“Ulanara, thirty years have passed. Why are you still clinging to the past? Why not reconcile with our Empress? Our Empress is kind-hearted and will put in a good word for you with the Emperor. Perhaps she can get you out of the Cold Palace,” said Granny De.
“After leaving the Cold Palace, we’ll go to the nunnery behind it, right?” Consort Qi stared fiercely at Granny De.
From Consort Qi's eyes, Granny De could see that she had never repented and was still the same ruthless woman who would stop at nothing. She sighed inwardly and said, "Consort Qi, there are many ways our Lady can get you to speak up, but she didn't use them. She still sent me to persuade Your Highness. Why is Your Highness so stubborn?"
"Wuya Wanxiu is always putting on an act. She loves to pretend to be magnanimous and a good person in front of others. Back then, she was just a palace maid who seduced the Emperor. Vixen!" Consort Qi cursed.
“Ulanara, do you know that for what you just said, Zhou Cheng could beat you to death today without any repercussions? I advise you to honestly tell our Lady that who gave you that thing back then, and whether it is still in the palace. Otherwise, I'm afraid your days will be very difficult.” Seeing that she was still stubborn, Granny De had no choice but to threaten her.
Sometimes, when reasoning fails, threats are more effective. This is the rule of the harem: reason and rules are no match for absolute power.
Consort De was no longer the palace maid she once was. As the head of the four consorts, she was highly regarded by the emperor. It would be easy for her to deal with a discarded consort in the cold palace.
Consort Qi looked coldly at Granny De, calculating in her mind what she could still do to contend with the Uya clan who had served her in the past. In the end, she realized that she had no power to resist, and could only sigh and say, "I only found out about that thing by chance."
"Who gave it to you?" Granny De pressed. "How come the Imperial Household Department still has such things?"
"Does your master really want to know?" Consort Qi suddenly laughed sarcastically.
“Otherwise, this servant wouldn’t have come to disturb Your Highness’s meditation today!” said Granny De.
"Then you'd better not regret it! Actually, the person who gave that thing is someone your master can't afford to offend!" Consort Qi said, raising an eyebrow.
Granny De glared at Ulanara and roared, "Speaking nonsense! The master has never caused you any trouble all these years! If you don't repent, you probably won't live more than a few days!"
"Haha, you think you can live just because I told you?" Ulanara said sarcastically.
Granny De stared at her in surprise, trying to find a trace of lying on her face, but there was none!
Who exactly is this person that Consort De in the palace cannot afford to offend?
Seeing that she could no longer get anything useful out of Ulanara, Granny De finally gave up.
After instructing Zhou Cheng not to mistreat Ulanaka, she hurriedly returned to Yonghe Palace!
Inside Yonghe Palace, Consort De looked rather unwell, because since Kangxi's return, he hadn't visited her palace, nor had he even sent anyone to deliver a message. In fact, in the few days since Kangxi's return, apart from seeing Consort Wang, perhaps to take care of his personal needs, he hadn't seen anyone else.
"How is she? Is she still there?" Consort De asked, noticing that Granny De's complexion was not good when she came in.
"Your Majesty, Ulanara is still there. She has aged a lot, but her mind is still as twisted and unruly as ever!" Granny De said to Consort De.
A strange look flashed across Consort De's face as she asked, "What did she say?"
“She said that back then, it was someone you can’t even fight now who gave it to her and instructed her to do it!” Granny De said, bowing her head.
"What? Someone I can't fight against?" Consort De was clearly enraged by these words. Now, besides the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, who else could she not fight against? All three of Kangxi's empresses were no longer alive. Who else could she not fight against?
As Consort De was thinking this, a voice suddenly reminded her in her mind, "Could it be the Empress Dowager?"
"Impossible, it couldn't be her!" Consort De shook her head and said.
"Your Highness, what's wrong?" Granny De asked hastily, noticing Consort De's appearance as if she had remembered something.
“Hui Rong, who is there now that I cannot disobey? Apart from the Emperor.” Consort De looked up at Granny De and said.
Looking at Consort De, Granny De opened her mouth in surprise and said in disbelief, "Empress Dowager!"
Consort De nodded, then shook her head and said, "No, it must be her deliberate attempt to sow discord between me and the Empress Dowager. Yes, that must be it. What a vicious mind! Ulanara has truly shown no remorse whatsoever."
Seeing that Consort De seemed completely unwilling to believe that the person Consort Qi was referring to was actually the Empress Dowager, Consort De also began to have some doubts. If it really was the Empress Dowager, then she was truly terrifying; to possess such a thing was simply unimaginable.
A few days later, Consort Qi suddenly died in the Cold Palace. Although she had been banished to the Cold Palace by Emperor Kangxi thirty years ago, her title was not stripped, so she was buried as a consort.
“Granny De, it seems what she said that day was true. Otherwise, how come she died just now when I went to ask her questions after thirty years?” Consort De said, standing in front of the bronze vat in Yonghe Palace.
“Your Majesty, if it really is the Empress Dowager, then why would she do this? This old servant remembers that the Empress Dowager valued you very much back then!” said Granny De.
"But behind my back, she instructed Consort Qi to use that kind of thing on me! Our Empress Dowager is truly unpredictable!" Consort De said sarcastically.
"But later, she also raised the fourth princess, and the affection she showed for the fourth princess didn't seem fake," said Granny De.
“Wenyi is just a princess, she doesn’t have much influence on the Emperor. The Empress Dowager is probably more concerned about her daughter,” Consort De said.
“Those two are both married. The Empress Dowager is from Khorchin. Are they afraid that Your Highness will gain too much favor with the Emperor?” said Granny De.
"Hmph, most likely. Women from the Khorchin all become empresses. However, apart from the Empress Dowager, none of the Khorchin women are favored by the Emperor," said Consort De.
“Your Majesty, this matter involves the Empress Dowager. But was the bewitching incense at Consort Niu’s place also ordered by the Empress Dowager? Why would she want to deal with Niohuru?” asked Granny De.
"This is also something I can't understand. The Empress Dowager's reach is a bit too far. She's even extending her influence into my son's residence," said Consort De.
"Your Majesty, should we speak to the Emperor about this?" asked Granny De.
Consort De threw all the fish food in her hand into the water tank, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and said, "Do not disturb the Emperor before there is confirmed evidence."
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