Chapter 141 has recently been a combined two-part chapter, featuring the seductive Consort De.
Seeing her seductive manner, how could Kangxi resist? After all, he entered the palace to seek pleasure, so how could he suppress his desires?
"Is that so? Then I will have to get to know my Consort De better in the future."
To everyone's surprise, the two of them were actually engaging in illicit acts in the open-air flower pavilion.
Even with gauze curtains to conceal it, the interior is brightly lit by candlelight, revealing the scene inside to the outside world without any concealment.
Fanghua never expected that these two would be so eager, actually doing this right here.
"The Emperor really knows how to have fun." After saying this, Fanghua got up and returned to the palace.
On the other side, although the Imperial Concubine did not stand as high as the Empress and could not see as far, she was closer and her face turned very ugly after seeing this scene.
Her dark face was tinged with a hint of embarrassment. Without saying a word, she got up and walked towards her palace.
The two people, engrossed in their lovemaking, were completely unaware that their intimate moment had been witnessed by others.
Instead, they became even more invested.
Emperor Kangxi greatly admired Yehenara's boldness and unconventionality, and not only cooperated with her but also put in a great deal of effort.
The sounds of their panting and pleasure could be heard from a great distance.
If it weren't for Wei Zhu clearing the area from a distance, I'm afraid there would be far fewer servants serving in the Imperial Garden tomorrow.
They had a wild and extravagant time, and in the end, the two of them had to be carried back to Jingyang Palace.
As if he had found something interesting, Emperor Kangxi visited Jingyang Palace for five consecutive days.
This caused dissatisfaction among many lower-ranking concubines.
And so, the matter came to Fanghua's attention.
During the morning greetings, some people made sarcastic remarks about Consort De.
"Your Majesty may not know, but that day the Imperial Garden was teeming with stray cats. Even I could hear their mating calls from inside the palace. It was so noisy that I couldn't sleep."
As she spoke, she glanced, intentionally or unintentionally, at Consort De, who was sitting on her right.
Fanghua was so shocked by her words that she almost burst out laughing, but she managed to hold back her laughter thanks to her strong willpower.
But the Imperial Concubine was not.
She burst out laughing when she heard what Wang Jia said.
"Wang, you must have misheard. It's past the season when wild cats are in heat." He laughed and then added.
Consort De, who was sitting there, also changed her expression.
She didn't pay attention at the time, but she regretted it afterwards.
It's clear that she felt it was worth it because the emperor came to her palace every night.
She never expected that someone would bring it up and talk about it, which made her blush with embarrassment.
"I don't know about that, but the noise lasted for a long time that night. If I hadn't been scared, I would have gone out to drive it away myself. It was really too reckless."
These words really struck a nerve with Consort De.
She was so angry that her face turned red. She wanted to refute but dared not. After all, it was better not to say anything. Once it was exposed, she would lose her reputation for bewitching the emperor.
She'll be the one who suffers in the end.
"Otherwise, that one time, I would have thought it was a stray cat that came to the palace to find a nest."
Wang Jia was a bold woman; she dared to say anything.
Listen to this; someone who didn't know better would think there really were stray cats.
"Is that so? Then I'll have the people from the cat and dog quarters keep watch. It's really annoying not to get a good night's rest." Fanghua looked at Consort De's face, which was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and had no choice but to speak up. If Wang Jiashi continued, she wouldn't have a good life in the future.
"Summer is just around the corner, so you mustn't be out in the open enjoying the cool air without closing the windows. It would be terrible if you caught a chill. There aren't many people in the harem who can serve the Emperor right now, so you must take good care of yourselves. I don't want any more sisters to be added to the harem this year."
It should be noted that last year, pregnant concubines accounted for half of all the concubines, and they all had names and surnames. There were also quite a few low-ranking female officials and concubines, and all of them were vying to get a title.
With the addition of new concubines, and only one emperor, those who are no longer in favor will face even greater difficulties in the future.
She reminded them not to ruin their health while vying for the emperor's favor, otherwise she would have to find a few more people to serve him.
The crowd below responded respectfully upon hearing this.
The Imperial Concubine glanced at Consort De, seemingly unintentionally. She was indeed radiant, and the marks on her body were quite frightening.
I don't know what she was thinking, going out like that without any attempt to cover herself up. Who was she trying to provoke?
It's been quite a few days; the Emperor must be getting tired of it by now. I wonder what kind of drama will unfold tonight.
It seems she needs to be kept a close eye on; Consort De has been coming up with quite a few new things these days.
I just didn't expect her to be so ruthless, even resorting to tricks from the brothels.
She must have had a hard time keeping the Emperor around for seven days.
"Alright, you can all go back now. I'm leaving too."
After dismissing everyone, Fanghua immediately summoned Li Changfu.
