Rong Fei is not honored

Ji Nai explained helplessly, "I do want to, but Concubine Zhang won't cooperate. Every time I take people to take Little Princess away, she hugs her tightly and doesn't let anyone get close. I'm afraid of hurting Little Princess, so I don't dare to take her away by force."

Humph, don't you think she doesn't know that Ma Jia did it on purpose. Every time she went to Chuxiu Palace, she would bring a group of people with her to show off. How could this not alert Zhang and make her prepare in advance?

The queen was a little anxious, fearing that if she delayed any further, the matter would be left unresolved, so she advised, "Can't you take the little princess away when Concubine Zhang isn't paying attention, or when she's resting?"

Ji Nai righteously retorted, "That won't do. It is Your Majesty's will that I raise the little princess. In the future, the little princess will be my child. There is no need to do it secretly."

The Queen knew that Ma Jia was deliberately shirking her responsibility, but she had no other choice but to say in a cold and impatient voice, "This is not okay, and that is not okay. Ma Jia, are you doing this on purpose just to not raise the little princess? If that's the case, why did you agree to this matter so righteously that day!"

Ji Nai looked at the queen in surprise, "How can you say that, Queen? You can't assume that I have the same idea just because you refused."

The queen blushed. Ma Jia was openly mocking her, but she had nothing to say.

The queen calmed down and said apologetically, "I misunderstood my sister. However, what exactly is sister Ma Jia thinking? If I delay any further, I am afraid that others will misunderstand me as I did."

"Alas, Queen, you don't know my difficulties. If Concubine Zhang hasn't given up completely, she will make a fuss even if I take the little princess away. I am afraid that Concubine Zhang will not care and go straight to Zhongcui Palace to make a fuss.

If that were the case, wouldn't it be a joke? People who don't know would think that I am so heartless that I took advantage of my status to forcibly seize the concubine's child. If it gets out, His Majesty will lose face."

Concubine Zhang, who was in a desperate situation, had lost all her rationality. She didn't even come to pay her respects. She stayed with the little princess all day long. She looked crazy and anyone who saw her would be scared.

But this is no wonder. The little princess is Concubine Zhang's last straw. How could she not hold on to her tightly?

Every word Ji Nai said made sense, and no one could find fault with it. After all, no one could be sure whether Concubine Zhang would do something crazy in this state.

But as time went on, not only the Queen was anxious, but even the Grand Empress Dowager could no longer sit still. After all, this matter was Kangxi's decision, and it was decided in front of everyone. If it was delayed any longer, it would not be good for Kangxi or the little princess.

So, under the Queen's overt and covert urging, the Empress Dowager went to see Kangxi.

"Your Majesty, how are you going to resolve the matter between Zhang and the little princess? You must give me a definite answer. Could it be that Your Majesty is going to go back on his word?"

Kangxi secretly complained that Ji Nai had really given him a tough job. Although five or six days had passed, it was still a long way from the time Ji Nai had requested.

Kangxi had to delay for a while longer, and the time could not be too tight, otherwise, just as the little princess was about to move to Zhongcui Palace, something went wrong with Ji Nai. Wouldn't this be telling others sincerely that there was something fishy about this matter?

Kangxi pondered for a moment, and finally said: "After all, Zhang is the biological mother of the little princess. The reason why I have not spoken to her these days is that I want them to spend the last few days together, which can be regarded as the final mother-daughter relationship."

The Empress Dowager sighed, "That's fine. After all, they are our own flesh and blood. If Zhang hadn't gone too far, there would be no need to be so unkind."

"I originally thought that since the rank of the harem had not been determined and there were too few high-ranking concubines in the palace, I didn't need to abide by the ancestral rules for the time being, and that was also to prevent the separation of flesh and blood. However, I didn't expect that there would be mothers in this world who didn't love their children."

"Your Majesty, there is no need to be too sad. Ma Jia will take good care of the little princess."

The Empress Dowager knew that the Emperor was thinking of Tong Jia and the pain she herself had suffered from the separation of mother and son. However, the Empress Dowager did not want the Emperor to think about that woman all the time, so she used Su Malagu's words to comfort her to change the subject.

"However, now that the former dynasty is stable, the emperor should think carefully about the ranks of the concubines. It is always like this, everyone has always stayed in the position of concubines, which is a bit unreasonable."

"Don't worry, Grandmother. I have already arranged for the Ministry of Rites to draft it. But Grandmother also knows that those old people who regard etiquette as the golden rule are too troublesome. I don't know how long the argument will last."

"It's fine as long as the emperor has already made the rules. I am just giving you a reminder."

The current Grand Empress Dowager would not easily violate the taboos of Emperor Kangxi, and seldom asked about the affairs of the previous dynasty. She was no longer the legendary Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang who had lived through three dynasties. The current Grand Empress Dowager was just an old ancestor who lived out her days in the harem.

"By the way, Grandmother, we can start what we discussed earlier."

"Your Majesty, are you talking about palace power?"

"Exactly."

“This is really a good time.”

The next day, news came from the Palace of Heavenly Purity that His Majesty had set a final ten-day deadline for Concubine Zhang to end her lifelong mother-daughter relationship with Little Princess. After ten days, if anyone tried to stop her, it would be considered disobedience.

The queen was not happy for long after hearing the news, because the next news made her heart sink into an ice cellar.

In the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager issued an edict: ordering Ma Jia and Nara to assist the Empress in managing the six palaces.

After the announcement of this decree, everyone was in an uproar. This time, unlike the last time, it was just a verbal announcement that Ma Jia and Nara would help manage the palace affairs, which was essentially a warning to the queen.

At that time, Ma Jia gave in, and Nara alone benefited. But at most she interfered in palace affairs, which made things easier and allowed her to make some money. The actual power was still in the hands of the queen, and later she just found a random excuse to take back the palace affairs.

To put it bluntly, managing palace affairs before was like being a maid helping with odd jobs. The people, money, and things you handled did not belong to you. And there was no guarantee that the owner could take them away at will.

But this time it was different. The Empress Dowager had issued a clear decree that even if the Queen was unwilling, she could not simply take away the power.

The queen's face was pale. She thought the matter of Concubine Zhang was over, but she didn't expect the Grand Empress Dowager to suddenly issue such an order. Was this just the Grand Empress Dowager's intention, or was it the Emperor's instruction?

In fact, the question of the Queen was meaningless. How could the Queen Mother not consult with Kangxi before making such a big decision?

But the queen still held out a glimmer of hope.