Chapter 58 Wen Shan had no choice but to…
Wen Shan had no choice but to agree for the time being, and then told Yinzhen about it when he came the next day.
“What your mother means is that you are still young and can wait two more years,” Wen Shan said. “It’s just that your father, the Emperor, has suddenly become very keen on arranging marriages for you two.”
Is it because he's getting old and wants to have grandchildren?
Wen Shan feels awkward whenever she talks about marriage with Yinzhen. In her heart, Yinzhen is still a child. How can he get married and have children?
“Mother, you know that Fourth Brother got married early too. Getting married doesn’t necessarily mean consummating the marriage; it’s just a formality,” Yinzhi chimed in from the side.
Just now, Wen Shan had been pulling their ears and explaining the dangers of early marriage and childbirth to them. Originally, the three brothers weren't too surprised that Kangxi wanted to arrange a marriage for Yinzhen, since they were indeed of marriageable age. After listening to Wen Shan's long-winded explanation, they finally understood why their mother had reacted so strongly.
It turns out it was for their health.
Yinxiang, who was eating a salted egg yolk rice dumpling made by Wenshan with a few grains of rice still stuck to his mouth, looked up when he heard this and said, "It would be good if Fourth Brother got married soon. We still need Fourth Brother to give us a few more nephews so that we can inherit the ancestral temple in the future. We can't rely on that brat Hongli anymore."
Not only should he get his fourth brother married sooner, but he should also marry several more. Yinxiang was thinking that in his previous life, all the girls who had married into the royal family and were good at bearing children should be married to his fourth brother this time.
If Yinzhen knew what Yinxiang was thinking, he would probably beat him up. What did he take him for?
"In any case, one cannot get married at fourteen." Wenshan insisted, "And one certainly cannot consummate the marriage at fourteen."
Yinzhen smiled, not caring whether it was a few years earlier or later: "Then I'll listen to Mother."
After they finished talking about time, Wenshan started discussing the candidates with him.
Yinzhen's previous life's consort was from the Ulanara clan. According to the historical records she read, the two should have treated each other with respect. They weren't particularly intimate, but they didn't end up to the point where Qianlong and his Ulanara empress never spoke to each other again. So Wenshan asked these people if they should still betroth Ulanara to him.
"Fourth Sister-in-law... well, she's generous and capable at managing the household, keeping Fourth Brother's backyard in perfect order. She's a good primary consort." Yinxiang often visited the Yong Prince's residence, so he had a good impression of this Fourth Sister-in-law from his previous life.
"Fourth Brother favors Nian Shi more, and Fourth Sister-in-law doesn't get jealous. They can be considered a harmonious couple."
Yinzhi had a slightly different opinion on this.
“The Ulanara family is of a lower social standing. Although Fei Yanggu was a first-rank minister and had served as the Nine Gates Commander, he has retired and returned to his hometown. There is no one else in the family who can be of use, so he can be of no help to Fourth Brother.”
Feiyanggu was the father of Ulanara.
It was precisely because he served as the Commander of the Nine Gates for seven years and was diligent and loyal that Emperor Kangxi considered his daughter when arranging a marriage for Yinzhen.
Of course, there were other candidates. In the end, this matter still comes back to Consort De. In her previous life, Empress Tongjia had passed away by this time, so only Consort De could speak on Yinzhen's marriage. Consort De did not care about Yinzhen and did not think about choosing a good in-law family for him. She was worried that if Yinzhen's power became too great, it would block the path of the fourteenth prince in the future.
Therefore, under the deliberate arrangement of Consort De, there were very few Manchu women in Yinzhen's harem; almost all of them were Han Chinese.
"Fourth Brother doesn't have much affection for Ulanara, so it won't hurt to change to someone else now," Yinzhi said dismissively.
Yinzhen remained silent for a while, then pondered before saying, "I think there's no need to change it; let's just go with Ulanara."
"The Ulanara family's background is somewhat lacking, but they are not particularly noticeable, which is quite suitable."
The three of them, Yinzhen and his brother, had already agreed that in this life they would follow the same path as before, biding their time and using stillness to control the situation, while leaving the matters on the surface to Yinsi.
Yinzhi stroked his chin and thought about it, and felt that it made some sense. It wouldn't be good for his fourth brother to be too high-profile, so he agreed.
However, Yinzhi still said to Wenshan, "Mother, you should also choose more Manchu concubines for Fourth Brother. In the past, Consort De filled a courtyard with Han women for Fourth Brother, but even if they gave birth to sons, they could not inherit the throne."
