Chapter 77 The details of Consort De and Consort Hui...
Consort De and Consort Hui's specific actions were very simple and brutal. They arranged all the evidence and witnesses in one go. The central idea was that Consort Yi had tampered with the Seventh Princess's medicine, which caused the Seventh Princess's condition to worsen and she was now teetering on the brink of life and death.
Princess Qi's condition was indeed getting worse day by day. Despite his busy schedule, Emperor Kangxi tried his best to visit his daughter. Seeing that Princess Qi's condition was not improving but was worsening, he became very angry. Consort De seized the opportunity to point out that something was wrong. After checking Princess Qi's diet, they found that her medicine had been tampered with.
"Explain to me in detail what's wrong with the Seventh Princess's medicine," Kangxi asked expressionlessly, looking at the kneeling imperial physicians on the ground.
Consort De sat by the Seventh Princess's bedside, secretly shedding tears. The Fifth Princess, bewildered, followed her mother and watched her younger sister, whose breathing was weak, and tears also rolled down her cheeks.
The imperial physician was also sweating profusely, and said tremblingly, "The Seventh Princess's illness came on fiercely this time. After discussing it, we increased the dosage of the medicine. However, for some reason, the dosage of Scutellaria baicalensis, Ginkgo biloba, and Morus alba bark, which should have been increased by two parts, was reduced by three parts. As a result, the medicine was not effective enough, and the Seventh Princess's condition worsened."
The Seventh Princess was now nine years old, and unlike the children who died at birth, she had developed a bond with Emperor Kangxi. So, Emperor Kangxi assigned five or six imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital who were skilled in pediatric diseases to treat the Seventh Princess, but her condition only worsened with each treatment.
Unexpectedly, someone had tampered with the Seventh Princess's medicine.
The imperial physicians were also baffled. They obtained the medicine from Yonghe Palace every day, and it was then prepared by Consort De's personal maid. It had not passed through the hands of outsiders, so how could the Seventh Princess's medicine have been tampered with?
Consort De swayed upon hearing this, her eyes brimming with tears, and threw herself into Kangxi's arms: "Your Majesty, someone is trying to harm our little seventh child. She is only nine years old and has always been in poor health. Now she has suffered such torment. As her mother, I am guilty beyond measure."
The fifth princess also started crying, holding her younger sister's hand and weeping uncontrollably.
Kangxi suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his forehead: "Who handled the Seventh Princess's medicine?"
“The Seventh Princess’s daily medicine is prepared by us personally, and then handed over to Aunt Dongyue to decoct the medicine.”
Upon hearing this, Dongyue knelt down with a thud and said, "Your Majesty, I have been personally preparing medicine for the Seventh Princess every day without the slightest negligence. After the imperial physician entrusted it to me, I prepared all of it."
Consort De hesitated for a moment and said softly, "Your Majesty, Dongyue has been serving me since I entered the palace, so there shouldn't be any problems."
Kangxi looked at the trembling Dongyue and asked in a cold voice, "Did the Seventh Princess's medicine only pass through your hands?"
Shivering in the winter moonlight, he nodded quickly.
"Take her away and hand her over to the Censorate for interrogation," Kangxi said calmly.
Dongyue suddenly raised her head and cried out that she was innocent. Consort De looked at Dongyue being dragged away with a look of pity on her face: "Your Majesty..."
“As the mother of those around you, you are indeed to blame when problems arise.” Kangxi’s sharp gaze made Consort De’s heart tremble. For a moment, she thought that Kangxi had seen through their tricks.
Fortunately, Emperor Kangxi did not say anything more. He only said that now that the Seventh Princess was seriously ill, he was too lazy to pursue the matter with Consort De. He told Consort De to take good care of the Seventh Princess and then left.
Xia Yun stepped forward to help Consort De, who had almost fallen, and ordered the imperial physicians to go and prepare new medicine.
"Your Majesty, you must remain calm and not let the Emperor notice anything amiss."
Since Yinzhen was taken away, Consort De believed that she loved all her remaining children with all her heart. Even if she favored the Fourteenth Prince more, how could she not love her two daughters who were by her side every day? But now she was going to risk her daughters' lives for her son's future, which made her unable to sleep at night.
Consort De sat down, clutching her chest, unable to bear looking at the Seventh Princess lying on the bed, barely alive. She ordered the palace servants to take the Fifth Princess away as well. After a while, she asked, "Consort Hui, is everything prepared?"
