The Autopsy Gambit
Sleep evaded Emperor Kangxi. He remained in Chengqian Palace, steadying Consort Tongjia as she wept.
"It is my fault," Tongjia repeated, striking her own chest. "My constitution is cursed. I passed this lethal sensitivity to Freesia onto Little Yuan'er. I killed my own daughter."
"Do not accept blame for another's negligence," Kangxi countered firmly, restraining her hands. "The fault lies with the wet nurse. Her carelessness introduced the allergen."
Comforted by his deflection of blame, Tongjia eventually succumbed to exhaustion. Kangxi immediately relocated to the side hall to consult the Imperial Physicians regarding the infant's corpse.
"Is the cause of death definitively Freesia?" Kangxi demanded.
The Head Physician hesitated before answering. "Your Majesty, the symptoms—severe coughing and respiratory failure—are consistent with a Freesia allergy. However, they are not exclusive to it. We cannot make a definitive ruling based solely on external observations."
"What is required for absolute certainty?"
"The procedures used by the Ministry of Justice," the Head Physician admitted cautiously. "An autopsy. A physical examination of the internal organs."
Before Kangxi could process the implication of desecrating an imperial body, Tongjia burst into the room, placing herself between the doctors and the cradle.
"Absolutely not!" she screamed, her hysteria perfectly calibrated. "My daughter suffered enough in life. I will not allow her body to be mutilated in death! You will have to kill me first!"
Kangxi sighed. The reaction was entirely expected from a grieving mother. "Halt the procedure," he ordered the physicians. "We will not harm her."
Tongjia buried her face in Kangxi's chest, hiding the cold, calculating gleam in her eyes. Strategic Success: If they performed an autopsy, they would discover the infant did not die of an allergic reaction, exposing her entire conspiracy. The ambiguity of the cause of death was her strongest weapon.
***
The Broken Witness
The next morning, Head Eunuch Liang Jiugong delivered the interrogation results.
"We isolated the three wet nurses," Liang reported. "The Freesia scent was found exclusively on Bushunda's garments. She vehemently denies any knowledge of the substance."
"That is impossible," Tongjia interjected smoothly. "I placed Chengqian Palace under strict quarantine. The nurses' food is closely monitored, and their clothes are washed with unscented soap. Furthermore, they are confined to the courtyard. They had no external contact."
Kangxi caught the subtle opening. "Did they interact with 'anyone' in the courtyard?"
Liang lowered his head. "Two of the nurses did not. However, Bushunda crossed paths with Consort De yesterday. They conversed briefly about the Princess's condition."
Tongjia stood up, feigning shock. "Consort De? But she knows of my lethal allergy. She never uses Freesia. Could she have acted out of jealousy because I adopted her biological son, Yinzhen?"
Kangxi's expression darkened into a mask of absolute authority. Harem rivalries were tolerated, but weaponizing an allergen against royal blood crossed the line.
"Summon Consort De," Kangxi ordered.
***
The Calculus of Suicide
Consort De arrived and listened to the accusation with genuine disbelief. "Your Majesty, I have never harbored ill intent toward the Princess. Search Yonghe Palace. I am willing to confront this wet nurse directly."
Recognizing her unwavering composure, Kangxi authorized Liang Jiugong to search her quarters. However, before the confrontation could occur, a guard reported disastrous news: Bushunda had committed suicide in her holding cell.
Every eye turned to Consort De.
Consort De's Internal Analysis: The situation had instantly become a lethal trap. The only witness was dead. Even if the search of her palace yielded nothing, the stain of suspicion would ruin her permanently. The Emperor's trust would erode. In the harem, an unprovable suspicion was just as deadly as a conviction. She needed a drastic, narrative-breaking action to force Kangxi's sympathy and reset the board.
De knelt, her posture rigid. "With Bushunda dead, I have lost my only means of proving my innocence. I refuse to live under this shadow."
Before anyone could react, she withdrew a sharp golden hairpin and drove it directly into her own chest.
***
The Observer's Deduction
At the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace (Yuqing Palace), a heavy rain fell. Yinreng was awakened by a weeping Prince Yinzhen standing in the courtyard, drenched and terrified.
