Chapter 247 Newcomer Enters the Mansion
"Looking back carefully, the fourth brother will be returning to Beijing soon, right?"
Liang Jiugong: "In reply to His Majesty, if the Fourth Master could walk faster, he would be back in Beijing in five or six days."
Emperor Kangxi: "The beautiful girl that was chosen for them before the New Year hasn't entered the palace yet, right?"
"Your Majesty, you have a very good memory. That's right. We had originally planned to find an auspicious day after the New Year to bring the body into the palace. However, the gentlemen were away from home after the New Year, so we were delayed."
Emperor Kangxi nodded and rubbed the ring on his finger: "Send them to their house as a reward. When they come back, we can also share in their good fortune."
"Yes," Liang Jiugong responded immediately, and then said, "I think you all understand the emperor's good intentions, and you will definitely be very happy when you return."
Emperor Kangxi nodded in good spirits, then smacked his lips, thinking that the fourth son would find ways to send him gifts, so as his emperor father, he should also reward him some.
I'm afraid you're exhausted after this trip, so you should bring someone close to you.
Besides, his backyard is too quiet.
Although he had two sons, he only had three women. As for his other sons, who didn't have a group of people going out in the backyard?
Moreover, the children in the Fourth Brother's family were not in good health. The eldest son, Honghui, was a smart child, but he was born with a deficiency.
When he was born, the imperial physician told him that Honghui might not live past the age of eight... The second son in the fourth son's house was not in good health either.
Speaking of offspring, it was the biggest headache for Emperor Kangxi.
It is difficult to raise royal offspring. Even Emperor Kangxi himself lost so many children that he could not count them with two hands.
Fortunately, Emperor Kangxi was lucky enough to have many adult princes.
But his sons are really not good enough.
The eldest daughter had a lot of children, but they were all girls, three in a row. Now the eldest wife was pregnant again, and it was unknown whether this time she would give birth to a boy.
Unfortunately, the eldest brother was a stubborn man, and none of the women he was given would please him. He vowed not to give up until he gave birth to a legitimate son.
The prince is fine, he has a son named Hongxi and he is in good health.
The third child had many children, but he lost two boys in the past year, and his legitimate son Hongqing was in worse health than Honghui.
The fifth one is also a Hongsheng, there is no other.
As for the others who are younger, I’m afraid we’ll have to wait a little longer.
Whenever Emperor Kangxi thought of this, he always felt a headache and could only sigh: "I hope that if I can send someone down to them this year, I can hear good news next year."
"Well, all of us gentlemen are in good health. Next year, there will definitely be a bunch of grandchildren taking care of you." Liang Jiugong said with a smile.
Emperor Kangxi's face also showed a hint of smile, and his hand holding the teacup suddenly paused: "I remember that there was a little girl in Guarjia who kept saying that she would not marry anyone other than the fourth son, right?"
Liang Jiugong immediately responded, "Ah, that's right. One day, the Second Young Lady came to the palace to meet the Crown Princess. I was lucky enough to see her. She was very beautiful."
Liang Jiugong said this while carefully looking at Emperor Kangxi's expression. Did the Emperor know about this matter?
But why hasn’t the marriage been granted?
Speaking of which, this girl from Guwaljia is naturally no bad person. She is the Crown Princess's biological sister, with outstanding appearance and talent, and her family background is also prominent.
If something hadn't gone wrong during the selection, it's hard to say who would have been the fourth lady now.
However, of the two legitimate daughters of the Guarjia clan, one married the Crown Prince and the other married the Fourth Master. The Crown Prince and the Fourth Master were already close, so it's understandable that the Emperor had other considerations...
Emperor Kangxi picked up the teacup calmly and said suddenly, "I wonder why that girl likes the fourth brother. She is eighteen years old now, right?"
Liang Jiugong also smiled: "Your Majesty, our Fourth Master is a rare talent. It's normal for this woman to be tempted by him after seeing him."
Emperor Kangxi also laughed secretly when he heard this: "Girls' minds are really easy to guess. I'm afraid she has taken a fancy to his face."
"Our Fourth Prince is naturally very handsome, and has a style quite like yours truly."
"You're becoming more and more articulate." Emperor Kangxi smiled and pointed at Liang Jiugong. He didn't continue talking about this matter, but looked at the empty cans and said, "I'll ask the imperial kitchen to make some and send it to the Empress Dowager to stimulate her appetite."
“Yeah.”
In the Fourth Prince's mansion, Ulanara also received the news that the Fourth Master would be returning soon.
