Xue Li looked at the wine, then at Shunzhi, and smiled in a meaningful way.

When Shunzhi saw that look in her eyes, it was as if he was reminded of their wedding night, and of the many nights he had been bullied by her...

Thinking of this, Shunzhi felt both ashamed and angry.

Before I could finish recalling what I had just thought about, I had already fainted.

So, Emperor Shunzhi was stripped naked by Empress Meiren and thrown on the ground.

After being bathed by Mei Ren, Shirley returned to her bedchamber. Mei Ren then presented Shirley with a new wine cup and they drank a toast together. Shirley smiled mischievously.

So, Sherry began to enjoy her main meal.

Shirley whimpered softly, her eyes glistening with tears, while Meiren's gentle and alluring peach blossom eyes drew people deeper and deeper into her allure.

Mei Ren cupped the back of Xue Li's head in one hand, kissed Xue Li's lips, and then relentlessly conquered her inch by inch, as if he wanted to crush her into his body.

In the enclosed space, Shirley moaned unrestrainedly, while Meiren glanced at Shunzhi on the ground, her emotions running high.

The two fooled around all night. Meiren carefully wiped Xueli clean and rearranged the scene.

Sherry still slept until the sun was high in the sky. She had the concubines pay their respects every ten days, so it didn't affect her habit of sleeping in every day.

Perhaps because of the medicine, Shunzhi woke up later than usual. When he woke up, he found himself lying on the couch and felt that he did not want to share a bed with the Empress.

Therefore, they adapted well.

Three months later, Sherry announced that she was pregnant.

The Empress Dowager was overjoyed, while Emperor Shunzhi found it hard to believe.

I saw Shirley with a complicated expression many times.

Several people appeared around Sherry, including the Empress Dowager, Guo Ren, and Dorgon.

Dorgon contacted Sydney, wanting to find a good husband for Dong'e.

Sherry gave a persuasive speech: "Why not find a son-in-law? Your glory is enough to protect her. The son-in-law doesn't need to be exceptionally capable, just love Dong'e and listen to her. After all, you'll get old someday! He might not be able to tolerate you!"

Dorgon previously thought it was a joke that Shirley wanted Dong'e to marry a man.

But after exchanging letters with him over the past few years, he actually felt that finding a son-in-law wasn't a bad idea.

Why should his precious daughter have to suffer such injustices?

He has made outstanding contributions, why would he need his only daughter to marry him?

After all, those who sought his hand in marriage were either from humble backgrounds or families with little social standing.

For families with some social standing, either remain neutral or stay away.

Yeah, those old foxes were just waiting for him to die!

He understood that he and the emperor had completely broken off relations, and who knew how that little emperor would retaliate against him after he was gone?

Dodo could have taken care of them to some extent, but the accident that happened to the two brothers made him realize that he had to keep something in reserve.

The Empress was quite good.

He was very well-informed, and Bumbutai was reluctant to relinquish his power in the palace, just as he restrained the emperor, he restrained the empress.

The difference lies in the previous dynasty; in the early period, he made outstanding contributions, while in the later period, he did it to avoid becoming a predator.

The empress was Bumbutai's own niece, and it was only in recent years that he saw the true nature of her hardened heart and lust for power hidden beneath her beautiful face.

To his surprise, it was the Empress.

He initially thought she was powerless because she was suppressed by the Empress Dowager.

But after observing her for several years, I've found that the Empress is truly calm.

She even dared to say that as long as he lived, she would remain unperturbed.

He couldn't help but admire the women of the Khorchin Borjigit clan at this moment.

The men were ordinary, but the women were all incredibly capable.

He was somewhat relieved, hoping that the Empress would give birth to a son. He would support the mother and child, and his brothers and daughters would surely be safe and sound.

After all, Bumbutai and her son have gone too far!

And he wouldn't mind giving her a big gift on the day he left.

He had no grudge against the Empress, and even had a good personal relationship with Wu Keshan.

But Bumbutai and her son were different. They not only coveted the power he held, but also his life!

In the 12th year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign (1655), the palace began its first imperial concubine selection.

The Tang family, the Niu family, the Muketu family, the later Consort Ke (née Shi), and the later Consort Ningque (née Dong'e) were all prominently listed.

Because Sherry is pregnant.

The Empress Dowager did not interfere much, and Shunzhi selected more than twenty gentle and delicate Han women.

Half of them were rejected by the Empress Dowager, and Shunzhi, in his anger and frustration, took it out on the newly arrived Borjigit Bowengko.

He also promised several Han women high positions.

The Empress Dowager wanted Shirley to step in and reprimand her, but Shirley refused, citing the hardships of pregnancy.

The relationship between Emperor Shunzhi and the Empress Dowager became increasingly strained.

Sherry also had Mei-ren arrange for someone to secretly stir things up.

It's unclear how it was arranged, but Shunzhi precisely stepped on the Empress Dowager's landmines.

Even when the emperor visited his concubines in the imperial study, the two sisters would serve them together...

On one occasion, he angered the Empress Dowager to the point of fainting. The Empress Dowager heard rumors circulating inside and outside the palace that Shunzhi was engaging in debauchery in the place where the emperor handled state affairs. After fainting, she immediately issued an edict to have the concubine who had bewitched the emperor beaten to death.

The concubine had just been diagnosed with pregnancy that afternoon.

Emperor Shunzhi was so angry that he fainted.

The relationship between mother and son has also reached a freezing point.

Sherry was truly sitting on the sidelines, after all, she didn't care about palace affairs, and it was normal for her pregnancy to be unstable due to the emperor's stimulation.

Shirley let Meiren gently coax and hold her, ignoring how angry and resentful the mother and son were.

The Empress Dowager was furious but helpless; she couldn't keep apologizing to her son all the time.

Usually, they would send some beautiful young palace maids, or have Sumala make the trip in her place, to ease the awkwardness between the mother and son.

If Emperor Shunzhi showed more concern for the Empress Dowager and visited her again, the conflict could be considered resolved.

But this time, the mother and son were in a cold war for more than half a year.

The key point is that Dorgon remained very composed and disappeared without a trace after this incident broke out.

As a result, the mother and son first did not take Shirley seriously, and secondly, they thought the Regent was in poor health.

Therefore, the struggle between the mother and son was brought into the open.

In February of the 13th year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign (1656), Shirley went into labor and gave birth to a son.

The medicine and the person who were brought in were delivered to the Empress Dowager's people by Sherry.

After all, no matter what, the Empress Dowager still hoped that she could give birth to a prince with Mongolian blood.

How could we allow others to sabotage it?

However, the testimonies of those people caused Bumbutai to faint from a mixture of joy and rage.

Emperor Shunzhi was still constantly copying scriptures.

He didn't know whether to pray for less guilt in his heart or, if things went well, to pray for the child's well-being.

He was both happy and conflicted upon receiving news of the birth of his eldest son.

Before he could hesitate for long, news came that several servants had been arrested by the Empress Dowager.

Shunzhi was momentarily flustered and at a loss; his feelings for his mother were very complicated.

There is respect, closeness, resistance, resentment, and of course, fear.

Shunzhi couldn't help but convince himself that his mother had caused him to lose one of his children, so it was understandable that he disliked this prince who was half Mongolian.

But soon, news arrived that the Empress Dowager had fainted.

After much hesitation, Emperor Shunzhi went to Cining Palace.

He was greeted with a loud slap as soon as he entered the door.

Shunzhi, who was initially feeling somewhat guilty, suddenly burst out laughing.

He gave the Empress Dowager a cold look and strode away.