"Your Majesty, rest assured, Consort Hui sent someone to inform us early this morning, so this time it will definitely be foolproof." Xia Yun served a cup of tea and said, "We've kept Dongyue, this spy, for so many years, and finally she's put to some use."
When Wen Shan heard the news, the rumors that the Seventh Princess's medicine had been tampered with were already circulating widely.
Fortunately, this happened within Yonghe Palace; otherwise, Wen Shan, who is nominally in charge of the harem, would have been in serious trouble.
In fact, the young Tongjia woman who was in charge of the six palaces also keenly sensed the danger this time. For once, she did not move forward and stayed obediently in her own palace.
"Your Majesty, what is your opinion on the matter at Yonghe Palace?"
Ru Mo, a maidservant who accompanied Xiao Tongjia, couldn't help but ask as she calmly did her needlework.
Since a plot to harm the imperial heir had occurred in the palace, Consort Xuan and her mistress should have gone to Yonghe Palace to investigate.
Everyone in the palace knew about the feud between Consort Xuan and Consort De, and they also knew that Consort Xuan had never really cared about palace affairs, so even the Emperor didn't say anything about Consort Xuan not going.
However, Xiao Tongjia was worried that if she didn't go to Rumo, Emperor Kangxi would think that she was not managing the harem well.
"Why would I go if someone is putting on a grand show in their own palace?" Little Tongjia said lazily. "I'm too lazy to go and support her."
Xiao Tongjia had been in the palace for over a year and had long since figured out the personalities of the high-ranking concubines. Consort De was arguably the most cunning of them all, and it seemed bizarre that she would secretly harm her daughter in her palace. So, although Xiao Tongjia hadn't sent anyone to investigate the matter, her first thought was that it was probably Consort De herself who was up to something, trying to use her daughter, who was born weak and didn't have long to live, to do something.
Anyone who steps forward at a time like this is a fool; it's better to take sick leave and watch the show.
"Before entering the palace, Father instructed us that after entering the palace, besides planning for the Tongjia clan, we should also assist Consort Xuan and the Eighth Prince. Why should we rush to stand out before Consort Xuan?" Little Tongjia stretched and sent a palace maid to make a bowl of bird's nest soup.
Ru Mo had served Xiao Tongjia since childhood, and they were practically inseparable. Their bond was deep, and Ru Mo could confide in Xiao Tongjia about even the most private things. Hearing Xiao Tongjia say this, Ru Mo asked with some confusion, "This servant has always been puzzled. The Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince are both adopted sons of Consort Xuan, and the Fourth Prince even lived under our eldest young lady's care for several years…"
"Why doesn't Father support the Fourth Prince?" Little Tongjia glanced at Rumo.
Ru Mo nodded. No matter how you looked at it, the Fourth Prince had a deeper connection with their Tongjia clan. Their eldest daughter's dowry was even entrusted to the Fourth Prince.
"We'll do whatever Father says."
Xiao Tongjia waved to Rumo, signaling her to go and talk to Longkodo, and to bring out the news from the palace.
Consort Yi wasn't stupid. As soon as Dongyue was brought to the Shenxing Division, she knew what Consort De and Consort Hui were up to, because Dongyue was indeed an informant she had planted in Yonghe Palace.
She never ordered Dongyue to take action against the Seventh Princess, but her secret dealings with Dongyue were real. Once it was confirmed that Dongyue was a member of Yikun Palace, then she would be in deep trouble.
"Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine's information was indeed correct. Consort De's visit this time is certainly not well-intentioned." Xue Lu, Consort Yi's personal maid, said worriedly.
Consort Yi pondered for a moment and then asked, "Dongyue has been in the Censorate for two hours now. Has any news come out?"
“That girl is still loyal and hasn’t betrayed us yet,” Xuelu said in a low voice. “But Your Highness, I’m afraid she won’t be able to withstand the tortures of the Imperial Prison. Under severe interrogation, she might talk nonsense. Otherwise, we should finish her off.”
After much deliberation, Xue Lu realized that this was a dead end, and the only way now was to kill Dong Yue to silence her forever.
"No, putting aside the fact that it's just an attempt to cover up the truth, Consort De is probably waiting for me to lose my patience and walk right into her trap." Consort Yi lowered her eyes and pondered, "But what did Consort Hui do in all of this?"
Wen Shan's message to her was that this was a scheme orchestrated by Consort De and Consort Hui. Consort De was obviously involved, but Consort Hui had not yet surfaced.
Not to mention Consort Yi, even Wen Shan found it strange. Consort De and Consort Hui were usually the ones who charged ahead while Consort De stayed behind, but this time it was the other way around.
