Chapter 212 Two-Year Fulfillment

After the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince got married one after another, the palace became much more lively.

Yin'e is still young and studying in the Imperial Study. No matter how big the turmoil in the court is, it has nothing to do with him. However, he is somewhat involved in the affairs of the harem. Even if Yin'e does not actively inquire, news keeps reaching his ears, allowing him to know more or less about the latest happenings in the palace.

After their wedding, the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince were not allowed to attend court or participate in politics; they were still confined by Emperor Kangxi to study in the Imperial Study. However, their lives were much more relaxed than before the wedding, as the officials in the Imperial Study did not manage them as strictly as before.

The morning classes continued as usual, and the discipline remained very strict; however, the afternoon riding and archery classes were much more relaxed. If the Third Prince or the Fourth Prince had any errands to run, they could simply send someone to deliver a message and ask for leave, which was much easier than before.

Yes, although they were not allowed to attend court or participate in politics, their wedding marked their coming of age, which was different from before. Emperor Kangxi did not intend to confine his sons to the palace and prevent them from going out. Occasionally, he would assign some tasks to the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince.

Although these were all errands, such as delivering rewards to some officials in the court as instructed by Emperor Kangxi, or sending the Third and Fourth Princes to pay respects on the anniversaries of the deaths of Empress Yuan, Empress Xiaozhao, and Empress Xiaoyi when Emperor Kangxi was unable to spare the time.

Fortunately, they could leave the palace, meet with ministers, and cultivate their own followers. Even if the Third and Fourth Princes couldn't hold onto much power for the time being, having official positions meant that they were valued and trusted by Emperor Kangxi, and their future was promising, so they wouldn't be marginalized.

Yin'e only formally met the two royal brides, the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, once after their wedding, when they were led by the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince to receive gifts from their two sisters-in-law. After that, they never had any contact again, not even with the Fourth Prince, who had been raised by the Empress Dowager for two years and was quite familiar with the princes.

The Fourth Prince was always discreet and rarely showed his emotions, so Yin'e didn't see any impact the wedding had on him. It's also possible that the Fourth Prince's wife was too young; rather than being husband and wife, the Fourth Prince and his wife were more like companions and comrades-in-arms who shared hardships and supported each other.

The Third Prince was in a good mood after his wedding. He was less sarcastic in the Imperial Study and no longer clashed with the Ninth Prince frequently. However, he always had a superior attitude of "not arguing with children" and condescension when they were together, which made the Ninth Prince very angry.

Just after the Golden Banquet Festival of the 30th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Empress Xiaoyi's half-sister entered the palace with the treatment of a concubine and moved into Chengqian Palace, where Empress Xiaoyi had once lived. She was not formally conferred a title or honorary title and was referred to as Consort Tong in the palace, which was no different from the four consorts Huirong Yide, Consort Ping of Chuxiu Palace, and Consort Xuan of Xianfu Palace.

After Consort Tong entered the palace, the already taciturn and aloof Fourth Prince became even more silent, his aura stern and serious, clearly indicating that he was very unhappy.

The Fourth Prince was disgusted by the Tong family. Consort Tong was twenty-three years old this year and still unmarried. They had dragged it out until now to send her into the palace. The Tong family's intentions were obvious: they knew that Empress Xiaoyi was in poor health and had been planning to send her into the palace after Empress Xiaoyi died.

Consort Tong was also pitiful. She was the daughter of Tong Guowei. Although she was a concubine's daughter, her birth meant she could have found a good marriage without entering the palace. However, the Tong family was unwilling to send their daughter from a branch family into the palace. They preferred to keep Consort Tong as an old maid, letting her suffer ridicule and mockery, so that the glory of a marriage alliance with the royal family would remain with their main family.

The Tong family had a brilliant plan. Consort Tong was both Emperor Kangxi's cousin and Empress Xiaoyi's younger sister, enjoying the favor of two people at once. They were making the most of Empress Xiaoyi's legacy, practically devouring her whole, leaving her no peace even in death.

