Problems raised by the draft

They say, "Good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes singly." But this saying doesn't seem quite right in the Forbidden City during the 37th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. Many happy events came at once. While one might be good for one person and bad for another, adding and subtracting them all, many people surprisingly experienced two or three of these events.

First, the selection of concubines was a big one. It was already known that the Ninth and Tenth Princes would have formal concubines, but there was also the possibility that Kangxi might add a few servants to his other sons on a whim. Shujia didn't have to worry, but she still had to restrain herself from showing it among the somewhat unhappy sisters-in-law. And according to unreliable sources, Kangxi might also add one or two concubines.

Secondly, the kings were granted fiefs and all benefited equally. The five princes in the east and the eighth prince in the west were all filled with joy.

Besides, the eighth prince’s big day is approaching. Being conferred a title and getting married is a double happiness.

Another thing was the "collective pregnancy" incident. Strangely enough, at the beginning of this year, everyone from the Crown Princess to the Third Lady, as well as the Fifth Prince's concubine Liu Jia, were diagnosed with pregnancy one after another, which really brought some life to the palace.

During this joyous occasion, the re-examination for the selection of concubines began. Generally speaking, the wives of the princes, even the crown princesses, had little say in the selection process. Every day when Shujia went to Ningshou Palace, she would hear people say, "We saw the concubines from the Zhenghuang Banner today; they looked great. We'll see them again tomorrow and decide who will stay overnight." And so on.

She didn't really care. As long as there wasn't a fire in her own backyard, it didn't matter what happened. She still had another concern: if someone was really appointed, they would be sent to Xiefang Palace. She had no control over who was assigned to her in the harem, and Xiefang Palace was far away. As the saying goes, the emperor is far away, and if she wasn't careful, wouldn't something go wrong? Now that she didn't have to worry about this problem for a while, wouldn't she feel relieved?

I listened attentively to Concubine Tong's report to the Empress Dowager: "There are quite a few women on display this time, and they are very picky. There are quite a few children of marriageable age in the palace outside, and we also need to bring them in for marriage. Initially, 213 people were decided to stay overnight for inspection: 107 Manchus, 54 Mongols, and 52 Han soldiers..."

The future of the Han army flag is indeed bleak!

The Empress Dowager listened attentively and then asked, "Are there any sisters or relatives of the palace masters?" Sometimes, such candidates could be married to princes or other places instead of concubines. The performance of the concubines in the palace directly affected the boss's judgment of their upbringing, which could affect the future of the entire family.

Concubine Tong's cousin was among them, and she said openly: "My cousin, the daughter of Tong Guogang, is also among them."

The Empress Dowager then asked Shujia and other granddaughters-in-law, "What about you? Do you have any sisters or relatives to choose from?" The First Concubine looked at Shujia, and Shujia said, "No close relatives yet. As for those farther away, we are still young and can't figure it out clearly." The First Concubine then said, "We don't have any acquaintances this time." The Third Concubine, the Fourth Concubine, the Fifth Concubine, and the Seventh Concubine also had no close relatives to choose from this time.

The Empress Dowager pursed her lips with a hint of regret. She thought the granddaughters-in-law were all good. It would have been nice if they had sisters. However, the granddaughters-in-law were both amused and confused. When they had been nominated, they had almost dug up all their ancestors and neighbors. But it had only been a short time, and the Empress Dowager had almost forgotten everything.

De Fei said softly: "There are a lot of girls this time. I'm afraid there won't be enough space for them. We have to plan the houses carefully." Indeed, two palaces have to be vacated for the girls to live in, and one palace can accommodate hundreds of people.

But this wasn't Shujia's concern; she was content to watch from the sidelines. The Empress Dowager had no opinions, so she was perfectly suited to being a rubber stamp, asking, "What do you think?"

The concubines interrupted one after another, and Concubine Hui said, "Why not leave the younger ones with their names and tell them to come back next year?"

This was a good idea. Concubine Yi would rather take a closer look. Besides the Ninth Prince, she also hoped to add a concubine for the Fifth Prince. Now she said, "Why not invite them in again and take a look? Pick out those who are not good enough and then put down the sign. Otherwise, those who stay this year will come back in three years and it will be crowded again."

The concubines and noble ladies below had no say. Concubine Cheng was just a background figure as usual, but in her heart, like Concubine Yi, she hoped that more people could stay and add one or two more to the Seventh Prince's entourage. She was thinking that after the event was over, she could go to Concubine Yi to test the waters and ask for a favor.

