Chapter 129 The Ruthless Emperor
After laughing, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's face gradually calmed down.
Ultimately, it transformed into a profound and unfathomable seriousness.
She handed her great-grandson to Sumala, who was standing nearby.
The old lady's gaze was like a deep well, slowly turning to Kangxi, her voice very low.
"emperor."
Kangxi felt a sudden tightness in his heart, abruptly pulling him from his immense joy.
"Royal grandmother?"
Empress Xiaozhuang's eyes were sharp, as if they could pierce through people's hearts.
“Consort Jin, she is too special. I have lived most of my life and experienced three dynasties. I have seen many strange and unusual things, but I have never seen anything so contrary to common sense. Childbirth is a great ordeal for a woman, but she walked on flat ground and the melon ripened and fell off the tree while she was chatting and laughing.”
She paused, each word striking a chord in Kangxi's heart.
"If this matter gets out, rumors of supernatural occurrences will surely arise. I wonder if the appearance of Consort Jin and this strangely born child will be a great blessing for the Qing Dynasty, or... a calamity that will bring about its downfall."
Emperor Kangxi's expression suddenly turned serious.
The tenderness of fatherhood was quickly replaced by the coldness of the emperor.
He understood what his grandmother had left unsaid.
The divine right of kings places the utmost importance on orthodoxy and established norms; anything beyond control or difficult to explain is a potential threat.
The idea of auspicious omens is vague and unfounded, while the suspicion of demonic possession is enough to shake the foundations of the nation.
"Grandmother, what do you mean?"
Kangxi's voice was devoid of any warmth, conveying only a weighing of pros and cons.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang felt both pain and relief as she watched his sudden change.
The pain lies in the thinness of royal family ties, but the comfort lies in the fact that the grandson was ultimately a qualified emperor.
She was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Your Majesty should understand what I mean. If this matter were to reach the previous dynasty, it would surely cause a great uproar and unrest among the people. In other words, someone like Consort Jin is either an auspicious omen or a monstrous one. But throughout history, how many auspicious omens have been recorded in the historical records and ended well? For the sake of the stability of the Qing Dynasty, Consort Jin needs to be dealt with carefully. This child must also be handled with utmost care."
Kangxi remained silent for a moment.
His gaze swept over the tightly closed palace door, a fleeting hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes.
Then came absolute imperial rationality.
He nodded slightly, his voice low and resolute.
"Grandmother, your grandson... understands."
With the emperor's tacit approval, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang no longer hesitated.
Holding the child, she spoke directly, with an unquestionable air of authority.
"Liang Jiugong".
"Your servant is here."
Liang Jiugong's heart pounded wildly, and a chill rose from the soles of his feet.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's orders were clear and ruthless.
"By imperial decree, the young prince is to be taken to Cining Palace immediately for my personal care. Yongshou Palace is hereby sealed off! No one is permitted to enter or leave. All palace servants within Yongshou Palace who know the details of Consort Jin's delivery today are to be arrested—"
She paused, then uttered chilling words.
"Beating him to death."
"emperor!"
Liang Jiugong was so shocked that he almost lost his soul.
He subconsciously looked at Kangxi, hoping for a glimmer of hope.
Kangxi turned his back, leaving only his silhouette and a cold, emotionless remark.
"Do as the Empress Dowager wishes."
Liang Jiugong knew there was no way to salvage the situation.
He gritted his teeth and gave the order in a trembling, shrill voice.
"Men, take them all down."
In an instant, a group of imperial guards rushed into the hall.
Before the terror on Chunlan's face had faded, someone suddenly covered her mouth and nose and dragged her away.
She looked towards the sleeping quarters, wanting to shout, but no sound came out.
Consort Wang and Consort Dai were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground. Before they could even beg for mercy, they were immediately gagged and taken away.
Soon, only a chilling silence remained in the hall.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang watched all this expressionlessly, somewhat satisfied with Kangxi's decisiveness.
She took one last look at the still quiet bedroom door.
Sumala and her nanny, who were holding the little prince, resolutely left.
