Chapter 79 Everyone in the hall...
Everyone in the hall was stunned.
Wenshan never expected that tonight would be so chaotic.
Upon hearing this, Consort De was stunned for a moment before rushing towards the inner palace. Emperor Kangxi was also taken aback and quickly walked inside.
Consort Yi's heart sank to the bottom and she almost lost her balance. Fortunately, the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince stayed by her side and helped her up.
"Mother, Mother, please be careful," the Fifth Prince said worriedly.
The Fourteenth Prince glared at them fiercely and followed them inside.
Consort Yi gritted her teeth. If the Seventh Princess were to die at this time, the Emperor would be in a difficult situation amidst his grief.
Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and Consort Tong were also shocked and didn't know whether to continue the trial or hold the funeral for the Seventh Princess first.
"Your Highness, what do you think we should do now?" Consort Tong snapped out of her daze and grabbed Wen Shan, asking her for a suggestion.
Wen Shan: "..."
With Kangxi present, she couldn't say anything; she could only say that she would wait for the Emperor to decide.
"Let the Imperial Household Department prepare for the Seventh Princess's funeral first," Wen Shan said with a sigh.
Consort Tong nodded and instructed the maid beside her to do so immediately.
Consort Hui glanced smugly at Consort Yi, who was slumped in a chair, thinking to herself that the Seventh Princess's death was indeed timely, and now Consort Yi would have a hard time recovering.
"Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine..."
Consort Yi got up and walked to Wen Shan's side, anxiously whispering, "Your Majesty, please save me."
Wen Shan: "Don't worry, the Emperor will definitely give you justice."
Wen Shan naturally knew that Consort Yi had not done this, and even Yinzhi had taken some measures to deal with it. She just didn't know if the death of the Seventh Princess at this critical juncture would make the situation difficult to control.
A few moments later, several imperial physicians emerged dejectedly. Consort Yi immediately stopped them and asked, "What exactly happened to the Seventh Princess? How did you all treat her?"
"Your Highness, the Seventh Princess was already seriously ill, and we have exhausted all our medical skills, but we are still unable to save her."
The imperial physicians were trembling with fear. They had just been reprimanded by the Emperor inside, and seeing the room full of empresses made them even more uneasy. They were all shrewd people who had been in the harem for many years, and they could tell from the atmosphere tonight that the Seventh Princess's death was likely to cause a great upheaval.
Physician Zhang also came to consult. Seeing Wen Shan there, he stepped forward before the Emperor and Consort De came out and said, "Your Highness, the Seventh Princess fell seriously ill, so I was unable to go to Xianfu Palace to check on Your Highness's health today. I wonder if Your Highness is feeling alright?"
The clever Jade could tell from Physician Zhang's expression that he probably had something to report, so she said, "Your Majesty caught a cold yesterday and coughed twice this morning."
Physician Zhang: "I'm afraid we'll be too busy to attend to everyone once we get back. If it's just a cold, I'll take your pulse and prescribe a medicine."
Wen Shan nodded and went to the side with Physician Zhang. Physician Zhang took out his pulse diagnosis tool and felt Wen Shan's pulse for a while, then said softly, "Your Majesty, the sudden death of the Seventh Princess is probably a bit suspicious. Although the Seventh Princess's illness was serious, we had done our best to stabilize her condition a couple of days ago. Her sudden death today is probably not due to something."
Wen Shan was taken aback. Could it be that Imperial Physician Zhang meant Consort De herself...?
Consort Hui glanced over twice, and Wen Shan nodded, letting Physician Zhang leave first.
Consort Yi was restless, pondering how to break the deadlock. The crying in the inner palace gradually subsided, and Kangxi walked out with an unexpectedly calm expression.
"Yinqi, Yintang, return to the Fifth Palace in Ganxi."
The first thing Kangxi said after he came out was to send the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince away, which made Consort Yi even more flustered.
"Father..." The Ninth Prince also sensed the danger and called out.
"Didn't you understand what I said?" Kangxi said calmly.
At this moment, Kangxi was at his most oppressive. Consort Yi shook her head at her two sons.
"Go on, your eleventh brother is still in Yikun Palace. Go and help your mother take care of him."
Consort Hui scoffed. It seems Consort Yi had no choice but to bring up the Eleventh Prince at this point.
Although Consort Yi had Wen Shan's reminder, she never expected that the Seventh Princess would pass away at this exact time. Now, whatever she says or does is suppressed.
The Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince could only leave with trepidation.
"Ninth Brother, I'm going to Ning Shou Palace to see the Empress Dowager!" the Fifth Prince said, clenching his fist after thinking for a moment.
The Ninth Prince was also in a state of confusion. He could only nod and say, "I'll go find the Eighth Prince. We'll meet at Yikun Palace later."
The Yonghe Palace was filled with sobs. Consort De had not yet come out. Consort Tong observed Kangxi's expression for a while and tentatively said, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. I will begin preparations for the Seventh Princess's funeral."
Kangxi nodded and looked at Wenshan.
"The funeral arrangements for the Seventh Princess will be handled by Consort Tong, with the Imperial Concubine assisting her."
Wen Shan has never been good at doing these things. This arrangement is purely because Wen Shan currently holds the highest position and has to be given a title for many things.
Consort Rong looked completely bewildered from beginning to end, acting like a mere bystander. Consort Hui looked around and tentatively said, "Your Majesty, the Seventh Princess's death was a result of someone's murder. Your Majesty must seek justice for the Seventh Princess and Consort De."
Consort Yi lowered her eyes and remained silent, but she still sat firmly on the ground.
Kangxi tapped the cup beside him: "Ask that servant in the Department of Cautious Punishment one last time. If she still doesn't speak, then let her be buried alive with the Seventh Princess."
Liang Jiugong accepted the order and sent the eunuch beside him to carry it out.
"Your Majesty, severe punishment will inevitably lead to wrongful imprisonment. Please reconsider."
To Wen Shan's surprise, these words actually came from Tong Fei's mouth.
Consort Tong had been keeping to herself and minding her own business all evening, but I never expected her to speak up for Consort Yi.
Consort Yi and Consort Hui were also somewhat taken aback.
Kangxi glanced at her and said coldly, "Even if no one instructed you, it was still a failure of your care, and you deserve to die."
Consort Yi took a deep breath, knowing that the Emperor was currently in a fit of anger and nothing she said would make a difference; she could only wait and see if things would turn around.
Consort Hui pressed her advantage, pleading with Emperor Kangxi to thoroughly investigate the matter. Consort De also came out from the inner palace, sobbing uncontrollably, begging Emperor Kangxi to do justice for the Seventh Princess.
“Sister Consort De, the Seventh Princess has just passed away and her body is still warm. Why not let her be laid to rest first?” Consort Tong said. “His Majesty has always loved the Seventh Princess and will surely give you and the Seventh Princess justice.”
As the saying goes, respect for the dead is paramount. The Seventh Princess's body is still lying inside, and the mess outside is truly unacceptable.
Consort De was somewhat surprised that Consort Tong would speak up for Consort Yi. She said with tears in her eyes, "Your Majesty, the Seventh Princess died a violent death. As her mother, how could I not let her leave in peace?"
Both sides had valid points, and Wen Shan was already having a headache just listening to them, let alone Kangxi, who had just suffered the pain of losing his daughter.
Emperor Kangxi rubbed his temples and ordered someone to bring over the palace maid from Consort Yi's palace.
...
Inside Chonghua Palace, the eldest prince was also absentmindedly waiting for news. He thought he would receive news that Consort Yi would be punished, but instead he received news of the death of the seventh princess.
"What did you say?" The Crown Prince frowned, looking at the young eunuch who had brought the news. "Seventh Sister has passed away?"
Yinzhi and Yinxiang both looked at Yinzhen. Although the Seventh Princess was not very familiar with her Fourth Brother, she was, after all, her own sister.
Although surprised by the sudden death of the Seventh Princess, Yinzhen frowned slightly but did not lose his composure.
"Your Highness, the Seventh Princess has passed away due to her serious illness. His Majesty has ordered Consort Gui and Consort Tong to prepare for her funeral."
Yinzhi, recalling that Kangxi had gone to Xianfu Palace that evening, asked, "Is the Imperial Concubine currently at Yonghe Palace?"
The young eunuch replied, "The Imperial Concubine and several other ladies-in-waiting are all in Yonghe Palace."
Upon hearing this, the eldest prince raised an eyebrow and seized the opportunity to ask, "What were the other ladies doing there?"
"It seems...it seems to concern Consort Yi being exposed for plotting against the Seventh Princess, but this servant is not entirely clear on the matter." The young eunuch, who had only come to deliver a message, was somewhat panicked by the repeated questions from the princes.
"You dog of a lackey, spouting nonsense!"
