Chapter 222 Tongjia Clan: My Cousin Wants to Harm Me
Tongjia was taken aback by the question and instinctively uttered "Huh?" with a blank expression on her face.
Seeing her like this, Kangxi became angry and his tone became even more stern.
"What are you 'ah' about! I'm asking you a question. If you say yes, you say yes; if you say no, you say no!"
Tongjia felt even more aggrieved after being scolded by him. Why was he taking his anger out on her? She quickly defended herself.
"Your Majesty, I did not. I already knew I was wrong when I whipped Wuya. Your Majesty also came to reprimand me afterwards. How could I dare to disobey you and make things even more difficult for her in private? Absolutely not!"
She answered quickly and urgently, her eyes clear, filled with the grievance and confusion of being unjustly questioned, which seemed completely genuine.
Kangxi's heart sank instantly.
Nan Nan is telling the truth!
He abruptly turned his gaze to Li Guiping, the chief eunuch who stood with his hands at his sides behind Tongjia, his eyes flashing with cold light.
"Li Guiping, you dog slave, what kind of good show did you put on for Uya in front of me?"
Li Guiping's heart had been in his throat ever since Kangxi asked about the punishment of kneeling, and now that he was called out by name, he was terrified.
He hurriedly knelt down on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, please understand! This servant...this servant does not know what Your Majesty is referring to, this servant would never dare to deceive Your Majesty!"
Kangxi stared intently at him, trying to discern any flaws in his expression.
But Li Guiping was an old eunuch who had been in power for many years. In his panic, he could not see anything else unusual except for crying out that he was innocent.
This ambiguity and uncertainty only fueled Kangxi's anger.
He felt like a fool who had been kept in the dark, being completely manipulated by these servants and concubines!
"Fine! Fine! They're all lying to me! They all think I'm a fool, don't they?"
Emperor Kangxi was furious. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily.
"Someone come here!"
The guards outside the hall responded and entered.
Li Guiping was so frightened that his face turned ashen. Knowing that his life hung by a thread, he kowtowed desperately, and blood instantly appeared on his forehead.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please have mercy! This servant truly does not know what crime I have committed. I beg Your Majesty to enlighten me, so that I may die knowing the truth!"
Since reaching an agreement with Li Guiping, Tongjia has found him to be quite handy to use during the time they have spent together.
More importantly, Li Guiping is the Empress's person, and if someone were to die under her nose...
If the Empress misunderstands that she asked Kangxi to deal with Li Guiping.
This is outrageous!
Is it because they think she's living too comfortably and want to kill her?
If the Empress truly hates her and keeps an eye on her, how will she live her life from now on?
Thinking of the Empress's ruthlessness and her poisonous tongue, she couldn't help but shudder.
Seeing that Kangxi was about to arrest people without cause, they dared not hesitate any longer and hurriedly pleaded for mercy.
"Cousin Emperor, why are you doing this? Li Guiping has always performed his duties diligently and has not made any mistakes. If you want to punish him, there must be a reason, right?"
The reason? Kangxi was speechless at these words.
What could he say?
Is it possible that Li Guiping was an accomplice because of Wuya's deception of the emperor?
Wouldn't that expose all the embarrassing moments he'd been tricked? Doesn't this emperor have any shame?
Moreover, once this is exposed, Uyashi will not be able to escape punishment; he will ultimately be dealt with for deceiving the emperor.
Not giving a reason? Just making one up?
As an emperor, would he really punish the chief eunuch of the palace without any evidence, based solely on fabricated stories?
If this gets out, what will he be called? A tyrant?
Looking at Li Guiping kneeling and crying out for justice, and then at Tongjia Shi looking at him with a puzzled and pleading expression.
Kangxi was so angry he felt like he was about to explode, but he had nowhere to vent it.
He clenched his fists tightly, and only gradually loosened them after a while, waving weakly at the guards who came in.
"Enough! All of you, step back!"
The guards bowed and withdrew.
