Before the three could finish speaking, Fourth Princess Yierha arrived, accompanied by Seventh Princess Uxihan and Jiujiu, inviting Fang He and the others back to the main hall for lunch.
Hearing the children’s laughter, the three turned to see the Fourth Princess holding Er Bao in her arms.
The fourteen-year-old princess struggled as she carried little Er Bao, just over one year old, her steps heavy and labored.
Xinnan and the Imperial Consort’s Wet Nurse flanked her anxiously, protecting her like a mother hen.
Er Bao, however, despite the obvious tendency to slip downward in the Fourth Princess’s embrace, still held his chubby little face high, arms folded with the poise of an emperor on a royal procession.
Consort Yi and Concubine Jing were both amused.
Consort Yi teased Fang He, “Putting everything else aside, our Fifteenth Brother’s demeanor surely takes after My Lord—quite the general’s bearing!”
Fang He smiled politely.
How could she admit that during their time with the children, she was simply teaching them safety postures to prevent falls, given their wild energy?
A mother naturally wouldn’t criticize her own child’s performance.
She pretended not to see Er Bao’s pleading eyes and unabashedly traded compliments with Consort Yi.
“Yin Tang’s intelligence also comes from My Lord. Not to exaggerate, but they both look like rising stars who will outshine their master!”
Men of the Aisin Gioro house, even at two years old, valued their image; though afraid, they would still try to act nonchalant.
‘They deserved to be shameless… cough, cough. Let Jiujiu eat her fill.’
Finally reaching the pavilion, Yierha quickly set down Er Bao and quietly rubbed her wrist, her expression somewhat dazed.
She had carried Jiugong and Shiyi Ge at their age too, and at that time she was younger and found it far less strenuous.
Fifteenth Brother was truly the son of the Imperial Noble Consort—every ounce of his weight was earned through strength and solid build, with not a hint of fat.
Er Bao, once on the ground, waddled like a little duck to Fang He and clung to her leg, burying his face against Mother’s calf and letting out a long sigh.
“Scared me to death!”
Fourth Sister had said she’d carried Jiu Ge and Shiyi Ge before.
He was still too young to understand the differences between people, and because of his trust, he had paid a price, almost crying with embarrassment.
If that had happened, Fourth Sister would have been upset, and his real sister would have mocked him; thinking of it made Er Bao feel sick inside… fortunately, no one noticed.
Er Bao didn’t know that his long sigh had caught everyone’s attention, but they held back laughter out of consideration, not wanting him to be frightened and then cry over lost dignity.
The three then led the ‘long-journeyed’ children back inside to dine with Empress Dowager, without delving deeply into the earlier matters.
Consort Yi was aware of some secrets between Fang He and Concubine Jing.
Though she didn’t understand how the Tong Family daughter and Fang He got along so well, as long as it benefited the larger situation, she kept quiet.
Since the Imperial Noble Consort hadn’t asked her to act, she took the conversation as idle chatter, munching on melon seeds as she exited Ruijing Pavilion, pretending to know nothing.
Fang He and Concubine Jing appreciated Consort Yi’s understanding—after all, she managed to safely raise three sons.
This was also why the two often thought of Consort Yi when facing difficulties: they weren’t afraid of strong opponents but worried about teammates acting overly clever.
However, the matters previously discussed were not something one could decide on the spot—how to inform Kangxi, and how much to reveal, especially given the evidence from the Tong Family that implicated several princes’ maternal families, including the Tongs.
It certainly couldn’t be presented as-is.
While Kangxi was attending court, Fang He often brought Jiujiu and Er Bao to Ruijing Pavilion to discuss details with Concubine Jing.
Having served the ruler before, Concubine Jing knew what the emperor valued most and what wouldn’t cause offense.
She organized the evidence and separated parts to give to Fang He.
“The Emperor might not mind the Crown Prince’s dealings with officials, since interacting with ministers is part of being a ruler. But there are three taboos.”
Concubine Jing laid out the evidence categorically before Fang He.
