Chapter 98 Using a borrowed knife to cleanse the Imperial Household Department
After dismissing Li Changfu, Fanghua looked out the window with a face full of regret.
Seeing her mistress so downcast, Qiaoling couldn't help but step forward to comfort her, "Is Your Highness worried about Consort Yehenara?"
She didn't hide anything from the people around her, "Yes, I'm a little worried. Her family background is too illustrious, no less than mine and the Imperial Concubine's. If anything happens to me or the Imperial Concubine, she will step on us to rise to power."
It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried; that's precisely why she couldn't bear to let someone die silently.
After all, if she really did that, Emperor Kangxi would be afraid of her, the Empress.
This is not what she wanted to see.
Some things can only be accomplished when people are off guard.
The throne is the best scheme.
Qiaoling was surprised that the Empress would praise Consort Yehenara so highly. "Your Majesty," she said, her voice trembling with worry. She had initially tried to comfort her, but now she was starting to feel anxious.
"Should we get rid of it?" Qiaoling asked in a low voice.
Fanghua withdrew her gaze and smiled at Qiaoling, "What are you thinking? If something really happens to her with her family background, the harem will be in turmoil, let alone the imperial court."
Considering Kangxi's recent actions in the imperial court, she felt it was best not to cause too much trouble at this time.
That's right, Kangxi intends to deal with the Three Feudatories. Although it's unclear why he's in such a hurry, she can't hold back once the signs are there, because the Qing Dynasty will eventually belong to her son.
If she wanted the Qing Dynasty to last a long time, it needed a solid foundation; she couldn't undermine her son's foundation.
If circumstances allow, she will also help Kangxi to successfully push for the transfer of imperial titles as soon as possible.
This is a long battle.
Whether it was the Prince of Pingxi, the Prince of Pingnan, or the Prince of Jingnan, all three of them held military power and were poised to seize control of their own territories. In her previous life, she had witnessed the Emperor's arduous efforts over many years to quell the rebellion of the three princes.
In this life, she doesn't want to push things in an unpredictable direction because of her own reasons; she still wants the emperor to overthrow her, just like in her previous life.
It laid the foundation for the Qing Dynasty.
Thoughts raced through her mind. Fanghua closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, her eyes were clear.
Since Yehenara cannot be eliminated, let her become a thorn in everyone's side. After all, the harem needs a favored concubine who is used to being pampered to draw hatred towards the empress.
Niohuru was content with having a daughter, but feared she might withdraw from the competition for the emperor's favor.
Someone should be given a chance to step up.
The imperial harem should be vibrant, not lifeless, otherwise life would be so boring.
"I will think about this matter again. In the future, when you encounter this woman, you should all show her more respect. Perhaps our Emperor will like a woman as gentle and refined as a chrysanthemum."
Men are the most unpredictable.
Although Qiaoling didn't understand, she was obedient.
"Yes, I will remind everyone."
On this day, after Fanghua sorted out all the account books of the Imperial Household Department, she took the account books to the Qianqing Palace.
When Emperor Kangxi learned of their arrival, he immediately ordered Wei Zhong to come out and greet them.
The once-famous Eunuch Li Dequan is now just a lowly eunuch guarding a house.
Although Liang Jiugong also had his share, he mostly served in the Imperial Study, while Wei Zhong was the one who was always by the Emperor's side.
The reason why Liang Jiugong was following the emperor was because Wei Zhong had gone from the open to the covert, becoming the commander of the secret guards.
That power was far beyond what a mere eunuch before the emperor could compare to.
"Fang'er, why have you come at this hour? Is there something you need to tell me?" This time, Kangxi did not let the Empress perform the rites and came down to greet her personally.
"Can't I come to see the Emperor if I have nothing to do?" Fanghua's face was full of teasing.
"No way, I wish Fang'er would come to keep me company every day, how could I not want you to come?" Kangxi immediately said to coax her, otherwise his empress would get angry.
"Hmph, that's more like it." After the two joked around, Fanghua was led by the Emperor to a rest area to sit down, and the Emperor even poured tea for her personally.
He was so attentive, it made your teeth ache.
Fortunately, there are no outsiders here.
"However, I do have something to discuss with Your Majesty today," Fanghua said calmly after taking a sip of tea.
She was satisfied with his attitude, and she behaved just like a normal married couple, coming to her husband to solve problems.
"Oh, the harem is managed so well by the Empress, what could possibly be difficult for my Empress?" Kangxi said jokingly. "Tell me about it. If the Empress offers enough benefits, I wouldn't mind helping her out."
After saying that, he burst into laughter, looking as infuriating as could be.
Fanghua glared at him, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? Isn't this harem Your Majesty's harem? Do you expect me to give you benefits? Otherwise, why don't you manage it yourself?"
She won't indulge him, hmph.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi dared not let her truly relinquish her power, as he was already busy enough with the affairs of the court.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have teased Fang'er. Fang'er, tell me quickly, what is it? I will do my best to help you."
Hearing this, Fanghua knew it was time to get down to business.
"That's more like it."
So she had someone bring up the account books of the Imperial Household Department.
"Your Majesty, these are all account books from the Imperial Household Department. There are some things in them that I am quite confused about. They were managed by my grandmother a long time ago, so I don't know much about them. Now that my grandmother is not here, there is something I can't even find anyone to ask, so I have no choice but to come and ask Your Majesty for help."
Upon hearing this, Kangxi sighed. In the past, when his grandmother was alive, he never had to worry about matters in the harem. Now, even the emperor had come to him for help, so the matter must be quite serious.
"Let me see it."
Actually, the affairs of the Imperial Household Department were not too complicated; the main problem was the large number of people involved. Fanghua wanted to get rid of some of the personnel, which is why she wanted to use Kangxi's help.
If she were to intervene, the people left behind by the Empress Dowager might not be obedient, and if things escalated, she would be the one to lose face, and might even be branded as unfilial.
If she can't even tolerate the Empress Dowager's people, how much filial piety does she have?
Now that she has put all the evidence in the Emperor's hands, she doesn't believe that the Emperor can tolerate these parasites.
Whether it was her people or Kangxi's people who came to power, they were all stronger than the Empress Dowager's people.
As Fanghua had expected, Kangxi's expression turned very unpleasant after reading the account books.
"Empress, leave these things with me for now. I want to see where these people got the audacity to embezzle my royal property."
Fanghua was willing to relinquish power, after all, the bondservant families were involved, and she didn't want to make enemies.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey in everything." Seeing that he addressed her as Empress with such seriousness, Fanghua immediately stood up, bowed, and responded.
This time, Kangxi did not help them up. Instead, he spoke coldly, "They are truly audacious. It seems that their grandmother has been too kind to them, and they have forgotten their place."
Fanghua listened but dared not respond. Since it concerned the Empress Dowager, no matter what she said, she would be in the wrong, so it was better to remain silent.
After venting his anger, Emperor Kangxi dismissed the Empress.
After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Fanghua looked at the bright sunshine outside and felt great.
"It's been a long time since we've gone out for a walk. Let's go for a stroll in the Imperial Garden today."
Her Kunning Palace garden was not small, but it was still smaller than the Imperial Garden.
The people who came out with Fanghua had no objection; it was rare to see the Empress in such a good mood, so why would they stop her?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com