Chapter 146 The Emperor's Tour of the South 02
It's unclear why Kangxi took her out; perhaps he liked the sense of vulnerability she had when she stepped down from her pedestal.
Ever since that encounter in the garden, Consort De has exuded an irresistible allure in front of Emperor Kangxi.
Whenever Kangxi was feeling depressed or unhappy, he would want to bully her a little to relieve the violence in his heart.
To be honest, I didn't really like Yehenara much. At first, I just felt that she had a different kind of temperament from the others in the harem, so I favored her a bit more.
After a while, he got tired of it.
But to his surprise, Consort De had another side, which truly broadened his horizons.
In the harem, besides the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, this was the third person he got along with. Facing the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, he naturally dared not reveal his dark side too much, but it was different when facing Yehenara. He dared to amplify his violent side, so he was very comfortable using her.
This trip to the south of the Yangtze River wasn't for sightseeing, which is also the main reason I brought her along.
Fanghua had no idea about Kangxi's dark side. If she did, she would just laugh it off. A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a stolen one, and a stolen one is not as good as one that can't be stolen. It's just a man's nature.
Don't try to make it sound noble; it's all just human nature.
"Hmm, not bad, Consort De is truly different from others, I am very pleased." After the song, Kangxi praised her with great joy.
Yehenara was also from a prominent family, and it's unclear where she learned that air of worldliness from, but she truly served people comfortably.
"Your Majesty, I have many more different ones. Would you like to try them together?"
Since she first set aside her pride, Yehenara seemed to have unlocked a new door, and she took even better care of the ways of serving others than she did of taking care of her children.
Of course, it's also thanks to Granny Ye; she taught us all of this so well.
As to why Granny Ye knew these things, that's another story, but unfortunately, there was no audience.
"Of course, otherwise why would I have brought you out?" As he spoke, Kangxi's hands became somewhat restless.
Judging from Yehenara's blissful expression, it was clear that she thoroughly enjoyed interacting with Kangxi, completely abandoning the dignified demeanor of a queen consort.
Of course, Kangxi still had some sense of shame and didn't dare to actually do anything. He only gained an advantage in the short term, but there was no further action.
The journey was not without its challenges; when the emperor travels, those who covet his head naturally come out in droves.
The number two, who was arranged by Xiao Dezi to go to Jiangnan, also followed the Kangxi Emperor's entourage all the way down to Jiangnan. However, he did not take action on the way because his master had instructed him to use the White Lotus Sect to harm the emperor.
At this point, he certainly wouldn't lay a hand on Kangxi, nor would he help him.
"Hmph, I really didn't expect there to be so many scoundrels in the shadows." After killing another group of people, Kangxi looked at the corpses scattered on the ground, his face as black as the bottom of a pot, his eyes filled with cold light.
"I want to see how many bugs we can catch this time."
The guards, who had just fought a bloody battle, were so frightened by the Emperor's expression that they lowered their heads and dared not look directly at his face.
"Liang Jiugong, have any of the secret guards been injured or killed?" He threw down the knife in his hand and turned to ask the leader of the secret guards who was following behind him.
That's right. Liang Jiugong was the leader of the secret guards. With Wei Zhong moving into the open, the secret guards naturally had a new leader.
"Reporting to Master, none of the guards died, but three were injured."
Liang Jiugong bowed and reported back.
Hearing this result, Kangxi was very satisfied. "Hmm, very good."
"Burn these people down, and add some fertilizer to my land."
When he returned to the chassis, Wei Zhong was already waiting there with firsthand information.
Upon seeing his master return, Wei Zhong immediately stepped forward to report.
"Master, the assassins were remnants of the Heaven and Earth Society from the previous dynasty. Fifty men came, forty died, and ten escaped."
Fearing his master would be displeased with this result, Wei Zhong added, "Those who fled were all low-ranking soldiers; their leaders were killed this time."
Emperor Kangxi picked up his teacup and took a sip, it was unclear whether he was satisfied or not.
Wei Zhong knelt before the emperor's carriage, not daring to move an inch.
After a while, Kangxi put down his teacup and then said quietly, "In that case, I actually came out ahead, having killed a leader."
"This servant is incompetent, please punish me, Master," Wei Zhong immediately apologized.
Before Kangxi could speak, a guard came to report.
"Report: Your Majesty, the traitors have been burned. Shall we continue with the procession?"
"Walk."
Emperor Kangxi replied with only one word, then took out paper and pen and began to write. It was unclear what he was writing, but after a long while he stopped writing, put the letter away, and handed it over.
"Get up and send this letter to Jiangnan."
Wei Zhong respectfully accepted it, "Yes, this servant will have it sent to Jiangnan immediately."
He was prepared to be assassinated when he proposed going to Jiangnan, but he didn't expect it to happen one after another.
