The thirty-sixth year of Kangxi, autumn.
The consorts were sent to recuperate at the Hot Springs Palace, but as they continued their “recuperation,” they ended up in Wu Long Pavilion—and then suddenly died of unnatural causes.
Not just one, but more than a dozen.
In the end, it was impossible to keep the news from the well-informed ministers in Court.
The families of the capital were all intricately connected.
Households with daughters serving as imperial consorts inevitably had loose-tongued members, letting traces of the truth slip out.
Everyone once again felt… truly, what bad luck!
This was beyond bizarre, something that had never occurred in any dynasty.
Even when Wanguifei held sway, consorts could still survive in the cracks and give birth to imperial heirs.
But then again, as the saying goes, the more you see ghosts, the more you get used to it.
Strictly speaking, this matter was an offense of deceiving the Emperor.
If anyone who had faked their death to leave the palace were exposed, the Emperor would surely punish them, and at the very least, two families would be executed.
If it had just been a single incident, even the most careless would never dare speak a word.
But now, the Imperial Noble Consort herself had the power to present memorials to the central palace, and the Emperor had personally approved all the consorts going to recuperate at the Hot Springs Palace.
Could he really not know about so many consorts being sent to Wu Long Pavilion?
One might argue the Emperor had been on a campaign and truly didn’t know.
Heh… If His Majesty was really that easy to fool, how did he catch the corruption case on the Yongding River, the sale of official posts in Shanxi and Henan, and even the secret trade of salt certificates in Jiangnan?
Each case, he uncovered without fail.
It was just that some ancestor of a certain lady was too capable, and His Majesty willingly let his heart be clouded, allowing her to clear out the harem so she could have him all to herself.
If this had happened back when Fang He first gained favor, let alone a dozen consorts dying suddenly, even one being discovered would have sent the Yushi racing to accuse her, sending Fang He to her death.
But now, her position was even more secure than that of the Crown Prince.
Whether in the palace or among the commoners, no one could diminish her radiance anymore… including His Majesty.
Everyone in the know felt both sorrowful and mocking, but in the end could only play deaf and blind, pretending to know nothing.
What else could they do?
Aside from a few old-fashioned noble ladies who disdained the Imperial Noble Consort’s ways, most households—well, their patriarchs would impeach the Imperial Noble Consort one moment, and the next, the Princess of Chengyuan would invite their families to admire flowers together.
In the end, everyone knew deep down—any unrest in their households wasn’t His Majesty’s doing.
Though they stayed silent, these lords and ministers who had climbed to Court via the traditional scholar-official path always harbored secret complaints about the harem being dominated by one woman to this extent—a true femme fatale.
No one dared speak openly, but in private, many called Fang He a witch, even questioning whether the Emperor had gone mad.
Some, after drinking, would wax eloquent in private manors, declaring, “If the Emperor continues this farce, how could the Great Qing’s legacy last forever?”
As luck would have it, Prince Gong Changning and Prince Jian Yabu overheard these very words.
After investigating, both men broke out in a cold sweat.
These ministers formed cliques, privately calling the Imperial Noble Consort a femme fatale, insisting she’d be the next Wu Zetian.
Some even plotted to imitate Shangguan Yi of the Tang dynasty, urging the imperial clan to jointly advise the Emperor to depose the Imperial Noble Consort and restore the old system of shared imperial favor.
In fact, this had been brewing for three or four years and had become quite a movement.
The two princes could only exclaim—these people must truly be tired of their heads being securely attached to their necks!
They dared not keep it secret and immediately sent word to the palace.
Kangxi ordered Zhao Chang to investigate, and soon enough, everything about these people was brought to light—not unexpected at all.
Most of them had once been close to Suo’etu and were considered part of the Crown Prince’s faction.
Whether the Crown Prince Yinreng himself knew was another matter, but they’d all done some shady things for Suo’etu.
Zhao Chang reported to Kangxi: “This servant has already reported to the Emperor. However, none of these people were involved in treason or corruption. Most had marital ties with the Hesheri clan or dealings with Ling Pu, and had accepted gifts from Ling Pu.”
He paused, glancing toward Zhaoren Hall, then continued, “In the selection of court ladies in the thirty-first and thirty-fourth years, the daughters from these families mostly failed to pass, some not even making it through the second round. That’s how they were persuaded to join…”
Just now, on his way over, he heard laughter coming from the main hall of Chunhui Hall.
Previously, the Emperor used to review memorials in the main hall, but now he no longer handled state affairs there, always moving to the Imperial Study.
Even in the palace, he stayed only at Hongde Hall and Nanshufang, leaving Zhaoren Hall to the Imperial Noble Consort as if it were her own domain.
With such favor, it’s no wonder these ministers harbored resentment.
Their interests had been cut off by Fang He, their chosen heir had his prospects ended by her, and their daughters would likely never again have the chance to enter the palace and bring fortune to their families… all paths upward were almost completely severed.
For those who relied on marriage ties to shield their clans, as long as Fang He remained, they would never have their day in the sun.
Kangxi looked at the confidential memorial Zhao Chang had presented, clearly listing that these families were all old Eight Banners houses favored by ancestors.