The childless concubines were more concerned about the possibility of new competitors. Concubine Tong, on the other hand, didn't need to worry too much. Although she hadn't been formally canonized, her status was already significantly higher than the other concubines. Her father and brothers were both very promising. All she needed now was patience and patience, waiting for Kangxi to gather enough people for a collective promotion. Others, however, felt a bit uncomfortable, especially those who had recently received the emperor's favor and were not yet old enough to remain calm. Everyone was analyzing the information revealed by the several main concubines and secretly assessing their competitors.

The Empress Dowager had also been through several selections and was familiar with the process. After thinking for a while, she turned to Shujia, who was sitting beside her, and asked, "What do you think?"

A group of concubines looked at the Crown Princess. Shujia smiled slightly. "Anything is fine, as long as the living quarters aren't too crowded. Call them all in and take a look. If they're younger and look promising, you might as well keep them. If they're really useless, just let them go. It'll save you some trouble."

It was as good as saying nothing, but the Empress Dowager took it in: "That's fine too."

Shujia added: "If you still feel crowded, there is another way."

"What do you say? What do you say?" The Empress Dowager grabbed her grandson's wife's hand and asked repeatedly.

"The royal family thrives, not only with numerous sons and grandsons, but also with daughters who marry into various clans and have children of their own. If daughters are born, they'll also be candidates for selection. It would be better to list these children separately for consideration, to protect their relatives, and also... to avoid confusing the generations. The concubines are for the royal family, and since they're blood relatives, it's better not to mess up the generations. Listing them separately, according to their mother's generation, means arranged marriages, which would be more convenient. What do you think?"

Concubine Tong reacted the fastest: "That's great. It's amazing that the Crown Princess is so thoughtful."

Shujia smiled, lowered her head, and grasped the Empress Dowager's hand, acting shy. The Third Concubine chimed in, "That's right. It's been like this for years. If the Crown Princess hadn't said so, we'd have neglected it." Everyone chatted, each with their own concerns. Those with daughters thought this was a good idea; granddaughters could be singled out as a separate entity, a sort of backdoor. Those without daughters didn't object, and the atmosphere was quite joyful. Even the First Concubine, whose daughter was also a noble lady of the imperial clan, would marry well, and her granddaughter would also be considered for the selection...

The Empress Dowager was the slowest to react among the group, but she finally understood and felt it was okay: "Right, right, right, we should be nicer to our own relatives."

Concubine Tong asked again, "We have agreed on this matter, but we cannot make the final decision. We still need to talk to the Emperor and then inform the Imperial Household Department. It would be a blessing for everyone if we all follow this example from now on."

The Empress Dowager said happily, "If you are not comfortable saying it, I will. This is a good thing." Everyone pushed the matter to the Empress Dowager in unison. It was obvious that she wanted to help, so who could push her foot back?

"That's it, go back and list all the girls in our family who are married and see whose daughter is the one to be chosen." The Queen Mother said, and everyone scattered.

Shujia wanted to wait for the fat boy to go back for dinner, so she stayed a while. The Empress Dowager felt that she had done a good thing and was very concerned about her granddaughter-in-law who had come up with a good idea. She asked with concern, "You must have worked hard today to come up with ideas. Are you tired?"

Shujia shook her head: "I didn't do anything, it's okay."

This was her second pregnancy, and with the experience she'd gained, Shujia didn't find it particularly difficult. She changed into flat shoes, wore slightly looser clothes, and didn't comb her hair so tightly, which surprisingly gave her a softer, more graceful demeanor. She was still strolling around, but this time, she had a little extra child.

Hongdan was a child who had no shortage of love. He was very tolerant and expectant of the unborn child, who he didn't know whether it was a brother or a sister. He would stare at his mother, whose figure had not changed noticeably, with his dark eyes, a look of awe on his little face, as if he could just stare out a little kid to satisfy his desire to be a big brother.

Shujia was at a loss for words, watching Hongdan imitate his father: "Keep an eye on her, don't let her fall into the water when walking, and don't let her be exposed to the midday sun..."

Hey, son, if you don't say a word but just sneeze and look like you're about to drool, it will be more convincing!

Here she is again, suppressing her excitement and paying her respects first. The Empress Dowager was holding her pregnant granddaughter-in-law with one hand, and trying to pull up her great-grandson lying on the ground with the other hand. She couldn't let go of either, and her dilemma was really cute. After a long time of anxiety, she finally said, "Hurry up and get up, come here~"

That’s right, it will be easier if we call the person over.

