Inside the imperial palace in Jiangnan, the Empress Dowager discovered that some of her people had been replaced. Feeling something was amiss, she quickly sent Su Mo'er to investigate. Sure enough, many things had changed, even the people in the kitchen who prepared Mongolian meals had disappeared.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty has gone to the naval ports in Guangdong and Guangxi. However, someone has poisoned the ships." After gathering information, Su Mo'er walked in directly, dismissed everyone around the Empress Dowager, and whispered to her.
The Empress Dowager was taken aback, clearly not expecting that the Mongol leaders would disregard her safety and take action directly.
"You're telling the truth?!" The Empress Dowager stood up from her seat, completely distraught.
Su Mo'er nodded bitterly. Ever since the Empress Dowager left, the Mongolian tribes had begun preparations, so they didn't take the Empress Dowager's safety seriously at all.
"I knew it! Empress Dowager was right. The leaders will no longer consider us. We, the noble ladies who have already married, should sacrifice ourselves for our families when the time comes!" The Empress Dowager smiled bitterly.
The things the Empress Dowager had instructed were slowly becoming a reality. The Mongolian leaders had formed factions, with the Crown Prince standing behind him and the Eighth Prince standing behind him.
"Your Majesty, for so many years you have always followed the rules and never interfered with His Majesty's rule. All of this was arranged by the master. Now, you must do the final step that the master has instructed you to take!" Su Mo'er also understood that the Empress Dowager had always kept the Khorchin in her heart. Even if those leaders and princes made mistakes, she would still handle it.
"Su Mo'er, what do you think these leaders are after?" the Empress Dowager asked helplessly.
“Your Majesty, it’s all the fault of power. His Majesty said long ago that those leaders will undoubtedly destroy Khorchin completely!” Su Mo’er sighed. “You should stay in the palace peacefully and live a happy life.”
The Empress Dowager nodded and arranged for someone to send a letter to Emperor Kangxi, inquiring when he would return.
At this time, Emperor Kangxi was adrift at sea. All the vegetables were prepared by Qingyan alone, while Lady Yingenjueluo assisted him below. The servants were no longer allowed to approach the kitchen.
"You two have worked hard these past few days!" Consort Tong and Consort Hui said to Lady Yin Genjue Luo and Qing Yan, sitting in the high seats.
“Mother, this is what a daughter-in-law should do. In ordinary families, a daughter-in-law also has to take care of the family’s affairs!” Qingyan quickly said.
Yin Genjue Luo smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is absolutely right, Mother, you can rest assured."
Consort Hui held her teacup and sipped her honeysuckle tea, which Qing Yanxin had prepared. The two concubines had taken a liking to it; it was all cooling and much better than the Coptis chinensis and other herbal teas prescribed by the Imperial Hospital.
"Qingyan's hands are becoming more and more skillful. She can even handle the eldest son's affairs on her own." Consort Hui covered her mouth and laughed. "In a way, this time we've turned misfortune into blessing. We got to experience being a mother-in-law for a while."
"Your good days are yet to come, so you must take good care of your health." Consort Tong smiled, and Yin's temper subsided, which pleased Kangxi greatly.
"The same goes for Consort Gui, so we should all take good care of ourselves." Consort Hui nodded. These words were somewhat disrespectful, but who could say they were wrong? "Was it really done by people from Mongolia?"
Consort Hui was worried that Yin would get involved. Yin was personally trained by Emperor Kangxi, and apart from the Crown Prince, he was the person Emperor Kangxi trusted most. Therefore, Yin was somewhat conspicuous.
"The investigation is still ongoing, but it should be close enough!" Consort Tong said helplessly. "We haven't received confirmation from Mongolia yet, but we believe it will be confirmed soon. It's good that we're not in the south of Jiangnan."
If the Empress Dowager pleaded for him, they would do their best to persuade Kangxi, even if it was just a formality.
“Mother, how about you and Hui-niang stay here at the military port for another month, and then the Emperor will personally escort you back to Jiangnan?” Qingyan said to Consort Tong.
"The fourth prince has a lot on his plate too, my dear. When trouble arises, simply hiding it won't solve anything." Consort Tong was also troubled; this was the way of the royal family.
"That's right, the Empress Dowager is putting pressure on us, and we still have to stand on His Majesty's side!" Consort Hui understood that Consort Tong was deliberately saying these things in front of the two of them to imply that they should not follow him back to the capital.
"Mother, we understand what you mean." Lady Yin Genjue Luo understood that Consort Hui had asked her to persuade Yin.
In another meeting room, Kangxi received a message from the Empress Dowager's spies, indicating that the Empress Dowager would no longer plead for him. However, the Empress Dowager's complaints made Kangxi very unhappy. If the Grand Empress Dowager were still alive, he would be in an even more passive position.
"If you two have any questions, just say them now." Kangxi glared at his two sons as they winked at him.
Ugh!
Yin and Yin were slightly embarrassed. They understood Kangxi's meaning; he simply didn't want them to go too far.
"Father, who designed this menu?" Yin asked curiously. "I think we should silence that person!"
"It came from the Khorchin tribe!" Emperor Kangxi had only recently received the news. "It is said to be the menu of the Qiyan clan."
Emperor Kangxi was still somewhat afraid of the secret formulas held by the Qiyan clan. Many princes of the Aisin Gioro family had perished because of these formulas. Up until now, Kangxi only knew that the Empress Dowager had these formulas, and he did not know whether others had them.
"Father, did Anguma die at the hands of the Mongols?" Yin asked Kangxi in surprise.
Among the princes, they all speculated that the Empress Dowager was poisoned by Emperor Kangxi because he could no longer tolerate her. There were poisoning incidents on the ship, and Yinzhi was still pondering this in his heart.
"Yes, I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to save face for my grandmother. I didn't expect those Mongols to be so ungrateful." Kangxi was helpless.
Inside the flower hall, Qingyan was shocked. Weren't the Mongolian leaders all obedient to the Empress Dowager? Why did they ultimately turn against her?
"Mother, why would someone target Granny Angguma?" Qingyan asked curiously.
"On the one hand, the Empress Dowager is easier to control. On the other hand, the new prince of Khorchin is closer to the Empress Dowager and more distant from the Grand Empress Dowager by blood!" Consort Tong explained to her two daughters-in-law.
Yin Genjue Luo Shi and Qing Yan exchanged a glance and found a trace of relief in each other's eyes. Behind them, the family would not use their deaths to seek the development of the family.
"My dear mother, the Empress Dowager doesn't care about anything at all, yet those people still want the Empress Dowager to intervene?" Yin Genjue Luo asked curiously.
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