Emperor Kangxi suddenly fell ill and fainted. Liang Jiugong immediately ordered the young concubine on the dragon bed to be sent back, then hurriedly carried a hexagonal palace lantern to Consort De's palace to fetch her. Since the Empress Dowager's passing, Consorts De and Yi had been in charge of most affairs in the harem. Without a second thought, Liang Jiugong went to Consort De's palace.
Consort De went to bed late and was still awake at this time, sitting cross-legged on the bamboo couch tending to her Buddhist prayers.
"Your Highness!" The palace maid on night watch hurried in and stopped a few feet away from Consort De, calling out in a low voice.
"What's the matter that you're in such a panic?" Consort De asked, her lips barely moving.
"Eunuch Liang from the Qianqing Palace has arrived!" the palace maid hurriedly announced, lowering her eyes. She had recognized Liang Jiugong's presence just now and knew it concerned the Emperor, which had made her quite anxious.
Consort De suddenly opened her eyes and immediately said, "Please come in quickly!"
"This servant greets Consort De!" Liang Jiugong bowed deeply upon seeing Consort De. He already had a full head of white hair, and the wrinkles on his face were as deep as hills and valleys; he was actually older than Emperor Kangxi.
"Please rise, Your Excellency. There must be something urgent. At this time, there is no need for such formalities." Consort De had already ordered the Buddha statue to be removed, and at this moment she was holding a jade bracelet in her hand, counting the money.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Liang Jiugong stood up and said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has just fainted. Please come with this old servant."
What?
The jade bead with excellent clarity that Consort De held fell with a thud onto the footrest below.
Consort De, supported by a palace maid, hurriedly followed Liang Jiugong out of Yonghe Palace. There was no time to call for a sedan chair, and the group rushed towards Qianqing Palace.
"Your Majesty, this old servant hasn't had a chance to inform anyone yet? Should we go and report to Yikun Palace?" Liang Jiugong asked cautiously.
Consort De paused slightly before saying, "Go ahead, but I'll go see the Emperor first before sending someone."
"Yes, sir!" Liang Jiugong responded softly, and immediately followed Consort De's footsteps toward the Qianqing Palace.
At that time, Doctor Liang and several other imperial physicians on duty had already surrounded the dragon bed. Fortunately, there were several ice basins in the room, otherwise everyone would probably be sweating profusely by now.
"Your Majesty!"
When the imperial physicians saw Consort De arrive, they immediately called out to her in unison. However, Doctor Liang was a step behind and followed the others, bowing softly.
"How is the Emperor?" Consort De sternly glanced at everyone, only to find that the only people in the room were the imperial physicians and two eunuchs standing in the corner.
The imperial physicians exchanged glances, none of them daring to step forward and answer Consort De's question.
"Are you all mute! Imperial Physician Lin, you speak!" Seeing that everyone remained silent, Consort De raised her voice. Having spent decades indulging in debauchery in the harem, Consort De was well aware of what these people were thinking.
"Eunuch Liang, make them all leave. Except for the imperial physician and you, everyone else, get out. No eavesdropping. Anyone caught doing so will be beaten to death!" Consort De waved her hand, her voice stern.
Liang Jiugong hurriedly hunched over and led the two eunuchs in the room, along with the four palace maids who had come with Consort De, out of the room. He also called the people outside out and made them all stand outside in the pitch black, forbidding them from standing inside the room. After scolding them a few times, he turned and walked into the inner room.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty is experiencing excessive internal heat, yet he is also very weak. Men are supposed to be energetic and not weak, but His Majesty is indeed like this, which we find puzzling. His Majesty's daily diet consists of warming and nourishing foods, so he shouldn't be exhibiting these symptoms," Imperial Physician Lin said haltingly. "The Emperor has been having his pulse checked by imperial physicians daily recently, and we have reviewed the records, which state that His Majesty is in good health."
"But now the person has fainted. How is His Majesty?" Consort De interrupted him impatiently.
"Your Majesty, Physician Zhang has just administered acupuncture to His Majesty, and he should wake up soon," Doctor Lin hurriedly reported.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside, and a voice that made Consort De frown involuntarily came over.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Consort Yi entered with several palace maids and eunuchs, and saw that Emperor Kangxi was still lying on the dragon bed, unconscious. She then saw Consort De standing there with a group of imperial physicians looking at her.
"Your Majesty!" Ignoring Consort De's expression, Consort Yi strode to Kangxi's bedside and reached out to touch his hand. She saw that the man on the bed was indeed nearing the end of his life; his withered hands had almost no flesh left, just a thin layer of skin covering them.
Consort De, or Consort Yi, had both been removed from the list of those who had been imprisoned and had not been near Emperor Kangxi for a long time. Seeing how thin he had become, they were both greatly alarmed.
"You dog servants, how have you served the Emperor! How did the Emperor become so thin!" Consort Yi held Kangxi's hand in her own and turned to glare at Liang Jiugong, shouting.
“Sister, there’s no need for this. How can you disturb the Emperor? His health has been poor for years,” Consort De immediately stopped Liang Jiugong. She knew that Consort Yi had only used this opportunity to reprimand Liang Jiugong for not informing Yikun Palace beforehand.
A flash of annoyance crossed Consort Yi's face as she asked, "What exactly is wrong with His Majesty?"
The imperial physician's words were a bit embarrassing for Consort De to say. The so-called internal heat was actually just excessive internal fire, coupled with her weak body, which led to an imbalance of yin and yang and caused her to faint.
Since Consort De remained silent, Doctor Lin had no choice but to repeat the same words to Consort Yi. Upon hearing this, Consort Yi flew into a rage and exclaimed, "Fine, truly fine! Those little sluts are practically trying to drain the Emperor's body dry every day. They're all vixens. Sister, why don't we take this opportunity to properly clean up the harem? I'm afraid some of them have used those shameful and filthy things, which is why the Emperor is acting this way."
Consort De glanced at Consort Yi's expression, pondered for a moment, and then said, "What you say is very true, sister. Why don't you let me investigate this matter? Thoroughly investigate the inner palace, and if anyone is found to have dared to disregard the Emperor's health, they will be severely punished."
Consort Yi became suspicious when she saw that Consort De had agreed so quickly, but since she had already said it, she could not take it back, so she could only say, "Alright, I'll send people to search the palace."
Seeing that it was already so late, Consort De said, "Let's wait until tomorrow. Everyone is asleep now. Send people to search the palace. If anything happens, how will you answer when the Emperor questions us tomorrow?"
Liang Jiugong sighed inwardly: Consort Yi is quite old, yet her mind is nowhere near as sharp as Consort De's.
Consort Yi said, "Very well, starting tomorrow. These vixens need to be properly dealt with."
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