"What a loyal servant!" Consort De praised. "But I heard that the deposed crown prince stopped having you serve him a long time ago? Why is that?"
A hint of pain flashed in A Bao's eyes; he had indeed not served the Crown Prince for a long time.
Seeing that A Bao remained silent, Consort De knew that her words had worked, and continued, "The deposed crown prince has now been deposed by the emperor, and he can no longer be the same as before. A Bao, I advise you to think about yourself."
Abao remained silent, unsure how to answer Consort De's question.
"I advise you to be sensible and answer the Empress's question quickly. Otherwise, you'll suffer later, and you'll regret it," the burly eunuch said in a gruff voice.
Consort De waved her hand, signaling him to be quiet. The eunuch quickly suppressed his anger and stepped aside.
"Abao, do you know who wants you dead the most right now?" Consort De pondered for a moment and asked.
Abao shook his head, looking at Consort De with a puzzled expression.
"How did Lady Li die? She raised two sons, so why did she commit suicide before the Crown Prince was dealt with? That doesn't make sense. I think you must know why she died. Abao, that man could be so cruel to a woman who bore him two sons, do you think he would care about your relationship?" Consort De said.
Sure enough, these words filled A Bao's eyes with hesitation. In fact, when he heard the news of Li's death, he was afraid that the Crown Prince would also come to kill him to silence him. He knew everything that Li knew.
"If I'm not mistaken, the deposed crown prince is definitely trying to figure out how to shut you up right now! Don't disbelieve me, he's most afraid of what you'll say right now, so he'd rather you die than live. I'll give you three more days, and we'll make a bet. If you can get through these three days safely, I'll let you go, how about it?" Consort De said, glancing at A Bao.
Abao stared at Consort De in disbelief; her words had just thrown him into disarray. She said the Crown Prince would do everything in his power to kill her! You probably told him you wouldn't betray him!
"What, you don't dare? I could easily torture you, but I simply can't bear to do it to someone as pitiful as you. So I'm willing to take this bet with you!" Consort De said.
“Thank you, Your Highness. Then this servant has overstepped his bounds. If this servant is not coerced by anyone within three days, will Your Highness keep your promise and release this servant?” Abao asked resolutely.
"It's a deal!" Consort De interjected. "Take him back to his cell, do not torture him, and send him three meals a day on time. Do not mistreat him!"
After Consort De left, the burly eunuch walked up to A Bao, spat heavily on the ground, and said, "You got off easy, kid. You're the first one to enter my Department of Strict Punishment without being tortured!"
Consort De went outside and said to the executioner who had followed her out, "Do you have a way to get the news that Abao is about to confess under torture to the deposed crown prince?"
The fat eunuch then understood Consort De's intention and hurriedly said ingratiatingly, "That's not difficult. Just talk to the eunuchs who deliver daily necessities to the deposed crown prince's palace and give them a little something, and they'll be happy to pass on the message."
Consort De nodded and said, "Alright, you are responsible for conveying the news that Abao couldn't survive in the Censorate to the deposed Crown Prince. I will remember you during the next annual assessment."
"Ha, it is only my duty and a willing obligation to serve Your Majesty. How could I dare to ask Your Majesty to remember me? However, since Your Majesty is so considerate of me, I will certainly do my utmost for you!" the fat eunuch hurriedly swore.
"Hehe, I don't need you to give your all, I just need you to use your words and think about how to help the deposed crown prince kill A Bao!" Consort De said.
The portly eunuch understood Consort De's intentions. Consort De had deliberately mentioned making a bet with A Bao, a bet she was certain to win. The deposed crown prince would definitely come, but he was currently in a predicament and might not be able to attend. Therefore, Consort De wanted him to help lure the deposed crown prince here, to make A Bao give up and force him to talk. This might be more effective than torture; it was a psychological attack!
After seeing Consort De and her entourage off, the fat eunuch couldn't help but think to himself: None of the women in this harem are clean. They'll stop at nothing to achieve their own interests. They have countless methods and tricks up their sleeves; it just depends on how they choose to play their part.
A day later, the two eunuchs who delivered meals to the deposed crown prince's palace started gossiping after they finished delivering the food. Among the gossips were who had been unlucky in the Department of Punishments, how they were tortured, how they confessed, and so on.
As expected, the deposed crown prince overheard these words and became restless. Although A Bao had said he wouldn't say anything he shouldn't, there was no guarantee he wouldn't be able to withstand those terrible tortures.
The deposed crown prince went to the room of the deposed crown princess, Lady Shi, to discuss the matter of A Bao with her.
"I advised Your Highness to get rid of this A Bao back then, but now Your Highness has spared him as a threat," Shi said dejectedly. She knew the situation was hopeless, but she didn't want the Crown Prince and her past actions to be exposed, lest Kangxi punish them even more severely.
"Alright, what's the point of saying all this now? Li shouldn't have been killed. If she hadn't died, how could Consort De have come here?" The deposed crown prince glared at Shi and said.
"Even at this point, Your Highness is still reluctant to part with that wretched woman?" Shi Shi said sharply.
"No, I just feel that I shouldn't kill her at this time. I'm afraid it would be like lifting a stone only to drop it on my own foot," the deposed crown prince said irritably.
"Your Highness, the two children she left you are the Emperor's own grandchildren. Why don't you let them..." Shi Shi said, clinging to a sliver of hope.
“Father will never see them. Besides, they have suddenly lost their mother, so how can we expect anything from them? If that Abao says something he shouldn’t, then we will be even more guilty,” the Crown Prince said.
"Your Highness, why don't we think of a way to have him die in the Imperial Prison? Only the dead will not reveal secrets," said Shi.
"If neither of us can get out, how can we get rid of him?" the prince said.
“Where there’s money, there’s a way. Your Highness, we can use money to bribe those who deliver our meals. If they’re willing to help, getting A Bao out won’t be difficult,” said Shi Shi.
"Tell me, how can we use them?" the prince asked.
"Just say that the Crown Prince was worried that A Bao was not doing well in the Censorate, so he specially sent someone to visit her and bring her wine and food to comfort her. That should be acceptable, right? A Bao is, after all, His Highness's person. It is not unreasonable for His Highness to send someone to visit her. They would never think that His Highness would poison her there," Shi said, thinking herself clever.
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