Chapter 26 The Crown Prince
The Crown Prince must sit firmly on his own position.
Kangxi left early the next morning.
When Chen Guanxue woke up, the other person's warmth was gone from her body. She only found out about it when Runxi told her while she was combing her hair.
Knowing that Kangxi had drunk some hangover tea before going to sleep, and not needing to worry that he might have a hangover or headache when he woke up, they ate breakfast with peace of mind.
After breakfast, Chen Guanxue instructed Runxi to seal red envelopes for all the maids, servants, and eunuchs who served her inside and outside the palace.
In Chen Guanxue's words, "A new year brings new beginnings, and it's more or less a good omen."
This wasn't just because she had too much money to spend, but also because she knew they didn't have many opportunities to receive rewards throughout the year, so she was giving away some money to leave herself a way out.
Although she was favored by Emperor Kangxi and never engaged in any scheming or treacherous behavior, she also understood the principle of being kind to others.
Kangxi's concern for her will inevitably make some concubines and their families wary. She is pregnant, and there are countless loopholes that can be exploited during childbirth or before the child reaches adulthood.
Giving some benefits to those around you can bring unexpected rewards.
Having spent some silver, Chen Guanxue was in a good mood and spent the first day of the Lunar New Year relaxing in the Qianqing Palace, cracking melon seeds.
At this time, the melon seeds were still watermelon seeds, stir-fried with sugar, oil, soy sauce, and spices, and they smelled delicious. Emperor Kangxi was worried that she would get a sore throat from eating too much, so he ordered someone to prepare some cooling tea for her.
While she was cracking melon seeds, Emperor Kangxi, along with his children, concubines, and officials, offered the first incense of the new year to the ancestors of the Qing Dynasty.
No matter how much Emperor Kangxi favored and doted on Chen Guanxue, he was still a wise emperor and would not put her in opposition to the people. Offering incense to the ancestors was still the custom of previous years.
Kangxi looked up at the few memorial tablets, each portrait of which was already etched in his mind.
He placed the incense sticks in his hand into the half-person-high cauldron. More and more incense filled the cauldron, and the incense mist became increasingly dense. The unique scent felt like a shackle on his body, making his heart feel heavy.
Seeing him leave the palace, Yinreng followed closely behind.
Emperor Kangxi stood with his hands behind his back under the eaves, looking at the white marble brick pillars, and said in a deep voice, "Yinreng."
"Father Emperor." Upon hearing him speak, Yinreng tensed up and immediately responded.
Kangxi looked into the distance, "You are someone I raised and educated since childhood. You might not be able to fully understand my thoughts, but you can certainly grasp five or six tenths of them..."
"Father, I have no such intention." Yinreng broke out in a cold sweat and lowered his head even further, failing to see the emotion in Kangxi's eyes when he turned to look at him.
"Your position as crown prince was given to you by me. You are the one who will hold onto this position. No one else can take it from you. No matter how many princes or princesses there are, they cannot surpass you."
Emperor Kangxi rarely spoke his mind. As an emperor, he was born to be lonely, but he did not want Yinreng to be alone before he became emperor.
"Father..."
Yinreng looked up, and Kangxi's eyes were like an ancient well, calm and seemingly knowing everything.
"Your subject understands."
Yinreng knew he should stop; his influence could extend anywhere but not into the Qianqing Palace.
After Kangxi turned and left, Yinreng stood in the spot where Kangxi had stood before him, and looked up like him. Above the colorful carved eaves were the sky and clouds.
His father, the Emperor, has changed so much lately that even his son, who can guess some of his thoughts, can't see through his true intentions. So much so that anyone can tell that Miss Chen in the Qianqing Palace is Kangxi's weakness.
Achilles' heel...
His father was a competent emperor; even if he left his weakness exposed, no one dared to touch him.
Yinreng didn't know when Kangxi would change his mind again, but for now, his position as crown prince seemed secure.
The court officials offered incense to the ancestors, while the wives and noblewomen of the imperial clan chatted happily with the four concubines in the inner palace.
The concubines in charge of the harem naturally not only managed the harem, but also the imperial family and court officials. Their management was not about issuing orders, but about maintaining relationships and managing the marriages of the children of the imperial family and important officials.
Today we're talking about marriage prospects for women of marriageable age this year.
The marriages of Manchu women were almost entirely decided by the imperial harem. Women with concubines in the palace would often submit a petition requesting that women of their own clan not participate in the selection process, or that they be freely married, or that their wives be betrothed to princes of the imperial clan in advance.
"His Majesty's intention is that no new women will be added to the harem this year, and there will be no need to hold a selection of concubines. He will simply assign a few good girls to a few princes and nobles, and the rest of the eligible men can submit their names for marriage," said Consort De.
People outside the palace might not know Chen Guanxue, but everyone inside the palace does.
Nowadays, even the young concubines in the palace can't wait for Emperor Kangxi. When new concubines enter the palace, they are just kept there. Isn't this disheartening for the court officials?
Upon hearing Consort De's words, those who were interested in a marriage alliance exchanged glances.
However, today was not an auspicious day for issuing imperial decrees to grant marriages, so after exchanging a few words, they left the palace at the behest of the four concubines.
"Is the Lantern Festival going to be a big celebration?" Chen Guanxue, tired from cracking melon seeds, took some sesame candy cakes to eat and became quite interested when Kangxi talked about the Lantern Festival.
Kangxi reached out and removed the sugar crumbs from her sleeve, placing them on a small table. He then used a small hammer to crack walnuts for her. "Hmm, this year we need to arrange marriages for quite a few princes, nobles, and imperial relatives, so naturally we should hold a grand ceremony."
I thought it was just for fun.
