frightfiction Chapter 1760 It's best that everyone lives in peace.
Chapter 1760 It's best that everyone lives in peace.
Hearing Caiju's words, Consort Kang suddenly asked sarcastically, "Caiju, do you think I would sincerely help Zhuang Yumin do these sordid things?"
Caiju was taken aback, looking at her somewhat blankly: "But Her Highness just now at Changchun Palace, she promised..."
"You agreed sincerely, didn't you?"
Consort Kang interrupted Caiju, her eyes filled with hatred: "As for Zhuang Yumin, I wish I could tear her flesh apart and drink her blood!"
“Every night I dream of my child. He was so small, he hadn’t even seen the world yet… and now he’s gone forever…”
"My allegiance to Zhuang Yumin is merely a pretense, a pretense, so that one day I can find evidence to drag her down to hell!"
"How could I possibly genuinely help her harm others and consolidate her power?"
Caiju recalled how the Empress had become emaciated and heartbroken after her miscarriage, and her heart ached unbearably: "Your Majesty..."
Consort Kang took a few deep breaths to suppress the surging hatred in her heart: "Zhuang Yumin is suspicious by nature. If I don't agree, or if I don't agree readily, she will immediately become suspicious. Then all my previous efforts will be in vain."
"What better reason could a concubine like me, who has no favor with the emperor, have to frequently enter and leave Changchun Palace to gather information, except to rely on Zhuang Yumin?"
"As for what she asked me to do..."
At this point, Consort Kang said sarcastically, "Caiju, think about it, what kind of person is Consort Xian? She is the daughter of the Yuchi family, with a cold and self-disciplined nature, and she doesn't like to get involved in things. But she is extremely fair in her dealings and never makes a mistake."
“Having come from the Prince’s residence, Consort Xuan is extremely cautious. Now that she has gained power, she will only be more careful, fearing that she might make a mistake.”
"With the Imperial Noble Consort standing behind them, and with established precedents to follow in palace affairs, what kind of incredible loophole could I possibly find?"
Caiju gradually understood, her eyes widening slightly: "Your Majesty means..."
Consort Kang said calmly, "I can 'do my best' to inquire about it, and then report to Changchun Palace every few days."
"It is said that Consort Xian approved the repair expenses for a certain palace today, and it was very fair. It is said that Consort Xuan handled the quarrel between several palace servants appropriately. It is said that the entire palace is now in good order, and there have been no disturbances..."
"After a while, Zhuang Yumin naturally understood that either Consort Xian and Consort Xuan were indeed cautious and thorough."
"Either... or my abilities are limited, and I cannot find out anything important."
"No matter what she thinks, I have at least made the right gesture."
"Does Zhuang Yumin think that just because I didn't frame Consort Xian and Consort Xuan, she'll immediately discard me like trash?"
After hearing this, Caiju finally felt relieved and let out a long sigh of relief: "So Your Majesty had planned this all along!"
"It was my stupidity that frightened me just now."
She truly didn't want the Empress to get herself into trouble and make a mistake in her pursuit of revenge.
Consort Zhuang is not someone to be trifled with...
Seeing the worry in Caiju's eyes, a warmth welled up in Consort Kang's cold heart.
In the deep palace, Caiju was one of the few people who could still make her feel warm.
Consort Kang's voice softened: "I know this path is difficult, with traps at every step. But I have no other choice."
"To openly confront Zhuang Yumin is tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock. I can only borrow her influence to gain a foothold before planning my next move."
"As for the Imperial Noble Consort..."
When Shen Zhinian was mentioned, Consort Kang remained silent for a moment.
Her feelings towards the Imperial Noble Consort were complicated.
Even with the faint affection she once shared, she still held the Imperial Noble Consort in awe of her current status and methods.
They are no longer on the same path.
"...It's just that my path and that of the Imperial Noble Consort are different."
"As long as I don't actively harm her or stand against her to stir up trouble, the Imperial Noble Consort probably won't deliberately make things difficult for someone as insignificant as me."
Consort Kang calmly said, "Besides, I am only appeasing Consort Zhuang. I will not really cause trouble for Consort Xian and Consort Xuan, nor will I be causing trouble for the Imperial Noble Consort."
"It would be best if everyone could live in peace."
Caiju nodded, agreeing that the Empress's considerations were thorough, but she still had some lingering worries...
Consort Zhuang is so shrewd, can the Empress's perfunctory attitude really keep her in the dark forever?
If she were to discover that the Empress was being hypocritical and harboring ulterior motives, the consequences would be...
……
The people Xiaomingzi sent out had been secretly watching Changchun Palace and Xianfu Palace, and of course they noticed the movements at Changchun Palace.
He stood before Shen Zhinian and reported in a low voice, "...Your Majesty, Consort Kang has been visiting Changchun Palace frequently lately. In just the last few days, she has gone there five or six times."
"Each time, I don't stay for long, about half an hour to an hour. When I come out, I look normal, and you can't tell anything is wrong."
"Xianfu Palace is quiet. Apart from going to Changchun Palace to pay her respects, Consort Mei stays in her own palace or goes to the Imperial Garden to relax. She has not had any contact with any special people."
Shen Zhinian gave a soft "Mmm".
Xiao Mingzi continued, "On several occasions, after Consort Kang left Changchun Palace, she went to Consort Xian's residence. On another occasion, she went to Consort Xuan's Chengqian Palace."
Shen Zhinian asked, "What's the news from Consort Xian and Consort Xuan?"
Xiao Mingzi shook his head and said, "This servant specifically asked Miss Yu Mei, who serves Consort Xian, and Miss Zhu'er, who serves Consort Xuan."
"Both of the empresses said that Consort Kang had only visited once or twice, said some trivial things, and there was nothing special about her."
"They also did not notice anything unusual about Consort Kang."
After listening, Shen Zhinian remained silent for a long time.
She was aware of the old grudges between Consort Kang and Consort Zhuang, and also knew that Consort Kang was feigning allegiance to Consort Zhuang.
Nowadays, Consort Kang frequently visits Changchun Palace, and has also gone to the residences of Consort Xian and Consort Xuan...
This development is certainly worth pondering.
However, neither Consort Xian nor Consort Xuan specifically reported Consort Kang's unusual behavior to her. This indicates that, in their view, Consort Kang's actions were not inappropriate.
Therefore, it's likely that Consort Kang's visit was truly just a casual chat, exchanging pleasantries. She didn't attempt to pry into palace affairs or stir up trouble.
This is interesting.
Consort Zhuang's frequent visits to Changchun Palace were unlikely to be solely for tea or conversation.
Given Consort Zhuang's personality, she must have some ulterior motive.
What she could possibly scheme for recently was the power that Consort Xian and Consort Xuan had recently acquired.
Consort Zhuang must have been thinking of using Consort Kang to inquire about the truth from Consort Xian and Consort Xuan, and to find out any oversights or incriminating evidence.
What about Consort Kang?
Would she really be willing to be used as a pawn by Consort Zhuang to deal with Consort Xian and Consort Xuan?
Shen Zhinian gently shook her head.
And she wouldn't harbor the same hatred that Consort Kang held for Consort Zhuang.
Consort Kang's feigned allegiance was inextricably linked to past grievances. Under such circumstances, how could she easily risk her life for Consort Zhuang?