Chapter 50 Longkodo
Having just ordered someone to send Qingying back to the manor, Madam Wuya rubbed her forehead, feeling irritated.
At this moment, Zhu Xi placed a bowl of side dishes on the table. "Your Majesty, Lord Longkodo has just sent in some pickles. Would you like to try them?"
Uya glanced at it coldly, "Pickled vegetables, pickled vegetables, after decades, all you've learned is this."
"Your Majesty..." Zhu Xi looked at her in surprise. In the past, when Lord Longkodo sent things, Your Majesty was either happy or sad. When had she ever shown such... such annoyance?
Wuya took Zhuxi's hand and sat down at the table, smiling slightly. "Zhuxi, you're an old hand in the palace, how can you not understand such a simple thing? Longkodo's pickles always appear at just the right time."
Zhu Xi suddenly realized, and her words were tinged with resentment: "They're taking advantage of General Nian's departure to try and get the Empress Dowager to speak well of him."
"Isn't that just taking advantage of them?"
Uya smiled and stirred the side dishes in her bowl a few times. "It's been decades. How many children have been born and died? How much affection can there be between me and him? It's all just exploitation."
Uya understood perfectly. If Longkodo still harbored any feelings for her, those feelings were inevitably mixed with a touch of guilt, a three-tenths of unrequited love, and a six-tenths of the thrill of competing with the late emperor for a woman. Of course, no matter how deep those feelings appeared, it wouldn't stop him from using them to gain more benefits.
The same was true for her. Longkodo thought he had kept it a secret, but she was from the Uya clan of the Imperial Household Department. How could she not know what color the Emperor liked? From the moment she learned that Longkodo had deliberately tricked her into entering the palace to have a child with the Tongjia clan, she had given up on Longkodo.
When the late emperor was alive, he pretended to be reluctant and nostalgic, but only for her position; and after the fourth prince ascended the throne, even though he knew he disliked her, he still frequently mentioned Longkodo, just to have another ally to rely on against his mother.
She almost forgot about Longkodo because he didn't bring in any pickles.
In the past, he was kept around because there was profit to be made, but now the situation is different. In order to be a flawless Empress Dowager, it is time to deal with the stains.
“Nian Gengyao has left. Knowing the Fourth Prince’s temperament, he won’t tolerate Longkodo for long. Before that, we need to resolve the knot in the Fourth Prince’s heart, and we can’t let it affect me…”
Uya picked up a small piece of food with her chopsticks, looked at it, and instructed, "Have the people from Yangxin Hall give the Fourth Prince a heads-up. The dishes that Longkodo sent in, the Fourth Prince must be very curious about my opinion."
"Yes, I understand."
Zhu Xi smiled and withdrew. Soon after, Yongzheng, who was keen on eavesdropping, once again brought Su Peisheng to a corner of Shou Kang Palace.
Watching the Emperor listen to the conversation inside with nervousness and caution, Su Peisheng sighed silently. The Empress Dowager was about to make another big move. He wondered what it was for this time.
“Longkodo has become increasingly audacious, even wanting to seize military power. When the fourth prince first ascended the throne, I was ignorant of politics, but I was worried that outsiders would say I was heartless and ungrateful, so I always stopped him from dealing with Longkodo. Now it seems he has no gratitude whatsoever and is becoming more and more demanding. Perhaps I made a mistake from the very beginning…”
Su Peisheng's eyes widened. Was the Empress Dowager really that ruthless? Was she going to make a move against her old lover?
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty is only thinking of the Emperor. If anyone is to blame, it is Longkodo who has failed the Emperor's grace."
"I also have my faults. When the late emperor was alive, he tricked me into entering the palace to bear a child for the Tongjia clan, and I had already severed ties with him. But later, after losing my sons one after another, for the sake of my status, and also to make the Tongjia clan take better care of the fourth prince, I... Now that the fourth prince has ascended the throne, he has become Longkodo's handle to control me..."
