Chapter 23 Thinking Too Much, Doing Too Little: "Now?" "Right now, Lord Yu, please hurry."...

"Right now?"

"Now, Lord Yu, please hurry."

I never encountered anything like this when I was a military officer. The military officers were on duty outside the capital. Even if something came up temporarily, it was usually the reassigned ministers and the inner ministers who would take charge. Yu Lang could just send a few people from his subordinates.

I've only just arrived, and I've only met my two third-class guards and four blue-feathered guards. Today it's my turn to guard Jide Hall, and I don't trust anyone to take over the entrance once I'm inside.

Fortunately, those who served in Yuqing Palace were all shrewd and capable. It was quite common for the guards to be summoned by their master, since as the Crown Prince's personal attendants, they saw him more often than the concubines and princesses in the inner palace. Over time, they naturally figured out some patterns.

There were many people serving the Crown Prince, including several capable eunuchs. But if we were to be precise, He Yuzhu would definitely be ranked first.

Normally, when the Crown Prince summons a guard, it doesn't matter much who comes out to deliver the message. But if He Yuzhu comes out to deliver the message personally, it means that today's matter is either very important or very urgent.

The third-class guard standing nearby glanced at He Yuzhu's face and then stepped forward, saying, "The master has summoned you, Lord Yu, please go quickly. There are a few of us guarding the door, so there won't be any problems."

"Alright, I'll trouble you to cover for me." Yu Lang nodded to the man. They would have a long time to get to know each other in the future, so there was no need to say thank you now; it would only make them seem distant.

A quarter of an hour ago, inside Jide Hall.

"He Yuzhu, go and fetch Mu Zhang'a."

"……master."

Mu Zhang'a was one of the second-class guards who were dismissed from Yuqing Palace by the Emperor this time. He had been by Yinreng's side for seven or eight years. Although his official rank was not high, he was one of the closest to him.

It's been a month already, and the Crown Prince still blurted out that he wanted to see him in a fit of anger, which shows how much face he has in the Crown Prince's eyes.

He Yuzhu's voice sounded a little cautious and pitiful. Yinreng paused for a moment, then waved his hand to indicate that he had misspoke.

"Have the two people who were sent here been settled? Has the Qianqing Palace said when Father Emperor will receive the list of candidates, or who from the Ministry of Rites will be summoned? Why is this being brought up again out of the ordinary, during this time of year? Who did Father Emperor meet last night, and where did he stay?"

"Your Highness, both princesses have been settled in the side hall. His Majesty summoned Minister of Rites, Lord Fucha. Yesterday, no one was summoned to the Qianqing Palace. The Grand Secretaries on duty in the palace also made a big fuss. The Imperial Household Department did not say which concubine His Majesty had chosen last night."

The Emperor is in his prime; even if he hasn't visited the harem, it's hard to say whether he has favored any palace women. There are always several palace women without official rank in the side hall of the Qianqing Palace; who can say for sure what's going on there, and who dares to inquire?

But whether someone in such a minor position is favored or not has little to do with the Crown Prince. No palace servant would be foolish enough to speak of the Crown Prince to His Majesty. The Crown Prince is the son of the Empress Dowager, and even the many concubines and noble ladies in the palace dare not speak carelessly about him, so what is a mere palace servant?

That is, no one whispered in his ear, and no one deliberately mentioned him as the crown prince. As for why his father, the emperor, would think of arranging a crown princess for him at this time, Yinreng couldn't figure it out either.

If he couldn't figure it out, he stopped thinking about it. With Mu Zhang'a gone, Yinreng couldn't think of anyone else to summon at the moment, so he casually asked who was on duty outside Jide Hall today. That's how Yulang, who had just started working, was called on by his superior.

As for what exactly happened in the Qianqing Palace, it was truly quite sudden.

Yesterday, not long after Yulang left Yuqing Palace, the list of the three guards the Crown Prince had chosen for himself was immediately presented to Emperor Kangxi. Kangxi knew without a doubt why his first two sons had made their choices; it was neither surprising nor unusual.

Finally, Kangxi pointed at Hesheli's name and then asked Liang Jiugong, who was serving nearby, how Yulang had caught the Crown Prince's eye. After listening, he said nothing, only smiled and told Liang Jiugong to put the list away. The Crown Prince could now 'decide' which guards to choose, and only then was the matter truly settled.

Liang Jiugong didn't know why his master was laughing until that night when Kangxi suddenly became interested and summoned people from the Imperial Household Department to carefully select two concubines for the Crown Prince and send them to Yuqing Palace.

This morning, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department were ordered to draft a preliminary list of candidates for the Crown Princess as soon as possible. Only then did Liang Jiugong realize that His Majesty had been reminded of old feelings by the surname Hesheli and was finally starting to worry about the Crown Prince's Crown Princess again.

The matter of arranging a marriage for the Crown Prince has already gone through two rounds of back and forth. The first time, rumors of it started as early as five years ago during the imperial selection. At that time, the candidates and the major families of the Eight Banners were all eager to find out, and many people tried to use their connections and bribes to inquire about the situation.

After all, even though His Majesty is in his prime, he already has quite a few concubines in the harem, not to mention the princes and princesses who are born almost every year. Sending his daughter into the harem is not a bad thing, but compared to the still vacant position of Crown Princess, it is self-evident which position is more coveted.

Before the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, it was a system of shared rule by the Eight Banners. The banner lords and the various powerful families who led their troops to submit all had their own territories and followers before their submission. Although their power was gradually weakened after the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, it has been less than fifty years since the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains.

The elderly were still alive, and their wealth was far from being squandered. Even Emperor Kangxi, who already held absolute power, could not possibly disregard their feelings.

