Chapter 56 Consort Hui Leaves the Palace to Establish Her Own Residence

With the Emperor personally leading the expedition, the source of the palace intrigues was no longer there, and no one cared about the fighting anymore, leading to a period of relative peace.

Unfortunately, such peaceful days did not last long.

The Emperor returned to the capital due to illness.

It's obvious that the Emperor is in a bad mood right now.

Having finally won a battle with the court officials, he was eagerly preparing to show his skills on the battlefield, but he had to return to the palace due to illness before he could even see the enemy.

What about him, who spent three days in a row arguing with court officials?

Is that a joke?

However, Baoqing was quite happy there. His martial arts skills finally had a chance to be put to use, and the feeling of unleashing his punches and elbows to strike enemies was incredibly exhilarating!

He's determined to become the most powerful general!

-

In November, the Qing army fought a fierce battle with Galdan at Ulan Butong, won the battle, and returned to the capital.

After this battle, Bao Qing proved his ability and finally got a proper place to go—the Ministry of War.

Although Emperor Kangxi did not value his eldest son as much as the crown prince, he still devoted a lot of effort to raising him and endured a lot of hardship in the process. In a rare act of generosity, he granted Baoqing the title of Beile and allowed him to leave the palace and establish his own residence.

The Crown Prince was unusually envious of his elder brother.

Living outside the palace is much freer than living inside. Although Yuqing Palace has four courtyards, it is not very spacious and is more refined overall. It is fine now that he has not yet married a Fujin (principal wife), and it is more than enough for him to live alone. But after he has a Fujin, a secondary Fujin, a princess, plus the servants and children, he doesn't even want to think about how crowded it will be.

And they don't have to be under the Emperor's nose to have their every move known...

"Once my manor is finished, I'll send you an invitation. You absolutely must come out and have some fun!"

Bao Qing slapped the Crown Prince on the shoulder with such force that it seemed he was about to send the Crown Prince away.

He was bold and unrestrained on the battlefield, mingling with those rough men, which made him much more carefree.

His thoughts were interrupted, and the Crown Prince glanced at Bao Qing, who was grinning foolishly.

never mind.

Why should he argue with a fool?

The Crown Prince brushed Bao Qing's hand off his shoulder, remaining composed and arrogant. "Let's talk about it after your residence is built."

A mansion cannot be built in a day, and it would take Baoqing a year or two to move out of the Forbidden City.

-

With a proper job, Baoqing began his daily routine of attending court.

They also developed their own small team.

For example, Mingzhu, Mingzhu, and more Mingzhu.

After being dismissed from his position as Grand Secretary for the crime of forming cliques, Mingzhu behaved himself for quite some time. Although he still participated in government affairs, he was clearly not as favored by Emperor Kangxi as before.

Mingzhu felt quite distressed as he watched Suo'etu's power grow stronger day by day.

Soetu also formed cliques and engaged in corrupt practices. Was it because he was the Crown Prince's great-uncle that the Emperor relied on him more?

Moreover, how can having good relationships with other officials be called forming cliques? Can't we just say that he simply likes to make friends?

Mingzhu was dissatisfied, Mingzhu pondered, and Mingzhu suddenly realized.

Mingzhu decided to find herself a prince as a relative as well.

After digging around and studying the ancestral genealogy, Mingzhu set her sights on the eldest prince.

They're both from the Nara clan; even if you force a connection, you can still manage to link them together.

Regardless of whether Yehenara and Ulanara are from the same clan, and regardless of whether Consort Hui is his cousin, they are relatives, and he is the eldest prince's distant elder.

Baoqing felt goosebumps all over his body when Mingzhu looked at him with kind eyes for no reason. As soon as court was over, he couldn't wait to rush to Yanxi Palace, even forgetting his duty.

"Mother, besides the Aisin Gioro clan, do we have any other famous relatives?"

Yun Jun was puzzled, but she still pondered and looked through her mother's clan.

Amma Ulanara Suoerhe was an ordinary bondservant of the Plain Yellow Banner. Originally, she was just a minor official, but she rose through the ranks in the palace, and her father also gradually rose in rank. Currently, he is a fifth-rank official.

The official position was still quite low.

My mother has no special background; she's just an ordinary bondservant. But she's her only daughter, and with her backing, we're doing quite well now.

There were also uncles, cousins, and so on, whose abilities were quite mediocre. The highest-ranking among them was a deputy commander in the middle-level system of the Eight Banners.

This was only because she was there to keep things in check, and no one stopped them from getting promoted. They had no merit; they just relied on seniority.

In short, her maternal clan was just a group of ordinary Manchu people, but she was the most successful and the family's greatest support.

Therefore, she said directly: "Don't count on my relatives, and you don't need to promote them. Your mother knows them better than you do. Just live a quiet life and don't let anyone bully you. If anyone tries to use connections to get to you, your mother will write back and scold them."

Those whose virtue does not match their position will surely suffer calamity.

They just need to behave themselves and not cause trouble, lest they climb high only to die quickly.

Bao Qing seemed to be deep in thought, then asked, "Do we have any kinship with Grand Minister Mingzhu?"

Yun Jun frowned. “Even if there is a relationship, it has to be traced back to your father, the Emperor. Mingzhu’s wife is the daughter of Prince Ying, Ajige. However, the marriage relationships of that generation were complicated. If I remember correctly, they had marriage ties with the Borjigit and Niohuru families.”