“First is military power. Ling Pu had manipulated military officers through ‘official debts’ and ‘capital loans’, embezzling military funds to place his men secretly within Jingjiao Daying and the Imperial Guards Headquarters.”
“Second is selling offices and titles. Ling Pu repeatedly did this through his control of officials.”
The silver acquired, aside from what he kept, mostly flowed to Yuqing Palace and the Hesheli Residence to buy loyalty.
“Third is factionalism. This is entirely different from merely interacting with ministers.”
Associating with ministers might be part of ruling, familiarizing with court affairs, but forming factions is a direct challenge to imperial authority, coveting the throne.
After all, by principle, all officials’ loyalty belongs only to the emperor.”
Concubine Jing looked at the frowning Fang He and said, “There is only one problem now—we need a reason to present this evidence before the Emperor. Claiming divine revelations from the ancestral temple won’t hold.”
“Leave it to me. I’m the best at talking nonsense.” Fang He nodded knowingly.
While she was outmatched in politics by Concubine Jing, she had ample experience dealing with powerful figures.
Concubine Jing sighed, “Fine.”
Actually, the reason was less important—big players cared about results.
Fang He only intended to make Kangxi understand one thing—
“Your Majesty, I really didn’t mean to!!!”
She rushed out of Ruijing Pavilion and hurried into Chunhui Hall’s East Warm Pavilion, her face pale, a mixture of unease, disbelief, and daze.
Kangxi was startled, standing and approaching to steady her.
The moment he touched Fang He, he felt her hands icy cold.
No wonder—before coming, Concubine Jing had carefully prepared several pieces of ice from the ice jar, wrapped them in cloth for Fang He to hold in both hands; by the time she entered, the ice had just melted, making the perfect evidence of a frightened state to show Kangxi.
Kangxi’s mind immediately raced through possible troubles Fang He might have caused, his temples throbbing painfully, but he kept calm and comforted her.
“Slow down and tell me.”
Fang He, eyes red-rimmed, looked up and tightly gripped Kangxi’s hand, her urgency and plea unmistakable.
“You must believe me—I, I don’t know. I really don’t know there are people in this world who hate the country so much they want it destroyed early…”
She glanced at the others in the hall and stopped mid-sentence.
Kangxi’s heart sank, but his expression remained calm as he squeezed Fang He’s cold hands and pulled her to sit beside him on the Luohan Couch.
“No rush. Have some warm tea and speak slowly. I’m here.”
After finishing the tea, Fang He’s initial unease gradually turned to hesitation and anger.
Hesitation on how to speak to Kangxi; anger at knowing the truth, especially since the tactic of ‘catch and release’ had been used against her thoroughly.
Kangxi shot a cold glance at Liang Jiugong, who immediately dismissed all palace staff.
He tapped her forehead lightly, “Enough. Stop playing the drama.”
Fang He puffed her cheeks in displeasure, glaring at Kangxi. “I was truly scared by what was uncovered. I just exaggerated because I feared eavesdropping.”
“You fear no eavesdroppers,” Kangxi snorted lightly, glancing at her.
“Yinreng is in the side hall. Tell me honestly, is this performance for Me, or for him?”
Fang He sighed inwardly; her own man being too clever was a headache.
She sat beside Kangxi, holding his arm and acting coquettish.
“My hair and everything belong to Your Majesty. How could it be for anyone else but you?”
Kangxi smiled and raised an eyebrow, “All just to scare Me?”
Fang He shook her head and said, “To prepare you mentally.”
She looked at Kangxi meaningfully and continued, “You’d better be ready for me to cause a scandal. But when the scandal breaks, it won’t be My Lord’s precious child causing it. Don’t you feel better now?”
Kangxi said nothing.
This was no tender heart but a sharp dagger.
Fang He had burst in making such a scene, and those who needed to notice had noticed.
He had grown accustomed to being stabbed by these blades.
As long as the mess wasn’t life-threatening, he could bear it.
He tapped the low table with his finger ring, silently urging her to continue.