Although Emperor Kangxi has been advocating the unity of the Manchu and Han people, none of the princes who have been qualified to inherit the throne have ever been of Han descent.
Even though Consort Liang, the birth mother of Yinzhi, was always referred to as Lady Wei, it was because she was originally from the Xin Zhe Ku (a type of official household) and had changed her surname. She was actually a Manchu and belonged to the Jue Chan clan.
Consort De's ulterior motives were about to be revealed. In the previous life, Yinzhi initially did not take Yinzhen seriously because he felt that his fourth brother had no wife's family to support him and his harem was in a mess. Moreover, Manchu women had not given birth to two princes, so it seemed impossible for him to compete with Yinzhen.
Since the topic of Yinzhen's marriage had come up, Wenshan couldn't help but worry about Yinsi and Yinxiang.
I also casually asked them what their thoughts were on the selection of the primary consort in this lifetime.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang both expressed that their previous life was very good. Yinzhi and Guoluoshi were true friends who had gone through thick and thin together. They had gone through those days of swords and bloodshed together. Yinzhi also thought that if they could continue their relationship in this life, he would never let her live such a life again. They should live a happy and fulfilling life together.
Yinxiang and Lady Zhaojia had always had a good relationship, and after their marriage, they were deeply in love and inseparable, so they naturally accepted each other as husband and wife.
After listening, Wen Shan nodded and had a general idea of what was going on. Although marriages were now arranged by Emperor Kangxi, Yinzhi and Yinxiang's ideas shouldn't be a problem, since Emperor Kangxi had been able to arrange marriages for them directly in the previous life.
Although it was said that Wen Shan was to choose Yin Zhen's primary wife and secondary wives, it was actually Yin Si and Yin Xiang who took care of the matter and gave her a list the next day.
“Mother, although we don’t need to get married so early, there are still a lot of things to prepare for the prince’s wedding. It will take at least two or three years. With the court about to go to war with Galdan again, Father Emperor probably brought this up with you because he was afraid that things would be delayed if he got too busy.”
Yinzhi and she analyzed why Kangxi suddenly wanted to arrange a marriage between the Third Prince and Yinzhen.
"So if Father Emperor brings it up again next time, just pick two people from this list and talk to them."
The women listed here were all carefully selected by Yinzhi and Yinxiang. They wouldn't be too outstanding or too down-and-out, and most of them were Manchus, making them very suitable to be Yinzhen's concubines.
As for the primary consort, Yinzhi, he also gave Wenshan two candidates. It would seem deliberate to only mention one Ulanara clan member to Kangxi, so he added two more. Kangxi could choose whichever one he wanted.
These two people are from the Fuca and Magia clans.
Empress Fucha chose Ma Qi's daughter. Although Hongli's primary consort was Ma Qi's niece, making it seem like the father and son had married someone of the same generation, Empress Fucha's father, Li Rongbao, was the youngest son of Mi Sihan and was more than twenty years younger than Ma Qi. Therefore, Ma Qi's daughter was now about the same age as Yinzhen.
The Fucha clan is known for its loyalty and the many talented individuals that have emerged from its descendants. It just so happens that the Fucha clan is not particularly prominent now, which makes it quite fitting.
As for Ma Jia, she was simply chosen to make up the numbers because she was the right age and came from a suitable family.
However, although they both share the surname Ma Jia and are not from the same branch as Consort Rong's Ma Jia clan, Consort Rong's father was just a minor official from a collateral branch of the Ma Jia clan. The woman chosen by Yinzhi and Yinxiang is the daughter of Nuomin, the current head of the Ma Jia clan and the Minister of Justice.
It was clear that Emperor Kangxi had taken the marriage between Yinzhen and the Third Prince to heart, and when he came over again two days later, he brought it up with Wenshan again.
It was said that Consort Rong had already chosen Dong E Shi, and he also thought she was good and was preparing to choose a date to bestow a marriage upon her. He asked Wen Shan if she had thought about Yinzhen's marriage.
Wen Shan then truthfully told him the names of the people Yin Si had chosen for her.
"Ulanara clan, Fuca clan, Magiya clan." Kangxi read them out one by one, and said with a slight smile and a rare hint of praise, "It seems that you have really listened to my words and carefully selected them."
Wen Shan was speechless. Was she a troublemaker in Kangxi's eyes?
She was clearly the most obedient and well-behaved person.
"Look at what you're saying. It's Yinzhen's lifelong happiness, so naturally I have to take it to heart." Wen Shan sat down next to Kangxi and asked, "Then, Your Majesty, which one do you think is better?"