However, before the Fourth Master came back, three new people arrived.
"My name is Yin, and I pay my respects to the Lady."
"My name is Liu, I pay my respects to the wife."
"My name is Niuhulu, and I pay my respects to the wife."
Ulanara sat at the head of the table, unconsciously playing with her gold-inlaid jade armor, her almond-shaped eyes casting a faint glance downwards:
"Raise your head and let me see you."
After taking a look, Ulanara couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.
Among these people, there is actually one with good looks.
As for Liu, she looked no worse than Li, and her appearance was even comparable to Wen Jiu's.
The difference is that Wenjiu's appearance is somewhat aggressive.
This Liu, on the other hand, had more of the gentle demeanor of a Jiangnan woman. Born into a Han army banner, she had a scholarly air about her, a rare beauty.
When the three of them stood together, Yin and Niuhulu could no longer be seen.
But the other two were very respectful and didn't dare to look at him.
But this Liu, with her pair of watery eyes full of smiles, looked at me with a hint of flattery, and seemed... not very smart.
"Your clothes... are quite nice." Ulanara said to Liu with a smile on her face.
"Thank you for the compliment, Madam. I thought that I should wear something festive when entering the mansion today, so that the masters will be happy to see me..." Liu had a good voice, and her voice was light and pleasant.
Ulanara raised her eyebrows slightly, and then her face suddenly turned cold.
"How dare you!" She placed the teacup heavily on the mahogany table and looked at Liu with sharp eyes: "Who gave you the courage to wear red?"
Liu was startled by this scene, and after she realized what was happening, she kowtowed fiercely: "Fujin...Fujin, please forgive me, I...I am not wearing red..."
Who would dare wear bright red on their first day in the mansion and displease the Lady? Her pink dress was merely a festive look. Even a concubine could wear it. Why would the Lady be so angry? Liu kowtowed furiously.
"How dare you!" Nanny Sun suddenly scolded, "How dare you talk back to Fu Jin? After all, Gege's father holds an official position, yet you are so unruly!
Princess, you know that there is still a disaster in the court, the Fourth Master has not returned from his trip to provide disaster relief, and even the Empress Dowager has been wearing only plain clothes these days. Who is Princess trying to show off to with this red dress?
If this damages our Fourth Master's reputation, I'm afraid my own name won't be redeemed!"
Nanny Sun's words were so powerful that Mrs. Liu, who was sitting next to her, turned pale as paper and stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do.
After a while, she came back to her senses and kowtowed to Ulanara, saying, "Fujin, please have mercy on me, I really didn't mean it!"
"How dare you! You have to call yourself a concubine when speaking to the Lady! Princess, you are so disrespectful, I'm afraid you will be punished!" said Nanny Sun.
"No, I...I didn't mean it..."
Liu's smiling face just now was gone, she was in tears and looked very miserable.
But a beauty is a beauty after all, even in this appearance, she is still somewhat lovable.
Ulanara suddenly smiled and said, "Madam Sun, Lady Liu has only just arrived in the mansion and doesn't know the rules yet. Please don't be so strict or you'll scare her."
He walked over, helped Liu up, wiped the tears from her face, and said gently, "Don't cry. It's cold today. If you hurt your face from crying, how will you face the Fourth Master in the future?"
Liu looked at Ulanara blankly: "Will I still be able to see the Fourth Master?"
"Of course." Ulanara patted her hands and said, "You are young, but you don't know these taboos. Don't do this again in the future."
Nanny Sun said, "That's right, Princess. You're lucky to have met our wife. She's always good-tempered and naturally won't argue with you. But why are you wearing such a gorgeous dress at this time? Have you been tricked?"
After hearing this, Mrs. Liu frowned suddenly and looked at Mrs. Yin beside her.
"Yin Xiuxiu! You're the one who hurt me!" It was Yin Xiuxiu who had suggested earlier that I wear something festive! That's why she wore this red dress!
Now it seems that Yin has already changed into a refreshing mauve color!
For a moment, her eyes became increasingly fierce, and she gritted her teeth, as if she was going to tear Yin to pieces in the next second.
When Yin heard what Liu said, her eyes immediately turned red and she kowtowed, saying, "Fujin, I really don't know. Sister Liu brought two pieces of clothing and asked me to take a look at them for her.
"I simply saw that this dress flattered Sister Liu's complexion, and I was stunned at the time, so I just praised it a few times. I didn't expect to bring trouble to Sister Liu and cause trouble to you, my wife. This is truly my fault, and I apologize to Sister Liu." As she spoke, she also bowed to Liu.
