Chapter 39 This Empress is just making excuses.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's eyes, which had seen countless vicissitudes of life, were now gazing intently at Jiang Nan.
She was filled with surprise and confusion.
Is this Consort Jiang... stupid as a pig, or is she hiding her true abilities?
She actually invited trouble and demanded a search of the palace? Where did she get the audacity?
Could it be that she really has some backup plan? Or is it...?
She was certain that Hesheli could not bury anything in her palace.
Jiang Nan's sharp and logical arguments in his debate with the Empress were truly impressive.
She had long understood that the woman before her was no ordinary person, not someone Hesheli could easily manipulate.
A strong sense of curiosity to watch the drama unfold was completely aroused within her; she wanted to see just how this grand spectacle would take such a dramatic turn.
She nodded slightly with an air of elegance and nobility, her voice calm yet carrying an imposing presence.
“Xuan Ye, since Consort Jiang is so open and insists on proving her innocence by searching the palace, then let her search. It will allow everyone in the harem to open their eyes wide and see clearly who is stirring up trouble.”
When Emperor Kangxi heard his grandmother speak, he was extremely anxious, but he could only bow and agree.
"Your grandson obeys."
He turned his head and gave Liang Jiugong a deep, hoarse instruction.
"Liang Jiugong, go and make arrangements to give Cheng Rui a proper burial."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Liang Jiugong bowed in agreement and with a heavy heart withdrew to arrange the eldest prince's funeral.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang took one last look at the now lifeless swaddling clothes, a genuine sadness flashing in her eyes, before rising to her feet.
"Let's go, I will go with you and be a witness."
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The group, in a grand procession, left the Zhongcui Palace, which was filled with an atmosphere of sorrow and intrigue, with their own thoughts and intentions.
They headed towards Yongshou Palace.
Upon arriving at the gates of Yongshou Palace, the vermilion gates were found to be tightly closed.
Jiang Nan suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Kangxi looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Empress Hesheli was secretly pleased with the smooth progress of the plan, but when she saw her stop, she immediately urged her impatiently.
"Guarjia Jiangnan, what are you doing standing there pretending to be a god? Why don't you open the palace gates immediately? Are you feeling guilty and backing out at the last minute?"
Jiang Nan slowly turned around, her face showing no fear, but rather a playful smile like a cat playing with a mouse.
She deliberately dragged out her words, her voice clear and bright.
"Open the door? What door does Your Majesty want to open?"
The Empress was so angry at her slow and leisurely attitude that her liver ached.
"How can we search the palace without opening the gates? Don't try to play tricks on us..."
Jiang Nan slowly interrupted her, her voice clear and firm.
"Search the palace? No rush, no rush. I will open the gates of Yongshou Palace in a moment, but..."
She abruptly changed the subject, her sharp gaze sweeping over the group of eunuchs and palace maids behind the Empress, who were eager to get started.
His tone suddenly turned icy.
"But before searching my Yongshou Palace, we must first search the people Your Majesty the Empress brought."
"search?"
The Empress's pupils suddenly contracted, her heart sank, and an ominous premonition instantly arose.
A sharp light flashed in Kangxi's eyes, and he suddenly understood.
So that's how it is. Nan Nan was waiting for her here.
She had anticipated that Hesheri, that wicked woman, would resort to such despicable tactics as framing someone.
Good, what a clever trick to lure the enemy into a trap and then trap them.
She's going to slap Hesheli's face hard on my behalf and on behalf of Chengrui.
An indescribable surge of admiration and warmth instantly coursed through my body.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang raised her eyebrows slightly, a hint of understanding and appreciation flashing in her eyes.
This Consort Jiang... is indeed quite interesting.
How could someone have thought of this?
She was so certain that her Yongshou Palace was an impenetrable fortress, and that no outsider could possibly have hidden anything in advance.
She was naturally unaware that Jiang Nan had already managed Yongshou Palace as if it were an impregnable fortress.
Strangers can't get in at all, let alone hide anything.
Even the palace servants in Yongshou Palace worked in pairs, and they couldn't be out of sight even when going to the toilet.
Jiang Nan, too lazy to look at the Empress's feigned composure yet barely concealed panic, directly gave Zhao Deyi an order.
"Zhao is triumphant."
"Your servant is here."
Zhao Deyi, like a lurking tiger, suddenly unleashed an astonishing aura, his voice booming like a bell.
"Bring men and bring those people the Empress brought to search the palace..."
Jiang Nanyu pointed her finger directly at the group of people behind the Empress.
"Search them one by one, inside and out, from top to bottom, leave no piece of cloth unsearched. Do it right in front of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager and me. I want to see what kind of unspeakable treasures they are hiding on their bodies."
"Yes, sir."
Zhao grinned maliciously and suddenly waved his hand.
Yongshou Palace was already eager to get started, and the eunuchs and palace maids, as fierce as wolves and tigers, swarmed forward instantly.
They surrounded the dozen or so people the Empress had brought, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
The empress's palace servants turned pale instantly, looking at the empress in panic, then at the emperor in fear, unable to move.
Empress Hesheli was both angry and anxious, and her voice was so sharp that it almost cracked.
"How dare you, Guarjia Jiangnan! You have audacity! Who gave you the guts to search my people? This is an act of contempt for the Empress. Who gave you this authority?"
Jiang Nan chuckled and walked step by step to the Empress, meeting her angry and anxious gaze without fear.
"What? Your Majesty, do you have a problem with that? That's hilarious! As a mere concubine, do I really need Your Majesty's approval to search the bodies of a few suspicious servants who have broken into my palace?"
Her tone suddenly rose, filled with undisguised sarcasm, echoing throughout the palace, each word piercing to the heart.
"What? Are your servants, the Empress, made of noble birth and untouchable? Or is it that now that you've become Empress, even the cats and dogs around you are superior to others? I'm determined to search them today."
"You...you're just making excuses."
The Empress was choked by her rapid-fire retort, her face turning ashen and her chest heaving violently.
"Soliciting nonsense?"
Jiang Nan refused to budge an inch, her momentum unstoppable.
"Today's matter concerns my innocence, the reputation of Yongshou Palace, and whether someone is maliciously framing the concubines and disrupting the harem. There is no room for discussion. If you think it's sophistry, then sophistry is fine. Zhao Deyi, search me. Anyone who dares to resist, arrest them on the spot."
The final command was decisive and left no room for doubt.
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Kangxi spoke at the opportune moment, his voice calm yet carrying the majesty of an emperor.
"Search it."
He was happy to see Jiang Nan clean up the mess for him and suppress the empress's arrogance.
Liang Jiugong still remembered the empress's insult to him, and immediately signaled the imperial eunuch to come forward and help.
The Empress watched helplessly as the people she had carefully arranged were roughly dragged away by the ravenous eunuchs.
They searched him thoroughly from head to toe, even his shoes, socks, and hair.
Her face turned from green to white, then from white to gray, and her whole body felt cold.
It's over...it's all over...if I were caught red-handed...
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. Her blood rushed to her head, and she felt dizzy.
His blood and qi surged backward, and his eyes rolled back, causing him to fall limply backward.
"Your Majesty!"
The old nanny beside her was terrified and quickly helped her up, shouting in panic.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
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