Kangxi never looked back.
After Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's entourage had gone far away, only her trusted guards and the pale-faced Liang Jiugong remained in the courtyard.
He slowly turned around, his gaze fixed on the door, a mixture of emotions swirling within him.
His lips moved slightly, his voice so low that only he could hear it, with a barely perceptible tremor.
But more often than not, it was the emperor's calm and decisive judgment.
"Nan Nan... don't blame me. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being too different from others. My empire cannot tolerate any uncontrollable factors shaking it, so you can just stay put."
Having said that, he flicked his sleeves and left without looking back, striding away from the Yongshou Palace, which had instantly fallen from heaven to hell.
————————
A moment ago, inside the bedchamber, the warmth lingered, mixed with the scent of calming incense.
Jiang Nan lay on the couch, exhausted but satisfied, listening to the faint sounds coming from outside.
She heard the baby crying and the conversation between Emperor Kangxi and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.
A warm feeling welled up in her heart for the child's good health and the emperor's joy.
However, the warmth has not yet reached the heart.
The situation outside the palace suddenly changed.
"...Yongshou Palace is sealed off! No one is allowed to enter or leave."
"...All palace servants who knew the truth, seize them and beat them to death!"
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's cold and authoritative imperial edict, and Emperor Kangxi's emotionless "Do as instructed," were like a sudden blizzard.
It instantly froze all the warmth and expectation in her heart.
It turns out that what she thought was special favor was actually hers.
She occasionally indulges in little acts of willfulness that transgress the rules.
It is so ridiculous in the face of absolute imperial power.
It turns out that Kangxi's previous anxiety and concern stemmed from factors that could potentially threaten his rule.
It can be so easily taken back and turned into a butcher's knife.
It turns out that in the emperor's heart, Jiang Nan, and the Nan Nan he spoke of, were ultimately nothing more than ants that could be discarded at any time.
Special? Ha, so special that it has become a monster that must be imprisoned.
Brotherly affection? It was more of her wishful thinking.
Before the nation, everything else can be abandoned.
Life imprisonment... right after she gave birth to his prince, at this hopeful moment.
Her life, before it had even truly begun, already seemed to be coming to an end.
She turned her head blankly and looked at the only person still standing in the hall, her personal maid Fang Ruo.
His lips moved a few times before he could utter a dry, hoarse voice that sounded unlike his own.
"Fangruo... From now on, you are all I have."
These words carry an endless sense of sorrow and dependence.
But what she received was not the comfort of her loyal servant.
Fangruo stood not far away, her face no longer showing its usual submissiveness, but instead a distorted expression mixed with fear and resentment.
She knew she too would be imprisoned until death.
The pent-up emotions finally erupted.
"Return me to my palace?"
Fangruo suddenly burst into a shrill laugh.
"Who do you think you are, a demon despised by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager?"
She approached the bed step by step, her eyes fixed on Jiang Nan.
“Did you hear that? Everyone in Yongshou Palace, Chunlan, Consort Wang, Consort Daijia… everyone died because of you, they were all beaten to death. Why don’t you die? What are you still living for? Your special status killed everyone, everything is ruined, completely ruined.”
Jiang Nan trembled as she was yelled at, her pupils dilating.
She stared incredulously at Fang Ruo, who seemed like a complete stranger.
"Your Majesty, is it only me you have left? Fine, fine... then this servant should die too. What's the difference between living in this sunless place and being dead?"
She screamed hysterically, without waiting for Jiang Nan to react.
He suddenly turned around and, with all his might, slammed into a vermilion pillar beside him.
A muffled "bang" was heard.
Blood gushed from Fang Ruo's forehead instantly.
She slid softly to the ground and fell silent.
Jiang Nan froze on the bed, her blood seemingly frozen.
The entire world shattered before her eyes, turning into nothingness; the outside was a cage, and the inside was a corpse.
Jiang Nan sat there blankly, motionless.
After a long, long time, she revealed a strange smile.
At first, there was a silent tremor, then suppressed laughter grew louder and louder.
The End?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
