mtl008 Chapter 162: The prince died young and was accused of killing people (revised)
Chapter 162: The prince died young and was accused of killing people (revised)
At the same time, in Changchun Palace, Concubine Ping was scolding Concubine Xian for being unlucky in the Buddhist temple with the palace maids.
"It's all the fault of that little bitch Concubine Xian. Otherwise, how could my third brother be exiled to the frontier? Now he's even sick. If anything happens, I will tear her into pieces."
Concubine Ping held the Buddha bean in her hand and said extremely vicious words.
Xinlian had been serving her master since she was a child. She had received many gifts from the Third Young Master in the mansion. When she heard the news, she became anxious and worried. When she heard her master mention Concubine Xian, she thought of something and started to curse viciously.
"It must be Concubine Xian. People say she has a tough fate. She was born to bring bad luck to her mother. She also conflicts with the feng shui of our Changchun Palace. Ever since the Empress met her, everything has been unlucky for the Third Young Master, the Empress, and the Little Prince. It's all because of her!"
When Concubine Ping heard this, the scenes after she met Shi Nanxi emerged in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Before she met Shi Nanxi, she had been smooth sailing. It was just that the little prince was in poor health when he was born, and she was also loved by the emperor.
But since she met Shi Nanxi, she, a concubine, was confined in a small Buddhist temple every day. She had not left Changchun Palace for almost two months. Now who in the palace still remembered Concubine Ping? All this was Shi Nanxi's fault.
Watching the abuse between the master and servant, a pretty palace maid in the corner curled up the corners of her mouth subtly.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor is here." A young eunuch suddenly came in hurriedly to report.
"What, the emperor is here?"
Concubine Ping was cursing with a ferocious look on her face one second ago, and then she reacted and was ecstatic the next second.
The thought of Empress Xian was immediately thrown to the back of her mind. She hurriedly stroked her hair and then looked down at her clothes.
"Xinlian, look quickly, is my hair messy? Isn't this blue butterfly-shaped double-breasted cheongsam too plain? It makes me look old-fashioned. I remember the emperor once said that I look more charming in pink. No, I have to go to the bedroom first to change clothes before the emperor's visit!"
As she said this, she asked Xinlian to help her up with a cheerful look on her face, still urging:
"Hurry up, hurry up, we can't keep the emperor waiting for too long."
Although Xinlian felt that something was wrong, she couldn't remember what it was and hurried to help her master.
However, seeing this scene, the eunuch kneeling on the ground was dumbfounded. Did the queen misunderstand something? The emperor went directly to the side hall to visit the little prince. No...
Seeing that the master and servant were about to leave the Buddhist hall, in order to avoid the empress's anger later, the young eunuch gritted his teeth, suppressed his fear and reported to the emperor, going to the side hall of Changchun Palace.
The joyful atmosphere suddenly died down, and Concubine Ping's face, which was full of surprise and shyness, instantly turned blue and red, as if the seasoning had been spilled.
No one spoke in the Buddhist hall for a long time, and finally Xinlian gritted her teeth and broke the silence.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor is concerned about the young prince. As his mother, you are naturally concerned about him too. Now is the time to visit the young prince. Shall we go and see him?"
Concubine Ping's expression changed again and again, and finally she calmed down and went towards the main hall. As for the matter of changing clothes, it naturally came to nothing.
He just left a message and ordered the eunuch who delivered the message to be beaten with thirty sticks. The eunuch collapsed to the ground instantly.
Side Hall——
Kangxi saw Yinzhen (ji) lying on the bed, who was obviously more than three months old but looked only more than one month old.
He was a small ball, skinny as a bag of bones, with a faint bruise on his face, and he didn't move a muscle. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest proving that he was still alive, he would have thought he was dead.
Seeing this, he clenched his hands behind his back and asked in a deep voice:
"How is the little brother?"
Beside the bed, Old Liu looked solemn:
"Your Majesty, the little prince has been unable to eat for the past two days. He fainted once this morning, and I saved him with acupuncture. However, given his physical condition, he may faint again at any time. I'm not sure what will happen next time... Your Majesty, please make preparations early!"
"What do you mean by making preparations in advance? What nonsense are you talking about? If you dare to curse the little prince, I will kill you!"
Concubine Ping was already in a bad mood because of the misunderstanding that had just occurred. When she heard what Old Liu said as soon as she entered the room, she immediately exploded.
Of course she knew that the little prince was doomed to die, but she hadn't regained her favor yet, and hadn't conceived another little prince yet. How could the little prince die at this time!
Faced with Concubine Ping's rage, Old Liu did not defend himself or beg for mercy, but simply knelt down. He had tried every possible means and could only allow the little prince to live for two more months. The rest, he was really powerless.
Seeing this scene, Concubine Ping became even angrier, and her emotions exploded in an instant like a lit firecracker.
"You quack, you thought I would let you go if you didn't say anything. The emperor invited you here to treat the little prince, but you didn't put your heart into it. Instead, you went to curry favor with Concubine Xian. Now the little prince is like this and it's all your fault. I will not only bury you with me, but also your entire family. And that bitch must have deliberately delayed the little prince's treatment. Maybe you two are colluding with each other..."
