These twelve hours were the most agonizing for Qingyan since she transmigrated. After it was revealed that the poison everyone had been given was a secret medicine of the Qiyan clan, Kangxi's expression turned particularly grim. He mobilized the most elite connections within the Dragon Guard to investigate the matter thoroughly.
This matter involved the person he respected most. If the Empress Dowager interfered, they would have to take necessary measures. The Aisin Gioro clan absolutely could not be controlled by anyone else, not even the person they respected most.
Qingyan and Yin lay on the bed. Her large, watery eyes were lifeless. A severe test lay before everyone.
"Little Darling, how did we get poisoned?" Yin had been keeping this question in his mind all day. They were perfectly fine yesterday, but today they've become like this.
“Before, we were immune to the poison. The toxins would stay in our bodies for a maximum of twelve hours, after which they would gradually subside. The same was true for Father and the others. But Uncle Qi and the others couldn't. They hadn't taken any antidotes. Most importantly, we couldn't stay out of it,” Qingyan said, puffing out her cheeks.
She didn't want to suffer. This poison was quite potent; if the poisoned person didn't receive proper treatment, their body might become increasingly weak, and eventually, various diseases would come knocking.
Qingyan's words made Yin think a lot. In his previous life, Consort Tong must have been poisoned by this poison. In just over ten years, her body became extremely weak, and even her remaining daughter died young.
"Little darling, was this poison really brought by Granny Angguma?" Yin was shocked. Granny Angguma would harm his father.
Qingyan nodded. She had no good feelings towards the Empress Dowager. In later generations, many people criticized Shunzhi for being unfilial, but she felt that if the Empress Dowager had not strongly interfered in politics, Shunzhi would not have sought favor from Consort Dong'e. Besides, could a woman who could force her son to sign a plaque prohibiting the harem from interfering in politics be a good person?
Empress Dowager Cixi at the end of the Qing Dynasty was just like that. It's just that Tongzhi didn't have Shunzhi's methods, nor did he have Shunzhi's power. Otherwise, Tongzhi and Consort Zhen's reforms should not have failed.
"It should be. The system doesn't lie. Besides, didn't you notice that the Empress Dowager's attitude towards Seventh Uncle and Seventh Aunt is quite unpleasant?" Qingyan rarely went to the palace, and every time she went to Cining Palace to pay her respects, she could feel the Empress Dowager's growing malice.
At first, she found it strange. During her first audience with the Empress Dowager, she specially prepared food for her, hoping that the old lady would take care of Yin.
As time went by, every time she went to the Cining Palace to pay her respects, the Empress Dowager would tell her mother how wonderful the princes of Khorchin were. Listening to this, she felt uncomfortable all over.
Emperor Kangxi had already betrothed her to Yinzhi long ago, yet this old lady still spoke to her mother in such a manner.
"Fourth Prince, the Empress Dowager really wants Mother to send me to Mongolia." Seeing the struggle in Yin's eyes, Qingyan reluctantly decided to tell him the truth.
She disliked others stirring up trouble, but for her own safety, she had no choice but to do so.
Yin sat up, his eyes wide open.
“When my mother took me to the Cining Palace to pay my respects, the Empress Dowager often talked about how outstanding the princes of Khorchin were. At that time, His Majesty had already hinted to my father that he would arrange a marriage for me.” Qingyan paused. “The last time, he even explicitly told my mother that I had come of age and might be betrothed to a Mongol, and that my two sons would have their status in the army improved.”
Yin's face darkened. The Empress Dowager was blatantly interfering in court affairs. The military positions of E'shuo and Saito should have been firmly in the Emperor's hands, yet the Empress Dowager had directly promised them. He had been an emperor himself and understood how crucial military power was to a ruler.
"Stop talking, we can't get involved in this matter." Yin said helplessly, his power was still too weak to truly avenge Qingyan.
That night, none of the people in the tents got a good rest. Kangxi sat blankly in his study, a cup of tea in hand, with Lanya beside him. She knew something of what had happened to Qingyan, and she was quite surprised that Jueluo Shi had not refused the Empress Dowager's suggestion.
"Lanya, will the Empress Dowager target us?" Kangxi asked bitterly.
Lan Xi's answer threw him into a panic. After ascending the throne at the age of 8, he had been taught by the Empress Dowager. His relationship with his mother was not as deep as that with the Empress Dowager. Now, all of that relationship had been shattered.
"Hehe, I really can't say. To ensure that the interests of Mongolia were not harmed, they even poisoned my aunt to death." Before entering the palace, Tong Guowei and Tong Guogang had already investigated the cause of Empress Dowager Tong's death, and they had always harbored hatred towards her.
For so many years, Lanya has been extremely cautious, fearing that the Empress Dowager would take action against her.
"My uncle has already told me about Mother's situation. I can't avenge her. In recent years, we still need the Mongol army." Kangxi felt very aggrieved. As a son, his mother was murdered, and he couldn't avenge her. He even had to send his daughter to marry a foreign ruler.
Lanya grasped Kangxi's hand, hoping to offer him some strength; this was the emperor's helplessness.
"Wouldn't it be better if we had solid evidence?" Lanya thought that the Empress Dowager hated her for not harming Kangxi and others, and that even the youngest Yin and Qingyan had not escaped the poison.
"The two little ones are still too young; they haven't seen many things clearly." The servants around them need to be dealt with properly. They were always within the protection of the Dragon Guards, yet they still managed to be poisoned.
At this moment, Li Dequan's greetings came from outside. As he entered the inner chamber, Kangxi's heart sank.
He dismissed Li Dequan and opened the black folding book, which detailed the source of the poison they had been given and the dowry of the Khorchin Consort. These eight words chilled Kangxi to the bone.
Back then, the most beloved concubine of Khorchin was Angguma, and she even went so far as to frame her other daughter.
"As expected... Consort Chen was the first person to die from this poison. During Emperor Taizong's reign, Angguma was not favored... Even Father was not Emperor Taizong's favorite son. The newly born Eighth Prince was more favored than Father Emperor." Kangxi said bitterly. He did not want to get involved in the grudges of his elders. Even Father Emperor and Consort Dong'e died from this poison, which shocked him the most.
Even tigers don't eat their cubs, yet Angguma, because of the power she held, killed her own son.
Kangxi swallowed hard. Compared to his father, the Emperor, his relationship with the Empress Dowager was much weaker. Perhaps she wanted to keep him firmly under her control, which was why she resorted to this drastic measure.
"Empress Dowager also died from this poison." Kangxi looked at the names on the list and felt a slight fear in his heart. Besides the concubines, many ministers who opposed the Empress Dowager were also targeted.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
