Of course, Lady Tongjia was Kangxi's maternal family and was highly regarded by him. Although she was his legal mother, she was not his biological mother.
Therefore, that evening, when Emperor Kangxi came to dine, she recounted the events of the day and stated that she would summon Longkodo's wife to the palace the next day.
Emperor Kangxi immediately understood what was going on and responded without hesitation.
He elevated the Tongjia clan because it was his birth mother's maternal family. He felt that his birth mother had never been able to enjoy a good life, so he wanted to repay this kindness by doing so to his maternal family.
Over the years, however, the Tongjia clan has become increasingly arrogant and domineering. Not only do the clan members in the court and among the women in the clan speak out against the government, but even the women in the clan have become arrogant and domineering.
How dare they disrespect the princess? They really don't respect the royal family.
"The Tongjia clan has indeed been outrageous these past few years. Your Majesty, please reprimand them as you see fit."
With Kangxi's promise, the old lady was much more at ease the next day.
I thought it was just Longkodo's concubine who came to the palace, but I didn't expect her to bring a little girl with her.
The Empress Dowager recognized it as the pearl from that day.
"This humble woman greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
"Your humble servant paid her respects to the Empress Dowager on that day."
Longkodo's concubine, Li Si'er, was not very old. She knew before she came that her granddaughter had caused trouble, so she knew that she would be scolded if she entered the palace today. Therefore, she adopted a very humble attitude.
The Empress Dowager coldly stared at the two people kneeling on the ground, showing no intention of telling them to get up for a long time.
Longkodo favored his concubine Li Si'er for many years, and it is said that the early death of his primary wife was also related to this concubine.
If it weren't for the Emperor's constant suppression, he would probably have made her his official wife long ago.
The Emperor's growing aversion to the Tongjia clan in recent years is also related to this matter.
Since the Empress Dowager did not tell them to rise, Li Si'er and Na Rizhu could only kneel obediently until an incense stick had burned, at which point the Empress Dowager calmly said, "Rise."
At this time, Hongxi had already heard Zhang Quan talk about Li Si'er bringing that day pearl into the palace. So, with a "let's see what happens" mentality, he took Wenxi and Qingqing with him to Shou Kang Palace.
As soon as I stepped into the palace gate, I heard the Empress Dowager's reprimand coming from inside.
"Over the years, ever since your mistress passed away and no one has been able to manage the household, you have become increasingly unruly and disrespectful. Now, you don't even respect the royal family. Do you have any sense of hierarchy?"
Upon hearing this, Li Si'er and his grandson, who had just sat down, knelt down again and kept kowtowing and admitting their mistakes.
"It's said that you, Li Si'er, are ruthless and vicious, driving your primary wife to a tragic death. Ultimately, this is your family matter, and it's not appropriate for me to interfere. But since your primary wife passed away so many years ago, Longkodo has submitted several memorials requesting that you be elevated to the position of primary wife, but the Emperor has suppressed them all. Do you know the reason why?"
Li Si'er knew perfectly well that he simply looked down on her background and status.
The Empress Dowager sneered, "That's because even the Emperor thinks you have a wicked heart and is unwilling to acknowledge your identity, lest you corrupt other officials. But you don't know how to reflect on yourself. Relying on Longkodo's favor, you act recklessly. It's one thing for your son to be ill-mannered, but your granddaughter is also so unruly."
The Empress Dowager didn't give Li Si'er a chance to speak. "I pity the Tongjia clan for having such a short-sighted person like you. I'm afraid you'll corrupt the other young men in the clan, so I specially selected ten governesses to come into the palace to teach all the unmarried women. You should put away those messy little thoughts. If any of these governesses lose a single hair, don't blame me for summoning you to the palace to serve me when I'm ill!"
After saying that, the Empress Dowager stood up and looked down at the two people slumped on the ground. "Su Ma La Gu, keep a close eye on them. Make them kneel for two hours before you can let them leave the palace."
Su Ma La Gu nodded in agreement, and then directed two palace maids to help the grandmother and granddaughter to their feet. "The concubine must kneel upright. If you try to be lazy or scheming in such matters, it is a great disrespect. The Empress Dowager may make you two kneel for several more hours if she is angry."
Hongxi and the other two outside saw this scene and covered their mouths and laughed with joy.
It's unbelievable that the usually gentle old lady would be so ruthless when she takes action; she seems completely unafraid of offending anyone.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager requests your presence in her bedchamber."
The young palace maid ran over with her head down, and the three of them stuck out their tongues and had no choice but to follow.
Inside the bedchamber, the Empress Dowager was drinking tea when she saw the three little ones enter. She smiled and waved, "You've been sneaking around outside for so long, do you feel relieved now?"
The three of them thanked the old lady for her kindness in avenging them, and then sat down happily to eat fruit.
"Grandma Wukuma, is that Li Si'er really as vicious as the rumors say?" Wenxi asked curiously.
When girls get together, they inevitably talk about gossip from the inner palace and high-ranking families. The one they hear most often is Longkodo's concubine.
The Empress Dowager nodded. "Not only ruthless, but also extremely audacious, daring to poison the primary consort."
At this point, the old lady sighed again and said bitterly, "Speaking of this matter, her mother, Hesheli, was also a brainless woman. Her daughter-in-law was her own niece, and in principle, one should seek help from Buddha in all matters. But she couldn't bear to go against her son's wishes, so she let Longkodo and Li Si'er torment her daughter-in-law, which led to the tragedy."
Hongxi frowned. "Didn't the Hesheli clan say anything?"
The Empress Dowager sighed, "To be honest, this primary consort is also a weakling. If she were willing to criticize Longkodo, Hesheli would naturally intervene to protect her own reputation. But she is utterly incompetent, and even if Hesheli wanted to stand up for her, it wouldn't work. Your father has made things difficult for Longkodo and his son in court because of this matter, but in the end, it was all to no avail."
Qingqing remained silent the whole time.
Although being the primary consort in the capital was a noble position, it also meant constantly facing the danger of losing one's life.
It seems that what my mother said earlier was right: no matter where you live, the prerequisite for being kind is having the ability to protect yourself.
Otherwise, they must do everything they can to carve out a bloody path for themselves.
When they returned from Shou Kang Palace, Li Si'er had already fainted from kneeling, and Na Rizhu was crying her heart out beside her.
Qingqing was a little worried, "Aren't they going to try and cling to Granny Wukuma?"
Wenxi couldn't help but laugh, "They probably have that idea, but Granny Wukuma won't let them have it. At least when she lets them leave the palace, they'll definitely be lively and energetic."
Qingqing didn't understand until the five imperial physicians carrying small medicine boxes brushed past them, and then she understood the meaning behind it.
"Just a few needles, and whether you're really dizzy or just faking it, I guarantee you'll wake up." Hongxi couldn't help but laugh as he thought of the old lady's tricks.
Yes, the Empress Dowager, who had been raised by Xiaozhuang's side for so many years, was certainly not a weakling. Even if she lacked power, Sumalagu must have plenty of methods.
The next day, Hongxi learned that although Li Si'er and Na Rizhu looked tired when they left the palace, they looked healthy and walked very smoothly.
He fell ill after returning home and taking a nap, and it is said that he was crying out for forgiveness in his dreams in the middle of the night.
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