Chapter 104 (1/2): Chaos in the Palace, Victory on the Frontier

After the Qing army broke through the Junghar Camel City, the Junghar soldiers fled northward, but they still couldn’t withstand the Qing cavalry.  

In just a few short days, more than half of the Junghar troops were dead or wounded.

Kangxi ordered Fuquan to press the advantage and pursue, finally freeing up time to attend to the situation in Jingcheng.  

“Has Zhao Chang been back in the capital for more than ten days now?” Kangxi asked Liang Jiugong.  

Liang Jiugong knew the emperor was worried about Noble Consort Zhaoyuan’s health and had been counting the days.

He hurriedly smiled and replied, “If nothing unexpected happens, he should be back today.”  

No sooner had he finished speaking than Qi Sanfu reported from outside that Zhao Chang was requesting an audience.  

Kangxi smiled and greeted him.  

“Summon him!”  

Previously, Kangxi had secretly allowed Zhao Chang to return to the capital because he was uneasy about the Crown Prince.  

This was the first time he had entrusted the Crown Prince with the reins of government.

Unlike before, when the prince was only allowed to observe the Inner Cabinet’s affairs, this time he was given some actual authority to issue approvals.

Kangxi worried that the young prince might make mistakes.  

Naturally, he was also concerned about Fang He and her daughter, as well as the child in her womb.  

When he heard that Fang He was pregnant, Kangxi spent several nights tossing and turning, unable to sleep.  

He knew Fang He was clever, but he couldn’t help but worry.  

Now that the palace no longer had the Empress Dowager’s strict presence and the Empress Dowager herself was not capable of managing affairs, and with him away, the palace was full of schemers.

He feared Fang He might be taken advantage of.  

Hearing Zhao Chang’s footsteps outside the tent, Kangxi grew restless.

He stepped forward to greet him, not bothering with pleasantries but eager to find out exactly what was happening in Yanxi Palace.  

Something big?  

But just as he rounded the imperial desk and was about to speak, he was taken aback by the bulky package on Zhao Chang’s back.  

Zhao Chang was already a broad-shouldered man, yet the package was wider than his shoulders by three inches, like a large pot strapped to his back.  

Riding swiftly, Zhao Chang’s face was smeared with sweat and dust, and the package was clearly heavy.  

Kangxi was in a good mood after the victory and couldn’t help but tease Zhao Chang with a wry smile.  

“You’re moving the palace’s belongings here?”  

“Your Majesty… these are letters sent from all over Jingcheng addressed to you.” Zhao Chang glanced at Kangxi with a complicated expression.  

Kangxi: “…………”

He’d only been away from the palace for a little over three months.

How could there be so many letters to catch up on?

Even half a month’s worth of memorials wouldn’t add up to this many.  

“Find the letters from your noble lady first, let me see.” Kangxi sat back down at his desk, eyeing Zhao Chang.  

“Has something serious happened in the palace?”  

“Well… perhaps Your Majesty should read these letters first?” Zhao Chang’s face grew even more complicated.  

How to put it…

The noble consort had almost caused an uprising in the palace out of boredom, but everyone kept silent, pretending nothing had happened.  

Maybe it was because Zhao Chang was so dusty and exhausted, or perhaps Kangxi was heartened to see that Fang He, his little fox, had written him a thick letter—seeing Zhao Chang’s expression wasn’t too grim, Kangxi waved his hand.  

“Alright then, you go freshen up and have something to eat. Come back and report afterwards.”  

There was no rush; it was better to read the little fox’s letter first.  

Zhao Chang felt that a few words wouldn’t explain everything clearly.

He nodded briskly and went off to clean up.  

Kangxi unfolded the letter and immediately recognized that it wasn’t written in Fang He’s own hand; the handwriting clearly belonged to Gu Wenxing.  

He chuckled softly and focused on the letter.  

“Last night it rained, the drizzle signaling autumn’s arrival. The sky was gloomy—perfect weather to be lazy… I held Jiujiu and went to bed early, expecting a dreamless night, but instead, I dreamt of Your Majesty.”  

