Concubine Tong's face turned pale. What's wrong with her just thinking about the position of queen? This was what her aunt promised to give her. Since she had promised it, she had to do it. Why did he think she was not worthy of it?

"Your Majesty, you are my cousin. You loved me when we were little. Why are you so hostile to me now? Have I done anything against the will of heaven and earth to make you dissatisfied with me?"

Kangxi almost laughed. How could she have the nerve to say such a thing?

Let's not talk about anything else, just say that it was she who organized the flower viewing banquet. It's outrageous that she can go against her conscience and say that she has never done anything against the law.

"I don't have that much time to argue with you. You can see that I'm very busy. Please leave. Don't come to the Ganqing Palace to disturb me if you have nothing to do."

"I understand. I'll take my leave."

Concubine Tong felt that she could not just sit there and wait for death. If she did nothing, she was afraid that she would really miss the position of queen.

She had already missed it once, and if she missed it again this time, she would never be able to recover for the rest of her life.

"Send someone to inform Father, and tell him that the harem cannot be left without a master for a day, and have him write a letter to ask the Emperor to appoint a queen."

"yes."

Kangxi originally wanted to continue reading the memorials, but Concubine Tong's words made him feel that if he did not make her the queen, she would always be thinking about this position and bother him, so he went to discuss it with Xiaozhuang.

"The harem really needs to be left without a master, but the queen has only been gone for a few months. Isn't it a bit hasty to bring this up now?"

"I know I'm a little anxious, but Concubine Tong's behavior today makes me feel that she will definitely not give up. Since she is thinking about the position of Queen, I will completely put an end to her thoughts."

"You're right, but the only ones with high positions in the harem right now are her, Noble Consort Niuhulu, and Concubine Chen. Do you really want Concubine Chen to be the queen?"

"No, she's still young, and I don't want her to be blamed."

Xiaozhuang rolled her eyes. She gave up on her because she thought that if she became the queen now, the world would misunderstand her as a concubine who brought disaster to the country. She also thought that he was not so sincere to her.

"Since you have given me the decision-making power, I will tell you in detail. I think the Niuhulu family is good."

Niuhulu? Indeed, she has a long history and a high position, and she is sensible and knows her limits. She is indeed much better than Concubine Tong.

If there really was talk of establishing a queen in the court, he would make her the queen. Anyway, she was the one managing the harem now, and becoming the queen would make it more legitimate for her to do these things.

Moreover, if she becomes the queen, she can solve many problems for him. Even if it is just for a quiet office environment, he will push her to the position.

"Since the Queen Mother thinks the Imperial Concubine is good, then make her the next Empress. Of course, this news can only be spread after Concubine Tong has caused trouble."

Xiaozhuang was speechless. How could she not know that he had such a bad taste? Concubine Tong thought that the position of Queen was hers, but she never thought that they had already decided on the Imperial Concubine.

If she gets disappointed, she might resent him, right? If she does something harmful, I wonder how he will handle it.

As they expected, Tong Guowei immediately gathered people to discuss the matter of appointing a queen after receiving the news. He was the king's uncle, and the queen should be his daughter.

The next day, ministers led by Tong Guowei submitted petitions asking Kangxi to appoint a queen. He sneered, thinking that this would lead to the appointment of Concubine Tong as queen? Impossible.

"Indeed, my harem cannot remain without a master. My dear minister, who do you think would be the best empress?"

Seeing this, Soetu knew that Kangxi did not want to make Concubine Tong the queen. Although he hoped that Mu Sili would take the throne, it was better for her to keep a low profile at this time, after all, she was pregnant.

After much deliberation, he recommended Concubine Nianhulu, after all, she was more suitable to be the queen than Concubine Tong.

Kangxi did not give an immediate reply, but said that he needed to think about it. Tong Guowei knew not to push him too hard, so he did not pursue the matter.

In Chengqian Palace, even though Concubine Tong knew that someone recommended Concubine Nianhulu as the empress, she was not too worried. She believed that Kangxi would make her the empress for the sake of the Tong family.

When she becomes the queen, she will have the final say in the harem, and anyone who disrespects her will be dealt with one by one.

"Your Majesty, are you sure the Emperor will really make you his empress? I don't think that's the case. Why don't you go to the Palace of Heavenly Purity and ask?"

"Ask? Why would you ask? I am the Emperor's cousin, and the Tong family is the Emperor's maternal family. Although Noble Consort Niuhulu is one rank higher than me, she is just a concubine's daughter. How can she be qualified to become the Empress?"

The palace maid didn't know what to say for a moment. If Kangxi cared about legitimate and illegitimate women, how could he let her become a noble concubine and make the empress, who was his cousin, inferior?

But she is just a servant. Whatever the queen says is what she does, and all she has to do is obey her orders.

In Yongshou Palace, Concubine Nianhulu did not care about the issue of establishing a queen proposed by the previous dynasty. Based on her understanding of Kangxi, he definitely wanted Mu Sili to become the queen.

After all, his favor for her was obvious to all, she was raising the queen's only legitimate son and was pregnant, and she was also the legitimate daughter recorded in the family tree by Soetu, so she was qualified to be the queen.

"My Lady, don't you want to be the Queen?"

"I do, but that position is not mine. It's already a favor from the Emperor that a concubine like me can become a noble concubine by relying on the status of my family. How can I expect to be in a higher position?"

She was an ordinary person and naturally had emotions and desires, but it was pointless to think about things that did not belong to her. She would be better off helping Kangxi manage the harem with that time.

Although her position would be awkward after she became queen, if the other party was kind, she wouldn't be affected, right?

Imperial Concubine is indeed the highest position she can reach with her current status. One should not be too greedy, as it is easy to lose everything she has.

"Princess Chen, who do you think the Emperor will make Empress?"

"Why would the Grand Empress Dowager ask me this question? This is a matter of great importance, and I dare not comment on it. The most important thing is that the Emperor can appoint whomever he wants. I have no objection.

You can see that I have Baocheng to raise and am pregnant with the heir to the throne, so I don't have time to engage in deception with them. If I had that time, I would rather spend more time with my child."

Xiaozhuang didn't know what to say for a moment. It was a good thing that she didn't care about the position of queen, but it was precisely because of this that people felt that she didn't care about Kangxi.

"Forget it, this is indeed what Xuanye decided. Take good care of your pregnancy, your blessings are yet to come."

Mu Sili's mind froze. Why did she have the feeling that Xiaozhuang was Concubine Ning and she was Zhen Huan?

"Grand Empress Dowager, it is a great blessing for me to serve the Emperor and bear his children. I dare not ask for too much. I just want to grow old with the Emperor for the rest of my life."

Her words made Xiaozhuang very satisfied. At least she was now wholeheartedly devoted to Kangxi. As for the rest, they would talk about it later.