Chapter 172 172 Aling's Family Division

“Mother,” Yin’e called softly, looking down at the silvery-white full moon reflected in the lake below the winding corridor, and asked with a hint of hesitation, “It seems that the Niohuru family didn’t participate in this expedition against the Dzungars…”

The Imperial Concubine smiled faintly, and before Yin'e could finish speaking, she nodded and said, "No." She ruffled Yin'e's hair and strolled along the winding corridor, her tone indifferent, "Faka is good at literature but not martial arts, and he knows nothing about military strategy and tactics. There is no way he can make a name for himself by fighting on the battlefield."

Moreover, Faka inherited Ebilun's title of First-Class Duke and served as Minister of the Imperial Court, Minister of the Interior, Commander of the Imperial Guard and concurrently as a Zuo Ling. He also had a younger sister, the Imperial Concubine, in the palace. He had no shortage of status, power, or kinship ties, so there was no need for him to think about further advancement, and there were not many vacancies for him to continue climbing the ranks.

Since Emperor Kangxi did not specifically name Faka to accompany the army on the expedition, why should Faka volunteer? Even if he wanted to be loyal to the emperor and love his country, he should first consider whether his abilities matched the task, whether he could make meritorious contributions or be a hindrance on the battlefield, and have some self-awareness.

Before Alinga was enfeoffed as a count and moved out of the Guoyi Duke's mansion, the position of Faka First-Class Duke, who inherited the title of Ebilun, was not secure.

After Yin'e told the Consort about the smallpox vaccination idea, the Consort used it to obtain the Earl of Alinga, completely eliminating Alinga as a competitor for Faka and disqualifying Alinga from winning the title of First-Class Duke.

Consort Gui's assistance to Faka was partly due to the deep bond between siblings and the desire to protect her family, but it was also partly for the sake of Yin'e—Yin'e already had his aunt, the Empress, and his birth mother, Consort Gui, so he didn't need another powerful maternal clan to attract attention.

While Aling'a's separation into a separate household did indeed solidify Faka's position as a First-Class Duke, his departure, though still a member of the Niohuru family, diluted the power of the Guoyi Duke's household. This self-inflicted wound was also a way for the Consort to indirectly demonstrate to Kangxi that she and her son had no ambition and no intention of vying for the throne.

According to the Imperial Concubine's wishes, Faka, who is now in charge of the Duke of Guoyi's mansion, should keep a low profile as much as possible. The Imperial Concubine does not expect her brothers to achieve any merits to bring her glory; her expectation for Faka and others is simply to avoid mistakes rather than seek merit.

As Emperor Kangxi ascended the throne and his power grew, it was not a bad thing for the Niohuru family to keep a low profile; otherwise, they would have followed the same path as the Hesheli clan.

Over the years, Hesheli was repeatedly demoted by Emperor Kangxi. Although Suo'etu was trusted by the Crown Prince, this was exactly what Emperor Kangxi disliked. Over the years, he also experienced ups and downs. Just when he had managed to rise a little on his own merits, he was demoted again by Emperor Kangxi.

Unlike Empress Xiaoyi's maternal family, the Tongjia clan, the Niohuru clan was not part of Emperor Kangxi's maternal clan. Moreover, Empress Xiaoyi had no children, and the Tongjia clan neither supported the Crown Prince nor sided with the First Prince, showing no signs of participating in the struggle for the throne. Therefore, Emperor Kangxi was not as wary of the Tongjia clan.

Yin'e had never met his uncle, Faka, but he had a good impression of him. Firstly, when the Imperial Concubine entered the palace, Faka moved half of the storeroom of the Duke of Guoyi's mansion to the palace as part of her dowry. This affection for the Imperial Concubine was genuine, and Yin'e felt it, so he naturally regarded Faka differently.

Secondly, the fact that Consort Gui chose Faka shows that he is honest and not very ambitious. He would not get involved in the struggle for the throne and implicate Consort Gui and her son in the palace, nor would he be bold enough to incite Consort Gui and Yin'e to fight for the throne. He would follow Consort Gui's arrangements in everything and would not easily make decisions on his own.

