Chapter 469 Successful Seizure of Power
Tang Jinrong immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life. I will definitely discipline my son properly when I return, and prevent him from causing any more trouble."
Xie Shang stared at Tang Qianran again, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes. "I will spare your status because you are the mother of the Third Prince. Consort Tang will be demoted to Noble Lady Tang. I hope you will behave yourself. If you dare to offend me again, I will not be so lenient."
Tang Qianran felt like the sky was falling. She had only been a Noble Consort for a few days, and the whole harem knew that she was the one in charge. Now, not only did she lose all power, but she was also demoted to a sixth-rank Noble Lady. She stared coldly at Tang Yu. Why couldn't they get rid of their greed? They had to embezzle money when she was in charge.
Tang Qianran's face turned pale, and tears streamed down her face. "Your Majesty... I really didn't know they would dare to do such a thing. I didn't embezzle any money..."
"Guards, take Consort Tang back to her palace." It was precisely because of her high position that the Tang family dared to do these things. Luckily, she gave birth to a prince, otherwise she would have been banished to the Cold Palace today.
The Emperor then said to Minister You, "I have handed them over to Minister You for investigation. All those who organized the Lantern Festival banquet will be thoroughly investigated. Anyone found to have embezzled funds will not be spared."
The Minister replied, "Your subject obeys the decree."
Once Minister You and Xiao Yu and the others had taken everyone away, Tang Jinrong was terrified. Those two idiots, they should have just skimmed a little profit from them, but now they've lost more than they gained.
Minister Tang was filled with hatred and anger, but he could only respectfully withdraw from the side hall.
Just when the Empress Dowager thought she had escaped punishment because the Emperor had not investigated further, Xie Shang suddenly walked up to her and said, "Mother, please wait."
"Your Majesty, I have a headache. I probably drank too much tonight and caught a chill. My head is starting to hurt. Granny Xi said she went to get me a cloak, but she hasn't returned yet," the Empress Dowager said, feigning concern.
"Since Mother has a headache, she should stay in Cining Palace to recuperate. The chores of the inner palace can be left to the Empress!" Xie Shang said in a deep voice.
The Empress Dowager's headache immediately disappeared after her son seized power. She said in a deep voice, "Emperor, I am your mother, your Empress Dowager. If you don't allow me to manage the harem, what is the point of me being the Empress Dowager?"
Xie Shang said, "I have given Mother Empress a chance. I can turn a blind eye to your indulgence of Tang Qianran. But Mother Empress, you are coveting my national treasury. If Mother Empress wants the Jade Guanyin, please let me know. No matter what, I will find it for you to show my respect."
The Empress Dowager noticed that he spoke coldly, showing no affection for his mother. She recalled the hurtful things he had said last time, and how he hadn't spoken a single kind word to her since, nor had he even gone to the Cining Palace to pay his respects. It was clear that he didn't respect her as his mother, and she was certain he still remembered those things.
Tears welled in the Empress Dowager's eyes. "The Emperor is busy with state affairs. Even when there are no state affairs, he goes to the Empress's palace to keep her company. When have you ever been to the Empress's palace? Tang Qianran knows how to make the Empress happy. She even knows to present the Empress with a jade Guanyin statue. You are my son. Have you ever thought about what the Empress needs?" She knew she couldn't hide it anymore, so she said that it was Tang Qianran who presented the statue, not the money she had embezzled, and that she was unaware of it.
Xie Shang saw her crying and his heart softened. His eyes softened. “Since I ascended the throne, I have been busy with state affairs and have not had time to visit my mother’s palace to show my filial piety. If my mother needs anything, just tell me. There is no need to accept these gifts of dubious origin. In the end, it will only damage my mother’s reputation.”
Empress Dowager Cheng also softened her tone, "I understand, but the Empress is heavily pregnant. I'm afraid she won't be able to handle managing the entire harem. Didn't Physician Mei say that the Empress needs to rest during this pregnancy and shouldn't overexert herself?"
Jiang Fenghua clenched her fingers and said gently, "Then please let Consort Gao and Consort Song manage the harem together with my daughter-in-law. Consort Gao comes from a scholarly family and is gentle and well-mannered. Consort Song is also unconventional. I think the most important thing for someone to manage the harem is their character. Although the Empress Dowager likes Consort Tang, she has been very generous since she entered the palace. If the Imperial Household Department is handed over to a generous person, she will not know how to keep detailed accounts. I'm afraid it will become more and more chaotic."
The implication is that entrusting the management to someone like the Empress Dowager, who is incapable of accounting, would likely result in a chaotic mess.
"Your Majesty has considered everything carefully. Let her stay in the harem and I will have Consort Gao and Consort Song assist you. With your abilities, Your Majesty will surely manage the harem perfectly. Leave the details to your subordinates. Your Majesty, don't overwork yourself. Give birth to your child safely," he said with concern.
Empress Dowager Cheng was still unwilling to give up. "Since the Empress is in charge of the affairs of the inner palace, the Emperor can entrust me with the miscellaneous tasks of the Imperial Household Department. Before your father passed away, he held my hand and asked me to make sure that the Emperor prioritizes the imperial heir..."
Xie Shang glanced at Jiang Fenghua and immediately agreed, "Mother has nothing to do in the palace, so please share the Empress's burdens." He didn't want to cause conflict with Jiang Fenghua because of other women, nor did he want the women in the harem to bother her.
Jiang Fenghua's lips twitched slightly. The Empress Dowager Cheng's advantage lay in the fact that she was Xie Shang's mother. In the previous life, Xie Shang did not acknowledge her, which was why he was cold-blooded and ruthless towards her.
It would have been better to leave Xie Shang with an unresolved inner conflict and keep him cold-blooded and ruthless. He's really shooting himself in the foot; he's miscalculated.
She believed that people's hearts were warm, and that she should at least be grateful to those who helped her. She thought that a woman who never fought or competed was a pitiful person who spent her whole life alone in the palace.
Jiang Fenghua could only sneer. Empress Dowager Cheng was a sick person; she couldn't warm her heart, much less change her.
After seeing the Empress Dowager off, Jiang Fenghua was about to bow and leave when Xie Shang suddenly stopped her. "I've been so busy that I haven't been to Chenxi Palace to see you and the child. Ruan Ruan isn't angry with me, is she?"
Jiang Fenghua wore a polite smile. "Your Majesty is busy, so how could I be angry with you? I am not a petty woman. It is good to leave the Imperial Household Department to the Empress Dowager."
Xie Shang smiled and said, "My feelings for Ruan Ruan are as clear as day."
Jiang Fenghua took his hand and said, "Ruanruan knows that Your Majesty cares about me and feels sorry for me. I won't overthink things." No matter how many women the Empress Dowager arranges for you, I won't overthink it.
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