Emperor Kangxi led everyone to the entrance of the main hall, where they stood in their assigned positions according to their rank and status.
Without a doubt, Kangxi was standing at the very front, with the Empress and the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager supporting each other. Yunyi stood on Kangxi's other side, and coincidentally, Consort Rong was standing next to her.
They exchanged a smile, both of them looking somewhat helpless.
Why feel helpless? In Yunyi's opinion, isn't that obvious? In the dead of night, in the freezing cold, standing in the wind, a bunch of people gathered together watching fireworks—isn't that just plain crazy?
But Consort Yi had already made the arrangements, and Emperor Kangxi, who doted on his concubine, had agreed. The Emperor had spoken, so what could anyone else do? They could only risk their lives to accompany him and watch the show.
Once everyone had stood still, they saw clusters of bright yellow light rising rapidly into the air with a loud bang. When they reached a high altitude, they automatically bloomed, forming shapes that were either Chinese characters or patterns.
From the perspective of ancient technology, it was truly amazing, leaving everyone present in awe. Even Yunyi was captivated by the spectacle.
Only Consort An, hidden in the crowd, was indignant. Why is it that everyone else is an assistant to the chief administrator, but Consort Yi gets to steal the spotlight? Why is she so capable and intelligent, outshining all of us?
Consort An was furious, her teeth itching. She turned and walked away, not wanting to see this scene any longer. As she backed away, she suddenly caught sight of Wu Yaxin Yue out of the corner of her eye. In the crowd, Wu Yaxin Yue's beautiful face smiled with exceptional gentleness and charm. Remembering how favored Wu Yaxin Yue had been before, Consort An unconsciously hatched a wicked plan.
Clutching the handkerchief, she thought wickedly, "On such a big day, with so many princes and ministers present, if Lady Uya were to lose her composure in front of so many people, she would be in big trouble. Not only would she lose face, but it would be even better if she lost the emperor's favor."
It could both strike at the Wuya clan and annoy Consort Yi, making it a brilliant plan that killed two birds with one stone. The more Consort An thought about it, the more she felt that this idea was excellent.
She told her personal maid the idea, but the maid looked troubled and said, "Your Highness, this is not a good idea. If someone finds out, it will implicate you. Why don't we just forget about it?" Yu Xin, the head maid of Consort An, was very scared and said cautiously.
Originally, it was just a spur-of-the-moment idea, but after being persuaded by the head palace maid, Consort An became furious.
She glared at Yuxin and smiled coldly. "What, you've gotten too bold. You think I can't even order you around anymore? If I need you to do something, then do it right now. Don't keep making excuses here."
After glancing at Wu Yaxin again, Consort An added, "By the way, be careful in your actions, don't let anyone find out. If others find out that you did it, don't blame me for not protecting you."
After speaking, Consort An waved her hand and left, leaving Yu Xin standing there, looking troubled and unsure of what to do. Remembering Consort An's usual behavior, Yu Xin dared not disobey; she hardened her heart.
Taking advantage of the large crowd, Yuxin quietly hid in the throng. She was cautious, constantly observing the movements around her, keeping her head down, not daring to be discovered.
Seizing the opportunity, as another firework burst into bloom and everyone looked up at the sky, Yu Xin quietly reached out and nudged Yu Yin, the palace maid behind Wu Ya Xin Yue, before quickly leaving and returning to Consort An's side.
Faced with Consort An's questioning gaze, she nodded cautiously.
Caught off guard, Yu Yin was suddenly pushed, and her body lurched forward uncontrollably. In that critical moment, she knew she couldn't bump into her master, so she desperately tried to control herself and didn't fall onto Wu Yaxin Yue. Then she fell heavily to the ground.
The concubines nearby were startled by this sudden turn of events, and the crowd immediately erupted in commotion. However, after a short while, everyone realized what had happened and returned to normal.
After Yu Yin fell to the ground, she quickly apologized to Wu Yaxin Yue, saying, "Please forgive me, my lady. I was rude."
Wu Yaxin glanced at Yu Yin but said nothing. Yu Yin got up, returned to her previous position, lowered her head, and dared not speak.
She was completely unprepared; it happened so suddenly, and she didn't even see who did it. The person who pushed her is probably nowhere to be found.
Emperor Kangxi also noticed that there seemed to be some activity on the concubines' side, and turned to Liang Jiugong and said, "Send someone to go and see what's going on over there."
Upon receiving the order, Liang Jiugong beckoned his apprentice Li Hui over and asked him to go and see what was going on.
A short while later, Li Hui came over to report, "Your Majesty, it was Yu Yin, a palace maid serving Consort Wuya, who lost her footing and fell. She startled the other consorts nearby, who screamed a couple of times, but she's fine now."
When Emperor Kangxi heard this, he didn't think it was a big deal and didn't take it to heart.
Consort An, who had been keeping an eye on Wuya Xinyue and Kangxi since earlier, was expecting Kangxi to be angry when he sent someone to check on them. But he just listened and didn't take it to heart at all.
With a look of disbelief on her face, Consort An turned around and glared at Yu Xin. She lowered her voice to make sure no one else could hear before she muttered angrily, "How did you do your job? Did you succeed or not? Why is there no movement?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I am certain that it was successful. I saw it with my own eyes when I left. The maidservant next to Consort Wuya was pouring it on her."
Consort An, who was already angry, became even angrier upon hearing this. "Are you stupid? I told you to push that bitch Wuya, why did you push her maid? I want to embarrass Wuya, not that maid."
Enraged, Consort An raised her hand to hit someone, but seeing the current situation, she forcefully pulled her hand back.
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