"This is utter nonsense!" Upon hearing this, Kangxi was astonished that someone was actually gossiping about his beloved. They must be tired of living! He slammed the teacup down heavily, completely unaware that his hand had been burned.
"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty!" Mao Di knew that Kangxi would be furious if he said this, but he did not expect it to be so terrifying. It really lived up to the saying that when the emperor is easily angered, millions of corpses will be slain.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. This cannot be blamed on the Imperial Observatory. It's just something they're spreading! Don't take it seriously."
Consort Tongjia, holding a handkerchief, leaned against Kangxi's side, gently patting his chest to help him catch his breath.
"Your Majesty, these rumors are quite detailed, and what those people are saying is true! Isn't Consort Chun, who is on good terms with Consort Wan, a prime example? Consort Wan is always by the Empress Dowager's side, and the Empress Dowager... I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and severely punish Consort Wan!" Deputy Supervisor Chang seemed to be prepared to go all out, essentially ready to deliver a death warrant.
"Your Majesty, there's no smoke without fire. Now that I think about it, what Supervisor Chang said makes some sense. Ah! Today is the day Consort Wan is attending to the sick. Let's go and take a look, and then let the Imperial Observatory take a look, and we'll know the truth."
As Consort Tongjia spoke, she seemed to suddenly realize that today was the five-day deadline. In fact, she had known this all along, otherwise she wouldn't be caught up in the situation.
"Very well, I'd like to see what you can come up with. If you don't satisfy me, you won't even need to wear your heads!"
Everyone in the harem knew this, so Kangxi could only go along with it. He had to find an opportunity to clear Wan'er's name, otherwise she would be tainted, and her path in the harem would only reach the highest level of becoming a Noble Consort.
"Your Majesty, you are about to depart!" Liang Jiugong immediately called out to the outside, as they were the ones who had noticed the recent news and hoped to make amends. If Liang Jiugong knew that it was his apprentice Wei Zhu who had kept it a secret, he might spit out a mouthful of blood.
"What's wrong with the Empress Dowager? Is she not used to the food?" When Wanyi heard that the Empress Dowager had just eaten and then vomited, she knew that she was attending to the Empress Dowager today. She could not be ill, but she could not afford to have any problems!
"Your Highness Consort Wan, this is the porridge that the Empress Dowager often eats. She was fine yesterday, but I don't know what happened to her now!"
Huanzhu said with some concern, she didn't know what was going on, Sumalagu had always taken care of her personally.
"Go and call Physician Lu over for a consultation. Is this the leftover porridge?" Wanyi looked at it and saw that it was chicken porridge with mushrooms, which the Empress Dowager liked.
"There's still a little bit left!" Huanzhu picked up the small bowl of porridge from the coffee table and presented it to Wanyi. Wanyi picked up a spoon and stirred it a few times, seemingly lost in thought, before suddenly saying...
"Has any eunuch who tested the poison tasted it?" If the eunuch didn't have any problems, then could it be that the Empress Dowager's health has deteriorated?
"I've already tried it, but there's something wrong with the porridge?" Could someone be trying to harm the Empress Dowager? Huanzhu was startled by her own thoughts.
"Let the two fathers-in-law try it again! Drink this!" The porridge is fine, but that doesn't mean the bowl is fine. In her previous life, she had heard Wuya Shi boast a lot about how you can add something to food when you're adding something to someone else!
Isn't this just telling people it's poisonous? If you put it in bowls, chopsticks, or spoons, a person will die from one bite, so how can you detect it?
"Yes, this servant will go right away!" Huanzhu went out to find the eunuch who was testing the poison, leaving only a second-class palace maid who was wiping the Empress Dowager's mouth and Consort Wanrong in the room.
After Emperor Kangxi left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Consort Jing went to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility to find the Empress. The Empress was unwell and did not want to get involved, but when she heard that a rumor had spread in the palace without her knowledge, and that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's beloved were at the center of the rumor, she disregarded her own health and went to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. The concubines in the palace who knew about it seemed to have agreed to gather at the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
"May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" Empress Niohuru happened to meet Emperor Kangxi at the gate of Cining Palace.
"Empress, what are you doing here?" Kangxi looked at Niohuru, who was dressed in thin clothes, and felt somewhat displeased! After all, there were many concubines behind the Empress.
"Your Majesty, Consort Jing came to Kunning Palace to see me. She talked about the rumors circulating in the harem recently and thought she would come to Consort Wan to find out more, so as to suppress the rumors to the minimum and avoid harming the imperial fetus." Having been by Kangxi's side for many years, the Empress naturally knew what words would please him.
"Since you've come for this matter as well, let's come together!" It's good to have another person to help Wan'er. He didn't make a mistake in choosing this empress. She is as virtuous as he guessed. But Kangxi overlooked the fact that the empress dowager is aware of the empress's movements. She is just letting the rumors run rampant.
"Greetings..." Wanyi was about to kneel when Kangxi helped her up! He said, "You're quite heavy-set, please rise!"
Behind Kangxi was a large group of empresses and concubines, who seemed to be looking for trouble.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wanyi rose with Kangxi's help, glancing at the Empress and the Imperial Concubine.
"With so many people here today, are you here to visit the Empress Dowager?" Wanyi asked with a smile, seemingly unaware of their purpose. Meanwhile, Physician Lu was taking the Empress Dowager's pulse by the bedside.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, and all Your Highnesses!" Physician Lu bowed respectfully.
"What's wrong with the Empress Dowager?" Kangxi asked, frowning. It wasn't even time for the evening follow-up appointment yet, so why was the imperial physician here?
"Your Majesty, a palace maid reported that the Empress Dowager vomited incessantly after eating chicken porridge and summoned me to examine her!" Physician Lu reported truthfully, as this was something that could not be concealed.
"Alas, could it really be as the rumors say..." Consort An exclaimed, her voice quite loud. After everyone else looked at her, she shut her mouth and dared not speak again, since the Emperor was also watching.
"Rumors? What rumors?" Wanyi asked doubtfully, looking as if she didn't understand what she was talking about.
"Sister Wanpin, you don't know? These past few days, the palace has been buzzing with rumors that your birth chart is too strong, bringing misfortune to relatives and close friends, and that the imperial heir is..."
Consort Jing was silenced by Kangxi's glare and dared not continue speaking, after all, Kangxi's expression was extremely bad, as if he was about to kill her at any moment.
"What do you mean by 'dragon fetus'? Your Majesty, has something happened to my child? Is it something I cannot know?" As Wanyi spoke, her face turned deathly pale, devoid of any color.
"How could that be? Our children are perfectly fine! Don't listen to their nonsense, those are all baseless rumors, don't take them seriously!" Kangxi's heart clenched when he saw Wanyi's face and her tearful appearance, and he immediately denied it.
"Your Majesty, do you still harbor the belief that Consort Wan's unborn child is a jinx? Who knows, Consort Wan herself might be next!"
When Consort Tongjia saw Emperor Kangxi embracing Consort Wan, she was so enraged that she blurted out her thoughts, while Empress Niohuru secretly watched the scene unfold.
"What? You jinx! Your Majesty, please tell me what happened!" Wanyi cried, tears streaming down her face, but she looked at Kangxi with unwavering determination.
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