"Go and keep an eye on Yehenara. I want to see what she can use to keep the Emperor tonight."
Fanghua now only sees Kangxi as her tool, so she is no longer moved by who he favors.
She wanted to see how the Yehenara clan would end this charade.
They also wanted to see how Kangxi would face his Consort De after this incident.
Haha, thinking of Consort De in her previous life, she felt that the word "De" was truly ironic.
Although Qiaoling and the others did not understand why the Empress was laughing so frighteningly, they could tell that the Empress was in a very good mood at the moment.
"Yes, this servant will have someone keep an eye on her right away." Qiaoling readily accepted the task, because she also wanted to know what new tricks Consort De had up her sleeve tonight.
"Go."
Compared to Qiaoling's love of watching drama, Qiaoyun was even more mischievous. "Your Majesty, there aren't many concubines who can serve you in bed now. Why don't you release Consort Sun?" This one was a troublemaker. Given Your Majesty's love of watching drama, she would probably be happy to see someone cause trouble for Consort De.
Upon hearing this, Fanghua looked up at the smiling Qiaoyun and was overjoyed. "This is a good idea. Go and convey my imperial decree that Consort Sun has learned the rules well and is exempt from the punishment of copying."
Seeing her mistress's smug, indifferent expression, Zhang Mama couldn't help but twitch her lips.
"Your Majesty should take it easy, after all, she is the daughter of the Emperor's wet nurse's family," Zhang Mama couldn't help but advise.
I'm afraid the Empress will go too far in her pursuit of the play, and if the Emperor blames her, she'll be unhappy again.
"Don't worry, Granny. I know what I'm doing. After the lesson from last time, I don't think this Consort Sun will try to kill herself again. I believe she understands my intentions."
She increasingly felt that letting Sun agree to come out was a good thing.
After all, this woman is a troublemaker. Taking advantage of her relationship with the Emperor, she doesn't even respect the Empress. What is a mere Consort De?
If Sun does not meet her expectations, she would not mind keeping her locked up again, since she cannot be of any use and releasing her would only be an eyesore.
Besides, Consort Sun has a good friend active in the harem, and I believe that with the combined strength of the two of them, they can definitely suppress Consort De's charm.
"I hope so. Your Highness should still make some preparations." Granny Zhang was somewhat distrustful of Consort Sun, after all, what kind of good descendants could a family like the Sun's raise?
"Yes, I understand."
Suddenly, Fanghua was two people away from her.
However, she was still in a good mood when they returned.
"Your Highness, I've found out!" Qiaoling was extremely excited when she returned.
"Your Majesty, guess what Consort De did tonight?"
Looking at the sky outside, it was indeed time for the Emperor to enter the inner palace.
"Stop keeping me in suspense. If you do well, I'll reward you. If you don't, Qiaoling, you can forget about your monthly allowance this month," Fanghua said mischievously to the clever Qiaoling.
Upon hearing this, Qiaoling immediately became obedient.
"Your Majesty," she said coquettishly as she approached her mistress, "You can't do this. I came back to inform you as soon as I received the news."
In private, Fanghua got along very well with all of them, and this wasn't the first time Qiaoling had been so clever in her way.
Everyone was used to her quirks and didn't find it strange anymore.
"Hmph, then hurry up and tell me," Fanghua glared at her and said.
This time, Qiaoling didn't dare to cause trouble and directly told everyone the information she had found out.
After the incident at the flower pavilion, Yehenara felt as if she had been liberated.
She knew that if the emperor stayed with her for too long, he would start to think about other women, but she was unwilling to give up this favor. So, she tried every means to keep the emperor with her.
Knowing that many people were watching her tonight, she couldn't afford to give up, even though she knew the Emperor would eventually go to someone else's palace, but not tonight.
So she had a picture of a lovemaking scene sent to the emperor.
This should have been a private matter, and as long as the people around her spread the word, no one would know. But the emperor had so many spies around him.
Furthermore, Consort De was not good at winning people's hearts, so not only did the news leak out, but she also became the laughing stock of the entire harem.
When Kangxi received such a picture album for the first time, he was quite surprised. Then he thought of Consort De's delicate and boneless body, and for a moment the young Kangxi was a little excited.
As soon as he received the picture, he rushed to the inner palace. Fortunately, everyone was waiting to see Consort De make a fool of herself, and no one dared to step forward at this time, which allowed Consort De to get what she wanted.
After hearing Qiaoling's account, Fanghua was completely stunned. "How dare she?" How could she dare to spread such a thing? Wasn't she afraid of the Empress Dowager causing her trouble?
I still think her favor could outweigh the Empress Dowager's methods.
"Where did this news come from?" Fanghua was surprised, but she also thought about how the news spread. After all, with the methods of the Yehenara clan, it shouldn't have spread so quickly.
