Chapter 151 The Imperial Power Structure Begins
If the Empress Dowager knew, she would want to kill him.
It's also because the Empress Dowager isn't in the capital. Well, even if she were, the Emperor wouldn't confront her about this matter.
At this point, he could only listen to one side of the story, and Kangxi's face turned very ugly.
"Hmph, Wei Zhong, get rid of him. I cannot keep a disloyal person by my side." This time it was the Empress Dowager, what about next time?
As the emperor, he couldn't afford to gamble.
"yes."
Li Dequan opened his mouth to argue, but Wei Zhong immediately shut him up.
After everyone else had left, Kangxi summoned Liang Jiugong.
"Do you think the Empress Dowager wants to emulate her grandmother and groom the next emperor?"
How could Liang Jiugong, a eunuch, dare to accept such a remark?
Not to mention him, even the Empress wouldn't dare to accept it.
"Indeed, with the bond of raising her, she'll be in charge from now on. Alas, Nara is truly a hopeless case."
I had hoped to show her some mercy out of respect for Chengqing, but now it seems better to keep her locked up.
"Liang Jiugong, train a group of secret guards for me and place them in various parts of the inner palace."
Liang Jiugong was shocked, knowing all too well the Emperor's purpose in doing this.
"yes."
But he was a servant and could only obey orders.
Fanghua had no idea that Li Dequan's affair had brought forward Kangxi's surveillance of the harem. If she had known, she wouldn't have been afraid.
In any case, no news can be leaked out of her Kunning Palace without her permission.
There are two sides to this story.
Fanghua did not personally escort Chengqing back to Zhongcui Palace, but instead had Qiaoyun and Li Changfu escort him back.
She then took Chenghu back to Kunning Palace.
"Did your father say anything to you today?" Fanghua was not at ease with Kangxi; he was a man of deep thoughts.
Chenghu knew what his mother was worried about. "Don't worry, Mother. No matter what Father says, I will only believe you."
This son is so thoughtful.
"You little devil, how do you know what the Empress Dowager is thinking?" Yes, she was afraid that the Emperor would sow discord between her and her children.
Chenghu smiled but said nothing more.
Fanghua felt very comforted, after all, who wouldn't want their child to side with them?
She was very happy to be trusted by her son.
"Don't let anyone hear this. Even the stones in the palace have ears. Remember that." But fearing her son might say something inappropriate, she spoke up to him.
"I know, Mother Empress, rest assured, I will definitely not let you down."
He may be young, but he's not stupid. Why would he gossip outside? "By the way, Mother, Father said today that I should take my second brother with me to school from now on."
He resisted his father's suggestion, after all, that wasn't his own brother.
"What are you thinking?" Fanghua hadn't expected the Emperor to make such an arrangement. Was he planning to let them develop a brotherly bond?
Her son didn't need any other brothers; Yinreng was enough.
Brothers supporting each other is just right; having one more or one less can easily lead to conflict.
"I have no particular thoughts. Although my second brother is called my second brother, he is only a half-brother and cannot be compared with my younger brother. Don't worry, Mother, I will do my job well."
Fanghua felt not proud at the sight of such a young child speaking with such maturity, but rather a little heartbroken.
Children should have a childhood. If he hadn't been born into the royal family and didn't have the title of the eldest son, Chenghu could have lived a carefree life. After all, with his mother around, no one could hurt him.
But now, he has to grow up, because in a few years he will have to leave his mother's wings and live on his own.
She was naturally reluctant, but she couldn't stop her.
Then there's Yinreng. As the crown prince, his responsibilities will only increase in the future, so his life will be even harder than his brother's.
"I am very pleased that you think this way, but Chenghu, you don't need to wrong yourself too much. You are my son, and no one can wrong you, not even your father."
Fanghua felt that Chenghu was already very sensible, and she didn't intend to hide anything from him anymore.
After the meal, Fanghua dismissed everyone and had Zhang Mama and Li Changfu stand guard outside the door. She then spoke to Chenghu about the emperor's secrets.
"Empress Mother, is this...is this true?" Chenghu never expected that his father could no longer have children.
No wonder he was acting so strangely today, now I understand.
"It's true." Fanghua saw his surprised look and stepped forward to stroke his head. "This was done by the Empress Dowager herself, so it can't be wrong."
Chenghu never expected that his mother, the Empress Dowager, would drop such a bombshell.
"Empress Mother?" Fear flashed in Cheng Hu's eyes, but he quickly became worried and asked anxiously, "Is this matter safe? Will there be any leaks?"
Fanghua calmly patted his little hand. "Don't worry, no one can find out that this matter is related to me. I'm telling you this not to make you worry." This child is good in every way, but he still lacks experience.
