If you help a concubine harm another concubine, you will be killed if you are discovered. If you help a concubine plot against the imperial heir, your whole family will die if you are discovered.
However, if one outwardly obeys but inwardly defies Emperor Kangxi's repeated orders, one's entire family will be reunited in the afterlife.
No one dared to test Kangxi's temper by threatening to exterminate nine generations of his family.
After giving his instructions, Kangxi waved his hand, and everyone withdrew, leaving only Liang Jiugong to serve him personally.
In the afternoon, the Imperial Concubine went to the Qianqing Palace.
"Your Majesty, Consort Tong requests an audience."
There were two imperial concubines in the harem. Consort Tong was Kangxi's cousin and the younger sister of Kangxi's third empress who had passed away. Consort Wen came from the Niohuru clan and was the younger sister of Kangxi's second empress.
Consort Tong had no children, so she handled most of the palace affairs. Consort Wen, on the other hand, had given birth to the Tenth Prince and came from a prominent family. Emperor Kangxi "intended" to have Consort Wen raise her child properly. Although she also had palace affairs to attend to, they were all unimportant.
The remaining palace affairs were divided equally among the four concubines.
Emperor Kangxi summoned the imperial physicians in the morning, and Consort Tong, both out of courtesy and reason, should come over after the pulse diagnosis at the Imperial Hospital.
Emperor Kangxi understood this principle as well.
"Let Consort Tong in."
"yes."
Not long after Liang Jiugong left, Consort Tong came in, carrying a food box.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."
"Your Highness, please rise. Why have you come here?"
"I heard from the Imperial Hospital that Your Majesty is ill, and I am very worried. All the ladies in the harem are also concerned about Your Majesty, so I came to see Your Majesty on their behalf. This is mung bean soup that I made myself. Please try it."
"You're so kind. I'm just feeling hot, it's nothing serious."
Liang Jiugong took the food box from Consort Tong and left.
The two exchanged pleasantries, warm yet somewhat distant, and soon Liang Jiugong brought over a small bowl of mung bean soup.
In fact, Emperor Kangxi did not want to drink it, as he was not suffering from summer heat, but he still had to give face to Consort Tong.
Liang Jiugong was very considerate; the bowl for the mung bean soup was a small bowl, not even full.
Consort Tong didn't care whether Emperor Kangxi finished drinking or not; it was all just a formality.
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