Li Guiping lowered his head, secretly relieved. His back was soaked with cold sweat. He had finally... passed the test for now.
Kangxi stopped looking at Li Guiping and turned to ask Tongjia Shi, his tone softening slightly, but with a hint of weariness.
“Cousin, if this servant is disloyal to you, or if you feel he is unusable, I can help you return him to the Imperial Household Department, and I will instruct them to replace him with a more suitable one.”
Tongjia shook her head repeatedly, inwardly screaming.
Cousin, you can't always be thinking of taking advantage of your cousin! I am your own cousin!
“Cousin Emperor, Li Guiping is a good man. He is reliable and respectful to me. I find him very easy to use. If I were to send him away without a reason today, what would others think? Moreover, the Empress… I’m afraid she would think that I was being willful and reckless.”
She truly didn't want to be targeted by the Empress again, and she still vividly remembered the lesson of being slapped!
When Emperor Kangxi saw that Lady Tongjia's words were sincere and did not seem feigned, he felt a mix of emotions.
Perhaps this lackey truly doesn't know?
He got up listlessly.
"I just came to see you. Since there's nothing else, I'll return to the Qianqing Palace. There are still state affairs to attend to in the court."
Tongjia hurriedly rose and bowed as if sending away a plague god.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off."
——————
After seeing off the ashen-faced Emperor Kangxi, Lady Tongjia slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and her tense nerves relaxed.
She turned to look at Li Guiping kneeling down, and a sense of irritation rose in her heart.
She wasn't stupid. Kangxi's seemingly nonsensical questioning and his almost undisguised anger towards Li Guiping clearly pointed to one fact.
That lackey Li Guiping must have colluded with that Wuya clan behind her back, doing something to deceive her superiors.
Moreover, this matter severely angered the Emperor, and she almost became Kangxi's scapegoat as well.
She wanted to ask what exactly was done, but felt that she wouldn't get the truth out of him and would only cause more trouble.
In the end, she simply waved wearily, her tone carrying a warning and a hint of helplessness.
"Li Guiping, get up. Today's matter is over. From now on... you should restrain yourself, do your job well, and don't cause me any more trouble."
Li Guiping felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately bowed.
"Yes, Your Majesty! This servant thanks Your Majesty for saving my life! This servant will certainly remember Your Majesty's teachings, serve Your Majesty wholeheartedly, and never dare to cause Your Majesty any more trouble!"
Tongjia rolled her eyes inwardly, listening with little interest.
"I wouldn't call it a life-saving grace, and I can't accept it. Just remember that my Chengqian Palace is too small to withstand any major storms. If you behave yourself, we can all live in peace."
She really had no intention of engaging in any more subtle exchanges with Li Guiping.
"Alright, go and serve the meal. I'm getting a little hungry after all this fuss."
"Yes, sir."
Li Guiping responded, but did not immediately leave, a hint of hesitation on his face.
Tongjia raised an eyebrow.
"Is there anything else?"
Li Guiping's words carried a hint of probing.
"Your Majesty, it's nothing serious. It's just that I've heard that Consort Wuya is pregnant with the Emperor's child. If Your Majesty has any plans or needs me to do anything, please feel free to give your orders."
His words were partly a response, and partly a test of Tongjia's attitude towards the Empress.
Tongjia chuckled softly upon hearing this. Was Li Guiping still testing her at this time? Her tone was full of sarcasm.
"You servant actually know how to be grateful? However... you don't need to rush to fawn over me, nor do you need to test me any further."
She walked to the window, her tone calm and indifferent.
“I knew yesterday that Lady Uya was pregnant. What can I do? What dare I do? In this harem, you and I both know the Empress’s bottom line: the imperial heir! Anyone who touches it will die! Lady Uya’s pregnancy is naturally her protective shield.”
She turned around, looked at Li Guiping, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips.
"Let me tell you plainly, I will not only not harm her, but I will also hope that she can give birth to a healthy little prince for me smoothly."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