Fang He laid the few pages she had copied neatly on the table, then obediently moved to the opposite side so Kangxi could read in peace.
Kangxi grabbed the papers and, upon reading the first lines mentioning ‘official debts’ and ‘capital loans’, his pupils shrank sharply.
After scanning more carefully, the anger inside him became uncontrollable.
He slammed his palm heavily on the table, startling Fang He’s heart.
This was already filtered evidence from Concubine Jing.
The Majiashi Residence, the Guoluoluo branch, Niu Guogong Mansion, the Tong family branch, and regular maternal families—all were involved in usurious loans, and some even in factionalism.
Just the people named on these few pages made Kangxi want to unleash a killing fury he could neither suppress nor wished to suppress.
Those who dared such deeds were bold beyond measure but far more cautious than those who casually lent money.
If exposed, an entire swath of officials would be executed, their families destroyed, perhaps even exterminated.
No one dared risk exposure.
The methods used by these officials and their contacts to verify loans were extremely complex and varied.
Even Tong Guowei only discovered his family’s suspicious activities by chance and, through branch relatives, got a rough idea without solid proof.
Therefore, Zhao Chang’s Shadow Guard and Kangxi’s secret imperial officers had no way of knowing, and Kangxi remained unaware.
He understood the dangers of such usury better than Fang He and Concubine Jing.
Leaving aside what corrupt officials intended, once corruption reached a replicable scale, it would be very difficult to eradicate.
If it continued, the common people would suffer, officials would collude, families would fall apart, and the country would edge toward ruin.
Ling Pu… deserved death!
Kangxi’s entire being exuded a chilling aura, lips pressed tight, face dark as he read on.
In Jingjiao Daying, from the second-rank vanguard commander to the ninth-rank squad leaders, many were compromised by debts.
In the Imperial Guards Headquarters, though fewer, from palace gate guards to patrols, it was the same.
Even two imperial bodyguards were implicated.
Jingjiao Daying guarded outside the capital, the Imperial Guards Headquarters protected the city and palace interior, and the imperial bodyguards were Kangxi’s last visible line of defense.
Though the evidence was based on financial transactions and inferred lists, the depths of corruption were clear… Was Ling Pu plotting rebellion?!
Kangxi’s anger surged.
With just these two loan categories implicating so many officials, Kangxi couldn’t focus on the selling of offices or factionalism—he only wanted to execute Ling Pu’s entire clan immediately.
Looking up, his Danfeng eyes still uncontrolled in their murderous intent made Fang He’s heart jump, her face paling.
Kangxi paused, pinched his nose, and closed his eyes to mask the dark rage.
“How was this discovered?”
Fang He obediently replied, “I feared trouble at the selection for talented women, so I asked my uncle to have those originally stationed outside the palace to find a husband for me to patrol the outer city undercover. They encountered a suspicious scholar.”
Kangxi’s eyes snapped open, “Qiao Cheng was choosing a husband for you?”
Fang He choked.
“That’s not the point!!”
“I had them track the scholar’s traces further, which led to Ling Pu. He was selling city entry passes—I thought that was strange. How could a deputy director of the Imperial Household Department have such power?”
Fang He rubbed her hands nervously, making a small gap between thumb and forefinger.
“I used a little trick to persuade Duke Tong’s family to be loyal to Your Majesty and investigate fully. That’s how we got this…”
Kangxi looked helplessly at her pale fingers, almost touching.
“Concubine Jing promised the Tong family benefits, so they cooperated, right?”
Her two uncles were loyal but, spoiled by years of imperial favor, their minds had drifted.
Recently, Ling Pu’s silence meant some clarity.
Kangxi knew both uncles were strictly profit-driven.
Without promises, they wouldn’t have handed over evidence.
Although the evidence didn’t name Tong family members directly, obtaining such proof without a traitor inside was impossible.
Fang He grinned, “My Lord is clever. Actually, we didn’t promise much—just offered Your Majesty’s son.”
Kangxi: “……??”