One wave of peace followed by another

Shujia tossed and turned for several nights, rereading the memorial submitted from the capital regarding the Crown Prince's wedding. The final date was set for the New Year. Did that mean it was only a few months away? Thinking about this, Shujia calmed down again. She still had time to think carefully.

The core of the problem was her concern about her son's understanding of sex, and whether Hongdan was truly ignorant. Shujia reviewed the entire matter from beginning to end and discovered that none of her son's attendants had reported any unusual behavior to her. This discovery chilled her heart.

Hongdan should be pretty much done by his age, so why hasn't anyone reported him experiencing any puberty? Even if he's confused, his body's development can't be faked. He should be experiencing some kind of dream or something like that!

Shujia's mind grew increasingly restless, and she couldn't help but recall every detail of Hongdan's life over the past two years. As a relatively responsible mother, she believed she was still very concerned about her son, from his daily needs to his studies and social skills. Especially since Yinreng ascended the throne, she had every right to ask about her son's condition daily. Why hadn't anyone reported it?!

No mother would be willing to let her son be immature, but the reality was clear, and Shujia had no choice but to send her most trusted women, Hongxiu and Zishang, back to the capital. The reason she gave was that she was worried about the training of the palace maids in the Eastern Palace for the Crown Prince's wedding.

Yinreng smiled after hearing this and said: "Your son has grown up, but you still treat him like a child." He did not object. He was used to letting his wife take care of family matters. If his wife was worried, he would let her handle it.

Hongxiu and Zishang were secretly instructed: "Go over and find out if the Crown Prince has any secret affairs, ahem, any romantic relationships. You don't have to cover up for him. If he has any problems, I will always cover them up for him."

In reality, Hongxiu and Zishang weren't good candidates for returning to the capital. Neither of them had ever been married, so how could they possibly ask such a question? It was just that, in a desperate situation, there weren't any other better candidates.

Hongxiu and Zishang were vassal daughters of the Shi family, their entire family serving in the household. Their loyalty to the Empress was unparalleled. Knowing the gravity of the situation, they displayed an exceptionally hardy and combative spirit, traveling day and night, exhausting the attendants who followed them. Of course, it was impossible for just two palace maids to travel such a long distance; they were accompanied by two eunuchs and a separate escort.

Upon returning to Beijing, the two greeted Hongdan and conveyed Shujia's concern for their son. Then, they began their "open and secret investigation." You know, many things are kept secret from superiors but not from subordinates. Some matters, neither serious nor minor, might not be easily revealed by superiors, but colleagues might easily gossip about them. Upon learning the truth, the two were left in a state of confusion.

The prince wasn't completely clueless. Of course, no one dared to tell him this when he was little. Then, as he reached puberty, first his parents were strict, then his grandfather died. The period of mourning coincided with his puberty, so even if he had any thoughts, he couldn't reveal them. Instead, he calmly kept them a secret from everyone around him. What a poor kid! Any other time, this would have been reported, and then the concubine would have arrived.

Hongxiu and the other two were stunned for a while. After a long while, Hongxiu said, "We should think of a reason to return to Chengde and report back."

The two of them were troubled again. They had been ordered to help the Eastern Palace prepare for the wedding. If the wedding wasn't ready, how could they go back? The matter involved incest, and although they could read a few words, they didn't dare to leave any evidence. They had to patiently examine the Eastern Palace maids again, then dusted off their hands and turned to leave.

The two knew Shujia's thoughts and watched the palace maids carefully. Since His Royal Highness's function was fine, the palace maids had to behave themselves.

Hongdan always took good care of his mother's servants. When he heard that they were going back to Chengde, he was shocked: "You're going back now? Once you get to Chengde, it will be time to wait on my mother when she returns."

He still didn't know what these two people came back for.

Hongxiu cleared her throat and said, "We servants have carried out the order from our mistress. Now that the mission is completed, how can we be lazy?" This reason was quite legitimate, so Hongdan had no choice but to agree. He also instructed them to take good care of the two along the way before letting them go north.

Hongdan was exaggerating a bit. It was only the beginning of August when Hongxiu and the others returned to Chengde, and the emperor wouldn't arrive in Beijing until the end of September. The emperor still had several Mongolian princes to meet on his schedule, and he also had to lead another hunting expedition.

Hongxiu and Zishang returned and, without waiting for Shujia to ask, explained their duties. Shujia smiled and said, "Reward. You two should also tidy up, so we can go boating later." Seeing how relaxed the two looked, she knew it wasn't a big deal.

Zichang took the opportunity to thank the master and said, "It is our duty as servants to do errands for the master. I haven't seen the master for a few days, and I feel anxious. Let the servants help the master comb his hair and change his clothes."

Shujia nodded with a smile.

While combing their hair and choosing clothes, the two of them reported the situation in a low voice.

Shujia was also stunned. She had actually forgotten about this! She laughed and scolded: "This little thing!"

This time they really laughed, and Hongxiu and the other two also smiled and said goodbye: "It is really unbecoming for us servants to be so unkempt. Let's go clean up and serve the master again."

Shujia nodded.

She really gave birth to a good son! It's amazing that they could keep a secret for so long. I hope Hongdan can keep up the good work. Just hiding it from his own mother isn't enough; being able to completely conceal everything he doesn't want others to know, so that no one knows, is a real talent.