However, the two's plan was indeed top secret. Even Yinzhi only knew that the two were going to join forces to use the Seventh Princess to frame Consort Yi. The details would only be clear when they took action.
Moreover, Yinzhi had a backup plan. No matter how good his relationship was with the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince, he couldn't reveal too much to Consort Yi. This time, it was up to Consort Yi to decide what to do.
Soon, Wen Shan and Consort Yi found out what Consort Hui was up to. Consort Hui went to see Xiao Tongjia and said that the anniversary of the Empress Dowager's death was approaching, and in order to show the imperial family's favor, she wanted to release a group of palace maids of marriageable age.
Xiao Tongjia was completely bewildered by Consort Hui's actions. The anniversary of the Empress Dowager's death was indeed approaching, and the palace had long prepared copied scriptures and sacrificial items. Consort Hui suddenly came over and proposed to release a group of palace maids out of the palace. Although there had been such precedents in previous years, it was really strange that Consort Hui and the Empress Dowager were not close, and that she would come over to make such a suggestion out of the blue.
So Xiao Tongjia could only use the excuse of needing to discuss it with Wenshan to brush it off for the time being.
"Nowadays, Consort Xuan is the most respected person in the palace. Although I assist in managing the six palaces, I dare not overstep the Consort Xuan's authority," said Xiao Tongjia with a smile.
Consort Hui forced a smile: "Of course."
She deliberately avoided going to see Consort Xuan because Consort Xuan and Consort Yi were on good terms, and she was afraid something might go wrong. How could she not know that Consort Xuan was now the most respected person in the harem?
When Consort De learned of this, she was so angry at her incompetent partner that she almost fainted.
"How could she go directly to Consort Tong?" Consort De gritted her teeth. "That idiot!"
Isn't this just blatantly trying to cover something up?
Their plan was to act quickly and finish things before Consort Yi could react, but now that they were being held back by Xiao Tongjia, things were in trouble.
"Your Majesty, please don't be anxious." Xia Yun thought for a moment and came up with a plan. "This is also good. If things don't go our way, we can just push the blame onto Consort Hui."
After hearing this, Consort De's anger subsided, and she found it quite reasonable.
It's wise to leave yourself a way out.
It's better for this idiot to leave a slight flaw.
Without much delay, Consort Hui and Consort Xiao Tongjia went to see Wen Shan. Consort Hui repeated what she had just said to Wen Shan verbatim.
"Your Majesty, I think Consort Hui's words make some sense. However, in the palace, the Imperial Concubine is still the most respected. I dare not overstep my bounds, so I came with Consort Hui to report to the Imperial Concubine." Xiao Tongjia's words also subtly put a snide remark on Consort Hui.
Consort Hui was restless and forced a smile: "I was also unsure of what to do, so I thought I'd discuss it with Consort Tong first."
It just so happened that Lady Fucha came to Xianfu Palace today and sat down to listen. Lady Xiaotongjia glanced at Lady Fucha, who was sitting dignifiedly, and suddenly said, "Your Highness is so lucky. The Fourth Prince Consort is so elegant and graceful. She is such a lovely person."
Consort Hui looked over when she heard this. She had been too nervous to pay much attention to Lady Fucha, but upon closer inspection, she realized that she was indeed an outstanding young lady.
"Your Highness, Consort Tong, flatters me." Empress Fucha said tactfully, "It's just that the ladies don't mind. I dare not accept such praise from Your Highness."
Consort Hui coughed lightly a few times, placing her hand to her lips, in an attempt to steer the conversation back on track.
"Your Highness, what do you think about releasing the palace maids from the palace...?"
Wen Shan sized up Xiao Tongjia, who clearly wanted to remain uninvolved. Wen Shan also knew that Consort Hui must have other intentions, but this request was quite legitimate. When Consort Wenxi was alive, several hundred eligible palace maids were released to marry on the anniversary of the Empress Dowager's death. Given this past context, Wen Shan couldn't refuse.
In the end, the matter was reported to Emperor Kangxi, and it was only after some reluctance that it was agreed upon. However, Emperor Kangxi still entrusted the matter to Lady Tongjia, and it was completed before the anniversary of the Empress Dowager's death.
After Consort Hui and Consort Tong left, Wen Shan and Lady Fucha chatted for a while. Wen Shan recalled the way Lady Tongjia looked at Lady Fucha earlier, and then thought that the two of them seemed to be only a few years apart in age. Could they have been close friends before they got married?
