The Empress had never thought much of Xue Li, but she had taken a second more interest in Lady Ma Jia.
After all, that appearance is real.
Because Shirley loved to eat, the young emperor ordered the imperial kitchen to serve her with utmost care.
Even though Sherry only occasionally served the emperor, she lived a decent life.
Da Niu and Cui'er disappeared among the concubines.
Shirley takes care of her skin and appearance whenever she has free time, so everyone just thinks she's just blossomed into womanhood.
The Empress began to exert her influence, after all, she felt entitled to do whatever she wanted.
As time went by, the young emperor, with his ambition to seize power and his earnest assistance from Sony, grew closer to the empress.
In addition, the secret techniques the Empress had learned made Kangxi pay more attention to her.
The Lunar New Year will be here again soon.
In the fifth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign (1666), the internal political struggles within the former court were severe.
In particular, there was the dispute over the exchange of banner territory between the Bordered Yellow Banner and the Plain White Banner, represented by Aobai.
This struggle not only involved the issue of land distribution, but also profoundly affected the internal relations of the ruling class in the early Qing Dynasty.
Ultimately, Ao Bai gained power in the struggle, but Emperor Kangxi corrected this after assuming personal rule.
At this moment, Kangxi was angry, resentful, and helpless.
Sherry treats him like a son and pampers him, occasionally even holding him in her arms.
It was probably because Kangxi's own birth mother died early that he dared not overstep the bounds of propriety, no matter how close he was to his wet nurse.
Sherry was still planning to take the charming and delicate route, but she accidentally ended up taking the wet nurse route.
Anyway, whenever Emperor Kangxi was in a bad mood, he would come to Yikun Palace. Xue Li would let him rest his head on her lap and close his eyes to pretend to sleep.
She even sings a few nursery rhymes occasionally.
After a few days of this, Emperor Kangxi suddenly touched her belly and whispered, "Qiongju, give me a child!"
"Okay! This servant will protect you and the child!" Sherry got into character very quickly.
Emperor Kangxi couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
"I will protect you and the child!"
Perhaps it was the tenderness of this moment, or perhaps it was the long-lost peace of mind he felt.
Sherry knew that she held a place in his heart.
After all, none of the concubines dared to speak out about state affairs, but the Empress was on his side.
However, the pressure that Ao Bai brought him was unspeakable, and the young Emperor Kangxi could not help but think of the story of Xue Li.
"My fate is in my own hands, not in the hands of heaven..."
After calming down, Kangxi continued to play games with his court officials.
The Empress Dowager, having learned of everything, was somewhat pleased with Sherry.
Many gifts were given to Sherry in succession.
Of course, this did not extend to the Empress and Consort Niohuru.
At the end of the year, during the Golden Week holiday.
Ma Jia fainted during the banquet.
The Empress Dowager's unpleasant expression contrasted sharply with the Empress's subtle smugness.
One reason was that they disliked the fact that the secrets of the inner palace were brought to the attention of ministers and relatives, as the saying goes, it was shameful to lose face in public.
One was the expectation that a favored concubine would be rejected by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
However, the news brought by Ma Jia's personal maid caused a stir at the banquet.
"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, Emperor, and Empress! Our young mistress is pregnant!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Empress Dowager and the Empress once again formed a stark contrast.
The Empress Dowager was overjoyed, and even the Emperor was pleasantly surprised.
The Empress forced a stiff smile, almost bursting out laughing.
The banquet reached its climax!
The Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, Emperor and Empress bestowed gifts upon him in succession.
"The pregnant woman has a poor appetite, Your Majesty. How about setting up a small kitchen in Zhongcui Palace?" The Empress Dowager couldn't help but ask.
"Alright! Then I'll trouble you, Zitong!" the emperor said, glancing at the empress beside him.
The Empress has recovered after a while.
"Of course, Your Majesty, I will make sure to take good care of her. She is the first of her kind in our royal family!"
The Empress Dowager was pleased with the Empress's performance.
Whether it's genuine or not, at least it looks good on the surface.
The Empress Dowager smiled, feigning ignorance.
The young emperor went to Kunning Palace with great interest and spent the whole night discussing the child with the empress.
The Empress was somewhat jealous, but still pleaded with the Emperor in a pitiful manner.
"Your Majesty, when will our child arrive?"
The young emperor touched the empress's belly, and his excitement grew even stronger as he imagined it.
After all, he was well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, and the Han people valued the eldest son of the empress.
That must be extraordinary!
The emperor and empress were gathered together, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their legitimate son, when a storm suddenly struck.
For this reason, the Queen was all smiles when she arranged for a small kitchen to be set up in Zhongcui Palace.
"Your Majesty, that is the eldest son!" Granny Ma said anxiously, supporting the Empress.
"Ha! You can get pregnant. But whether you can give birth to the baby is another matter. And even if you can give birth, whether you can raise the baby to adulthood is another matter!"
The empress was pruning the flowers as if they were Lady Magiya herself.
"What does Her Majesty the Empress mean?" Granny Ma asked, somewhat puzzled.
"I have no interest in this! The Empress Dowager alone will not make this interesting for me!"
As she spoke, the Empress's face grew increasingly gloomy.
"Then, what should we do?" Granny Ma asked, her brows furrowed and her face filled with impatience.
"Ha! My grandfather has worked so hard for so long, not to benefit others!" The Empress smiled brightly, her youthful face full of determination.
Soon, the small kitchen in Zhongcui Palace was set up.
The Empress Dowager was worried that Lady Magiya lacked experience, so she specially arranged for a palace maid to help her.
When the news came out, Sherry remained completely unfazed.
The Empress chuckled, while Granny Ma looked gloomy.
"The Empress Dowager says she treats you like her own granddaughter every day, but this is clearly a way of keeping her distance from us!"
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