It wasn't just Emperor Kangxi who came.
Behind him followed Crown Prince Yinreng and Yinzhi. Consort Hui looked at the young Yinzhi with her eyes crinkling, her gaze fixed intently on her son.
Yinzhi had a robust and chubby appearance.
It was a rare sight to see him come over, so the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager waved for Yinzhi to come forward and take a look. Of course, Yinreng also wanted to come over.
The Empress Dowager examined the scene from the left and the right.
Finally, she smiled at Consort Hui and said, "Consort Hui has taken very good care of him. Look how healthy our Yinzhi is growing!"
Consort Hui stood up and replied, "Yes."
She looked at Yinzhi, her eyes filled with pride. Consort Hui's lips curled slightly upward: "Thanks to this child's big appetite, his body naturally grows quickly!"
The Empress Dowager nodded: "That's true. Children need to eat and sleep more to grow faster."
Yinzhi's little face turned bright red. He clenched his little fist and shouted, "Because I want to be the first Baturu of the Qing Dynasty in the future, I must grow up to be healthy!"
Emperor Kangxi burst into laughter.
There weren't many princes in the palace, and the healthy Yinzhi held a significant place in Kangxi's heart. He said kindly, "If you want to become the foremost warrior in the land, Yinzhi will have to work hard in the future!"
Yinzhi was excited.
On the other side, Yinreng's gaze fell on Yinzhen. He reached out and poked Yinzhen, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Eleventh brother has grown so fast. Last time I saw him, he was only this small."
Yinreng made a circle with his hand.
The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded: "When Yinreng met Yinzhen... it was around the New Year? At that time, your eleventh brother was still a baby, but now he can stand up."
"Yinzhen can stand now?" Kangxi asked curiously.
"That's right." The Empress Dowager placed Yinzhen on the ground, and he stood there swaying, holding onto her thighs with both hands.
"Standing firmly and steadily, that's great!"
"Eleventh Brother is amazing!" Yinreng clapped his hands vigorously, his face full of seriousness.
Yinzhen gave a polite smile.
Yinreng clapped even more enthusiastically, and even Yinzhi looked at his younger brother curiously, but after looking around, he didn't find anything interesting about this soft little guy.
I stood there for a short while.
The Empress Dowager tenderly embraced Yinzhen again, and Yinzhen shifted in her arms, his round eyes looking around.
The fear of an impending earthquake made his heart race.
The Empress Dowager touched Yinzhen's back; he was already drenched in sweat in such a short time: "It's so hot in this weather. Look how hot Yinzhen is."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi also touched Yinreng and Yinzhi.
The heat was unbearable these past few days, and since the two were small, it took Yinreng and Yinzhi two or three steps to catch up with Kangxi when he took one step, by which time they were already soaked with sweat.
The Empress Dowager quickly ordered water and cool tea to be brought, and called for Yinreng and Yinzhi to sit down and rest.
The opportunity has arrived!
Uya's eyes lit up. She stepped out of the line and bowed deeply, saying, "This humble servant dares to offer something to Your Majesty."
Upon discovering that Consort Wuya had run off on her own, Consort Tong was initially shocked, but then instantly became furious. Yet, under the watchful eyes of everyone, she had to maintain a composed smile and softly asked, "Consort Wuya, what surprise have you prepared?"
Even I didn't know?
It is now July 28th. As long as the Emperor is saved, why should she continue to struggle under Consort Tong's control? Wuya agreed, contrary to her humble and obsequious manner of the past few days, and became cautious and careful, pretending not to hear the anger in Consort Tong's voice: "This concubine saw that His Highness the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince were so hot, and suddenly remembered a method that this concubine had thought of before."
Consort Tong was furious.
The Empress Dowager spoke first, looking at Wuya with a half-smile and saying, "What have you prepared to present to the Emperor? I'd like to hear it too."
I originally thought he was a pitiful person.
Unexpectedly... the Empress Dowager noticed the faint excitement and ambition burning in Wuya's eyes, and felt as uncomfortable as if she had eaten a sweet pastry but found the filling to be spicy.
Uya agreed to cheer up.
Smiling, she took out a bag of saltpeter from her bosom and confidently demonstrated her method of making shaved ice. After making the first bowl of shaved ice, Uya looked at Crown Prince Yinreng and asked, "Your Highness, would you like to try?"
Yinreng's expression was quite strange.
Emperor Kangxi, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager were all utterly astonished. Of course, in Consort Wuya's eyes, everyone was stunned by her actions. She was full of confidence, convinced that the Emperor would definitely be interested in coming to take a look.
The hall was completely silent.
After a long silence, Consort Tong's sneer rang out first: "This Empress, pfft... I thought Wuya had promised to get you something, but..."
Consort Tong covered her mouth, nearly doubled over with laughter.
As she laughed, all the concubines in the hall burst into laughter as well.
Only Uya agreed, both bewildered and confused.
Emperor Kangxi was utterly speechless, and even felt somewhat ashamed. With a dark face, he rebuked her in a deep voice, "Wuya, when you go back, you should read more books for me!"
Otherwise, why would people think this is a major discovery?
Uya still looked confused and even somewhat at a loss.
Wan Anran hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't hold back: "Wuya agreed...the ice-making technique using saltpeter dates back to the Song Dynasty!"
Now you can buy popsicles in Beijing.
