Rong Fei is not honored

But that's not necessarily the case. Although the emperor didn't treat Rong Fei very well, he always treated Hesheli differently, even though she is dead now.

Otherwise, because the emperor praised Yinreng to the sky, the Empress Dowager would have wanted Hesheli's life.

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager's face darkened again.

Su Malagu was very tired. She had finally managed to divert her own princess's attention, but why did the focus go back to the same place again?

"Princess, I'm not trying to excuse His Majesty. Honestly, even if His Majesty wanted to warn you, he wouldn't use Concubine Rong. Isn't he afraid that you'll vent your anger on Concubine Rong?"

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, "Of course he wouldn't give up anything else, but if it's for Yinreng, he might not. Haven't you heard the rumors spreading outside? Although they are the work of someone with ulterior motives, they may not be untrue."

Speaking of rumors, the Empress Dowager and Su Malagu both remembered one thing - contraceptive soup.

Su Malagu hesitated and said, "Is there really something wrong with Concubine Rong's health? That contraceptive soup is indeed harmful to the body. It wasn't long after I stopped taking it that Concubine Rong got pregnant."

If that's the case, then this child...

The Empress Dowager closed her eyes and said, "If that's really the case, then it's truly a sin."

The Empress Dowager was unwilling to let Concubine Rong take leave because Kangxi was warning herself, but she also didn't want Concubine Rong to really have an accident in her pregnancy.

However, the result was not what the Empress Dowager wished.

"Imperial Physician Zhao secretly checked Concubine Rong's pulse and found that there was indeed a problem, but the traces had been erased. I think it was the order of His Majesty, otherwise Imperial Physician Wu would not have been so bold.

I also specifically asked Doctor Zhao, and he said that the contraceptive soup does harm a woman's body. Even if it is discontinued, it needs to be properly recuperated so that both the child and the mother are not affected."

What Imperial Physician Zhao said was indeed the truth, but what he didn't say was that Concubine Rong was not using contraceptive soup, but contraceptive incense carefully developed by the Imperial Hospital, which would cause minimal harm to women.

Concubine Rong has always been in good health. Even though she has been pregnant frequently, she has not suffered much damage and remains full of vitality.

It can be said that when Concubine Rong suddenly suffered from heart disease that day, they all thought that they had diagnosed her pulse wrongly.

......

The Empress Dowager was worried about the baby in Rong Fei's belly, but she could only pretend that nothing had happened. After all, it was not a glorious thing, and her grandson did not intend to let her know.

Because of his worry, he was not too happy even when he learned that Nara was pregnant. He just sent her rewards as usual and instructed Huipin to take good care of Nara's baby.

It’s not that the Empress Dowager didn’t value Nara’s pregnancy, nor was it that she cared too much about Rong Fei’s health. It’s just that the gender of Nara’s pregnancy was still unknown, and Rong Fei did have a physique that was suitable for a boy.

Isn’t it obvious which is more important?

Moreover, after all these events, although the Empress Dowager still cared about Rong Fei's face, her hostility towards her had dissipated a lot.

In fact, because of the unkindness of her own children and grandchildren, the Empress Dowager felt sorry for Concubine Rong.

But that's all.

"How is the Imperial Household Department's selection going?"

(The Imperial Household Department's selection refers to the minor selection, which is held once a year, usually in February or March.)

"Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on this matter."

"Alas, even though the Emperor and I have had our differences, he is still my grandson after all. How can I not wish him well?

Of the old ladies in the palace, the most outstanding one is Concubine Rong, but she is pregnant and cannot serve the emperor. The few remaining good ones, such as Nara, Zhang, Dong, and Suochuolo, have now fallen out of favor.

The Emperor can only wrongly choose a general from among the dwarfs. If there were no better ones, why would he have revealed the Nara family? "

"That's not the case. Nara is pretty."

"You said it too, she's just pretty. Not even half as pretty as Concubine Rong, even Nara can surpass her."

"Master, what you said is rather biased. When you were selecting the candidate, you didn't dislike Nara's appearance. Besides, Nara's appearance is only unremarkable in the palace, where there are so many beauties. If she were outside, she would still be praised as a beautiful lady.

You are like this now, could it be that you have been dazzled by Rong Fei's appearance and spoiled your appetite?"

The Grand Empress Dowager glanced at Su Malagu with a look of disapproval, but she did not blame her for being unruly. "I know that there are only a few people like Rong Fei in the entire Qing Dynasty."

"There aren't many in the entire Qing Dynasty, and it just so happens that there's one in this Imperial Household Department's selection."

The Queen Mother became interested and asked in detail.

Su Malagu naturally knew how much her master cared about the Emperor. Now that Kunning Palace was ownerless, the task of adding people to the harem would have to fall on her master.

Moreover, the concubines in the palace are of varying quality. Some have fallen out of favor, and some have died of illness. How could His Majesty be willing to enter the harem if he has no interest in them?

Although His Majesty has many children now, apart from the princes and princesses in Zhongcui Palace, he only has two sons. How can the Empress Dowager feel at ease?

Unfortunately, last year's general election was canceled, and the next round of the Eight Banners selection would have to wait another two years. He couldn't let the Emperor remain unmarried for the next two years, could he? All he could do was pick out the best candidates from the Imperial Household Department's selection.

Fortunately, the quality of this batch of young contestants is good.

"There are indeed a few good ones among this group of young concubines, such as Dai Jia, Wan Liuha, and especially Jue Chan. Although her appearance is still not as good as that of Empress Rong, it is not much different."

(Liang Fei Juechan, a bannerman of the Plain Yellow Banner, was the daughter of Abunai, the internal supervisor. She was not a lowly servant in the Xinzheku. Like the four concubines, she was also a bannerman.)

When the Empress Dowager heard Su Malagu say that Juechan was still not as good as Rongfei, she felt a little disappointed. But after thinking about it, she realized that with Rongfei's face, it would be difficult to find someone more beautiful than her.

"Not much different?"

"Yes, at least an eight."

"That's not bad." The Grand Empress Dowager sighed. "Once they've learned the rules, send them to the Qianqing Palace. If they serve well, they'll be given a position. If not, since they were born into the lower ranks, it wouldn't be a disgrace to them to become maids in the Qianqing Palace."

"Isn't this what the master has been thinking about? It finally came to fruition, why are you so uninterested?"

"I just thought that since these two girls are so beautiful, once they enter the palace, there will be unrest in the palace."

"There's nothing we can do about it. With so many women competing for one man, won't they just have to fight?"

"But there are still children in the palace. What if the heir to the throne is injured... Do we have to send them out of the palace to be raised like Yinzhen? Wouldn't that make people laugh?

If there was a queen to keep them in check, the people in the palace wouldn't act so recklessly. But no matter what I say, the emperor won't agree."