Chapter 133 Transition
"Your Majesty, there is still Chengqing in the Nana clan. You cannot disregard Chengqing. A foster mother is never as good as a birth mother. Your Majesty, please think it over."
That night, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor talked all night, and in the end, Nana's life was saved, but she also lost her ability to have children.
Naturally, all of this was done by the Empress Dowager. Not only that, the Empress Dowager also promoted Na Na to the rank of Consort Hui and granted her residence in the main hall of Zhongcui Palace.
She was also the only concubine in the Qing Dynasty to be promoted after giving birth to a stillborn child.
This commotion naturally did not escape the notice of the previous dynasty, but no one expected that Mingzhu's lineage would actually stand behind the Nana clan.
Now everyone knows that Mingzhu is highly valued by the Emperor. With him supporting the Nana clan, even the Emperor has to keep his distance from him.
Such rumors intensified, and Fanghua laughed heartily upon learning of them.
After all, her son's first enemy was gone.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has gone too far." Zhang Mama was very unhappy that the matter had been overlooked by her mistress, and she complained to the Empress in private.
Fanghua knew that Zhang Mama was just being kind to her, but she didn't care.
"She is the Empress Dowager. Although she doesn't manage the affairs of the inner palace, she is my imperial mother. She likes Consort Hui and is willing to give Consort Hui face, so I naturally have to accept it."
So what if she becomes Consort Hui?
Don't forget, there's also Consort Meng in the palace. Although she's young, how many more years can she wait? It's uncertain whether the Empress Dowager will still protect Consort Hui by then.
Did the Empress Dowager have a more far-reaching plan?
But what does it have to do with her?
"But you can't embarrass Her Highness like this," Zhang Mama said, still displeased.
"Alright, Granny, she's just a concubine. Besides, I'm not the one who should be worried right now." Why was she in such a hurry? The Empress Dowager was giving such high regard to Consort Nana, and she wasn't the one who should be the one to suffer.
"Don't forget, Yehenara, who gave birth to twins, was promoted to concubine only because she gave birth to auspicious signs for the Qing Dynasty. What merit does Nana have?"
Throughout the palace, Yehenara appeared aloof and indifferent, yet she constantly compared herself to others, even trying to outdo the Empress.
Let alone Consort Hui.
Zhang Mama understood; she comprehended the Empress's meaning, but still felt that the Emperor and Empress Dowager didn't respect her mistress enough.
"Alright, this matter is settled. There's no point in me worrying about it too much. Besides, who can say for sure whether this was intentional or not?"
Fanghua waved her hand, signaling Zhang Mama to leave.
When she was left alone, Fanghua unconsciously put on a sarcastic smile.
"Xiaofeng, why do you think men are so fickle?" She thought he would at least offer some protection for their relationship over the years, but when things really come down to it, she's always the one who gets abandoned.
After his death in his previous life, he told everyone that he was devoted to Empress Yuan.
Is this affection real or fake?
In her opinion, he was heartless towards her.
"Master, why think so much? All you wanted in this second life was for your son to be safe and well. Now that Master Chenghu's destiny has been changed, he will become the strongest force in this world. With your help, Master Yinreng will surely achieve extraordinary things in the future."
These words struck a chord with Fanghua, for this was what she lived for.
"You're right, why dwell on a true feeling that doesn't exist?"
She can come back to life after death, but for him, once he's dead, he's dead.
Since he was heartless, she would also shut her heart and lock away her love, treating him as a tool for her to climb higher.
"It's me who can't let go," Fanghua said with a bitter smile.
She had clearly let go, but he still insisted on stirring up her heartstrings.
Each time she succumbed to despair, she was the only one who ended up hurt.
She'll live this life, and see how long he can keep up this act.
The eleventh year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign was a year of abundant harvest.
After she arranged for a safe pulse, news spread throughout the palace that many concubines were pregnant.
Emperor Kangxi was overjoyed at the birth of his son, while the Empress Dowager was preoccupied with the prospect of choosing a prince she liked.
Only Fanghua sees clearly that the harem is about to descend into chaos.
In the past, when there were few children, everyone was fighting for the emperor's favor, but every mother was great and selfless.
After having children, they dedicated their entire lives to them.
It's perfectly normal to pave the way for your child, to fight for your child's success, and so on.
She herself was the same.
However, her path to success was deeply entrenched and long-lasting. She completely abandoned her outward glamour and, with her status as an empress, her starting point was one that others looked up to.
She can choose not to fight for something, but she can't truly give up.
With so many pregnant concubines in the harem, she, as the empress, naturally bears a heavy responsibility.
If anything were to happen, it would be due to her mismanagement as Empress; she would be at fault in every aspect.
So after those women were found to be pregnant, Fanghua went directly to the Empress Dowager and asked her to have a nanny take care of the pregnant concubines.
This move pleased the Empress Dowager, who went to great lengths to arrange for personnel to ensure the safe delivery of her children.
The Empress Dowager doesn't have enough manpower? Haha, impossible. After the Grand Empress Dowager died, she left all her backup plans to the Empress Dowager.
There is no missing character.
She, as empress, is no match for others.
However, the eleventh year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign ended after Consort Li of the Han Banner was found to be pregnant at the end of the year.
The twelfth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign arrived, and the palace banquet was held in great pomp and circumstance because of the Emperor's decision to abolish the feudal system.
To give the emperor and his ministers more entertainment, she, the empress, naturally left early.
After all, the court singers also had other uses.
Fanghua didn't care about these things at all.
However, the Forbidden City does not become desolate due to the cold in winter. On the contrary, the busy work of the palace staff makes the entire Forbidden City look very lively and prosperous.
Brightly lit, it looks like a city that never sleeps from afar, which is very appealing.
Snowflakes began to fall again. Walking on the palace path, the beauty of youth made people remove their veils. Walking in the snow, I would occasionally look up at the silent, inky sky, and then look at the place where the snowflakes fell.
She found peace in this silence.
"Your Majesty, it's cold. You should return to the palace soon." Qiaoling and the others who were accompanying the Empress sensed her loneliness, so they stepped forward and called out softly.
Fanghua turned around and looked at them, only to meet their worried gazes.
She smiled sweetly, "What nonsense are you thinking? I'm just having a few drinks. Don't look like that. People who don't know better will think something's wrong with me."
She really didn't have any other intentions; she just wanted to take a walk.
Taking advantage of this rare moment of leisure, she naturally wanted to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the palace.
"Let's go back to the palace. Chenghu is waiting for me."
Fanghua felt no sadness at all, knowing she would see her parents tomorrow.
Upon returning to Kunning Palace, she ordered the palace gates to be locked.
Li Changfu was somewhat puzzled. "Your Majesty, what if the Emperor comes?" If the Emperor discovers that the place is locked at this time, it will be bad.
"It's alright, His Majesty won't be coming tonight." With beautiful women by his side, His Majesty has no time to come to her Kunning Palace.
However, her Kunning Palace was still the most comfortable. Even when it snowed, Kunning Palace was as warm as springtime.
It's a pity that the snowflakes that fell to the ground didn't accumulate.
"Yes." Seeing that the Empress had said so, Li Changfu obeyed and locked the palace gates.
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