Chapter 74 What is a husband and wife?
After downing a cup of wine, he slowly spoke: "What does the Empress think?"
Fanghua now feels an urge to kill whenever she hears those words.
Is this something she can accomplish just by wanting to?
Or does he think that if he loses face, he should be trampled on?
"How can I think? Isn't this all up to His Majesty's word? As a mother myself, I naturally prefer to raise my child myself."
As she spoke, Fanghua had someone bring Chenghu over.
There was no dinner prepared for Emperor Kangxi tonight; this was for her and her son, so it included some meat.
Now that the Emperor has arrived, she naturally asked Qiaoling to prepare some more things that the Emperor would like.
As the dishes continued to be served, we naturally ended up chatting more.
Once all the dishes were served, she wouldn't even talk to him.
"Since the Empress has spoken, let Nara raise the child herself. Let her be granted the title of Consort Hui, so that her giving birth to the Second Prince for me will not have been in vain."
After Kangxi finished speaking, he stared at the Empress, as if trying to see a different emotion in her eyes.
Unfortunately, he was disappointed.
Fanghua had no intention of separating the mother and son, and no matter how much they antagonized each other, she was unwilling to become mortal enemies.
Otherwise, there would be too many things to do.
She found it too much trouble.
She planned to cut off the imperial line after giving birth to Yinreng, as she did not want to see any scene of the Nine Princes vying for the throne.
That's right.
She might not have had this idea before, but after being brainwashed by Xiaofeng, she thought this method was pretty good.
If she weren't destined to have only two sons, she would have preferred to have more.
Unfortunately, Xiao Feng said that she was destined to have only two sons. Cheng Hu was born through force, and Xiao Feng even borrowed some of the Qing Dynasty's fortune to change Cheng Hu's fate.
Xiao Feng felt it wasn't worth it to have more children, not knowing what price she would have to pay, and she didn't want her master to do that.
"We'll do as the Emperor says." Listen to her? Ha, that sounds nice, but if they really listened to her, they wouldn't be bringing it up now.
It's just for show.
When Chenghu came over, he stretched out his arms for his mother to hug, calling out "Mother, Mother" all the while.
Upon arriving, they discovered that someone was sitting there. The little guy had a good memory and recognized the person immediately as his father, the Emperor.
He immediately turned his hand and said, "Father, hug me."
Enraged, Fanghua immediately slapped his bottom twice, saying, "You heartless wretch, you don't care about your mother anymore when you see your father, the Emperor, do you?"
The little one didn't cry, but squirmed in his wet nurse's arms, and even lunged towards Kangxi, as if that would help him avoid his mother spanking him.
Emperor Kangxi was startled by Chenghu, who was, after all, his own son and whom he loved dearly.
Chenghu is healthy and lively; what father wouldn't love a healthy child?
"You brat, slow down. Don't cry if you fall." Kangxi stood up and took the boy from the wet nurse's arms. "Your imperial mother is just scareding you. She won't really hit you."
After saying that, Kangxi looked at Fanghua with a doting expression, "Fang'er, why are you scaring the child?"
Fanghua was speechless, and in the end, it was all her fault.
"Fine, you two are so close, I'm superfluous." Fanghua gave Kangxi a disgruntled look and sat down next to them.
"I don't care about you guys anymore. I've been cleaning all day, I'm tired and hungry, I'm going to eat first." At this moment, Fanghua no longer cared about any rules or etiquette and directly used the word "I".
Upon realizing he had escaped a calamity, Chenghu immediately beamed like a flower and embraced Kangxi's face, giving him a deep kiss.
"Father, eat, eat quickly."
The family of three had a very lively and heartwarming meal together.
After the meal, Kangxi pulled the Empress towards the back garden, saying that it was to aid digestion.
But Fanghua knew that he had something to say to her.
Right there in Kunning Palace, Fanghua didn't have anyone serve her, only leaving Li Changfu by her side at a distance.
Kangxi was similar.
"Fang'er, the Empress Dowager's health is deteriorating. She wants me to make Menghe a concubine, but I refuse. Fang'er, why do you think my grandmother cares so much about the Khorchin?" After walking a little further away, Kangxi couldn't help but complain to Fanghua.
Fanghua found it all laughable.
That's her family home, how could she not care?
Besides, everyone in the Khorchin clan is her closest relative. Even though you are her grandson, you are still her closest relative. With the Qing Dynasty strong, she naturally wants the Qing Dynasty to help the Khorchin.
I wouldn't say that the Khorchin would unify the entire Mongol tribes, but we can't let her lose too much face as the Empress Dowager.
If it were her, she would have done the same.
"Then, Your Majesty, are you willing?" Fanghua asked instead of answering.
Kangxi tightened his grip on her hand. "When my father passed away, he repeatedly instructed me that no prince of the royal family should have Mongolian blood."
These words were spoken softly, but Fanghua heard them. However, she did not expect that the late emperor would be so wary of the Empress Dowager.
You know, that's his biological mother.
She would feel normal if she were in any other identity.
"Then why should His Majesty hesitate? We cannot fail to fulfill the Empress Dowager's wish. It's just a high-ranking concubine. It's not like we can't afford to give her one. Giving her one can also ease relations with the Mongols."
Knowing what would happen in the future, Fanghua was well aware that Kangxi would have valued the Mongols much in the past.
There's also the need for war there, so we definitely can't refuse to go.
"Your Majesty is a man of great ambition, and I trust every decision you make." For the sake of the future stability of the Qing Dynasty and for her son to inherit a prosperous Qing Dynasty, she did not mind offering some advice on certain matters.
"Although I don't know much about that Princess Menghe, she is only twelve years old. Her promotion is just a formality."
Fanghua then stopped and looked up at the dark sky. “Mongolia is so big. It’s not just the Khorchin that the Emperor needs to win over. Let’s not always use our princesses for marriage alliances. Wouldn’t it be the same to let a few more princesses from there marry into our Qing Dynasty?”
Her voice was calm and her words were clear, each word resonating deep within the listener.
"A single tree cannot make a forest, and a lone wolf cannot make an army."
At this point, Fanghua stopped talking.
Kangxi listened attentively and pondered the meaning behind the Empress's words.
He always knew that the Empress was an extremely intelligent person, and she was fully aware of the subtle thoughts between him and his grandmother.
Sometimes it's just him deceiving himself.
Only such beauty and grace made him feel that she deserved to stand beside him.
Only she deserved his position as empress.
"Fang'er, I'm so tired."
Kangxi had long lost his former domineering aura; now he was a pitiful sight, his vulnerability fully exposed.
Just like when Ao Bai controlled the court, he was vulnerable, helpless, and lost.
But now he was no longer facing an outsider, but his dearest grandmother.
That kind of feeling is the most tormenting.
"When I first took over the court, I thought the ministers would be the first to find fault with me as the monarch. But I never expected that my grandmother would make the first move. Fanghua, I am so tired, so very tired."
His appearance immediately put Fanghua on her guard.
She could understand his previous behavior; after all, everyone has moments of impulsiveness.
Even after all this time, he is still the same, and Fanghua has to be on guard.
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