Kangxi’s cheeks flushed slightly, ‘That rascal… She was just casually pouring out her longing to Gu Wenxing? Not afraid of being laughed at?’  

But he didn’t notice the smile deepening at the corners of his lips.  

“At first, I didn’t know exactly where Your Majesty was, but eunuch Gu said you’re stationed between Shengjing and Northern Mongolia at a fortress. It’s probably snowing there now, which explains why I dreamed you were wearing thick clothes…”  

“I dreamt you personally hunted a dog, cooking it in a pot that released a savory, roasted aroma, adding a few spoons of sauce, stir-frying until fragrant. Then you poured in broth, tofu, cabbage, and vermicelli, simmering a hot pot, steaming and fragrant enough to make one’s nose hairs stand on end!”  

“Jiujiu and I danced with joy by your side, each holding a large wooden spoon, eagerly waiting to feast, but the moment the spoon touched the soup, I woke up burned. I cried with Jiujiu for a long time—she must miss Your Majesty.”  

Kangxi couldn’t help but laugh quietly.  

Waking up from a burn—Jiujiu probably wet the bed, right?  

Mother and daughter, one crying from craving, the other from shame.

If Jiujiu missed him, it was likely because he wasn’t there to bear the blame for her.  

Just as he was smiling, he turned the page and saw Fang He’s words, as if from the parasite growing inside his belly—  

“I am not crying because of craving!!! I just feel sorry for Your Majesty having to eat such a chaotic iron pot stew out there. It’s truly unfair, and my heart aches. I wish I could bear it all for you!”  

“Cui Wei and the others say I’ve lost weight and recited a few sour poems… but I’m eating well and drinking well. How could I lose weight? When you return, you might even complain I’m fat, so you have to eat more… If I lose too much weight, I won’t even let you enter!”  

The letter scattered many everyday details about the mother and daughter’s good food and drink.

Kangxi could tell from several pauses that Gu Wenxing was struggling to hold back laughter as well.  

His mood improved further.

That rascal never mentioned missing him outright, but she definitely did.  

That rascal was relying on the fact that the emperor was far away and no one could rein her in.

She dared to be lazy even in letters.

He would certainly ‘settle accounts’ with her later.  

At the very end, Kangxi finally saw Fang He’s handwriting with a casually written line—  

“Oh, after Your Majesty left, a few children and their mothers were a bit unruly. I gave them a good spanking for Your Majesty. They’re all well-behaved now. No need to thank me—just bring back two Baizi!”  

Kangxi chuckled and scanned the neatly sorted letters arranged by Liang Jiugong.

Thinking back on Zhao Chang’s subtle expressions earlier, he roughly understood what had happened.  

Just as he was about to call someone to bring them over, a report of battle news arrived outside, and Kangxi promptly pushed it to the back of his mind.  

If a spanking was enough to keep them in line, then it couldn’t have been a major incident.

There was no rush to look further.  

After reading the battle report, Kangxi summoned Tong Guogang and several generals to discuss how to manage relations between Mobei and Moxi.

By the time they finished, it was already time to light the lamps.  

Zhao Chang had rested for two hours and waited outside the emperor’s tent.  

Kangxi didn’t bother looking through those likely accusatory letters and asked Zhao Chang directly,  “Speak. What exactly happened?”  

Zhao Chang, having rested, had gathered his thoughts and carefully recounted everything Fang He had done inside the palace.  

Consort Hui had been publicly punished with ten strokes and fell ill upon returning to Changchun Palace, not leaving her chamber.

The palace affairs were temporarily managed by Concubine Jing.  

Kangxi: “….”

‘When did that rascal become so close to Concubine Jing?’ 

“A few outer court noble ladies who were dissatisfied also received beatings. Rumor has it they caused a scene in their residences, threatening to hang themselves. The noble consort reprimanded them for being unfilial to their descendants and then ordered an additional twenty strokes each.”  

Liang Jiugong almost choked on his saliva, ‘That noble lady was ruthless!’  

Zhao Chang hesitated, then bit his lip and reported, “Your Majesty, forgive me, but Li Dequan, using the Dragon Pattern Jade Pendant to command the Shadow Guards, had them bind the Crown Prince… and the Crown Prince also received twenty strokes.”  

