The palace is in a state of constant fear and trepidation these days.
The morning running and square dancing activities in the Imperial Garden have also quietly stopped.
Everyone in the palace felt insecure.
"Sister Wu... how are you...? Three or four palace maids have already been taken away from me."
Consort Yu had a bitter face. Apart from the five or six palace maids who were originally going to be dismissed, Su Peisheng stormed in that day without even glancing at her. He only said that the emperor had issued an edict, and then turned her palace upside down. She was furious, but she also knew that this was a serious matter.
In the end, several palace maids were taken away by the group of strong and powerful imperial guards.
She really wanted to complain, but as soon as she uttered a single word in the palace, she saw all the palace servants kneeling and kowtowing, trembling with fear. Her mind immediately cleared; the Emperor was searching the entire harem, and any slight movement could lead to her death.
So she swallowed those words, feeling somewhat apprehensive.
Although Consort Ning, née Wu, and she used to bicker all the time, over the years, their relationship was the best.
At that moment, Consort Ning quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "You've got a lot of trouble coming out of your mouth, sister."
Alright, I can't keep nagging here.
Consort Yu breathed a sigh of relief. When will this matter be over?
Meanwhile, the Imperial Household Department basically reshuffled its personnel.
Several palace maids whispered among themselves.
"Have you heard? The deputy chief steward was beaten to death at noon today!"
"Of course, I not only heard about it, but I also saw it... Eunuch Su ordered the entire harem to witness the execution... I was standing in front of it, it was terrifying, there was blood everywhere, I'm still scared now."
"I...I'm scared too...So many people have been killed...Is everything really alright? It seems like hundreds of people have died...Won't this implicate us?"
"Who knows? The Emperor is furious this time. Sigh, we're in for it. After killing this group, we still have to clean up the ground. Those guys have so much health; it'll take days to clear them all!"
"Sigh, I really don't know when this will end... But luckily I'm working for Granny Bai. I heard that Granny Bai is going to be given an important position."
And in the Cining Palace
"Your Majesty! You must do us justice!"
"That's right! That's right! Your Majesty, we were once the late Emperor's concubines, so why does the Emperor disregard our dignity and order those eunuchs to search the palace everywhere? Where do we put our faces?"
"Your Majesty, we all depend on you. The Emperor shouldn't treat us like this!"
The concubines below were chattering indignantly, all because Yinzhen had ordered a search of every palace and wanted to take all the palace servants away for questioning, which had angered them.
However, they dared not go to the emperor or empress to reason with them.
These were all Han Chinese concubines who were brought into the Kangxi Emperor's harem in the later period of his reign. They were not very old and had been relatively unknown in the harem before. Although they received some favor later on and developed a bit of a spoiled attitude, they still knew how to be afraid.
However, when the Empress Dowager was Consort De, she was known for her tolerance and kindness, and she treated these young concubines with a gentle and kind attitude. So, they put their minds together and came to the Empress Dowager to plead for them.
To everyone's surprise, the Empress Dowager ignored them completely, and simply picked up her teacup and took a small sip.
This silenced the previously chattering concubines, who could only exchange glances, unsure of the Empress Dowager's attitude.
Actually, this isn't the first time they've come back to cause trouble.
The allowances for becoming a Dowager Consort were never as good as those for a concubine in the harem. Although Changning would give her more rewards during festivals, they were still limited. Moreover, the people in the Imperial Household Department were always opportunistic.
The late emperor is gone, and the remaining concubines who have sons have all left the palace to go and live with their sons. Who among them is worthy of their respect?
Therefore, the food, clothes, incense, and candles that were served were mostly perfunctory.
The Empress Dowager held a high position and wielded great power, so they dared not disturb her. Previously, they had relied on the Empress Dowager, who was generous and often bestowed upon them some bright clothes from her youth, as well as old clothes that didn't fit properly, which caused them to frequently come to Cining Palace to complain.
But this time it's clearly different.
The Empress Dowager wasn't buying their act.
As the steam rose from the tea, the Empress Dowager's face grew even more dignified, and the young concubines dared not be presumptuous any longer. They all knelt obediently, waiting for the Empress Dowager to reprimand them.
Seeing that they finally understood their place and knelt respectfully, the Empress Dowager finally breathed a sigh of relief and spoke slowly and authoritatively: "You have been living in comfort for too long and have forgotten where you came from and who brought you what you are enjoying now."
Although these words didn't sound harsh, cold sweat dripped down their foreheads.
Everyone nodded and hesitated, not daring to utter a word.
The Empress Dowager slammed her teacup on the table with a loud "bang," her anger palpable.
"If you harbor such deep resentment towards the Emperor and Empress, why don't I convey your grievances to them?"
The imperial concubines were stunned, looked at each other in bewilderment, and then kowtowed in unison to beg for forgiveness.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! This humble concubine dares not!"
The Empress Dowager snorted coldly: "What don't you dare to do? You're just taking advantage of the fact that the Emperor has just ascended the throne and won't do anything to you former concubines, for fear of being accused of mistreating the Dowager Consorts. This is simply because the Emperor is kind and benevolent, but who knew you would take it as an excuse to push your luck?!"
"You've had enough of the good life and don't know what to do next. Well then, I'll show you a way: why don't you simply follow the late Emperor and be buried with him? That would bring some glory to your family. What do you say?"
Funerary sacrifice?
Everyone trembled with fear, seemingly unable to believe that the usually kind and gentle Empress Dowager could utter such cold and terrifying words.
But they had no choice but to believe it, since they had heard that the Emperor had killed many people in the inner court in the past few days, and that even in the imperial court, the Ministry of Justice was arresting officials and throwing them into prison every day.
Even the late emperor's eighth son was to be executed.
The entire Niohuru clan, a noble family of the Manchu Qing dynasty, was also executed.
Compared to them, what am I?
Now the imperial concubines finally realized how foolish they had been.
The Forbidden City and the imperial court of today are no longer the peaceful places they once were, nor are they the emperor and empress dowager who wanted to govern the court with leniency.
Now they need to establish their authority, to establish iron discipline and blood-red prestige, and to have a strong deterrent effect so that no one will be allowed to climb over their heads or challenge the imperial power.
They made a terrible move.
Amidst the fearful gazes of the crowd, the Empress Dowager slowly uttered, "The palace can no longer accommodate you, but the Changchun Temple on the outskirts of the capital can provide you with a place to stay."
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