Chapter 224 The Grand Finale - Phoenix Reigns Supreme

A year has passed quietly amidst the red walls and yellow tiles of the Forbidden City.

The west wing of Yonghe Palace seems to have become a forgotten corner.

Despite being ignored, Lady Uya eventually gave birth to the fourth prince with great difficulty.

As soon as the child was born, Consort Tongjia, who had been waiting for a long time, went directly to find Emperor Kangxi under the pretext of palace rules.

Emperor Kangxi already harbored resentment towards Lady Uya for her past deception of the emperor, and this was in addition to the palace rules.

He nodded almost without thinking, agreeing to his cousin's request to raise the fourth prince.

When Lady Uya, weakened by childbirth, learned that her own flesh and blood was about to be taken to Chengqian Palace...

The pent-up grievances, resentment, and despair of the past year erupted instantly.

Despite her postpartum weakness, she rushed to Emperor Kangxi and protested tearfully.

"Your Majesty! This is unfair! When the Second Prince was born, there was both the Empress and the high-ranking Consort Niohuru in the palace, yet the Second Prince was still raised by his birth mother, Lady Nara! Why is it that only I am separated from my own flesh and blood? Consort Tongjia and I have a long-standing grudge. If the Fourth Prince is entrusted to her for upbringing, how can Your Majesty guarantee that she won't vent her resentment on the child? How can I rest easy!"

For the sake of her son, she confronted Emperor Kangxi so sharply for the first time.

As Kangxi looked at her pale and agitated face, for a moment he recalled the bitterness of his own childhood separation from his birth mother.

But now that his words have been spoken, and the other party is the Imperial Concubine's cousin, how could he change his mind so easily?

Ultimately, he chose to make amends rather than change his decision.

The emperor issued an edict to promote Wuya to the rank of concubine, bestow upon her the title of Virtue, and grant her residence in the main hall of Yonghe Palace as a gesture of appeasement.

When Uya received the imperial decree, she knew that this was the best outcome she could achieve at the moment.

She knelt down to express her gratitude, swallowing her endless hatred and bitterness.

From then on, Chengqian Palace had one more little prince.

Consort Tongjia treated him as her own son, taking meticulous care of him—at least on the surface.

Kangxi's warning was still ringing in her ears. She was not stupid and understood that this child was now an important bargaining chip for her to maintain her position in the harem.

But she would never miss any opportunity to provoke Consort De.

She would often bring her chubby fourth prince to the main hall of Yonghe Palace under the pretext of letting his birth mother see him.

“Consort De, look at him! How well the Fourth Prince is being raised here. He has such a chubby little face, and he smiles whenever he sees me.”

Tongjia held the child and looked at Wuya with a smile.

His tone was laced with undisguised boasting and sarcasm.

“What did you say to the Emperor that day, sister? That you were worried that I would mistreat the prince because of old grudges? Now it seems that you were really overthinking it. I treat him even better than some birth mothers do.”

Wuya looked at her son, who was babbling in Tongjia's arms and showing dependence on Tongjia.

My heart is breaking, yet I have to force a smile every time.

Every meeting was like rubbing salt into her bleeding wound.

Empress Jiang Nan watched all of this with a cold eye, without intervening.

She recalled the cold, almost eerie relationship between Emperor Yongzheng and his birth mother, Consort De, in another time and space.

Now I understand a little better.

It wasn't that Uya didn't love her son, but every time she saw him, she would think of Tongjia's smug face and hurtful words, and the humiliation of being powerless as his birth mother.

This unease, akin to recognizing a thief as one's father, gradually eroded the already weakened bond between mother and child due to their separation.

Putting herself in his shoes, Jiang Nan felt that she might not be able to like the child raised and loved by her enemy.

But such are the palace rules, and Kangxi has already made his decision. She will not interfere or take sides for the sake of a mere Consort De.

Life flows slowly through this delicate balance and undercurrents.

In the blink of an eye, it was the 26th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuangwen passed away.

The passing of this grandmother, who had a profound influence on Kangxi's life, dealt the emperor a heavy blow.

He was devastated, suspended court sessions to keep vigil over the body, and even refused to be buried according to custom.

They temporarily enshrined the coffin in the Temporary Anfeng Hall outside the Donghua Gate, and were reluctant to remove it for a long time.

At this time, Emperor Kangxi was thirty-three years old, Jiang Nan was thirty-five years old, and their son Erhe had grown into a handsome eighteen-year-old youth.

Three years ago, Jiang Nan arranged a marriage for Erhe. His wife was Fucha Maqi's younger sister, who was dignified and virtuous.

Last year, he gave birth to a big, healthy grandson for Jiang Nan, allowing her to experience the joys of being a grandmother at the advanced age of thirty-five.

Seeing that Emperor Kangxi was deeply grieving over his grandmother's death and almost neglected state affairs.

Jiang Nan then suggested that Erhe handle daily government affairs in the previous dynasty, both to gain experience and to relieve Kangxi's burdens.