Just then, the Ninth Prince returned. As soon as he entered, he heard the little eunuch gossiping, and he kicked him to the ground.
"What do you mean 'seems'? You dare to slander Consort Yi with nothing to show for it!"
The Ninth Prince was still not satisfied with kicking him once and wanted to kick him a few more times, but Yinzhi stopped him.
"Ninth Brother, don't be impulsive."
The eldest prince stepped forward leisurely: "Ninth brother, why are you back again? I'm really worried that Consort Yi won't be able to hold on if you're not by her side right now."
The Ninth Prince, recalling Consort Hui's demeanor earlier, knew that Consort De and Consort Hui had conspired to frame their mother. The First Prince, judging from his appearance, must also know something.
Yinzhen rubbed his temples. He had originally planned to treat his younger brothers to a meal, but it had turned into chaos.
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince spoke a few words in hushed tones, after which the Crown Prince said, "Since we are all in the palace, it is only right that we, as the elder brothers, should go and see our Seventh Sister after her passing."
"It's getting late, I'm afraid this is not a good idea," Yinzhi said.
Although it's not yet time to rest, it's already dark, and it might not be appropriate for them to go into the inner palace.
Yinzhen nodded: "Eighth Brother is right. It's getting late, so we should go to pay our respects tomorrow."
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince insisted that since he knew, he couldn't rest easy, and that even just seeing him from afar outside Yonghe Palace would be enough.
Yinxiang rolled his eyes and whispered to Yinsi, "When did the Crown Prince and the Seventh Princess become so affectionate like siblings?"
These two probably haven't even exchanged three words.
However, since the Crown Prince insisted on this, they had no choice but to go along.
When the Crown Prince arrived at Yonghe Palace with his brothers, Emperor Kangxi had just finished interrogating Gui'er, a palace maid from Consort Yi's palace. Gui'er was trembling and insisted that Dongyue was a spy planted in Yonghe Palace by Consort Yi. She even revealed some details of Dongyue's private interactions with Consort Yi.
Consort Yi grew increasingly disheartened as she listened. Consort De and Consort Hui had come prepared this time, and it seemed she was truly in a situation where she couldn't clear her name no matter what.
When a palace servant came to report that the Crown Prince and several princes had arrived, Kangxi was already annoyed. He frowned and said, "What are they doing here? Aren't they making enough trouble already?"
He had just sent the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince away because he didn't want these sordid affairs in the harem to involve the princes, but why did Yinreng still bring his brothers here in such a grand manner?
"Father, your sons heard that Seventh Sister... so we came to see her." After the Crown Prince entered Yonghe Palace and paid his respects to Emperor Kangxi, he looked at Consort De, who was weeping with her face covered, and comforted her, "Consort De, please accept our condolences."
"Thank you, Your Highness," Consort De said, sobbing.
"It's getting late, Your Highness. It's not appropriate for you to linger in the inner palace. Go back," Kangxi said in a deep voice.
The Fourteenth Prince suddenly ran out from the inner palace: "Father, I beg you to do justice for Seventh Sister."
Kangxi: "..."
For the first time in over twenty years, Emperor Kangxi felt that his sons were starting to get out of control.
Consort De and Consort Hui clearly wanted to make the situation as chaotic as possible tonight. Although they didn't know why the Crown Prince had gotten involved, the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince were enemies, so tonight they were enemies, not friends, so it didn't matter.
Seeing the chaotic scene, Yinzhi, Yinzhen, and Yinxiang quietly approached Wenshan.
"Mother, what's going on?" Yinzhi asked in a low voice.
Wen Shan briefly recounted what had just happened, emphasizing what Physician Zhang had told Yinzhen and Yinsi.
"But there's something I don't understand. If Physician Zhang could see it, why..."
"Why don't you tell Father Emperor?" Yinzhen asked.
Yinzhi glanced at Kangxi, who had a sullen face, and said softly, "It's hard to say whether someone is seriously ill. It happened suddenly and there's no concrete evidence. Saying it now would only cause trouble for yourself."
Yinxiang sighed, "We expected Consort De and Consort Hui to act swiftly and decisively, leaving Consort Yi no time to react, but we didn't expect them to be this ruthless."
From the discovery that the Seventh Princess's medicine had been tampered with to her death, it was only a matter of time, from noon to night. Consort Yi had no time to make any arrangements and was pushed step by step to this point.
The current situation is very unfavorable for Consort Yi, especially now that the Crown Prince and the other princes have arrived at Yonghe Palace. This matter must be resolved tonight.
