Hongli had guessed his mother wouldn't agree, but her opinion wasn't important. He had been paving the way for Yushan all along, and now that everything was ready, he would formally bring up the matter.
"Consort Chun assists in managing the inner palace and should be promoted."
Speaking of this matter, the Empress Dowager felt sorry for Consort Rong, saying, "You know very well why she was able to assist in managing the inner palace. If Consort Rong hadn't been injured, she wouldn't have had the chance at all."
"Consort Rong is simply unlucky; who can she blame but herself?"
Even now, the Empress Dowager still believes that there is something fishy about Consort Rong's injury. "Isn't it because you wholeheartedly support the Su family? Otherwise, why would Consort Rong have to compromise so much?"
"Consort Rong's injury is the will of Heaven, and has nothing to do with me." Hongli had not given any orders, and as for whether Gao Xiuwen's injury was feigned or a matter of fate, he couldn't be bothered to concern himself with it.
"We're talking about Consort Chun's promotion, why bring up Consort Rong?"
"If Consort Rong can manage the inner palace, then the position of Imperial Concubine should be hers." When the titles were first conferred, the Empress Dowager wanted to grant Consort Gao Xiuwen the position of Imperial Concubine, but Hongli stopped her.
In Hongli's view, this position can only be left to Su Yushan. "Consort Rong is not fortunate enough to be promoted, and I am unwilling to promote her."
"If you don't favor her, at least give her a high position as compensation, right?"
Hongli scoffed, "I owe her nothing, so why should I compensate her? The Empress position has already been given to Fucha, and the positions of the other concubines should be decided by me."
"But Lady Su is a Han woman, what qualifications does she have to be a Noble Consort?"
Knowing that the Empress Dowager would bring up his family background, Hongli had already made arrangements.
“Su Jiafeng has rendered meritorious service in suppressing bandits and is currently the Prefect of Suzhou. Su Mingfeng is currently the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. All the Su brothers have made contributions to the court. Your Majesty has already ordered that Su be elevated to the Plain White Banner. With the status of a Bannerman, she is qualified to be a Noble Consort.”
Upon hearing this news, the Empress Dowager was shocked. "When did you order the Su family to be elevated to a higher banner? How come I was unaware of this?"
If she knew, she would definitely stop it. Therefore, Hongli secretly handled this matter, strictly forbidding the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Clan Court from reporting it to the Empress Dowager, which is why the Empress Dowager only found out today.
"This is a trivial matter that I can handle myself. Why bother Your Majesty?"
Filled with grief and indignation, the Empress Dowager pointed angrily at him and rebuked him in a trembling voice:
"Well, well, you really are my good son! Now you do things without consulting me, making decisions on your own, showing no respect for me at all!"
How did this result come about? Has she ever reflected on it? "I consult with you every time, but what is the result? You always refute me and never agree with my wishes. What is the point of these consultations?"
She did refute him, but why didn't he consider the final outcome? "You wanted to make her a concubine, and I agreed, didn't I? You wanted her to assist in managing the harem, and I agreed to that too. When have I ever failed to please you?"
Getting her to agree was incredibly difficult! “Every time it was a very unpleasant situation before you finally gave in. You know what I'm thinking, so why don't you just grant my wish? Then we wouldn't have to be at odds with each other.”
"I have granted your request too many times, but instead of learning from it, you have become even more arrogant. You dared to keep such a big matter as elevating the Su family's status from me! If it weren't for the need for my Phoenix Seal for the investiture, I'm afraid you wouldn't have discussed it with me at all."
She was right. The only reason Hongli had mentioned it to her was to get her to affix her seal. Hongli once again bowed in agreement.
"Please, Your Majesty, grant my request!"
Without hesitation, the Empress Dowager coldly refused, "I do not know how to affix this seal. Lady Su cannot be a Noble Consort!"
He had done everything he could, and Hongli truly couldn't understand what his mother was still fussing about. "Family background, power, children—the Su family has it all. What reason do you have to object, Mother?"
“Consort Rong’s family background is better than that of Consort Su. She also has Yongcheng by her side. She is qualified to be a Noble Consort. Why don’t you make her a Noble Consort?”
"Because I don't like it!" Hongli's voice rose, his expression becoming unusually serious. "I am the emperor! If I can't even decide which woman to make as my imperial concubine, what use is this imperial seal? It would be better to give it to my mother, so that you can also make decisions on state affairs."
These words were too serious. The Empress Dowager was stunned on the spot, and it took her a long time to come to her senses. She then gasped for breath and tried to explain:
"What are you saying? The harem must not interfere in politics. I have never thought of interfering in the affairs of the court, but I must manage matters of the harem!"
Hongli glanced sideways impatiently, his face defiant. "Your subject still maintains the same stance: we will establish Lady Su as a Noble Consort. It would be best if Your Majesty agreed, but if you do not, then the investiture ceremonies for everyone in the harem will be postponed indefinitely."
After coldly finishing his words, Hongli resolutely turned away. The Empress Dowager suffered a severe heart attack, clutching her chest and nearly unable to breathe. Granny Mei rushed forward to support her, helping her sit down beside her.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. The Emperor was just saying things out of spite. Don't take it seriously."
The emperor is already twenty-seven, yet he still acts like a child, completely disregarding the bigger picture. The Empress Dowager is increasingly disappointed in her son. She had hoped to mend their relationship, but now it seems there's little hope.
"He says that if the kite string is pulled too tight, it will break, but if it is let loose too much, he will become so arrogant that he forgets everything else. Look at him, he is becoming more and more presumptuous, threatening me at the drop of a hat, and even saying that he will not hold a investiture ceremony. The whole country is watching! If he does not hold a investiture ceremony, what will the people think?"
Granny Mei smiled and advised, "His Majesty was just saying that; he won't actually do it."
"What wouldn't he dare to do? He'd do anything for Su Yushan! In his eyes, a woman is more important than the throne!"
This is the real reason why the Empress Dowager dislikes Su Yushan. Hongli is quite wise in other matters, but he easily loses his temper when Su Yushan is involved. Such a woman is the most taboo.
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