Night fell.
Qianqing Palace
After finishing his day's political affairs, Emperor Kangxi stretched and prepared to take a stroll in the inner palace.
"emperor…"
Just as he took a step, a sweet, delicate voice reached Kangxi's ears. Kangxi was startled and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw a woman with phoenix eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows, and peach-blossom cheeks looking at him shyly, as if she wanted to say something.
The woman's eyes were filled with deep, unyielding affection.
With a cold face, Kangxi asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
The woman's expression froze for a moment, then she spoke in a gentle, soft Wu dialect, her voice sweet and charming. "Your Majesty, I am Xu Mu'er Wanyin, a palace maid who serves Your Majesty. Your Majesty once favored me in the main hall of Yikun Palace."
Kangxi's face darkened.
"You are the half-sister of Consort Xu Muer of Yikun Palace?"
Xu Wanyin was displeased upon hearing this, but she maintained a perfectly timed smile, slightly raising her head to reveal her beautiful profile, and said shyly, "Your Majesty has a good memory. This servant is indeed Consort Xu's younger sister."
Kangxi nodded, looking thoughtful.
At that moment, Kangxi smelled a faint fragrance of orchids. His originally clear eyes instantly turned lustful, and he stared intently at Xu Wanyin, blurting out, "You smell so good? What perfume are you wearing?"
"Your Majesty, I did not use any incense. It's possible that my clothes have been tainted with the popular perfume in the capital."
Xu Wanyin lowered her head slightly, feeling somewhat anxious.
Kangxi's face darkened, his eyes losing all lust and regaining their clarity. His gaze turned cold as he looked at Xu Wanyin and said, "The fragrance of clothing in the capital is very expensive. How could a palace maid like you have such fragrance on your clothes?"
"If you tell the truth, I can spare you this time for the sake of Consort Xu. But if you conceal the truth and lie, don't blame me for not showing any mercy."
Xu Wanyin looked surprised upon hearing this.
No, it shouldn't be like this. If I have aphrodisiac perfume on my clothes, the Emperor should immediately favor me, instead of scolding me and questioning where the fragrance came from.
Slowly raising her head, Xu Wanyin stammered, "Your Majesty, this servant does not understand what Your Majesty means?"
Kangxi gave a cold laugh.
"Don't understand? The scent on you isn't the fragrance of clothes, it's..."
Swallowing the words that were about to come out, Kangxi called out loudly to the outside, "Liang Jiugong, get in here for me."
Liang Jiugong rushed into the hall in a panic. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Kangxi's gloomy face, which looked like it could drip water, and a woman in pink palace attire kneeling on the ground. He immediately understood what was going on.
He knelt down in a panic, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me, this servant doesn't know what happened."
"Um."
Kangxi glanced coldly at Xu Wanyin, who was prostrate on the ground trembling, and said in a cold voice, "Xu Muer Wanyin, a palace maid of the Emperor, does not know the rules. She is to be banished to the Cold Palace immediately."
Xu Wanyin looked up in disbelief, her face filled with despair.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong! Please forgive me, Your Majesty! I will never dare to do it again, never dare to do it again, Your Majesty!"
Liang Jiugong instructed several eunuchs to drag Xu Wanyin out of the Qianqing Palace.
Xu Wanyin's pleas for mercy echoed throughout the entire Qianqing Palace. The other palace maids who were also Xu Wanyin were all still shaken and abandoned any thoughts they had.
Xu Wanyin's attempt to seduce Emperor Kangxi failed, and she was instead banished to the Cold Palace.
The news quickly spread throughout the six palaces, reaching Xu Muer's family outside the palace. When Xie heard the news, her face darkened, and after a long while, she said in a deep voice to the maid beside her, "Tell Aunt Liu and her daughter that Xu Wanyin has been banished to the Cold Palace."
"yes."
The maidservant respectfully replied, "Yes."
The Xu family quickly learned that Xu Wanyin's attempt to seduce Emperor Kangxi had failed, and she had been punished and sent to the Cold Palace. Everyone looked terrified. As for Aunt Liu and her daughters, they felt as if the sky was falling.
Aunt Qin and her daughter Aunt Chun were secretly relieved.
Fortunately, they did not continue to oppose the Madam and Consort Xu in the palace like Aunt Liu and Xu Wanyin did, otherwise their fate would have been similar to Xu Wanyin's.
Once you're confined to the cold palace, getting out is harder than climbing to heaven.
In the palace, Chuxiu Palace
The next morning, Consort Zhao learned that Xu Wanyin had failed in her attempt to seduce Emperor Kangxi and had instead been banished to the Cold Palace.
She had almost twisted the handkerchief in her hand out of shape.
With a grim expression, Consort Zhao said coldly, "She is truly useless. I have already helped her enter the main hall of the Qianqing Palace and get to the Emperor's presence, but she still failed and was instead sent to the Cold Palace by the Emperor."
Xiuhe and Xiuqin exchanged a glance and lowered their heads.
After a long while, Xiuqin spoke softly with a worried expression, "Your Highness, Xu Wanyin has been sent to the Cold Palace. Will something happen to her? When I had someone contact Xu Wanyin, to increase credibility, I told her that it was Consort Ma Jia who instructed her to do so."
"If His Majesty investigates further and follows the clues, I am worried that Your Highness may be implicated."
After Xiuqin finished speaking, she lowered her head with a look of fear on her face.
Consort Zhao slowly raised her head and glanced at Xiuqin. "You said it yourself that it was Consort Ma Jia who instructed her to seduce the Emperor with spices. She failed and was instead banished to the Cold Palace. What does that have to do with me?"
"Even if His Majesty investigates, the investigation will eventually lead back to Consort Ma Jia."
Xiuqin paused for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Xiuhe, who stood to the side with her head bowed and eyes lowered.
Xiuhe understood immediately. After a moment's consideration, she spoke softly, "Your Majesty, even so, it's always better to be safe than sorry. Since Xu Wanyin has already been sent to the Cold Palace, whether she dies suddenly there, or is driven mad or frightened to death by the snakes, insects, rats, or the insane concubines of the late emperor, is entirely up to Your Majesty."
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