The Fourth Prince had been raised by Empress Xiaoyi since childhood and had a very deep affection for her. He was filled with hatred for the Tong family, who had risen to power by stepping on Empress Xiaoyi's flesh and blood. Unfortunately, he had no power or connections, and it was almost impossible for him to take revenge on the Tong family, who were now known as the "Tong Family of Half the Court." He could only endure and lie low, waiting for an opportunity.

In order to maintain their kinship with the royal family, noble families sent their daughters to the palace. It was not that the Fourth Prince could not accept it; after all, the late emperor had successively established two empresses from the Khorchin tribe because of the Manchu-Mongol marriage alliance. However, the Tong family had done such a disgusting and repulsive thing.

This cannot be said to be a bad precedent set by Empress Heseri. After the death of Empress Renxiao, Empress Heseri sent the ten-year-old Chuxiu Consort to the palace to wait for her to grow up. This was to maintain the kinship relationship and to show that Empress Heseri had no ulterior motives and would do her best to protect the son left by Empress Yuan until he grew up and would not abandon him.

At that time, the crown prince was young. If the Hesheli clan sent a woman of marriageable age to the palace and she became pregnant, the Hesheli clan would inevitably waver and would no longer be able to firmly support the crown prince. This would be detrimental to the crown prince in every way.

It was just a pity for Consort Chuxiu, who became a sacrifice for the Hesheli clan's support for the crown prince. She had to leave home at a young age and enter the palace, living alone in the strict and orderly inner palace.

With the Crown Prince around, Empress Hesheli wouldn't give Consort Chuxiu much care and support; and the Crown Prince was arrogant and haughty, not close to his aunt. Consort Chuxiu lived a life of constant fear in the palace, far less respectable and honorable than Consorts Huirong, Yide, and the other four consorts who had princes by their side.

Originally, it should have been a joyous occasion for Consort Chuxiu to give birth to the 24th prince in the first month of this year. Unfortunately, the child was born weak and could not be raised, dying at only two months old. Consort Chuxiu was greatly devastated by this and has been bedridden for a long time, not going out.

At the end of the year, good news came from Yuqing Palace: the Crown Prince's eldest son born out of wedlock was born. Although the Crown Prince was not yet married, Emperor Kangxi could not possibly wrong his precious son. The Crown Prince already had servants around him, but since he was not yet married, it was not appropriate to give them titles, so they were all just concubines and not listed in the imperial genealogy.

The Crown Prince had a son, and the First Prince, not to be outdone, quickly responded—the First Princess Consort summoned the imperial physician, who diagnosed her as nearly two months pregnant.

The eldest prince's third daughter was born in March of this year. It means the First Princess Consort only rested for half a year before becoming pregnant again. Such consecutive pregnancies are not a good thing; the First Princess Consort is still young, but her body is severely depleted.

This is all the eldest prince's fault. He was determined to produce a legitimate son before the crown prince's wedding. The eldest prince considered himself the eldest son and didn't think he was inferior to the crown prince in any way; he only lacked the legitimate title of heir apparent.

In the past two years, the rivalry between the Crown Prince and the First Prince has gradually come to the fore, and their struggle has become increasingly fierce. Fortunately, the other princes have not been affected for the time being. Even the Third and Fourth Princes, who have already married, are not allowed to get involved in these matters as long as they are not qualified to attend court and participate in politics.

The 30th year of Kangxi's reign passed by in a blur. The following spring, the 11th and 12th princes moved into the Princes' Residence, living in the Qianxi Fifth Residence with Yin'e, the 9th prince, and the 8th prince.

This place was originally called the West Third Courtyard, located directly behind the Cining Palace. It originally consisted of three courtyards arranged in a row, facing south. Later, Emperor Kangxi built the East Fifth Courtyard in front of the Ningshou Palace. To maintain symmetry, two more courtyards were added to the West Third Courtyard, which was then renamed the West Fifth Courtyard.

Because there wasn't enough space, the two newly built courtyards were arranged in a row from north to south, facing east, forming a horizontal bend with the original three courtyards. The two newly built courtyards were called the First Courtyard and the Second Courtyard, while the original First Courtyard, which is now located at the intersection of the horizontal bend, was renamed the Third Courtyard.

