frightfiction Chapter 229: Holding Hands in Public Without a Queen
Chapter 229: Holding Hands in Public Without a Queen
In the court, there is another round of controversy over the queen today. The crown prince is somewhat worried. On the contrary, the eldest prince looks very high-spirited. Recently, more and more ministers in the court have recommended Concubine Hui as the next queen.
Now, another minister submitted a memorial:
"Your Majesty, Concubine Hui has assisted in the management of the six palaces for many years. She has served the Empress Dowager Xiaodi and maintained a harmonious relationship with the imperial concubines. She also gave birth to the Emperor's eldest son. She is truly a person of virtue and morality, and is a worthy candidate for the Empress."
After he finished speaking, several more ministers came out to echo him.
The eldest prince looked at this scene and glanced at the crown prince complacently. He was favored by the emperor because of his status as a legitimate son. When his mother becomes the empress, he will also be a legitimate son. Let's see how you can be so arrogant by relying on your status in the future.
The prince understood the eldest prince's look, his expression remained unchanged, but his hands hanging in his sleeves suddenly clenched.
The ministers who supported Concubine Nianhulu were not willing to be outdone, so they also stepped forward and the two sides began their familiar confrontation.
All of this was seen by Kangxi, who was at the top of the table. He looked deeply at the eldest prince with his deep phoenix eyes.
Finally he spoke:
"All right."
As soon as these two simple words were spoken, the court officials below immediately stopped talking and returned to their seats silently.
Kangxi looked down at the court officials below, his eyes so deep that it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
"I have dreamt of Xiaocheng, Xiaozhao and Xiaoyi many times recently. Recalling many past events, I was deeply touched and felt lost. I think it is not appropriate to establish a queen for the time being. There is no need to discuss the topic of establishing a queen in the future."
After saying this, he looked sad.
The court officials immediately started talking about it. The emperor had three dead queens, and if people knew about it, they would definitely say that he was unlucky in marriage. Even the emperor himself thought that he might be unlucky in marriage, so he did not dare to appoint a queen.
But the emperor can say this about himself, but the ministers cannot agree, otherwise they would be seeking death. Instead, they have to make excuses for the emperor, and some people are still unwilling to accept it.
So immediately, a minister came forward to present the following report:
"Your Majesty is the supreme ruler of the country and the most respected person in the world. I think Your Majesty should establish a queen. With a queen in charge of the six palaces and sharing your worries, the Qing Dynasty will be more prosperous and the people will live in peace."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately came out to echo him.
And some ministers said:
"The emperor's order cannot be disobeyed, but if it is not appropriate to appoint a queen for the time being, can we appoint an imperial concubine to take over the queen's duties? I think that Concubine Niuhulu has been a concubine for many years and is the most suitable candidate."
The people who spoke were ministers from the faction of Concubine Nianhulu. They had long known that the Emperor was unlikely to take a queen, and that his real goal was the position of Imperial Concubine.
This tactic of retreating to advance soon won the support of many people.
Kangxi watched with cold eyes. On weekdays, when he encountered matters concerning the court and the people, he did not see these people being proactive. Instead, they all liked to curry favor with the powerful and take shortcuts. He saw through everyone's factions. He finally spoke again:
"Okay, I have made up my mind. I will not appoint a queen for the time being. As for the Imperial Noble Consort, there are four concubines in the palace who will assist in managing the six palaces. There is no need for the Imperial Noble Consort to take on the duties of queen."
After saying that, he knocked on the armrest and immediately flicked his whisk:
"If you have something to report, go to court, if nothing happens, leave the court."
The emperor's attitude was clearly shown, and the ministers dared not say anything even if they wanted to say it. In the end, they could only bow and leave. Before leaving, Kangxi called away the crown prince and the eldest prince. As for the third prince who attended the court with him, he had caught a cold recently and was not here today.
"Your Majesty, Empress Xian is here and is waiting for you in the side hall."
Seeing that the emperor had just left the court with a bad look on his face, Xiao Fuzi still stepped forward to report immediately, because the visitor was Concubine Xian, and if she neglected it, she would be more likely to be punished by the emperor.
Sure enough, when he heard that Shi Nanxi was coming, Kangxi's face suddenly turned from gloomy to sunny.