He couldn’t help but laugh in anger and said, “They don’t seem to excel at their duties. I once thought it was a matter of dullness, but now it appears they simply never put their hearts to proper work.”
He nonchalantly instructed Liang Jiugong, “Have Li Dequan run an errand and deliver My order: Since they are so easily shocked and amazed, it’d be better for them to get out more instead of being frogs at the bottom of a well.”
Liang Jiugong was stunned for a moment before quickly understanding, bowing in response.
The Master’s intention was to send these people out to remote corners of the empire; unless they achieved significant merit or ability, they’d never return to the capital.
Li Dequan took the memorial from Zhao Chang and went from household to household to deliver the Emperor’s message, witnessing many officials overcome with regret, even kneeling and weeping bitterly.
Some were even beaten with canes by their elderly grandmothers and old lords at home—a lively scene.
He clicked his tongue inwardly—if they’d known it would come to this, why act that way in the first place?
All of them had watched the Imperial Noble Consort rise step by step; none had thought the Emperor mad, but these people just had to meddle.
Refusing to be good capital officials—serves them right!
Just at the start of autumn, before Imperial Consort An and Consort Jing “died suddenly,” the mistress had specially gone to Wu Long Pavilion to see them off.
Upon returning, the Nine Princess and Tenth Princess clung to her, whining to be taken out of the palace to play.
It all began because Fang He could leave the palace whenever she wished, while their Father acted like he saw nothing.
They wanted to go with their soon-to-be independent eldest brother to see his new residence, but their Father refused.
Jiujiu was almost ready to roll on the floor of Chunhui Hall.
“I want to go out and play too! The Imperial Matron wants to go out and play! Why can only Mother leave the palace, but we have to stay inside? Wuwu~”
“I know Father is biased, but he can’t be this biased. Er Bao and the others were picked up off the street, but aren’t Minbao and I also Mother’s darlings?”
The three treasures: “…”
Fine, as long as we get to go out, it’s fine to be “picked up.”
‘We won’t complain.’
Minbao also nodded pitifully, tugging at Fang He’s pinky, “Mother, go play~”
With Jiujiu and Minbao pleading, and seeing the Empress Dowager herself wanted to get out and about, Fang He waved her little hand and agreed enthusiastically.
“Play! Let’s go!”
Of course, the Empress Dowager and the children didn’t know how much physical effort Fang He had to put in for this enthusiasm.
In the end, Kangxi soon arranged for the elders and children to go on an outing incognito.
The northern war with Beimeng had just ended, and the tribes there were now resting and recuperating.
There was no longer a need to intimidate and win them over with the Mulan autumn hunt, so Kangxi took everyone south for a tour of the Yongding River.
Unlike the grand “Southern Inspection Tour,” on this trip Kangxi and Fang He traveled like an ordinary couple, taking Mother and the children to enjoy the mountains and waters, unnoticed by anyone.
But though others didn’t know, Liang Jiugong, Li Dequan, and Zhao Chang all understood just how much the Emperor did to let the Empress Dowager, the Imperial Noble Consort, and the little ones have fun.
Every stop along the route was inspected several times in advance by the Luan Yi Guard and the Shadow Guard.
While the Empress Dowager and Fang He could play freely with the children, Kangxi could not take it so easy, squeezing in time to inspect various places and reviewing memorials late into the night.
The cases of official posts being sold in Shanxi and Henan were discovered by Kangxi himself during this undercover inspection, where he even suffered a minor injury—though the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Noble Consort were kept in the dark.
As it was, after half a month back, the Master’s back had just healed, and he immediately dove into Chunhui Hall’s east warm chamber.
The ministers in the cabinet knew exactly when Kangxi wasn’t in the gardens.
After all, even though he attended court every three days at Changchun Garden, they’d been gone over twenty days.
Even if the Empress Dowager and Imperial Noble Consort claimed illness, using the little ones as pretense to leave the palace together, everyone in the cabinet knew whether they had actually left the gardens.
The well-informed among them would never dare gossip about the Imperial Noble Consort again.
Only those who couldn’t see reality, still living in past glories, dared to risk their lives like this.
When Li Dequan returned to the palace to report, he happened to see Fang He leading Jiujiu toward Shouxuan Chun Yong Hall, immediately suppressing his inner complaints and greeting them with a flattering smile.
“Greetings to the Mistress, greetings to the Nine Princess. Where are you headed? Shall I summon a sedan for you?”
Fang He glanced at him, half smiling she said, “I wouldn’t dare trouble you, Li Anda. You and Chief Steward Liang are so loyal. Even if I just go watch a street performance, you report every detail to His Majesty, yet you keep palace secrets so tight.”
Li Dequan’s smile stiffened.
Anyone who served before the Emperor had to be clever, and naturally heard the sarcasm in Fang He’s words.
But was she really just going to watch a performance?
She had stared straight at the strongman’s chest when he broke stones, even pulling the Empress Dowager over to discuss whether having such a broad chest was related to being able to smash stones.
How could he not report that?
If the Emperor heard about it from the Shadow Guard instead, would his own backside be safe?
As for keeping secrets… probably because they failed to hide the Emperor’s injury.