Qian Shengyan: "...Sixteen is not too late, Mother thinks the year after next is also enough."

Seeing that Hongli's expression finally changed, Qian Shengyan couldn't help but laugh and asked again, "Is it alright?"

“Mother…” Hongli glanced helplessly at Qian Shengyan, pursed his lips, and asked no more questions.

He is now more and more demanding of himself. Except when he is in front of Qian Shengyan, he is completely mature and steady.

Fortunately, the imperial decree for the marriage was issued quickly, and the fourth prince, Hongli, was betrothed to his primary consort, Lady Fucha, with the wedding scheduled for July 18th.

“Ma Qi’s niece, Li Rongbao’s daughter, a princess consort of such status…” Geng said privately to Guo, “The Emperor’s intentions are crystal clear.”

Hongzhou was also betrothed, and Guo said with a smile, "Sister's favorite Cui Jia was betrothed as a secondary consort, so our Hongzhou actually made a profit."

Geng smiled as well. Wu Zhaku's family was not prominent, but she had seen the child during the selection process. She was a lovely girl, quiet and beautiful. Geng thought Hongzhou would like her.

Guo also lowered her eyes and remained silent. Not to mention that Li Rongbao had risen to the position of Governor-General of Chahar, a first-rank military officer in the capital, Ma Qi had been an important minister in the court since the Kangxi era, and now he also held the positions of Minister of State Affairs, making him one of the most favored people in the emperor's court.

Because her maternal family was not prominent, the emperor bestowed upon her this title of consort. His intentions were truly commendable.

That year, the women in the harem once again saw through Yinzhen's intentions: no new women were brought into the harem, and all those who stayed overnight were given to the Imperial Noble Consort. There were also consorts from completely different family backgrounds for his two sons of marriageable age. Even the Empress's phoenix seal was moved to Yonghe Palace by the Emperor under various pretexts.

Everyone in the harem is saying that the position of Empress is likely to be changed.

It's not unprecedented for an empress to be demoted to a concubine. Consort Jing was the first empress during the Shunzhi reign, but so what? It all depended on the emperor's will.

On the day the Empress's Phoenix Seal was moved, Ulanara leaned against the door and looked for a long time. She felt that what she saw was not only the red walls and green tiles of the Forbidden City, but also the former Prince Yong's Mansion, the Old Summer Palace, and the separate palace on the outskirts of Beijing.

That time, when she went to pick up Qian Shengyan and Hongli to return to the mansion, she was so arrogant and full of calculations.

Who could have imagined that, in just over a decade, a servant she once looked down upon would take away the Phoenix Seal that she had earned with her entire life's work...

As expected, her first instinct was right. She should have only brought back Hongli back then, instead of bringing back the mother and child as well...

"Empress Mother." A gentle female voice sounded behind her, but Ulanara felt a pang of pain in her heart—how she wished, how she wished, that the one standing here today, calling her Empress Mother, was her Honghui…

If Honghui were still alive, everything would be different today!

Ulanara tilted her head back, swallowed her tears, and asked in a calm, even voice, "What's wrong?"

"Is Your Majesty just going to watch like this? That's the Empress's Phoenix Seal!" Shushen said softly, her heart aching.

Ulanara sneered and turned to look at Shushen: "I advise you to behave yourself. Your arranged marriage may still be effective. Otherwise, you can stay in Changchun Palace and accompany me for the rest of your life."

Shushen's lips trembled. She knew that at the end of last year, the Emperor had wanted her to get married, but Ulanara had obstructed it, saying that she was ill. As a result, she had not married for more than a year after the bestowed marriage, and had also gained a reputation for being weak and sickly.

She lowered her eyes, concealing her emotions: "If I could accompany my mother, I would be very willing... Ah!"

Before Shushen could finish speaking, Ulanara slapped her hard across the face, knocking her to the ground and making her roll over before stopping her momentum.

Ulanara looked at her coldly: "Stop with your little schemes. I don't want to hear another word from you, understand?"

"Yes..." Shushen covered her face with a wronged expression, and blood from her lips spilled out as she spoke.

Ulanara vented most of her anger with a slap. She walked over and looked down at Shushen. After a moment, she sneered, "I've lived my whole life, and you've played me like a puppet... You still want to get married properly? I really want to report you as having died of illness tomorrow."

Shushen suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and her hands, which were covering her face, trembled. She looked at Ulanara and dared not say anything more, and could only watch helplessly as she stepped over her face and walked straight into the inner room.

Shushen trembled all over, but after a moment, she burst into laughter.

So what if Ulanara said such harsh words? All she could do was hit her and scold her a few times. She had already achieved most of her goal, and the harem had been in turmoil for a while because of her. She had had enough, more than enough!

She only hoped that if the current emperor were to suffer even the slightest misfortune, she would be alright!

Shushen rested for a while before finally getting up. She glanced in the direction where Ulanara had gone into the inner palace, then suddenly ran out like a madwoman, tearing her hair out of shape: "Father! Your daughter begs to see Father! Father, your daughter is going to be beaten to death, she's going to be beaten to death, waaaaaah!"

As the de facto head of the harem, Qian Shengyan received news of Princess Shushen earlier than Yinzhen. She was talking with Lady Guo when Qingxue rushed in to report that Shushen had asked for help.

Qian Shengyan suppressed her emotions slightly: "She said the Empress wanted to beat her to death?"

"Yes, according to the little eunuch who came to report, Princess Shushen's cheeks were swollen and red, there was blood at the corner of her lips, and her hair and clothes were all disheveled. She looked very miserable."

"That's terrible." Qian Shengyan laughed. What a show! Before she could even make a move, the dogs were already fighting.

"She is, after all, the Empress's adopted daughter. Let someone report this to the Emperor. As for Princess Shushen, arrange a place for her to rest. If she doesn't want to go to Changchun Palace, then forget about it for now," Qian Shengyan said with a slight smile.

She finally figured it out. Although being confined was fine, the guards were watching her very closely, making it inconvenient for her to do anything.

Now that he's out of the picture, if he doesn't get married soon, he'll probably have to live with Ferguchun and the others...

Thinking of this, Qian Shengyan's mind raced: "Go and call Ferguchun over."

"Your Majesty has other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now." Guo Shi rose to take her leave, but then she remembered something else, "Sister Song Pin has been ill for an unusually long time this year. Your Majesty, do you think it would be appropriate to mention this to the Emperor?"

“I happened to visit her the day before yesterday, and she was already able to get out of bed. She doesn’t want to trouble His Majesty…” Qian Shengyan hesitated for a moment, “Never mind, I’ll still tell His Majesty.”

Guo responded and took her leave. A short while later, Fuerguochun and Xiaoshunzi, who had gone to report to Yinzhen, came in one after the other.

After hearing Xiao Shunzi's report, Fuerguochun looked at Qian Shengyan with some confusion: "Mother, what does this mean? Is Sister Shushen also moving to the South Third Residence?"

Looking at her daughter's bewildered expression, Qian Shengyan suddenly smiled and said, "Ferguchun, your mother has something to ask of you..."

“This Princess Shushen once bullied Mother and Hongshan, but Mother couldn’t find any fault with her. Could you help Mother keep an eye on her and make sure we don’t get fooled by her?”

How can you retaliate against such a princess so easily? Wouldn't it be better to use her as a training ground for your daughter?