Emperor Kangxi did not express any opinion on this matter, but listened to how the Empress Dowager tried to smooth things over.
With no one to cooperate with, the Empress Dowager found it rather boring to talk on her own, and her voice inevitably grew softer as she spoke.
Empress Dowager: ...
"Grandmother, you are right, but I still feel there are some things that need to be considered in light of the previous dynasty."
As you know, the rebellion of the princes has not completely ended to this day, and there are even rumors on the border that Wu Sangui intends to declare himself emperor.
The Manchu soldiers are fighting valiantly for the Qing Dynasty on the battlefield; I cannot ignore this."
Kangxi painstakingly explained to the Empress Dowager that although his words sounded reasonable, they were rather vague, like saying a lot but actually extracting very little useful information.
If the Empress Dowager still didn't understand what Kangxi meant after hearing this, then she would be ashamed of her many years of ruling.
Hey, isn't it just making excuses to refuse to do Mongolia a favor or give Mongolia some benefits?
The anger that had been building up inside her suddenly flared up. Perhaps because she had been feeling somewhat stifled lately, the Empress Dowager lost her usual composure and her words became sharp.
"Emperor, as early as the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Mongolia had contributed a great deal to it."
Not to mention that over the years, rebellions have repeatedly occurred around the border, and it was always the Mongol cavalry that helped quell them.
Whether it was during my time as a concubine or during the reign of the late emperor, there were many Mongol concubines in the harem. But look at the harem now; the Mongols feel uneasy. Is that wrong?
It turns out that during the honeymoon period between the Qing Dynasty and Mongolia, the imperial harem was full of Mongolians, and even Emperor Kangxi himself had Mongolian blood.
But now, not long after all, the treatment of the Mongols has been reduced again and again, and there are no more imperial offspring born to Mongol concubines in the harem. This severe offense to the Mongols is to prevent them from becoming too powerful and having other ideas. Is this really fair to the Mongols?
She also brought herself into the Mongol camp, which is why the Empress Dowager felt wronged.
Since marrying Huang Taiji, she has always been scheming for the Qing Dynasty. Even when her own son Shunzhi ascended the throne, in order to consolidate his power, she forced him to marry both his aunt and niece.
It can be said that the Empress Dowager had selfish motives, but she was also genuinely considering Shunzhi's interests. Otherwise, if a young emperor suddenly ascended the throne without any powerful backing, who else could he rely on but the Mongols?
Unfortunately, at that time, Emperor Shunzhi did not understand the Empress Dowager's good intentions at all (he may have understood them, but he did not accept them). The mother and son had a very unpleasant argument, and even developed a rift with the Khorchin because of the matter between Consort Jing and the Empress Dowager.
Even though Mongolia continues to send young women to the palace, it has nothing to do with the Empress Dowager's lineage. The root cause is the fate of Consort Jing and the Empress Dowager (the reason why the Empress Dowager allowed the Empress Dowager to cause trouble was that she felt she had done right by the Qing Dynasty, but she had indeed let down her own family, the Khorchin).
“Grandmother, I know you want to compensate the Mongols,” Kangxi frowned, pushing the teacup on the table toward the Empress Dowager. “Since it is your wish, I am not unable to fulfill it.”
The Empress Dowager frowned after hearing this. "Xuan Ye, what do you mean by this?"
What does "what she desires" mean? What does she desire? She is not talking about the unfair treatment of the Qing Dynasty towards its ally, the Mongols, or the fact that the promised conditions were not fulfilled.
Kangxi smiled, his expression reassuring, "I was just thinking that these matters in the memorials are neither too big nor too small. I understand the difficulties they face when they are away from home, but there are gains and losses. Does Grandmother truly want to use all the credit on the women in the harem?"
Empress Dowager: ...?!
The Empress Dowager's pupils contracted as she realized that her emotions had been led by Kangxi, and she had lost sight of her original purpose.
Your Majesty, you've grown up.
Unable to suppress a sigh, the Empress Dowager looked at Kangxi with complicated emotions, unsure of what to say.
Just like something she was confident she could control slipped out of her control after something unexpected happened, the feeling of loss after losing it caused the Empress Dowager great pain.
...
"My lady, it's getting late. Why don't you let me help you to your room to rest?"
Su Ma La Gu appeared beside the Empress Dowager, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to bring the Empress Dowager back to her senses.
"Oh, it's already so late?"
After turning her head, the Empress Dowager looked down at the open window again. "How long has the Emperor been gone?"
Sumalagu bowed her head and said, "It has been more than half an hour."
After a long pause, the Empress Dowager spoke, "It's too late, it's really too late."
It turns out she had been thinking about this all along; the Emperor had truly given her a difficult problem.
Given that she cannot have both, what should she choose?
"master"
Sumalagu held the Empress Dowager's arm, her eyes filled with concern.
"I'm fine."
She was just feeling bad, being betrayed by the grandson she had raised (mainly because she was led by the nose the whole time; could it be that she's really getting old?).
"Su Ma, go and invite the Empress Dowager over first thing tomorrow morning."
Rubbing the bridge of her nose with one hand to calm herself down, the Empress Dowager decided to give the choice to the Empress Dowager. It was hard to say how much longer she could live, so let the Empress Dowager come. It would be a way of repaying the debt she owed to Khorchin for so many years.
The next morning, Su Ma La Gu simply went to Shou Kang Palace herself.
At this moment, in the main hall of Shou Kang Palace, the Empress Dowager was having breakfast with Ning Chuge.
The previous controversy surrounding Consort Shu has passed, and Ning Chuge has resumed her normal outdoor classes.
However, the weather has been getting hotter lately, and the Empress Dowager is worried that Ning Chuge's skin will be damaged if he spends too much time outdoors, so she is somewhat reluctant to let Ning Chuge go outside all the time.
"Grandmother, please agree. I promise I won't risk my life like I did last year. With the imperial physicians here, I'll be fine."
Ning Chuge pleaded and acted coquettishly while eating, her manner of begging was quite practiced.
The maids serving the food around them kept their heads down and remained silent, but none of them could hide the smiles on their lips.
The Empress Dowager, in particular, had long known of Ning Chuge's tormenting nature; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so devoted to him. Their relationship was quite deep.
"How can I believe what you say? Last year, you were so black you looked like a lump of coal, and you almost made me lose all face."
In any case, this year can't be like last year. You'll just stay at Shou Kang Palace and attend classes obediently. Anyway, I've already spoken with your tutors and the Emperor, and no one will make things easy for you anymore."
After saying these words with a smile, the Empress Dowager successfully saw a deflated little ball.
He personally ladled out a bowl of soup and handed it to her, saying, "Eat quickly, you still have lessons to do later, don't keep your teacher waiting."
Ning Chuge: ...
"Yes, granddaughter understands."
Ning Chuge nodded with a pitiful expression and took the soup to eat.
At this moment, a maidservant stepped forward and whispered in the Empress Dowager's ear about Sumalagu's arrival.
"Let her go back first, and tell her that I will go there immediately after I finish my meal."
The Empress Dowager whispered a few words of instruction before continuing her meal with Ning Chuge.
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