"Shut up."
Kangxi was already in a very bad mood after hearing the bad news about Yinzhen, and when he saw Concubine Ping's hideous and distorted face, he was so angry that veins appeared on his forehead and he suddenly spoke out.
In an instant, there were people kneeling on the floor in the room. Concubine Ping was also startled. Her head was buzzing and she woke up. Then she remembered that the emperor was here and she dared not say anything.
After looking at Concubine Ping and then at Yinzhen who was breathing weakly on the bed, Kangxi tightened and loosened his hands behind his back. Finally, he looked at Concubine Ping deeply and said in a deep voice:
"Ping Fei, the imperial physician has already given a conclusion about Yinzhen's physical condition. I invited Elder Liu from the public as a last-ditch effort. He has been doing his best for Yinzhen during this period, and I have seen it all. Even if Yinzhen really gets into trouble, I will not blame him, and you are not allowed to deal with him. And Concubine Xian..."
When Kangxi thought of the little girl who had persuaded him to come and see the young prince, his tone became even more severe, with a hint of warning in his eyes.
"She has nothing to do with this. It was her who persuaded me to come here. How could it be harmful to the little prince? Don't make random accusations. Considering that you care too much about Yinzhen, I will forgive you this time, but it will not happen again."
He was monitoring the entire process of Old Liu treating Yinzhen (ji). How could he not know whether he was doing his best or not, and whether he was colluding with others? The little girl had no reason to harm the little prince, and she would not do so.
Concubine Ping didn't expect that the emperor would choose to protect the mediocre doctor at this time, and even accused her of trying to get close to Concubine Xian.
Her eyes instantly turned red. The man who had bowed his head and bowed to her when they first met was now on an equal footing with her and was even more favored. She had only mentioned it, and the emperor had protected her without knowing the truth. He even defended the man who had warned her.
Jealousy, resentment, and unwillingness were like poisonous snakes, gnawing at Concubine Ping's heart in an instant, making her face a little distorted. At this moment, she believed Shi Nanxi's words even more.
When he spoke again, his voice suddenly became sharper:
"Your Majesty, I am not talking nonsense, it's just..."
"Oh no, the little brother is not breathing."
Doctor Xiao was the doctor who was in charge of the young prince before. He did not leave when Elder Liu came, but took care of the young prince together with Elder Liu. When Concubine Ping asked her to answer for the question, he also knelt down, but he knelt beside the bed.
When he looked up just now, he noticed that the little prince's chest was no longer rising and falling. He was so frightened that his heart stopped beating for a moment. He thought he had seen it wrong. He looked carefully again and found that the little prince really had stopped breathing. Then he exclaimed in surprise.
Kangxi turned his head abruptly upon hearing this, no longer paying attention to Concubine Ping, and immediately ordered someone to rescue him: "Quick, quick, save the little prince!"
Elder Liu and Imperial Physician Xiao quickly took turns feeling the little prince's pulse and lifting his eyelids, and finally they both knelt down at the same time.
"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. The little prince...died young!"
Shi Nanxi's Chuxiu Palace was not far from Changchun Palace. When she first received the news of Yinzhen's death, she immediately had the bright decorations in the palace replaced with plain ones. She also changed into a plain Manchu dress and removed all the jewelry on her head, leaving only a few inconspicuous pearl hairpins.
"Madam Yang, please take the Buddhist scriptures that I copied these days. There will be a battle to be fought soon."
Nanny Yang looked serious. She immediately went to the study and put several Buddhist scriptures into the box. She checked them carefully before putting them in, making sure there were no problems before putting them in the box. Finally, she held the box in the palm of her hand.
When she came out, Shi Nanxi also came out with Hongying. Xiao Ruzi stood outside the door. This time, he was still asked to look after the house. Kangxi was present in Changchun Palace. Xiao Ruzi was a secret guard, so there were some things he couldn't say later for fear of arousing Kangxi's suspicion.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ruzi said without hesitation: "Please rest assured, your Majesty, I will definitely protect Chuxiu Palace."
Zhou Rong, who came nearby, followed Shi Nanxi this time.
After receiving the news, other concubines also rushed to Changchun Palace one after another. By the time Shi Nanxi arrived, some people had already arrived.
As soon as she stepped into the side hall, she heard a heart-wrenching cry. She paused, walked around the outer room and entered the inner room, where she saw Concubine Ping lying on the bed.
Kangxi stood beside the bed, seemingly calm, but his hands behind his back were clenched with veins bulging, and it was obvious that he was not at peace inside.
She pursed her lips and bowed silently to Kangxi, not taking the opportunity to step forward to comfort him.
The other person's son is dead, so everything she says seems empty. But at this moment, a man seemed to come in a hurry and didn't notice her, and bumped into her.
"My queen, please be careful." Hongying said anxiously.
"Ah, Empress Xian, I am guilty of misbehavior. Please forgive me."
Upon hearing Shi Nanxi's title, Concubine Ping, who was crying on the bed, turned her head suddenly. As soon as Shi Nanxi stood firm, she felt as if she was stared at by a poisonous snake. She followed her line of sight and met Concubine Ping's malicious red eyes.
"Bitch, you are the one who killed the little prince!"