As lunchtime approached, the atmosphere in the palace became somewhat strange. The Mongolian wives had not expected that Consort Tong had been suppressing their requests all along.
"Your Highness, did His Majesty send our leaders to the capital to suffer? Is the death of the Left Prince really as rumored, deliberately orchestrated?" Consort Xin's sister-in-law, finding Consort Tong uncompromising, directly challenged her.
Consort Xin's eyes flashed with grievance, and Consort Tong gave her a reassuring look. Qingyan, sitting next to her, noticed the calculating glint in the eyes of the Fujin opposite her.
Qingyan roughly understood that this was the wife of the second legitimate son of the Right Wing Prince's wife. She was just a legitimate wife, and this legitimate son had not been promoted to the position of heir apparent; he was just a bald prince.
"Madam, may I ask what right you have to question your mother?" Qingyan couldn't stand it anymore. How dare they make things difficult for her mother! Qingyan would not let this go.
After she finished speaking, the two Mongolian wives near the door cast admiring glances at Qingyan, and Consort Tong's smile deepened. Qingyan was very tactful.
"Fourth Princess Consort, you shouldn't be asking this question. According to the Empress Dowager's lineage, I am your elder. Is this the rule of the royal family to show such disrespect to your elders?" The Princess Consort naturally spoke up.
"According to the Empress Dowager's backup plan? Consort, when did the royal family begin to bear the surname Borjigit?" Qingyan sneered.
The Mongol wives often flaunted their power in front of Qingyan, so Qingyan naturally wouldn't back down. In his youth, Qingyan had been schemed against by the Mongol wives and princes, and he harbored a deep resentment. If Batu Buhe hadn't been a good person, Qingyan would never have stayed in the mansion.
After she finished speaking, the Mongol wives quickly got up and knelt down to beg for forgiveness. Consort Xin's face turned pale as she knelt on the ground, inwardly blaming her sister-in-law for speaking so recklessly.
"Consort Xin, Noble Lady Borjigit, you two should kowtow first." Consort Tong's face showed a knowing look. Although Qing Yan's words were somewhat abrupt, Consort Tong and the others expressed their agreement.
As the atmosphere in the side hall grew increasingly heavy, Shu Zhu sent someone to inform Kangxi of this.
"I have always treated you kindly because you are relatives of the Empress Dowager and her own family. You have been in the grasslands for a long time and may have neglected some palace rules, which I no longer care about. Now, you even want to interfere in the affairs of the royal family." Consort Tong rebuked directly.
The Mongol wives all lowered their heads, not daring to say a word, for fear of being bullied again.
In Consort Tong's heart, Qingyan's words this time hit the nail on the head, making both of them very happy.
"Greetings to the Imperial Noble Consort, and greetings to all the ladies-in-waiting." Li Dequan appeared in the hall, looking at the Mongolian ladies-in-waiting with a sarcastic smile.
"Rise." Consort Tong waved to Li Dequan, signaling him to stand up.
"His Majesty has sent me to inform you all to go to the front hall." Li Dequan heard the Mongolian wives' outrageous remarks but did not think that the Fourth Princess was wrong.
The wives were trembling with fear; it seemed the Emperor intended to punish them.
On the grasslands, they were no longer favored as before; the princes' favored concubines were constantly threatening their status.
Inside the main hall, Emperor Kangxi and his princes sat upright in grand chairs, while the Mongol leaders all knelt on the ground, their faces grim. Qingyan followed Consort Tong into the hall, glancing at the leaders out of the corner of her eye. Despite the cold weather, the backs of their court robes were soaked with sweat.
"Let's get started, Lanya. I heard that these people have put in a lot of effort, and even the fourth prince's family found out that the royal family is suitable to become the Borjigit clan?" Kangxi saw Qingyan and quickly asked.
Qingyan first bowed to Kangxi, then stood respectfully to the side and spoke of the others. Upon hearing this, Kangxi's face hardened with a fierce expression. These people were indeed ruthless; they actually calculated things according to the Empress Dowager's backup plan.
"Your Majesty, we have failed in our duty of education and beg Your Majesty for forgiveness." The leaders pleaded, hoping that Emperor Kangxi would pardon them this time.
Kangxi's smile vanished, and he even sent Li Dequan to the Empress Dowager's palace to invite her over.
Upon hearing Kangxi's message, the Empress Dowager quickly brought Narentuya with her. As she entered the hall, Kangxi stepped down from the dragon throne first, followed closely by Consort Tong. The two of them helped the Empress Dowager to sit on the phoenix throne together.
"Your Majesty, this must be the son of the Right Wing Prince, right?" Kangxi pointed to the person kneeling at the front. The Empress Dowager looked in the direction Kangxi pointed and indeed it was the son of the Right Wing Prince.
"Alright, who said we should follow the Empress Dowager's lineage? My mother has been married into the Aisin Gioro family for decades. When did we start following the Borjigit clan's lineage? This is utter nonsense!" The Empress Dowager, following the Empress Dowager's dying instructions, was determined to assist the royal family when necessary.
The conflict between the royal family and the Right Wing Prince was already very deep. Back then, the late emperor's attitude towards Consort Jing greatly angered the Right Wing Prince Wu Keshan, who even lost his temper several times.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, you..." Consort Xin's sister-in-law looked up at the Empress Dowager, staring at her in disbelief.
On the grasslands, the Right Wing Prince gave detailed instructions, assuring the Empress Dowager that she would definitely help the family.
The reality was quite the opposite. The Fujin's face showed anger, but the Empress Dowager didn't care at all. Most of these Mongolian Fujins came here wanting benefits.
"Mother, why don't you listen here first? I also want to know how noble the status of the wives of the grassland chieftains is." Kangxi has been tormented by the chieftains quite a bit in recent years.
Whenever a princess of marriageable age appeared in the palace, the Mongol leaders would always find various ways to cause trouble, which annoyed them greatly.
Kangxi's meaning sent shivers down the spines of the leaders. Their only wish was for a princess to marry into their family, so that the family could continue to grow stronger.
The third generation of princesses have been born one after another. They dared not even think about the first few princesses, especially the legitimate princess from the Fourth Prince's mansion, for whom the emperor had already begun choosing a husband when she was young.
In Mongolia, the heirs of the banners were all eliminated in advance, even Batumuhe was the same.
"This servant knows his mistake and begs Your Majesty to forgive the Princess Consort this time." Consort Xin's elder brother was a bald prince, and the heir apparent was her elder brother's.
The Right Prince has submitted three memorials, but the position of heir apparent remains unclaimed.
"Consort Xin, your father is here. I have already sent Tulichen to deliver the imperial decree, so that you may see your father," Kangxi said, looking at Consort Xin.
Consort Xin's face showed a solemn expression; Kangxi simply wanted her to express her opinion.
"This servant writes down His Majesty's grace." Consort Xin quickly kowtowed to express her gratitude.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
