In Yanxi Palace
Consort Hui sat in the main hall, her face filled with panic.
"What should I do? What should I do? Cunxin, what should I do?"
Consort Hui was devastated. How could this happen?
She was only angry for a moment, so she punished Hong Ying and Tian Guan's daughter by making them kneel in the scorching sun under the corridor for two hours.
How could it be that, suddenly, both Hong and Tian Guan's daughters miscarried?
Although the women from the court and the official family were of lowly birth and not worthy of respect, they were carrying imperial offspring. Now, both women had miscarried due to her punishment of kneeling. This…
How should she explain this to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager?
Even if she jumped into the Yellow River, she still couldn't clear her name!
Cunxin lowered her head slightly, her face solemn and deep in thought. After a long while, Cunxin raised her head and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, don't panic. Consort Hong and the Tian official's daughter are both weak. Even without Your Majesty's punishment of kneeling, they might not be able to protect the imperial fetus."
"Your Majesty, you only need to insist that you were unaware that Xiao Hong had agreed to the plan for the woman from the Tian family to miscarry."
Consort Hui nodded.
"At this point, this is the only way, this is the only way."
Her face was as pale as paper. Consort Hui casually pointed to a young palace maid and coldly ordered, "You, go to the back hall and check on Consort Hong and the women of the field official's household. Also..."
Consort Hui had words on the tip of her tongue, but she hadn't finished speaking.
Emperor Kangxi and Xu Lejin then stepped into the main hall of Yanxi Palace. Consort Hui could only swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue, and tremblingly bowed forward and curtsied.
"Your Majesty and the Imperial Concubine greet you. May Your Majesty be blessed with long life and good health, and may the Imperial Concubine be auspicious."
Emperor Kangxi responded indifferently, giving Consort Hui a meaningful look.
After Emperor Kangxi and Xu Lejin were seated, Consort Hui carefully chose her words and spoke softly, "Your Majesty and Consort Gui, what brings you to my palace? I was just thinking of reporting to Your Majesty about the miscarriage of Consort Hong and the woman from the Tian family."
"snort."
Kangxi's eyes were icy as he looked at Consort Hui and said in a deep voice, "When the Imperial Concubine and I came in just now, we heard Consort Hui instructing the palace servants to go to the back hall to check on Consort Hong and Lady Tian?"
“Hong and Lady Tian are from Consort Hui’s palace. They were just diagnosed with Yu Xi’s pregnancy, but then Hong miscarried. Doesn’t Consort Hui intend to give me an explanation?”
Consort Hui's face paled, and she hesitated, as if about to speak.
Kangxi stopped Consort Hui, his words icy: "Consort Hong and Lady Tian, though of humble origins, are carrying the imperial heir."
"I never knew that Consort Hui's Yanxi Palace couldn't even accommodate a pregnant concubine or a palace maid."
"Consort Hui, um..."
Trembling, Consort Hui knelt down with a thud.
With a terrified expression and a trembling voice, Consort Hui said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me! I was unaware that Xiao Hong had promised the woman from Hetian that she would miscarry... I..."
"Your Majesty, I only punish Consort Hong and the women of the Tian family by making them kneel in the corridor for two hours."
"It's just a form of punishment."
The sound grew fainter and fainter, and Consort Hui's heart leaped into her throat.
Kangxi frowned and remained silent. Xu Lejin quickly thought for a moment and then spoke in a cold voice, "Consort Hui also gave birth to the Second Prince. She knows that the first three months of a woman's pregnancy are the most unstable."
“Hongying and the women of Tianguan were pregnant. How could Consort Hui punish them by making them kneel in the corridor for two hours?”
"Even if she is not pregnant, kneeling under the eaves for two hours in such hot weather would take half her life, let alone Consort Hong and the woman from the official family who are pregnant."
After speaking, Xu Lejin glanced helplessly at Consort Hui and lowered her head slightly.
Consort Hui collapsed to the ground, utterly disheveled and filled with regret. She regretted punishing Consort Hong and the woman from the field.
Even if Consort Hong and the woman from the official family were to give birth to princes and princesses, their shameful behavior would not pose a threat to the Second Prince.
She was truly blinded by greed, actually forcing the woman in red to kneel as punishment, and the woman from the Tianguan Palace.
When Consort Wen and Consort Que arrived at Yanxi Palace, they were met with Consort Hui's disheveled state.
The two women lowered their eyes, bowed, and found seats to sit down. Consort Wen felt helpless and expressed her incomprehension regarding Consort Hui's punishment of Consort Hong and the woman from the field.
Consort Que lowered her head, her eyes filled with schadenfreude.
As time ticked by, Ru Hua, a palace maid who was beside Xu Lejin, entered from outside the palace with a bow. She whispered a few words in Xu Lejin's ear, and Xu Lejin stood up.
She coughed lightly and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I'm going to the back palace to see Consort Hong and Lady Tian."
"Okay, go ahead!"
Kangxi responded.
In the rear hall of Yanxi Palace, each of the concubines, the women of the field, and others had their own room.
Upon entering the small house where Consort Hong resided, Consort Li and several others immediately stepped forward, curtsied, and said, "We, your humble servants, pay our respects to Your Highness, and wish Your Highness good fortune."
"No need for formalities, please rise."
Xu Lejin glanced at the unconscious Hong Daying on the bed, frowning in thought.
During the time she spent with Li and the others, she felt that although they came from humble backgrounds, they were not stupid or dull-witted.
The miscarriage was somewhat suspicious.
Knowing that Consort Hui was narrow-minded and jealous, why did he still go to Consort Hui's main hall and not resist, kneeling under the corridor while pregnant, forcing himself to miscarry?
Two hours would be more than enough time to send someone to report to Kangxi and to her.
Squinting, Xu Lejin looked at Li and waited.
"Hong agreed to the matter of the miscarriage of the woman from the Tian family? Don't you want to give me an explanation?"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