Even before her predecessor entered the palace, she had sent servants to the streets to buy popsicles to try, and she also had memories of making her own using fruits and vegetables.
That is, the Uya clan.
They would treat something so common as a treasure and proudly display it in front of everyone.
As soon as Wan Anran finished speaking...
What started as suppressed giggles instantly turned into uproarious laughter.
Uya's face flushed red and then turned pale, then red and then purple. The laughter of the crowd was like sharp arrows piercing straight into her heart. Her cheeks turned red to the roots of her ears, and she stood there biting her lip, on the verge of tears.
The problem is...
Even if Wuya promised to work harder, it would be too late to restore her haggard complexion in half a month. She looked so bad that it was not only unpleasant to look at, but also a bit of an eyesore.
Emperor Kangxi didn't bother with it.
He ordered the concubines to leave, while others prepared to escort the Empress Dowager to the garden for a chat. The group smiled and walked past Uya, paying her no attention whatsoever.
The concubines in the palace treated this as a laughing stock.
As they walked out, they whispered about the incident, their gossipy, voyeuristic spirit shining through.
Uya agreed and stood still.
Consort Tong, her face grim, glanced at her indifferently, pondering her plans. Had she really lost face in front of the other concubines? Since Wuya didn't even want to be a concubine anymore, then she could become a palace maid.
She lowered her eyes, keeping her thoughts to herself.
Consort Tong rose and walked to Consort Wuya's side, staring at her coldly: "You shameful thing, just wait and see how I teach you a lesson later—ah!"
Before she could finish her harsh words, Consort Tong suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
The ground beneath their feet trembled briefly before stopping, but was it just an illusion? The chattering and laughter inside the palace abruptly ceased, and all the concubines looked around blankly, their faces pale.
The concubines, who had never experienced disaster, stood there like a flock of dumb geese, unsure whether to leave or stay.
Even Wan Anran was the same.
Having heard of earthquakes before, she, a person born in a southern province that had never experienced one, was stunned.
Disaster waits for no one.
Before anyone could react, a violent collision suddenly erupted.
This time it doesn't seem like a preview.
The entire earth seemed to have turned into a body of water, undulating like waves. Majestic buildings shook and collapsed continuously, and roars came from all directions, revealing undisguised horror on everyone's faces.
Kangxi roared, "Run!"
Everyone rushed outside, but the violent tremor caused the lintel to shake, and the tall plaque crashed down. The two eunuchs standing at the door didn't even make a sound before they were smashed on the head, bleeding profusely, and lay on the ground, their fate unknown.
This scene was so frightening that my knees trembled.
Screams and cries erupted in an instant as everyone desperately rushed out.
Emperor Kangxi sternly rebuked the agitated crowd and, the moment the earthquake subsided, immediately escorted the two empress dowagers forward.
The path leading out of the palace gate is actually very short.
But today it seems especially long. The flowerpot shoes that the concubines wore were meant to highlight their graceful figures and elegant demeanor, but now they have become a burden.
The tremors stopped for a moment.
It trembled violently again in almost three breaths.
This time the shaking was particularly intense.
The entire Cining Palace creaked and groaned, dust that had accumulated over countless years fell from the dome, and the beams swayed precariously.
Even holding Yinzhen, Wan Anran could not stand steadily.
She simply bent down, took off her shoes, and dashed out. As she ran, Wan Anran shouted to Consort Xuan and the others to rush forward, determined to leave the palace as quickly as possible.
Consort Tong paled.
She screamed repeatedly, her knees buckling, and it took two maids to drag her out. Consort Tong looked up slightly and saw a beam about to fall, and below it stood the Emperor, holding the Crown Prince!
Consort Tong cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty! Be careful!"
The moment the words fell, the beam creaked. Consort Tong instinctively tried to rush forward, but Wuya was faster than her.
Not only that, Consort Tong was also hit hard.
The flowerpot bottom wobbled, and she could no longer control her body. Consort Tong fell backward in astonishment.
The last thing she saw in her peripheral vision was the rubble hurtling towards her from above, and the piercing cry of Granny Zhao in her ears: "Master—!"
Wan Anran was left behind.
As she turned around, she saw Consort Tong and the other two covered in rubble, and then she saw Consort Wuya rushing towards her like the wind.
To Wan Anran's astonishment, Wuya's face showed no fear whatsoever, but rather was brimming with excitement. She shouted loudly, "Your Majesty, be careful, Your Majesty!"
Wan Anran was startled.
As she hugged Yinzhen tightly, she subconsciously pushed Kangxi, who was standing in front of her.
Kangxi leaned forward, his first instinct being to push the Crown Prince out the door. Then, he struggled to turn around and saw Consort Qi's terrified face, Yinzhen's pale face, and the precariously swaying beam behind him.
A deep sense of emotion welled up within Emperor Kangxi.
He recalled how Consort Qi, disregarding her own status and position, had told him about the potential dangers. He saw how Consort Qi risked her own life and safety, desperately trying to save him.
What an idiot.
That's what Kangxi was thinking, but he reached out and pulled the two children tightly into his arms. He fell to the ground, rolled twice, and landed down the steps.
"emperor!"
"emperor?"
Exclamations of surprise filled the air.
What terrified everyone even more was that in the next instant, the beam crashed to the ground, sending a cloud of dust flying all around.
If the Emperor and Consort Qi were still there...
Everyone who thinks about the consequences gets goosebumps!
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