Kangxi tried to retreat, but was spotted by the sharp-eyed Tinghe, who shouted out.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Kangxi had no choice but to step out again with the foot he had just withdrawn.
"What's wrong, my beloved concubine?"
Emperor Kangxi, in a dramatic mood, watched Consort Hui standing with her hands on her hips, yelling and screaming. All his anxiety and anger vanished, and he only thought about not getting involved himself.
Consort Hui was surprised that Emperor Kangxi arrived so quickly, and hurriedly composed herself.
But she was so angry that even though she forced a smile, Kangxi felt that she had been greatly wronged.
"Your Majesty, it's that... brat Yinti."
Remembering the "little bastard" he'd overheard outside the palace, Kangxi cleared his throat and pretended he hadn't heard anything. "My beloved consort, did Yinqi also come to Yanxi Palace this morning?"
Consort Hui was drawn to the word "also".
"Besides going to Shou Kang Palace, did Yin Ti also go to Qian Qing Palace?"
Kangxi nodded and then said, "He came to the Qianqing Palace to get the imperial edict to bestow a marriage upon Hongyu before he left. I only came because I heard from Baocheng that you seemed to have been wronged in the Shou Kang Palace, so I thought I would come and see you."
After saying that, he turned to look for the Crown Prince, but...
"Where is the Crown Prince?" Kangxi asked Liang Jiugong.
Liang Jiugong was speechless, and said with a forced smile, "The Crown Prince just left."
Kangxi...
Don't be angry, don't be angry, that's my own son.
When Consort Hui heard Kangxi say this, she was afraid that he would misunderstand, so she hurriedly explained.
"The Empress Dowager did not reprimand me, but simply recounted how Yinqi had caused her trouble early this morning."
Seeing the curious look on Kangxi's face, she guessed that he might not know about this matter either, so she recounted what had happened in the Empress Dowager's palace.
Emperor Kangxi, quite speechless, recounted what had happened in the Qianqing Palace. In the end, the couple sat together, seething with resentment.
"Your Majesty, I think Yinti is still too idle."
Kangxi nodded in agreement, "It's time for the Fourteenth Prince to get married. Let the eldest prince bring the Fourteenth Prince back."
That evening, five imperial edicts were issued in succession from the Qianqing Palace.
The first decree was to bestow a marriage upon Aisin-Gioro Hongyu and Hesheli Xiuya, who were to be married on the fifteenth of August the following year.
The second imperial edict granted marriage to Aisin Gioro Yinti and Zhang Jia, the daughter of General Zhang Haoshang, and the wedding took place on the third day of the ninth month.
The third imperial edict granted marriage to Aisin Gioro Yinzhen and Lady Wanyan, ordering their wedding to take place on the second day of the sixth lunar month of the following year.
The fourth imperial edict granted marriage to Aisin-Gioro Yinxiang and Lady Zhaojia, with their wedding scheduled for May of the following year.
The fifth imperial edict ordered that immediately after Aisin Gioro Yinti's wedding, he and his wife should go to the garrison to exchange Yinti for him.
The series of imperial edicts left everyone somewhat bewildered, but the candidates for primary consorts listed on the edicts were all delighted, and they were just waiting for the appointed day to get married in peace.
As soon as the selection process ended, the imperial harem began preparing for Wen Ke's wedding.
According to Consort Min, Wen Ke has been unusually obedient lately, neither crying nor making a fuss. He occasionally comes out to accompany Consort Min to discuss matters, and if Dun Ke is unwell, she will personally visit him.
Seeing how obedient she was, Consort Min felt even more sad and heartbroken.
Half a month before the wedding, the people sent by the Borjigit clan of the Ongniud tribe to fetch the bride had already arrived at the post station.
Although Wenke was previously disliked, this marriage was a Manchu-Mongol alliance, so Kangxi naturally attached great importance to it.
The day before her wedding, a grand palace banquet was held, and everyone except Wen Ke, who was to be married, attended as usual.
After returning from the palace banquet, Dunke had just removed his hairpins and jewelry when Wenke walked in alone.
"Sister, what brings you here?" Dunke asked, his face full of questions, but he still warmly welcomed her in. "Sister should get some sleep, as you need to get up to do your hair and makeup in the middle of the night."
Wen Ke smiled gently, "Thinking that I will never see you again after tomorrow, I feel very reluctant, so I came to see you before I put on my makeup."
Hearing her say that, Dunke also became sad.
"We are princesses, and marriage alliances are our destiny. In two years, I will also be going to a marriage alliance, but I don't know which tribe it will be with."
When this matter was brought up, Wen Ke asked, "Sister, there's no need to be sad. We all need to take good care of ourselves so that we can help our mother and brother."
Dunke nodded. Seeing that her mood was relatively calm, Wenke tentatively said, "Dunke, I'm really sad tonight. Can you stay with me to sleep?"
Dunke was surprised.
"I'll stay with you?"
Wen Ke nodded, looking at her expectantly, "Just like when we were little, you and I can snuggle together, okay?"
Dunke felt that something was off about his sister today, but considering that tomorrow would be their last farewell, he reluctantly agreed.
Under Wen Ke's firm stance, she left alone with Wen Ke, without any palace servants.
Although the palace servants found it strange, they didn't take it seriously because they remembered that the two princesses had always been like this since they were little.
It wasn't until the next day, after the wedding procession had left the capital, that the palace servants around Dunke, having not seen their mistress and sensing something was amiss, informed Consort Min.
After searching, they found a letter that Wen Ke had left under his pillow.
The letter read, "Since you all dislike me and think my sister is better than me in every way, then I will take Dunke away. Let's see how such a good sister can survive independently in Mongolia without my protection. With a princess going missing in the Qing palace, I suppose Father Emperor wouldn't dare tell the Borjigit Ongniud tribe openly, hahahahahaha. Since I'm not doing well, then let everyone be buried with me!"
When Kangxi saw this letter, his head was spinning.
Consort Min and Yinxiang had been kneeling on the ground for more than an hour, and Consort Min's head was bleeding from kowtowing.
The Empress Dowager had long been sent back to Shou Kang Palace. To her, the loss of a princess was nothing serious, except for the shame of the royal family.
She wouldn't interfere as long as the emperor didn't openly demand people from the Borjigit Ongniud tribe.
"Consort Min, is this the kind of princess you raised? Her heart is so vicious that she even dares to harm her own sister."
Emperor Kangxi was so angry that he cursed loudly.
In fact, he had been cursing for more than half an hour, but at this point it seemed that he had no other way to vent his anger except by cursing, and there was no good solution.
Yinreng and Hongxi walked in at that moment.
"Father, don't be angry. The wedding procession has only left the capital. We can send people to catch up with them without any problem."
It was rare for Yinreng to see Kangxi so angry. If he hadn't been afraid that the matter would be taken out on Yinxiang, he wouldn't have bothered with it.
When Kangxi heard the Crown Prince say this, he asked, "So what if we caught up? We can't just say we lost a princess, can we?"
Hongxi hurriedly stepped forward, "Grandpa, leave this matter to me. I will definitely bring Aunt Shi back without alerting anyone else."
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