Chapter 92: The Imperial Household Department
Yuying's invitation was delivered to the ladies in each palace.
Banquet day.
The ladies of each palace brought their people to the appointment. In this matter, everyone was willing to give Yuying some face, and even Concubine Yi, who had made some friends in Changchun Garden, brought Concubine Xi, who seemed reluctant, to Yongshou Palace early to help Yuying with the arrangements.
Only one person didn't come.
Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia.
However, the reason she didn't come was not because she was targeting Yuying on purpose. On the one hand, she was sick every few days, and on the other hand, she had always been arrogant and disdained to associate with other concubines. Not only Yuying, but also other palace concubines would refuse nine out of ten invitations.
The only time she attended the banquet was when she hadn't shown up for a long time, and there were rumors in the palace that she was dying. She was so angry that she had to stand up and prove that she was doing well.
The Yongshou Palace was peaceful and harmonious, with people drinking wine and eating new dishes. Meanwhile, the Qianqing Palace was overcast with dark clouds.
Kangxi sat on the dragon throne with a livid face, and a group of people knelt below him, and no one dared to speak.
On Kangxi's desk were piles of books collected by Wei Zhu that recorded what everyone in the Imperial Household Department had done over the years.
Kangxi picked up a book at random, flipped it open, and threw it in front of Fei Yangwu, "Let me take a good look at it!"
Fei Yangwu, whose hair and beard had turned white, crawled over tremblingly, picked up the booklet, and opened it. The more he read, the uglier his expression became.
After a long while, Fei Yangwu closed the book, knelt on the ground and kowtowed continuously, "Your Majesty! I deserve to die! I deserve to die..."
Big beads of cold sweat kept coming out of his forehead. He never expected that his son was so bold as to dare to buy and sell an official position.
Kangxi looked at Fei Yangwu, whose forehead was bleeding, with a gloomy look, and said nothing. He originally thought that Fei Yangwu was old, and placing him in the Imperial Household Department would be a place for him to live in his old age, but he didn't expect...
A feeling of betrayal surged in Kangxi's heart.
Kangxi no longer looked at Fei Yangwu, but looked at Hailason, Wuya Weiwu and others below. Kangxi's eyes narrowed dangerously. He didn't expect that there were also matters related to his concubines in the harem.
These bondservants are becoming more and more arrogant.
"Embezzling imperial property, abusing power, seizing private homes, lining your own pockets... With all these things, is there anything you dare not do?"
No one expected Kangxi to launch an attack suddenly. No one was prepared, and the charges against them were laid out so bluntly in front of them.
Kangxi at this time was not the Kangxi later. He was loud but light, and he would not tolerate any sand in his eyes. The military situation of the previous dynasty was tight, and Tong Guogang was still leading the army in the front and had not returned. He did not expect that the biggest termite would appear beside him.
How could Kangxi not be angry?
"Someone, come here! Take them all to the Ministry of Punishment to await your punishment!" Kangxi stopped wasting time and waved his hand for the guards to come in and take them all away.
After everyone was taken away, Kangxi rubbed his brows. He had never expected that he just wanted to check if there were other servants in his harem who were transferred away without permission, but he would end up with such a thing.
Originally, I wanted to use Yuying's name to speak for those neglected concubines, so that they would remember Yuying in their hearts.
But this is not possible now. We even have to completely remove Yuying from this matter.
Moreover, this matter involves so many people that he cannot kill all of them at once. He still has a headache about how to deal with it.
Thinking of Yuying, Kangxi couldn't help but ask again, "What is Yongshou Palace doing today?"
Liang Jiugong lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, there is a banquet in Yongshou Palace today, and all the ladies in the palace are there."
"Hmm?" Kangxi stood up and said, "Come on, follow me and take a look."
——
"The Emperor has arrived——"
As Liang Jiugong's voice sounded, the concubines sitting in the Yongshou Palace stood up and saluted towards Kangxi.
Kangxi walked to Yuying's side without looking away, "Everyone, get up."
Yuying still felt a little awkward, but she didn't dare to look at Kangxi in the eye in front of so many people, so she could only stand aside feeling frustrated.
Kangxi took Yuying to sit down, and then the others dared to sit down.
"What were you talking about just now? I heard it outside the palace." The originally relaxed atmosphere was gone because of Kangxi's arrival, so Kangxi took the initiative to bring up the topic.
Everyone looked at Kangxi, who was sitting next to Yuying, with complicated expressions. The emperor's love for Concubine Jin was indeed well-deserved. In the past, the emperor would not have come to such a small banquet on purpose.