Emperor Kangxi was getting a headache from the noise, and Consort Yi couldn't come up with any evidence to defend herself. Consort Tong said from the side, "Your Majesty, it's getting late, and it's not right to keep arguing like this. Why don't you ask Consort Yi to stay in Yikun Palace for the time being and give the Seventh Princess a proper burial before we talk about anything else?"
Consort Tong's suggestion was indeed a compromise. Consort De and Consort Hui didn't know why Consort Tong would protect Consort Yi today, but things had already come to this point. Simply confining Consort Yi to her quarters would only give her a chance to catch her breath, which would make things difficult. Therefore, they would never back down.
Having been raised by Emperor Kangxi since childhood, the Crown Prince knew his father very well. Seeing Kangxi's increasingly worse complexion, he felt that Consort De and Consort Hui had gone too far. If things continued to escalate like this, his father might start to suspect that Consort De had orchestrated the whole thing.
The Crown Prince must also want to bring down Consort Yi and the Ninth Prince, so he helped Consort De and Consort Hui out of the blue.
"What Consort Tong says is true. Father Emperor has to attend the morning court tomorrow, so it is not very convenient for me to stay here. Consort De, please accept my condolences and properly bury Seventh Sister first."
After speaking, the Crown Prince glanced at the princes in Xianfu Palace who hadn't said a word, and suddenly felt something was off about Yinzhi's faint smile.
Yinzhen and Yinsi seemed too quiet tonight, constantly being led by the nose by them, which wasn't like them, especially Yinsi.
Kangxi breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the Crown Prince's words. Fortunately, Yinreng was sensible enough. Looking at the bustling room full of people with their own ulterior motives, he was just about to tell them to disperse and return to their palaces when another mishap occurred.
Suddenly, Xue Lu, Consort Yi's personal maid, dragged a maid from Yonghe Palace into the hall, stumbling and falling.
“Your Highness, I just saw this palace maid acting suspiciously outside, as if she was hiding something in her arms and was about to leave through the side gate. I was worried that she was trying to steal something in the chaos, so I stopped her.”
Xuelu had been outside the palace the whole time. Hearing the commotion inside, she was extremely anxious because it seemed to be bad for her mistress. She turned her head and saw a palace maid from Yonghe Palace sneaking out. She immediately grabbed the maid and pulled her into the palace without much struggle.
Regardless of what the palace maid was hiding in her bosom, the situation couldn't be any worse for their Yikun Palace.
Consort De was startled and glanced at Xia Yun. Xia Yun hadn't expected to run into Consort Yi's people either. Hadn't she been instructed to quietly leave through the back door?
Emperor Kangxi found it strange that the palace maid was clutching a package tightly, her head bowed and trembling.
"Which palace servant are you from?"
There are so many people in Yonghe Palace now that it's hard to say whose servant they are.
"Slave...slave..."
The palace maid trembled and could barely speak. Seeing this, Consort De quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this is Ruizhu from my palace. She serves the Seventh Princess. I just sent her to tidy up some of the things the Seventh Princess used."
"You foolish lackey, what's there to panic about?"
Consort De scolded Ruizhu in a low voice. Consort Yi, based on her years of experience in fighting with Consort De, sensed that something was wrong and that this little palace maid was definitely not simple.
“What Consort De is right. It’s just packing up some of the Seventh Princess’s things. What’s the rush? But this servant is dishonest and stole the princess’s things while there were many people around?” Consort Yi also stood up.
Consort Tong chimed in, saying that since the Seventh Princess had just arrived, they should investigate thoroughly.
Even Wen Shan thought it was too coincidental for the palace maid to appear, but Rui Zhu looked familiar to her as she had indeed served Consort De for many years.
"This wasn't arranged by you, was it?" Wen Shan asked Yinzhen and the others, looking down at them.
Yinzhen pointed at Yinsi: "Mother, you have to ask Eighth Brother about this."
Yinzhi smiled but remained silent.
Wen Shan could tell from his expression that he had once again been manipulated by Yin Si.
Consort De couldn't go too far in defending Ruizhu, so Emperor Kangxi glanced at Ruizhu's arms twice.
"Take the things out."
Ruizhu shook her head frantically and clung to him tightly, refusing to let go. Seeing this, Liang Jiugong stepped forward and held her down.
"You unruly servant, put it down right now!"
Two eunuchs restrained Ruizhu and took the package from her arms.
