Since returning to the palace, Emperor Kangxi had been resting in the warm pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, neither visiting any of his concubines nor summoning anyone to the Qianqing Palace. When Consort De came to see Emperor Kangxi, she naturally had to request permission first.
"This servant greets Your Highness!" Liang Jiugong was scolding several eunuchs outside the palace gate. They had been reprimanded for disturbing Kangxi's afternoon nap by making too much noise while serving him.
Consort De, dressed in a dark green cheongsam and with her hair styled in a traditional Manchu style, arrived at the entrance of Qianqing Palace, supported by her nanny, De Mama. It had been a long time since she had been here; ever since her green headband was removed from the palace, Consort De had rarely moved around.
"What is Eunuch Liang doing?" Consort De asked with a smile.
“These servants are really bad at reading things. His Majesty is taking a nap, and none of them can be careful in their actions. Luckily, His Majesty didn’t blame them, otherwise you would have received a severe scolding from me today, or your backsides would have been bruised and battered,” Liang Jiugong said.
Consort De felt a little nervous as she listened. Emperor Kangxi's temper was not usually so violent. He was quite considerate of his servants and rarely punished them.
"Your Highness, may I go in and inform her?" Liang Jiugong waved his hand, signaling the servants to leave.
"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Liang," Consort De said politely. The Fourth Prince had come to ask her to intercede for the Thirteenth Prince, but Consort De knew that she probably couldn't get that favor. The Fourth Prince then asked that Lady Zhaojia accompany the Thirteenth Prince to take care of his daily life, and Consort De agreed to this request anyway.
Emperor Kangxi was sleeping on a warm couch, covered with a lambskin blanket. When Consort De entered, Kangxi had already allowed the maidservants who were attending to him to sit up.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully wish you good health!" Consort De pulled away from Granny De's hand, walked towards Emperor Kangxi, raised her hand holding a handkerchief, and performed a curtsy to pay her respects.
"You've arrived, please sit down." Kangxi looked at the dignified and graceful Consort De. Although the years had left their mark on her face, her features remained serene and elegant. Her long years in the palace had also given her a sense of composure and calmness.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Consort De smiled faintly and slowly walked to the high-backed chair next to the heated couch and sat down.
"You may leave," Kangxi said to the lady-in-waiting standing to the side. The lady-in-waiting appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a charming and delicate appearance and a dignified demeanor. She had recently been promoted from a palace maid to a lady-in-waiting by Kangxi.
Consort De glanced at her indifferently before looking away.
"Are you here to plead for the thirteenth prince?" Kangxi asked.
"As Thirteen's foster mother, I should plead for Thirteen's life. However, I think that His Majesty is also Thirteen's father. Why would he send that child to such a remote place for no reason? There must be a reason," Consort De said calmly.
Kangxi looked at Consort De and sighed, "You understand me best. So you didn't come here to plead for the Thirteenth Prince?"
Consort De continued, “I have come here to plead for the Thirteenth Prince’s wife. After all, the Thirteenth Prince is the Emperor’s son. He has been raised in luxury since childhood, pampered by servants. Now that he has been suddenly sent to such a harsh place, I am truly worried about his health. The Thirteenth Prince’s wife, Lady Zhaojia, is virtuous, gentle, and intelligent. She and the Thirteenth Prince are deeply in love. Seeing that her husband is about to leave, she does not want to stay alone in the mansion. Therefore, she has come to beg me to allow her to go with the Thirteenth Prince to the beekeeping alley to pray for the Emperor’s well-being.”
Upon hearing this, Kangxi showed a slight surprise, after all, no one had ever requested permission to go to such a place. Moreover, although Consort De had not pleaded for the Thirteenth Prince, her every word reminded him that the Thirteenth Prince was his own son.
"Granted. The Thirteenth Prince's wife is indeed a good one," Kangxi said after a moment's thought.
Consort De's face lit up with joy, and she quickly stood up, curtsied, and said, "On behalf of the Thirteenth Prince and his consort, I thank Your Majesty for your grace."
Upon hearing this, Kangxi felt uneasy. After all, he had exiled the thirteenth prince to such a place, and now he had forcibly separated the couple, and they were now asking to go and be punished together.
Kangxi recalled the appearance of the Thirteenth Prince and his birth mother, Consort Minjing, and sighed, "The Thirteenth Prince is truly unworthy of being my son. At such a time, he actually went against me; he is truly disloyal and unfilial!"
Consort De's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly said, "He is still young at thirteen. I beg Your Majesty to spare him this time, for the sake of Consort Min."
Emperor Kangxi said excitedly, "If it weren't for the fact that he is still my son, I would have already beheaded him. The Crown Prince is plotting a rebellion, and he actually aided and abetted the evildoer, helping the Crown Prince to murder me. I am truly disappointed in him."
Consort De felt a tightness in her heart. She wanted to say a few words for the Thirteenth Prince, but seeing Kangxi's expression, she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
Disloyalty, filial impiety, treason! These are grave crimes, and Kangxi has already made his judgment. Even if I were to say a few words in defense of the Thirteenth Prince, it would likely be difficult to quell the Emperor's suspicions. The Crown Prince was ultimately confined to Minqing Palace, forbidden from any visit or entry or exit. Only a few palace maids were allowed to pass through each day to deliver daily necessities. Kangxi was plotting to depose the Crown Prince, and the political climate in the capital was suddenly in turmoil. Officials from all over the country were watching the capital with bated breath.
When the thirteenth prince was sent to the bee-keeping alley, his wife, Lady Zhaojia, followed him without hesitation, becoming the talk of the town among the princes' wives. Ultimately, it was the thirteenth prince's adoptive mother, Consort De, who persuaded Emperor Kangxi to allow Lady Zhaojia to go with him.
Afterwards, Consort De summoned the Fourth Prince and told him everything about her conversation with Emperor Kangxi that day. The Fourth Prince immediately understood why the Thirteenth Prince had been exiled by his father, the Emperor. It was because he had not followed Emperor Kangxi's orders to prevent the Crown Prince from leaving his tent. Not only that, but he had also gone with the Crown Prince to fetch reinforcements, which led Emperor Kangxi to mistakenly believe that he had conspired with the Crown Prince to harm him.
An emperor's momentary whim can determine the life and death of others. At that moment, Kangxi was convinced that the Thirteenth Prince and the Crown Prince were plotting a rebellion. As for those who were not involved in the matter, no matter what they said, they could not dispel Kangxi's suspicions. The Fourth Prince knew that he had truly lost an ally this time. The Thirteenth Prince was thus exiled to that unbearable place, not knowing when he would be pardoned by Kangxi.
However, the current situation didn't allow Fourth Prince to dwell on Thirteenth Prince's affairs. There was an even more important matter: the deposition and establishment of the Crown Prince. Kangxi wanted to depose the Crown Prince, but at the same time, he also wanted to establish a new one. Besides Second Prince Ying Ren, who else was qualified to become the Crown Prince of the Qing Dynasty? This question hung over everyone's heads. Even Prince Zhi, who was fighting far away in the northern deserts, disregarded the war and secretly returned to the capital upon hearing the news.
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