Kangxi was wearing casual clothes today. It was rare for people to see that he was not wearing the bright yellow that only the emperor could wear, but an indigo-blue outfit. It made Kangxi look a few years younger and he looked very majestic.
He sat casually, fiddling with the jade ring on his finger. He tilted his head slightly to look at Yuying while talking, so the other concubines could only see his high nose bridge and sharp jawline.
No one dared to interrupt at this time. Although the emperor did not ask anyone by name, anyone with eyes could see that he was waiting for Concubine Jin to answer.
Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Yuying had no choice but to speak: "Nothing to talk about~"
One sentence reveals it.
Kangxi just asked casually, not really wanting to know. After all, he was not interested in what the concubines were talking about.
Sit for a while.
"Okay, you guys won't feel comfortable with me here, so I'll go back to the Palace of Heavenly Purity first."
It seemed that Kangxi came just to support Yuying and join in the fun.
Seeing Kangxi gone, everyone including Yuying breathed a sigh of relief. After a day of getting along, Yuying found that Kangxi's concubines were actually quite easy to get along with, but they all complained that life in the palace was too boring.
Yuying took out the mahjong and playing cards she had carefully prepared. She even upgraded her equipment and took out a Monopoly board.
The concubines had never seen these things before. They all stared curiously at the things in the palace maids' hands, waiting for Yuying's next words.
Yuying quickly explained the rules, and then asked them to find a partner to sit at a table. Each table was guarded by a palace maid or eunuch who had learned the skills before, and they started practicing right away.
Soon, the sounds of "Lian Dui", "Airplane" and "Hu Le" were heard from time to time in Yongshou Palace.
Well, Yongshou Palace has become a chess and card room.
Yuying even tried to cover up her mistake by asking Xiao Zhuozi to close the gate of Yongshou Palace to prevent Kangxi from coming again.
Yuying, Concubine Yi, Concubine Xi and Noble Lady Guo Luoluo were sitting at the same table.
"You should have taken out this kind of good stuff earlier." Concubine Yi touched a card and spoke.
Concubine Xi, who was standing by, stared at the cards seriously without saying a word. She nodded in agreement, completely forgetting her reluctance to come here in the morning.
After Yuying sent all the concubines away, she stretched tiredly.
"Qingtao, ahhhh, hurry up! I need to take a bath, I'm so tired..."
"Your Majesty, the fragrant soup is ready. Please follow me." Lu Chen said from the side.
Hearing this, Yuying looked at Lu Chen in surprise and gave him a thumbs up, "As expected of Lu Chen, he is reliable in doing things!"
After Yuying soaked in the warm fragrant soup, she squinted her eyes comfortably, leaned aside, and let Lu Chen and Qing Tao massage her arms.
If there is one thing in the Yongshou Palace that Yuying is most satisfied with, it is definitely the fragrant hot spring pool. When staying overnight in the Qianqing Palace, Yuying envied Kangxi for having such a large bathroom. Unexpectedly, Kangxi actually carved one for her in the Yongshou Palace.
However, it is truly comfortable and truly luxurious.
When Yuying was completely relaxed, Lu Chen realized that she had been soaking in the bath for long enough and reminded her that it was time to get up.
Yuying returned to the bedroom dazed. Qingdai had already made the bed for her, so all she had to do was lie down.
Seeing Yuying lying down, the three servants blew out the candles in the hall, leaving only one. Qingdai was the one on guard today, and the other two prepared the clothes that Yuying would wear tomorrow and went back to rest.
Yuying had a good sleep all night.
Some people did not sleep all night.
Yesterday, Concubine De returned to Yonghe Palace.
Because the Thirteenth Prince and the Seventh Princess were still young, Concubine De left Jinzhu in Yonghe Palace and took her people to Yongshou Palace.
Naturally, Defei missed the news from her father. When she returned to Yonghe Palace, Wuya Weiwu had already been imprisoned.
Defei immediately went to the Qianqing Palace to plead for mercy.
Jinzhu tried her best to hold her back, saying that it was getting late and the emperor might have already gone to bed, so it would be better not to waste their efforts.
Defei was already panicking at the moment, far from her usual rationality. It was only after Jinzhu reminded her that she made arrangements with the Ministry of Punishment so that her father and brother could have a better night.
After explaining everything, she sat in the hall and gritted her teeth in hatred. She didn't expect Bai Qi to be so stupid. Not only did he cheat people in her name, but he also implicated her father.
The next morning, without even having time to change her clothes, Concubine De hurried to the Palace of Heavenly Purity with Jinzhu. When Kangxi had not returned from the morning court, Concubine De knelt in front of the gate of the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
The young eunuchs guarding the door looked at each other quietly, not knowing whether they should wake up Concubine De.
