Chapter 135 Twenty Years: "Mother, the Empress Dowager requests your presence at the palace tomorrow." "Why are you back at this hour…?"

"Mother, the Empress Dowager requests your presence at the palace tomorrow."

"Why are you back at this hour? Aren't you on duty today?"

“Hongxi was going out of town to hunt in a couple of days. I told him I had to take turns and wouldn’t go, and he got angry. He insisted that I wouldn’t be his study companion and wouldn’t go hunting with him, so he made me come back.”

Yi An shrugged indifferently. He and Hong Xi had played out this kind of drama eight hundred times already. It would be abnormal if he wasn't angry this time.

"You too, he's the eldest prince, if he says he's going hunting, you should go with him. It's a good opportunity to not be on duty for several days. Isn't that great?"

As Yi An grew older, he looked more and more like her. Besides resembling the original body, Shen Wanqing even saw her true self in his eyes and brows—the self who had taken a nap and was now lost and unsure whether she was alive or dead.

This year is the second year of the Yuanzheng era. According to the original historical timeline, it should be the forty-ninth year of the Kangxi era, which is also the twentieth year since Shen Wanqing came into this world.

At seventeen, Yi'an was already a young man. By modern standards, he would be about 1.85 meters tall, and he would even appear taller than Yu Lang when standing next to him.

Two years ago, before Emperor Kangxi passed away, Lady Tongjia and Lady Niohuru in the household had repeatedly urged her to arrange a marriage for Yi'an. However, given the late emperor's poor health at the time and Yi'an's continued presence in the palace as a companion to his studies, Shen Wanqing used this as an excuse to delay the matter.

Shen Wanqing really didn't want her son to get married so early. After all, Yulang and the Hesheli family were in a very sensitive position. Yi'an's marriage was not just about bringing a woman home; it was also very important that the Hesheli family would have another in-law.

You know, when Fangzhi and Fangling were looking for a husband, even though I had repeatedly hinted to the second wife that they didn't want their daughter to marry into a wealthy family, my relationship with the second wife was just so-so. Back then, the second wife and I had quite a few conflicts, but the people who came to propose marriage almost wore down the threshold of our house.

Later, Fangzhi was betrothed to the Daijia clan, the maternal family of Consort Cheng, the mother of Prince Chun, while Fangling was betrothed to the Ulanara family, who were related to the Fourth Prince's wife.

Neither family was of high social standing, but they were backed by Prince Yong (Yinzhen) and Prince Chun (Yinyou), respectively. This was acceptable to both the Hesheli family and the Emperor, and was considered the most suitable marriage.

Even her cousins ​​from other branches of the family received this treatment. If Shen Wanqing hadn't consistently shown in front of Shi Qionghua that she had no intention of letting Yi'an get married anytime soon, she would have honestly thought that Shi Qionghua wanted to pick someone from the imperial clan to marry Yi'an.

Marriage was arranged by parents and matchmakers. When he was born, he was already in the bridal sedan chair and had no choice. Now that Yi'an is growing up day by day, he can't avoid this matter.

All Shen Wanqing could do was wait for Yi'an to grow up a bit, so that he could become more stable and mature. Once he was more mature and stable, when he was looking for a partner, he could choose a girl who was older and more mature.

Love is such an unrealistic and ethereal thing. She can only try her best to choose someone whose character and personality are at least compatible with Yi An from the beginning.

Similarly, Yi'an is not young, so it's good to let people take a closer look at him and make sure that his personality is compatible with their daughter's, so that they can't even communicate properly. Only on this basis can they discuss marriage.

Shen Wanqing had told Yulang about this idea five years ago, and Yulang was a little surprised when he first heard it.

Although Yu Lang had lived with Shen Wanqing for twenty years, he was still a local young master from head to toe. He was willing to live this way because he loved Shen Wanqing, and he had no other thoughts.

In his view, the most important thing for his son to marry is his character, followed by the woman's family background, while appearance and personality can be secondary.

As for whether their relationship will be good after marriage, that's not something he, as a father, can worry about. After all, what kind of father keeps asking his son about things in the bedroom? That's a bit inappropriate, isn't it?

He had no objection to his son living with only his legal wife, since that's how he'd lived for so many years. However, if Yi'an couldn't get along with his wife and wanted to take a concubine, as long as he didn't act recklessly or neglect his wife to the point of causing unrest in the household, he wouldn't object either.

But he quickly realized that it was perfectly normal for Shen Wanqing to have such thoughts, or rather, it would be strange if she weren't that kind of person.

The next day, when Yulang entered the palace, he inadvertently revealed that he and his wife wanted to keep both children with them for another two years.

