Chapter 216 The Empress is truly a valiant warrior!

Jiang Nan showed no intention of getting up and remained comfortably reclining in the rocking chair.

In her view, as long as it's not a formality that must be observed in public, these empty formalities should be avoided in private.

She wasn't afraid that Kangxi would be displeased, or rather, she was certain that even if Kangxi was displeased, he couldn't do anything about it.

Emperor Kangxi cherished his reputation and would never touch such a powerful and shrewd empress without a very good reason.

Jiang Nan yawned and replied.

"Your Majesty, do you intend to retire and enjoy your old age? But you must persevere a little longer. Erhe is currently studying diligently. Once he has completed his studies and is able to shoulder responsibilities, you can step down and become the Retired Emperor, and then you can think about enjoying a peaceful and comfortable life with me."

Kangxi was taken aback by her words, stared at her, and finally spoke after a long while, his voice filled with mixed emotions.

"What if Irkh doesn't live up to expectations?"

Jiang Nan rolled her eyes inwardly; she was obviously doing it on purpose.

The goal was to gradually test Kangxi's bottom line.

Subtly instill in him the idea of ​​training a successor as soon as possible and retiring early.

She didn't want Erhe to suffer like those princes in history, enduring decades of hardship only to have a dramatic struggle for the throne unfold.

The words of Yinzhen in the short video kept flashing through my mind.

I am not the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. I am a prince who has been an emperor for forty-five years, going through fire and water to run errands for the Six Ministries. I am a tough and resilient man who has made my way up from the countryside...

If Yinzhen served for forty-five years, then wouldn't his Erhe have to serve for fifty-five years?

Jiang Nan couldn't help but observe three seconds of silence for her son.

"Useless?"

Jiang Nan raised an eyebrow, her tone suddenly turning irritable.

"If he's not up to par, then teach him properly. You're his father, and if your son is disappointing, isn't it because you, as his father, haven't taught him well? When we're old, we'll have plenty of time to slowly train him. But speaking of which, Your Majesty, you must work hard! For your son's sake, you must step up your efforts and quickly quell the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories, take over Taiwan, and crush the Dzungars. Once you've handled these important matters well, your mission will be accomplished. You can't leave Erhe with a mess!"

Emperor Kangxi was amused by the way she assigned the work.

"So, in your eyes, I'm just a donkey pulling a millstone? I can only rest after I've finished all this work?"

Jiang Nan chuckled as she saw that he had indeed been led astray.

"That's not what I meant. You may try your best, but your health is still important. You need to rest. Don't let yourself get sick before you finish what you've done."

Kangxi snorted coldly, thinking to himself: That sounds nice, but they're just using him like a donkey to plow the fields.

Once the work is done, his health will collapse?

"I understand."

He changed the subject and brought up the important matter.

"Speaking of Erhe, recently some ministers in the court have submitted memorials requesting that I establish a crown prince as soon as possible. You mentioned to me before the method of secretly establishing an heir, which I thought was excellent. Now, have you changed your mind? If you have changed your mind, I will take the opportunity to establish Erhe as the crown prince. If you still think that secretly establishing an heir is better, I will use your method to reject those ministers."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan sat up straight.

Establish a prince?

While this could further elevate Erhe's status, it would undoubtedly make him a target of public criticism, making his life too tiring.

Moreover, when Erhe grows up and is in his prime, will the increasingly suspicious Emperor Kangxi be able to tolerate a crown prince whose power is growing?

The fates of Emperor Kangxi and his crown prince Yinreng serve as a cautionary tale.

She spoke almost without hesitation.

"Your Majesty, please reply using the method I suggested. The title of Crown Prince sounds prestigious, but he's actually just a target. It gives restless officials an excuse to form factions and makes Erhe uneasy at such a young age. There's no need for that."

Kangxi nodded, seemingly unsurprised by her answer.

"Alright, then it's your decision, we won't make one."

Jiang Nan hummed in agreement, then lay back down comfortably, squinting her eyes as she spoke.

"Does Your Majesty have anything else to attend to? I see you've rested enough; shouldn't you be going back to review the memorials?"

Emperor Kangxi was both amused and exasperated by her attempt to drive him away, and said helplessly.

"I have another matter to discuss with you regarding the conferment of titles in the harem. Lady Ma Jia has been posthumously granted the title of Consort, and we also need to discuss the selection of a guardian for the Third Prince. I would like to hear your opinion."