Wen Shan asked Fucha Shi and then smiled and said, "She can't be considered a close friend. I only met Consort Tong a few times when I was at home. Consort Tong was a famous beauty in the capital at that time, and she was also the younger sister of Empress Xiaoyi, making her extremely noble."
It's quite unpredictable how two people who were originally of similar age have now become "mother-in-law and daughter-in-law".
Speaking of this, Wen Shan couldn't help but curse Emperor Kangxi in her heart. It was truly a sin to send a young girl of sixteen or seventeen, in the prime of her life, into the palace to serve him.
Although Wen Shan knew that Xiao Tongjia's entry into the palace was more politically motivated and that Xiao Tongjia was clearly enjoying it, she couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion when she saw Xiao Tongjia, who was about the same age as Fucha and whom she had known since childhood.
Fucha knew that Wenshan loved to listen to gossip and family matters, so she thought for a moment and said, "Mother may not know, but before Consort Tong entered the palace, my daughter-in-law's father had proposed marriage to Lady Tongjia, but it was rejected by Lord Tong at the time."
This happened before Consort Tong entered the palace, so there's nothing wrong with proposing marriage.
Wen Shan's eyes widened: "Are you proposing marriage for your brother?"
Consort Tong almost became Empress Fucha's sister-in-law?
Fucha shook her head gently: "My brother is already married. Father went to propose marriage on behalf of Fourth Uncle. I remembered that Mother had asked about Fourth Uncle's marriage, so I told you about it."
Li Rongbao and Xiao Tongjia were indeed a good match in terms of age and family background. However, Ma Qi did not expect that Xiao Tongjia was to be sent to the palace. He mentioned it to Tong Guowei but was turned away. Therefore, it was not a proper marriage proposal.
Wen Shan thought to herself, no wonder Xiao Tongjia's attitude towards Fucha was a bit strange just now, it turns out there was this connection.
Now that Lady Tongjia has become one of the Emperor's concubines, it's not proper to announce this publicly. However, Lady Fucha only told Wen Shan this for amusement because she enjoyed hearing such gossip.
After chatting with Wen Shan for a while, Lady Fucha returned to Chonghua Palace with bags and bags of pastries. When Yinzhen returned that evening, Lady Fucha was having the palace servants pack them up and deliver them to Lady Magiya and Lady Ulanara's rooms.
"Fourth Prince is back." Lady Fucha greeted him with a smile and asked, "Fourth Prince, are you going to Xianfu Palace to dine with your mother today?"
Yinzhen shook his head: "My fifth brother, eighth brother, ninth brother, tenth brother and thirteenth brother will be coming to dine later. Tell the kitchen to prepare more food."
With a smile and a flicker of her eyes, Lady Fucha agreed. Before leaving, she told Yinzhen that Consort Hui was going to release a group of palace maids out of the palace that day.
"I have also offered copied scriptures to the Empress Dowager's Buddhist shrine. Today, after hearing Consort Hui's words, I thought that a group of palace servants could also be released from Chonghua Palace. I wonder what Fourth Prince thinks?"
Yinzhen paused slightly while sipping his tea: "Since Father has agreed, then you should draft a list for Consort Tong."
Lady Fucha nodded and went out to prepare dinner.
“Madam, there aren’t many masters in our Chonghua Palace. If we’re going to reduce the number of palace servants, what about the two concubines…” Fucha’s maid hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
Lady Fucha had only recently married into the family, and if this matter was not handled well, people would inevitably say that she was mistreating her two concubines.
Fucha said calmly, “Starting from our palace, we will send a few people out of each palace, especially those who are always fiddling around and not doing their jobs properly. We will take this opportunity to get rid of them.”
"Don't worry, Madam. Those people are good at odd jobs and easy to manage."
However, a short while later, the Fifth Prince led the first few princes to Chonghua Palace in a grand procession.
"Fourth Brother, now that you're staying at Chonghua Palace, we finally have a place to get together." The Fifth Prince grinned and leaned close to Yinzhen, saying, "Where's Fourth Sister-in-law?"
"I'm going to prepare dinner for you, you glutton." Yinzhen glanced at him helplessly.
The Fifth Prince stopped smiling and started looking around cautiously.
"Fourth Brother, where's Fuqi? I can't find him."
The Fifth Prince came here today not only to freeload a meal, but also because he heard that Fuqi was not in good health and came to visit him.
Black Bean left two years ago, and I never expected that Fortune would leave so soon as well.
