Sure enough, when the Empress Dowager saw him coming, she immediately said angrily, "Are you confused?!"
Emperor Kangxi was bewildered. Was he confused?
What's wrong with him?
"Grandma, I don't understand what you mean?"
Everything was fine, so how did he suddenly become confused?
"You're still hiding this from me! I'm asking you, why does that man you're keeping on your estate outside the palace look exactly like Consort Shu? Even their names are similar! He's a man! You're the emperor, indulging in male beauty will ruin the country! How did you agree to this? And what have you done now?"
Kangxi felt wronged upon hearing this. The estate wasn't his, and he wasn't the one supporting the people there. He would have loved to support them, but they hadn't given him the opportunity.
He didn't do anything, but people are saying he did everything. He felt wronged!
"Grandma, your grandson has not been interested in men."
He simply lusts after Shu's beauty, but has yet to succeed.
"You're still lying to me. I know you're deeply in love with Consort Shu, but she's dead. You should look forward. I asked Lin Miaoting to serve you, but you refused. I thought you could move on, but who knew you'd find another man. If I'd known this would happen, I shouldn't have sent you to Yunnan in the first place."
“Grandma, who told you this? I’ve been busy with state affairs lately. The reason I brought Mr. You from Yunnan is because of her exceptional talent. The new agricultural tools promoted last year and the new fertilizers promoted this year are all closely related to her. You know this. I just appreciate talent, it’s not what you think.”
But the Empress Dowager still looked unconvinced.
Kangxi finally made a guarantee: "I swear, if I ever become obsessed with men and die a horrible death, I will no longer be the emperor."
"Pah, pah, pah, what kind of talk is that? How can you say such things so casually?"
The ancients believed in oaths, and Kangxi's guarantee was no different from a vow. The Empress Dowager believed it to a tiny extent, but You Qing's existence was always a thorn in her side.
After Kangxi left, he was truly furious. He said several times that people had disturbed the Empress Dowager, but some people just wouldn't listen to his advice. It seems that he still hadn't learned his lesson from Consort Hesheli.
"Liang Jiugong, go and investigate. I want to see who is so capable as to dare to stir up trouble in front of me."
“Zha”
In fact, Liang Jiugong also wanted to know who was so capable. The current emperor's biggest enemy was Master Shu. If he dared to cause trouble, he must be tired of living.
The investigation was simple; it turned out to be Consort Hesheli. Kangxi was puzzled: "I have already demoted her rank, how dare she still cause trouble? And how did she know about this?"
Consort Hesheli is in the inner palace and cannot go out, so she cannot see Youqing. There must be someone outside the palace helping her. However, the Hesheli family is already too busy to take care of themselves, so how could they have the time to waste energy on such matters?
Something's not right.
“Liang Jiugong, go and find out who told Hesheli this news. She’s probably being used as a pawn.”
“Zha”
However, Emperor Kangxi did not hesitate to punish Consort Hesheli as she deserved. She was demoted from Consort Hesheli to Lady Hesheli, but was not demoted to commoner status, which was still out of consideration for the Crown Prince.
However, if she dares to cause trouble again, Emperor Kangxi probably won't tolerate her.
However, she probably won't have another chance to cause trouble, because this time Kangxi not only demoted her rank, but also put her in solitary confinement. As for how long she'll be in solitary confinement?
Without Kangxi's order, they could never get out, which was essentially a form of imprisonment.
After dealing with these trivial matters, Liang Jiugong came in and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Dai Zi has sent word that he wishes to see Your Majesty."
Kangxi was too busy and hadn't heard anything from Dai Zi. He had almost forgotten about him. Upon hearing news of him, Kangxi said, "The day after tomorrow! You can make the arrangements."
“Zha”
Emperor Kangxi really needs to meet Dai Zi. He has been busy on the farm for the past few months and has saved up a lot of gold coins. The farm shop has extremely strict control over weapons with high lethality, but it is still possible to buy some weapons that are not beyond the reach of this era.
"Prepare the carriage, let's go out of the palace and visit the estate."
I'll buy some blueprints while I'm at it.
“Zha”
...
For a time, Emperor Kangxi was extremely busy.
Strictly speaking, Emperor Kangxi wasn't lying when he said he wasn't obsessed with men, but the Empress Dowager was still very uneasy.
As her health deteriorated, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but worry that something bad might happen. Su Ma La Gu advised her, "Your Majesty, why worry? His Majesty is wise. I have recently heard that His Majesty has taken many measures that benefit the country and the people, and the people have benefited a lot. The situation that Your Majesty is worried about will not happen."
"I am not at ease. If anything goes wrong, how can I face our ancestors?"
“I have inquired and found that Young Master You is a philanthropic merchant. His Majesty went to the estate for legitimate business. Besides, His Majesty treated Lin Miaoting so well back then, so why would he seek comfort from a man?”
"That may be true, but I am worried. It may seem fine now, but desires are insatiable. The emperor may be able to tolerate that man for a while, but the more he gets, the harder it is for people to be satisfied. And with his kind of appearance, I fear he will bring chaos to the court."
These were merely the Empress Dowager's concerns about the future; in her view, this was not an impossible event.
If that were to happen, she would have already passed away long ago, and then no one would be able to stop her.
The Empress Dowager's health was already poor, and the more she thought about it, the worse her health became. She still felt that she couldn't let things go unchecked, and even if the Emperor hated her, You Qing could not be allowed to live any longer.
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