Bonus chapter 2/2 sponsored by vinguyen00! Thanks for your donation, and apologies for the delay.
Translator: Jalyss
Editor: Odyssey
Chapter 56
When Consort Hui arrived in a hurry, Cining Palace was already in a storm.
Yun Xiu followed closely behind Consort Hui, with a hint of worry on her face. After greeting the great empress dowager, she held her breath and slowly scanned the hall. She saw Noble Lady Liang kneeling on the floor as she trembled and cried silently.
Without waiting for the great empress dowager to ask, Aunt Sumala stepped forward and whispered a few words to her. After listening, the great empress dowager nodded happily to Yun Xiu and sighed. “It should be like this, it should be like this. Please sit.”
Just now in Yikun Palace, Aunt Sumala mentioned that ‘the eighth prince is missing.’ Yun Xiu frowned, got ahead of Consort Hui, and immediately ordered Zhang Youde, the manager of Yikun Palace who was waiting outside the curtain: “Quickly gather people to find the eighth prince. Search Yanxi Palace, the Imperial Garden, and various palaces. Have the various palace guards carefully search around, making sure not to miss rockeries, ponds, and secret doors that are not often visited.”
After Zhang Youde accepted the order, she looked at Aunt Sumala and sighed softly. “Suma, Zhang Youde does errands for me all the time. With him in charge, it will be much easier for him to find people. The eighth prince is such a young child. He is almost the same age as Yintang…”
She paused and said, “We can’t bear this, so We should do Our best.”
Seeing Aunt Sumala thanking her solemnly, Consort Hui expressed her sorrow, and her face turned livid in anxiety.
This was Yikun Palace, not Yanxi Palace. She only brought Ying’er and three second-class servants with her. How could she send someone to find Yinsi?
Consort Yi suddenly made such a move. Not only did she gain a good reputation, but it also made Consort Hui seem uninterested. Consort Hui was so angry that she almost lost her self-control.
She forced a smile, turned her head, and said urgently, “Ying’er, go back to Yanxi Palace quickly and send all the people out. If you can’t find the eighth prince, don’t come back!”
One couldn’t blame Consort Hui for being anxious.
It didn’t matter why the eighth prince disappeared today. Because she was his adoptive mother, she could not escape neglecting her duty. Even if the eighth prince was staying with Noble Lady Liang today, she could not shirk that responsibility.
Who didn’t know the rules of Yanxi Palace? The eighth prince’s daily life was all under Consort Hui’s control. Noble Lady Liang could not interfere.
In this harem, the young prince’s elder brother had nannies to look after him, and someone was guarding him even when he slept. It should not be possible for him to disappear. Under such heavy protection, the eighth prince actually disappeared. As such a ridiculous thing happened, if the revered elder did not hold her accountable, who would she hold accountable?!
When Consort Hui held the one month ceremony for the fifth princess, the emperor praised her for her motherly heart, and now this happened. If the emperor learned of this…
Consort Hui had a bad premonition and her heart felt cold.
She intuitively felt that the great empress dowager would not look upon her well. When she entered Cining Palace, the great empress dowager let Consort Yi sit, then glanced at her and asked lightly, “How are you a mother?”
Consort Hui knelt on the ground and did not defend herself. Her voice was hard and authentic: “Revered Elder, this concubine has been negligent.”
“It should be your responsibility!” The great empress dowager slapped the table and said angrily, “It is a matter of poor supervision. There were a few unscrupulous servants around Yinsi. It is precisely because they were lazy and neglected their duties that the prince actually got lost in Yanxi Palace…”
Hearing this, Consort Hui raised her head in shock, unscrupulous servants?
“Revered Elder, this concubine entrusted Yinsi to Noble Lady Liang this morning. This concubine wanted to reunite the mother and son. After that, this concubine went to Yikun Palace and talked with younger sister Consort Yi.” She calmed down and stared at Noble Lady Liang beside her who was weeping silently. A cold light flashed in her eyes. She then leaned down and said, “How can this concubine arrange any unscrupulous servants? This concubine asks Revered Elder to pass judgment! ”
The great empress dowager pinched her eyebrows and waved her hand. “Noble Lady Liang, speak.”
Noble Lady Liang choked up and responded, wiping her red almond-shaped eyes, and said with difficulty, “Consort Hui has nothing to do with Yinsi’s disappearance. Today, Consort Hui kindly allowed this mother and son to be reunited.. Originally, everything was fine, but then… But then…”
She cried silently, as if she was about to faint from grief. “The Imperial Household Department happened to send someone to deliver winter clothing as per the monthly schedule for noble ladies. After getting the news, this concubine went to the front hall, not forgetting to instruct the servants to take good care of Yinsi… Unexpectedly, they didn’t take it to heart at all, but went to the verandah to bask in the sun and chat. After receiving the clothing, this concubine returned to the side hall to see that Yinsi had long since disappeared!”
A beautiful woman crying always aroused pity, not to mention that the words she said made people extremely angry. This once again ignited the anger of the great empress dowager, an anger that had been extinguished before.