Seeing the Emperor's clenched fist, Su Peisheng felt immense admiration. Indeed, it had to be the Empress Dowager; she knew the Emperor's inner turmoil, and if she wanted to, there was nothing she couldn't resolve.
"I'm always worried that if I push Longkodo into a corner, he'll spread the word and tarnish the Fourth Prince's reputation. It's not easy for the Fourth Prince to handle state affairs..."
"But Your Majesty, you can't keep being threatened like this. The Emperor doesn't know either. What if it affects your deep bond as mother and son?"
"Alas... what can a woman in the harem do? At worst, we'll fight to the death, and I'll take a cup of poison with him."
"Your Majesty!"
"Zhu Xi, don't be nervous, it's not that bad yet..."
Yongzheng could no longer hear what was said after that. At this moment, he was filled with guilt and anger. He felt guilty that his mother had given herself to Longkodo for his sake, and he was angry that Longkodo dared to use this matter to blackmail his mother!
Hearing is believing. His arrival was so sudden and his hiding so well that Yongzheng naturally believed him. Moreover, his mother was quite frank; she didn't say it was entirely for him, but also admitted to having her own selfish motives, namely, for her own position.
But is this a problem? In Yongzheng's eyes, it's not a problem at all.
He knew perfectly well how deep the waters of the imperial harem ran, and it wasn't wrong for his mother to want a better life!
So, in the end, it's all Longkodo's fault!
Seeing the Emperor's low spirits and constant muttering of Longkodo's name, his words filled with murderous intent, Su Peisheng inwardly agreed. They were truly mother and son; when it came to controlling the Emperor, no one could surpass the Empress Dowager.
He could boldly predict that this powerful and influential Master Tong wouldn't live much longer—
...
At the New Year's Eve banquet in the third year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the Emperor announced in front of everyone that he had specially granted Nian Gengyao the title of Grand Tutor of the First Rank, and appointed him to be responsible for teaching martial arts to the three princes.
Nian Gengyao, who looked much thinner, knelt down on the spot to express his gratitude and wept with joy.
Afterwards, the Emperor issued another decree to bestow titles upon the concubines: Consort Hua was promoted to Noble Consort Hua, Consort Jing to Noble Consort Jing, Consort Yu to Noble Consort Yu, Noble Lady Fucha to Consort He, and Noble Lady Xin to Consort Xin. All the others who were not promoted received rewards.
The imperial edict made the atmosphere at the palace banquet even more lively.
The emperor seemed unusually cheerful and drank a couple more cups, appearing extremely close to Longkodo, and his words hinted at entrusting him with great power in the army.
Not only was Longkodo beaming with joy, but everyone else who heard it couldn't help but marvel at the Emperor's trust in him.
As a result, even more people visited the Tong family during the holidays.
Unfortunately, before the festive atmosphere of the New Year had even faded, Longkodo suddenly died at home. The Emperor was furious and dispatched the Imperial Clan Court, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice to investigate the truth.
It was discovered that Longkodo's beloved concubine, Li Si'er, had personally cooked a feast to celebrate his birthday, but she had secretly mixed poisonous mushrooms into the dishes. In addition, Longkodo drank too much alcohol and did not receive timely treatment after the poisoning, which led to his death.
Further investigation revealed that Li Si'er had personally selected the mushrooms to express her feelings. Because the old woman selling the mushrooms had accidentally soiled her skirt, she not only stole the mushrooms without paying but also beat her up, causing the old woman to die young.
Because it was the unexpected death of a high-ranking official, and because the emperor attached great importance to it, with multiple departments conducting a joint investigation, the truth was bound to be made public. As a result, the news of such an absurd death spread to the ears of the public, leaving everyone speechless.
Furthermore, during the arrest of Li Si'er, they discovered Longkodo's first wife, whom she had turned into a human pig. Such a tragedy immediately ruined Longkodo's reputation.
A rumor began to circulate that Longkodo had committed too many sins, and that Heaven intended to take him away.
Gradually, when people mention this Master Tong, their first impression is that he is a wicked man who has committed so many evil deeds that even Heaven cannot stand by and watch.
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