Chapter 205 All Concubines Are Equal Under the Empress
Tongjia, as if grasping at a straw, hurriedly said.
“Your Majesty, please be aware that Lady Uya…she has committed insubordination and disrespectful speech, and all the palace servants can testify to this.”
"Yeah?"
Jiang Nan raised an eyebrow and turned to Wuya.
"Uya, Princess Tongjia accuses you of insubordination. Do you have anything to say about that?"
Despite her disheveled state, Uya's eyes remained remarkably calm as she kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am innocent. I was speaking with the Princess just now, and every word I said was proper. I had no disrespectful thoughts or words whatsoever! I don't know what I did to offend the Princess and that I was slapped."
She raised her head and looked calmly at Tongjia.
"If Your Highness insists that I was disrespectful, then please explain in detail, in front of Her Majesty the Empress, which word or phrase of mine committed such a grave offense? I am willing to confront Your Highness face to face."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan's eyes flashed with approval. This Wuya clansman was indeed composed and her words were cleverly delivered.
She propped her head up with her hand and looked at Tongjia Shi with a leisurely air.
"Tongjia clan, Wuya clan asked you to explain in detail, so tell me, how exactly did she show disrespect?"
"She...she..."
Tongjia was speechless.
How can those sarcastic and indirect remarks be brought to the forefront and made concrete?
Saying it aloud would only make her seem unreasonable.
Jiang Nan waited for her for a moment, and seeing that her face was flushed but she couldn't say anything coherent, she scoffed lightly.
"What? I gave you a chance to explain, but you can't even tell me how disrespectful she was? It seems that you really hit Wuya for no reason, and then Wuya was forced to fight back, which is why they got into a fight, is that right?"
Tongjia was so aggrieved that she had no choice but to kowtow and admit her mistake.
"Your Majesty, I acted impulsively and know I was wrong. Please punish me."
"Punishment?"
Jiang Nan responded casually.
"Why should I punish you? You hit me, so be it. You're the ones who suffered the loss. What does it have to do with me? I'm too lazy to punish you for such a trivial matter. As long as you don't make a scene in front of the Emperor, I'm actually happy to watch the show."
She changed the subject, her tone turning cold.
"However, you concubines should stop this kind of fighting in the future. If it gets out, outsiders won't say you don't know your manners, they'll just say that I, the Empress, am incompetent and have made a mess of the harem. Although I don't care about those empty titles, I'll still feel uncomfortable if people point fingers at me behind my back because of this."
Her gaze swept over the two kneeling figures, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
"That's enough for today. I don't want to hear any more gossip about this matter. Do you understand?"
Both Lady Tongjia and Lady Wuya knew that this was the most lenient approach the Empress had offered, and they immediately responded in unison.
"Your Majesty, I understand and will obey Your Majesty's decree."
"Um."
Jiang Nan nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly revealed a meaningful smile.
"Furthermore, since your feelings for each other are so deep, I asked you all to disperse in the East Annex, but you insisted on gathering together to express your feelings. So I will grant your request."
She paused, then spoke slowly.
"You two will kneel here in this hall and reflect on your actions for three hours, then you can disperse. This will teach you a lesson."
She stood up, looked down at them, and gave them a final warning.
"I don't care how you fight in private, but you must abide by all the rules on the surface. Don't lose face for the Aisin Gioro family and for me. That's the proper thing to do."
After saying that, she took Chunlan's hand.
Zhao Deyi immediately raised his voice.
"Her Majesty the Empress is departing—"
Jiang Nan stopped looking at the two people kneeling inside the hall and leisurely left the west side hall.
The palace doors closed, and the interior fell into a deathly silence.
Tongjia and Wuya looked at each other in dismay. Three hours of kneeling as punishment!
I haven't even had dinner yet, and I've been kneeling until midnight. I'm afraid I won't even be able to get out of bed tomorrow.
Both of them were inwardly groaning.
Tongjia glared fiercely at Wuya, who initially returned the glare a few times.
But then he got bored, lowered his head, and ignored her.
However, a barely perceptible hint of smugness flashed deep within her lowered eyes.
She made the right bet!