Thirdly, Faka sent Yin'e very generous New Year's gifts every year, greatly enriching Yin'e's personal savings. Although he had never met his uncle Faka, Yin'e had a great fondness for him just based on the money Faka had spent on him over the years—Yin'e admitted that he was just that pragmatic.

It's all because he's never met Faka in his entire life. His understanding of Faka comes entirely from the Consort's retellings. It would be too much to ask Yin'e to develop a deep uncle-nephew relationship with Faka based solely on such exchanges. How can a vague, unrealistic affection compare to real money?

“I’m not worried about Uncle Faka.” Yin’e frowned. “Aling’a… I heard that Father Khan trusts him quite a bit and intends to give him the position of a reclusive minister. If Aling’a doesn’t stop causing trouble, won’t he be a hindrance to us?”

Aling'a is only twenty years old this year, still very young, in the prime of his life, but he has already climbed very high, holding a high position and power, lacking neither power nor status. He not only holds the title of Earl, serves as a first-class guard and captain, but is also about to be appointed as a recluse minister.

Aling'a's earldom was obtained for him by the Imperial Concubine, and Kangxi intended to grant him the official position of a reclusive minister. This was not only because of his Niohuru surname, but also because Aling'a himself was outstanding and thus gained Kangxi's favor. However, this is not absolute. There is also the possibility that Kangxi was playing a balancing act as an emperor.

Faka shared the same mother as Empress Xiaozhao and Consort Niohuru, and had a close and affectionate relationship with them. However, Aling'a, due to her rivalry with Faka, never had a harmonious relationship with them. Faka had the support of the Consort, and Kangxi's deliberate promotion of Aling'a might have been intended to allow Aling'a to rival Faka and thus restrain the Duke Guoyi's mansion.

However, Aling'a's position as a first-class bodyguard and captain was due to the influence of his father, Ebilun. Aling'a's birth mother was Ebilun's third wife, and he was not only Ebilun's legitimate son but also Ebilun's youngest son.

Before entering the Central Plains, the Manchus practiced polygamy, with the eldest son separating from the family and the youngest son staying in the household. After entering the Central Plains, the Manchus were influenced by the Han people and changed their polygamy system. The primary wife and secondary wives were distinguished by their status. Because of his status as the eldest son, Aling'a was of a higher social standing than his brothers, such as Faka.

In addition, the Manchu custom of the youngest son guarding the family had not been broken. Aling'a was Ebilun's seventh son and also the youngest son. Ebilun passed away a few years after his birth, so he did not enjoy the benefits of Ebilun's life. As he grew up, he benefited more from his father Ebilun's influence than Yanzhu, Fubao, and Yinde.

Ebilun's eldest son, Seliang, died young, his second son died prematurely, and his third son, Faka, did not receive any inheritance but directly inherited the title of First-Class Duke.

The fourth son, Yan Zhu, was granted the title of First-Class Imperial Guard; the fifth son, Fu Bao, was granted the title of Second-Class Imperial Guard; and the sixth son, Yin De, was granted the title of Third-Class Imperial Guard. Only the youngest son, E Bi Long, received the most honors, not only as a First-Class Imperial Guard but also as a Zuo Ling (military commander). The treatment of Yan Zhu, Fu Bao, and Yin De was far inferior to that of Aling A.

Yin'e had a very bad impression of Aling'a, not only because Aling'a had once planned to spread rumors that Faka had committed adultery with his sister-in-law, using such vicious rumors and despicable means to compete with Faka for the title of First-Class Duke, but also because Aling'a was a member of the Eighth Prince's faction in the future.

Unlike Faka, who was content with mediocrity and obedient, Aling'a harbored ambitions to participate in the struggle for the throne and gain merit in supporting the emperor.

Yin'e didn't care that Aling'a would not have a good end, or that she would not find peace even after death, because she was severely purged by Yongzheng after he came to power due to her status as a member of the Eighth Prince's faction.

However, Aling'a was too ambitious. After all, he was the son of Ebilun, the younger brother of Consort Gui and Faka, and a member of the Niohuru family. If his actions crossed the line and aroused the suspicion of Kangxi and the next emperor, it would inevitably implicate the Niohuru family.