Yinreng immediately pulled the nine-year-old inside, ordering his staff to bring dry clothes and ginger soup. "Explain the situation logically, Yinzhen."
"My adoptive mother, Consort Tongjia, accused my birth mother, Consort De, of murder," Yinzhen stammered, trembling from shock. "Then Consort De stabbed herself. There was so much blood. I don't know who to believe."
Yinreng comforted the boy, but his mind processed the data with cold precision. He stepped out to interrogate Yinzhen's maid, Cuiyan.
"Is Consort De dead?" Yinreng asked flatly.
"No, Your Highness. The Emperor intervened. The wound missed her heart. She is recovering in Yonghe Palace."
Yinreng smirked in the shadows. Observation: A brilliant tactical maneuver. Consort De chose a highly visible, dramatic method of suicide in front of the Emperor, ensuring he would intervene before the strike became fatal. She traded physical damage for absolute moral high ground, effectively neutralizing Tongjia's trap.
***
The Weaponization of Piety
Kangxi visited the recovering Consort De. Beside her bed, he noticed a stack of freshly written Buddhist scriptures.
De's head maid, Yuchan, executed her master's counter-strategy perfectly. She fell to her knees. "Your Majesty, my lady is innocent. She views Consort Tongjia as her greatest benefactor. When Consort Tongjia became pregnant last year, my lady fasted and prayed on her knees for seven days, thanking the heavens. She actively avoids the Fourth Prince (Yinzhen) so as not to disrupt his bond with his adoptive mother. Why would she murder the child she prayed so hard for?"
The psychological strike hit its mark. Kangxi remembered De's uncharacteristic religious devotion the previous year. Guilt washed over him. He had nearly condemned a loyal, self-sacrificing woman.
After Kangxi departed with promises of a thorough investigation, Consort De opened her eyes.
"Grind the ink," she ordered Yuchan, forcing herself out of bed despite her bleeding chest. "I must finish the final two copies of the scripture. We have walked ninety-nine steps; we will not fail on the final one. Once this is complete, our counterattack begins."
***
The Broken Link
Back at the Emperor's study, Liang Jiugong delivered a frustrating report. Yonghe Palace was entirely clean. No Freesia.
"Why did Bushunda kill herself?" Kangxi demanded.
"Interference, Your Majesty," Liang explained. "The guard assigned to watch her, Luo Chenglin—a distant relative of Consort Tongjia's clan—acted independently. He threatened Bushunda, telling her she was already a dead woman and her entire family would be executed unless she confessed. Believing she had no way out, she smashed her head against the wall to protect her family."
Kangxi's fury erupted. The guard, eager to score political points with Tongjia's family, had introduced a chaotic variable that destroyed the key witness.
"Strip him of his rank, give him thirty heavy lashes, and throw him out of the palace!" Kangxi roared.
***
The Scapegoat
In Chengqian Palace, the mood was grim. Tongjia realized her offensive had stalled. Consort De's calculated suicide attempt had successfully bought her immunity from Kangxi.
Suddenly, a junior maid, Chunzhi, sprinted into the room. "Your Ladyship! The Emperor ordered the palace gates searched for smuggled Freesia. They arrested Li Ping, a guard at the Shenwu Gate."
Tongjia's head maid, Chunying, turned pale.
Tongjia's Internal Logic: The supply chain was compromised. The origin of the Freesia extract could now be traced back to Chengqian Palace.
Chunying immediately dropped to her knees. "Your Ladyship, I am the one who manipulated Li Ping. He is infatuated with me, and I used him to smuggle the extract into the palace. He knows nothing of the murder plot; he only knows I requested the perfume."
"Chunying..." Tongjia whispered, realizing her most loyal asset was about to sever the trail.
"I will confess to acting independently out of misplaced loyalty to you," Chunying stated with absolute calm. She had anticipated this exact failure scenario. "The investigation will end with me. You must not advocate for me, or you will expose yourself."
Moments later, Liang Jiugong entered and arrested Chunying. Tongjia remained frozen in place, showing no emotion until the eunuch departed. Only then did she collapse to the floor, stifling her sobs into a blanket, understanding the heavy cost of her failed gambit.