Rong Fei is not honored

But as soon as Princes Chengrui and Saiyinchahun left, the atmosphere in the hall instantly froze, as if the laughter and joy from before had never happened.

However, once the Empress Dowager spoke, Sumalagu immediately brought the person out and went straight to the point:

"When the two princes were here just now, what kind of eye contact were you exchanging with Granny An?"

The Empress Dowager's smile had not yet completely faded as she stared blankly at the unexpected turn of events.

She wanted to ask the Empress Dowager what had happened, but although the Empress Dowager was not angry, her aura was terrifying. The Empress Dowager swallowed and subconsciously looked at Granny An.

Granny An shook her head, signaling her mistress not to get involved.

The old nanny glanced at Granny An, and seeing her detached stance, understood that the other woman wouldn't stand up for her. She smiled ingratiatingly and asked:

"Did this servant disturb the Empress Dowager?"

"Don't beat around the bush. Just answer my questions."

The old nanny gritted her teeth and poured out all her grievances, adding at the end, "This servant is truly indignant for my master."

The Empress Dowager frowned; if it weren't for Granny An stopping her, she would have already spoken up in rebuttal.

In her view, Cheng Rui and Saiyinchahun were both filial children, and Consort Rong was also a soft-hearted person. They had never shown any disrespect to Cining Palace and Shou Kang Palace.

Just because Zhongcui Palace only sent congee and a snack today, does that mean Consort Rong and her son were being perfunctory?

Not to mention that Consort Rong's health is already poor, the fact that she cooked for her mother, the Empress Dowager, despite her illness already shows her filial piety. Moreover, she even sent her two sons to entertain their mother in colorful clothes, which shows how thoughtful she was.

Although the food was simple, just by looking at the aroma wafting from it and the Empress Dowager's reaction, one could tell that it had been carefully prepared.

The Empress Dowager, having endured it all, could no longer contain herself and spoke up in defense of Consort Rong:

“Your Majesty is the Empress Dowager, and you’ve seen all sorts of good things. But you’re not feeling well right now, so simple food is just what’s best for you.”

The Empress Dowager and Sumalagu did not react to the Empress Dowager's words. On the contrary, the old nanny kneeling on the ground subconsciously curled her lips, looking very dismissive.

"Su Ma, are there many servants like her?"

The Empress Dowager's seemingly random words left both the Empress Dowager and Granny An bewildered, except for Su Mala Gu, who understood the Empress Dowager's meaning.

“It’s not just Cining Palace and Shou Kang Palace; many people in the palace now believe that Zhongcui Palace has received our favor.”

The Empress Dowager didn't understand how this matter had anything to do with today's events, but her attendant, Granny An, was terrified.

If this nanny also believed that Consort Rong and her son had received the care of Cining Palace, and that the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager were great benefactors of Zhongcui Palace, then it's no wonder she felt that Consort Rong was being perfunctory.

On one hand, there was a great favor, and on the other hand, there was only simple food brought by her son; naturally, the two were not equal.

In the old nanny's eyes, Consort Rong should have dragged her ailing body to Cining Palace to serve the Empress Dowager herself, and her children should have come to show their concern and care, in order to be worthy of this favor.

But the key question is, what favors did Cining Palace and Shou Kang Palace do for Zhongcui Palace?

Was it the Empress Dowager who protected Consort Rong, or the Empress Dowager who raised Sainchahun? It seems that way, but upon closer examination, it's hard to say who wronged whom.

But so many people actually believed this absurd favor, and even the servants in their Shou Kang Palace developed a grudge against Consort Rong because of it.

Right now, they are only dissatisfied with Consort Rong's reaction. What about in the future? Will they escalate this dissatisfaction and bring it on the princes?

The others are one thing, but Prince Sainchahun has always been close to the Empress Dowager and has frequent interactions with her. He is also intelligent, so if one day he notices the attitude of the servants in Shou Kang Palace...

Granny An felt a chill run down her spine.

Is... what is the Empress Dowager going to do?

It's no wonder that Granny An would think that way. After all, the Empress Dowager has always been decisive in her actions, and once she takes action, she leaves no room for compromise. According to previous signs, the Empress Dowager clearly wants to bring Zhongcui Palace to her side.

Therefore, a favor as heavy as Mount Tai, a favor recognized by everyone, naturally and logically imprinted the Empress Dowager's mark on Consort Rong, even if she herself did not recognize it.

Would the Empress Dowager care about the wishes of Consort Rong and her son? The answer is naturally no.

Granny An felt a little uncomfortable. Of course, Consort Rong wasn't that important to her; what she cared about was Prince Saiyinchahun, whom she had watched grow up.

That was the child she had raised herself. Besides her master, he was the most important person to Granny An. How could Granny An feel good seeing him being schemed against like this, even if that person was the Empress Dowager?

Even if... even if the Empress Dowager wanted to win over Prince Sainchahun, couldn't she have tried a different approach?

The prince was not such a heartless person. Even for the sake of the Empress Dowager, even if he refused to become a pawn in the Empress Dowager's hands, he would not become an enemy.

Why be so ruthless and give the other party no chance at all?

Wouldn't Consort Rong and her son, forced into this situation, harbor resentment? It might even affect the relationship between their mistress and Prince Sainchahun.

Her mistress values ​​Prince Saiyinchahun so much; if the prince were to take his anger out on her, or even turn against Shou Kang Palace, how heartbroken her mistress would be.

Did the Empress Dowager consider the situation and feelings of Shou Kang Palace when she did this?

Even though Granny An tried her best to suppress it, unsurprisingly, she still felt dissatisfied and... a little resentful.

The Empress Dowager and Su Ma La Gu both noticed the cautious look in An Mama's eyes, and naturally they could not have missed the Empress Dowager's pale face after she realized what was happening.

Even the Empress Dowager and Granny An, who were close to the Empress Dowager, thought so. What about others? Would those smart people who realized something was wrong also conclude that this was the work of the Empress Dowager?

Although the Empress Dowager was indeed capable of such a thing, the fact is that this time, it was not someone from Cining Palace who did it.

After all, there's no need.

Emperor Kangxi was still young and vigorous, and the struggle for the throne had not yet reached its most critical stage. Although the Empress Dowager was old, she was still in good health. Even if she was worried about her life ending, her first concern should have been the emperor who was still sitting on the throne.

Emperor Kangxi, with Crown Prince Yinreng of the Hesheli family standing behind him, was no less troublesome than Consort Rong and her son.

If you're in a hurry, you should deal with the obstacles first; if you're not in a hurry, why act so rashly?

Aren't you afraid of pushing people too far? Even if the Empress Dowager doesn't take Zhongcui Palace seriously and is confident that she can control Consort Rong and her son, what about the future?