The biggest winner?!
Granny Li was stunned; she had no idea where her mistress had come to that conclusion.
Before Granny Li could react, Hesheli Fangyi, looking as if she had everything under control, beckoned Tanyun to her side and told her the plan she had come up with.
Tan Yun's eyes lit up, and after nodding, she left the inner room first.
It was obvious that this was being arranged by someone, as time was tight and Hesheli Fangyi didn't want to miss it.
Granny Li asked with some concern, "Your Highness, is there something amiss?"
Why did she have to fan the flames and let Consort Shu and Consort Borjigit fight it out, instead of waiting for things to settle down before leaking the news to Consort Borjigit, trying to drag the Empress Dowager into the fray and target Consort Shu together?
"Since Consort Shu is pregnant, no matter how much the Empress Dowager dislikes her, she will still show some favoritism towards the Emperor's offspring."
What Hesheli Fangyi needs to do is to get the Empress Dowager to let go of her favoritism and even ignore the fact that Consort Shu is pregnant, so that she can then take action.
The harem was teeming with spies, and it's no exaggeration to say that the Empress Dowager was one of the most powerful figures among them.
Consort Hesheli Fangyi was not confident that the Empress Dowager would find fault with Consort Shu when dealing with her, so she needed the Empress Dowager to first develop a cold attitude towards Consort Shu, at least so that she would not expose her in front of the Emperor.
"Will this work?"
Granny Li wasn't very optimistic, and she felt that her mistress was overthinking things. Even now, the Empress Dowager didn't seem to have high hopes for Consort Shu and her child, and it seemed she didn't need to use the miscarriage of Consort Borjigit to stir things up.
"Granny, go down and help Tanyun check and fill in the gaps. Time is of the essence. Consort Shu is six months pregnant. If she continues like this, she may not have a chance to miscarry."
Hesheli Fangyi couldn't let this child be born in seven months.
Otherwise, given the Niohuru clan's connections, it would be very difficult to deal with the situation after the child was born.
Seeing that her mistress had made up her mind, Granny Li could no longer persuade her, so she nodded and agreed to Hesheli Fangyi's arrangements.
With her own affairs to attend to, Consort Hesheli no longer needed to focus all her attention on the Qianqing Palace, or worry about who the Emperor favored today or who he would recruit tomorrow.
Even at the end of July, the heat lingered.
Xiuning sat on the tatami mat, with Xuancao and Xuanting fanning her vigorously beside her.
"Hasn't Xiao Zhuozi come back yet?"
Turning her head, Xiu Ning saw that there was still no movement at the door, and she became a little impatient.
The ice in the side hall is almost gone. If Xiao Zhuozi can't get the ice back, the days ahead for Qixiang Palace will be tough.
"No, Sister Chunyu hasn't come back either," Xuancao glanced at the table and quickly replied in a low voice.
Xiu Ning sighed, then reached out and took the fan from Xuan Cao's hand. "You and Xuan Ting should go down and rest for a while. It's too hot in the main hall."
As she spoke, Xiuning stood up abruptly, trying to suppress the restlessness in her heart.
At this time, there was no option to leave the palace to escape the summer heat. Everyone obediently stayed in the Forbidden City to spend the summer. The only thing they could rely on was the ice that the Imperial Household Department allocated to them according to their rations.
However, the ice was stored in a huge ice cellar, and it was usually taken out in batches as they were used up. Xiuning felt that given her current situation in the harem, things wouldn't go smoothly.
Sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, Chunyu and Xiaozhuozi returned one after the other.
Both of them were covered in sweat, especially Xiao Zhuozi, whose clothes were soaked through and he looked pitiful.
Xiuning simply waved her hand, telling Xiao Zhuozi to tidy up his appearance first. She beckoned to Chunyu, who looked rather refreshed, poured her a cup of iced tea, and handed it to her. "How are you? Is everything alright?"
Chunyu gulped down the herbal tea in two gulps, then shook her head decisively. "My lady, the ice in each palace is in dire need of ice. Our share has been reduced by about 30%."
At this point, Chunyu puffed out her cheeks, "Apart from the Mongolian concubines who were left untouched, the other concubines also had their numbers reduced accordingly. Even Concubine Ma Jia, who had given birth to a prince, couldn't escape this."
Even Consort Ma Jia received 10% more than them, so one can only imagine how much the others received.
Xiuning frowned. "Is it that serious?"
Chunyu nodded and said, "It's more difficult than I imagined. Her Majesty the Empress even gave one-third of her monthly ice allowance to Cining Palace and Shou Kang Palace."
Of course, this can be considered a way of showing filial piety, and one can enjoy the praise of the previous dynasty and the common people for their righteousness. However, one can only bear the bitter consequences of not having ice to cool down.
Xiuning understands and respects the Empress's actions, but she does not agree with them. In any case, she will not suffer for such empty fame. If one cannot do as much as one wants in life, then wouldn't this journey be unpleasant?
"Try to minimize the amount of ice used, as it will take some time before the temperature drops."
Also, spend a little more money each day to send the servants of Qixiang Palace a bowl of chilled mung bean soup; there's no need to skimp on this.
Xiuning didn't expect this bowl of mung bean soup to win people's hearts, but since everyone was in the same palace, she couldn't appear too indifferent for the sake of future management.
Chunyu nodded, "This servant understands."
...
Cining Palace Main Hall
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang held the copied Buddhist scriptures in her hands and carefully read through them word by word.
Behind her, Su Mala Gu whispered, "Your Majesty, the ice sent by Her Majesty the Empress has arrived."
"Remember to send more to Qiqige. She recently had a miscarriage. Although she can't stand the cold, too much heat is also bad for her health," Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang muttered, then asked about the two people staying at Yanxi Palace.
Su Ma La Gu lowered her head, "Everything is fine, but the miscarriage at Yonghe Palace really gave them a fright. They've been taking sedatives prescribed by the Imperial Hospital to fall asleep lately."
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang sighed helplessly, "In the end, he is just not up to par."
Sumalagu did not reply, because she did not know who her master was referring to, but it was most likely both.
Whether it was the Borjigit concubine of Yonghe Palace who was unaware of her own situation and was inexplicably tricked into miscarrying, or the two Borjigit concubines of Yanxi Palace who fell ill from fright after entering the palace, their overall performance failed to satisfy their masters.
"The Consort Shu and the Empress are both incredibly cunning."
With a soft sigh, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang put down the Buddhist scripture in her hand and began to slide the prayer beads in her hand more frequently.
"In that case, I will grant their wish. Su Ma, go and send the compiled list of palace officials to Kunning Palace. Tell them that I am currently unwell and that palace affairs will be temporarily handled by the Empress."
She didn't intend to harm Consort Shu, so she would give the Empress a chance. Even if Consort Shu wanted to retaliate in the future, she would help provide that opportunity.
Having schemed against the Mongol faction, they still think they can escape unscathed? What a joke.
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