Chapter 32 I'm not even dead yet, and you're already eyeing my position as Empress?
Now that Fanghua has retrieved the Phoenix Seal, she naturally needs to sort out the palace affairs.
The morning passed just like that.
The ledgers were piled up on the desk. Fanghua felt a stiff neck, so she beckoned someone to massage it, and then planned to go see the children.
As the days passed, the Mongol delegation finally arrived in the capital.
Before she could receive any news from her mother outside the palace, the Empress Dowager had already sent someone to invite her over.
Upon arriving at Cining Palace, Fanghua learned that the four princesses had actually been invited into the palace.
The harem news network is still a bit weak. Recently, Xiao Feng has been busy fusing with the Phoenix Seal, so some news has been a bit slow to arrive.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager, may the Empress Dowager enjoy boundless blessings; greetings to the Empress Mother, may the Empress Mother be well."
"Alright, alright, there are no outsiders here." The Empress Dowager interrupted Fanghua's curtsy with great pleasure. "Come and sit down, let me introduce you."
Four little girls dressed in Mongolian attire stood beside the Empress Dowager.
As she bowed, the four men also knelt on one knee to pay their respects to the Empress.
Fanghua thought the Empress Dowager was in a good mood today, which was why she was exempted from the formalities. Little did she know that it was for someone else's sake.
Well, that made her a little unhappy.
"These are the rules, and they must not be broken." Fanghua finished the entire ceremony, then stood up and greeted the four kneeling girls with a "Qi Ke" (a traditional greeting). Only then did the four girls stand up.
Upon seeing this, the Empress Dowager's smile faded slightly, and a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes.
"You're too formal. Come here, let me introduce you to someone. You'll be living in the harem together from now on, so you'll have to take good care of me, Empress."
Fanghua then took a good look at the four girls. To be honest, they were all just children. She really didn't know what the Empress Dowager was thinking.
I feel deeply resentful.
"Yes, I will do whatever my grandmother says."
All four of them were from the Borjigit clan. Although they were five degrees apart in kinship, they all shared the same ancestor.
Did the Qing Dynasty inadvertently offend the Borjigit?
"This is Gao Yun, a legitimate princess from your mother's lineage."
"This is Menghe. Speaking of her, Fanghua is related to you." The Empress Dowager held Menghe's little hand, her face full of kindness: "She and your mother can be considered sisters."
Fanghua felt dizzy listening to this; the relationships were really complicated.
Her mother's sister, what is she to her?
aunt?
"This granddaughter-in-law really doesn't know." Fanghua looked bewildered. "What did the Empress Dowager say?" So she asked, following the Empress Dowager's lead.
"Haha, you didn't know, did you?" So the Empress Dowager explained it to Fanghua in detail.
Fanghua understood. What sisters? They just share the same surname and go back to their ancestors.
It must have been really tough on the Empress Dowager.
What Fanghua didn't know was that the Empress Dowager did this because her cousin fell ill as soon as she entered the capital, ruining the Empress Dowager's plans and forcing her to choose a new person. Now, in order to establish a relationship with the Empress, she was in a terrible predicament.
"So, by that logic, your granddaughter-in-law should call Menghe Gege 'aunt.' It's a good thing we have the Empress Dowager here, otherwise I wouldn't even recognize her." Fanghua stepped forward and took Menghe Gege's hand with a charming smile.
"Since we're family, come visit me in my palace when you have time. I've never left the capital since I was born, so you'd better tell me all the interesting things about Mongolia."
Seeing how much the Empress liked them, the Empress Dowager was relieved. "Haha, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Come, let me introduce them to you again."
A ten-year-old girl named Baoyin had a blush on her face, suggesting that she was someone who often traveled outside.
The other one is Gerile, who doesn't look like a princess raised in Mongolia at all.
When the Empress Dowager summoned her, she performed formal court etiquette for Fanghua, which shows what the family was thinking.
"She's so quiet and reserved, and she's mature beyond her years. She's just like you, Empress, when you were little. Seeing Gerile reminds me of you when you were a child." That's quite interesting.
Fortunately, Fanghua is a reborn person. If she were a time traveler, she would probably ask, "Do you want to change the empress?"
well.
"When I was a child, I wasn't as well-mannered as Gerile. It seems this princess comes from an extraordinary background," Fanghua continued, flattering her.
The Empress Dowager could not hold back any longer and said, "Gerile is my cousin. She has loved Han culture since she was a child, so I sent a few nannies back to teach her manners."
People from the Empress Dowager's family.
Zhuzhu is no longer on the list, but Gerile has been added.
It seems that the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager did not intend for Gerile to enter the palace so soon.
That's interesting, so very interesting.
I just don't know what the Emperor will think.
"While I may not be an expert in all the arts, I am certainly on par with the Empress. The Empress will have to put me to the test in the future."
Fanghua laughed in genuine anger this time.
She wasn't even dead yet, and they were already eyeing her position as empress.
They even considered replacing her with a Mongolian princess, but we'll see if she's lucky enough to have that.
"Our Emperor loves talented women the most. It seems Gerile is very lucky." Fanghua was so angry that she wanted to kill someone.
"I wonder how old Gerile is this year. If she is old, perhaps the Empress Dowager could grant her a favor. The harem is empty. Apart from me, there is only one high-ranking concubine, Consort Niohuru. Gerile is so intelligent, she will surely be able to help me manage the harem."
Ha, come on, if you dare to grant them titles, the Emperor will dare to kill them.
She had no idea that the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager were unaware of the thoughts of two generations of Qing emperors.
Concubine position.
As long as they live, they shouldn't even think about it.
The Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager were very pleased to hear the Empress's praise.
But as they heard the rest, their hearts sank.
They were in high positions; how could they not want that?
However, ever since the late emperor, no Mongol empress has surpassed Consort Jing (the deposed empress).
"She has not yet achieved any merits, and her rank as a concubine is too high. However, since she is so highly regarded by the Empress, I believe that Gerile will definitely be able to assist the Empress in managing the harem in the future."
Before even entering the palace, he's already eyeing her power.
It's only been a short time since she handed over the reins of the palace, and the Empress Dowager is no longer going to pretend with her?
"Grandmother is right. Grandmother has the best eye for people. From now on, I will be counting on you, Gerile." Fanghua put on a fake smile.
Everyone was not stupid; they could tell from the Empress's displeasure.
The Empress Dowager also realized that she had been too hasty.
"Alright, alright, let's talk about this later. The reason I summoned you here today is to ask you how to arrange things for the four of them."
We can't exactly live in her Cining Palace.
Fanghua was now at a loss.
"Grandmother, they are all young. Why don't they stay in Cining Palace for a while and then enter the harem when they are old enough?" Fanghua did not intend to interfere in this matter. She would go back and find the Emperor and make him face the Empress Dowager himself.
Those grandfather and grandson are the most calculating; surely they have other plans in mind?
"Besides, Grandmother, do you and Empress Dowager really want to spend more time with the princesses?"
Seeing the Empress decline, the Grand Empress Dowager stared at the Empress for a while, then looked away. She knew that the Empress intended not to interfere in the affairs of the Mongol concubines.
It seems she had consulted with the Emperor beforehand.
He was afraid that the Emperor had given her permission to disobey him.
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