Chapter 495 Finding a male consort for the Empress Dowager?
Hongxiu was slightly taken aback when she saw that he had reverted to his old demeanor from when he was in the Crown Prince's residence. She quickly said, "Steward Cheng, please take care."
Cheng Feng didn't linger and left directly. He clenched his fists. Actually, it was already a blessing that Hongxiu was safe and sound. She didn't want to like him, so he wouldn't force her.
Hongxiu, after a moment of daze, went back into Cining Palace. She found that Cining Palace had become magnificent, with all kinds of potted plants and flowers. She wondered to herself: Could it be that Cheng Feng arranged this?
Cheng Feng is now the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department. He is highly valued by the Emperor and also favored by Empress Dowager Cheng. The Cheng family was originally Empress Dowager Cheng's household servants. Cheng Feng's achievements today are entirely due to his own hard work.
The Empress Dowager always tries to take her anger out on the Empress. Steward Cheng is also one of the Empress Dowager's people, and so is his son. She should probably distance herself from Cheng Feng to avoid causing unnecessary trouble and harming the Empress.
Jiang Fenghua approached Empress Dowager Cheng, gave a slight bow, and then straightened up. "I wonder why Your Majesty summoned your daughter-in-law?"
Empress Dowager Cheng was furious at the thought of being manipulated by her. She said coldly, "I summoned you here to discuss the imperial concubine selection. The first imperial concubine selection after the emperor's ascension to the throne must be grand. Those women in the harem were chosen by the empress, right? None of them are liked by the emperor. Where will the imperial offspring come from? Ha, I don't believe they will all come from the empress's womb."
She didn't want to pretend with Jiang Fenghua, and Jiang Fenghua didn't want to pretend with her either.
However, as the empress, she had to maintain a certain image on the surface. She smiled and maintained a dignified and graceful demeanor.
Hearing her say that, Jiang Fenghua was not angry. She found a place to sit down and said, "Mother is so worried about the imperial heir. I believe Father is aware of this in heaven. However, I have already asked the Emperor about this selection of imperial heirs. He told me not to interfere. I guess Mother has also received this notice!"
Actually, she felt that Xie Shang's advice to leave it alone was genuinely because he was pregnant, and that the child was shielding her from all the noise.
Empress Dowager Cheng was furious. Before the emperor left the capital, she had indeed asked him which ministers' daughters he wanted to marry into the palace. However, the answer she received was that she should not worry about it and that there would be no selection of concubines for the time being. So she thought she could take advantage of the emperor's absence to bring the women into the palace first.
She specifically summoned Cheng Feng to instruct the Imperial Household Department to treat this matter as a major undertaking.
Empress Dowager Cheng immediately flew into a rage, "Jiang Fenghua, do you still remember what you promised the late Emperor when he was still alive? You promised never to bewitch or seduce him, and to assist the new emperor. As the mistress of the harem, the responsibility of bearing imperial offspring is not only the emperor's responsibility, but also yours as the mistress of the harem. Look at the emperor's harem, they have all been trained by you to be afraid of you. Not one of them dares to curry favor with the emperor. Where will the imperial offspring come from? Will they all come from your belly? You are carrying one in your belly, so you should advise the emperor to distribute his favors more evenly."
"That's not right. The Imperial Household Department is in the hands of the Empress Dowager. Only the Empress Dowager has the power to appoint who will serve the Emperor in bed. I cannot overstep my authority!" Jiang Fenghua said directly, "If the Empress Dowager has nothing else to say, I will return to the palace first."
After saying that, she left.
The Empress Dowager was furious at her attitude, and Granny Xi dared not step forward to persuade her.
Empress Dowager Cheng now realized that the Imperial Household Department had become a hot potato in her hands, because after she assigned the concubines there, the emperor actually deceived her. He did not consummate the marriage with any of them and even used fake bloodstains to complete the task.
She found it strange and asked carefully before she found out the truth. She was so angry that she felt like vomiting blood. The emperor was even trying to fool her.
She looked at each of the concubines one by one and found that they were not very beautiful. There were plenty of pretty girls, but it would be difficult to find someone like Jiang Fenghua.
Hmph, so that's what Jiang Fenghua was planning. She'd bring in ugly girls to the palace so no one would compete with her for the emperor's favor.
Now I will select the most beautiful women to enter the palace.
"Granny Xi."
“This servant is here.” Granny Xi hurriedly stepped forward.
"Is Huguo Temple going to hold a religious ceremony tomorrow?"
"Yes," said Granny Xi respectfully.
"Pass down the word that I will be going to Huguo Temple to pray for blessings tomorrow." She wanted to personally go out of the palace to select the candidates. This time, regardless of whether their families held official positions, as long as they were beautiful enough and could attract men, respectable women from good families could enter the palace to become empresses.
The reason the emperor didn't fancy the women in the harem was simply because they weren't as beautiful as Jiang Fenghua.
Granny Xi had no idea what the Empress Dowager was planning. Tomorrow was the day for the ritual to be performed for the Third Prince, and the Empress Dowager was also going to Huguo Temple. In recent days, the Empress Dowager had not copied a single scripture for the Third Prince!
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As soon as Jiang Fenghua left Cining Palace, she felt her stomach ache from the Empress Dowager's anger. So many women in the harem took turns serving her son, yet she was still not satisfied. Today, it was clear that the Empress Dowager was deliberately trying to make her unhappy. She had already given the power of the Imperial Household Department to her, so what else could she possibly be dissatisfied with?
Granny Wang advised from the side, "Your Majesty, don't be angry. Be careful of the baby in your belly."
“I’m not angry. I just find it strange that the Empress Dowager has gone crazy again. Have you asked Granny Xi about it?” Jiang Fenghua said.
Granny Wang said, "I haven't had a chance to ask yet."
Soon, the news that the Empress Dowager was going to Huguo Temple the next day also reached Jiang Fenghua's ears.
She said, "She used to be the Empress and didn't have the right to leave the palace at will. Now that she's the Empress Dowager, she wants to leave the palace under the pretext of praying for the Third Prince. She hasn't even received a single scripture from the Empress Dowager!"
“Yes, there really isn’t,” said Granny Wang.
A terrifying thought suddenly popped into Jiang Fenghua's mind, "Granny Wang?"
A sly glint appeared in her eyes, and Granny Wang shivered as she stared into them. "Your Highness, please don't look at me like that, I'm scared."
Jiang Fenghua leaned close to Granny Wang's ear, "You'll take care of it tomorrow..."
After hearing this, Granny Wang felt that this trick was too wicked and was unable to recover for a long time.
Jiang Fenghua added, "The Empress Dowager is only in her forties, not even fifty yet. Didn't she live a life of widowhood for twenty years? Find her a few male concubines to serve her and distract her, so she won't be thinking about finding women to sleep with for her son all the time."
"But men aren't easy to find! If the Emperor finds out, it's a capital offense. Let's forget about this plan!" The Empress was really too ruthless. Consort Su was banished to the Cold Palace precisely because she had an affair with a stranger. Although the late Emperor is gone, the Empress Dowager is still the Emperor's birth mother. If the Empress Dowager does anything immoral, it will affect the Emperor's reputation.
Jiang Fenghua also fell into deep thought. She suddenly thought of Cheng Feng, but then quickly dismissed the idea. Cheng Feng was only in his twenties. Such a handsome young man should be left to Hongxiu!
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