Hongli certainly understood this principle, but this time Yuying had only herself to blame.
“Ignorance is no excuse, but Yu Ying clearly knew that Dong Ling had drugged the horse, yet she failed to report it. This constitutes cover-up and she should be severely punished!”
"Even if punishment is necessary, it doesn't have to come to the point of deposing her! It's not a serious offense, there's no need to be so harsh."
The Empress Dowager dismissed the matter with a casual remark, which meant nothing to her, but for Hongli, it was a matter of utmost importance.
"If Yu Shan hadn't been lucky enough to escape, your grandson would be gone. Dong Ling injured the imperial heir! And the Empress is still protecting her. Isn't that a huge mistake?"
The Empress Dowager glanced at her dismissively and said, "That Lady Su is fine, so why are you making such a fuss?"
People are always like this: they can easily overlook the suffering of others, but once it happens to them, their attitude changes drastically.
Hongli found the Empress Dowager's words incomprehensible, only perceiving them as strange and laughable.
"According to your opinion, if someone tries to harm you in the future, as long as you are safe, I should not pursue the murderer's responsibility, but should be more lenient and benevolent."
The Empress Dowager was speechless, choked by her son's retort, and then changed the subject.
"Your so-called reasons are not convincing. If you depose Yu Ying from her position as empress over such a trivial matter, what will the Fucha family think? They will definitely be disheartened, and other noble families will also think that the emperor is too willful."
"To plot against my imperial concubine and her offspring is no small matter. The Fucha family should reflect on their actions; they have no right to complain!"
The Empress Dowager had no other choice but to bring up Fuheng, saying, "What about Fuheng? You've nurtured him for so long, and he's about to serve the court, but you've deposed his sister. Won't that ruin his future?"
Hongli had also considered this matter, saying, "Even if the Empress is deposed, the descendants of the Fucha family can still serve as officials in the court, and I will not make things difficult for them."
“You may not care, but the court officials will gossip about him, saying that his sister was deposed for misconduct. From now on, when Fu Heng gives orders, others will not truly respect him. It will be difficult for you to help him rise to a high position!”
As the saying goes, talent is hard to come by. Are you really going to spend several more years cultivating another minister?
The Empress Dowager was known for her unreasonable and argumentative nature, but this statement was true. Fu Heng's character, age, talent, and family background all met Hongli's selection criteria. It would be truly difficult to find a similar young talent among the four great families.
More importantly, Hongli knew in his heart that the reasons for this incident were not sufficient to depose the empress.
Seeing that the emperor was hesitant, the empress dowager pressed her advantage and reiterated, "In short, you cannot depose me. I will not affix the imperial seal if I do not agree!"
Hongli had anticipated this outcome, and he had already planned his escape route: "It's fine if the empress isn't deposed, provided that Yushan is promoted to Imperial Noble Consort."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's eyes widened in shock, as if she had misheard.
"Your Majesty! Are you out of your mind? Our Qing court has no living imperial concubines! Most of them are posthumously granted the title when they are seriously ill or after their death."
“That was the old rule. Now that I am in power, it is my turn to make the decisions.”
"An Imperial Noble Consort is equivalent to a secondary Empress. If you were to bestow the title of Imperial Noble Consort upon her, how would the Empress feel?"
With a slight raise of his eyebrows, Hongli scoffed dismissively, "Does Your Majesty really think that I would care about Yuying's feelings?"
"You may not care, but I do. As long as the Empress is alive, there can be no Imperial Noble Consort! This is a palace rule established by our ancestors. Your Majesty, you have been bewitched by women and have repeatedly broken the palace rules for this woman, slapping the Empress in the face. You are truly foolish!"
At this moment, Hongli was perfectly clear-headed. He had always known what he wanted and had been working towards it.
"In your heart, she is still alive, but in my heart, she is no longer worthy to be the Empress! Over the years, her actions have become increasingly outrageous. I could have treated her with respect, but she insisted on challenging my bottom line, so don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Either depose the Empress, or elevate Yu Shan to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort. Your Majesty, you must choose one."
The Empress Dowager trembled with rage, gritting her teeth and shouting in a trembling voice, "Hongli! Do you really have to force me like this?"
Who is forcing whom? "This is my own business. If Your Majesty hadn't interfered, there wouldn't be so much trouble."
Look, her good son is complaining about her again. "Do you think I'm too controlling?"
Hongli denied it readily, saying innocently, "Your subject didn't say that, but Your Majesty, you are quite self-aware."
"..." The Empress Dowager was furious, yet helpless. Her eyes darted around in exasperation, and she began to negotiate.
"If Lady Su gives birth to a prince this time, then I will consider promoting her rank."
The Empress Dowager's move was clearly an attempt to delay. There were still several months until Yu Shan gave birth, and too many variables could arise. Hongli didn't want to wait any longer; in his view, princes and princesses were all the same.
"Even if she gives birth to a princess, she will still be a golden branch and jade leaf of the royal family. Yu Shan has made great contributions. There is no need to wait for her to give birth to an heir. Promote her now, or I will immediately issue an edict to depose her!"
The Empress Dowager dared to make such a condition because when Su was first pregnant, she had someone check the Qing Palace Chart, which showed that Su's baby was a girl. That's why the Empress Dowager used this as a condition. Unexpectedly, Hongli refused to agree!
Enraged, the Empress Dowager threatened, "The establishment and deposition of empresses and concubines must be approved by me. Without my imperial seal, your edict is useless!"
Having the Empress Dowager's seal would be ideal, but if not, Hongli had nothing to fear and would have no choice but to take the risk.
"I can issue the imperial edict directly in court. Which minister dares to ask to see if the Empress Dowager's imperial seal is on the edict?"
"How dare you!" The Empress Dowager's eyes reddened and her brows furrowed as she slammed her hand on the tea table. "If you dare to act recklessly, I will personally expose you in the imperial court!"
Hongli shrugged indifferently, "Go ahead and make a scene, let the entire court laugh at me, I'm not afraid of losing face!"
The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered slightly as she pondered to herself, "Given Hongli's personality, he might actually dare to do such a thing."
Once Hongli announces the edict to depose the empress in court, the news will spread quickly, causing a great deal of discussion among the people. At that point, it will be difficult to reverse the situation!
Just a heads-up: This story is nearing its end, and I expect it to be finished in about 50,000 to 100,000 words.
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