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Kangxi was reading memorials in the Qianqing Palace, and sitting next to him was Yinreng.

Yinreng sat still, his lips curled up slightly. He was in a good mood. Haha, the eldest son had been conferred the title of Bordered Blue Banner. What was the Bordered Blue Banner? It was the private land of Prince Jian's family. Originally, Prince Jian was the chieftain of the Bordered Blue Banner, and his influence was extraordinary. Even those under the Bordered Blue Banner, even if they were not his direct subordinates, had to curry favor with him.

What about now? A prince has come, and he's a fucking great prince! The most hateful thing is that he's an unruly great prince! In the days to come, if Prince Jian's family can get along with Yinzhi, then it would be a real blessing. What's more, Yinreng still has a thorn in his side in the Bordered Blue Banner, Yaerjiang'a. Oh, little Yaerjiang'a is the backbone of the Bordered Blue Banner.

You said, are the bannermen under the Bordered Blue Banner...is it possible that Yaerjiang'e arranged for a few of them to eavesdrop on Yinzhi's backyard? Uh, wrong, eavesdrop. I'll have to have a good chat with Yaerjiang'e later.

Compared with Yinzhi, Yinzhi, who was also enfeoffed into the Bordered Blue Banner, seemed much more peaceful and harmless. It's a pity that the eldest brother's right-hand man, the eighth brother, was enfeoffed into the Plain Blue Banner, which was his wife's uncle's family, otherwise...sigh~

The fourth, fifth and seventh brothers were all enfeoffed into the Bordered White Banner. Tsk tsk, it was foreseeable that his brothers would all be enfeoffed into banners, and the kings whose activities were restricted might not all be willing to do so.

Kangxi was also smiling. The eighth prince had been enfeoffed into the Zhenglan Banner and was about to marry and take over the An Wang family's power. Turning around, he saw Yinreng also smiling, and Kangxi asked casually, "What are you so happy about?"

Yinreng smiled even brighter: "Eighth brother's good days are approaching. I heard that he has been secretly trying on clothes these past few days."

Indeed, the current topic of discussion between the father and son was the marriage of the eighth child. The child marriage had been arranged many years ago, and it was time to fulfill the contract. However, neither of the two people discussing the matter focused on the marriage itself.

Kangxi wanted to tease Yinreng: "I remember that when you got married, you not only tried on your own clothes..."

Yinreng muttered a few words, then couldn't help but say, "They've been discussing the etiquette for a long time. There was no fixed color for the Crown Princess's dress before. My son was just checking..."

Kangxi calmly changed the subject, leaving Yinreng feeling suffocated. He then asked, "How is your wife these days?"

"Just live your life as a woman." Yinreng knew that Kangxi didn't like strong women, and when he talked about his wife he only said that she was plain and virtuous.

The Crown Princess had been tormenting the fat boy these days. Not only did he have to attend tutoring classes with Su Malagu every day, but after dinner, he was also learning to recognize characters. He was taught the Three Character Classic with Tang poetry, and even though his little paws weren't very nimble, he could already scribble out a few dozen characters. The worst part was the afternoon, when there were no riding and archery lessons. He had to learn a few simple Mongolian conversations first, and then the terrible thing happened—he had to learn to count.

According to the Crown Princess, "Etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics—the six arts of a gentleman—even if he doesn't master them all, he should at least have a basic understanding of them, so he doesn't end up being treated like a fool." The Crown Princess even planned to teach the fat boy how to bargain when buying groceries—we shouldn't be fooled. The above can be considered pregnancy syndrome.

Math has always been a student's biggest enemy. The poor little chubby kid, counting on his fingers: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten," these are familiar, and the next ones are okay, "Eleven, twelve, thirteen, eighteen," and then it starts to get confusing: "Nineteen, ten, eleven..."

The Crown Princess is furious! Are you a parrot?!

Of course, Yinreng planned to keep all this to himself. He wanted his son to stay with him for another year or two, until he was ready. Kangxi would take him in to raise him. But he couldn't tell Kangxi how adorable his son looked with tears in his eyes. He was determined to keep him for two more years.

At this time, Lu Yun from Ningshou Palace came and said, "Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor and to His Majesty the Crown Prince."

Kangxi was a little surprised: "The Empress Dowager sent you?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager sent me here. She asked me to come and see you. If Your Majesty is not too busy, please go to the Ning Palace. The Empress Dowager wants to discuss something with you."

Kangxi and Yinreng exchanged a glance. The Empress Dowager wasn't one for meddlesome matters. What had happened? The Empress Dowager wasn't one for patience or decision-making, and Lu Yun didn't seem anxious. What was going on?