It seems I should find an opportunity to let him go out and gain some experience in the future.
"Although your Empress Mother is trapped in the palace, she still has some influence, so these things are still easy to accomplish." Ever since she agreed to let the Emperor make Yinreng, the newborn child, the Crown Prince, she felt indebted to Chenghu.
Of her two sons, her heart leaned slightly towards Chenghu.
Whether it was a karmic connection from a past life or a reason in this one, her heart was biased.
"These things are still too far off. You should focus on your studies. When you get older, your mother will hand over some of the staff to you."
"Your mother knows you've always been decisive and intelligent since you were little. If you don't want the position of Crown Prince, your mother won't force you. However, your mother will teach you more ways to protect yourself."
Even with brothers, there are some things you have to be wary of.
Once her power grew, not only the crown prince, but even the emperor of a country would be wary of her.
Although it was supposed to be divided in two and handed over to her two children in the future, she couldn't afford to gamble with even a little bit.
No matter who first harbors inappropriate thoughts, it is her pain.
Chenghu's eyes stung with tears, and he hugged his mother tightly. He had thought that his mother would neglect him after having a younger brother, but after hearing her words today, he knew that she cared more about him.
Don't ask him how he knew; he just knew.
"The Queen's Mother."
Upon hearing Chenghu's call, Fanghua's eyes welled up with tears. "Don't be afraid, Mother Empress is here."
Now that things were out in the open, Fanghua also intended for Li Changfu to arrange for two servants to attend to Chenghu.
After training them for so long, it's time they came in handy.
Half a month has passed since the mother and son last talked.
Chenghu and Chengqing officially began their schooling journey, attending the study in the morning and the Qianqing Palace in the afternoon.
Of course, there were also many rumors circulating that Consort Hui might be released from confinement because of her son.
Quite a few people are paying attention to this matter, and some have even dared to come to Fanghua to inquire about it.
Unfortunately, Fanghua never gave a clear answer, and Nara was getting anxious.
But the Empress Dowager was not in the palace, so she had nowhere to turn for help.
Finally, somehow, she made contact with Princess Mingzhu, who lived outside the palace.
Fanghua found it funny when she found out.
It seems that Yinzhi has been removed from the story, and Chengqing has taken his place.
It remains to be seen whether Chengqing, having no eldest son in this life, will follow in the footsteps of Yinzhi.
If that's the case, she wouldn't mind sending them, mother and son, into reincarnation sooner rather than later.
After all, life was tough during the Qing Dynasty.
"Your Majesty." Qiaoling hurried in from outside, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
"What happened?" Fanghua was engrossed in her book when she was startled and immediately put down her book, looking up at Qiaoling. "Look how anxious you are, is the sky falling down?"
Even if the sky falls, it doesn't matter, there are tall people to hold it up. She just needs to protect herself and her child.
"Your Majesty, it's already this late and you're still teasing me. I have something important to report." With Qiao Yun's help, Qiao Ling drank a cup of warm tea to calm herself down.
"Hurry up and tell me, who are you trying to kill by making us anxious?" Qiaoyun glared at Qiaoling in annoyance.
Fanghua sat up straight, wanting to hear what kind of big event had frightened Qiaoling so much.
"Your Highness." Qiaoling's face showed a hint of grievance, but when she met Qiaoyun's gaze, all the grievances in her mind disappeared. Although the four of them were the most trusted palace maids by the Empress's side, Qiaoyun was the one in charge among them.
She was afraid of taking things for granted.
"Alright, go ahead and say it."
Fanghua naturally noticed their little antics and found them quite amusing.
Qiaoling was finally able to speak in peace.
"Your Highness, my servants have learned that Consort Hui has become involved with Lady Nara. It is said that it was Lady Mingzhu's wife from outside the palace who acted as matchmaker."
Qiaoling recounted the news she had heard, growing increasingly panicked as she spoke.
One Nara clan member might not care, but what about two or three?
Such a powerful force cannot be underestimated, and it has even implicated the emperor's capable ministers.
That Lord Mingzhu is comparable to Lord Suo'etu.
Although they haven't yet reached the pinnacle of power, their momentum is by no means weak, and it's only a matter of time before they become powerful ministers.
Such an opponent, scheming within the harem, will surely hinder his own prince in the future.
Fanghua never expected that these three would get involved together.
I was genuinely surprised.
"Is there any movement from the Emperor's side?" Thinking of Consort Hui in her previous life, Fanghua felt that Kangxi was probably intentionally giving her a higher position.
Ah, I suppose you've forgotten that Consort Hui became pregnant during the mourning period and gave birth to a stillborn child.
If this gets out, neither Consort Hui nor the Emperor can escape the charge of being unfilial.