It was already summer, the sun was high in the sky, and beads of sweat kept oozing out of the forehead of Concubine De, who was kneeling on the ground. The beads hit the bluestone bricks in front of the Qianqing Palace, creating splashes of water.
She had not suffered such a great hardship for so many years. Concubine De pursed her lips, her hair wet with sweat stuck to her face, looking very embarrassed.
From the beginning, the eunuch guarding the gate reminded Concubine De that the emperor was not here and asked her to come back later, but Concubine De refused to listen. The eunuch had no choice but to get an umbrella and hold it over Concubine De's head, and then kneel with her in the sun.
After standing in the sun for a while, the eunuch began to sweat. He took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped it, but he couldn't stop the sweat from dripping down. After a while, he could only squint because his eyes were now blurred by sweat.
This Concubine De is really something, she is looking for trouble. The eunuch secretly complained about Concubine De.
When Kangxi came back from court with Liang Jiugong, he saw Concubine De from afar. It was not until Kangxi approached that he asked, "What are you doing kneeling on the ground? Why don't you get up quickly?"
Kangxi knew it very well, but he was angry at the moment and would not have any sympathy for Concubine De.
Hearing Kangxi's voice, Concubine De turned around on her knees and faced Kangxi, greeting him in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
Concubine De was really cruel.
Seeing that Defei looked like she might faint at any moment, Kangxi pondered secretly.
As noon approached, the sun became increasingly scorching. Kangxi could not stand it after just a moment. "Alright, come in with me. It's not nice to kneel here. You are the master of the palace after all."
After saying this, Kangxi took the lead and walked into the hall.
Ice is now used everywhere in the palace, and even more so in the Qianqing Palace. The cool breeze in the palace is like a completely different world from the outside.
Jinzhu helped Defei up, tidied her appearance a little, and limped towards the hall. When they arrived, Defei found a place to kneel in front of Kangxi again.
Kangxi glanced at her and said, "Tell me about it."
"Your Majesty, I know that my father and brother have committed unforgivable crimes, but I hope Your Majesty will forgive me for my careful service over the years."
It is beautiful to see a beautiful woman shedding tears, but Kangxi is a blockhead and just turns a blind eye.
Seeing that Kangxi did not respond, Concubine De gritted her teeth and spoke again: "Your Majesty, please spare them this time for the sake of the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince who died young!"
Defei seemed to use her two lost children to arouse Kangxi's sympathy, but Kangxi had no intention of killing them all.
But when he heard Concubine De mention the two children, his heart was moved, especially when she mentioned Xiaoliu, "Are you blackmailing me?"
When the Sixth Prince Yinzuo was born, he doted on Concubine De the most. He even allowed Concubine De to raise the child by herself, which of course also included some compensation.
He often went to Yonghe Palace, and naturally he would meet Xiaoliu. Xiaoliu was an extremely intelligent child, and perhaps because of his intelligence, he contracted smallpox and died at the age of six.
Speaking of Xiaoliu, Kangxi didn't want to see Defei any more. "Defei, I have my own ideas on this matter. You don't need to say anything more. Go back."
"emperor……"
"Um?"
Defei wanted to continue speaking, but was glanced at by Kangxi.
"I'll take my leave."
Concubine De returned to Yonghe Palace in frustration.
"Your Majesty, the emperor must be still angry. Let's go and plead with him in a few days. He will surely show leniency!" Jinzhu comforted Concubine De.
Concubine De lowered her head in silence, thinking about a solution.
She couldn't ask the Imperial Concubine for help, could she?
Wait…there’s one more person.
If there is still one person who can soften the emperor's heart...
Concubine De thought of Concubine Jin.
She stood up suddenly, "Jinzhu, hurry up! Help me wash up! I want to go to Yongshou Palace!"
No matter what the cost, she couldn't leave her Ama alone.
Then, she remembered that Concubine Zhangjia in her palace seemed to have always been on good terms with Concubine Jin, so she called someone to tell Concubine Zhangjia to accompany her to Yongshou Palace.
After Concubine De washed up again, she took Concubine Zhang Jia to the Yongshou Palace. Along the way, Concubine De had explained her purpose to Concubine Zhang Jia, and hoped that Concubine Zhang Jia could help her say a few words.
But in Yongshou Palace, Yuying knew nothing about this.
She was listening to Qingtao telling her about what happened yesterday when Kangxi punished the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
She suppressed her surprise. This was clearly something that would only happen in the late Kangxi period. How could it happen so much earlier?
This is too fantastic.
Yuying had no idea that she was the butterfly that influenced Kangxi.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