At first, Aktun found it amusing. "If you want to stay a few more years, that's fine, she's a girl after all." "But what's the point of Yi'an staying? He's married and won't leave."

Yu Lang just shook his head and smiled without explaining why he said that, which even made Yi An, who was on leave from the palace, specifically seek out his mother.

He solemnly promised Shen Wanqing that after he got married, he would absolutely never forget his mother. Shen Wanqing was so angry that she kicked her son in the butt. Why did she have to make him worry about this?

However, the matter was quickly forgotten because Emperor Kangxi passed away.

When the late emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, the new emperor was supposed to observe a mourning period of twenty-seven months. However, it was unrealistic for an emperor to observe a mourning period of twenty-seven months. Instead, Yinreng rejected the suggestion from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Clan Court to use twenty-seven days instead of twenty-seven months.

Over the years, because Emperor Kangxi had been trying to weaken the power of the noble families, Yinreng was not particularly close to the imperial family and nobles, except for the Yulang and Shi families. The most obvious manifestation of this was that Yuqing Palace had not had a Crown Princess or a secondary consort or concubine from a Manchu noble family for so many years.

Yinreng was very satisfied with the current situation. Of course, he also knew that as soon as the late emperor passed away, the noble families were already eager to make their move. As long as Yinreng mentioned the selection of concubines, they would have plenty of daughters to send to the palace.

Therefore, the best course of action is to observe mourning. For these twenty-seven months, aside from matters of state, one should diligently follow the rules of mourning. Since mourning is observed, there's no need to discuss the selection of concubines or the imperial harem.

Three years is a delicate timeframe; it's neither too short nor too long. If it's too long, even Yinreng himself wouldn't be able to hold on; if it's too short, it wouldn't be enough time for Yinreng and his people to completely control the court.

After three years, the imperial court and the harem were basically under the control of Yinreng and Shi Qionghua. By then, Hongxi and the second and third princes had grown up. With the eldest prince and his older brothers acting as a buffer, even if high-ranking concubines entered the harem, they wouldn't cause any trouble.

The Emperor is observing mourning for the late Emperor, so shouldn't the other princes and relatives follow suit? Even Yi'an, a son of the Emperor's most loyal family, has been secretly informed by the Empress that there's no rush for him to get married, and the Emperor will make arrangements in a few years.

Since the Empress had said so, the Tongjia and Niohuru clans dared not say anything, no matter how unwilling they were. They could only let Yi'an happily move between the palace and the outside world every day.

At most, they would whisper behind their backs, saying that Yu Lang and Shen Wanqing were irresponsible parents who didn't care about their child.

Whether he cared or not, Yi An knew it in his heart. At this moment, the boy wriggled over to his mother's side, first taking an orange, peeling it, and even picking off the white pith from the orange segments for Shen Wanqing. Then he took the tea that Zhi Shuang brought, tested the temperature of the teacup with the back of his hand, and then handed it to Shen Wanqing.

"Mother, do you think Her Majesty the Empress is going to talk to you about my marriage?"

"What? Have you heard some rumors?"

No matter how clever the little fox is, it can't compare to the big fox spirit. Shen Wanqing didn't even need to look at her son to know what was going on. Either the boy had someone he liked, or he had some idea in his mind that he wanted to say but didn't dare to, so he was cautiously testing the waters here.

At the beginning of this year, the Minister of Revenue fell seriously ill and retired, and Yu Lang unsurprisingly succeeded him. Ten days after Yu Lang became the Minister of Revenue, Yi An retired from his position as Hong Xi's study companion and then entered the Imperial Guard, becoming a third-class imperial guard at Yuqing Palace.

After the late emperor's death, to show his filial piety, Yinreng did not immediately move to the Qianqing Palace, but instead moved to the Yangxin Hall. After Shi Qionghua was naturally made empress, she followed in Yinreng's footsteps and moved to the Yongshou Palace.

Perhaps it was the inertia of history, or perhaps it was because Yinzhen, as Prince Yong, also served as the Minister of State Affairs, which had a significant impact on Yinreng. In any case, not long after ascending the throne, Yinreng also established the Grand Council to replace the Southern Study.

The Grand Council, the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the Palace of Eternal Longevity are all located in a line. Centered on the Hall of Mental Cultivation, just outside the Hall is the Imperial Kitchen, and further out are the offices of the Grand Council and the Imperial Household Department.

After leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, you arrive at the Palace of Eternal Longevity, where the Empress resides. This layout and arrangement are much more comfortable compared to the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

The Emperor and Empress moved out of Yuqing Palace. The concubines and princesses who originally lived in Yuqing Palace were also promoted to the rank of Consort and Noble Lady and moved to the inner palace. The Second Prince Hongjin and the Third Prince Hongwan moved to the Fifth Palace in the East, leaving only Hongxi as the eldest prince living in Yuqing Palace.

After Yinreng ascended the throne, he did not immediately establish a crown prince, but his arrangements for Hongxi made it clear to the court officials that Hongxi's status was extraordinary and different from that of other princes.

Shi Qionghua showed no displeasure at this, and even took the initiative to stop the Shi family from submitting a memorial requesting that the eldest prince be named crown prince.

The current situation in the court is completely different from when the late emperor established the crown prince. It is better not to establish a crown prince now than to establish one. Establishing a crown prince would just make Hongxi a target for no reason, and then it would be more difficult and easier for Hongxi and the empress to do anything.

For this reason, Shi Qionghua even privately asked Yinreng for a favor, so that her own brother Qingde could be sent out of the capital, leaving only her brother Guanyinbao as a commander-in-chief, who did not have much real power in the court.

When the transfer order was first issued, some members of the Shi family were inevitably dissatisfied. Although Shi Wenbing was still able to keep things under control, he was getting on in years, and he couldn't completely suppress the rumors circulating in private.

It wasn't until Yinreng selected two more descendants from the Shi family—one to be Hongxi's study companion and the other to be an imperial bodyguard in the Qianqing Palace—that the Shi family's point of contention was completely shifted from why the eldest prince hadn't been made crown prince yet to which branch of the family should have these two spots.

The Shi family was large and powerful, with many branches and people. Even a small piece of meat thrown out by Yinreng would be fought over by them. After all, the positions of the Empress and the First Prince were now as secure as Mount Tai, and the Shi family no longer had to play both sides like before, with the late Emperor not daring to make the slightest mistake.

They could do what they wanted, while Yi An used this opportunity to step back from Hong Xi. After all, in terms of closeness, the Shi family was actually closer to Hong Xi; they were direct cousins, and Yi An, being a distant uncle of the Hesheli clan, was quite far removed from Hong Xi in terms of bloodline.

Yi An gave Hong Xi a very legitimate reason at the time: there were only two spots for the study companion, and if he didn't withdraw, the other one would have to withdraw.

The other was Shi Xin, the eldest son of Fu Dali, the eldest son of Shi Wenbing. Fu Dali hadn't come to the capital with the Shi family back then, and had been stationed in the southeast for many years. He had been working diligently away from home for so many years and never mentioned returning to the capital, so the emperor had to show some kind of response.

Strictly speaking, because Fu Dali's branch of the family had been away from the capital for many years, their ties with the Shi family were not as close. Fu Dali was once a loyal minister to the Crown Prince and is now a loyal minister to the Emperor. He may never return to the capital, but his son must always be by the side of the Emperor and the First Prince.

So Yi'an took the initiative to withdraw from the palace, citing his advanced age as the reason that it was no longer appropriate for him to study in the Imperial Study. Originally, he intended to stay at home for two years and then think about finding a job, but who knew that just three days after returning home, an imperial edict came down from the palace, ordering Yi'an to join the Imperial Guard as a guard in Yuqing Palace.

The Hesheli family is very familiar with this location. Back then, Yulang entered Yuqing Palace as a third-class guard, and that's how he got to where he is today.

Now that the Emperor has arranged for Yi'an to take this position, it is partly because he is satisfied with Yi'an's willingness to concede, and partly to reassure Yu Lang and the court officials.

Don't jump to conclusions and assume the Emperor is wary of Yu Lang just because Yi'an is no longer the First Prince's study companion. He still needs to make good use of the Hesheli clan; no one should stir up trouble unnecessarily.

“I haven’t heard any rumors. I work at Yuqing Palace every day. My son doesn’t go to Yangxin Palace or Yongshou Palace much. What could he possibly know?”

"Keep pretending. The Emperor just sent you a fine bow the day before yesterday. Do you think I didn't know?"

The happiest person after Yi'an entered Yuqing Palace was naturally Hongxi. For some reason, the eldest prince always had to bring Yi'an with him. If the Crown Princess hadn't arranged two concubines for Hongxi early on, Shen Wanqing would have really thought the wrong thing.

“Then I just took the bow and didn’t ask anything.” Yi’an’s smile faded, and he looked more serious. “Mother, if Her Majesty the Empress really wants to bestow a marriage upon me, could you please help me decline it?”

"Why? Did you take a liking to it yourself?"

"What nonsense! Who could I possibly see in Yuqing Palace every day? You can't just spout off like that."

