Autumn of the 60th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.
Yin Yi submitted a memorial to severely punish the corrupt officials who were responsible for disaster relief, but Emperor Kangxi, being sentimental, kept the memorial in the palace and did not issue it. The corrupt officials were only demoted, which infuriated him, and he even fell ill.
As her mother, Anning was naturally worried, so she went to Yuqing Palace herself. When she was testing the medicine for Yinyi to see if it was too hot, she was poisoned, vomited blood, and fell into a coma.
In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Kangxi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, vomited blood, and then fainted.
Liang Jiugong reacted quickly. Since there were doctors in the Qianqing Palace, he immediately blocked the news and then went to ask the Imperial Noble Consort of Changchun Palace if she was alright. As expected, something had happened.
Then Liang Jiugong quickly arranged for people from the Imperial Medical Academy to go to Changchun Palace to treat the patient.
After half a day of effort by the imperial physicians, An Ning woke up, but her complexion was very bad; she was pale and weak. The imperial physicians concluded that she had been poisoned by a secret medicine from the previous dynasty.
As for the secret medicine, nothing has been found.
In the Qianqing Palace, Kangxi also woke up. After learning the whole story, Kangxi was furious. How was this any different from assassinating the emperor and rebelling?
However, thinking of the location where An Ning was poisoned, he said, "Go and investigate who the Crown Prince was blocking, that he dared to plot against the heir apparent."
After giving his instructions, Kangxi, still feeling uneasy, went to Changchun Palace despite his discomfort.
"Imperial Physician, what exactly is wrong with the Imperial Noble Consort's health?"
"Your Majesty, the secret medicine that the Empress took is very strange. This medicine should not have taken effect so quickly. It is only because it clashes with the spices that the Empress has been using for a long time that the Empress took a sip and the medicine took effect."
Although Her Majesty's life is no longer in danger, she will likely have to avoid strenuous work in the future and may fall ill frequently, requiring careful recuperation.
Kangxi was in a daze, which was tantamount to telling him that he could no longer be the emperor, but how could Kangxi be willing to be the retired emperor?
"You must do your utmost to care for the Imperial Noble Consort's health and make sure she recovers. I want her to get well as soon as possible."
The imperial physicians all looked somewhat troubled. Some illnesses were simply incurable. They didn't know much about this secret medicine, and without an antidote, how could they treat them?
However, under pressure from Kang's authority, they all agreed.
When Kangxi came out of his bedchamber, he ran into Yinyi and Jinyao, whose eyes were red and swollen.
"Father, Mother... It's all my fault. Mother was trying to shield me from disaster. I beg you, Father, to thoroughly investigate the person behind this and give Mother justice."
Kangxi looked at Yinyi with mixed feelings of frustration and resentment. He could clearly feel his physical discomfort, lack of energy, and physical weakness. If Anning did not recover, he would not be able to remain emperor for long.
Finally, Kangxi said helplessly, "I will certainly not let the person who harmed your mother get away with it."
In the end, Kangxi's tone was extremely unfriendly. He truly hated the person who poisoned Anning. If it was found out, he would definitely punish them for treason.
However, things did not go as planned. After a month of treatment, the Imperial Physicians knelt before Emperor Kangxi, dejected and saying they were powerless to help.
An Ning coughed twice, her voice filled with sorrow: "Your Majesty, let it be. The imperial physicians have done their best. Perhaps this is my fate. It's just that with my frail health, I'm afraid I won't be able to serve Your Majesty anymore."
As she spoke, Anning shed two lines of tears, a sight that saddened all who heard it, and even Emperor Kangxi was distressed.
For the past month, Kangxi had been trying his best to endure his physical discomfort while handling state affairs, but he could feel his body resisting. If this continued, he feared he wouldn't live much longer.
Emperor Kangxi wanted both imperial power and longevity, but he could only choose one. He preferred imperial power, but even if he did, he no longer had the energy to maintain imperial rule.
He only has one choice.
