Rong Fei is not honored

Chapter 202: Follow-up to the Complaint

"But Sister Ma Jia took Prince Chengrui to the Qianqing Palace and stayed there for a whole day."

"That's right. Regardless of whether Brother Chengrui's body can withstand the wind, that's where His Majesty handles government affairs. Sister Ma Jia shouldn't be so reckless in order to win favor."

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager frowned. They were right. The Qianqing Palace was of great importance. How could a concubine go there easily and stay there for so long? Not to mention, Ma Jia also brought Cheng Rui with her.

Noticing that the Empress Dowager looked different, everyone was overjoyed. It seemed that it was not that the Empress Dowager did not care, but that they had not hit the point before.

Originally, the problem in the palace was not the scarcity of resources but the inequality of distribution. Only Ji Nai was special and was allowed by Kangxi to enter the Qianqing Palace. How could others be willing to accept this?

Therefore, these concubines were not stupid. They thought that they could use this incident to bring down Ji Nai. They only wanted to make the other party lose the right to enter the Qianqing Palace, just like them.

Therefore, they began to spare no effort to discredit Ji Nai and exaggerate the impact of the incident, hoping to get the Empress Dowager to issue an edict today.

However, when Su Malagu saw that her princess's face was becoming more and more gloomy, she knew that it was not directed at Ma Jia, but that she felt that these concubines were too noisy.

"The Empress Dowager is a little tired, so let's stop here for today's greetings."

Su Malagu spoke so abruptly that these people barely reacted. They showed dissatisfaction and began to reprimand this servant who didn't know the rules. Their goal had not yet been achieved, so how could they leave so easily?

Fortunately, they regained their senses in time and realized before they made any mistakes that the person who spoke was Su Malagu. Although she was a servant of the Empress Dowager, she was better than her master and more respectable than some concubines who were not favored.

The words that were about to come out of her mouth were stopped in time and swallowed back. In the end, she could only say awkwardly: "In this case, I will go back first and not disturb the Grand Empress Dowager to rest. I will come to pay my respects to the Grand Empress Dowager next time."

The Empress Dowager was too lazy to talk, so she waved her hand and dismissed the people. After everyone had left, the Empress Dowager said to Su Malagu, "Could it be that I made a mistake?"

Su Malagu knew who the Grand Empress Dowager was talking about without asking. However, compared to the Grand Empress Dowager's hidden dissatisfaction, Su Malagu liked the cautious but blessed Ji Nai very much, so she advised:

"The matter has not been clarified yet. Why did the Empress Dowager make a conclusion so early?"

The Empress Dowager glanced at Su Malagu but said nothing. Su Malagu smiled indifferently and continued, "Besides, Ma Jia has always been cautious. Even when she was at her best, she was never arrogant."

"Perhaps, because she thought she had my protection, she took off her disguise and couldn't help but show off."

"Grand Empress Dowager, you are prejudiced, so you always think the worst of Ma Jia. Since entering the palace, Ma Jia has never done anything unpleasant. How could she, a little girl, have such great ability to pretend under your nose for so many years?"

The Empress Dowager knew that Su Malagu was right and that Ma Jia did not have such great ability.

Just like Nara, who pretended to be quite decent at first, but the Empress Dowager saw through her frivolity at a glance, and sure enough, Nara's true colors were revealed soon after.

However, as she watched Ma Jia's face become more and more beautiful, she looked like a demon who would bring disaster to the country. Even though the empress, Concubine Hui and the emperor had a relationship, she could still feel that Ma Jia was special.

Such a woman is too scary. Not only is she beautiful, but her personality is also exceptionally likable, which makes the Empress Dowager more frightened than a domineering vase beauty.

Moreover, even if Ma Jiashi did not have a family background to support her, she could still give birth. In the harem, family background was indeed a plus point and determined the lower limit, but offspring could determine how high she could eventually climb.

Those who were born in humble families and still could not hold high positions even after giving birth to princes were either affected by the political situation of the previous dynasty.

Just like Li Zhong, the eldest son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, his biological mother Liu had never been promoted to a high position, but at that time the aristocratic families were powerful and all the high-ranking concubines in the harem were daughters of aristocratic families.

At the same time, it was also because the mother and son did not win the emperor's favor. If the biological mother was favored by the emperor, even if she was born in a poor family, the son would still be honored because of the mother.

Furthermore, if the son could please the emperor, or be given important positions after he grew up, it might bring honor to his mother, and the mother would be honored because of her son. At that time, even if it was just to avoid embarrassment for the prince, the mother would be given a higher title.

Therefore, as for Ma Jia, who was able to give birth, unless she was mentally ill and aroused the emperor's dislike, and her sons were all mediocre and incompetent, so that the emperor had no father-son affection at all, otherwise, Ma Jia would definitely be able to climb to a high position in the future.

She is favored, has a son, and holds a high position. If such a woman could attract the emperor's attention, her destructive power would definitely be far greater than that of Hai Lanzhu and Dong Efei.

This is what the Empress Dowager is most worried about.

Fortunately, although Ji Nai's temperament was gentle, she was not as pitiful as a little white flower. If she really had that kind of temperament, the Empress Dowager would have killed her without caring about anything. Of course, if she was really this type of beauty, the Empress Dowager would not have allowed her to enter the palace.

Su Malagu knew the knot in her own princess' heart, and also knew that she had no way to make her let down her guard against Ma Jia, whose beauty was getting better day by day, so she stopped trying to persuade her and had to find another way.

"Even if the Grand Empress Dowager wants to do something, she should first ask Ma Jia what she said. Otherwise, she has just entrusted the prince to the Empress Dowager, and you are using her as a scapegoat. Isn't that a bit like destroying the bridge after crossing the river?"

"When did I say I would deal with Ma Jia? In your eyes, am I so foolish?"

"I dare not." Su Malagu begged for mercy, "The Empress Dowager is very wise and intelligent, how could she be confused! It's all because of my own mean mind that I judge a gentleman's mind."

"You!"

Su Malagu was the only one in the world who could speak without restraint in front of the Empress Dowager.

Kangxi had naturally heard about the farce in the Cining Palace, and he was afraid that the Empress Dowager would embarrass Ji Nai because of it. But after waiting for a few days, there was no movement in the Cining Palace.

However, Kangxi still couldn't let his mind go, because the Empress Dowager had not summoned Ji Nai to listen to her explanation. This was not a good sign, and only by talking it out could the two sides resolve the conflict.

But the Empress Dowager's behavior was obviously not because she trusted Ji Nai. Kangxi guessed that the Empress Dowager was most likely concerned about the deal she had just made with Ji Nai and was still dissatisfied.

As time goes on, the gap will grow wider and wider, and the Empress Dowager will become more and more dissatisfied with Ji Nai, until one day, all her dissatisfaction will burst out.