"Your Majesty, you'd never guess where this came from," Qiaoling said, keeping everyone in suspense as usual.
Fanghua glared at her, as if to say, "If you keep keeping me in suspense, you can forget about next month's allowance."
Qiaoling snapped to attention and immediately realized what was going on. Without hesitation, she said, "It's a message from the Qianqing Palace."
Fanghua frowned upon hearing this.
This is not a good thing.
"Qiaoling, quickly go and call Li Changfu over." The Emperor hasn't reacted yet; once he comes to his senses, the Qianqing Palace will likely be in trouble.
Seeing that the Empress's expression changed, Qiaoling dared not play the clever trick and immediately ran out to call for help.
Soon after, Qiaoling led Li Changfu into the main hall.
Fanghua didn't give him time to bow before saying, "Li Changfu, quickly go and make arrangements for our people in Qianqing Palace. Tell them to be careful and clean up their mess, especially regarding the matter of Consort De sending the bed scene tonight. They must be wiped clean, or I won't be able to protect their lives."
Upon hearing this, Li Changfu immediately became anxious.
The manpower in the Qianqing Palace is hard to come by, so we must protect it well.
"Yes, this servant will go right away."
After Li Changfu left, Fanghua immediately ordered people to block the news that came out of the Qianqing Palace that night. This matter was now a joke, and if things went wrong, it might become a reason for the Emperor to reprimand her.
This matter must never be revealed outside the inner palace.
Qiaoling and the others also stopped smiling. "Your Majesty, should we give the others a warning?"
Fanghua nodded. "Yes, you and Granny Zhang will handle this separately. Remember, there must be no rumors."
The busyness at Kunning Palace was temporary, which made Fanghua realize a truth: momentary happiness comes at the cost of her busy schedule. In the future, it would be better to watch fewer jokes like this, because if things go wrong, it could implicate her.
Regardless of whether Emperor Kangxi and Consort De slept well that night, Fanghua was busy until midnight to suppress the news and even had to arrest several people to ensure that the news would not be leaked.
The Empress Dowager naturally received the news and saw the Empress's handling of the matter, which made her increasingly dissatisfied with Yehenara.
The Emperor had already spent several days in Jingyang Palace, but now he had been seduced by Consort De, which made her already resentful.
Unexpectedly, this caused such a big commotion, and Consort De has now walked right into the line of fire.
"Granny Liu, have Consort De come to my place tomorrow and tell her that I would like her to stay and pray for the Empress Dowager together."
The Empress Dowager had plenty of ways to deal with the concubines in the harem; they couldn't escape the word "filial piety."
"Yes, I've got it. I'll go and fetch them first thing tomorrow morning."
The Empress Dowager nodded. "Yes, before you go, please send some rewards to the Empress. She handled things very well this time." She was willing to reward the Empress this time.
Granny Liu respectfully agreed, not daring to say anything more.
Since the passing of the Empress Dowager, a rift seemed to have formed between the Empress Dowager and the Empress. They would not meet unless it was a major festival or a day of great peace.
This is the first time I've received such an award.
"Tell the Empress that I am very satisfied with her handling of the situation this time."
The next day, Fanghua woke up to find that Liu Mama, the aunt who served the Empress Dowager, had arrived and was waiting outside the palace.
Fanghua washed up slowly and deliberately, and she had some idea in her mind why the Empress Dowager had sent someone over.
I never expected the Empress Dowager to care for the Emperor so much.
She must have had a tough time.
"Yes, I understand. Serve tea to Granny Liu. I'll be there shortly."
Granny Liu didn't feel anything while waiting. Although the Empress was a little slow to come out, she was not the Empress Dowager herself, but just a servant, so it was understandable.
When the Empress finished getting ready and came out, Granny Liu had already drunk several cups of tea.
She hadn't forgotten that she still needed to deliver the Empress Dowager's decree to Consort De's palace later; if she delayed any longer, she feared...
Granny Liu just wanted to get things done as quickly as possible.
But the Empress would not grant her wish.
She slowly emerged, exchanged pleasantries, and soon it was time for the palace ladies to come and pay their respects. Only then did Fanghua stop talking.
"Thank you for the gift, Your Majesty. It is only my duty. I am sorry that Your Majesty has gone to so much trouble." Fanghua respectfully accepted the gifts and thanked Granny Liu profusely.
With time running out, Granny Liu had no choice but to interrupt the Empress's idle chatter.
"Your Majesty is wise. This servant must go to Jingyang Palace to convey the Empress Dowager's decree. Your Majesty may visit the Empress Dowager to express your gratitude when you have time."
The Empress could have been even more obvious; even if Granny Liu was stupid, she could tell that the Empress was trying to stall for time.
It was all so that when Consort De came to pay her respects, she could convey the Empress Dowager's decree.
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