Even after the Fourth Prince and his entourage returned to the Forbidden City, Emperor Kangxi still hadn't taken action against the Shi family! This was because many foreigners remained in the capital. With them there, Kangxi had to consider his reputation; he could only deal with the Crown Prince's rebellion and the corrupt officials' abuse of power after they had all left.
The Shi family, father and son, have been imprisoned. Their mansion has been sealed off, with soldiers guarding the gate. Inside, men, women, and children weep day and night, awaiting their impending doom.
In the palace, envoys from various countries have been bidding farewell to Emperor Kangxi these past few days! They have witnessed firsthand the power and prosperity of the Qing Dynasty during their recent audiences and hunts. They should not dare to invade in the short term.
Emperor Kangxi seems to have aged a bit these past few days. His throat and headache flare up, and he's hiding in the Qianqing Palace, refusing to see anyone!
"Your Majesty, Consort De requests an audience!" Liang Jiugong said to the heartbroken emperor inside, standing at the door.
After a moment of silence, Kangxi said, "Let her in!"
Actually, before Consort De arrived, several concubines had already come to offer soup and pay their respects to Emperor Kangxi. Among them was Consort Li, who was immediately stripped of her rank and demoted to a palace maid because she was dressed too seductively! After this incident, the women in the harem who had any ambitions dared not come at this time!
However, Emperor Kangxi bestowed a special reward upon Consort Rong, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, causing the other concubines in the harem to look on with suspicion, each speculating about the emperor's intentions. Could it be that with the Crown Prince fallen, Prince Yi is about to ascend the throne?
Since returning from the Western Hills hunting grounds, Consort De had not come to pay her respects to Emperor Kangxi. She understood Kangxi's grief, and the beautifully dressed Consort Li was the best testament to it.
“Your Majesty, His Majesty’s old illness has flared up these past few days. Please be careful when you see him later!” Liang Jiugong said.
"Thank you for your advice, Eunuch. I know! I've raised my son for so many years, who knew he would do such a thing!" Consort De sighed.
“Indeed, even the servants are heartbroken!” Liang Jiugong said.
When Consort De entered Kangxi's room, she saw that Kangxi's eyes were sunken, and he was still coughing incessantly, refusing to rest, and was still looking at something.
"Your Majesty, please take care of your health. Let the Grand Secretariat see these!" Consort De stepped forward, took the memorials from Kangxi's hands, and said gently.
Instead of being angry, Emperor Kangxi smiled at Consort De and said, "If I don't take a look, they won't be able to issue an imperial decree!"
Emperor Kangxi always appreciated Consort De's tenderness! This woman treated him like any ordinary wife, even though she was merely his concubine. Yet, she was the de facto mistress of the harem, the head of the four consorts!
"Your Majesty, I have received a report that the deposed Crown Prince's concubine, Lady Li, has hanged herself!" Consort De said.
Since the Crown Prince's palace was sealed off and the Crown Princess and Lady Li were escorted back, all the necessities inside have been delivered by special personnel!
Emperor Kangxi frowned. Was Consort Li's behavior a form of protest? Was she expressing dissatisfaction with his deposed crown prince? Was she using this method to exert pressure?
When the Crown Prince was dismissed again, some officials, unaware of the full story, submitted memorials pleading for his life. Kangxi accepted them all without replying or reprimanding them.
"A mere concubine has dared to defy my decree. Strip her of her status and forbid her from entering the imperial mausoleum!" Kangxi said coldly.
After pondering for a moment, Consort De said, "I went to see Li's body and found that she was forcibly strangled and then hung from the beam!"
Emperor Kangxi was taken aback and asked, "Who would dare to commit violence in the Crown Prince's palace?"
Consort De shook her head and said, "I don't know yet. I came to ask Your Majesty whether this matter should be investigated?"
Since the crown prince has already been deposed, it is quite possible that his concubine committed suicide out of fear!
"Investigate! Investigate to the end!" Kangxi gritted his teeth and said, "Hongxi and Hongxi are both her children, and those two grandsons are my grandsons!"
Consort De understood Kangxi's attitude and nodded, saying, "Your Majesty, I think so too! The Fourteenth Prince told me that he wanted to come in and keep Your Majesty company, but Your Majesty refused to see him!"
Kangxi forced a smile and said, "What's wrong with that little rascal? Did he quarrel with his wife again?"
Consort De smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the Fourteenth Princess Consort is pregnant!"
Kangxi was taken aback, then smiled from the bottom of his heart and said, "You little rascal! He finally has a legitimate son! Let him in!"
After the Consort De curtsied, she went to call the Fourteenth Prince who was waiting outside!
From then on, the Fourteenth Prince frequently visited the Qianqing Palace to accompany Emperor Kangxi, and was greatly favored! Seeing this, others speculated that the Fourteenth Prince might be Emperor Kangxi's chosen candidate for the new crown prince!
To investigate Li's death, Consort De sent all the palace maids and eunuchs in her palace to the Censorate! She felt that Li's death was too sudden; a woman who had given birth to two sons shouldn't have been willing to abandon them! Even if the Crown Prince was deposed, Emperor Kangxi, out of consideration for his grandson, wouldn't make things difficult for Li and her sons! Even ants try to survive, let alone humans!
After being tortured by the Imperial Prison, a palace maid named Tanxiang, who knew the inside story, finally confessed to the true cause of Li's death—she was suffocated by the Crown Prince himself!
According to Tanxiang, Li seemed to know some secrets about the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. Then the Crown Princess instigated the Crown Prince to kill Li so that the secret she knew would not be known to anyone!
Tanxiang also confessed that the secret was related to a prince, but she didn't know who it was related to. However, she did say that someone might know!
"Abao!" Consort De repeated the servant's report.
"It is him, the deposed crown prince's personal eunuch!" said the executioner from the Censorate.
Consort De pondered for a moment, then said to him, "Send someone to capture A Bao immediately!"
When the eunuchs from the Censorate appeared in the Crown Prince's palace, the palace servants inside were all terrified. The tragic scene that Li's palace servants had witnessed when they returned from the Censorate was still fresh in their minds!
"Abao! Where does Abao live?!" A burly eunuch with a face full of scars shouted loudly at a group of timid eunuchs.
"Wasn't Abao beaten to death by the Crown Prince?" a small voice said.
"Who's there! Step forward and take me to A Bao!" the burly eunuch shouted immediately.
When they arrived at the house where Abao lived, they were so overwhelmed by the stench that they had to cover their noses!
"Where is this place? It stinks!" the eunuch shouted.
“A Bao is right there!” someone continued. “He was rejected by the deposed crown prince and was flogged. It’s a miracle he’s still alive!”
The burly eunuch walked to A Bao's bedside, looked at the person on the bed, and felt even more disgusted.
Clearly, no one was taking care of him. He left his leftovers everywhere, and they had long since gone bad and tasted stale!
"Are you A Bao?!" asked the burly eunuch.
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