compliments.
“That’s nonsense,” Xiu Ning shook her head. Kangxi wouldn’t miss her. He was probably just having a bad day somewhere and came here to change his mood.
To be honest, Xiuning really disliked Kangxi's practice of using her place as a dumping ground for his dirty laundry.
However, since the person had arrived, she couldn't send them away. After tidying up her somewhat disheveled clothes and headdress, Xiu Ning quickly walked to the entrance of the main hall.
"This humble concubine greets Your Majesty, wishing you ten thousand years of happiness and peace."
"Quickly Free Gift"
As Kangxi spoke, he quickly took two steps forward and helped Xiuning up from the ground. "Why did you come out again? Didn't I say we should just wait in the main hall? Although the temperature has dropped today, we should still be careful."
Upon hearing this, Xiu Ning smiled shyly, "Your Majesty, I was just looking forward to seeing you sooner. Besides, I'm wearing a lot of clothes, so I'm not afraid."
How could one take sweet words spoken in bed seriously? Xiuning wasn't stupid. Kangxi had said countless sweet things to her. If she really believed them, Kangxi would probably be furious and think she didn't know what was good for her.
As they were talking, Xiuning pulled Kangxi into the inner chamber of the main hall.
The inner room was filled with freshly picked flowers from the Imperial Garden, filling the entire space with their fragrance.
After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Kangxi had already walked around the inner palace before coming to the Qixiang Palace. Even with a sedan chair, the outside was not as comfortable as the inside.
Sitting on the couch, Kangxi breathed a sigh of relief. "The layout of your room is elegant. I felt very refreshed as soon as I sat down."
With a smile, Kangxi picked up the teacup beside him and took a small sip. Although the sweet taste did not suit his palate, it was not unpleasant to drink.
Xiuning found it amusing; this was tea that Chunyu had brewed to her liking.
She beckoned Chunyu to quickly bring over a bowl of plum juice. "Your Majesty, please try this. It's refreshing and helps to cool you down. Although it may seem a bit inappropriate right now, your servants have done a good job. This is my favorite drink."
Seeing this, Kangxi nodded and took it. Looking at the brown and clear soup in the porcelain cup, he gently picked up the spoon and stirred it, then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
Well, I must say, the sour plum drink tastes just right, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour, and it even helped to alleviate the irritability I picked up while traveling.
Not satisfied with just one cup, Kangxi had Xiuning refill it. He downed both cups in a row and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He reached out and pulled Xiuning to sit down, and Kangxi began to chat with her.
At first, Xiu Ning didn't understand Kangxi's meaning. But when Kangxi went around in circles and mentioned several palaces that had been making a lot of noise recently, Xiu Ning suddenly realized that he wanted her to jump in and stir up the situation.
Yes, Emperor Kangxi did indeed have that intention.
The power struggle between the Empress Dowager and the Empress, the miscarriage of Consort Shu, and the successive pregnancies of concubines—although these events occasionally caused disputes in the harem, they were surprisingly peaceful.
Emperor Kangxi wanted to get rid of Ao Bai and Niohuru from the previous dynasty as soon as possible. Empress Hesheli had to be kept in power, so the only person who could attract Consort Shu's attention was someone else.
Xiuning was chosen by Emperor Kangxi as his 'favorite concubine'.
That night, Emperor Kangxi stayed overnight at Qixiang Palace.
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