Upon hearing this, Chen Guanxue immediately felt that it was meaningless.
She had seen this scene before; the palace held flower-viewing banquets and such, also for the purpose of bestowing a marriage.
Although it's not the kind of fun you might imagine, there will definitely be a lot of people and beautiful women during the Lantern Festival.
Thinking of this, Chen Guanxue put down the sugar cake, wiped her hands, drank some warm water from Runxi's hand, and then asked, "Have you made the clothes for Yuanxiao?"
"It's done. The Imperial Household Department has also drawn up new jewelry designs. Take a look."
Liang Jiugong, all smiles, placed a stack of papers on the table.
The designs are all quite nice, and the craftsmanship is exquisite, including kingfisher feather inlay, mother-of-pearl inlay, and filigree.
The Imperial Household Department has done the work several times, and now they are more meticulous. They know that what is supplied to the Qianqing Palace must be the best, and they are doing their best to please them.
"These are all delicate tasks. If I need ten or eight, or three or four sets, I don't know if I can make them."
She took out the ones she liked and put them aside, counting them carefully, and found that she had drawn out more than a dozen.
Kangxi didn't think she was making things difficult for him. The Imperial Household Department had many people, and they could easily make this kind of thing.
"I asked them to make everything I liked, but only one set of Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls) is needed. The others can be made later. Once they're done, they can be kept for display or used whenever we remember them."
Emperor Kangxi doted on her.
Chen Guanxue nodded, "Have someone expedite the production of that set of pomegranate and ruby-patterned glutinous rice balls for the Lantern Festival. The rest can be finished before summer."
She only walks around the Qianqing Palace like this, and now she even finds dressing up tiring.
Chen Guanxue raised her hand to calculate the time; she would probably give birth at the end of February, and she had been here for almost four months.
Her expression was somewhat solemn and melancholy, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
Kangxi got up and sat down beside her, hugged her tightly, and then gently touched her belly, asking softly, "What's wrong?"
No matter when, there is always a warm and strong body behind me.
"Thinking that this child will be born in two months, I feel a bit emotional."
"I have made all the arrangements, don't worry." He had many children, including Empress Hesheri who died in childbirth, so he naturally knew the dangers of childbirth.
Chen Guanxue smiled gently, snuggled into his arms, and stroked her belly along with him.
That's not what she's worried about.
Chen Guanxue was not too worried about production. After the New Year, Kangxi became busy again, dealing with memorials and discussing the amount of snowfall after the New Year with his court officials.
Too much snow is bad; if the ground warms up too late, it will also affect rainfall after spring.
Too little snow is also bad, as insect eggs in the soil won't freeze completely, potentially leading to insect infestations in the spring. Also, heavy rainfall can easily cause flooding.
However, judging from Kangxi's seemingly unconcerned appearance, the snowfall was still within a manageable range.
Chen Guanxue, on the other hand, ate and drank to his heart's content, and followed the imperial physician's instructions to increase his exercise every day.
She was just used to being lazy, so she would rest after walking for a while, and Runxi and Granny Chana could only coax her.
The scattered walks added up to quite a lot, and Chen Guanxue felt that her daily appetite had increased.
Ten days or so is neither a long nor a short time; the Imperial Household Department delivered the new clothes and jewelry on the tenth day of the month.
It was still her favorite red, embroidered with gold thread to welcome spring, and the hairpin was also made in the pattern of welcoming spring. The whole set looked charming and pretty.
"Not bad." She put one hand on her waist and the other on her stomach, turned around in front of the mirror, and nodded in satisfaction.
As expected of her, she's still beautiful!
On the day of the Lantern Festival, when Emperor Kangxi returned from court, he praised her for her beauty and even enjoyed admiring the flowers in the Qianqing Palace with her.
At this time of year, it's cold, so there's really nothing to admire except for a few branches of red plum blossoms with only a few scattered flowers left.
Wearing a thick cloak, Chen Guanxue was led by Kangxi to stand under the plum tree, listening to him whisper secrets.
“Yinreng has changed a bit these past few days; he’s been quite rude to some of his brothers.”
She looked up and saw him smiling broadly.
Kangxi had almost no secrets from her, even though they actually only spent a few years together.
He had a fatherly affection for the Crown Prince, which might be hard for anyone to believe, but he cried when Kangxi talked to her about deposing the Crown Prince.
She didn't see him cry; only the cold dampness on his neck betrayed his regret and disappointment.
Whether she regretted deposing the crown prince or regretted oppressing him, she didn't know.
All he knew was that he was disappointed that the Crown Prince was not as indifferent to brotherhood as he had imagined.
Is the Crown Prince showing off by being impolite to his brothers?
It flaunts the Crown Prince's desire to possess the position and his ambition to become Emperor, while also showcasing the Crown Prince's open and aboveboard oppression of his brothers.
"It seems the Crown Prince wants to crush his brothers' hopes."
An ambitious crown prince is a good crown prince, and a crown prince who can suppress his brothers is a good emperor in the future.
As long as he suppresses the ambitions of his other brothers, who else can compete with him?
However... Chen Guanxue saw Kangxi's happy expression and didn't want to dampen his spirits.
The princes educated by Emperor Kangxi were all outstanding; how could they possibly become restrained after being suppressed once or twice?
"Well, let's see if the Crown Prince can keep him in check." Kangxi knew his sons' abilities. If they could keep the Crown Prince in check, he wouldn't just be the Crown Prince anymore. If they couldn't, that was fine too. The Crown Prince wouldn't be the Crown Prince anymore, and perhaps some of their father-son relationship would remain.
Chen Guanxue nodded in agreement, and after standing there for a short while, she pulled him back into the house to drink hot tea.
[Author's Note]
Update! Update! I'll try my best to update!
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