Do they really think he, the emperor, is easy to bully? Humph, this time he will not only purge the White Lotus Sect, but also the Heaven and Earth Society.
The Qing Dynasty would not tolerate traitors.
By the time they arrived in Shandong, they had already wiped out at least three groups of rebels along the way.
After arriving in Shandong, Emperor Kangxi didn't have much to do. He climbed Mount Tai, paid homage to Confucius, and then inspected the Grand Canal's grain transport.
Although Shandong is not far from the capital, it is also the first stop on the way to the south of the Yangtze River, so naturally many people would be lying in ambush there.
Putting aside how many people protected Emperor Kangxi when he climbed Mount Tai or paid homage to Confucius, it was not easy to carry out an assassination during that time, but if one was determined, one could still manage to do so in several large-scale attacks.
And so, this time they've been targeted by the Heaven and Earth Society.
Next, we'll inspect the Grand Canal; who knows how many assassination attempts await us?
Number Two will write back to the capital city with every piece of news from here.
Although Fang Hua was in the inner palace, news from the outside world never stopped.
"Your Majesty, another letter has arrived from outside the palace?" Qiaoling, who came in to refill the tea after seeing Xiao Feng fly away, said with a smile.
Fanghua burned the letter, smiled and nodded, "Indeed, it's a pity that it didn't go as I wished."
Although Qiaoling didn't know what news had come from outside the palace, she could tell that although the Empress said it was a pity, her eyes were full of smiles, which showed that the news from outside the palace made the Empress very happy.
"If only things could go as I wish." Fanghua, the second bodyguard, was growing increasingly fond of him, for such a well-rounded person was a rare find.
I don't know how Xiao Dezi chose such a good person.
"If Your Highness is not satisfied, why don't you let me do it? Maybe I can please Your Highness," Qiaoling said cunningly.
Fanghua glared at her. "Alright, you are my head maid. There are countless eyes watching you in the palace. I don't want to cause trouble, and I don't want to lose a capable person."
She knew that Qiaoling and the others were loyal, and she also knew that she was capable, but she was still reluctant to lose them because of this.
After all, many people in the previous dynasty and the imperial harem were eyeing her.
"Alright, stop being so cheeky. What good stuff did you get today?" She kept the assassination attempt on Kangxi a secret from everyone except Xiao Dezi.
There's no need to scare them by saying such things.
"I knew Your Highness would ask me. Today, the Imperial Kitchen sent over a lot of fresh venison. I learned how to cook it in the grasslands and made some roasted meat. Would Your Highness like to try some?"
Fanghua also felt a little hungry after hearing this. "Hmm, sure. Remember to save some for Chenghu. He expends a lot of energy practicing martial arts and likes meat."
The harem was very quiet without the emperor, and she liked this tranquility.
"Yes, this servant will personally deliver it to the eldest prince in a moment."
While the palace was peaceful, Emperor Kangxi, far away in the outside world, was having a much harder time.
Sure enough, trouble broke out during an inspection of the Grand Canal.
This time, however, Emperor Kangxi was injured.
When Consort De came to serve her, she was in tears, and the Grand Canal was almost destroyed by her crying.
"Alright, if you cry again, get back to your place." Kangxi was already annoyed by his injury, and hearing Consort De crying only made him more irritable.
Consort De was born into a large clan like the Yehenara clan. Although there were military generals in the clan, she was a woman in the inner quarters who had never seen such a scene before, so it was understandable that she was frightened for a moment.
Unfortunately, Emperor Kangxi was not a man who knew how to cherish women.
He actually prefers women who are his equals.
Despite his constant wariness of the Empress, deep down he also approves of her.
The Empress not only managed the inner palace with clarity and efficiency, but she also had great insight into court affairs.
Before he assumed personal rule, he often discussed court affairs with the empress.
Later, when he assumed power, the Empress became pregnant, so naturally some things were no longer convenient to discuss. Fortunately, the Empress was sensible, and after he stopped mentioning them, she never took the initiative to ask about them.
Consort De was so frightened that she choked and almost died of fright.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I know my crime. Please don't send me away. I'm worried about you."
At this point, she dared not cry anymore and immediately stepped forward to beg for mercy.
"Alright, go outside and wait. I have matters to discuss with my court officials."
Consort De dared not refuse and immediately rose, bowed, and withdrew.
After dismissing all irrelevant people at the Shandong Imperial Palace, Emperor Kangxi immediately discussed the assassination attempt with his Shandong officials.
"Have you been able to find out which side these people belong to?" His inspection was also a spur-of-the-moment decision; if there hadn't been an inside man, today's events would not have happened.
"Can we find out who leaked my whereabouts?"
