He Zhu walked to the Crown Prince's side and whispered to him, "Your Highness, the matter has been completed!"
The Crown Prince nodded in satisfaction. "Create the illusion of a fire to expose the Ninth Princess's affair! Remember to clean up the mess thoroughly!"
The Ninth Princess meticulously planned this whole thing; how could she not let everyone see it?
Although He Xue didn't know what the Crown Prince had done, she knew that the Ninth Princess would likely not have a good ending. She wouldn't plead for the Ninth Princess out of excessive sympathy. "I will not offend others unless they offend me, but if they do, I will not tolerate it."
Her compassion wasn't meant to dispel others' hatred towards her; she wasn't a bodhisattva in a temple, incapable of saving all sentient beings.
After resting for a while, Xue felt much better than before, and then returned to the Hall of Preserving Harmony with the Imperial Noble Consort and Lady Tongjia.
Suddenly, someone outside shouted, "Fire! Fire!"
Everyone inside the Hall of Preserving Harmony heard it too.
Kangxi said to Liang Jiugong, "Send someone to see what's going on. How could a fire suddenly start?"
"Yes, sir!" Liang Jiugong, still worried, went to check on it himself.
He Zhu had already prepared his explanation, so Liang Jiugong returned quickly.
"Your Majesty, it seems that some young master from some noble household wants to catch fish from the Thousand Carp Pond and wants to grill them!"
The fire was lit, but the lake was too frozen, no fish were caught, and the fire was forgotten to be extinguished, so it caught fire!
Upon hearing this, the ministers in the Hall of Preserving Harmony immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness. Although they were not sure if it was their son (or grandson) who had caused the trouble, they knew that begging for forgiveness first was the right thing to do.
Emperor Kangxi couldn't pursue the matter too much. As the emperor of a nation, he couldn't possibly hold a grudge against a few children. "Get up! Children will be children; it's inevitable that they'll be naughty!"
Ren Dong hurriedly walked up to the Imperial Noble Consort and whispered a few words to her.
The Imperial Noble Consort looked incredulous; the Crown Prince could be so cruel. However, she quickly came to terms with it. If the Crown Prince hadn't discovered it early, Xue would probably be the one suffering now.
This matter involved the Ninth Princess and the Torgut tribe, so the Imperial Noble Consort had no choice but to tell Emperor Kangxi about it.
Emperor Kangxi, who had been looking pleased, froze on his face after hearing the Imperial Noble Consort's words. If he hadn't been concerned about his reputation, he would have already lost his temper.
Kangxi said a few words and then dismissed everyone so they could go home.
However, the Khan of the Torgut tribe was left behind alone.
"Gesang, where is your son, Amuguleng?" Kangxi asked.
The Torgut Khan rose and said, "Your Majesty, this servant does not know. Perhaps he was captivated by the beauty of the palace!"
"Hmph!" Kangxi said irritably, "I'll take you to find your son right now!"
Then Kangxi, accompanied by the Imperial Noble Consort, Consort Hui, and the other four consorts, walked towards the rear hall of the Hall of Preserving Harmony. Of course, many of them were there to watch the spectacle.
Kangxi didn't tell them to go back, so they went with him.
The Torgut Khan followed Emperor Kangxi with a bewildered expression.
After the fire was extinguished, people checked to see if there were any hidden dangers.
Because they were worried that female relatives might be resting in the rear hall, the inspection of the rear hall was carried out by a head maid and several palace maids.
They were soon drawn to strange noises coming from a room.
"What is that sound?" someone asked.
Everyone else who heard the voice also had strange expressions.
"Ahem..." The head maid coughed lightly, looking at the room and said, "You may check other places first!"
The head maid first went to the room to check again. When she saw that the person in the room had changed his expression, she wondered if she would be implicated. But she did not hide it and immediately told Ren Dong about it.
Even if the head maid didn't tell the Imperial Noble Consort, He Zhu had already arranged for someone to let Kangxi know about it.
That's how Kangxi arrived with his entourage in such a grand manner.
When Emperor Kangxi and the Imperial Noble Consort arrived, Kangxi's expression immediately turned grim upon hearing the commotion inside the room.
The others also understood what was going on, and some even regretted coming along, not wanting to lose their lives instead of enjoying the excitement.
Emperor Kangxi, enraged, shouted, "Guards! Break down the door and bring the people inside out!"
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