Upon hearing this, Yi An almost panicked. Shen Wanqing then realized that she shouldn't have said that, and quickly raised her hand to gently pat her mouth twice.

"It was my fault, Mother misspoke. I won't mention it again."

"What I mean is that you're always following Hongxi in and out of the palace. Aren't there princesses, female members of the imperial family, and family members of officials who come to the palace by order of the Empress? I'm afraid you might meet someone you like but don't dare to tell me, so I asked this question."

Shen Wanqing always admits her mistakes very quickly. After all, in her opinion, a mistake is a mistake, and the child is already so old that she can't just fool him.

On the contrary, Yi An was not used to this. He tugged at his mother's sleeve like a child and said, "What's right or wrong? You just asked me casually and I just said it casually. How can you talk about right or wrong?"

"Brother, if you have something to say to Mother, hurry up and say it. I've been standing outside the door for ages. If you don't say it now, I'll tell her for you. What are you dawdling about?"

The speaker was Sui Ning, the eleven-year-old eldest daughter of the Hesheli family, who had already grown into a beautiful young lady.

Sui Ning looks remarkably like Yu Lang, so much so that she's been said to be a carbon copy of him since she was little. Their temperaments and personalities are similar too; if Yi An is a reincarnation of Big Brother, then Sui Ning is a total rascal.

But because she looks like him, Yu Lang, as her father, can't help but favor Sui Ning even more. Whatever she does, her father thinks it's good, and he thinks his daughter is smart and bold. There's nothing bad about her.

Shen Wanqing had two serious arguments with him about this. During the arguments, Yu Lang kept apologizing and saying he would never do it again. But after the arguments, he would be back to his old ways a few days later.

One winter, seven-year-old Sui Ning dared to take her maid to play on the frozen pond. They played until they were shivering all over, and when they came back, she even dared to threaten her maid not to tell Shen Wanqing. It wasn't until she developed a fever in the middle of the night that Shen Wanqing found out about it.

From then on, Shen Wanqing knew that she could no longer let Yulang and Suining do whatever they wanted when it came to disciplining her daughter. After her daughter recovered from her cold and fever, she packed her up and left her with Shen Wanlan.

Shen, the female Taoist priestess, was skilled in literature, martial arts, and archery, making her a formidable opponent for Sui Ning. However, even she couldn't help but complain to Shen Wanqing in private that it was only because she was both tough and resolute; otherwise, someone else might not have been able to subdue this little devil.

Sui Ning clearly knew what Yi An was planning to do. She came in from outside and poked her brother's back several times. "Hurry up and tell me, or I'll really tell you for you."

"Come here, what are you rushing me for? I've told you so many times not to rush, why don't you listen? What's the rush? There's still so much time. If we don't talk about it today, we can talk about it tomorrow."

Shen Wanqing pulled her daughter to sit down beside her, stopping her from urging Yi'an any further. After being scolded by Shen Wanqing, Sui Ning became obedient. On the contrary, Yi'an made a face at Sui Ning, which made the young lady laugh again. Only then did she sit down seriously and look at Shen Wanqing.

“Mother, I don’t want to stay in the Imperial Guard forever. I want to leave the capital to gain experience. If you’re going to arrange a marriage for me, I want to find a girl who is willing to come with me. Otherwise, I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back, and it would be too inappropriate to leave her alone in the capital.”

"Father's position in the court is too secure. I've heard many people say that our family not only has the Emperor under our control, but also wants to control the First Prince. This probably isn't a good thing in the long run."

“Father will be retired for at least several more years. I think that sometimes being too prominent is not a good thing. Why don’t you let me go out and stay for a few years? I also want to see this country. Staying in the capital all the time is quite boring.”

Looking at her son, Shen Wanqing knew he had seriously considered the matter. She hesitated to speak, unsure how to do so. At that moment, she suddenly remembered a long, long time ago when she had told her mother she was being sent to a project site and might only be able to come home for the Chinese New Year.

Back then, I thought I was young and energetic, and there was nothing I couldn't do if I wanted to. Now I think Yi'an probably thought the same way. You can't persuade someone of these things. We can only wait and see how Yulang can make the most prudent arrangements.

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This story is nearing its end. There will be daily side stories and "what if" scenarios (a story of Yu Gouzi traveling from ancient times to the present to chase after his older sister).

There are a few more books I particularly want to write about in this column: *Farming Even in the Apocalypse*, *Twenty-Five Years of Summer*, and *Ginger Girl's Exile Notes*.

If you're interested, please bookmark this page! [doge head with rose in hand][let me see][let me see]