At that time, many banner chiefs and high-ranking officials tried to get into the palace. These families were either descended from kings or lords, or had made meritorious contributions in the conquest of China. They claimed to be coming to pay their respects to the Emperor, but it was obvious what they were really thinking.

The first selection of a Crown Princess was a highly anticipated event, with everyone putting in their best effort. Even the head maids in charge of the selection made a small fortune. However, the matter ultimately fizzled out. When the results came out, some entered the palace and others were betrothed, but the Crown Prince didn't even get a concubine.

However, the crown prince was still young at that time, only twelve years old. To choose a crown princess for a twelve-year-old crown prince, the crown princess's age had to be even younger. It was a bit difficult to tell what kind of personality a child in their teens would have.

Therefore, at that time, whether it was the Eight Banners, the court officials, or the crown prince, they all felt that it was no big deal if it wasn't decided yet.

Later, the Crown Prince moved from Qianqing Palace to Yuqing Palace to live alone. Yuqing Palace also had several concubines, so the matter of choosing a Crown Princess for the Crown Prince was brought up again.

Two years ago, the Crown Prince was fifteen years old, which happened to coincide with the imperial concubine selection. This time, everyone felt that His Majesty should decide on the Crown Princess.

After all, a year ago, the eldest prince Yinzhi had already married his primary consort, Lady Irgen Gioro, and had a granddaughter, the first among the grandchildren. For this, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager bestowed many fine gifts upon Yinzhi.

However, after considering a long list of candidates, the Crown Princess was still not decided. Instead, Dong E was betrothed to the then twelve-year-old Third Prince, Yin Zhi.

Dong E was born into a prominent family. Her ancestor, He Heli, was one of the five founding ministers. Her father, Peng Chun, inherited the title of First-Class Duke and was the Commander-in-Chief of the Manchu Plain Red Banner. He had once led the army to victory in the Battle of Yaksa and was now in charge of the firearms battalion. He was a true pillar of the state.

With such a family background, it wouldn't have been impossible to choose her as the Crown Princess, but the Emperor instead betrothed Dong E Shi to Yin Zhi. Consort Rong, of the Ma Jia clan, was so happy that she even found her old zither and played a piece for Emperor Kangxi when he visited Zhongcui Palace.

Consort Rong entered the palace very early, and could be considered the Emperor's first woman. In her early years, she gave birth to five sons and one daughter, but only Princess Rongxian and the Third Prince Yinzhi survived.

Princess Rongxian was the third in line, but since the two princesses before her died young, she was the de facto eldest princess. A few years ago, His Majesty betrothed Rongxian to Urgun, the Jasak Doroi Prince of Mongolia, and now he has arranged for Yinzhi to marry a girl from the Dong E clan. Consort Rong, who had long since ceased to have any relationship with Emperor Kangxi, has been quite attentive to him.

Yinreng, who already had concubines, saw this and it would be a lie to say he wasn't anxious at all. After all, whether he, as the crown prince, had a crown princess was of paramount importance to the world.

He merely listened to the political affairs in the court, and outside the Qianqing Palace, he never had any open dealings with any officials.

So how could he reassure the world and make his position as crown prince more secure? The only way was to quickly marry a crown princess who was of good family background, character, talent and beauty, and who was worthy of being the mother of the nation. It would be best if she could give birth to a prince. At that time, the whole world, even the emperor himself, would have to admit that the position of the crown prince was as solid as a rock.

However, imperial power is inherently exclusive, and even though Yinreng, the crown prince, was Kangxi's most beloved son, he was no exception.

It's hard to say whether there was a genuine lack of suitable candidates for the Crown Princess, or whether Emperor Kangxi simply didn't want to further strengthen the already powerful Crown Prince. In any case, the selection of the Crown Princess remained uncertain.

Well, if it's uncertain, then it's uncertain. After all, there's nothing Yinreng can do about it. He originally thought that the next time this matter was brought up would be during the imperial concubine selection next year, but now that it's being mentioned without any warning, Yinreng is trying to find a clue from this complete mystery.

Yu Lang had no idea what the Crown Prince was thinking. He followed He Yuzhu into the Jide Hall and knelt down again in the place where he had knelt the day before. His well-proportioned body moved smoothly as he bent down and stood up. Perhaps it was because his humble yet dignified posture was so pleasing to the eye that Yinreng, who had been inexplicably agitated, calmed down considerably.

"How are you adjusting to your first day on duty?"

"Replying to Your Highness, I have served before, but I have never done such an important job as guarding the gate for you. I was a little nervous, but it was alright."

Yinreng couldn't help but chuckle at Yulang's blunt words. Few people spoke to him like that. If it were someone else, they would have said that they were grateful for the Crown Prince's favor and that they would serve their master wholeheartedly and dare not make the slightest mistake.

Yinreng got up and walked from behind his desk into the garden behind Jide Hall. Yulang followed him, trying hard to suppress his thoughts. He shouldn't think about things he shouldn't at this time. The more he thought, the more mistakes he would make. Masters never liked servants with too many thoughts.

"You're quite an honest man."

"Serving the Crown Prince, I dare not think too much. Thinking too much and doing too little makes it easy to make mistakes."

Everyone else was filled with trepidation, afraid of making a mistake in front of their master if they didn't think things through properly. But Yu Lang said that thinking too much was the mistake.

What was originally just an ordinary remark made Yinreng stop in his tracks. He thought too much and did too little…

If the news from Qianqing Palace hadn't just reached Yuqing Palace, and if he hadn't been certain that Yulang couldn't possibly have mind-reading abilities, Yinreng would have even thought that these words were deliberately said to him, and that he himself was overthinking things.