Kangxi asked directly: "What is the matter?"

Lu Yun said: "This morning, all the masters went to Ningshou Palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager. They talked about this year's selection... (omitted)... The Crown Princess said (omitted)... Everyone agreed, so the Empress Dowager asked me to come and ask His Majesty to discuss it."

Yinreng felt a little uneasy, but he also felt that the suggestion was not bad. However, if it was the Empress who said this, it would be completely fine. But if it was the Crown Princess who said this, it seemed a little nosy. So he said with a hint of complaint, "She is nosy again."

Kangxi said to Nou Yun, "Tell me what happened at that time in detail." He asked Nou Yun to repeat the conversation from the beginning.

This is what Lu Yun did, and he recited it again basically word for word.

Kangxi pondered for a moment and said, "Go and tell the Empress Dowager. I will be there soon."

“Yeah.”

Seeing that Kangxi's expression hadn't deteriorated, Yinreng whispered, "Khan Ama?"

"Oh, that's a good idea! How foolish of men to have never thought of it before." Of course, the emperor understood this ethically fraught issue instantly. What if, for example, one of the emperor's sisters married and the daughter was also chosen, then she would be the emperor's niece. It's common knowledge that the emperor often pursued young women... Even if it was just a matter of choosing, it would be humiliating, like a father marrying his daughter's classmate. Although the probability of this happening was currently low.

Kangxi's face grew serious. The Imperial Household Department was truly an idiot! A Grand Secretary was a pedant in vain! He had forgotten that among the Grand Secretaries, Manchus valued translation and Han Chinese were not allowed to interfere with Manchus. Who would have reminded them? Manchu rules were gradually becoming somewhat rigid, and the phrase "ancestral family rules" was mentioned more and more. When our ancestors established the family rules, there were no granddaughters to be selected.

What Kangxi could think of, Yinreng also thought of, and pretended to complain: "Women have so many things to do. Otherwise, why do we talk about mothers and fathers instead of fathers and fathers?"

Kangxi was amused: "Don't blame her, she did give me a reminder. Women are more careful in these matters." He felt embarrassed to praise the Crown Princess openly, as that would mean admitting that everyone had neglected it before.

In any case, the Crown Princess gained another point in Kangxi's heart - well, it was well considered (?).

——————————————————————————————————————————

Later, when Yinreng met Shujia, he still felt a little resentful: "Why bother with all this? It just exposes their scars and makes them look careless."

Shujia glanced at him leisurely: "This isn't a new job that's been around for a year or two. Even if we were to hold someone accountable, there wouldn't be anyone to blame."

"Huh?"

"At that time, they each had their own story, and it was unacceptable to be partial to anyone. If I tried to smooth things over, I was afraid they would get angry. Besides, if I didn't have an explanation, I would look like an idiot."

"Well," Yinreng concluded calmly, "You didn't tell me in the end which of the two of them had the better idea." He was indeed a master at twisting the subject.

"How did you guess that?" he asked in a surprised tone.

"Lu Yun told me everything when he invited Khan Ama." He rolled his eyes. The pressure outside was too great, and if he couldn't reveal his true colors to his wife, life would be too hard.

“…”

"Speaking of which, this time, we're choosing wives for the ninth and tenth princes. Even though they're concubines, they're for the princes, so are there any rules?" Are there any leverage, entanglements, or backroom deals involved?

"I've only heard from them that they haven't even seen a single hair of the concubines. If you want to see them, I'm afraid you'll have to find one of them staying in the palace and then meet her by chance."

"I heard...Tong Guogang has a daughter who was born this year?"

"Yes, I haven't seen it either. It doesn't look low. I don't know who created it."

"Whoever he is, just don't get involved with the boss and the others."

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His Royal Highness's skill "Make Your Wishes Come True" is currently at level 0, gray, with "Not Understood" written in parentheses.

Tong Guogang's daughter went through many twists and turns before finally getting hooked up with the eldest brother.

The story goes like this: the Empress Dowager wasn't actually very busy during the selection of concubines. She only appeared before the concubines twice: once to test their needlework skills, and once to accompany the Emperor during his personal review. The rest of the time, she would just pull a few concubines in for a test when she was in a good mood.

Shujia, on one or two occasions, had the opportunity to spend time with the other concubines. Among them was Tong Guogang's daughter, Tong Jia. Although her father died young, she had been brought up in a decent family. She wasn't bad looking either. Thinking about her aunt and her two cousins, one could tell that her looks were at least above average.

