Kangxi's voice was so loud that Li Dequan, who had just returned, was so frightened that he almost knelt on the ground.
"Tongjia clan, don't forget who you're talking to!"
Kangxi had originally intended to give Tongjia a few words of advice to make her behave herself in the future, but seeing how stubborn she was now and how much she hated Harigana, he decided to give her a good crackdown.
"Someone come here!"
Just as Li Dequan had calmed himself down, Kangxi summoned someone, and he hurriedly went in and knelt by the door.
"Your Majesty, this servant is here!"
Tongjia had a bad feeling, but she felt that as the legitimate daughter of the Tongjia clan and the emperor's cousin, even if the emperor was really angry, he would not disrespect Tongjia.
So when he looked at Kangxi, he didn't show any intention of begging for mercy.
Although Emperor Kangxi did not know what Lady Tongjia was thinking, he could roughly understand where her impressive assets lay.
"Li Dequan, take this wicked and malicious old woman away and have her beaten to death at the palace gate! Let everyone in the palace watch! If anyone else does anything immoral or harbors any improper thoughts, their fate will be the same as hers!"
Tongjia was stunned for a moment, not reacting immediately, until her wet nurse begged for mercy, which brought her back to her senses.
"Granny!"
Lady Tongjia stepped forward, pulling the wet nurse to prevent the guards from getting close. She held her tightly with both hands, then turned to Emperor Kangxi and began to plead for mercy.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare my life! This is my wet nurse! Your Majesty, spare my life!"
Kangxi had made up his mind: he was willing to use a servant to suppress the arrogance of the entire Tongjia clan.
"Li Dequan, pull your master away!"
Seeing the sharp look in Kangxi's eyes, Li Dequan knew that this nanny's life was doomed today! He quickly ordered several nannies to come in and restrain Tongjia Shi, while her wet nurse was covered and taken away.
"Release me! I am a Noble Consort, and I will not disturb you!"
This statement might scare others, but these people are from the Qing Palace. They are not afraid of a mere concubine; if the Emperor gives the order, they will not even fear the Empress Dowager!
The old women gripped her hands tightly, and Tongjia was in so much pain that she dared not struggle anymore, but she still cursed them and pleaded with Kangxi.
"Tongjia Shi, do you want your wet nurse, or do you want your Tong family?"
Kangxi's words rendered the frenzied Tongjia clanswoman completely immobile, causing her to collapse to the ground.
"Your Majesty! My wet nurse did nothing wrong, you can't have her executed!"
Tongjia lay sprawled on the ground, muttering to herself, her headdress completely disheveled, and her clothes in disarray from the struggle.
Emperor Kangxi chuckled softly, then dismissed all the maids.
"Clan Tongjia, let me tell you, I already knew who drugged me in Khorchin! In fact, I even placed secret guards around all my concubines, including you!"
Tongjia was completely devastated. For a moment, she didn't know whether to plead for the wet nurse or admit to the matter and ask the Emperor to spare Tongjia.
She wasn't stupid. Now that Kangxi said he had placed secret guards around them, everything made sense.
She asked why the Emperor would suddenly bestow upon her the title of "Jin" and why, when everything was fine yesterday, he would send Yinzhen back to the Uya clan today.
It seems the imperial guards overheard the angry shouts this morning, and also relayed the wet nurse's words to the Emperor. The Emperor is using the wet nurse's life to warn the Tongjia clan: imperial favor can elevate them, but it can also reduce them to nothingness. (I did some research and it says the Tongjia clan is actually of Han Chinese descent, but was later elevated to a higher banner! I don't know if that's true or not; it's just a novel, so take it with a grain of salt and don't criticize!)
"Have you thought it through? If you have, then you may leave!"
Kangxi didn't want to waste time with her. He had to go back later to make sure Harigana took his medicine. If he wasn't there, that carefree person definitely wouldn't take his medicine obediently!
"Your Majesty, I would like to know, if it weren't for Lady Borchijin, would you still treat me this way?"
"Would it be?" Kangxi asked himself. "Probably not!" Because at that time, he had no ambitions other than political affairs.
However, the Tongjia clan's foundation remained intact, and he couldn't leave any future trouble for Harigana. The matter of recklessly replacing Harigana was something only the two of them needed to know; there was no need to publicize it.
"Yes! I will not allow those with malicious intentions to wreak havoc in the harem!"
Lady Tongjia believed it, because this was the emperor she knew.
She thought, she's just a nanny, and one day, the Emperor will surely like her again.
She'll make that vile old woman pay with her life, so she'll also feel her own suffering!
Li Dequan, accompanied by Tongjia's wet nurse, walked to the palace gate and had someone notify all the concubines. Not all of them, but the only concubine who didn't come, besides the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, was Harigana!
When she heard the shouts, she had no desire to go out and see what was happening. But Dulan and the others were still extremely worried, after all, they had been warned by the people sent by Li Dequan that they absolutely could not take the Empress there.
"Your Majesty, what would you like to eat for lunch?"
Dulan bit her lip, her eyes lit up, and she felt she had asked a very good question, but Hai Ri and Granny Hu and the others had already covered their faces and stopped looking at her!
"Alright, stop crowding around! I'm not going out. I'm going to read for a bit, don't bother me!"
Harigana looked at Dulan helplessly, then shook his head and continued looking at the sketchbook in his hand.
The noise at the palace gate was deafening, not only from the beaten nanny but also from the concubines who had been summoned. The bloody scene caused everyone to feel physically uncomfortable, and the Imperial Hospital was immediately thrown into a frenzy.
With Min'er's help, Lady Tongjia went back to pack her things and then left the palace with her waist token, returning to her residence.
Tong Guowei, not yet forty, still had a calculating look in his eyes. He initially thought his daughter had returned home because of a favor, but when he learned about Longkodo's memorial and what had happened in the palace, his face instantly turned sinister.
The Tongjia clan had contributed a great deal to the recently concluded campaign to quell the rebellion, but they never expected the Emperor to humiliate them at this crucial moment.
After years of open and covert struggles with Songgotu, he has now been defeated in such a way!
“Father, Longkodo must be disciplined properly; his memorial was indeed very excessive!”
After all, Lady Tongjia was the legitimate daughter whom Tong Guowei had carefully cultivated. She had already composed herself and quickly gave instructions to Longkodo.
Tong Guowei hadn't thought anything of it at first; they were the Emperor's maternal relatives, his closest family. But now it seemed the Emperor was truly heartless and treacherous!
"Hmph! Without our Tongjia clan, he—"
Tong Guowei was interrupted by Tong Jia Shi before he could finish speaking. She didn't know if the Emperor's secret guards were still around; if they were, then what her father had said would be a crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of his family!
"Father!"
Tong Guowei looked at Tongjia and saw her dip her finger in tea and write: "There are secret guards." Only then did Tong Guowei feel a little panicked!
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