If the emperor is unfilial, the world will rebel.
She believed the emperor wouldn't be so foolish, though of course, it was also possible he had begun to plot against the imperial power.
Now that a crown prince is to be established, and he has no children to produce, he will naturally value power even more.
Whether Fanghua's actions in causing Kangxi to have no heir was a good thing or a bad thing is unknown.
But she has no regrets.
She couldn't stand the existence of those nine dragons; no matter how capable they were, they weren't the offspring of her.
He was destined never to become Yinreng's assistant.
She'll see if they're smart enough, and if not, she'll slowly eliminate them.
She has never been a kind person.
She died too young in her previous life; otherwise, how could her son, Yinreng, have been plotted against by those illegitimate sons?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and a fierce glint flashed in Fanghua's eyes.
"Ha, what a grand gesture! Using the Second Prince's name to establish a civil-military alliance, it seems that this Lord Nalan Mingzhu is quite magnanimous."
Fanghua knew that the emperor was plotting something, but if you don't get tempted, how can anyone else succeed in their schemes?
Therefore, she wanted to see who would ultimately succeed and who would fail.
He wants to create a balance of power in the court? Fine, she'll give him a hand.
"You all step back and guard the doors and windows for me."
Fanghua waved everyone away, then went to her desk, unfolded the paper, and began to write.
Before long, the two sheets of paper were filled with writing.
"Xiao Feng".
She called out in her mind.
Xiao Feng quickly entered the space.
"What does Master want from me? I'm watching Little Master write calligraphy. Little Master's handwriting is getting better and better. I'm going to steal a few pages to put in my space later."
Xiao Feng's idea was simple: when her little master grew up, she could exchange these words for food, and then she would have an endless supply of snacks.
Fanghua didn't have time to pay attention to its little thoughts. "Alright, I have important business to attend to." With that, she put the folded letter into her space. "Go and deliver this letter to Third Uncle. He should be at home at this hour."
Xiao Feng didn't think much of it; after all, its current uses were just delivering messages and keeping watch.
"Okay, I'll go right away."
It's just a trip out of the palace; I'll be back soon.
Fanghua opened her eyes after Xiaofeng left the space.
Looking at the letter that had vanished from her hand, a sarcastic smile curled at the corner of her lips.
It was clear that she was in a much better mood than before.
"Someone come here."
Soon, the servants entered one after another.
"Your Majesty."
"Have someone keep an eye on them. They don't need to do anything. I want to see what tricks they can pull."
Nara was the daughter of a general in the Three Battles, and belonged to the Han Banner Army. If she was smart enough, she wouldn't get involved in this matter.
She could have easily secured her position in the harem by leveraging her family's military achievements, ensuring a life of wealth and honor for her and her son.
If she gets involved, it proves she's not thinking straight.
The imperial harem is the least forgiving place for those who cannot be clear-headed.
She wouldn't mind finding a foster mother for her son.
There are many new women in the palace who can't have children, so it would be best to pick up an existing one.
"Your Highness, shouldn't we do something?" Qiaoling asked somewhat uneasily.
Fanghua shook her head. "You don't need to do anything. I want to watch the dogs fight."
Go wild, the bigger the better.
Only in this way can those dark thoughts be exposed.
"By the way, have Li Changfu come to see me."
"Yes." Qiaoling went to find someone.
Soon after, Li Changfu followed Qiaoling into the main hall.
"Your Majesty."
"How's the selection of the people going?" She had already asked Li Changfu to select people, but she hadn't made any arrangements yet because she was thinking of waiting a little longer and not rushing things.
Now that the Emperor has begun his actions, she dares not entrust Chenghu's safety to him.
Upon hearing this, Li Changfu felt relieved. "Your Majesty, four people have been selected. This servant will send them to pay their respects to Your Majesty immediately."
Fanghua didn't refuse; she nodded slightly, which was considered an agreement.
Li Changfu left the main hall and soon returned with four others.
The four of them looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old, but each of them walked with a steady gait, clearly indicating that they were skilled in martial arts.
"Greetings, Master! May Your Majesty be blessed!" The four men immediately knelt down and bowed upon entering.
Fanghua didn't call out to them, but instead looked at the four of them and asked, "How strong are you?"
Among the four, one of them, who looked slightly chubby, raised his eyes to look in the direction of his master, but did not dare to look directly at him, only daring to look at the embroidered shoes in front of him.
"Reporting to Master, your servant's Fortune and Fortune Gate are both at the Innate Realm, while your Welfare and Fortune Protection are both at the Peak of Dark Force."
When Fanghua heard him introduce himself, she thought it sounded very nice. Who wouldn't like Fu?
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