For two consecutive days, Qingyan was detained in the Prince's quarters and had to drink bitter Chinese medicine every day. Feeling uncomfortable, she began to torment Yin.
When Consort Tong heard that the little boy in the Prince's Palace often caused trouble for Yinzhi, she was happy to watch the fun and made the servants in the Prince's Palace keep their mouths shut. Apart from Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong, the other concubines could no longer get the news.
"Little Darling..." Consort Tong watched as Little Darling, her face contorted in pain, drank the last dose of her traditional Chinese medicine. She was finally free from her suffering.
"Mother, I was wrong!" Consort Tong knew about Qingyan's antics with Yin. She lowered her head, waiting for Consort Tong's condemnation.
“If you’re not feeling well, it’s fine to make a fuss with Yin!” Consort Tong didn’t mind. In the past, when Yin caused trouble, she would cause trouble for Kangxi. Therefore, Consort Tong thought Xiao Guai’s actions were reasonable.
Qingyan was very surprised. She never expected that Consort Tong would not only not say anything, but would also feel that Yin, as a man, should bear more responsibility.
Outside Chenggan Palace, Shuzhu spent two days investigating and found out who had drugged the servant. Following Consort Tong's orders, she prepared to deal with the person in front of Qingyan. Perhaps, to outsiders, Consort Tong seemed a bit heartless, as she was about to face interrogation just after the Fourth Prince's wife had calmed down.
Qingyan listened carefully to the sounds outside and realized that something was happening.
"Little Darling, let's go out first!" Consort Tong helped Shu and Little Darling out of the palace gate. The gate leading to the outside of Chenggan Palace was closed. She looked at the servants kneeling in the courtyard. Some of them had pale faces and their kneeling bodies began to sway.
Her expression turned somewhat unpleasant; even when the Imperial Concubine was punishing someone, she had to endure it.
"Shu, go and bring over two grand master chairs." Consort Tong knew that this battle would definitely not end in less than two hours.
After a cup of tea, Consort Tong sat down first, while Qingyan sat half-turned on the armchair. She looked around the courtyard and saw that Shu had summoned all the servants from the Fourth Prince's courtyard and Chenggan Palace. Except for the servants who had committed offenses and were kneeling in the courtyard, the rest of them stood in the corridors on both sides.
The servants from the Trial Court stood on either side of the maids, holding boards; their faces were cold, their eyes icy.
"This humble servant, Shuncai, greets the Imperial Concubine and the Fourth Prince's Consort!" Shuncai was selected from Kangxi's imperial guards, and they were absolutely loyal to Kangxi.
"Get up!" Consort Tong waved her hand, letting Shuncai stand up. "Little darling, from now on, when you punish me, let Sulan go to the Department of Criminal Justice to find him."
Upon hearing what Consort Tong said, Shun realized that she was preparing to hand over the Fourth Prince's wife to him.
Shuncai also had spies within the prince's quarters, and every move of the servants could not escape his notice.
"Little Darling is being protected too well, so you all need to keep a closer eye on her. Any unruly servants should be disciplined as well." Consort Tong smiled, these words were also directed at the management of the Criminal Investigation Department.
“!” Shuncai respectfully agreed.
Qingyan sat on the right with a smile, while Shu and Sulan stood at the bottom of the steps. The courtyard quieted down. Consort Tong didn't say a word, and the maids kneeling in the first row began to break out in a cold sweat, wishing they could hurry over.
They all have masters behind them, having been trained by their masters for so many years. If they dare to expose their masters, it would be considered betrayal.
"Sulan, Shu has been instructing you all morning, now you shall conduct the interrogation." Consort Tong directly called on her.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qingyan was stunned. Sulan and Shu had only been gone for an hour, how could they...?
Su Lan slightly bent her knees to bow to Qing Yan and Consort Tong, then walked to the kneeling maid in her flowerpot shoes.
The crisp sound of the flowerpots tapping on the ground resonated deeply in the hearts of everyone present.
The maids in the corridors on both sides looked uneasy. They were terrified as they watched the person being punished. It was clearly a lesson for them.
None of the servants who betrayed their masters in the palace had a good ending; some were even punished by their masters and didn't even have a complete corpse.
Consort Tong's methods were always very gentle. Each time, the Emperor himself would interrogate her, and the punishments were also decided by the Emperor himself.
Today, Consort Tong unleashed her power, catching them completely off guard.
"Mother, it's good that you asked the question properly. I'm pregnant, and bleeding is not a good sign!" Qingyan wasn't superstitious, but after she came here, she preferred to believe these things.
Consort Tong nodded. She had already thought of these things, which was why she personally sent Shuncai over. The best way to deal with this servant was to ensure that the person receiving him would never shed blood.
"Don't worry, sometimes, seeing blood is actually a relief!" Consort Tong was well protected by Emperor Kangxi, and when it came to Yin's affairs, she would put aside all her previous concerns.
Yin was one of her bottom lines. Kangxi was always surrounded by many imperial guards for protection, but Yin was different.
Qingyan was taken aback and couldn't help but feel a little scared. Should she reveal all of these people's methods?
The afternoon sun was at its strongest, but she felt no warmth at all. It was as if she had fallen into an ice cave, feeling a bone-chilling cold that filled her with extreme fear.
She watched as Su Lan merely walked back and forth in front of the maids, not asking a single question. The icy aura emanating from Su Lan made her shudder. When did this maid become so imposing?
Several kneeling maids were pale and had purple lips. Consort Tong realized that some of them were probably preparing to take poison.
"Shuncai!" Consort Tong glanced at Shuncai, who quickly moved in front of the group of people. With a wave of his hands, the group of people spat out several pills.
Upon seeing the scene before him, Qingyan couldn't help but stand up. This...
"If the servants are not steadfast, the master will give them poison so that they will not be betrayed in the end." Consort Tong's icy voice rang in Qingyan's ears.
Qingyan has fully awakened to the darkness, and Fei Yanggu and his two sons would rather suffer themselves than let Qingyan get involved in these vortexes.
"Mother...do all families do this?" Looking at everything in front of her, Qingyan had to admit that she had some guesses in her mind.
Consort Tong nodded. Whether it was her people or the Dragon Guards, every assassin needed them.
She slowly sat down. Su Lan and Su Shu must be here too, right?
Since the incident involving Su Xin, Fei Yanggu has become even stricter in controlling the servants around her.
"Little darling, don't overthink it. This is their responsibility, just like your responsibility is to help the Fourth Prince manage the mansion." Seeing that Little darling's face was extremely pale, Consort Tong could only try to comfort her.
Qingyan forced an awkward smile. Faced with this sudden turn of events, she had to consider how to deal with it.
"Yes, Mother, I understand!" Qingyan said, but a knot remained in her heart.
Consort Tong had long noticed Xiao Guai's insincerity, but she couldn't comfort him. This was a hurdle Xiao Guai needed to overcome himself. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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