Chapter 148 Zhao Hui

This time, it wasn't just Buhe who came; there were five or six people in total, carrying large and small boxes into the Forbidden City.

"I have discussed with the Khan everything that Your Majesty and the Crown Prince said last time. We have brought many treasures with us this time, which is a testament to our Khan's sincerity."

After saying that, he waved to his attendants, who all opened the box in front of them. It was indeed filled to the brim with furs and treasures that were almost overflowing, but it was definitely not of high value.

Looking at the chests of treasures, Yinzhen felt a pang of regret and raised an eyebrow at Buhe—"So, does the Dzungar mean they want to annul the engagement?"

"Not so." Buhe bowed. "The Khan means that since he has obtained the rightful daughter of the Qing Dynasty to marry him, he will naturally welcome her with the title of Khatun, and any sons born to the princess will be treated as eldest sons. These treasures are merely his way of apologizing for his neglect of the princess. He hopes that the Qing Emperor will not hesitate to marry the princess to him, but..."

Yinzhen remained calm, waiting for him to continue.

Buhe quietly raised his eyes to look up, his tone no longer as confident as before—"The Khan said he wished to establish a lasting friendship with the Qing Dynasty and hoped that the Qing Emperor could teach him how to manufacture firearms."

Seeing that the Emperor's expression was not good, Buhe quickly added, "Your Majesty may not know this, but Tsarist Russia has always coveted the western frontier, and the Dzungar Khanate is their first target. If the Dzungar Khanate falls and is occupied, it will be as if the gates of the Qing Dynasty are left unguarded. The Khan is racking his brains over this."

This wasn't a lie. The reason why the Dzungar Khanate had kept its internal strife under control and hadn't dared to cause trouble for too long was precisely this. Now that the Qing Dynasty had improved firearms, had the former Grand General Wang Shisi, and had a future emperor and his son who might be able to wisely lead the Qing Dynasty for more than a hundred years, the Dzungar Khanate had to agree to this marriage alliance even if they had to grit their teeth.

However, they weren't the type to simply accept defeat and suffer losses; they always wanted to gain something in return from the other party.

After listening, Yinzhen waved his hand and said, "What's so difficult about that? I assure you, if Russia makes any moves in the future, we will definitely send troops to reinforce you and will never leave you isolated and helpless."

He deliberately ignored the strategy of improving firearms, only mentioning that Tsarist Russia would send troops, which was, of course, guaranteed, just as Buhe said. If Tsarist Russia were to occupy the Mongolian Plateau, then the Qing Dynasty would truly be unable to close its doors.

Buhe, having failed to achieve his goal, was about to speak again, but Yinzhen did not allow him to speak again—"The envoys have had a long journey, and the post station has been prepared. This time, I will certainly not let you come empty-handed."

“The palace has already made all the preparations for Princess Chaogui’s wedding. You should send a message back and wait for the person who will come to pick her up before you take her back. It has already been delayed for a year, so it is best to resolve this as soon as possible.”

Without waiting for his instructions, Su Peisheng stepped forward knowingly and said, "Envoy of Dzungar, this way please."

Several eunuchs hurriedly carried various treasures, box after box, into the storeroom. The money spent on the wars over the years had been flowing out like water, but now they could finally see a return on their investment.

However, this marriage alliance was not as simple as in the past. There were quite a few people to be taken along, and there had to be a leader. Yinzhen was troubled by this choice.

"Why don't we send my brother? I refuse to believe that the Dzungars can rebel against Heaven." After sitting and discussing for a long time, Yinzhen couldn't hold back any longer and stood up, waving his hand with an air of magnanimity.

Yinxiang reached out to stop him but failed. Seeing his elder brother's expression of disbelief, he raised an eyebrow, picked up his teacup, blew on it gently, and began to watch the show.

"Sit down." Yinzhen rubbed his forehead and glanced at his younger brother, wondering why he had thought his brother had become so calm and composed before, when he still seemed so impetuous!

