As ten o'clock approached, Chengqian Palace became lively. The imperial concubines, the primary wives of the princes, the primary wives of the imperial clan, and the wives of officials all came to pay their respects. Even the Mongolian wives who had come to the capital gathered there. When Consort Tong looked at those Mongolian wives, a cold smile appeared on her face.

The Mongol leaders submitted a memorial requesting permission to accompany the Empress Dowager on the Laba Festival. Today, upon entering the palace, the wives of the emperor did not go to the Cining Palace at all, but went straight here.

Qingyan sat to the side, watching several Mongolian princes' wives scrutinize her with eyes full of assessment, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

“Sister Consort Yi, I think we should go to the Empress Dowager’s place. All the ladies have come all the way from Mongolia to celebrate Laba Festival with the Empress Dowager, haven’t they?” Consort Yi didn’t like the Mongolian ladies. Consort Guo’s daughter was almost tricked by them.

When faced with the power of the Mongols, the concubines were unusually united in their opinions and showed them no kindness.

"Alright, it's not good to sit here. Let's all go and pay our respects. The Empress Dowager just sent a message through Granny Su, saying that the children should play in Chengqian Palace. There are too many people in Cining Palace today. If things go wrong, the children might get hurt!" Consort Tong's words made the Mongolian wives speechless. It was obvious that she was being wary of them.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is absolutely right!" Consort Yi nodded. The Empress Dowager was absolutely right; the princesses of the royal family could no longer be schemed against.

After Consort Tong stood up, the women followed her toward Cining Palace according to their rank. The Mongolian wives stood together, whispering among themselves, wondering why the Empress Dowager had changed her mind again.

"Little darling, did you see the expressions on those people's faces?" Lady Yin Genjue Luo landed behind the Crown Princess, and the Third Princess Consort was leaning against the Crown Princess, saying something.

"I saw them. Why did they come directly to Mother's? Weren't they supposed to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager?" Shu Yun was also confused. "Are they going back on their word?"

"Hehe, isn't it all so that His Majesty can arrange a marriage?" The Mongolian wives weren't stupid; Consort Tong's words carried far more weight than the Empress Dowager's.

Inside the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager, dressed in a royal blue court robe and with her hair styled in a double bun, sat upright in the main seat. Granny Su stood to the side, trying her best to dissuade the Empress Dowager.

"Alright, you don't need to say anything more. I understand. If I don't help Xuan Ye, my good days will probably be over. Those Mongols have gone too far. I just hope something happens to the children." The Empress Dowager's face showed helplessness.

“My lord, you did the right thing. The Mongolian leaders said they were accompanying you for the Laba Festival, but in reality, they went to Consort Tong's place. They were clearly using you as a pretext!” Su Mala Gu’s face showed a solemn expression. “The Empress Dowager said that if the Mongolians go too far, you can give up!”

In fact, the Empress Dowager had foreseen this, and at the end, she specifically instructed Su Ma La Gu to help the Empress Dowager to maintain a proper balance and not let the Empress Dowager be disliked by Emperor Xuan Ye.

The Empress Dowager sighed. Now, she had to face these people again. Every time they met, they would basically be crying and complaining about how unfairly Kangxi had treated the Mongols.

To be honest, the Empress Dowager was very uncomfortable.

"Your Majesty, Consort Tong and her ladies have come to pay their respects," Granny Yan reported as she entered from outside.

Sumalagu nodded and dismissed everyone in the hall, allowing the Empress Dowager to vent her grievances.

"I've got the children under my protection. I'm tired of all this scheming!" the Empress Dowager said coldly.

Consort Tong arrived with her female relatives and paid her respects to the Empress Dowager.

"Alright, everyone, start kowtowing." The Empress Dowager had a smile on her face, but Shu Yun could tell that there wasn't a trace of a smile in her eyes, which was what made people feel puzzled.

The Empress Dowager was always very kind to the women from Mongolia, but this year, she has changed a lot.

"Thank you, Empress Dowager!" the women all expressed their gratitude.

"Today is Laba Festival, and we will all have lunch at Cining Palace later." It was rare for the Empress Dowager to invite them to stay for a meal, so the women gladly accepted.

"Your Majesty, how is your health?" The Khorchin Princess Consort asked the Empress Dowager quickly.

She came under the orders of the Prince. Although the blood relationship between this Prince of Khorchin and the Empress Dowager was becoming more and more distant, they were still the Empress Dowager's family, and they still had to put on a show.

"Yes! The Emperor and the Consorts are very filial, and my health is getting better and better!" The Empress Dowager put her worries to rest. During the Southern Tour, the Empress Dowager and Kangxi had many unpleasant encounters, but Su Mala Gu told the Empress Dowager everything, laying out all the issues before her.

The wives, upon hearing this, secretly thought to themselves that things were going badly; the Empress Dowager was not going to listen to them, which was terrible.

The Empress Dowager's words left the Khorchin Prince's wife speechless, and an awkward smile appeared on her face.

Consort Tong and the others listened with smiles on their faces. The Empress Dowager had indeed figured out the intentions of the Mongolian princess and the others. These people could only be suppressed by the Empress Dowager, and the concubines like them were not valued at all.

"Why don't you celebrate the New Year in the tribe?" The Queen Dowager asked, holding her teacup, taking a sip, and looking at the wives.

"The chieftain said he wants to spend the New Year with the Empress Dowager. You haven't spent the New Year with your family for many years!" Khorchin Fujin quickly said.

Qingyan burst out laughing inside when she heard what the Mongolian wives said. How come she had never heard before that the Empress Dowager needed her family to accompany her?

Tatara nudged Qingyan's arm and gave her a wink.

Qingyan followed Tara's gaze and saw that the Mongolian wives were exchanging glances, as if they were discussing something.

"Let's watch the show!" Fifth Princess Consort said.

Qingyan nodded slightly, and after watching the wives discuss with their eyes, the wife of Prince Garga continued to take over.

"Your Majesty, the tribe's harvest was not good before, but this year is a good year. That's why we thought we could celebrate the New Year with you!" said the Princess Consort of the Prince.

The princes and their wives were stunned by this lame excuse.

During their inspection tour of Mongolia, they asked the local herders, who all said it was during the harvest season every year.

"You've suffered a disaster?" The Empress Dowager laughed coldly. Before, Kangxi had taken her to Mongolia, which fulfilled her dream.

The Empress Dowager met with several herdsmen she had placed on the grasslands, but their answers were not what she expected.

“Yes, these past few years have been very difficult!” the Princess Consort of the Prince quickly said.

Everyone present knew that their words were just an excuse; they were clearly trying to plead poverty.

After the Prince's wife finished speaking, there was an awkward silence. No one said another word, and the officials' wives were even more silent, for fear of offending the royal family.