Chapter 114 Extra Four

A year after the Ninth Prince went to sea, Consort Yi was quite content, occasionally receiving letters from him sent across the ocean. As she watched her son eloquently recount the many strange and wonderful things he had seen abroad, the scale of his business, and how well he mingled with foreign princes and nobles, Consort Yi couldn't help but feel that perhaps her little Ninth Prince's world was truly not in the Qing Dynasty.

But after the Ninth Prince had been at sea for seven years, Consort Yi couldn't sit still any longer. She lost her appetite and quickly became thin.

"That brat sends out every single letter, but why can't he come back!"

Consort Yi ran to Xianfu Palace and wept with Wen Shan: "Hong Fang wasn't even born when he left, and now he's over six years old and still hasn't seen his father!"

It wasn't that the Ninth Prince didn't want to return; it was just that he discovered there were many differences between those foreign lands and the Qing Dynasty, and there was much to be done. Not only in commerce but also in politics, he could get involved. In the Ninth Prince's words, the country was in chaos. All sorts of imperial relatives, nobles, and high-ranking officials could interfere in the deposition and enthronement of monarchs, and there were many women who rose to power. In short, the more chaotic the world was, the easier it was to make a move.

The Ninth Prince's status as a prince of the Qing Dynasty was also very advantageous there.

Not to mention that after receiving the Ninth Prince's letter, Yinzhen and the others strongly supported him staying there a little longer, providing him with both military and financial support.

Communication between the two sides remained constant, and ships would occasionally travel back and forth to transport goods. However, each trip was too time-consuming, and the Ninth Prince's career was just beginning, so he couldn't leave for so long. This delay resulted in him not returning for almost seven years.

Wen Shan could only comfort Consort Yi: "Didn't Yin Tang send a letter a few days ago saying that everything was fine? Don't worry, maybe he'll come back on the ship next time."

"I think this boy has forgotten all about home!" Consort Yi said through gritted teeth, "If he really comes back and I let him go out again, I'm not his mother!"

Unexpectedly, the Ninth Prince actually returned in less than a month.

With large bags and small packages, and two large ships full of goods, they finally crossed the ocean and set foot on the land of the Qing Dynasty.

Upon receiving the news, Yinzhi personally went to pick up his younger brother. The Ninth Prince hadn't changed much in the seven years since he was born; in fact, he had become quite fair-skinned from being away from home for so long. He was wearing a black hat that Yinzhi had never seen before. It looked like it was made of silk, with a wide, slightly curved brim. As soon as the Ninth Prince saw Yinzhi, he smiled, got off the boat, and ran over to him.

"Myna!"

The two brothers hugged for a while, and Yinzhi patted him on the shoulder: "Not bad, you've gotten a lot stronger."

"Hey, when I first got there, I was running around all day. I traveled all over the country and I got really strong."

Yinzhi looked at his strange hat and asked, "What is this? It looks very strange."

The Ninth Prince took it off and handed it to Yinzhi to see: "This is a hat that is popular among the nobles over there. I just wanted to follow the local customs and brought it back to show you."

As they were talking, another group of people came out of the cabin. They were blond and blue-eyed and dressed in clothes completely different from those of the Qing Dynasty. The men wore clothes that looked like a long robe or riding clothes and stood very upright, while the women wore dresses with large skirts and waist belts.

The Ninth Prince explained that these were nobles from several countries across the sea, as well as princes and princesses, who had come to visit the Qing Dynasty.

To Yinzhi's surprise, they could all speak Chinese, though their fluency varied and they all had some strange accents, but communication was still relatively smooth.

The Ninth Prince raised his head and said arrogantly, "They naturally need to know our official language to come to our Great Qing, otherwise what are they doing here?"

In recent years, the Qing Dynasty's technology has developed rapidly, and a lot of things have been sent to the Ninth Prince via shipping. These foreign countries, separated by a vast ocean, all know that there is a powerful and economically developed country on the other side of the sea, so they have long wanted to visit it.

