Chapter 46 Consort Hui, the Grand Consort
Baoqing's wife was chosen during the second round of selection.
It was the Irgen Gioro clan member he had personally met and nodded to. Yun Yun remembered that the girl's eyes crinkled when she smiled, and she was very beautiful.
The wedding date has been set for next September, a day with neither too hot nor too cold, an auspicious day.
Consort Nara and Consort Wei came to pay their respects as usual. The Eighth Prince, who was not yet old enough to enter the Imperial Study, had just finished breakfast and was wandering around outside.
I don't know if it's just his constitution, but he's always been a chubby, plump little dumpling, the kind of young man that old people love to see as a sign of good fortune.
Yunyun never stopped him from spending time with Consort Wei, but everyone was aware of the Emperor's intentions, so they still had to maintain appearances. Therefore, the Eighth Prince only vaguely knew that he had two mothers: his biological mother, Consort Wei, and Consort Hui, who raised him.
It's already midsummer, and the Eighth Prince is a bit sensitive to the heat. He prefers to stay in the room with the ice chest during the day. Yun Jun can only let him go out for a walk in the morning and evening when the sun isn't too strong. Children need to move around more to stay healthy.
Upon seeing the Eighth Prince, Consort Wei smiled and touched his forehead, then tied a new sachet around his neck, saying, "It contains mosquito-repelling spices and mint."
Noble Lady Nara wasn't in a hurry to leave; she just stood in the shade of the corridor watching the mother and son talk.
The Eighth Prince grew up under their very noses, and they all knew each other well.
The mother and son walked affectionately in the open space for a while. As the sun rose higher and higher, Consort Wei led the Eighth Prince in to pay their respects.
Yunyun was looking through the designs of Baoqing's wedding dress.
This was the first time a prince had ever held a wedding, and the Imperial Household Department needed to come up with a specific set of rules for future princes, so many details had to be taken into account.
When they came in, he had tea served and invited them to take a look and offer their advice.
Consort Wei accepted the gold-embossed booklet.
She was good at handicrafts and had a good understanding of various patterns, but she didn't use her skills on the Emperor and was still a concubine with the rank of Noble Lady.
The three of them engaged in a lively discussion, and the Eighth Prince, not finding it boring at all, happily enjoyed a piece of cloud cake by himself.
After talking for a while, a palace maid suddenly came in to announce that the emperor had newly appointed a concubine and arranged for her to live in Chengqian Palace.
They were used to it.
Every year, new people come to the palace. Consort Zhangjia in Yonghe Palace gave birth to the emperor's thirteenth prince in February, and the princess was also the eleventh in line, which shows that the emperor's offspring are abundant.
However, having too many children makes them less valuable.
Concubines were even less valuable, especially the lower-ranking concubines.
Many women who have given birth to princesses or princes have not yet received a formal title; they are simply given a allowance and addressed as concubines by their servants.
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As dusk settled, lanterns and colorful decorations adorned every corner of Dongsansuo, with red silk ribbons hanging throughout Baoqing's residence.
The brothers, young and old, gathered in the front yard.
Emperor Kangxi and Yunyun had already visited when the newlyweds were paying their respects to Heaven and Earth. Worried that their presence would make the younger generation uncomfortable, they left the space to the younger generation.
The dishes on the table were steaming hot. The older princes and the Crown Prince Baoqing gathered together to drink, while the thirteen youngest princes, the eighties and nineties, were seated at a low table and served only honey water.
The Ninth Prince was very dissatisfied with this differential treatment, his face flushed. "I don't want to drink honey water, I want to drink the same as my eldest brother."
The Tenth Prince chimed in, "That's right, that's right, we want to drink the same thing!"
The two princes were the children of Consort Yi, a favored concubine, and Consort Gui, respectively. Both were unruly and domineering figures in the palace, causing a great disturbance when they were four or five years old.
But no matter how much they made a fuss, the servants could only smile and coax them, never daring to bring over any real liquor.
The rules in the palace are very strict. Who would dare to give such a young prince alcohol? If something were to happen, their lives would be in danger.
But how could the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince give up so easily? If it were that simple, they wouldn't have been called troublemakers by their own mother.
The eldest prince is toasting the crown prince.
They had a good relationship, but after the prince entered school, he paid special attention to etiquette and rarely ran and jumped with him anymore.
The thirteen-year-old boy already showed signs of future potential, with clear and bright features, a gentle and refined demeanor, and an undeniable air of confidence. "Come, elder brother, let me offer you a toast."
Bao Qing wore a bright red wedding dress, the python pattern embroidered with gold thread shining brightly under the palace lanterns.
The small gold cup looked like a toy in his hands. Today was his big day, and Baoqing was overjoyed. "Come on, bottoms up!"
He tilted his head back and downed the whole glass in one gulp.
