Consort Hui's low voice caused Cunxin to widen her eyes in shock.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
Swallowing hard, Cunxin looked at Consort Hui with some hesitation, lowered her voice, and whispered, "Your Majesty, is this really alright? Will the Emperor really believe it?"
Consort Hui smiled coldly, her eyes icy.
Whether the Emperor believes it or not is not important. What matters is that the Empress Dowager believes it, the court officials believe it, and the people of the land believe it. So what if the Consort is favored and has many children?
With a sinister smile, Consort Hui spoke coldly, "Public opinion can be devastating. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager, willing to sacrifice the throne, will certainly abandon the Imperial Consort."
Cunxin nodded heavily.
Seven days later, rumors spread like wildfire throughout the palace and even reached outside the palace, spreading throughout the capital. The people were discussing it extensively, and the court officials submitted memorials one after another.
Kangxi was extremely troubled by this.
That afternoon, Xu Lejin had just woken up from her nap and was walking around in the main hall of Yikun Palace when Consort Wen, along with a group of concubines from the harem, entered Yikun Palace directly.
With a darkening expression, Xu Lejin coldly looked at Consort Wen, "How dare you, Consort Wen, enter my palace without even letting the palace servants announce your arrival. You just barged in like this. Do you even respect me as a Noble Consort?"
“Consort An, Consort Wen is young and doesn’t know any better. You’ve served the Emperor for many years, and you don’t know any better either? There’s a hierarchy in the palace. Is this how you show respect to me?”
Consort An lowered her head slightly, looking down at her nose and inward.
Consort Wen chuckled, slightly raising her chin and looking at Xu Lejin with a stubborn and arrogant expression. "Imperial Consort? In a few days, you won't be an Imperial Consort anymore, and perhaps..."
With a light laugh, Consort Wen spoke with a mocking expression.
“You stay in Yikun Palace every day, so you probably don’t know what’s going on outside. Now, rumors are circulating in the palace and the capital that Your Highness is a monster, and the ministers in the court have petitioned the Emperor to execute you.”
"Your Highness, you are merely displaying your verbal prowess!"
Xu Lejin paused for a moment, then looked at Qin Huai and Ru Hua beside her.
Qin Huai and Ru Hua exchanged a quick glance, then looked down at their toes with serious expressions.
After a quick thought, Xu Lejin looked at Consort Wen and said coldly, "Even so, as long as the Emperor's decree is not issued, I am still the Imperial Consort personally appointed by the Emperor."
"Consort Wen, you are a consort, yet you come to my palace without being announced by the palace servants. Now you even fail to bow to me. Consort Wen, what is your punishment?"
With a sharp and stern voice, Xu Lejin looked at Consort Wen with icy eyes.
Consort Wen trembled slightly, but forced herself to remain calm. She met Xu Lejin's gaze directly. Time ticked by, but Xu Lejin did not back down, and Consort Wen held on.
The concubines, noble ladies, maids, and other attendants behind them were trembling with fear, their backs covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Night falls
Consort Wen, Xu Lejin, and others remained in a standoff at Yikun Palace.
"The Emperor has arrived! The Third Prince has arrived! The Eighth Princess has arrived!"
Outside Yikun Palace, the shrill voice of a eunuch rang out, causing Consort Wen's expression to change and her heart to leap into her throat. Consort An and the others staggered, and if not for the support of the palace maids, they would have already fallen to the ground.
Emperor Kangxi, along with his third son and eighth princess, entered Yikun Palace.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. Long live the Emperor!"
Xu Lejin curtsied and bowed to Emperor Kangxi, glancing at the Third Prince and the Eighth Princess out of the corner of her eye.
After Yinling and Wunaxi were found to have a connection with the immortals last year and were accepted as disciples by the immortals, they moved out of Yikun Palace and lived in a separate palace.
All told, Xu Lejin hadn't seen her two children for more than half a year.
I saw the two children today. Yinling has grown a lot taller, his features have matured, and he's become much more handsome. He's a small child, but he has a dashing and elegant appearance.
Unahi used to be a bit weak, but now she has delicate features and is a real beauty.
Yinling and Wunaxi bowed to Xu Lejin and said, "Your subjects greet Mother. May Mother be blessed."
"Okay, okay, okay."
Looking at the two children with loving eyes, Xu Lejin felt very happy.
Emperor Kangxi glared at the trembling Consort Wen, Consort An, and the others, his displeasure rising in his eyes and his expression turning sour. He said coldly, "Consort Wen, what are you doing in the Imperial Concubine's palace?"
"Your Majesty, your concubine, your concubine..."
Consort Wen's expression changed, but she forced herself to remain calm and spoke in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, I've heard from the palace servants and the common people outside the palace that the Imperial Concubine is a demon. Last year, the earth shook in the capital; it was Heaven's punishment for Your Majesty and the people being deceived by the Imperial Concubine. Your Majesty..."
"I think that for the sake of peace and tranquility in the harem, the Imperial Concubine should be imprisoned and burned at the stake."
With a forced smile, Consort Wen whispered these words in a voice barely above a whisper.
The Yikun Palace fell into complete silence.
Kangxi stared coldly at Consort Wen, while Xu Lejin curled her lips into a cold smile. Yinling and Wunaxi nestled obediently beside Xu Lejin, their gazes toward Consort Wen devoid of any emotion.
Consort An and the other concubines in the harem were filled with unease; some of the more timid ones were already unsteady on their feet.
After a long while, Kangxi said coldly, "Wenfei's information network is quite impressive? She not only knows everything about what's happening inside the palace, but also everything about what's happening outside."
"Consort Wen, accompanied by the concubines of the harem, arrived at the Imperial Concubine's palace in a grand display. I had no idea when I had granted Consort Wen the power to control the life and death of her people."
Consort Wen panicked and knelt down with a 'plop'.
Terrified, Consort Wen prostrated herself on the ground, her voice trembling, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! I... I was only thinking of Your Majesty, of the nation, of the Qing Dynasty. I... I..."
"Your Majesty, I dare to request that you execute the Imperial Concubine to appease the people."
Xu Lejin glanced at Consort Wen out of the corner of her eye, her expression indifferent, and smiled as she spoke with Yinling and Wunaxi.
Kangxi's face was clouded with tension, his sharp gaze fixed on Consort Wen. After a long while, Kangxi turned his gaze to the group of concubines kneeling behind Consort Wen and said in a deep voice, "And you? Do you all share the same thoughts as Consort Wen?"
"Do you also want me to execute the Imperial Concubine?"
Consort An and the others looked up in fear and trepidation.
"I, your concubines, and maids would not dare."
Everyone spoke in unison, their hearts pounding in their throats, filled with regret. If they had known this would happen, they should have found an excuse to stay out of this mess, just like Consort Duan and the others.
Xu Lejin's lips curled up, revealing a mocking smile.
At this moment, the precocious Yinling spoke up. "Father, Consort Wen comes from the noble Niohuru clan and is the younger sister of Empress Xiaozhao. However, her demeanor is far inferior to that of Empress Xiaozhao, not even a tenth as impressive."
"Although I am young, I know that the most taboo thing in the palace is to follow the crowd. As a concubine in the harem, Consort Wen holds power in the palace, but now she listens to slander and even tries to force my mother to her death."
“Father, Master once said, ‘How can one sweep the world if one cannot even sweep one’s own room?’ Consort Wen, as a concubine, is a model for the harem. But now, with such behavior, I believe Consort Wen is unworthy of the title of concubine…”
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