Chapter 45 Consort Hui Chooses a Consort

Time flows like water, and before we knew it, it was the 25th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, a year of great elections.

Because the Three Feudatories Rebellion was quelled, the Empress Dowager was granted another grand title in the twentieth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

Consort Tong did not obtain the Empress position she longed for. Instead, she was granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort, and the Phoenix Seal, which had been in Kangxi's hands for several years, was officially sent to Chengqian Palace.

Consort Niohuru was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, and there were also four other consorts, Huiyi, Derong, and Yunyun, who were ranked first according to the order of the imperial edict.

As for palace power, with the Empress Dowager's approval, it was still managed by the three of them separately.

Originally, according to custom, the imperial concubine was in charge of the selection of wives and concubines. Yunyun and Rongpin did not want to get involved in such troublesome matters as selecting wives and concubines for the emperor and the imperial family. However, when Kangxi came to Yanxi Palace, he mentioned that he was going to select a consort for Baoqing, which made her also have to do her part.

It was early summer, and the weather was already starting to get hot.

Yun Yun casually waved her fan as a senior eunuch dressed in the formal attire of the Chengqian Palace entered to give her a report.

He bowed deeply and performed the salute with utmost respect. "Greetings to Consort Hui. The preliminary selection of the imperial concubines has concluded, and the roster has been finalized. The Imperial Household Department has sent copies to both Your Highness and the Imperial Noble Consort. As is customary, the concubines selected for the next round of selections will stay in the palace for a period of time. Your Highness sent me to inquire with Consort Hui that the concubines' accommodations have been prepared. Would Your Highness like to send someone over?"

The second round of selection for imperial concubines mainly focused on assessing their inner character. Special palace maids and eunuchs would monitor their every move and then report back to their superiors.

The Imperial Noble Consort had also guessed that the First Prince was going to marry a Fujin (wife of a high-ranking official), and guessed that she would definitely send someone to check the character of the candidates. She didn't mind loosening her grip on this matter.

As long as they don't enter the harem, she doesn't care which prince's harem these young ladies end up in.

Yunyun thought so too; she would only feel at ease if she sent one of her own people to keep an eye on things. Choosing a wife for Baoqing was not something to be taken lightly.

She had already decided on the candidate: Xu Mama, Baoqing's wet nurse from earlier times.

Granny Sun followed Baoqing to the East Third Palace and is currently in charge of all the affairs there without making any mistakes. If nothing unexpected happens, once Baoqing marries a princess and has a virtuous wife, Granny Sun can retire gracefully and follow Baoqing out of the palace to live out her old age.

Compared to Granny Sun, Granny Xu was noticeably more honest and quiet. She didn't like to talk or boast, but she was meticulous and straightforward. Over the years, she had been the head nanny in Yanxi Palace, with a little palace maid by her side, and they lived a harmonious life.

When Granny Xu was summoned, she felt somewhat uncertain.

The little palace maid beside her was quite clever. When she saw Fuling arrive, she busied herself serving tea and water, calling her "sister" repeatedly, and showering her with sweet words. "Oh my, I heard magpies chirping outside early this morning. I thought it was a happy occasion. Turns out it's Sister Fuling who's here."

Fuling wanted to laugh, but she didn't keep him in suspense and said directly, "It's not a bad thing. It's just that Master needs your help, so he sent me to invite you."

She clearly knew that the palace maid had gone to all this trouble just to get her to reveal something.

Xu Mama quickly waved her hand, "Master, please just say if you need anything. There's no need for Miss Fuling to ask. That would be too much for me."

She always kept a low profile in Yanxi Palace and never took advantage of her role in nursing a prince to feel like she had received a great honor; she simply considered it her duty.

Yun Jun entrusted this task to her because she valued this quality.

"I won't let you work without knowing why," Yunyun said, taking a sip of the chilled plum juice. She also made arrangements for Xu Mama, "You just need to keep a close eye on these young ladies and observe their behavior and conduct. See if they are arrogant or haughty. Report back to them once a day. If nothing unexpected happens, the wives you recommend will be chosen from among them."

"Be careful on this mission. When Baoqing leaves the palace to establish his own residence, you can go with Granny Sun."

They were both wet nurses for Baoqing, so it wasn't appropriate to favor one over the other. In any case, Baoqing could afford to support both wet nurses, and it was better for her to live out her days outside the palace than inside the confined palace.

Leaving the palace to enjoy a life of luxury was a great honor, and Granny Xu thanked her profusely, filled with enthusiasm for the task.

She must have been watching closely, making sure her future wife was perfect in every way.

Having resolved one matter, Yunyun felt a little relieved and then began to think about the gifts to give to the young ladies.

It can't just be Xu Mama watching over things; before the second round of selection, she also needs to invite the candidates to Yanxi Palace to get to know them.

The Emperor chooses his consorts based on family background rather than appearance, but she is different. She wants to pick a good-looking daughter-in-law herself, preferably someone that Baoqing likes or someone she can get along with.

This is the person who will accompany him for the rest of his life. It would be great if Baoqing could meet him too.

You have to see it for yourself to know if it suits your taste.

Seeing that she had made a mess of the storeroom ledgers, Fuling comforted her, "This servant remembers that the Emperor bestowed some bright fabrics last year, and the Imperial Household Department also sent several bolts of fine brocade satin. Young girls love to dress up, and pretty colors and fresh patterns are always a good choice."

However, just having fabric is a bit monotonous.