Kangxi's face was even more sorrowful than Anning's. He really couldn't execute all these imperial physicians, so he said helplessly, "Fine, all of you go out. Go back and continue to study how to treat the Imperial Noble Consort. Whoever can cure the Imperial Noble Consort will be rewarded with a first-class noble title."
The imperial physicians' eyes lit up when they asked the questions, and it was clear they would take the matter seriously once they returned.
The imperial physicians replied, "We will certainly do our utmost."
An Ning exclaimed in shock, "Your Majesty! No, I am utterly unworthy!"
Kangxi looked at Anning with a "you deserve it" expression: "My beloved consort, there's no need to say more. My mind is made up. I want to be with you for a long, long time! My beloved consort, don't leave me alone."
Anyone else would have been deeply moved by the emperor's words, but Anning only felt that Kangxi was a really good actor, and that it must have been difficult for him.
An Ning was naturally moved, her eyes filled with love as she looked at Kangxi with fervent and burning affection.
In terms of acting skills, An Ning has also honed her craft and is in no way inferior to Kangxi.
Soon, Emperor Kangxi discovered the mastermind behind it all.
To murder the Crown Prince was no easy feat; it involved more than one faction. After reviewing the results, Kangxi slammed his fist on the table: "Consort De, how dare she!"
The mastermind was not Consort De, but Consort De was an accomplice. The real culprits who wanted to harm Yinyi were those corrupt officials.
Emperor Kangxi was getting old, and the Crown Prince's position was secure. He was intolerant of any wrongdoing, and it was clear to the naked eye that a major purge would be inevitable once he ascended the throne.
Those corrupt officials, accustomed to indulging in pleasure, are naturally incapable of being honest officials; the things they have done have left them with no way back.
Then, encouraged by some people with ulterior motives, some thought that if the crown prince did not become emperor, they might still be able to escape disaster, and so this scheme was devised.
The influence of Consort De was not completely eliminated last time, and she also felt that if Yin Yi were gone, the position of Empress Dowager would be hers. She had only provided some convenience.
Not everyone likes Crown Prince Yinyi. Those in the know either go with the flow or remain silent and observe.
Unexpectedly, Yin Yi was fine, but An Ning suffered. To make matters worse, she used spices that clashed with the secret medicine, so although An Ning suffered, she survived.
“The mastermind and accomplices shall be executed by slow slicing, and their three clans shall be exterminated. Their nine clans and three generations shall be barred from holding official positions in the court. The palace servants who participated shall also have their nine clans exterminated. As for Consort De… Consort De’s behavior in front of the Emperor has caused offense, so she shall be confined to Yonghe Palace for now.”
"Yes, sir."
Emperor Kangxi was unsure how to deal with Consort De. If he were safe, Consort De would surely be secretly executed, but he didn't know if he could continue to be emperor.
If he were to abdicate, Consort De would have given birth to the Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince, both of whom were quite capable. Emperor Kangxi did not want things to be unstable after Yin Yi ascended the throne.
He truly didn't expect Consort De to have the audacity to do such a thing.
Headache.
The capital was in turmoil because of Anning's poisoning, and Yinyi remained ruthless to the end.
The Fourth Prince had no particular thoughts at first, but he was completely stunned when he heard that his mother, Consort De, had been confined to her quarters. At this point in time, being confined to her quarters for the crime of disrespecting the Emperor could only mean that she was involved in the plot to harm the Crown Prince. He couldn't think of any other possibility.
Having figured it out, the Fourth Prince was numb.
He had never felt any affection from Consort De. Their relationship was polite and distant, and it was fine as long as things were peaceful. But Consort De plotted to harm the Crown Prince, and as her son, how could he stand aside?
He immediately went to the palace.
"Your Majesty, Prince Yong requests an audience."
Emperor Kangxi did not want to see him, but thinking of Consort De, he nodded and said, "Let him in."
After the Fourth Prince entered, he knelt down and said, "Father, I beg Your Majesty to forgive Mother this once."
Kangxi didn't speak. He was very tired and didn't want to talk. He was angry with Consort De and was indeed taking his anger out on her.
After a long while, Kangxi finally said, "Get up."
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