The great empress dowager did not like Noble Lady Liang’s background, nor did she like her delicate and beautiful appearance. When she saw her, she always recalled Mrs. Dong’e, who fascinated the late emperor.
But she was the biological mother of the eighth prince, and had long since lost the emperor’s favour… For the sake of the eighth prince, the great empress dowager calmly suppressed her prejudice against her.
Over the years, Noble Lady Liang had lived in seclusion and had no intention of competing for favour. The great empress dowager and empress dowager had seen this, and their displeasure had gradually faded away.
At the moment, seeing Noble Lady Liang like this, the great empress dowager held back her anger and felt a little pity. “This must be distressing for you! Suma, give Noble Lady Liang a seat.”
After saying that, the great empress dowager pointed at the pale-faced Consort Hui and asked her with a sneer, “What else could the nanny next to Yinsi be if not an unscrupulous servant?!”
Consort Hui’s lips trembled. She could no longer maintain her calmness and dignity.
Those nannies were all carefully selected and assigned by her to take care of Yinsi. How could she explain this? Even if she jumped into the Yellow River, she wouldn’t be able to wash herself clean.
Yun Xiu covered her mouth with a handkerchief, hiding the smile on her lips.
The great empress dowager closed her eyes and said in a deep voice, “We sent people to inform the emperor early and also sent people to search for the eighth prince. We only hope that God will bless Little Eight and he will be safe and sound.”
Consort Hui’s eyes darkened. It was over. The emperor knew of this matter.
“As for those unruly servants…”
Before she finished speaking, the four nannies who were serving the eighth prince were brought in with their hands tied up. Everyone was terrified and kept begging for mercy.
When they saw Consort Hui, they felt as if thought they had seen their saviour. They shouted with tears streaming down their face, “Consort Hui, please save this servant. This servant knows this servant is wrong. This servant knows this servant is wrong!”
Did these pathetic servants think they hadn’t caused enough harm already?!
Consort Hui wished she could kill them!
She took a deep breath. With a look of cruelty in her eyes, and said sternly, “You still have the nerve to beg Us for mercy! When did We tell you to neglect the eighth prince? Who gave you the courage to do so?!”
“Consort, please save this servant…” One of them was completely frightened and muttered in a confused voice, “If it weren’t for your words, ‘all of you can relax as much as you want,’ this servant would have not dared to relax… Please save this servant!”
The nannies who serve the prince had always been clean-skinned. They were selected from outside the palace by the Imperial Household Department and were not considered Consort Hui’s confidants.
They may be loyal, but compared to their lives, how much was loyalty worth?
Before Consort Hui had time to stop them, they talked like they were pouring beans through a bamboo tube.
‘Yinsi has Noble Lady Liang to take care of him, so you can relax’ was what Consort Hui said to the nanny to show her kindness. She didn’t mean anything else.
In the past, this was a grace to show sympathy for the servants, but in this situation…
This was evidence of her dereliction of duty and poor supervision.
When she saw Noble Lady Liang’s expression of disbelief, it became clear that that one sentence emerged in everyone’s mind: Could it be that Consort Hui knew about the eighth prince’s disappearance?
Consort Hui opened her mouth. Her face turned ferocious with anger. When she was about to explain, Kangxi’s cold voice echoed through the hall: “If you continue to make noise, We will cut out your tongue.”
As soon as the crying and shouting stopped, the great empress dowager stood up on crutches and looked at the palace door. “Emperor, you are here…”
For a moment, astonishment flashed in her old eyes. Which was then replaced by surprise. “Baocheng? Little Eight?”
The young man holding the eighth prince firmly and standing on the right side of the emperor was the crown prince. Behind him were He Zhu’er and the panting Zhang Youde.
—The missing eighth prince had been found!
The trembling palace people all breathed a sigh of relief, and the stagnant atmosphere finally dissipated. Just like the twists and turns of the road, Noble Lady Liang was so happy that her eyes were blurred with tears. “Yinsi!”
The eighth prince’s eyes lit up and he called ‘mother’ in a sweet voice. His expression was lively and he didn’t appear to be frightened.
Kangxi had not seen Noble Lady Liang for a long time.
Hearing this, his eyebrows narrowed. He followed the sound, then looked away slightly. In the next moment, he accidentally met Yun Xiu’s eyes.
Yun Xiu watched the excitement for a long time and was in a good mood. Seeing this, she smiled at him.
Kangxi: “…”
Somehow, the emperor quickly concealed the slightest guilt, coughed, and looked away. “Imperial grandmother, We have found Little Eight. Please relax. Yinsi was not frightened, nor was he injured. He ran a little further and Baocheng found him.”
The crown prince nodded, put Yinsi on the ground, then took his little hand. He said with some fear: “Revered Elder, eighth younger brother was wandering around Yuqing Palace for some reason. He thought he was lost and there was no-one around him…”
“Thank goodness.” The great empress dowager exhaled completely and said ‘how fortunate’ three times in a row. She looked at the crown prince full of love and said, “Okay, okay. Fortunately, Baocheng was here.”