After hearing this, Liu looked at Yin with a strange expression: "Really?"
Yin nodded with red eyes: "Of course it's true, I dare not lie to my sister..."
Ulanara saw this scene, and seeing that Liu's resentment had obviously been resolved, she looked at Yin beside her intentionally or unintentionally.
Unexpectedly, there was such a smart one.
Although this Yin family member's appearance is not outstanding, she can be considered pretty. She has shallow dimples when she smiles, and she looks... really like a harmless person.
Looking at Nianhulu who was bowing respectfully, her facial expression did not change from beginning to end, and she was very calm.
It's a pity that her appearance is so mediocre, even inferior to the maids around her. Sending such a person to serve the Fourth Master? I wonder what the emperor is thinking.
Ulanara was too lazy to think about it and just smiled and said, "Hurry up and get up. Today is the big day for your sisters to enter the mansion. Why are you crying so much?"
Then he put a jasper bracelet on Liu's hand and said, "Stop crying, this bracelet is for you, and the color suits you."
Liu took a look at the quality of the bracelet on her hand, and her eyes suddenly lit up: "Thank you, Madam, thank you, Madam."
Ulanara then returned to the seat at the top and spoke to them with a smile, without mentioning any reward to others.
Song glanced at the extremely beautiful Liu and couldn't help but curl her lips coldly.
Was she bribed with just this little thing? Perhaps she had no idea that Fu Jin had made her the target of public criticism with just a few words?
Song Shi didn't know much about it before, but after dealing with their wife for many years, she had a vague idea of her ways.
It's really amazing. Just by looking at a piece of clothing, he can understand the personalities of several people thoroughly.
You've made the most beautiful Liu a target, and are you still worried that she won't come to show her loyalty?
This Liu was beautiful and didn't look very smart, which was exactly what the lady needed.
In the past, Fu Jin still relied on her a little, but now that Liu has come, Song feels that her future will not be easy...
Now it seems that she is afraid to give birth to a baby as soon as possible.
As long as she had a child, she would no longer be a princess who could be dealt with at will. The Fourth Master was a man of deep affection and would certainly treat the child's mother with some respect. If the wife or concubines wanted to make a move on her, they would have to think twice.
"Oh, am I late? Fu Jin's place is so lively, why didn't anyone tell me?"
As they were talking, Li suddenly walked into the house leisurely from the front door.
She was wearing a bright red cheongsam with wide sleeves embroidered with peonies and gold beads. Her head was covered with pearls and jade, and the jade bracelets on her wrists made crisp sounds as she walked. As soon as she entered the room, she brightened up the whole room.
Ulanara looked at her clothes. The smile on her face immediately disappeared. She held her armor tightly, not even noticing the puncture of her flesh. She just looked at Li calmly and said, "Sister, you came here by chance."
Li leisurely found the highest seat to the left of the concubine and sat down, looking down indifferently: "Why, are you all so rude? You don't even know how to behave when you see my concubine?"
Liu and the others were a little confused for a moment. The lady had just said that red clothes were not allowed, but this person... was wearing bright red, right?
Song looked at the situation and gritted her teeth. Finally, she stood up with a smile and bowed slightly to Li, saying, "Greetings to Concubine Fujin."
Song was naturally unwilling to accept this. After all, both of them were daughters of the Fourth Master and entered the mansion one after the other. Li came even later than herself.
But today, she is already a concubine, and I am still a princess. I want to come to pay my respects to her together with this newcomer.
"Greetings to the Concubine." After the other three came to their senses, they also bowed and saluted.
Li didn't call out, but looked at Ulanara next to her with a smile and said, "Sister, how come there's not even a cup of tea here?"
Ulanara said with a cold face: "Chunxia, serve tea."
While waiting for the teacup for a while, Li slowly played with her own golden armor inlaid with red jadeite.
When the water came, he took another sip of tea and said, "Sister, this tea..."
He put it down halfway through with disgust, and looked at Ulanara, wanting to say more but stopping.
Ulanara took a deep breath and said, "Let's talk later, Concubine. My sisters are all kneeling now."
"Oh, look at me." Li reached out and adjusted her golden phoenix pearl hairpin: "I was so busy talking to the lady that I forgot my sisters were still kneeling. Get up quickly. Everyone, sit down. We are all family from now on, so there is no need to be polite." She looked like a host.
As soon as these words came out, Ulanara was very angry with her and a slight anger appeared on her face.
"Concubine, this is in our Jinghao Hall, not your Ruyi Pavilion." Nanny Sun said with a cold face.
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