The palace maid Sang'er was pale and looked like she had been traumatized.
A cold glint flashed in Consort Que's eyes. She quickly stood up, curtsied, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! Sang'er didn't mean it."
"Your Majesty..."
Emperor Kangxi shook his head at Consort Que, summoned Liang Jiugong into the hall, and said coldly, "Liang Jiugong, go and see what's going on?"
"yes."
Liang Jiugong respectfully agreed.
The next day
November 1st.
Xu Lejin had just woken up and, with Ruhua and Nongying attending to her, sat in front of the dressing table. Liuying, looking flustered, rushed into the hall and knelt down with a thud.
"Your Majesty, something happened in Consort Que's palace last night, and the Emperor is furious!"
Xu Lejin's expression froze. She put down the hairpin in her hand, looked at Liu Ying, and said in a deep voice, "What's going on? Didn't the Emperor stay in Consort Que's palace last night?"
Liu Ying swallowed hard.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty returned to Qianqing Palace at 9 PM yesterday. There was a commotion in Consort Que's Chengqian Palace last night. The three Princess Tongjia in Consort Que's palace... last night..."
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Liu Ying blushed and found it difficult to speak.
Xu Lejin's expression darkened slightly as she stared intently at Liu Ying, wondering to herself, "What exactly happened in Chengqian Palace yesterday?"
Liu Ying, who is usually so composed, was unusually hesitant and stammering.
Liu Ying gritted her teeth and forced a smile, saying, "Last night, Consort Que intended to recommend one of the three Princess Tongjia to serve the Emperor, but unexpectedly..."
"When Sang'er, who served Consort Que, went to invite the three princesses, she stumbled upon the three princesses and several handsome young eunuchs in the palace, indulging in passionate lovemaking, oblivious to the world around them."
Xu Lejin was stunned when she heard this.
She knew that Consort Que did not want to recommend her cousin to serve Emperor Kangxi, but she never expected that Consort Que would be so ruthless, cutting off the source of the problem with a single move, directly ruining the three Tongjia princesses.
After pondering for a long time, Xu Lejin looked at Liu Ying and said in a cold voice, "What did the Emperor say about the matter in Consort Que's palace?"
Liu Ying looked up and glanced quickly at Xu Lejin.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor was immediately enraged and ordered the three princesses of the Tongjia clan to be beaten to death. Fortunately, Consort Que pleaded for them, and their lives were barely spared. However..."
"However, Consort Que bestowed them upon those three eunuchs as companions."
Xu Lejin stared wide-eyed in shock, and after a long while murmured, "There are palace maids and eunuchs in the palace who live together, but most of the palace maids who choose to form 'partnerships' with eunuchs are from humble backgrounds and have no family outside the palace."
"The three cousins โโof Consort Que were sent to the palace by Lady Tongjia. They were proper Manchu daughters. It is absurd that they were given to those three eunuchs as their partners."
The next day, the second day of the eleventh lunar month
Consort Hui glanced at Consort Que across from her and said sarcastically, "I heard that Consort Que gave three Manchu daughters who were staying in the palace to accompany her to a eunuch as a pair of food offerings the other day?"
"Although there were palace maids and eunuchs in the palace who lived together, there was never a Manchu woman who condescended to marry a lowly eunuch."
"What happened in Consort Que's palace is truly earth-shattering!"
After speaking, Consort Hui covered her mouth and giggled.
Consort Que's face turned from white to green, and she almost ground her teeth to powder. She said coldly, "Consort Hui's information network is very good. Consort Hui knows so much about what is happening in my palace."
"In truth, this matter is also due to my lax discipline. My three elder sisters were bewitched by the handsome and refined young eunuchs in the palace, and engaged in those immoral and scandalous acts with them."
Consort Que glanced at Xu Lejin out of the corner of her eye, then spoke again.
"Since things have come to this point, it's a fait accompli. I can only go with the flow and give them to the eunuchs as wives. Although it's not entirely appropriate, at least I've spared their lives."
Xu Lejin heard Consort Que's high-sounding words clearly. A cold smile appeared on her lips. She thought to herself, if Consort Que truly cared about her cousins, she wouldn't have resorted to such insidious and vicious methods.
For Consort Que's three cousins, marrying a eunuch marked the beginning of a truly miserable and painful period.
Consort Hui, Consort Duan, and the others lowered their eyes and remained silent.
After a cup of tea, Xu Lejin cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence, and looked at Consort Xi, saying in a deep voice, "Consort Xi, you and Consort Wen live in Chuxiu Palace. Has Consort Wen's condition improved at all?"
"Your Highness, Consort Yu, Consort Wen's illness seems to have worsened. She is only conscious for two or three hours a day, and spends the rest of the time in a deep sleep."
Consort Xi looked sad and wiped away her tears. She then said, "Whenever I visit Consort Wen in her main hall, she doesn't even recognize me anymore."
"ใใ"
Upon hearing this, Xu Lejin looked surprised.
After exchanging a glance with Consort Que, Xu Lejin carefully asked, "Is Consort Wen really that ill? After the imperial physicians' examination, what do they say about Consort Wen's remaining time?"
Consort Xi lowered her eyes, her whole body shrouded in an aura of sorrow.
"The imperial physicians said that Consort Wen's condition is the first they've encountered in all these years. Consort Wen..."
"I'm afraid Consort Wen won't make it through this winter. She's only being kept alive with precious medicinal herbs."
"Um."
Xu Lejin responded and frowned in thought.
After a short while, Xu Lejin spoke in a deep voice, "I will report Consort Wen's serious illness to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Consort Que, instruct the Imperial Pharmacy to fully cooperate with the Imperial Hospital to ensure that Consort Wen can get through this winter smoothly."
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