Chapter 169 Appeasement? Adding Fuel to the Fire
After leaving the dining hall of Kunning Palace, Emperor Kangxi did not dine with Nannan and his son.
Jiang Nan's warning about Zhang Fei's death and the Jiajing Palace Coup sent chills down his spine.
He had to go to Chengqian Palace in person, not only to verify the situation, but also to warn his arrogant cousin.
We must not let her act so recklessly, otherwise the consequences will be dire.
Having made up his mind, Kangxi headed straight for Chengqian Palace without stopping.
Liang Jiugong and the others followed closely behind, the group walking hurriedly.
Meanwhile, in the dining hall of Chengqian Palace, Lady Tongjia was having her dinner absentmindedly.
The burning pain in her cheeks made her lose her appetite.
Suddenly, a palace servant rushed to report that the Emperor had arrived. She was taken aback at first, and then a feeling of grievance and anticipation welled up inside her.
Touching her still swollen cheek, she decided not to wear a veil to cover it up and stood up to face the palace gate with the clear handprints on her face.
This injury is the best evidence. When my cousin the emperor sees it, he will surely understand the empress's ruthlessness.
The Empress will surely remember her grievances.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Liang Jiugong's greeting rang out outside the palace gates.
Lady Tongjia hurriedly led her palace servants to kneel and greet them.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome your presence."
Kangxi's expression was calm and expressionless, but the oppressive aura emanating from him made everyone afraid to breathe.
His gaze swept over the kneeling Tongjia woman, lingering for a moment on her swollen cheeks.
Instead of showing heartache or anger as she had hoped, he simply said, "Get up."
He walked straight past her into the dining room.
Tongjia's heart sank; the Emperor's attitude was completely different from what she had expected.
She subconsciously looked at the old woman beside her, who also shook her head with a solemn expression.
Tongjia suppressed her unease and quickly followed him inside.
Kangxi took his seat at the head of the table and gave his orders directly.
"Liang Jiugong, prepare the meal. I will be having dinner at Chengqian Palace tonight."
"Yes, sir."
Liang Jiugong responded immediately and signaled the palace servants to prepare the meal.
"Cousin, please sit down too."
Kangxi pointed to the seat below him, his tone calm and indifferent.
Tongjia took her seat nervously.
Kangxi didn't beat around the bush; he got straight to the point, his tone carrying the authority of an official.
"I already know everything about how you returned from your deep sleep in Kunning Palace, and how you took your anger out on the palace maids and even whipped them."
Tongjia suddenly stood up, her face showing panic as she hurriedly tried to explain.
"Cousin! It's that palace maid..."
Kangxi raised his hand to interrupt, his gaze sharp.
"Are you saying that the palace maid made a big mistake first, and that's why you punished her?"
Tongjia bit her lip and nodded with difficulty.
"Do you know!"
Kangxi's voice deepened.
"The palace maids are all carefully selected, and most of them are from the proper Eight Banners. They are by no means ordinary lowly servants. As the master, even if the palace maids are wrong, you should deal with them according to the palace rules or hand them over to the Cautious Punishment Department for punishment. How can you resort to private torture and whipping at every turn? Such cruel and abusive behavior has long been explicitly prohibited by the palace rules."
He paused, his gaze growing even colder.
"You act solely on your whims, without any rhyme or reason. How can I possibly respect you? How can the harem expect you to submit to me? Can you bear the reputation of being spoiled, domineering, and ruthless?"
A barrage of questions left Tongjia stunned, her grievances instantly breaking through her defenses.
She was merely disciplining a servant; how could that be considered arrogant and cruel?
The Empress even slapped her, her proper mistress, in public. What does that even mean?
She could no longer hold back her grievances and burst into tears. She raised her tearful eyes, pointed to her swollen cheeks, and sobbed.
"Cousin Emperor, look at my face! I have suffered a great injustice, and I have nowhere to confide my bitterness. That's why I was confused and punished the palace maid... But you didn't even protect me!"
She wept bitterly, hoping to evoke Kangxi's pity for her.
When Kangxi noticed the injury on her face, his brows furrowed slightly, and his tone softened a little, but it still carried a reprimand.