The relationships among the Manchu Eight Banners were complex and intertwined, with almost every major surname having some degree of kinship ties.

However, this has nothing to do with her maternal family; her little Karami is far beyond their reach.

Why are you asking these questions?

“Because Mingzhu always looks at me with strange eyes, and asks me from time to time if I am adapting well in the Ministry of War and if I need his help,” Baoqing confessed honestly. “He looks just like an elder. Lord Suo’etu also treats the Crown Prince in the same way.”

It's not like he hasn't witnessed Soetu and the Crown Prince talking before.

He truly cared for the Crown Prince meticulously, concerned about his studies and whether the money was readily available, like another father to the Crown Prince.

Ah, this...

Yunyun instantly understood Mingzhu's thoughts.

This is because he is unwilling to be suppressed by Suo'etu and wants to support Baoqing and Dou, so that he can continue to form cliques.

Although she was in the inner palace, she still knew about the famous officials of the previous dynasty, not to mention that Mingzhu had a son who would become famous in later generations—Nalan Xingde.

However, seeing Bao Qing's simple-minded look, Yun Jun said, "Don't mind him, just stay away from Mingzhu in the future."

“Your subject understands,” Baoqing said, knowing full well that he could not outmaneuver an old fox like Mingzhu.

He knew Mingzhu's unwarranted concern for him was ill-intentioned, humph.

Mingzhu was surprised to find that the eldest prince would avoid him whenever he saw him, and would not give him a chance to speak after court, instead rushing quickly towards the Ministry of War with his long legs.

no?

Now that I've gained this advantage for free, don't you want to accept it?

Do you know how difficult it is for others to develop their power?

Aren't you even a little bit tempted?

But I'm really not tempted by the promise of a full refund.

He only wanted to be a great general to expand the territory and stabilize the borders. What use were these literati ministers who were always whining and complaining?

-

By the end of the thirty-first year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Baoqing's residence was finally completed. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau then selected an auspicious day for him to move, and he finally settled down outside the palace.

The first thing I did after everything was settled was to send invitations to my younger brothers, inviting them to a hot pot dinner at my new home.

The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince both married wives, so the First Princess also sent separate invitations to her two younger brothers and sisters-in-law, inviting them to come to the Prince's Mansion for a gathering.

Baoqing wasn't particularly interested in women; he was a complete straight man in this regard. Only his wife was someone he had personally seen and approved of. The other princesses were either given to him by Emperor Kangxi out of his paternal love or were trial marriage princesses from his previous marriages.

He also complained to Yunyun about how stingy his father was, saying that he didn't give him money or promote his rank for his merits, and that he was just being dismissed with the princesses. He said he should at least give him something tangible, since these princesses had to spend money to support him after they came to the mansion.

I don't know when I developed this stingy habit.

A blue-curtained carriage slowly drove out of the side gate of the Forbidden City.

The Fourth Prince, dressed in a lake-blue casual robe, sat facing his Fourth Consort.

The Fourth Princess Consort wore a light brown cheongsam with cloud and water patterns, over which she wore a lotus-colored kesi cotton jacket with ink and water fairy trim. The piping on the collar and cuffs was embroidered very neatly, but the color looked a bit darker than her age. She wore a silver-gilt kingfisher feather and beaded tassel in her hair, which made her look lively.

She is only fourteen years old this year. She just married the Fourth Prince last year and is already in charge of the affairs of the inner quarters.

The servants are a handful; if I don't put on a serious face, I'm afraid I won't be able to control the situation.

Therefore, she always dressed herself up to be more mature than her actual age, with light makeup that was almost plain, her lips pressed tightly together, and her posture upright, making her look like a taut string.

The carriage wheels rolled over the bluestone road, and lively shouts came from outside.

Seeing the wife's appearance, the Fourth Prince thought for a moment and said, "Sister-in-law is kind and loves to joke. When we get to the mansion, you don't need to be reserved. She's very easy to get along with."

The intention was to make the fourth wife relax, but she was very serious and said: "What you say is true, but as the eldest sister-in-law, she is the eldest sister-in-law of this generation. Since she is visiting as a guest, she cannot make any mistakes in etiquette, so as not to lose face and manners."

Once the word "rules" was uttered, the Fourth Prince lost all interest in speaking to his wife.

The wife is good in every way, but she is a bit too particular about rules. She always brings up rules in everything, including in the courtyard, which makes the couple seem less intimate.

But... never mind.

After all, it was the Empress Dowager who assigned him to this position, and his wife is still young, so he can be taught slowly.

The carriage continued its journey through the bustling city, and soon arrived at Qianbanbi Street inside Xizhimen in Xicheng District.

This area is lined with the mansions of high-ranking officials and nobles, with vermilion gates and servants coming and going. You can see the plaque of Prince Yu's Mansion from afar, and if you walk another hundred steps or so, you will find the mansion of the First Prince.

Red silk ribbons hung from the stone lions at the entrance, and three carriages were parked in front of the gate, their curtains embroidered with different patterns, presumably the brothers had arrived first.

The Fourth Prince got off the carriage first, preparing to go to the front yard to reunite with his brothers. As he lifted the curtain, he turned back and comforted them, saying, "Don't be afraid. If anything happens, tell your sister-in-law and ask her to send someone to the front yard to tell me."