Under the Empress, as long as one does not cross the line, even a concubine may not be unable to contend with a princess of the rank of Consort.
Although she had to suffer the pain of kneeling as punishment today, she had Tongjia by her side, and she hadn't suffered any loss in the fight just now.
All the pent-up anger in my chest dissipated, and I felt that the suffering I had endured was absolutely worth it!
————————
Inside the Kunning Palace dining hall, the lights were on, and the warmth of the dishes had not yet dissipated.
Jiang Nan had just finished serving Erhe the last piece of his favorite sweet and sour pork, and the little guy was very satisfied.
Just then, Kangxi strode into the dining hall, bringing with him a touch of the coolness of a summer night breeze.
Jiang Nan looked up and saw him. There was no surprise on her face. She simply reached out and gently pressed down on her son, who was about to get up and bow.
"Eat your food properly. Why bother with these formalities with Father Emperor?"
She spoke naturally and then turned to look at Kangxi.
"Has Your Majesty eaten yet since you arrived at this hour? If not, please have some more with us. The small kitchen is still keeping the soup warm."
With a hint of fatigue and irritation on his face, Kangxi didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly opposite Jiang Nan.
He waved to Liang Jiugong, who was standing to the side.
Liang Jiugong immediately understood and turned to instruct the palace servants to add bowls and chopsticks.
"Your Majesty, no matter how busy you are with state affairs, you must eat at regular times. Your health is of utmost importance."
As Jiang Nan spoke, she naturally served Kangxi a bowl of hot soup and handed it to him.
“Liang Jiugong, you’re an old man now. You should remind the Emperor more often not to let him forget the time when he’s reviewing memorials.”
"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will remember Your Majesty's teachings."
Liang Jiugong quickly bowed and replied, thinking to himself.
In this world, besides the Empress Dowager, the only other person who can truly control the Emperor is probably the Empress.
Kangxi took the soup bowl, picked up the spoon, and seemed to want to say something.
He glanced at his son, who was blinking curiously at him, then swallowed his words and silently drank two mouthfuls of soup.
Jiang Nan understood and turned to Erhe, speaking softly.
"Erhe, are you full? If you are, go to the courtyard to digest your food. Your mother and your father can have a chat."
"Your subject is full!"
Erhe obediently put down his chopsticks, nimbly slid off his chair, and bowed properly.
Fang Ruo then led him out of the dining hall, skipping and hopping.
After his son left, Kangxi put down the soup bowl, his brows furrowed slightly, and got straight to the point.
"Nannan, I've heard... things aren't going well at Yonghe Palace. It seems Qi Jia is on her last legs? Is there... something fishy going on?"
He paused, his tone tinged with suppressed anger.
"Furthermore, I have also learned of the fight between my cousin and Lady Wuya. What kind of behavior is this!"
Jiang Nan then focused on eating her own meal, having been preoccupied with taking care of her son.
She didn't even look up when she heard this, her tone indifferent.
"Your Majesty, these underhanded tactics in the harem will never disappear as long as the concubines still want to compete and rise to the top. Qi Jia was so young, yet a simple cold brought her to the brink of death. To say there's nothing fishy about it would be unbelievable. There's nothing strange about it."
Emperor Kangxi was taken aback by her nonchalant attitude, and his voice rose slightly, tinged with anger.
"Nannan! Since you knew, why didn't you stop them? I heard you even... even let them fight? Saying it didn't matter if a few concubines died? Is this how you manage the harem for me?"
"laugh--"
Hearing Kangxi's question, which was filled with nameless anger, Jiang Nan finally raised her head and revealed a slightly mocking sneer.
“Your Majesty, if I say that we are not allowed to argue, will these underhanded methods cease to exist? Furthermore, without solid evidence, relying solely on suspicion will only lead to an unsolved case. Do you expect me to indiscriminately kill innocent people to establish my authority? I am not a deity who can predict the future and see everything clearly.”
She put down her chopsticks and looked at Kangxi with clear eyes.
"Even if I have my suspicions, what if I make a mistake and drive the dog into a corner, causing it to bite back? The situation will only get worse, and then the court and the harem will all be in an uproar. Would Your Majesty be satisfied then?"
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