Shujia was relieved. Her son was fine, and judging by the subsequent treatment, he had no psychological trauma. She no longer had to find a concubine for her son, so she was thankful.

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He really gave birth to a good son!

Yinreng read the memorial sent from the capital. Hongdan handled the capital's affairs in an orderly manner, and his preparations for the war and the new policies were also quite meticulous and thoughtful. A sense of pride welled up in his father, and he generously wrote a letter of praise to his son.

He couldn't help but be happy. The annual salt tax revenue could be roughly estimated by the end of autumn. Without a doubt, this year's salt tax revenue in Lianghuai had exceeded expectations. The grain reserves in the border areas were also showing significant growth. Hongdan also requested permission to confirm possible water supplies along the march to facilitate the army's progress.

On the other hand, Dai Zi is indeed a genius in firearms manufacturing. He has delivered several sample guns in just a few months, and his subordinates are working hard to produce them.

Far away, Tsewang Arabtan finally lost his patience. His petty actions became more frequent, and a steady stream of envoys were dispatched to Lhasa, posing as his son-in-law, to inquire about Lazang Khan's health. All signs indicated that this fellow was about to strike! Forced into action by a series of actions by the imperial court, he was forced to act with limited preparation time, putting him in a passive position. Even knowing it was a trap, he still jumped in!

When many good news came, coupled with Hongdan's good coordination, Yinreng felt quite comforted.

When his mood improved, he remembered another thing - the portrait he had promised his wife a long time ago had not been resolved yet.

This was easy to do. Many Western missionaries were skilled in painting, and Yinreng had already selected two missionaries who could paint. While he was in a good mood, he personally brought the missionaries to meet his wife.

Shujia was shocked when she heard the Western missionary with a strange accent and a very Chinese name greet her with a relatively considerate etiquette! She only knew that some Western surnames, such as "Jin" and "Li", looked very similar to Chinese characters according to transliteration, but what about the surnames Chen and Liu?

Most missionaries arriving in China landed in Guangzhou and, after a brief period of language and etiquette training to confirm their genuine skills, were sent to Beijing. Originally, there were few restrictions on missionary activity, but due to the Rites Controversy, Emperor Kangxi issued a decree allowing missionaries with specialized skills in mathematics, medicine, painting, surveying, and other areas to enter Beijing for service. Those who came solely for missionary work were forbidden from traveling.

In Yinreng's eyes, missionaries were probably similar to monks. However, even monks were still grown men, and since it was their first meeting, he hoped to be there. At the same time, he was also afraid that the strange appearance of this Westerner would scare his wife.

Seeing Shujia's eyes widen, Yinreng coughed and said, "That's them. They just look a little different from the people in the Middle Earth. The rules are always the same. You'll get used to it after seeing them more."

Shujia nodded. Yinreng then personally explained the key points of Western painting, which roughly meant looking at you more than the palace painters. Shujia thought to herself, isn't this just being a model? She understood, understood, and nodded, "I understand. Aren't you going to take a picture?"

Of course Yinreng wanted to draw it: "I have promised you many years ago, but I never did it. Today I finally did it, so of course you should come first." After saying this, he blinked his eyes, which meant to say, look, I am nice to you, which made Shujia laugh.

The two missionaries, mindful of the etiquette they'd been taught, didn't dare confront the empress before the painting began. They were simply puzzled. They'd heard the emperor and empress of this country were quite majestic, but they hadn't expected her to speak so kindly. This job wasn't difficult!

They had also heard about many missionaries becoming officials, getting rich, and being respected in China, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of ambition.

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The two missionaries' enterprising spirit soon suffered a major blow - the queen was not very satisfied with the paintings they drew.

Shujia complained to the Third Lady: "You still paint me like a puppet!"

During the missionary exam, the painting of a eunuch was considered acceptable, as long as it looked like the real thing. But painting an empress was not an option; there was a lot of knowledge involved. The safest approach was to follow traditional standards. Oil painting is inherently very realistic, and the key to success lies in the "likeness."

Anyone who has seen paintings of Qing dynasty emperors and empresses knows that, unless depicted enjoying themselves, they all sit solemnly in chairs. The most infuriating thing is that their postures are almost identical—either hands on their knees or one hand supporting a court rosary and the other on their knees. Their expressions are also almost identical: they all have the air of a royal family.

The two missionaries painted the Queen with the same energy as they would a church mural, but the Queen didn't like it. She wanted a portrait of her daily life, but you took every one of them in a standard style, so standard that it could be used as a posthumous portrait. How could she be happy?

The emperor also heard the same complaint, and Yinreng casually said, "Just find someone better to paint." This wasn't a big deal to him, a problem that could be solved with just one sentence. The missionary was cast aside, and he and his wife discussed the similarities and differences between Western painting and meticulous brushwork.

The missionary regretted deeply: When he saw that the emperor and the empress were getting along harmoniously, he should have painted her more gently. Why did he paint her so majestically?

Shujia didn't know that her opposition would cause not only a small trouble for herself but also a big trouble for the Holy See.

The author has something to say: Touch your chin, missionary.

Many missionaries had good moral character, but many missionaries who came to China during the Qing Dynasty also had very bad luck.