It's more difficult to investigate Consort De's side.
The bonsai entered the palace through the Imperial Household Department, whose relationships were complex and difficult to trace.
Both sides are making relatively slow progress.
Half a month has passed, and there has been no movement from Consort De's side. She is used to being cautious, and unless there is a need to take action, Yonghe Palace will not make any moves.
No matter how skilled Kangxi's secret guards were, they couldn't withstand Consort De's silence.
However, the Imperial Household Department did make some progress. Starting with the clues about the bonsai, they actually uncovered some unsavory and dirty things, but they still couldn't find out about the stone.
In order not to alert the enemy, Kangxi only preserved the evidence and did not intend to punish them for the time being.
After Cheng Ying received Emperor Kangxi's permission, You Qing learned that Consort Cheng had received a pine and cypress plant from the Imperial Household Department during her pregnancy, but it was not sent by Consort De.
It's understandable that Youqing wanted to take a look. Consort De was cautious in her actions, and even though the black stone was rare and almost impossible for anyone to detect, she didn't take action herself.
Cheng Ying said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. If it really was Consort De who did it, she would not have a good outcome if she dared to harm the prince."
These words were pointed, and Youqing suddenly thought of Emperor Kangxi behind Chengying, and then said, "That's right, bad people will be punished by heaven, I'll just wait."
Since ancient times, emperors have called themselves the Son of Heaven. Youqing was waiting for Kangxi, this "Heaven," to truly subdue the wicked. She was not yet willing to dirty her hands.
After carefully studying the system's functions, she realized that if she were truly ambitious, she could actually establish herself in the harem. With just that "Poison Classic," she could even kill Emperor Kangxi. However, that would plunge the world into chaos, and she didn't have the guts to kill anyone.
Youqing could easily deal with Consort De using the methods available in the system, but she simply didn't want to start doing so for the time being.
Some things can only be done zero times or countless times. Dealing with Consort De has set a precedent. When she encounters more people and things in the future, she will only rely more on the system's methods and slowly become unrecognizable. This is not what she wants to see. So, unless she is pushed to the limit, she does not intend to break the rules. She will first see how Kangxi will investigate this matter and how he will deal with it after he finds out.
"Have someone privately remind Consort Cheng; there's no need for her to do anything else."
Consort Cheng's appearance was considered top-tier in the harem, and her ability to conceive and give birth was quite fortunate. The only thing that embarrassed her was that her son was lame, which was her biggest concern.
It would be interesting if she knew that her son's limp was caused by human intervention.
"Yes, Master."
Chengying readily agreed, but when it came time to actually carry it out, an extra step was added. She first reported the matter to Emperor Kangxi, which was also Kangxi's intention.
When Kangxi learned that Youqing had sent someone to investigate Consort Cheng's side, he knew that Youqing would not remain indifferent, so he specifically instructed Chengying to tell him Youqing's decision.
Youqing actually knew what Chengying would do, but she still gave Chengying instructions.
If there were onlookers watching, they would definitely say that the two of them know how to have fun.
Kangxi replied: "Do as Consort Shu says. If Consort Cheng becomes suspicious, give her some pointers so she knows how her son is lame. But send someone to keep an eye on her so she doesn't alert the enemy."
"yes"
So, within two days, Consort Cheng accidentally learned the secret of bonsai from a new palace maid. Consort Cheng, half believing and half doubting, sent the black stone out of the palace for her family to experiment with.
While there was still no result on Consort Cheng's side, the donkeys that Kangxi had sent people to raise outside the palace began to give birth one after another. These female donkeys were all very healthy. There were ten female donkeys in total, and each female donkey gave birth to one foal. In the end, three of the ten foals died shortly after birth, leaving seven foals, all of which had defects, mostly in their hooves.
Although he was somewhat prepared, Kangxi was still alarmed. Based on the results of his experiment, he arranged for the same experiment to be conducted on Consort Cheng's family.
After Cheng Guiren confirmed it, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"My son, it's all my fault." After saying this, Consort Cheng burst into tears.
If she hadn't placed that pine tree in the house because of its auspicious symbolism, her son would never have been born with a limp. She hated the unknown mastermind behind it all, and regretted it all because of her carelessness.
But it was too late for regrets; the damage was done, and her son's foot would never heal. If it had been congenital, she would have accepted it, but it wasn't; it was caused by human intervention. Her eyes were filled with anger and remorse...
Overwhelmed by a mix of emotions, she was filled with hatred! She wanted nothing more than to tear the person behind it all apart and seek revenge, but she couldn't vent her anger because she didn't know who was behind it all.
Consort Cheng began to investigate secretly.
The Consort De's side was very quiet, a picture of peaceful tranquility. She spent every day with the Sixth Prince, taking meticulous care of him. Anyone who saw her would call her a "loving mother."
Youqing felt she had to do something. Since Consort De hadn't made a move, she probably had confidence in the black stone, which was why she hadn't done anything.
"Chengying, have someone return that pine and cypress bonsai to the Imperial Household Department. I don't like it, so please have the Imperial Household Department send over a few other ones."
"Yes, Master."
Just as the pine and cypress trees were returned to the Imperial Household Department, Chengying repeated Youqing's words. Then, the people from the Imperial Household Department said, "Don't worry, Miss Chengying, I will have someone send the new bonsai to Consort Shu tomorrow. It will definitely not delay Consort Shu's enjoyment of the scenery."
Youqing's actions were effective; Consort De immediately received the news, and as a result, Kangxi's secret guards caught her red-handed.
With the clues, the secret guards continued their investigation, and what they found shocked Kangxi. How come he had never discovered before that Consort De was actually a poisonous woman!
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