She warned the Empress that, as primary wife, she should allow the emperor to spend time equally among his consorts, and to not seize him for herself. Cixi also reminded the Empress that since both she and the Tongzhi Emperor were still young, they should spend more time learning how to govern the country.
Cixi cautioned the Empress to ensure the emperor spent an equal amount of time with all his wives and not isolate him. She also urged them both to focus on developing their governance skills as they were still young.