Her manners were dignified and elegant, full of grace. She wore a pink Qi-style makeup, a short bun, and a velvet flower. Her jewelry was simple and elegant, not lavishly decorated with gems and pearls, yet possessed a distinct air of nobility. She wore a smile, though not toothless, with an oval face and slender eyebrows. Standing in a window frame, revealing her upper body, she could pass for a painting of a courtesan.

The Empress Dowager fell in love with her at first sight and kept praising her, "What a good girl!" Then she looked at Concubine Tong and said, "The girls in your family all seem to be blessed with good fortune."

Even if she was lucky, it wouldn't work. The generations were there. She was younger than Shujia, but she was of the same generation as Concubine Tong, both Kangxi's cousins. The princes couldn't afford her! Either Kangxi took her in, or he could only point to someone else. Concubine Tong was so anxious about this that her hair was almost turning white.

Because of her generational background as the daughter of Tong Guogang, Shujia was very friendly to her. With such a family background, even if someone wanted to bring her to Yuqing Palace, it would be impossible. Concubine Yi was a little disappointed. Although this girl was one year older than Yinzhen, her family background was still good. How could it be that... there was a generation difference between them?

Another concubine thought, what if... His Majesty wants to have another cousin romance? She paid special attention to Tong Guogang's daughter.

Another person who has received much attention is the Guarjia clan, which everyone has mentioned before. Although they are both Guarjia clan members, Shujia and her are not related within eight generations. You can tell from their face that, and while I feel a bit jealous, I have to admit that she is really beautiful!

The Manchu girl, with a lingering hint of cheerfulness, even possessed the graceful elegance of the Jiangnan water towns. She wasn't the kind of petite, slender, or cuddly girl she was; rather, it was her elegance that was evident. With delicate skin tinged with rosy white, bright eyes, and crescent-shaped eyebrows, she was a picture wherever she stood.

Seeing the real person, the concubines all felt a jolt of fear. The more senior the concubine, the more shocked she felt! Oh no, a powerful enemy!

Sure enough, after living in the palace for a while, in early May, the imperial edict was issued and Guaerjia was favored by Kangxi.

However, Tong Guogang's daughter did not have a close relationship with Kangxi. Her nameplate was left in the palace, but her whereabouts have been unknown.

Kangxi was deeply distressed. He was close to his mother's family and had even greater respect for Tong Guogang, who had died on the battlefield. Naturally, he wouldn't treat his daughter unfairly. The problem was generational differences! If she were Tong Guogang's granddaughter, it would have been fine to give her to Yin'er or Yin'e. But it had to be his daughter.

Now there was someone who was suitable, and Kangxi hesitated again. Who was it? Prince An, Ma Erhun!

That's right, this guy was the future Eighth Consort's uncle. He was a generation older than Tong Jia. Coincidentally, his wife had just died at the beginning of the year, freeing up a new position. Poor Borjigit, the wife of Prince An, who raised her niece, died before she could even see her go out.

Others in the imperial clan were even less suitable. Either they were of different generations (this was the biggest problem), or those who were of the same generation were older than Prince An, or those who were of the same generation and age were unsuccessful, and if all three were true... he already had a wife!

Tong Jia was either to propose marriage herself (which was too shameful) or become the aunt of the Eighth Lady. Kangxi would never let his uncle's family lose face, so Tong Jia went from being the aunt of the Eighth Lady (from the perspective of Concubine Tong, Concubine Tong was the Eighth Lady's concubine mother) to his aunt.

Considering Prince An's feelings and the imperial court's etiquette, even though the marriage was arranged, they requested that the wedding be postponed and the marriage take place tomorrow. However, the matter was settled. Borjigit was pitiful in another way. She had raised Guo Luoluo, and she was almost like her own mother. Now that she was dead, Guo Luoluo had to marry. There was no reason for her to stay married just for her aunt. The most embarrassing thing was that the bride had to be carried from Prince An's mansion—there was no one left in her family.

Oh my god! Shujia couldn't help but give the sky a middle finger!

An Wangfu, and then add "uncle Tong Guogang" to it. Kangxi, you love the Eighth Prince too much, don't you? Everyone knows that An Wangfu is the Eighth Lady's maiden home!

The author has something to say: Ahhh, it’s so early to update today!

By the way, the Tong family is really awesome. In addition to two generations of queens, they also have a concubine, a princess, several hereditary titles, and a future prince consort... The Tong family of the Kangxi Dynasty was so majestic...