The Eighth Prince moved to the Fifth Palace in the west first, and he lived in the first one. Later, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince moved from the Sixth Palace in the west. The two brothers wanted to live next to each other, so the Second Palace was left empty. Yin'e lived in the Third Palace, and the Ninth Prince lived in the Fourth Palace.

Now the eleventh and twelfth princes have moved in. Since the eleventh prince and the ninth prince are born of the same mother, the eleventh prince lives in the fifth courtyard next to the ninth prince, and the twelfth prince lives in the second courtyard next to the eighth prince. The second and third courtyards are also next to each other, but the courtyards face different directions, so it is not so convenient to go back and forth.

Two more princes have reached the age to enter the Imperial Study. As for the princesses, the fifth princess, born to Consort Bu of Zhaojia clan, is nineteen years old. She has been granted the title of Princess Heshuo Duanjing, and her birth order is the third princess. Her wedding date is set for October, and she will marry Garzang of the Ulianghan clan, the second son of the Prince of Duling of the Khorchin Mongols.

Princess Duanjing was only one year younger than Princess Rongxian. Compared to Princess Rongxian, her marriage was not considered good. As the second son of a prince, her status was not high, and she was almost unable to inherit the title. In any case, Garzang was not as promising as Urgun.

Consort Bu came from an ordinary background and had long since fallen out of favor. She only had one daughter, Princess Duanjing, and no sons. The mother and daughter had no one to rely on. Princess Duanjing's marriage to Fumeng was a true marriage to Fumeng, unlike Princess Rongxian, who had the opportunity to wield power in the Balin tribe based on her princess status.

A year later, Emperor Kangxi still hadn't arranged a marriage for the Crown Prince, but the First Consort's fourth child was born as expected. In late July of the thirty-first year of Kangxi's reign, the First Consort gave birth to her fourth legitimate daughter.

The First Consort, of the Irgen Gioro clan, married the First Prince in the 26th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. In just five years, she gave birth four times. Outsiders said that the First Prince loved his wife dearly and that the couple was very loving. But who knew that the First Consort was seriously ill?

In the thirty-second year, Emperor Kangxi finally arranged a marriage for his nineteen-year-old crown prince. Anyone who didn't know better would think that Emperor Kangxi was raising the crown prince like a princess, just like Princess Rongxian and Princess Duanjing, and only allowed him to get married when he turned nineteen.

There was no precedent for a crown prince's wedding before the Qing Dynasty, and there were no established rules or regulations to follow for the ceremony. The Ministry of Rites submitted a memorial stating that time was needed to redesign the ceremony for the crown prince's wedding from scratch, and Emperor Kangxi agreed. It was estimated that it would be another year or two before the crown prince's actual wedding.

Fortunately, the choice of the Crown Princess had already been made. After careful selection, Emperor Kangxi chose the daughter of Shi Wenbing, the commander of the Plain White Banner and a third-class earl, as the Crown Princess.

However, the matter of Kangxi arranging a marriage for the crown prince did not attract much attention from Yin'e, because Kangxi was finally going to fulfill his promise from two years ago and take Yin'e with him on the hunting trip outside the Great Wall this year.

Yin'e was about to turn ten. He was very talented in riding and archery. It might be an exaggeration to say that he was as strong as an ox, but it was quite appropriate to say that he was agile, strong and sturdy. The Fourth Prince had accompanied Kangxi on an inspection tour to Shengjing when he was six years old, so Kangxi was at ease taking Yin'e to the frontier.

Moreover, this trip to the northern frontier takes place in the summer, and the grasslands are much cooler than Beijing. In the sweltering heat of summer, going to the grasslands is a perfect way to escape the heat, much more comfortable than staying in the Forbidden City and getting heat rash. It's just that the journey will be bumpy and I'll suffer for a few days.

There was a tacit understanding between Consort Niohuru and Emperor Kangxi, and the Court of Colonial Affairs specifically notified Abahai's tribe of this expedition to the border regions.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Emperor Kangxi would arrange a marriage between Yin'e and the daughter of Prince Abahai during this hunting trip, thus finalizing this Manchu-Mongol alliance.