"You, a prince, running off to the Dzungars to supervise construction, what kind of image will that have?" He squinted as he reprimanded, but you could tell from his tone that he wasn't really angry, just helpless.

Seeing that his suggestion had been rejected, Yinzhen snorted, flicked his sleeves, and sat back down. Yinxiang, who was beside him, put down his teacup and said, “Your Majesty is right. Going to the Dzungar Khanate requires someone who can make decisions and adapt to changing circumstances, but not a general of too high status or too famous. That’s the real challenge.”

As he spoke, he looked at Hongzhao, who was listening attentively beside him. Seeing that Hongzhao did not seem to be thinking, as if he already had someone in mind, he couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, who do you think should be chosen at this time?"

The Emperor and the Fourteenth Prince followed Yinxiang's gaze to Hongzhao. Hongzhao showed no panic when he saw everyone's eyes on him. He did have someone in mind, but he still needed to think of a way to reasonably recommend this person.

He calmly walked out from behind his seat and said, "I do have someone in mind, but I haven't had the chance to test him yet. Whether he will succeed depends on Father Emperor's decision."

"It's alright, tell me." Yinzhen has always trusted and valued the Crown Prince. Besides, someone recommended by Hongzhao must have at least 80% ability, even if not 100%. He can't be wrong.

Hongzhao looked at the several pairs of strangely similar phoenix eyes that were all focused on him, and cupped his hands, saying, "Wuya Zhaohui, an official scribe. If we go by the Imperial Grandmother's lineage, I should call him my elder cousin."

A scribe was a very low-ranking civil official. Yinzhen frowned slightly—"Why did you take a liking to him?"

Hongzhao had been thinking about the reasons, but he couldn't come up with the best solution. After all, Zhaohui was really too inconspicuous at the moment. It wouldn't be difficult to make up some excuse, but the people around the Emperor weren't just sitting around doing nothing. No lie could be kept hidden forever. Rather than patching up one hole after another later, it was better to be honest from the beginning.

“If I say there is no reason, Father, would you believe me? I had some interaction with him when I was reviewing memorials before, and ever since then I have felt that he is no ordinary person. Now, he is the first person who comes to mind when this matter comes up.”

Hongzhao himself looked puzzled. Such a reason was naturally unconvincing to others. Thirteen and Fourteen were waiting for their nephew, the Crown Prince, to say something surprising again, and they were indeed taken aback when they heard him say this.

Just as he was about to chuckle and speak, he heard an extremely reliable voice saying the most unreliable things.

"Hmm, Su Peisheng, bring this person here so I can take a look."

Huh? Thirteen and fourteen both turned around at the same time. Seriously, bro? You really believe in some vague, intangible feeling? And the key point is, isn't it even your own feeling...?

Yinzhen truly believed in his auspicious treasure, even though he didn't believe in others.

“Zhao Hui is a distant relative of the Empress Dowager, born into the Uya family and a bondservant, so his loyalty goes without saying. He is also young and inconspicuous among a group of people, so he won't arouse the suspicion of the Dzungars. Since the rank of scribe is lower, then…”

"Su Peisheng, draft the decree first. The Grand Council has only been established for a short time, so he will serve as the Grand Council Secretary. I will issue the decree after I have met with him."

Su Peisheng was already used to the curious looks from the two young masters. Ever since the birth of this crown prince, he had been treated with such curiosity for who knows how long, and was long since immune to it.

Ten days later, Princess Chaogui was married.

The Emperor was busy with official duties, so the Crown Prince escorted him on his behalf. The Fourteenth Prince, Xun, accompanied by the palace officials, rode to the outside of the Dzungar camp.

The marriage procession took away not only a few carriages of dowry servants, but also two thousand strong, unsophisticated craftsmen, as well as cartloads of tools and materials.

The construction of the princess's residence was a large-scale project, and it was impossible to bring all the materials at once. Therefore, Yinzhen specially permitted the craftsmen to make multiple trips between the two places.

The Qing Dynasty's purpose was very simple: they just wanted the princess to live in a better place.

Buch...