She led the concubines in the harem to accompany Emperor Kangxi through this most difficult time.

Time truly heals all wounds. Although Emperor Kangxi still hadn't buried Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, his grief had lessened somewhat.

When Kangxi was about to return to the court, Jiang Nan stopped him.

"Your Majesty, look how well Erhe has been handling things these days. I've seen him review the memorials in a very organized and logical manner. Why don't you just observe from behind the scenes, offer guidance, and take good care of your health? Why do you have to do everything yourself and ruin your health?"

Jiang Nan persuaded and pulled him, insisting that Kangxi, who was still immersed in grief and exhaustion, stay in Kunning Palace to recuperate.

Every day after court, Erhe would come to the Kunning Palace to report the day's affairs to Emperor Kangxi in detail.

At first, Kangxi would often give him advice and even wanted to take back his power, but Jiang Nan always found a way to hold him back.

As time went on, Kangxi gradually grew accustomed to this life of ruling from behind the curtain.

While disciplining her son, she and Jiang Nan lived a rather leisurely life like an emperor emeritus.

My state of mind gradually became peaceful and open.

By the 30th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Erhe had become increasingly mature and capable, and his prestige in the court was growing daily.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Jiang Nan made a suggestion to Emperor Kangxi.

It would be better to abdicate in favor of him, making him the retired emperor and allowing Erhe to officially ascend the throne, thus extinguishing the growing ambitions of the other princes.

Kangxi looked at Jiang Nan, and then thought of his increasingly restless and scheming sons.

I know that what Jiang Nan said makes sense.

Moreover, he had long been accustomed to spending such a leisurely life with Jiang Nan.

If I don't agree, Nan Nan might cut off my dinner tonight.

So he nodded in agreement.

In the thirtieth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Kangxi Emperor formally issued an edict to abdicate, and Crown Prince Erhe ascended the throne as the new emperor, with the reign title Jianxi.

Emperor Kangxi was honored as the Retired Emperor and moved to Changchun Garden, so Jiang Nan naturally became the Retired Empress.

On this day, after court, Erhe, dressed in a dragon robe and looking radiant, came to Changchun Garden to pay his respects.

Inside the hall, Emperor Kangxi and Jiang Nan were sitting and talking.

After bowing, Erkh said with excitement.

"Father Emperor, Mother Emperor, guess which country's envoy I met today?"

Jiang Nan leaned lazily against the cushion and laughed.

"Look how happy you are! Who is this distinguished guest who has made you so excited?"

Erhedao,

“Reporting to Mother, it is an envoy sent by the Japanese kingdom of Japan. They say they admire the prosperity of our Great Qing Dynasty and have come to pay tribute, wishing to emulate and learn from Chinese civilization.”

"Japan?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan's brows furrowed instantly, her languid demeanor vanished, and she sat up straight.

She had been living such a comfortable life all these years that she had almost forgotten about this beastly island nation.

"Irkh!"

Jiang Nan spoke calmly, with an undeniable air of authority.

"The Empress Dowager dislikes this country very much. She dislikes it vehemently."

She looked at her young son, the emperor, her gaze sharp and filled with murderous intent.

"Your Majesty has never asked anything of you. Now she has only one request: immediately set to work, mobilize troops, and help Your Majesty destroy this island nation."

Emperor Kangxi, who was listening from the side, was taken aback and couldn't help but interject.

"Nannan, why would you need to resort to arms for no reason? Our Celestial Empire should win people over with virtue. How can we wage war without cause? This is against propriety."

Jiang Nan turned her head, spat out a curse without any politeness, and glared at Kangxi.

"Your Majesty, you've been living a life of leisure for too long, and you've become arrogant, haven't you? You still call your Great Celestial Empire 'governing by virtue'? Do you know how much silver is buried under that tiny country? We should wipe them out and make them mine for us generation after generation, only then can the Qing Dynasty barely maintain the appearance of a Great Celestial Empire!"

She ignored the speechless Kangxi and turned to face Erhe.

He spoke with the same resolute tone he used when he threatened to spank him if he didn't study hard.

"It's settled then! Erhe, if you can't even handle a little Japanese, your mother dares to pull down your pants and spank your emperor's bottom in front of the entire court! Do you hear me?"

Even though Erhe was now the emperor, he still instinctively shuddered upon hearing this and quickly bowed in response.

"Your subject will obey Your Majesty's decree and will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations!"

Jiang Nan nodded in satisfaction, leaned back in her chair, and smiled contentedly.

(The End)

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I didn't want to end it hastily; the book's performance was too lackluster. I can only hope that restarting it will get some favor.

The new book is in preparation. As for the genre, it will still be a carefree, unrestrained, and domineering novel.

I still hope all of you readers can be more active, and help my next book soar to new heights. We can't let it be like this one where everyone reads it and remains silent.

Title: A Feud in a Noble Family Mansion? I, with My Own Father, Deceive the Emperor

Just look at the title! It exudes a rebellious spirit! It gives off the vibe that the protagonist is about to rebel.