As they were talking, they heard a commotion coming from their younger brothers' side. Baoqing raised an eyebrow and said to the Crown Prince, "Shall we go and see?"
The Eighth Prince was frantically trying to coax his two younger brothers.
The Seventh Prince has a foot ailment and has never liked to join in the fun. He is currently sitting under the osmanthus tree admiring the lanterns. The Sixth Prince, born to Consort De, passed away last year. The Fifth Prince can only speak Mongolian and is muttering something unintelligible on the side. The Fourth Prince has some conflicts with the Ninth Prince and is hoping that the two of them will get beaten up. After careful consideration, the one who is most sincere in advising is actually the Eighth Prince.
Seeing that his younger brother was sweating profusely from coaxing him, the eldest prince pulled him aside, casually patted his head, and said in a relaxed tone, "Watch me."
The Eighth Prince, thinking his elder brother had some good ideas, stared at him with wide eyes.
Then they saw the eldest brother dip two silver chopsticks into the wine, then put them to the lips of his two younger brothers, seemingly with ill intent, "Since you're here, have a taste, and enjoy yourself."
They both saw what the eldest prince did: he opened his mouth and put the chopsticks in, then spat them out the next second.
The wine served at the eldest prince's wedding was all of high quality, with a very strong spicy flavor.
The Ninth Prince was probably still a little dazed when he said, "Tenth Brother, I think I was hit in the mouth by chopsticks."
The Tenth Prince looked at his foolish older brother with disdain, "How could chopsticks hit people? You must have been hit by Consort Yi."
The Eighth Prince felt that his two younger brothers were not very bright.
The Crown Prince watched with amusement. His studies were very demanding. In addition to what he learned in the Imperial Study, he also received instruction from his father on how to be a ruler. He was proud and always strived to do his best in everything, afraid of disappointing his father's expectations. It was rare for him to have such a relaxing moment.
He only got two hours off today because his elder brother is getting married, and he still has to go back to Yuqing Palace to study later.
The most distinguished prince had retreated, and the others could not linger. Bao Qing returned to the main courtyard, reeking of alcohol.
His wife sat upright on the canopy bed, waiting for him to lift her veil.
Baoqing picked up the handle of the gold-inlaid jade ruyi and slowly lifted the red veil.
The First Princess Consort shyly raised her eyes.
Bao Qing's ear tips were slightly red.
The old nanny, who had seen this kind of childish behavior many times before, quickly brought out some steamed buns for the eldest princess and put one to her lips.
The First Princess took a small bite, her voice tinged with shyness, "Raw."
After another string of auspicious words, and having received the generous reward, the surrounding palace maids and nannies all discreetly withdrew.
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Yunyun dressed herself neatly early in the morning, waiting for the newlyweds to pay their respects.
Seeing the young couple approaching hand in hand, looking very affectionate, she was overjoyed. "They're both good kids, get up quickly."
After serving tea, Yunyun took the hand of the First Princess and slipped a pair of warm jade bracelets onto her wrist. She then patted her hand and said, "If there's anything you're not used to in the Prince's residence, just tell me. If Baoqing does anything wrong, just say so too. Your mother will never be biased. I only hope that you two live in harmony and happiness."
Wow, she's become a mother-in-law now, what a novel experience!
However, she didn't intend to act like a mother-in-law. Knowing that the First Princess Consort was probably not feeling well, she didn't stay long and asked Baoqing to accompany her back to rest.
We'll have plenty of time to spend together in the future, so there's no need to rush.
Baoqing is fifteen years old this year. According to the rules set by the Emperor, he will have to study in the Imperial Study for another four or five years before being assigned a job.
So even after they got married, they couldn't move out of the Forbidden City for a year or two.
The wedding included a three-day holiday. Upon returning to the prince's residence, Baoqing had the storeroom keys and tokens handed over to the princess.
Granny Sun was always quite pragmatic and had no intention of manipulating the Fujin. She promptly handed over everything in the inner quarters without hiding anything.
Consort Hui is keeping an eye on things.
She wouldn't dare to do anything to sow discord between husband and wife.
The First Princess Consort originally thought there would be some twists and turns, but everyone in the courtyard slid down to their knees very quickly, each one showing that they were serving the First Princess Consort and following her every command. They were all loyal servants, and even the princess who was going through the trial marriage before the wedding looked honest.
Baoqing waved his hand, "Don't worry, my wife. I'm too impatient to deal with these things. I'll leave the household affairs to you. If there's anything you don't like, just tell me and I'll have someone rearrange things."
The people here have all been disciplined by the Empress Dowager, and the concubine chosen for the trial marriage is honest and dutiful, and will not cause trouble for the Princess Consort at this critical juncture.
Even Baoqing's preferences were completely revealed to her by Granny Sun without Baoqing having to observe them herself.
Dafujin was in a trance.
Is marrying a prince really that simple?
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