The ladies-in-waiting and socialites stood on both sides, and those who had just clashed with Qingyan were quite pleased.
Everyone in the Qing Dynasty knew that anyone targeted by the Empress Dowager would certainly not end well.
"Elder?!" The Empress Dowager slammed her teacup down on the high table beside her. "Uya was banished to the Cold Palace by the Emperor, and Yinzhi was even adopted by Consort Tong. Aren't you being a bit too forward?"
A cold glint flashed in Consort Tong's eyes. The Empress Dowager really wouldn't let go of any opportunity to instigate anyone.
Today, the women are all gathered here, and if the Empress Dowager were to launch an attack, it could damage Qingyan's reputation. No, we absolutely cannot let Qingyan be caught off guard.
"No, in my heart, the elders are you, the Empress Dowager, and Consort Tong. Wuya was banished to the Cold Palace by His Majesty, and she was indeed the one who gave Fourth Prince his life. Today, I only want to help Fourth Prince repay the debt of life." Qingyan said firmly.
Looking at Qingyan, the Empress Dowager had to admit that Xiaoguai had grown up, but was not suitable for living in the public eye.
"Good! Well said!" Kangxi walked in from the palace gate. The ladies-in-waiting rose and bowed again. Consort Tong breathed a sigh of relief. Kangxi had come. The Empress Dowager should not make things difficult for Qingyan.
"Grandson greets Imperial Grandmother and Imperial Mother." Kangxi noticed the slight change in their expressions and couldn't help but feel amusement.
Before going to the Imperial Study, Yin made a special trip to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to beg Emperor Kangxi to allow him to attend the banquet at the Cining Palace. Originally, he hadn't paid much attention to it, but now, seeing the scene, Emperor Kangxi had to admit that Yin was a thoughtful person.
The Empress Dowager's dissatisfaction with the banquet was not very obvious, and the questions she asked made it even more difficult to find any fault with her.
"Emperor, are you not busy today?" The Empress Dowager looked at Kangxi. This place was mostly filled with women, so why would he come to join in the fun?
"I've heard that Qingyan has been sent to the Cold Palace. I'd like to hear an explanation." Kangxi's explanation was far-fetched.
The Empress Dowager realized that it must have been Yinzhen who sought Kangxi's help.
"Get up. There must be no next time!" The Empress Dowager compromised. Today, the matter to be resolved was the issue of the legitimate sons of the princes with iron caps. It was not worth making the royal family a laughing stock.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey your decree." Qingyan was secretly pleased and relieved. From now on, she wouldn't have to try to make her presence known to Lady Wuya anymore, which was perfect.
Consort Tong caught a glimpse of Qingyan's smile out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but shake her head.
"Grand Empress Dowager, please do justice for us!" The primary wives of the Iron-Cap Princes, two-thirds of whom came from the grasslands, were now living in hardship. They were getting older and were no longer favored. Their sons were either dying young or sickly, which made them extremely resentful of the Grand Empress Dowager.
Most of the young ladies in the mansion were assigned there by the Empress Dowager. Qingyan looked at the eight primary wives of the princes in the noble land with a cold eye, and she did not find it strange.
The ambitions of the bondservant families extended far beyond controlling the princes with iron caps; they even sought to control the imperial offspring. Both Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Yongzheng employed iron-fisted policies, so the bondservant families dared not act rashly, fearing it would bring utter destruction upon their families.
"Empress Dowager, those little vixens have gone too far! My son was only three years old when they killed him!" The primary consort of Prince Rui was the closest to the Empress Dowager by blood. Seeing her crying, the Empress Dowager also felt a headache. Now, no matter how to solve the problem, the situation must be stabilized first.
The remaining wives all thought of their legitimate sons, and immediately burst into tears.
"Shut up!" The Empress Dowager, still ill, felt a headache coming on from listening to their weeping. She directly rebuked them.
The Empress Dowager's authority was long-standing. After her roar, the princes' wives all silently shed tears and dared not act recklessly again.
"Grandma Empress Dowager, please calm down and listen to the complaints of the ladies!" Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Consort Tong quickly stood up to persuade the Empress Dowager.
Qingyan felt that the Empress Dowager's eyes were strange, somewhat dazed, as if her emotions were being controlled by something.
She used her spatial ability to scan the Empress Dowager's body, and sure enough, several small black worms appeared in her blood; these must be the venomous insects.
"The affairs of the Imperial Household Department are all left to the Emperor to handle. Consort Tong, you are in charge of the Phoenix Seal. How could you not have noticed such a big move by the Imperial Household Department?" The Empress Dowager looked at Lan Ya with unfriendly eyes. After the death of Empress Dowager Tong, the relationship between Kangxi and Borjigit had obviously cracked, which gave her a lot of headaches.
Consort Tong quickly admitted her mistake. She was humiliated by the Empress Dowager in front of the court ladies, and she was in a terrible mood, but she had no way to refute her.
Kangxi always said that it was best if there was no fault on the surface. Qingyan noticed that the Empress Dowager's face had darkened, so he quickly used the spatial system to sprinkle some cooling powder on the Empress Dowager's body.
"This was your mistake. After you return today, you will be confined to your quarters for a month. Palace affairs will be handled by Consort Rong and Consort Hui." With these words, the Empress Dowager directly divided Lan Ya's power.
Consort Tong smiled, not caring at all about the power she held; she simply didn't want Ran Yin to be bullied by those people.
"Yes, I will obey Your Majesty's decree." Consort Tong quickly kowtowed to express her gratitude, fearing that the Empress Dowager might change her mind.
"The princes have also dealt with those women, so what are you all complaining about here?" The Empress Dowager couldn't stand it anymore. The petty schemes and wickedness of Aunt Bo's family had nothing to do with Lan Ya. It was just that the Empress Dowager was always dissatisfied with Lan Ya's actions, which made people feel a little sad.
The princes' wives all lowered their heads, their faces full of bitterness. They were satisfied, having even killed all the illegitimate sons.
It's fine to have the older ones, but it's also great to have the younger ones at their feet.
"Empress Dowager, we hope you can help save the lives of those young illegitimate sons!" Most of the princes' wives were in their forties, an age when they would be grandmothers in the Qing Dynasty, yet they had no children.
How could they possibly be in a good mood?
"Yes, Your Majesty, we servants are all childless. Our legitimate sons are either deceased or sickly and unable to shoulder the burden of succession. Some of our illegitimate sons are still young, so it would be good to raise them under our care!" The princes' wives had already discussed this before coming. They would first get past the Empress Dowager, and then register the illegitimate sons under their names.
The Empress Dowager felt a pang of sorrow as she looked at the pleading eyes of the princesses. They had once been noble ladies of the grasslands, and after their marriages, they had been deeply loved and cherished. Now…
Oh well, never mind, it's better not to talk about it. They want to have children so much, so she doesn't care anymore.
"The children must be kept silent; no one is allowed to reveal their backgrounds!" The Empress Dowager, showing favoritism, especially hoped that the Mongol wives wouldn't raise ungrateful children. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)
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