"Grandmother, don't be agitated. Wan'er is right here. I specially asked Liang Jiugong to bring her here. I will also give Consort Chun a proper and grand burial!"
Kangxi really does speak to people in a different way, depending on who they are. Is he so blatant because he knows the Empress Dowager can't know what's going on outside? Wanyi knows that although Consort Chun was buried with the rank of Consort, in reality, the funeral was not as dignified as that of a Noble Lady. Only consorts below the rank of Attendant-in-Waiting went to perform the mourning ceremony. It was as shabby as it could be, and the coffin was only kept for one day before being moved out.
"See... Ren, yes, yes..." The Empress Dowager spoke with difficulty, and Kangxi did not think the worst, so he did not understand what the Empress Dowager meant.
"Your Majesty, I am here, but Consort Chun is no longer here. And now that you have suffered such a misfortune, I believe Consort Chun will protect you, and you will surely recover!"
As Wanyi spoke, she stepped forward and pulled over the Empress Dowager's dull and lifeless hand, showing her how her hand, which she had been using to maintain with milk, was slowly turning into a chicken claw-like shape.
"Hmm..." The Empress Dowager was furious, drooling constantly, but she couldn't utter a single word. Wanyi didn't mind, took the handkerchief next to her and gently wiped her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
"Empress Dowager, please don't be agitated. I know you love Consort Chun, but you must also take care of your health!" Seeing the Empress Dowager still looking at her with red eyes, Wanyi suddenly removed a hairpin from her headdress and said.
"Has the Empress Dowager seen this? This was given to me by Consort Chun, to prove that I am as close as sisters with Consort Chun and will never deceive her!"
Wanyi spoke with great emotion, but her face remained calm. In any case, Kangxi and the others were behind Wanyi and could not see her expression. This hairpin was given to Wanyi by Consort Chun when they were at Yuquan Mountain.
Suddenly, the Empress Dowager stopped shouting. She was certain that Consort Wan had orchestrated this whole thing. However, her health was failing her, and she collapsed because of Consort Chun's affair.
"Your Majesty, look, the Empress Dowager was so happy to see Consort Wan that she shed tears. Why don't we let Consort Wan move to Cining Palace temporarily so she can come and visit the Empress Dowager every day?"
Consort Tongjia suppressed her anger. In her eyes, Wanyi was already a dead person. However, she thought that letting her die so quickly would be too easy for her. So she wanted Suo Zhuolun and Wanyi to lose the Emperor's love and die alone and in pain.
"Your Majesty, Consort Gui is right. For the sake of the Empress Dowager's health, I should move here! Even if..." Wanyi touched her belly sadly, her face full of sorrow.
"Alright then! Consort Wan is currently unwell and her pregnancy is unstable. She should come to see the Empress Dowager every five days!" Kangxi felt sorry for Consort Wan and made the decision immediately.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Consort Tongjia thought to herself, "Everything will be much easier once Consort Wan leaves Yongshou Palace."
"Your Majesty, I obey your decree. I will pray every day for the Empress Dowager's speedy recovery." She prayed that her life would be worse than death, and that even death would be a luxury.
"Wan'er, go rest in the side hall for a while! Furong, help your mistress." The Empress Dowager felt another pang of pain in her heart as she watched Kangxi's blatant favoritism.
"Yes." Furong hurriedly stepped forward to support Wanyi.
"Your Majesty, I take my leave!" Wanyi gave an imperfect bow before passing Consort Tongjia and Emperor Kangxi. As she exited the main hall, she happened to run into Imperial Physician Lu, who was there for a follow-up examination.
"Greetings, Consort Wan! May Your Majesty be well!" Physician Lu said respectfully. If Liang Jiugong had seen this, he would have been suspicious. Unfortunately, only Huanzhu was guarding the area.
"Is Physician Lu going to take the Empress Dowager's pulse?" Wanyi asked casually.
"His Majesty instructed me to conduct three consultations by myself, and this is the last consultation of the day." This was no secret, and Physician Lu told the truth.
"Then I'll have to trouble Physician Lu. The Empress Dowager can already say a few words, and she should be able to speak in full sentences soon. Physician Lu, you must put in a lot of effort and care to cure the Empress Dowager as soon as possible. In the future, she will bring glory to her ancestors, and the future of Mengyin descendants will be just around the corner!"
Wanyi meant that if the Empress Dowager could speak the whole truth, they would be finished. Forget about their future or bringing glory to their ancestors; they would be lucky if their entire family was spared execution.
"Your Majesty, I will do my utmost!" He would do his utmost to maintain the status quo. Even the Empress Dowager was speechless. Her grandson had just been born and had so much time to enjoy. How could he stop at such a young age?
"With Physician Lu's words, I am relieved." Hmph, let's see how you, Bumbutai, cause trouble this time!
The Empress Dowager originally planned to secretly have Su Ma La Gu investigate Wan Yi at night, but she didn't expect Wan Yi to get Imperial Physician Lu to silence her before she could. Otherwise, Wan Yi would have endless trouble in the future.
"What? His Majesty really wants Consort Wan to go to Cining Palace every five days?"
It's truly a stroke of luck! Consort Duan, Dongshi, was thinking that since Consort Wan never left Yongshou Palace, she really didn't know where to start. They were both consorts, so why was she the head of the nine consorts and still favored? If she lost her child and was in the pain of losing her son, she wouldn't care about the favor anymore, and that would be enough for her to lose favor.
“It’s absolutely true. The Imperial Concubine was there at the time. I heard it from Ningdong, who is by the Imperial Concubine’s side.”
Anjing was secretly pleased with herself. She had learned the news before Yinan, who was another senior maid of Consort Jing. Anjing and Yinan had always been rivals, both wanting to become Consort Jing's favorites.
"I must think of a foolproof way so that even if they investigate, they won't be able to trace it back to us!" Consort Jing suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a way to put Consort Wan to death.
"My lady~" Furong seemed to have something to say, but Wanyi stopped her. After all, this was the Empress Dowager's territory, and they still had to be careful.
“My lady, you should lie down for a while. You don’t look well. Should I go and call the imperial physician?” Furong immediately understood Wanyi’s meaning.
"No need, I already took the medicine to prevent miscarriage before coming. I just want to lie down for a bit!" Wanyi said weakly but with some strength.
"But..." Furong feigned concern, knowing that none of it was real anyway, but she still tried her best to play the part.
"You mustn't go. The Emperor is busy with state affairs and also has to take care of the Empress Dowager. I can't let the Emperor be distracted here. Just help me lie down for a bit."
Wanyi stopped Furong, who was about to go out to call the doctor, and gestured for her to look at the screen in front of the door. She could vaguely make out a tall figure, which was none other than Kangxi, who had followed her out of concern.
Wanyi was unaware of this at first. After Furong entered the room, just as she was about to ask when, Wanyi suddenly noticed a scent of ambergris. Only two people could use ambergris: one was paralyzed, and the other was Emperor Kangxi.
"Then be careful, mistress. If you feel unwell anywhere, please tell me. Don't try to bear it. I'm waiting for the prince to come out so he can call me Aunt Furong!"
Furong half-jokingly, half-reminding Wanyi that the child was important, and that while she, as an adult, could endure her discomfort, the young prince could not.
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