When they expressed their desire to go to the Qing Dynasty, the Ninth Prince told them that they had to learn the language of the Qing Dynasty if they wanted to go. Fortunately, these foreigners were quite sensible and agreed with great respect. They even hired some of the people he brought with them as their teachers at high salaries. They only came over after they had learned enough.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Yinzhi asked, somewhat annoyed.

These are foreign envoys, each of them of noble status, coming from the Celestial Empire. They should be treated with the proper etiquette.

"I wrote a letter, but who knew that the ship invented by our Qing Dynasty would be so fast?" The Ninth Prince was also innocent. "We arrived before the letter even arrived."

"..."

The Ninth Prince and his large group of foreigners were traveling on the latest ships developed by the Institute of Engineering. These ships used steam engines and were more than ten times faster than the original ones. Only a few ships had been built before they were sent to the Ninth Prince.

The foreigners were also astonished by these ships; the fact that they had the ability to build such amazing ships made them admire the Qing Dynasty even more.

Having no other choice, Yinzhi hurriedly sent someone to inform the Ministry of Rites to prepare for their reception, and first settled these people in Changchun Garden.

Upon exiting the dock, the Ninth Prince saw strange contraptions with two wheels everywhere on the streets. People rode on them as if they were riding horses, but instead propelled themselves forward by pedaling.

What is this?

They're everywhere, and they're moving pretty fast.

Yinzhi glanced at him and said, "This is a bicycle, something that has been developed in recent years. Isn't it nice?"

"It's much faster than walking alone."

It's also lightweight and doesn't require much effort, and it's gradually becoming popular throughout the Qing Dynasty.

The Ninth Prince was amazed and eager to try it himself.

"You have to learn this. You'll see when you try it yourself later," Yinzhi said with a smile.

Yinzhi took the Ninth Prince back to the palace first. Consort Yi was eagerly waiting for him to reunite her and her son as soon as possible.

They happened to run into Yi'an in the palace, who was playing shuttlecock with several palace maids.

Yi'an was very happy to see Yinzhi and greeted him.

"Uncle Eight!"

Yi'an hadn't seen the Ninth Prince for many years, but this girl had a good memory. After seeing the Ninth Prince, she thought for a moment and said, "This must be Uncle Ninth. Yi'an greets Uncle Ninth."

The Ninth Prince wasn't very familiar with Yinzhen's children, but he was pleasantly surprised that his little niece could recognize him after he had been away from the Qing Dynasty for many years.

"Yi'an has grown up so much, she's really a graceful young lady."

Knowing that Yinzhi and the Ninth Prince had important matters to attend to, Yi'an sensibly stopped bothering Yinzhi and let them pass.

"Yi'an must be fifteen this year. Have the Emperor and Empress chosen a husband for her?" Ninth Prince chatted with Yinzhi.

When Yinzhi brought up this matter, he shook his head helplessly: "This girl doesn't want to get married. Fourth Sister-in-law is worried about this, but she has won over Fourth Brother and Mother, so they both indulge her and let her do as she pleases. As a result, our Ning'an has also followed her older sister's example and doesn't want to get married."

"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings." After going out for a while, the Ninth Prince's thinking became more open than theirs. "I saw many noblewomen in foreign lands who did not marry. Women there can inherit family property, especially the throne, just like men. There are even cases where the wife inherits the throne after the husband dies."

"Is that so?" Yinzhi asked, somewhat surprised.

In the thousands of years of history, the Central Plains have only produced one Wu Zetian, yet there are so many abroad.

"They do many unconventional things, and there are quite a few formidable women among them," the Ninth Prince sighed. "At first, I also found it hard to accept. We are supposed to obey our fathers at home, our husbands after marriage, and our sons after our husbands die. How can this be so outrageous?"

"But after seeing more of the world, I've come to realize that women and men aren't really that different in essence. If Yi'an really doesn't want to get married, I might as well let her come overseas with me. Who knows, she might even become a queen or something."

The Ninth Prince then took the opportunity to tell him about how many foreign princesses had married into those countries and eventually inherited the throne.

"Don't say that to Fourth Brother. He loves this daughter like the apple of his eye. How could he bear to let her marry far away?" Yinzhi said with a smile.