"Aling'a will always be a member of the Niohuru family." The Consort said calmly, with a faint smile, before stating the facts, "But Aling'a and the Duke of Guoyi's mansion no longer have much to do with us."

"No matter what Aling'a does, what merits he makes, or what mistakes he makes, it has nothing to do with us. It will neither benefit us nor implicate us."

Yin'e paused, pondered the Consort's words, and his furrowed brows relaxed. He asked hesitantly, "Aling'a not only moved out of the Duke of Guoyi's mansion, but also separated from Uncle Faka? She has no further connection with this branch of the Duke of Guoyi's mansion?"

It's important to know that Ebilun's lineage inherited the title of Eidu, one of the five founding ministers. Ebilun inherited the title as the youngest son, so his lineage was naturally the main line of the Niohuru clan. Otherwise, Emperor Kangxi wouldn't have chosen Ebilun's daughter to serve in the palace after he ascended the throne.

Aling'a separated from the Duke of Guoyi's family, which was equivalent to changing from the main branch to a branch, becoming a collateral branch of the Niohuru clan. At that time, Aling'a was not relied upon by Emperor Kangxi, yet he was still willing to do so.

Seemingly noticing Yin'e's surprise, the Imperial Concubine smiled slightly, leaned down, and gently tapped Yin'e's forehead with her index finger: "The title of Earl given by your mother is not so easy to obtain. Taking benefits without paying the price is not something Aling'a can have."

If the Imperial Concubine hadn't wanted Aling'a to cause trouble at the Duke of Guoyi's residence and compete with Faka, she would never have helped Aling'a seek the title of Earl. The Imperial Concubine and Aling'a had no sibling relationship whatsoever, so why should she help him without expecting anything in return?

With the Imperial Concubine far away in the palace, Aling'a had no opportunity to cause her trouble. However, Aling'a was ambitious and caused unrest throughout the Niohuru clan, which greatly affected the Imperial Concubine and Yin'e. For her own sake and for Yin'e's sake, the Imperial Concubine had to eliminate this troublesome Aling'a and kick him out of the Duke of Guoyi's mansion.

He rolled his eyes and suddenly smiled slyly: "If that's the case, does that mean I don't need to act too friendly when I meet Aling'a in the palace?"

"That's right." The Imperial Concubine nodded and smiled faintly. "If we meet in the palace in the future, there's no need to be too friendly. Just greet each other and that's enough."

In other words, as long as things are outwardly acceptable, there's no need to give Ah Ling face in private. If you don't like something, just express it directly; there's no need to hold back.

Yin'e tilted his head and smiled, his large, round, watery almond-shaped eyes blinking repeatedly: "Mother, I know what to do."

Aling'a joining the Eighth Prince's Party is a possibility that will happen in the future, while spreading rumors and framing Faka is a plot that was planned but not yet implemented. Based on these two points, as Aling'a has not completely broken ties with them or had a direct conflict with them, Yin'e will not deliberately target him.

However, as a first-class imperial bodyguard and concurrently a captain, Aling'a would take turns guarding the gate of the Qianqing Palace.

Aling'a had many opportunities to run into Yin'e in the Qianqing Palace. He just hoped that Yin'e would have some self-awareness and not act like an uncle in front of him. Otherwise, even in public, Yin'e would not give Aling'a any face.

As Yin'e was lost in thought, he suddenly heard the Imperial Concubine ask, "Yin'e, why are you searching everywhere for manpower? Is it because you don't have any people at hand, or are those Haha Zhuzi being unruly?"

Not only did the Imperial Concubine discover that he had no one available, but she also became worried about him, which made Yin'e feel somewhat embarrassed.

But Yin'e didn't intend to hide anything from the Consort. After the embarrassment subsided, he explained, "I want to go into business with Ninth Brother, but the people around us are all from the Eight Banners noble families. They are not willing to give up their future to go into business. So we can't find suitable people. We can only search slowly."

After a moment of contemplation, the Imperial Concubine slowly said, "In that case, let Yin De help you."