"I saw it and know the injustice you suffered. The Empress's actions were indeed a bit excessive, but she said you were being cunning and that the chaos in Kunning Palace was all your doing. She was just giving you a lesson to make you behave yourself."
His gaze was piercing, aimed directly at Lady Tongjia.
"I know that you are trying to use the matter of address to suppress the Empress's authority and highlight your closeness to me. Your little schemes cannot be hidden from me, nor from the Empress."
Tongjia was shocked and quickly shook her head in denial.
"I didn't. I was just unfamiliar with the palace rules. I know I was wrong and I have already corrected it."
Emperor Kangxi waved his hand, seemingly tired.
"Enough, there's no point in arguing now. The Empress has already punished you, so let's let this matter drop. As long as you behave yourself in the future, she has promised me that she will not make things difficult for you again."
He changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious.
"I have come to Chengqian Palace today to remind you that as my own cousin, you should be even more strict with yourself and behave properly. You should set an example for the six palaces. Do not let anyone find fault with you and criticize the Tong family's upbringing. If that happens, your father and I will be criticized and lose face. Do you understand?"
Tongjia understood the warning and protection in the words. Although she was not convinced, she knew that she could not continue to resist, so she had no choice but to lower her head and admit her mistake.
“Cousin, you are right. I was rash and thoughtless. I know I was wrong.”
Seeing that she admitted her mistake, Kangxi's expression softened slightly.
"It's good that you know you've made a mistake and can correct it. When you get back, make sure to comfort the palace maid who was punished. Call the imperial physician if necessary, and give her the medicine she needs. Don't discourage the servants and cause trouble."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I have remembered."
Tongjia responded in a low voice.
"Serve the meal."
Kangxi's tone was reassuring.
"I will have dinner with you tonight."
The steaming dishes were quickly served, and Kangxi picked up his chopsticks to eat, as if the admonition he had just received had never happened.
Tongjia carefully held her chopsticks, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
He had hoped to gain sympathy by using his injury to sow discord with the Empress, but instead he was severely reprimanded.
She also had to appease that lowly maid, and she felt like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat while eating this meal.
The meal ended in an atmosphere that was outwardly calm but inwardly turbulent.
After finishing his meal, Emperor Kangxi gave a few more platitudes about being careful with his words and actions and taking good care of himself, before setting off back to the Qianqing Palace.
After seeing Kangxi off, Lady Tongjia returned to her bedchamber and looked at her still swollen cheeks in the mirror.
Recalling Emperor Kangxi's admonitions, a surge of anger rushed to his head.
She abruptly swept the jade hairpin off the dressing table, shattering it into pieces with a piercing sound.
————————
Late at night, in a secluded and damp little room in the rear building of Chengqian Palace, the oil lamp flickered dimly, casting a yellowish light.
Uya was naked from the waist up, lying face down on the hard bed.
Every breath pulled at the wound on my back, bringing waves of excruciating pain.
There was a small jar of wound medicine that Li Guiping had arranged for a eunuch to secretly slip to him by the bedside.
But she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand to reach it, so she could only bury her face in the musty-smelling pillow.
She wept silently, letting despair consume her.
Just then, the door hinge made a very faint sound.
A long, thin shadow was stretched by the light and cast onto the mottled wall.
Uya tried to turn her head in terror, but the movement aggravated her wound, causing her to gasp in pain.
A deep, familiar voice rang out in the darkness, carrying an eerie calm.
"Don't move, this is our family. You're a lucky girl, I must say."
It's the chief eunuch, Li Guiping!
Uya froze, her heart filled with horror.
Why would he come here so late at night? And judging from his tone…
Li Guiping slowly approached the bedside, the shadows looming over him. His voice was extremely low, yet every word was clear.
"This medicine for your injuries was specially sent to us by Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty is kind-hearted and took pity on you for suffering innocently."
Uya suddenly opened her eyes wide, her eyes flashing with disbelief.
Your Majesty the Empress?
That high and mighty Empress?
How could she know that she, a lowly palace maid, had been beaten? And...and even sent Li Guiping to deliver medicine for her injuries?
So, this Li Guiping…
————————
Not a single book review? This kind of behavior truly chills my heart.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