Yinzhen was reluctant to let Yi'an go even to pacify Mongolia, let alone to a foreign land thousands of miles away.

"However, if what you just said is true, we could select some royal women who are willing to go, bestow upon them the title of princesses, and marry them off. In that case, wouldn't those countries naturally belong to our Great Qing after only a few generations?"

The Ninth Prince immediately said, "To be honest, Eighth Brother, I've also been thinking about this matter and plan to come back and discuss it with the Emperor."

The two quickened their pace toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation, while the two boatloads of "special products" brought back by the Ninth Prince were sent to various places.

Wenshan's eyes lit up when she saw the familiar European-style tutu.

Pearl and the others were still gathered around, looking at it: "This dress is weird, but it's actually quite pretty after you look at it for a while."

The gift was exquisitely crafted, adorned with various gemstones and featuring exceptionally fine embroidery, which Wen Shan found delightful.

This style looks exactly like a modern wedding dress. What girl in the Qing Dynasty wouldn't like it!

Wenshan directed Pearl and the others to dress her up, and they received unanimous praise.

"This dress is really strange, it looks both complicated and simple," Amber said with a smile.

Wenshan said, "I've heard that in some places people wear this style of dress to get married."

Pearl and the others laughed and said that if that happened, there wouldn't be a place for the groom to stand during the wedding ceremony.

Wen Shan thought about it and smiled. It seemed that in all the weddings she had seen, especially when walking down the aisle, the grooms always avoided the bride's wedding dress.

The return of the Ninth Prince was a significant event. Although they had been exchanging letters for several years, it was never as effective as meeting in person. Yinzhen ordered the Ministry of Rites to properly receive these foreign envoys. He, Yinsi, Yinxiang, and the Ninth Prince discussed the matter for a day in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and then held a palace banquet to entertain them that evening.

Unexpectedly, it was at this palace banquet that a prince named Alexander fell in love with Ning An at first sight.

Yinzhi: ? ? ?

What kind of toad dares to dream of eating swan meat!

Alexander expressed his love for Ning An very enthusiastically, sending gold and silver jewelry to Prince Lian's mansion as if it were free, only to have it thrown away by Yinzhi with a cold face.

Ning'an was also frightened by this enthusiastic pursuit and hid in the palace to live with Yi'an.

"Haha, this foreign prince is quite interesting. It looks like he's going to empty his pockets." Yi'an played with the perfume and roses that had just been delivered and asked, "Ningning, what do you think? This prince looks a bit dull, but he's not bad-looking. If you like him, you can keep him in the capital to keep you company."

Yi'an naturally didn't intend for Ning'an to marry far away. If Ning'an really liked him, then she could let this prince marry into her family.

Ning An shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum: "No, I don't like him, he's scary."

Ning An's aesthetic sense is still very classical; she prefers tall, handsome young men. Foreigners... well, forget it.

“And…and I…” Ning An suddenly became shy, clutching the handkerchief in her hand and stammering.

Yi'an quickly sensed something was wrong: "And what? Oh, so you have someone you like? Tell your sister right away!"

"Wait a minute, just last month you were saying you didn't want to get married, how come you suddenly have someone you like?"

Yi'an pondered, "Could it really be some foreigner?"

Ning An shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum: "No, no, it's your maternal grandparents' family, sister..."

"Someone from the Fucha family?" Yi'an's eyes lit up. "You've taken a liking to that kid Fu Heng, haven't you?"

Ning An's face turned bright red and she remained silent.

According to seniority, Yi'an should call Fu Heng her uncle, but since Fu Heng is a few years younger than her and Yi'an has always been a little tyrant, she doesn't care about such things.

Although Fuheng is still young, he is highly regarded by his cousin-in-law Yinzhen and is now a bodyguard in the palace, often accompanying Yinzhen.

“Fuheng is quite good. He is handsome and capable, and Father Emperor likes him very much.” Yi’an said, resting her chin on her hand. “This is easy to handle. It’s just a matter of saying a word to Father Emperor.”

Yinzhen's affection for Ning'an was no less than that for Yi'an; if Ning'an was happy, it was simply a matter of a word.

