Seeing that both of them had been released by Consort De, Hongjiao felt uneasy and said, "Your Majesty, I really can't remember who told me this. Please investigate, Your Majesty."
"Since you can't remember, then I'll just assume it was you who spread it! Dehui, give her thirty lashes first. Go to the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department and tell him that I've kept this red banana." Consort De, abandoning her usual steady and gentle demeanor, became ruthless and quite imposing.
Hongjiao frowned, filled with deep regret. She shouldn't have taken it upon herself to spread that rumor. It turned out that the day Hongjiao went to Yikun Palace to deliver Consort Yi's allowance, she overheard Consort Yi telling Cuiwei about the matter. Hongjiao overheard that Cuiwei was to find a few people to spread the rumor, and she secretly remembered it. She had originally worked for Consort Yi in the Imperial Household Department and was once highly regarded by Consort Yi. Consort Yi, seeing her cleverness and quick wit, had placed her in the Imperial Household Department, essentially as her own spy. To curry favor with Consort Yi, Hongjiao had started spreading that rumor without her permission. Now, Consort De had summoned her here for questioning, and she didn't know if Consort Yi knew or would come to her rescue. But she couldn't easily utter Consort Yi's name; she had truly shot herself in the foot!
Before Hongjiao could finish her thought, she was dragged out by two burly middle-aged women.
"Your Highness, now that we have the evidence of the red banana, you can go to the Emperor and file a complaint against Consort Yi," said Granny De, seeing Consort De's gloomy expression.
“That depends on whether this girl is willing to speak. From what I can tell, this girl doesn’t seem to be one to speak easily,” said Consort De.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. No one is willing to risk their life. As long as Your Majesty is willing to be ruthless and send her to the Department of Cautious Punishment, what else is there to say?" said Granny De.
Consort De nodded, then stood up and, with the help of Granny De, went to rest in the left side room.
Inside Yikun Palace.
A servant in the Imperial Household Department told Cuiwei that Hongjiao had been summoned to Yonghe Palace by Consort De. When Hongjiao left, she had instructed him to report to Consort Yi if she did not return within an hour.
After hearing from Cuiwei about Hongjiao being summoned to Yonghe Palace, Consort Yi calmly asked, "What did she summon Hongjiao for?"
Cuiwei pondered, "I heard that Danju from the needlework room and Zixuan from the laundry room were both summoned and returned with injuries. Only Hongjiao has not yet returned to the Imperial Household Department. She must be asking about that rumor."
Consort Yi understood. She was fiddling with a Western wig that Prince Jiu had brought to the palace for her, and said casually, "She must have heard it from someone else and said it offhand a few times before being caught by that person in Yonghe Palace. It's not appropriate for me to show my face now."
Cuiwei saw that Consort Yi meant to ignore it for the time being, and she was unaware that Hongjiao had taken it upon herself to spread those rumors today.
Meanwhile, while ordering Hongjiao to be tortured, Granny De personally led a group of people to Jingren Palace.
Upon seeing that it was Consort De's maid, Zhaoxun Mama, the gatekeeper of Jingren Palace immediately put on a smile and said, "May I ask how old you are, Mama De? What brings you here?"
Granny De didn't even glance at him, and only said, "This servant is here to pay respects to Consort Hui on the orders of Consort De."
After the eunuch went in to announce her arrival, Granny De, accompanied by two palace maids, entered Consort Hui's main hall. There, Consort Hui sat on a Luohan chair, holding a pure white Persian cat, and said, "Granny De, what brings you here?"
Granny De stepped forward and bowed, then said in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant, "Has Consort Hui heard about the recent rumor circulating in the palace?"
Consort Hui naturally knew, but pretended not to: "I am in Jingren Palace all day long, and I have no idea what is being said outside."
Seeing this, Granny De had no choice but to tell the story about the Fourth Prince herself and explain her purpose.
Upon hearing that it involved eunuchs from her palace, Consort Hui accidentally pinched the cat's fur, scratching the snow-white Persian cat. The cat yelped in pain, broke free from Consort Hui's grasp, and jumped away.
"You ungrateful, hairy beast!" Consort Hui cursed angrily.
Granny De stood upright to the side, unmoved by Consort Hui's words.
"Does that mean my servant Zhengzi is spreading such rumors outside?" Consort Hui asked.
"Yes, this is what Zixuan from the laundry room said. Your Highness, such rumors can be serious or minor. Our Your Highness is determined to investigate and find out who is stirring up trouble in the harem. Therefore, please allow me to bring that little Zhengzi back to Yonghe Palace for questioning."
Consort Hui had actually heard the rumors long ago. At first, she was furious, but after thinking about it, she was happy to watch from the sidelines.
"Is there anything I can't ask you in front of me? Why do I have to go to Yonghe Palace?" Consort Hui felt that bringing her people back to Yonghe Palace to ask them would damage her reputation.
“Your Highness Consort Hui, this matter is of great importance. Our Consort De has already summoned several people from her quarters for questioning. Since Your Highness Consort Hui has nothing to do with this, why don’t you let me take Xiao Zhengzi with me? As long as he tells the truth, he will be released immediately,” Granny De said firmly.
Consort Hui couldn't refuse immediately, after all, among the four consorts, Consort De had always been highly regarded by Emperor Kangxi for her virtue and was deeply trusted by him. Nowadays, Consort De and Consort Yi were basically in charge of the affairs of the inner palace, while Consort Rong and she herself only enjoyed high status and had long since stopped managing affairs.
"Alright then, Jinse, go and have Xiao Zhengzi report to Consort De's palace. Tell him to say whatever he has to say, or I won't let him off the hook." Consort Hui thought that since she had nothing to do with this matter, she couldn't afford to offend Consort De for the sake of a servant.
When Xiao Zhengzi followed Granny De to Yonghe Palace, he saw Hongjiao being carried towards the main hall. Xiao Zhengzi saw the red bloodstains seeping from Hongjiao's back, and almost lost his footing, so frightened that his legs nearly went weak.
"You saw it, didn't you? When Consort De asks you a question later, you'd better tell her everything clearly, otherwise Hongjiao's appearance will be a warning to you." Seeing that Xiao Zhengzi was already frightened, Granny De quickly said this.
Xiao Zheng nodded vigorously, his mind already pounding with fear.
Hongjiao was thrown to the ground by two middle-aged women. She was covered in cold sweat, and there were faint traces of blood seeping from her back.
"Hongjiao, if you don't tell the truth, I'll hand you over to the Imperial Prison. Things won't be the same then." Consort De suppressed the softness in her heart and hardened her heart. After half a lifetime in the palace, Consort De had long since developed an iron will and unyielding spirit.
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