Yinzhen pointed to the Fifth Prince in the east and ran over to see his fortune.
The Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince were just following Yinzhi to join in the fun. Their relationship with Yinzhen had always been so-so. However, the Eighth Prince always treated the Fourth Prince as a brother. Although the Eighth Prince would not be lenient in matters of state, he still respected the Fourth Prince in private.
The Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince even played cricket together in private. Yinzhi sometimes seemed to switch between two different forms at any time. I don't know what's so special about the Fourth Prince's always cold and aloof face.
Yinxiang and Yinzhen were known to be very close. Being young, he immediately ran up to Yinzhen and chattered on and on.
Yinzhi and the Ninth and Tenth Princes sat down at the table and said impatiently, "What is Thirteenth Brother saying? Tell us too."
Yinxiang smiled and shook his finger: "It cannot be said, it cannot be said."
Yinzhen patted Yinxiang's head, then turned to the three sitting down: "Eighth brother, ninth brother, tenth brother, if there's anything you'd like to eat, just let us know and we'll have the servants prepare it."
"Alright, this is the first time Fourth Brother is treating us to a meal, so I won't be polite." The Tenth Prince smiled sheepishly, rubbing his hands together, genuinely ready to eat something good and let Yinzhen bleed a little.
Since Consort Wenxi left, the Tenth Prince has become closer to the Ninth Prince and Yinzhi. Yinzhi also takes special care of his younger brother who lost his mother at a young age. After thinking for a moment, the Tenth Prince asked Yinzhi what he wanted to eat.
“The cooking at Chonghua Palace can’t compare to Mother’s; she can make anything you want to eat.” Yinzhi raised an eyebrow and said, “Fourth Brother, I heard that Mother sent over quite a few things today. Don’t keep anything from us.”
Wen Shan did indeed have Lady Fucha bring back quite a few things today, and Yin Si, with his sharp ears, knew about it early on.
Yinzhen: "..."
Yinzhi always gets to eat and take things whenever he comes to his place. Even though his mother loves him the most, he can get her to do anything he asks her if he just acts cute.
Just then, Lady Fucha came in and, upon hearing Yinzhi's words, smiled and said, "Eighth Brother was right. Mother made a lot of pastries and fruits today, and I was just thinking of picking some for my brothers to try."
Everyone stood up to greet Lady Fucha. Lady Fucha had come with important business, and she said with a smile, "Fourth Prince, someone just came to report that His Highness the Crown Prince, the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince are also coming here for a visit, and they will arrive shortly."
Yinzhen and Yinsi exchanged a glance, and Yinzhen nodded and said, "Then you'll have to work harder."
"This is all I should do."
The Tenth Prince was immediately displeased when he heard that the Crown Prince and his men were coming over.
"What are the Crown Prince and my elder brother doing here?"
If the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince neither liked nor disliked Yinzhen, then they truly had no goodwill towards the Crown Prince and the First Prince.
In particular, for some reason, in the last two years, the Fourteenth Prince went from following them to following the First Prince, and gradually drifted away from them. This angered the Tenth Prince so much that he jumped up and down and cursed him as an ingrate, since it was the Eighth Prince who protected him when they were young.
Yinzhi had little reaction to this, only saying that everyone has their own ambitions and there is no need to force it.
The Ninth Prince privately said that the Fourteenth Prince was tactless, choosing to curry favor with the First Prince, who was reckless and brainless.
Yinzhi smiled but remained silent, thinking that this would make it easier for him to turn the tables and take control in the future.
Today's small gathering at Chonghua Palace was originally initiated by the Fifth Prince, who insisted on coming to see the good fortune. When Yinxiang heard this, he also wanted to join in the fun. Yinsi thought about it and realized that since Yinzhen moved to Chonghua Palace, he hadn't invited them to a meal to celebrate their housewarming, so he also came along. The Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince are simply Yinsi's little shadows.
But the Crown Prince and the First Prince clearly came with a purpose.
Yinzhi found an opportunity to speak a few words with Yinzhen privately.
"Fourth Brother, this guy doesn't seem to have any good intentions. We'll have to improvise later."
Yinzhen nodded slightly: "Consort Hui has already made her move today, and who knows, it might happen tonight..."
"Could it be because of Fifth Brother and Ninth Brother? But how did the Crown Prince get involved?" Yinzhi felt something was amiss.
“Song’etu and the Crown Prince…” Yinzhi said in a low voice, “The Crown Prince is probably here for you.”
Yinzhen smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
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