Chapter 101 Waiting for Consort Jin to bring about her own destruction?
Niohuru sneered inwardly.
Why should Hesheli feel wronged? Wasn't all of this the result of her own actions?
However, this time the unbearable pain seemed not to be thorough enough, as the Empress was still able to clearly accuse Consort Jin and her.
It must be said that the Empress was indeed somewhat foolish, and targeting her alone could indeed arouse the Emperor's suspicion.
Her stupidity lay in bringing Consort Jin along. Ever since she submitted to Consort Jin, she had been visiting Yongshou Palace even more frequently.
She now knows very well how Consort Jin was favored by the Emperor.
However, the sense of satisfaction she felt from revenge was somewhat diminished by the Empress's final, forcefully suppressed composure.
She wasn't in a hurry. The Niu Kulu family still had many of their own people lying in wait in Kunning Palace, and they would make their move again sometime.
————————
As Kangxi departed with Niohuru.
Inside the Kunning Palace, only Empress Hesheli, her mother Lady Hesheli, and her trusted nanny Jing remained.
Chenghu was taken to a side hall by his wet nurse to try breastfeeding. The hall was filled with a suffocating sadness and oppression.
The tears in the Empress's eyes had long since dried, leaving only red-rimmed eyes and a burning hatred.
She clutched the brocade quilt tightly, her voice hoarse from crying and weakness.
"Mother, I hate it so much, I hate it so much. My Chenghu is so young, and he has suffered such a terrible fate. He must have been murdered. It must have been Consort Jin, or that vile woman Niohuru. It must be them. Mother, you must help me, help me get revenge. I want them to pay for their crimes in blood."
Mrs. Hesheri looked at her daughter's face, twisted with hatred, and felt a pang of sorrow, but even more so, worry about the future of her family.
She sat on the edge of the tatami mat, holding her daughter's trembling hand, her voice heavy and calm.
“My son, you must remain calm. Revenge? How easy is that? Is Consort Jin, of the Guarjia clan, easy to deal with? Even your uncle, Suo'etu, who has been manipulating the court for many years and has tried every means, has failed to bring her down. Instead, he has ruined himself and lost the Emperor's favor. This has also shaken the foundation of our Hesheli family's position in the court. We have to admit that right now, our family cannot deal with her, either openly or secretly.”
She paused, then continued her analysis, trying to help her daughter, who was blinded by hatred, see reality.
"Furthermore, this person may seem arrogant, domineering, lawless, and unpredictable, but in reality, she has a hidden strategy and is shrewd despite her seemingly rough exterior. Given her actions, it is unlikely that she was behind the incident involving the young prince. More importantly, she is currently favored by the emperor, and he is clearly biased towards her. If you act rashly now, it would be like throwing an egg against a rock."
The queen retorted excitedly.
"Am I just going to let her ride roughshod over me? She slapped my face again and again in front of the concubines of the six palaces, and even Granny Jing was publicly reprimanded and slapped by her. How can I swallow this insult?"
Mrs. Hershey sighed, her tone tinged with helplessness and admonition.
"You have to swallow it, even if you can't. You've clashed with her several times, and have you ever gained the slightest advantage? Every time, you've only made yourself look foolish, which only emboldens her. With this kind of person, the more you stand up to her, the more she'll take it. If you temporarily humble yourself and go along with her, she might find it boring and stop keeping such a close eye on you. Right now, your most important thing is to lie low, recover your health, and give birth to another legitimate son. As for Consort Jin, she acts so arrogantly and recklessly. As the saying goes, too much rigidity leads to breakage. Be more patient, and perhaps one day she will anger the Emperor herself without you even having to lift a finger. Then... who knows, she might even be banished to the Cold Palace."
The Empress breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
She had a deep fear of Consort Jin.
Now, Mother has also said that dealing with Consort Jin is like striking a stone with a soft touch, and even the entire Hesheli family can't do anything about her.
All of this proves that it was indeed not because she, the empress, was too weak or useless.
She can now openly avoid Consort Jin, and her family won't look down on her because of it.
However, she still harbored resentment and resentment. Since she dared not provoke Consort Jin, she turned her attention to Niohuru.
"Then... if it's not Consort Jin, it must be Niohuru."
