The sudden downfall of the second branch of the Tong family was no small matter in the capital. The specific reasons were not mentioned by Emperor Kangxi. The imperial edict was issued suddenly, and the punishment was severe. Longkodo was the most promising member of the second branch of the Tong family. He was banned from entering the court, and Tong Guowei himself was dismissed from his post. The second branch of the Tong family would have to wait until their grandchildren to rise again.
The Tong family was not greatly affected by this, which shows that only the second branch of the Tong family was involved in this incident. In addition, there were rumors circulating in the palace that Consort Tong had been confined to her quarters.
This inevitably raises suspicions as to whether Consort Tong did something in the harem.
Under normal circumstances, the Emperor would not punish the harem too severely for matters of the court. When Suo'etu passed away, Consort Xi was still alive and well, and Consort Hui was doing well when Mingzhu was retired at home.
Everyone guessed it, but no one knew the specific reason.
"Your Majesty, I just heard from the guards outside that the master has been dismissed from his post and the third young master will never be allowed to serve as an official in the court again."
"What did you say?!" Imperial Concubine Tong didn't believe it; how could she dare to believe it?
"Impossible! His Majesty wouldn't treat me like this! I'm her cousin! How could he be so heartless? I don't believe it! Guards! I want to leave! I want to see His Majesty..."
"Your Majesty, please don't frighten this servant."
Consort Tong cried out, looking as if she had lost her mind, which was quite frightening.
She then fell ill, her anger and anxiety combined with the fear and anxiety she had endured during her confinement, which prevented her from eating or sleeping properly. It's no wonder she fell ill.
When Consort Tong fell ill, Emperor Kangxi felt it was time to lower her rank and issued an edict, reducing her from Consort Tong to a lower-ranking concubine.
The demotion was drastic, though it didn't kill her, it was still incredibly harsh. Upon hearing the contents of the imperial edict, Consort Tong coughed up a mouthful of blood.
She was a woman of the Tong family; how could a woman of the Tong family agree to such a thing? She was unwilling; she refused.
Consort Tong... it wasn't Consort Tong who vomited blood. Emperor Kangxi didn't soften his heart, but he still summoned the imperial physician. However, it wasn't the familiar old physician he had known before, but a physician who had only recently entered the palace.
The people at Jingren Palace were naturally dissatisfied, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Half a month had passed since she recovered from her illness, but the confinement order in Jingren Palace had not been lifted. Kangxi did not want to let her out to cause trouble, or she would truly become a laughing stock in the harem.
If we're talking about who was the most heartbroken by Consort Tong's downfall, it would have to be Yinzhen. It was truly unfortunate of him; he was only ten years old this year when his vicious birth mother nearly murdered the entire harem, leading to his execution.
Although life wasn't easy after his birth mother died, he at least had a foster mother of noble status, and the palace didn't dare to neglect him. But now, Consort Tong has been confined to Jingren Palace for unknown reasons and demoted, and he's been prevented from seeing her.
This was definitely the most miserable life for any prince, bar none.
After witnessing Yinzhen's experience, the Eighth Prince Yinsi felt that his suffering was not so bad. Although his birth mother was of the lowest birth in the harem, at least she was still alive. His adoptive mother had her own biological son and treated him rather poorly, but she was still considerate.
Compared to Yinzhen's experience, Yinsi's was much better.
"Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince requests an audience."
When Liang Jiugong spoke of the Fourth Prince, Emperor Kangxi's feelings were quite complicated.
"Let him in."
“Zha”
When Yinzhen entered, he first bowed respectfully. Kangxi said, "Why are you here instead of studying properly?"
Yinzhen lowered his head: "I heard that Mother is seriously ill and I would like to go and see her."
He did not plead for her. Yinzhen knew that the imperial decree had been issued and no matter how much he pleaded, it would be useless. However, she was still his adoptive mother, and he still wanted to go see her.
Emperor Kangxi disliked Consort Tong, but he was pleased with his son's filial piety. However, despite his pleasure, Emperor Kangxi had no intention of backing down on Consort Tong's request. He had said he could not see her, and that meant he could not see her.
“You are still a child. Your mother is seriously ill, and there are imperial physicians to treat her. It will be no use for you to go. Listen to me, study hard, and I will let you go to see your mother when she gets better.”
Yinzhen lowered his head and remained silent; he still wanted to go and see.
"Father, I want to know what Mother did to make you so angry."
"I understand that you want to plead for your mother, but there are some things I don't want to tell you. I won't take my anger out on the children when it comes to adults, but as for your mother, I can only say that she brought it on herself."
To put it bluntly, the only reason he spared her life was because of his deceased mother. If someone he cherished so much dared to be harmed, Kangxi would absolutely not tolerate it.
"My son understands."
"Alright, let's go back."
After Yinzhen left, Kangxi instructed Liang Jiugong: "Send someone to the Imperial Household Department to tell them that they must not neglect my son."
Liang Jiugong knew that the "son" he was referring to was the Fourth Prince.
“Zha”
While Kangxi dealt with those who needed to be dealt with, Youqing had become very interested in Lin Meichan ever since she learned about her.
It seems that the girl intends to fight the Zhao family to the bitter end, regardless of the cost, consequences, or her own safety.
To be honest, Youqing admires Lin Meichan for achieving so much as a woman in this era. At the very least, she couldn't have done it without the system.
Youqing discovered that Lin Meichan ultimately planned to perish together with the Zhao family, which made Youqing feel sorry for Lin Meichan.
"Help me deliver this letter to Lin Meichan in the name of the owner of Yan Yuege, and have someone trustworthy deliver it."
"yes"
On the other side, Lin Meichan felt that it was about time. She didn't want to waste any more time. Recently, the Zhao family had been having a lot of bad luck, but they just couldn't find the reason. The old lady in charge of the family, who was old-fashioned, even went to a Taoist temple to ask someone to perform a ritual.
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