Jiang Nan waved her hand lazily.

"Your Majesty, you can handle this matter as you see fit. The main considerations are family background and ability to help you maintain balance in the court. You should first prepare a list and then send it to me for a look. There is no need to consult me ​​on such a trivial matter."

Kangxi: "..."

Looking at her hands-off management style, I felt like something was off.

I'm here to discuss things with her, but it sounds like I'm here to report to the Empress?

Who is the emperor?

He thought about it again and felt relieved. Matters concerning the harem were the empress's responsibility, and as the emperor, he was indeed reporting such matters as the grand conferment of titles upon the harem.

"Alright, I understand. I will draft a detailed plan and then have someone inform you."

Jiang Nan didn't even bother to open her eyes.

"Your Majesty, please continue with your duties. I will not see you off."

Suppressing his anger, Kangxi stood up, turned and left, but turned back after taking a few steps.

He lowered his voice and said fiercely to Jiang Nan, who was almost asleep.

"I am neither bald nor an old man!"

Jiang Nan muttered something while sitting on the recliner.

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, your hair is the thickest; you'll be handsome until you're eighty... Phew..."

Kangxi: "..."

He was so angry at Nan Nan's attitude that he almost exploded on the spot, but he couldn't do anything about it.

In the end, he could only glare at Liang Jiugong, who was trembling from trying not to laugh, and yell at him.

"What are you looking at! Go back to the Qianqing Palace!"

Empress Niohuru watched the entire battle of wits between the emperor and empress, utterly astonished.

The Empress is indeed the Empress, a true warrior indeed!

Anyone who dares to tease the emperor like this is absolutely the first person in history!

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A few days later, one afternoon, the Kunning Palace was quiet, with only the occasional chirping of birds outside the window.

Jiang Nan sat leisurely behind a rosewood desk, holding a bright yellow list of memorials in her hand.

It was the draft list of conferments upon the imperial harem, sent by Emperor Kangxi.

She looked at each line with great interest, a hint of amusement playing on her lips.

At the top of the list were two people who had been promoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine.

Niohuru clan and Tongjia clan.

Emperor Kangxi also added a small note in the margin, stating that the Niohuru clan's surname was too long, and therefore bestowed upon them the title of Shun.

The way the character "顺" was used in the title seems quite interesting.

Tongjia was directly addressed as Imperial Concubine, and the two Imperial Concubines were treated equally, with no distinction in rank.

Jiang Nan understood immediately. The Niohuru clan was prominent and had a long history, so it was inevitable that she would be promoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine.

This was considered a significant concession to the Niohuru family of the previous dynasty.

As for Lady Tongjia, given her status as the emperor's cousin and her family background, it was only natural that she was granted the title of Imperial Concubine.

However, in the eyes of the Empress, whether a Noble Consort or a Concubine, as long as they behaved themselves, there was no difference.

Below the Imperial Concubine, the positions of the Four Concubines were vacant.

It is clear that Emperor Kangxi deliberately left it in place to incentivize and balance the positions of the concubines below him.

Seven concubines were granted the title: Concubine An, née Li; Concubine Jing, née Wang; and Concubine Duan, née Dong.

In addition, there were Consort Cheng (Daijia clan), Consort Hui (Nara clan), Consort Yi (Guoluo clan), and even Consort Xi (Hesheli clan).

Jiang Nan's gaze lingered briefly on Consort Cheng, Dai Jia.

This position originally belonged to Lady Magiya, who gave birth to the third son of the emperor.

Now that Lady Ma Jia has died, Emperor Kangxi gave the title of Consort to Lady Dai Jia.

It's possible that this was partly due to her good relationship with Daijia, and partly out of a desire to promote her.

As for that Consort Xi, of the Hesheli clan…

Jiang Nan gently tapped the name with her finger.

The news of Hesheli's sterilization must have already reached the Hesheli family of the previous dynasty.

Emperor Kangxi first gave the Hesheli family a severe dressing down, and now he has granted them the title of concubine.

The emperor's art of "giving a beating followed by a sweet treat" was employed with unparalleled skill.

He both warned the Hesheri family to behave themselves and gave them a sliver of dignity and hope, demonstrating his shrewdness.

Below them are the ranks of Noble Person, Attendant, and other similar positions, but she wasn't very interested in them.

Jiang Nan paid special attention to Wuya, and seeing that she had been appointed as a Changzai, he stopped paying much attention to her.