Master and servant were stunned.

The Crown Prince too?  

Kangxi glanced down at the letter.

So this unruly child was the Crown Prince?  

A sharp glint flickered in his eyes.  

He knew his raised children’s nature clearly.

The Crown Prince himself would never have done such a thing.

He must have been incited by that scoundrel Suo’etu.  

Kangxi asked coldly, “How is the Crown Prince now? Are the officials in Jingcheng still behaving?”  

Zhao Chang quickly answered, “Your Majesty, before I left the capital, things were quite peaceful. The Crown Prince is under Lord Wang Yan’s care at Yuqing Palace, studying.”  

Although Zhao Chang tried to be tactful, Kangxi could hear the meaning clearly: with the tiger gone, the fox was in charge.

The Crown Prince had completely become a plaything.  

Though angry, Kangxi nodded inwardly, ‘With Gu Wenxing by her side, the little fox was growing fast and knew how to leverage her position.’  

Su’moer intervened because the Crown Prince’s attack on the heir struck Kangxi’s bottom line.  

If brothers fought, or if the legitimate son harmed his stepmother, such a scandal could not be buried.

It would worsen the father-son relationship and damage the realm’s impression of the Crown Prince.  

So Su’moer supported Fang He, letting her cause a scene, framing it as childish misbehavior.

A spanking that shook Jingcheng would leave no hidden troubles.  

As for the imperial consorts, Fang He, as Noble Consort with the ‘Yuan’ character in her title, held palace power and thus had the right to punish.  

Such a harsh lesson meant that from now on, any decent person would dare not act rashly.  

Most impressive was that Fang He had the foresight to invite the outer court noble ladies into the palace—a double-edged sword.  

The downside was that it stirred up a huge commotion in Jingcheng, potentially arousing some officials’ dissatisfaction and leading to accusations against Fang He later.  

But Kangxi wasn’t in the capital.

With the Crown Prince admitting fault, no one could touch Fang He, and it only bolstered her authority.  

The upside was that since outsiders knew, even if the imperial consorts and officials sided with the Crown Prince, they couldn’t silence everyone.  

An attempt to harm the heir was a serious or minor matter—it made the Crown Prince and officials wary.

No one dared to push Fang He to the brink, lest she use these voices to bring down the Crown Prince’s pedestal.  

Even if Kangxi didn’t depose the Crown Prince, the nobles and officials who opposed Hesheri would seize the opportunity.  

Kangxi heard the subtle implications and pondered the last three words.  

“What kind of ‘studying’?”  

Zhao Chang had to beat around the bush.  

“…The noble consort instructed the Crown Prince to write ten heartfelt reflections about the incident in the Imperial Garden, reasoning carefully…”  

Kangxi had never heard of “reflection papers,” but remained silent.

These sounded suspiciously like self-criticism memorials.  

He waved Zhao Chang away and asked Liang Jiugong to fetch the thick stack of letters.  

Liang Jiugong was somewhat worried about his godson Li Dequan.

That boy wasn’t very clever but was utterly loyal to him, treating him like a father.  

With Noble Consort Zhaoyuan causing such a scandal, the emperor might not punish the noble consort herself—no, he certainly wouldn’t—but Li Dequan might not survive.  

He watched the letters nervously and cautiously probed.  

“Your Majesty, Li Dequan must be itching to act. I will make sure to give him a proper thrashing and send him to the Punishment Bureau to teach him a lesson!”  

Kangxi gave him a half-smile, “Stop trying to outsmart me. If he didn’t listen to the noble consort, I’d have already beheaded him. This time, he’s shown a bit of insight.”  

Liang Jiugong was momentarily stunned but instinctively said, “How do you mean? After all, he ordered the Shadow Guards to act against the Crown Prince…”  

Remember, the heir’s position was second only to the emperor.

No one but the emperor could touch the heir; otherwise, it was treason.  

If that weren’t the case, the position of Crown Prince wouldn’t have been so coveted throughout history.  

Kangxi disagreed.