Liang Jiugong presented the document with both hands: "Your Majesty."
Kangxi lifted the hem of his robe and sat down: "Open it."
Consort De's heart sank, realizing something was wrong, and she began to ponder how to explain herself later.
When Liang Jiugong opened the package, everyone in the hall was drawn to it. Inside were several neatly folded clothes belonging to the Seventh Princess, as well as a few bracelets, longevity locks, and other jewelry. It did indeed look like what Consort De had said, that the palace maid had packed some of the Seventh Princess's daily necessities.
After watching the show for a while, Consort Rong said, "These are just everyday things. Did Consort De really have this servant pack them up? Why are you in such a panic?"
Emperor Kangxi also sensed something was amiss. Could it be that they really intended to take advantage of the situation to steal?
Ruizhu's face was deathly pale, and she could barely speak from beginning to end; her guilt was written all over her face.
Consort Yi naturally wouldn't let go of this only possible lifeline. After a careful look, she discovered what appeared to be a page of paper at the very bottom.
"What's at the very bottom?" Consort Yi asked loudly.
Wenshan looked over and saw a small corner peeking out from underneath, which looked like a piece of paper.
Kangxi raised his chin, and Liang Jiugong, understanding the meaning, pulled out the paper.
Consort Yi didn't know what was written on it. She glanced at Consort De's expression and saw that she seemed calm and composed. She wondered if this thing was useless.
Wen Shan and Kangxi were seated at the head of the table, to Kangxi's left. She was curious about what was written on it, so she peeked forward and was stunned by what she saw.
Wen Shan looked up at Consort De and then at Consort Yi.
This is truly a series of unexpected turns... and then another.
Kangxi's hand gradually clenched, but he placed the paper on the table with no expression on his face.
Consort Yi was the most anxious. She looked up and could only vaguely see some red characters.
Consort Rong and Consort Tong had thoroughly enjoyed the gossip tonight and were now eagerly awaiting what explosive news this suddenly appearing palace maid would bring.
Seeing Kangxi's expression, the Crown Prince sensed something was wrong and began to regret not seizing the opportunity to leave quickly when his father had told them to.
"Consort De, do you know what's written on this?" Kangxi asked calmly.
Consort De nodded and said softly, "It was the eulogy I wrote, which I asked Ruizhu to keep safe with me."
Wen Shan glanced at it again and asked, "Did you really write this yourself?"
Consort De sensed something was amiss and cautiously said, "I only wrote the eulogy; I haven't written anything else."
The Seventh Princess's illness was beyond saving. Half a month ago, the imperial physician told Consort De that even the best medicine could only prolong her life. At most, the Seventh Princess could survive for another six months until the end of the year.
After learning about this, Consort De thought about it for a long time and finally made a tough decision: since this daughter was destined to die, it would be better to let her go in a more worthwhile way.
This paves the way for her younger brother, so that if Yinzhen has the opportunity to ascend the throne in the future, he can give Xiaoqi posthumous honors, and Xiaoqi can be considered to have died a worthy death.
Even after personally cutting off the Seventh Princess's medication, Consort De still felt unbearably anxious. She never imagined that one day she would personally send her daughter to her death.
Still feeling uneasy, she wrote a eulogy and prepared to have some of the Seventh Princess's daily necessities sent to her for a prayer, hoping that the Seventh Princess could ascend to paradise soon.
Moreover, the master instructed that the ritual must be completed on the day of the Seventh Princess's death for it to be effective. That's why Consort De thought of having Ruizhu sneak out through the back door while Yonghe Palace was in chaos. But she never expected that this servant would appear in the front hall.
When Consort De saw Ruizhu being caught by Consort Yi's maid, she realized that something might be wrong with Ruizhu. If she had sneaked out through the back door, no one would have noticed. With the palace in chaos and the most influential people all in Yonghe Palace, no one would have paid any attention.
If Ruizhu really had a problem, then the memorial the Emperor saw... might not have been written by her.
Kangxi said coldly, "Liang Jiugong, go and summon all the imperial physicians who treated the Seventh Princess."
Emperor Kangxi threw the paper in front of Consort De.
"Take a look for yourself."
Consort Yi and the others couldn't help but peer forward to take a look.
The beginning was indeed a eulogy, but the last few sentences were written in blood.
It was written to the Seventh Princess in the voice of Consort De.
It is clearly written that it was Consort De who cut off the Seventh Princess's medication, which led to the Seventh Princess's sudden death.
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