Madame Hesheri nodded, her eyes filled with affirmation.
"Empress Dowager also believes that this matter is most likely her scheme. Only Niohuru could use such underhanded and secretive methods in the Kunning Palace."
She changed the subject, looked directly into her daughter's eyes, and spoke with a tone of certainty.
"Girl, tell your mother the truth: is it your doing that Niohuru cannot conceive?"
The Empress remained silent for a moment, then nodded, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes.
"Yes. At that time, her family was well-off, her father was a regent, and even Ao Bai favored her family. If she were to give birth to another prince, my position as empress would definitely be unstable, and I could not afford not to take precautions."
Madame Hesherry patted her hand, without any hint of reproach.
“You did the right thing. In your position, you had no choice but to do it. You dealt her a heavy blow, which is probably Niohuru’s revenge on you. She has been patient until now, and only now has she found an opportunity to strike you. And she struck with deadly precision. She is a ruthless character.”
Upon hearing this, the Empress's hatred intensified, and she gritted her teeth and said.
"If I had known this would happen, I should have replaced the sterilization drug with poison in the first place, and killed her outright. My Chenghu wouldn't have been born..."
"Foolish!"
Mrs. Hershey whispered a warning to stop her.
“If she were truly poisoned to death in the palace, would the Niohuru family let it go? That would bring a terrible disaster to the Hesheli family. The current struggle is just a covert one, which leaves room for maneuver.”
The Empress began to shed tears again.
"Mother, this won't work, that won't work, am I just supposed to swallow this anger and not even be able to take revenge? Besides, there must be her spies in Kunning Palace, otherwise how could she have harmed my child?"
Lady Hesheli and Granny Jing exchanged a glance, both speaking with solemn expressions.
"There must be something. It's just that the other party is very clever and has wiped away all the traces, so it's not easy to investigate now. As long as the Niohuru clan doesn't make any moves for the time being, it will be difficult for us to find any more incriminating evidence."
Upon hearing this, the Empress spoke with hatred in her voice.
"Then I will send all the treacherous servants in the palace to the Department of Strict Punishment for severe torture. I refuse to believe that I won't get anything out of them."
"No!"
Lady Hesheli and Granny Jing spoke up to stop them almost simultaneously.
The Empress was puzzled, feeling wronged and angry.
"Why not again? Do I not even have the power to dispose of a few servants? Am I just supposed to suffer in silence?"
Mrs. Hesheri felt a sense of helplessness as she watched her daughter lose her composure.
A thought flashed through her mind.
This daughter is probably no longer capable of shouldering great responsibilities...
The Heseri family should probably make plans soon, but there's no suitable candidate in the family right now...
She suppressed her thoughts and patiently explained.
"Sending all the palace servants to the Censorate is too much of a commotion. What will the Emperor think? He'll only think you're incompetent and furious, taking your anger out on your servants. He'll despise you. Besides, if you send everyone away, who will dare to work sincerely for you in the future? If people's hearts are scattered, your Kunning Palace will become an empty shell. Furthermore, even if you replace them with a new batch, can you guarantee that there won't be any Consort Jin or members of the Niohuru clan among them?"
Granny Jing also whispered her advice.
“Your Majesty, Madam is right. For now, we can only be patient and wait for the right opportunity. This old servant will be extra careful and investigate secretly, and will never give the thieves another chance to harm Your Majesty.”
Listening to her mother and the nanny's analysis, the Empress felt resentment but also knew that they were right.
She slumped back onto the pillow, a deep sense of powerlessness and hatred gnawing at her heart.
Seeing her daughter's expression, Mrs. Heseri knew that she had taken some of the advice to heart, and felt somewhat relieved.
In fact, as long as Niohuru was not poisoned, any other death from illness or accident would be acceptable, but she was unwilling to reveal it, as it would only increase the uncertainty.
She only hoped that her daughter would behave herself, give the Hesheli family another legitimate son, or hold on a little longer.
She had made up her mind to urge her husband, Gabula, to speed up the process of having a daughter once she returned home.
——————
Does anyone in the family understand this?
What was the Empress's complex psychology—fear of Consort Jin, yet the need to maintain her dignity as Empress and not back down?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
