"System, everyone's saying there's a conspiracy behind Empress Xiaokangzhang's early death early in the Emperor's reign. Could this really be related to the Empress Dowager's faction?"
Casually stroking her chin, Xiu Ning knew that it would still be some time before she arrived at the Forbidden City, so she simply relaxed and chatted with the system in her mind about some gossip.
In any case, the materials she had read did not actually show that Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was intolerant of the Tongjia clan. But strangely, some novels or unofficial histories speculated that this point could be attributed to Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, and even found reasonable reasons for her to prevent the Tongjia clan from becoming too powerful and threatening the position of her own niece, Empress Xiaohuizhang, the stepmother of Emperor Kangxi.
'To be honest, this reason is valid, but it seems unnecessary for Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang to take such a big risk.' Moreover, if not handled properly or if she leaves any evidence, it could easily erase the previous relationship between her and Emperor Kangxi.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, who came from the Khorchin Borjigit clan, understood better that when the maternal relatives became too powerful, even the emperor himself could not tolerate them.
Therefore, if the Tong family becomes arrogant and domineering in the future, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang will not need to worry about how to handle such matters, because Emperor Kangxi himself will be able to use his methods to suppress them.
As for Empress Xiaohui? She was a widow, and Emperor Shunzhi did not treat her well during his reign, which inevitably led to her timid nature.
Even as a powerless empress dowager, would Empress Xiaohui still dare to provoke the Tongjia clan? It's highly unlikely.
Since the system did not provide any response, Xiuning's words sounded more like she was asking and answering herself.
These random thoughts kept replaying in her mind until the carriage suddenly stopped, and she heard servants outside inviting her to get off and enter the palace. The Forbidden City had arrived.
Large items of luggage were not allowed to be brought in, but smaller items were carried by palace servants who waited nearby.
With a smile on her face and holding her own wooden plaque in her hand, Xiu Ning followed the little eunuch leading the way to the palace where she would be staying.
On the way, seeing that no one was around, Xiu Ning simply used the same trick again, quickly stuffing a small purse full of silver into the little eunuch leading the way.
"Excuse me, sir, may I ask which palace we are going to? Are there any taboos there?"
As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face. Xiu Ning had a beaming smile on her face, so even if the little eunuch felt offended and was dissatisfied, he could not show it too much.
The young eunuch leading the way was taken aback when he suddenly saw the purse in his hand. Then, noticing Xiu Ning's words and smile, he paused, then nodded, "Your Excellency, please be patient. We are heading to Chu Xiu Palace."
Since the distinguished guest arrived early, there weren't many people in Chuxiu Palace at the moment, so he was able to stay in a nice room.
As for taboos, there aren't any in Chuxiu Palace. However, the matrons in charge of these rules are all from Cining Palace and are rather serious. Noble ladies should remember to be careful with their words and actions at all times, otherwise being caught and scolded by the matrons would be a real hardship.
After hearing what the little eunuch said, Xiu Ning was pleasantly surprised. Without any hesitation, she took out a round purse and handed it over. "Thank you for your advice, sir. This purse contains only some loose silver, nothing valuable. Please take it and have some tea. It is just a token of my appreciation."
The eunuch in charge of leading the way: ...
Well, this esteemed young lady is certainly generous.
After a brief internal struggle, the young eunuch put the purse into his pocket. It would be foolish not to take advantage of a good deal. He had managed to secure this opportunity precisely to earn some extra money to save for his retirement.
However, this young eunuch who was leading the way was obviously doing this kind of work for the first time. Unlike the seasoned veterans who had been in the palace for a long time, he was calm and cold-hearted. He still had a conscience and felt that he had received too much money, so he couldn't help but want to tell more information as a small reward for the transaction.
Xiu Ning naturally welcomed this even more, as she would be living in the palace for more than half a month. Being new to the place, knowing more hidden inside information would at least be beneficial to her.
The two walked and talked, and as they approached the gate of the Zhichu Xiu Palace, the young eunuch who was leading the way reluctantly stopped talking and bowed to lead Xiu Ning inside.
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