Having said that, the great empress dowager glanced at Consort Hui, who was kneeling, and then at the frightened nannies with pale faces. She said in a deep voice, “Emperor, what do you think we should do with them?”
Consort Hui was left ignored for the moment.
Consort Hui’s heart felt as cold as if she were in the coldest month of winter, but she didn’t dare to have the slightest objection.
Kangxi glanced at Consort Hui, twirled his finger, and turned a deaf ear to the renewed cries and pleas for mercy. He said slowly, “We think it’s time to ask for little eight’s opinion.”
The eighth prince was only two years old. What would he say?
The people present were thinking this way. After a while, some people were stunned and took a breath of cold air.
Could it be that…the emperor was suspicious of Consort Hui as the adoptive mother…
The crown prince squatted down, pointed to the nannies who were tied up, and asked the eighth brother in a low voice, “Were they good to you?”
Yinsi pursed his lips and glanced at Noble Lady Liang in the distance.
Because the nannies were standing in front of Noble Lady Liang, no one could see the clues…except Yun Xiu.
From the perspective of the great empress dowager and Kangxi, Yinsi clearly shrank away after looking at the nannies, and then whispered, “Don’t hit, it hurts…”
As soon as these words came out, everyone’s expressions changed, including Consort Hui.
“Your Majesty, this servant hasn’t!” One of the nannies collapsed on the ground. She was stunned for a moment, then came back to her senses and kowtowed frantically. “This servant would not dare to do such a thing to the prince! Your Majesty!”
At this time, Consort Hui had to interrupt.
The nanny’s negligence caused the emperor’s son to disappear, and the nanny’s torture of the prince was not the same level of crime at all!
How could she hope for any favour?
Consort Hui was dripping with cold sweat. Her face was as pale as a sheet of paper and her eyes were red. She called out to the emperor, “Today something unexpected happened. Due to a moment of inattention, that servant committed the crime. It is this concubine’s fault… But normally, this concubine attentively looks after Yinsi. This concubine would notice even a single hair lost, not to mention if he had bruises!”
Most of the people present believed this.
This matter was a thousand or ten thousand times more ridiculous than the disappearance of eighth prince. How was this possible?
Consort Hui was not crazy!
But this was what the eighth prince said himself. How could a two-year-old child lie? Even if he shrunk subconsciously, he couldn’t lie…
Suddenly, Noble Lady Liang laughed sadly and interrupted Consort Hui’s words.
Noble Lady Liang’s tears began to flow uncontrollably again, and she asked softly, “There are no bruises? Does Consort still remember that day on March 27th?”
Without waiting for Consort Hui to reply, Xiang Ling, who was serving Noble Lady Liang, knelt down and said in a trembling voice, “Revered Elder, Your Majesty! Our young master has accumulated grievances in his heart, but this servant can’t bear it anymore. That day on March 27th, when master was playing with the eighth prince, master discovered large purple bruises on the eighth prince’s body…”
Xiang Ling gestured incoherently, “Master wanted to get an imperial doctor, but could not leave or send a missive out of Yanxi Palace without permission. While there was no imperial doctor, there was not even medicine or a bandage for the eighth prince! This servant was so anxious that this servant slipped through the small gate of the garden. This servant thought that this servant could get a bandage no matter what, but met Wan Yue, the eldest servant next to the noble consort…”
She took a breath and whispered, “This servant had no choice but to beg Wan Yue to let this servant see the noble consort. Fortunately, Miss Wan Yue took pity on this servant, and the noble consort was even more kind and gave this servant the best golden sore medicine for the eighth prince to use.”
“…Everything that this servant said is true. This servant begs Revered Elder to make a decision, and begs Your Majesty to make a decision!” Xiang Ling prostrated deeply.
As she finished speaking, Cining Palace fell into silence. One could hear a pin drop.
The great empress dowager held her chest, and the crown prince opened his eyes in disbelief. Kangxi closed his eyes. “Liang Jiugong, go to Yongshou Palace to bring Wan Yue here.”
The tense string in Concubine Hui’s heart suddenly broke.
She looked at Noble Lady Liang and Xiang Ling in disbelief. How could she not know that she was being plotted against?
These injuries or plasters were made up.
Noble Consort? What Noble Consort?!
“Your Majesty…” She moved her lips and said in a hoarse voice, “There is no basis for what they are saying. This concubine dares to swear to God that there were no bruises on Yinsi’s body. If this concubine breaks this concubine’s oath, then…”
“Older sister Consort Hui,” Yun Xiu stopped her. “This is not a trifling matter. We should wait until Wan Yue arrives. The emperor will definitely not wrong you.”
Consort Hui choked. If looks could kill, Consort Yi would be dead.
Kangxi watched coldly, anger building up in his chest. When Wan Yue entered, the palace maids in Cining Palace were as silent as cicadas and hung their heads deeply.
“Reporting to Revered Elder, Your Majesty, it is indeed true. The golden sore medicine was handled by this servant. On March 27th, there was also a record in the Imperial Hospital… We will find out after a checking it!”
<< Previous | Chapter Index | Next >>
Bubble Tea Translations 
Thank you for the bonus chapter ❤
LikeLike