With a sorrowful expression, Liu Ying reported that the twenty-sixth princess of the emperor had died young.
Upon hearing this, Xu Lejin was so shocked that her jaw dropped, her vision went black, she staggered a few times, and then fainted.
Qianqing Palace
Upon hearing Liang Jiugong's report, who was kneeling in the hall and trembling, Emperor Kangxi's face instantly darkened to the point that it seemed as if water could drip from it.
Consort Ji, how dare you?
The twenty-sixth princess was born after Consort Ji carried her for ten months. Consort Ji was so ruthless and cruel that she viciously murdered the twenty-sixth princess with her own hands.
With a slap on his hand, Kangxi said coldly, "Consort Ji is unfit to be a mother."
Liang Jiugong lay prostrate on the ground, filled with remorse.
His reluctance to do so indirectly led to the death of the twenty-sixth princess.
Although the twenty-sixth princess is a princess, she is still of the emperor's bloodline and is a golden branch and jade leaf!
Consort Ji is too ruthless.
With a trembling voice, Liang Jiugong kept kowtowing, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me. This servant should not have been so compassionate, and should not have allowed Consort Ji to have private contact with the Twenty-Sixth Imperial Daughter."
"This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die a thousand deaths and cannot escape blame!"
With a gloomy expression, Emperor Kangxi stood up and paced back and forth in the Qianqing Palace.
Inside the Qianqing Palace, Liang Jiugong's kowtows and pleas for mercy could not be heard incessantly.
After a cup of tea
Liang Jiugong's forehead was bleeding profusely from the banging, but he dared not stop for a moment.
Kangxi said in a deep voice, "Alright, the twenty-sixth princess died young. Although you were also at fault, the fault lies with Consort Ji. As the mother of the twenty-sixth princess, Consort Ji was unkind and personally killed the twenty-sixth princess."
"By imperial decree, Consort Ji is stripped of her title, demoted to commoner status, and thrown into a mass grave. No one is permitted to collect her body."
"The twenty-sixth princess was so young, and she died tragically at the hands of her own mother. It is truly pitiful. The Imperial Observatory is hereby ordered to find an auspicious burial site for her."
After a pause, Kangxi continued speaking.
"The Imperial Noble Consort is hereby fined six months' salary. The Chief Eunuch Liang Jiugong indirectly caused the tragic death of the Twenty-Sixth Imperial Daughter at the hands of the commoner Yao; his crime is heinous, and he is hereby fined one year's salary."
Upon hearing Kangxi's words, Liang Jiugong immediately felt as if he had survived a calamity.
To rise to such a position as the chief eunuch of the imperial court, one doesn't rely on the meager stipend provided by the palace to make a living.
He would be willing to accept a penalty of five or ten years' salary, let alone a one-year penalty.
With trepidation and trepidation, Liang Jiugong respectfully said, "This servant kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your great favor. Long live the Emperor!"
"Um,"
Kangxi responded.
The twenty-sixth daughter of the emperor was murdered by her own mother, Lady Yao. This incident taught Xu Lejin a harsh lesson, as well as the other concubines in the harem.
It wasn't until the news of the death of the twenty-sixth princess spread throughout the palace and among the concubines that they learned that even tigers could eat their cubs, just like the commoner Yao.
July, August, and September passed in a somber atmosphere within the palace.
October arrived as scheduled.
October 2
Xu Lejin rested her chin on her hand, looking down at the few concubines scattered on the high seats below: Consort Que, Consort Hui, Consort Duan, and Consort He. Above the rank of Consort, there was only Consort Ning.
Consort Wan remained in Yonghe Palace, frail and sickly.
Among the lower-ranking concubines, the Noble Lady was the most numerous. Some of them were the birth mothers of princes and princesses. However, because of their low birth, although they had titles bestowed by Emperor Kangxi, they were never promoted to the rank of Consort.
Often there, a few scattered here and there
Apart from the few younger women and those from poor backgrounds recommended by Consort Hui, the rest of the women were all out of favor and practically invisible.
As for the palace maids, there were even fewer, only two.
Fifteen minutes later
Xu Lejin looked at Consort Yu and Consort Chen, who were heavily pregnant, in the corner, and said in a deep voice, "I have heard that Consort Yu is carrying a princess, and Consort Chen is carrying a prince."
"Consort Yu is eight months pregnant now, and in two more months the princess will be born. Consort Yu must ensure the little princess's safety."
"Neither His Majesty nor I wish for another ruthless mother like Yao to appear in the palace."
Consort Yu was taken aback.
Bowing deeply, she spoke softly with trepidation, "This servant understands, Your Highness, please rest assured, this servant will ensure the safety of the little princess in my womb. Even if this servant loses my life, the little princess will be safe."
"Hmm," Xu Lejin responded, her gaze shifting slightly from the nobleman to Consort Chen.
Consort Chen trembled, cradling her six-month-old belly, and quickly knelt down, saying, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I know what is important and would never joke about the safety of the imperial heir."
Xu Lejin nodded.
"My sisters, no matter how much you compete for my favor, there is one thing: you must not joke about the imperial heirs, nor can you lay a hand on the princes and princesses in the princes' quarters."
Do you understand?
All the concubines stood up in unison, respectfully saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, we will obey Your Highness's teachings."
This day
After Emperor Kangxi arrived at Yikun Palace, and their lovemaking concluded, Xu Lejin carefully considered her words and softly addressed him, "Your Majesty, I observe that in the palace today, there is only one Noble Consort, Que, and only Consort Ning among the Concubines."
"In the palace, there are many women who have given birth to princes and princesses and have served the Emperor for many years. Would Your Majesty be so kind as to promote the ranks of these palace ladies?"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi frowned and pondered.
After a long pause, Kangxi said, "This matter is not appropriate; let's wait another year or two."
"When Lady Yao gave birth, the imperial physician reported that her baby was breech and she might have a difficult delivery. I was compassionate towards Lady Yao and promoted her to the rank of Consort. However, Lady Yao was ungrateful and committed the crime of murdering her own daughter."
“The Yao family is utterly depraved and their crimes are too numerous to recount.”
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