The ministers in Shandong were sweating profusely. It was their lax governance that allowed the emperor to be assassinated here. Fortunately, the emperor was unharmed; otherwise, no matter how many heads they had, it wouldn't have been enough for the emperor to chop off.
"Your Majesty, there are several groups of people. Among those confirmed are the White Lotus Sect, the Heaven and Earth Society, and some folk rebels."
The one who spoke was the Shandong governor, whose jurisdiction was the area. Since the emperor had an accident here, if he didn't speak first, the emperor would probably punish him later.
"Hmph, rebels among the people, tell me, how could there be rebels among the people in Shandong? Or did you, the governor, do something to incite the people of Shandong to rebel?"
It would have been better if he hadn't spoken, but upon hearing the words "civilian rebels," Kangxi was provoked.
After all, under his rule, there were actually people who wanted to rebel against him. It's no wonder that he couldn't govern the country well.
Isn't this a slap in his face?
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am guilty, but I am loyal to the Qing Dynasty and Your Majesty. How could I have embezzled from the people under Your Majesty's wise leadership? These rebels were all turned by others. Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly."
Governor Song hurriedly kowtowed and explained the truth.
"Hmph, that's because of your poor leadership. Otherwise, how could these people have been turned against you? I think you don't need to be the governor anymore."
The prefect and others kneeling below dared not even breathe loudly, for fear of incurring the emperor's wrath.
Let the governor enjoy this favor from the emperor all to himself.
Despite Governor Song's repeated apologies and pledges, it was not easy to persuade the Emperor to relent on his dismissal. He immediately led his men back to investigate the day's events.
The officials left, and Liang Jiugong and Wei Zhong entered the inner hall.
Although he was angry about being injured, Kangxi was not incompetent and knew that the assassination attempt had nothing to do with the Shandong officials.
It was just a stink bug he caught.
"Has anyone from the capital come?" he asked as the two entered.
Liang Jiugong stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I have investigated and found that no one from the capital has come. However, I have discovered that a master-level expert has been following Your Majesty.”
Liang Jiuneng was capable enough to become the commander of the secret guards; otherwise, Emperor Kangxi would not have valued him so much and entrusted him with such an important position.
"A grandmaster?" Kangxi frowned. "Do you know who he is?"
He knew this trip wouldn't be peaceful, but he never expected a grandmaster to appear. Was someone eyeing the chair he was sitting on?
Liang Jiugong shook his head. "After I discovered it, I wanted to go forward and test it, but that person only retreated and did not attack. For a moment, I did not understand what he meant, but after all, he is a grandmaster, so we have to be on guard."
Although he had never fought that person, he could tell that the person was very young. Such a young grandmaster could only be cultivated by those great clans.
Even the royal family only had three grandmasters protecting them.
Emperor Kangxi remained silent.
Although he brought a Grandmaster with him on this trip, Grandmasters are precious and valuable, and he didn't think that Grandmaster was there to protect him.
"Master, Liang Jiugong, are you confident?" Kangxi asked after a long while.
Liang Jiugong didn't know how to answer for a moment, but he still told the Emperor about his discovery: "Your Majesty, that Grandmaster is very young. I was promoted to Grandmaster because of my physical disability, but he has plenty of energy and blood, and I'm afraid he is no less than me."
It's unclear which side these experts belong to.
If it's the opposing side, then this trip is likely to end badly.
Of course, Liang Jiugong didn't dare say these words aloud.
"I wonder what that person's purpose is. He's following me without making a move; I'm afraid he's an enemy, not a friend." Kangxi felt a sharp pain in his brow.
The previous incidents were minor skirmishes, but the appearance of the Grandmaster made him feel a sense of urgency.
It wasn't that he was afraid, but he felt that something was waiting for him.
"Forget it, since we don't know which faction he belongs to, let's wait and see. I believe he will eventually slip up."
He wondered to himself, "Who sent them? What is their purpose in sending a grandmaster?"
His first suspicion was of the Empress, or rather, the Hesheli clan.
After all, the crown prince has been established and the empress is still alive. If something happens to him, it is only natural for the empress to take power when the crown prince ascends the throne and the new emperor is young.
But he didn't want to believe that it was the Empress's doing, after all, he and she had a childhood romance.
On the other side.
After being discovered, Number Two also wrote a letter to the Imperial City informing them of what had happened there.
Fanghua was speechless when she received the news.
I just praised Number Two, and now he's gotten himself into such a mess. It's really a headache.
However, it's not without a solution.
So she wrote back herself.
This time, Xiao Feng is the one delivering the message; it's the safest way to do so.
Xiao Feng's speed was unmatched by any other carrier pigeon, but its size made it unsuitable for a parrot. So Fanghua transformed Xiao Feng into a sparrow and then delivered the message to Number Two.
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