"Oh, Concubine Xian is here, please invite her to the main hall."
After saying this, without waiting for anyone to respond, he continued:
"I'll go pick it up myself."
The Crown Prince and the eldest prince who were walking over happened to see the Emperor's entire reaction. The Crown Prince was in a good mood because his father announced in public that he would not appoint either a empress or a royal concubine. He was just a little surprised by this and secretly sighed that Concubine Xian was indeed very favored.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but think of Concubine Xian's sister Shi Rongyue. The smile on her face gradually disappeared, and a layer of faint haze covered her face.
The eldest prince originally thought that his mother, Concubine Hui, could become the empress dowager, or at least the imperial concubine, but he didn't expect that he would become neither. Now seeing that his father dotes on Concubine Xian, he feels even worse.
His mother once told him that the Emperor only favored Concubine Xian and she would not enter the harem. The man she used to consolidate his favor was half-discarded by Concubine Xian and was competing with her for power in the palace. Now, he was promoted to the status of a noble concubine by the Emperor. He needed to be careful and guard against him, otherwise he would climb over her head sooner or later.
He was very dissatisfied with this. His mother was the head of the concubines and had been managing the six palaces for many years. How could she be easily surpassed by a young concubine who had just entered the palace? His mother was just worrying about nothing.
But in his heart, he was displeased with Concubine Xian, and now that he saw the Emperor's attitude with his own eyes, his hatred for him had escalated to hostility.
At this moment, a young eunuch hurried forward and whispered to Wenxi who was beside the prince. Wenxi looked surprised and quickly whispered to the prince. The prince was shocked after hearing it, and then looked at the eldest prince with gloating.
When the eldest prince saw the look in the crown prince's eyes, his brows furrowed and he was about to say something, but a eunuch who was running errands for Concubine Hui ran over and whispered to him without waiting for him to ask. After hearing this, the eldest prince clenched his fists.
Good Empress Xian, she actually dares to climb over his mother's head.
The prince must have received the news just now, no wonder he looked at me like that. The eldest prince's teeth were chattering. Seeing the eldest prince's reaction, the young eunuch quickly whispered:
"Big brother, please stay calm. The queen is afraid that you will get the news suddenly and act impulsively. That's why I asked you to tell you the news in a hurry. The queen advises you not to act rashly. This matter needs to be considered carefully."
The eldest prince clenched his fists tightly, wanting to feel sorry for his mother, but he was not a fool.
"...I understand. You tell mother and I know the severity of the matter." These words seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth.
The young eunuch took the order and left.
At this moment, Shi Nanxi followed Kangxi out of the side hall, and she saw the crown prince and the eldest prince at a glance.
There was no change in the two men's expressions, but when she looked closer, Shi Nanxi discovered that the gloominess on the prince's face was more intense than last time.
The eldest prince looked at her with hostility. She raised her eyebrows. Did he know that she had stepped on Concubine Hui?
Shi Nanxi could see what kind of person Kangxi was, and he saw it even more clearly, his face darkened slightly.
Just now, in the side hall, Nanxi told him everything that happened during the greeting ceremony. Only then did he know that Concubine Hui and Concubine Niuhulu were actually competing against each other in the Empress Dowager's palace, and they deliberately dragged Nanxi into it.
Nanxi was supposed to sit in front of Concubine Hui as she was entitled to the title of Imperial Concubine. However, she was pushed forward for no reason, which caused Nanxi to be criticized. He was very unhappy about it.
He didn't show it on his face. He just reached out and held Nanxi's hand, said "Come in", and walked towards the main hall.
The Crown Prince and the eldest prince were a little stunned, and then quickly followed in. Shi Nanxi, who was held by Kangxi's hand in front, seemed a little shy. She pulled her hand away, but unfortunately she couldn't pull it out, so she had to lower her voice and said:
"Your Majesty, please let go! Everyone is watching us outside!"
Kangxi held it tighter after hearing this. He was relaxed and said calmly:
“No one dared to look.”
As soon as the words fell, everyone, including the crown prince and the eldest prince who were following behind, lowered their heads, not looking at the two people holding hands.
Shi Nanxi: ...Okay, she herself doesn’t care, as long as her character setting is in place.