There is no doubt that the primary consort, Fucha Yuying, should be established as the Empress.
Gao Xiuwen's father, Gao Bin, was originally a Han Chinese. He later became a bondservant of the Imperial Household Department. At present, Gao Bin is the second-rank official in charge of the Jiangnan Waterway. He has made outstanding achievements in water conservancy. The Ministry of Rites proposed that Gao be a concubine, but the Empress Dowager changed it to a Noble Consort.
When Hongli went to Yongshou Palace to pay his respects, he saw the list of names and his handsome brows furrowed.
"Gao Shi is promoted to Imperial Noble Consort? Imperial Mother, Gao Shi's family background is not particularly privileged. What makes her worthy of being my Imperial Noble Consort?"
The Empress Dowager had her reasons for making this arrangement: "The Empress is too soft-hearted. There should be a strict person to manage the six palaces. Gao Xiuwen helped Yu Ying manage the family business when she was in the Prince's Mansion. Giving her the title of Noble Consort is quite reasonable."
“But Lady Gao has no sons, how can she be worthy of the title of Imperial Concubine? Just give her the title of Consort.”
The Empress Dowager retorted, "That's because you wouldn't give her a child. If you were willing to stay overnight at her place, how could she not get pregnant?"
Gao was indeed pregnant at first, but she miscarried because Jin Minjing and Xi Lan had a dispute and offended her.
Hongli felt a slight sense of guilt towards her, which was why he granted her the power to manage the household, but he did not want to give her the title of Imperial Concubine.
"With neither family background nor children, I believe that Lady Gao is unfit for the position of Imperial Concubine. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!"
"You think her family background is too low? That's easy! Just elevate her family's status."
It seems the Empress Dowager is determined to support Gao Xiuwen, both by elevating her to a higher rank and by granting her the title of Imperial Concubine.
Hongli was still uneasy and stated directly, "I already have someone in mind for the position of Imperial Concubine."
Judging from his tone, the Empress Dowager had already guessed what was going on.
"You don't mean to promote Su to the rank of Imperial Concubine, do you? Gao's family background is far superior to hers. At least the Gao family are bondservant of the Bordered Yellow Banner. Su's two brothers are just ordinary officials who have made no contribution to the court. Su is incomparable to Gao. She is the one who is truly unqualified to be an Imperial Concubine!"
"But she bore me two sons and a daughter, which is a great contribution!"
The Empress Dowager disagreed, saying, "Even if she gave birth to a son, she is still a Han woman. Her status is not high enough to be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort. A concubine rank will suffice."
Hongli, with a stern face, reminded her: "Yushan was a concubine in the manor, on equal footing with Gao Xiuwen. Now that she has entered the palace, their ranks are vastly different. Mother, you are clearly targeting her!"
The Empress Dowager leisurely sipped her tea and said righteously, "I am only acting in accordance with palace rules. Women in the harem value family background the most, and you should know that."
"Family background is one aspect, but the most important thing is my heart. Your Majesty, this is a matter concerning my harem, and it should be decided by me!"
There are some things he can decide, but there are some things the Empress Dowager will not allow him to decide! If Lady Su really becomes a Noble Consort, wouldn't that cause chaos?
Before, when they were in the Prince's residence, it was too far away for the Empress Dowager to manage. Now that they are in the palace, this is the Empress Dowager's territory, and she will never allow anyone to act recklessly under her nose!
"Your Majesty, you have just ascended the throne and are very busy with state affairs. You can leave these trivial matters to me."
The Empress Dowager's words were eloquent and dignified, but they only fueled Hongli's already suppressed anger and resentment. He responded coldly.
"Your Majesty, I don't care about the other people's ranks; you can arrange them however you like. But Yu Shan's rank cannot be that of a concubine. I disagree!"
Unable to persuade her son, the Empress Dowager immediately changed her expression, holding a handkerchief and bursting into tears.
"Your imperial father has just passed away, his body is barely cold, and you dare to offend me for the sake of a woman! I raised you with great difficulty and helped you ascend the throne, is this how you repay me?"
His mother brought up family ties again, which annoyed Hongli to no end. He simply took his leave and didn't even bother to look at the titles proposed by the other women.
Su Yushan and others were present at the late emperor's funeral. At present, there were no formal accommodations. The Fujin (the emperor's wife) resided in Changchun Palace, while Su Yushan was temporarily placed in Xianfu Palace, which is north of Changchun Palace.
Hongli has been observing mourning for his parents recently, and according to the rules, he is not allowed to stay overnight in the inner palace. He finally had some free time in the afternoon and should have taken a short nap, but he couldn't sleep and went directly to Xianfu Palace.
It has been a long time since Su Yushan and Hongli have been alone together. Recently, she has been appearing with a group of people. The two of them are far apart, glancing at each other in silence. Even when they do speak, there are always other people present, so they can't even exchange a private word.
Now that the three-week mourning period has just passed, Hongli is finally able to spare an hour to visit her.
Seeing that he looked pale and somewhat haggard, Su Yushan personally poured him a cup of tea and asked softly:
"But what troublesome matter did the previous dynasty have?"
Hongli sighed softly, his hawk-like eyes bloodshot. "The bureaucracy of the previous dynasty was indeed very complicated. Fortunately, my father taught me some experience back then, so I can still handle it. It's just that my mother in the harem is always trying to trip me up."
With just this one sentence, Su Yushan had already guessed a certain possibility: "Could it be because of the matter of rank?"
With a sigh, Hongli nodded. "Guess what rank your mother bestowed upon you?"
Su Yushan knew that the Empress Dowager had never liked her. They had clashed before, but since Su Yushan didn't live in the palace and Hongli protected her, the Empress Dowager couldn't do anything about it. Now that she had entered the palace, the Empress Dowager certainly wouldn't treat her well; Su Yushan had already guessed this.
"Perhaps an important person?"
Her guess surprised Hongli even more. "Why did you guess so low?"
"My relationship with the Empress Dowager is fraught with conflict; it's impossible for her to grant me a high rank." This was only natural, and Su Yushan wasn't surprised. Hongli sighed indignantly.
“I intended to give you the rank of Imperial Concubine, but she gave you the rank of Concubine instead.”
Su Yushan smiled indifferently, "A concubine is fine! It's a rank higher than the Noble Lady I was thinking of, I have no objection."
In her view, the greatest benefit of entering the palace was that she could be close to her son, and she would no longer have to suffer the pain of missing him. As for her rank, she didn't care.
However, Hongli was very concerned. "But you are my concubine. How can I let you suffer such injustice? My mother-in-law doesn't agree, and I don't agree either. Let's just drag it out! I won't even issue the Empress's edict!"
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