"Wait a minute, you've met Fu Heng before, so why did you suddenly fall for him?" Yi'an gossiped, leaning closer and pressing Ning'an for an explanation. Ning'an was so shy that she hurriedly broke free and ran away, leaving Yi'an laughing heartily.

Yi'an was a good older sister, and she immediately told her mother, Fucha, about it.

"Mother, what do you think of this marriage?" Yi'an said with a smile, "Fuheng is really lucky to be a match for our Ning'an."

This is no exaggeration. Although the Fucha family, as the maternal family of the current empress, is well favored by Yinzhen, the younger generation of the Fucha family has grown up and now appears to be a top-tier, wealthy and powerful family.

Ning'an is the legitimate daughter and only daughter of Prince Lian, and is deeply favored by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Prince Lian, needless to say, holds great power and is the Emperor's brother, Prince Yi. There is even an unwritten rule in the court: it is better to displease the Emperor than to offend these two powerful figures, Prince Lian and Prince Yi.

Because if you offend the emperor, you can ask these two for mercy, but if you offend these two, the emperor will deal with you without batting an eye.

Ning'an was granted the title of princess at birth, making her no less than the princesses born to Yinzhen.

Lady Fucha smiled and nodded, "It is indeed a good marriage. Your father is easy to arrange, but what about your eighth uncle..."

Lady Fucha was somewhat unsure. Prince Lian doted on Ning'an just as much as the Emperor doted on Yi'an. He would turn cold whenever his daughters were mentioned getting married. Just look at the recent uproar about that foreign prince taking a fancy to Ning'an. Prince Lian would not be lenient with anyone who coveted his daughter.

Lady Fucha was genuinely worried for her cousin. In her parents' eyes, no matter how good a young man was, he was not good enough for their precious daughter.

That evening, when Yinzhen came over, Lady Fucha told him about it.

Yinzhen was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter and said, "I was wondering why Fu Heng seemed so absent-minded the other day. Ning An once came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and the two of them bumped into each other and blushed."

Fucha was just as curious as Yi'an: "I've seen these two children before, how come..."

I have met him, but mostly at palace banquets. We weren't very familiar with each other and hadn't exchanged many words.

Yinzhen smiled and said, "Perhaps she has reached the age of youthful senility. It doesn't matter. Since Ning'an likes it, I will talk to my eighth brother about it another day. Fu Heng is lucky. He caught up with that foreign prince's marriage proposal. Otherwise, if he wanted to marry Ning'an, my eighth brother would have to make him suffer a lot."

Despite saying that, Yinzhen still sent someone to find out what had happened between the two. It turned out that Alexander had run into Ning'an in the Imperial Garden one day and tried to stop her to talk. Since Ning'an only had two maids with her in the palace, she was terrified when Fu Heng happened to pass by and came to her rescue, which could be considered a hero saving a beauty.

Yinzhen found an opportunity to tell Yinsi about this, and Yinsi's first reaction was, as expected, to slam his fist on the table and stand up in anger. "A toad trying to eat swan meat is one thing, but how dare he lay a hand on my daughter?!"

Yinzhen said, "Don't worry, he will definitely have to pay a price for this."

Yinzhi was already annoyed by this rather shameless foreigner. He waved his hand and said, "Hurry up and send them away. I'll have Ninth Brother deal with him after they return to their country."

Within the Qing Dynasty, nothing was as convenient as within their own country.

"Then, what about Ning'an and Fu Heng?" Yinzhen glanced at his younger brother, who was on the verge of exploding.

Yinzhi: "Why are all these rascals eyeing my precious daughter!"

Yinzhen personally poured him a cup of tea: "So you mean you don't like it either? No problem, I'll just have Fuheng stay away from Ning'an."

"Hey, don't rush." ​​Yinzhi stopped Yinzhen and said through gritted teeth, "Forget it, this kid got lucky. It's Ningning's choice."

Alexander's affair has caused quite a stir, so it would be good if Ning An's marriage could be settled as soon as possible.

Most importantly, Ning An likes this kid.