Lingzhi also offered her advice: "In the spring, the Imperial Household Department sent a lot of silk flower jewelry with rice beads. The mistress didn't like these and put them all away. There were jasmine, orchid, golden lotus and other colors. Why don't I take them out too? It would be good to add some luster to the ladies."

The two chatted back and forth, clearly knowing everything about the contents of the warehouse.

In the end, Yunyun made the final decision: on their first meeting, they would each receive two bolts of satin, a box of silk flower jewelry, and a set of silver hairpins with bows.

After all, my future daughter-in-law is in there, so I can't be stingy. The three items are just right, not too many and not too few.

-

The young ladies-in-waiting lived in a courtyard next to the Imperial Garden. Each of them had a private room and a maid to serve them. At night, a matron would come to observe the young ladies-in-waiting's sleeping posture and whether they ground their teeth or snored.

Some restless souls also frequented the nearby Imperial Garden, where many were admiring the flowers and chasing butterflies.

Where there are people, there will be friction. Some of the young ladies-in-waiting remember that this is the palace and they cannot be unruly. Others have fiery tempers and have already had several arguments.

The palace maids and eunuchs secretly recorded all of this.

The Imperial Noble Consort passed the time flipping through the thick records of the candidates' words and deeds, and casually asked, "Has Consort Hui summoned any of the candidates to speak with her?"

There is only one prince of marriageable age in the palace, the eldest prince, and there are probably many who are after the position of Fujin (Prince Consort).

Anyone who has been to Yanxi Palace can find out; it's no secret. Chunzhi replied, "Three candidates have already been to Yanxi Palace, all of them from prominent Manchu families."

This is natural. As the emperor's eldest son, and having received much attention in recent years, his wife's family background is probably quite prestigious.

Having gained a general understanding, the Imperial Noble Consort stopped paying attention to Yanxi Palace and instead spoke of Yinzhen, saying, "The weather is getting hotter and hotter. He can't stand the heat. If he doesn't have ice, he won't sleep well at night. The Imperial Household Department should send him more ice, and deduct it from my allowance."

After she finished speaking, she coughed a few times.

Since the death of the eighth princess, her health has deteriorated, and it's unclear how much longer she can hold on.

Anyway, she doesn't feel hot in the summer, so she doesn't need much ice. It's fine to send it all to Yinzhen.

Zhao Mama has aged a lot in recent years, especially when the Imperial Noble Consort was pregnant in the 22nd year of Kangxi's reign. She took care of her from beginning to end, and couldn't sleep well when the time for delivery approached.

Unfortunately, the eighth princess died before reaching full term, and the Imperial Noble Consort's vitality and spirit diminished considerably after that.

She was already in poor health, and childbirth further damaged her body. The imperial physicians had predicted that she would never be able to conceive again.

Zhao Mama didn't really care about the Fourth Prince. He wasn't born to the mistress, and his birth mother was Consort De, who had betrayed her. So, she naturally didn't have a good impression of him.

However, after the little princess died young, Granny Zhao realized that the Fourth Prince was the master's only child.

So what if his birth mother was Consort De? She could see that Consort De didn't care much about the Fourth Prince. Otherwise, if the prince had gone to the Imperial Study, Consort De wouldn't have asked him a single question.

Looking at her master's thin figure, Zhao Mama thought sadly: If only the Fourth Prince's jade tablet could be changed.

-

Baoqing is fourteen years old this year, which is already considered half an adult in this dynasty, an age when he is old enough to understand things.

However, Yunyun has not yet bestowed upon him a palace maid who knows about human affairs. She usually has Granny Sun keep an eye on him to prevent those ignorant troublemakers from getting close to Baoqing.

She still holds modern views on this point.

At fourteen, which is exactly the age of being in the third year of junior high school, you should focus on your studies and not let other things distract you. Besides, being too young is not good for your health.

However, their perspectives were different. Both Poria cocos and Ganoderma lucidum were young women who didn't know much about these things. So, Granny Sun took the opportunity to come over and talk about it.

Fearing she would think she was meddling, Granny Sun said cautiously, "My lady, the prince is about to marry a wife, and according to past practice, knowledgeable palace maids..."

As he spoke, he kept glancing at Yun Jun's expression.

According to past practice, this should be arranged by Mother.

After all, the emperor was in charge of the court and the crown prince, so he paid less attention to these princes. The eldest prince was better off, as he was the eldest son and at that time there were only him and the crown prince in the palace, so the emperor devoted a lot of attention to him.

The princes who came after him didn't receive as much fatherly love, and it was even less likely that Emperor Kangxi would be concerned with their understanding of human affairs.

Therefore, all of these arrangements were made by the empress and concubines.

Knowing there was no escaping it, Yun Jun sighed and said, "I will keep a close eye on two of the palace maids. You should also keep an eye on the East Third Palace and make sure Bao Qing doesn't fall into their trap."

There's a reason for this statement.

He was a tall boy of thirteen or fourteen, well-fed and well-trained, with handsome features and a princely status that added to his charm. Many palace maids were probably around that age.

If it weren't for Granny Sun's strict guard, and the fact that only junior eunuchs were allowed into the study and bedroom, Bao Qing's innocence would have been lost long ago.

According to Granny Sun's observation, there were two palace maids in the East Third Palace who often swept the floor right in front of the prince.

What else could this be but having some ulterior motives?

Yunyun had also told Baoqing about this, and Baoqing's cheeks turned bright red at the time, almost as if he were swearing to the heavens that he only loved studying.

That's true. Even if he had a lot of energy, the daytime martial arts lessons had almost exhausted him, and when he returned to the East Third Institute, all he could do was collapse and sleep.