After understanding Yinzhi's intentions, Yinzhen quickly sent the foreigners away. Alexander was truly infatuated with Ning'an, and before leaving, he still couldn't give up, so Yinzhi took advantage of the situation and kicked him twice.

This time, not only did the Ninth Prince return with them, but he also brought along several carefully selected noble ladies from prominent families who were willing to try their luck in these foreign lands. They were all granted the title of princess. If they could truly ascend to the throne of these countries, then the territory of their Great Qing Dynasty would likely expand again in a few years.

Originally, Yi'an also wanted to go with her Ninth Uncle, but she didn't want to become an empress by getting married. Instead, she wanted to go abroad as a princess of the Qing Dynasty and try her luck. Yinzhen was naturally reluctant to let her go to such a far place. Fortunately, Ning'an and Fuheng's marriage temporarily stopped her.

Yinzhen knew that his daughter had been a free bird since childhood and was now gradually becoming an eagle. The palace could not confine her. So be it, the child has grown up and the parents should let go.

Ning An was officially named Princess Gulun during the marriage ceremony, and she and Fu Heng were finally united in marriage. When Wen Shan attended their wedding, she was filled with emotion seeing her granddaughter now married.

In the blink of an eye, she arrived in this place more than forty years ago. The changes in the Qing Dynasty were earth-shattering, and she experienced a life that could be described as fulfilling.

Especially in the twentieth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the people at the Institute of Engineering finally managed to develop electricity. Although it was still just a small power plant, Wen Shan had already begun to imagine the happy life with air conditioning and television.

I just don't know if they can manufacture it that quickly.

In the twenty-fifth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, Emperor Kangxi, who had served as the retired emperor in Chengde for twenty-five years, finally passed away.

To be honest, Wen Shan was quite surprised that Kangxi's health had lasted this long. However, it could also be because he hadn't caused any trouble in recent years and had actually settled down to live a peaceful retirement in Chengde, which could be considered a long life.

During those twenty-five years, Wen Shan never saw Kangxi again. After receiving the news of Kangxi's death, Yinzhen even came to ask Wen Shan if she wanted to see Kangxi one last time.

Wenshan shook her head.

There's no point in seeing someone again after they've died.

Yinzhen and his sons always respected Wenshan's opinions. They even sealed the mausoleum after Kangxi's burial and announced that after Wenshan's death, she would not disturb Kangxi's peace and would not be buried with him.

This was also Wen Shan's idea; she didn't want to be squeezed together with so many people.

Upon hearing this, Yinzhen simply said that he would build a separate mausoleum next to his imperial tomb, just like Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.

Wenshan nodded in agreement, thinking that this was a good idea.

However, she is in good health now, so she shouldn't need to worry about the tomb for the time being.

In the end, Yinzhen was unable to keep Yi'an. The girl still went to a foreign land. In particular, in recent years, news has come back that a princess who was sent to marry a foreign prince successfully ascended the throne of a country with the help of the Ninth Prince and is now gradually taking control of the government.

Upon hearing this, Yi'an couldn't sit still any longer and insisted on going to see her. Yinzhen had no choice but to personally escort her away from the Qing Dynasty.

Empress Fucha held his hand and said, "Your Majesty, do you think Yi'an will come back?"

Yinzhen smiled slightly and said, "Yes, she is an ambitious child and a filial child. Who knows, she might be the emperor next time she comes back."

Empress Fucha sighed softly, "I don't care about being an empress. I just want Yi'an to be safe and sound."

Ning An and Fu Heng had been married for many years and had three children. Their life was very happy, which made Fucha Shi very envious. She could only keep a close eye on her youngest daughter, fearing that she would fly to the other side of the ocean like her older sister.

Wen Shan knew what was going on just by looking at the girl's gaze into the distance.

“Wen Hua is just like her sister; she can’t be kept at home,” Wen Shan said with a smile. “Isn’t that great? Women don’t have to be confined within the palace walls.”

“They have their own places to go, and most importantly, they chose them themselves.”

Author's Note:

It's officially over! Thank you all for your support these past few days, love you all!

(The End)