Kangxi found Fucha and Magia to be acceptable, but he couldn't understand how Wen Shan had chosen Ulanara.
“Feyanggu is quite capable, and he is a first-rank minister. However, since he retired to his hometown, the Ulanara family has been without anyone in the court. Why did you choose his daughter?”
When Consort Hui and Consort Rong were choosing daughters-in-law, they always preferred those from prominent Manchu families where the fathers and brothers held important positions or were deeply rooted in the Manchu clan. It wasn't that Ulanara's family background was bad, but compared to those other families, it was always a bit inferior.
Wen Shan hadn't expected Kangxi to be so blunt with her, and she was a little unaccustomed to it at first.
After hesitating for a moment, she said, "I asked someone to inquire about the eligible daughters of officials in the capital. I heard that Ulanara is gentle, virtuous, knowledgeable and reasonable, so I included her in the list."
"Moreover, while it is important to choose a consort for Yinzhen based on family background, it is also important to have someone who is compatible with him. I think Ulanara is a good choice."
Upon hearing this, Kangxi laughed and said, "I knew I couldn't let you handle all the selection of Yinzhen's consorts. I still have to oversee it."
"It is not suitable for Ulanara to be the primary consort. If you like Ulanara, then let her be a secondary consort. I think Fucha is a good candidate for the primary consort."
Wen Shan never expected that Emperor Kangxi would look down on Ulanara, even though he had readily arranged the marriage in her previous life.
Seeing Wen Shan's surprised expression, Kangxi smiled helplessly and patiently explained to her, "Yin Ti and Yin Zhi's primary wives either come from families with high positions of power or hold important posts. It would be inappropriate to choose Ulanara for Yin Zhen. Moreover, Yin Zhen is currently registered under your name and is the son of the Noble Consort, whose status is even more noble than Yin Ti and Yin Zhi. If we choose her, it would seem that I am treating Yin Zhen poorly."
"Besides, Ulanara is three years younger than Yinzhen, so she is too young to be his primary consort."
Wen Shan was even angrier after hearing Kangxi's explanation. So, it was not suitable now, but it was suitable in the past life?
Clearly, they never cared about Yinzhen before!
Even though she was furious inside, Wen Shan still replied on the surface, "Then let's listen to the Emperor. But Ulanara is, after all, the daughter of a first-rank official. It would be too unfair for her to be a concubine. Please ask the Emperor to arrange another marriage for her."
Originally Yinzhen's legal wife, Wenshan now felt awkward about becoming a concubine. Since they were not destined to be together in this life, she decided not to delay the young lady's life.
Seeing that Wen Shan was still not very happy, Kangxi thought that she was just throwing a tantrum because she really liked Ulanara. However, he couldn't let her act recklessly as the primary wife of Yinzhen, so he patiently continued to coax her: "What's wrong with her being my son's secondary wife? If you really like her, you can take good care of her after she enters the palace."
Wen Shan didn't respond, but was mentally calculating how to persuade Kangxi to give up the idea. Seeing that he hadn't been able to coax her, Kangxi could only smile helplessly and sigh, and gave in again.
"Then why don't I also betroth Lady Ma, whom you have your eye on, to Yinzhen as a secondary consort? Would that make you happy?"
Wenshan: !
One isn't enough, we need two!
If this marriage were arranged, Yinzhen would immediately become the target of public criticism.
After all, the Fucha and Magiya clans chosen by Yinzhi and Yinxiang were more than qualified to be the primary consorts of the princes.
It could be said that Ulanara's family was not prominent enough to be considered a secondary consort, but it would be too conspicuous to betroth the daughter of the Minister of Justice to Yinzhen as a secondary consort.
"Your Majesty is too kind to me and Yinzhen. Please rescind your decree," Wenshan hurriedly said. "Yinzhen is still young, and his household is fine with just his wife."
After saying this, Kangxi realized he had gone a bit too far. But then he thought that Yinzhen had indeed wronged him in his childhood, and now that he was registered under Wenshan's name, he was the same as Xiao Shi, a son of the Imperial Concubine. Since the son's status was elevated by his mother's, it was barely acceptable to betroth Ulanara and Magiya to Yinzhen as his secondary consorts, based on Wenshan's birth and rank.
Therefore, it was rare for Emperor Kangxi to make this decision without weighing the pros and cons, but rather out of emotional considerations.
“A king’s word is law. Once I have spoken, I cannot take it back. So let’s do it this way. Lady Fucha will be the primary consort, and Lady Ulanara and Lady Magia will be secondary consorts. They will be married to Yinzhi in a few days.”
After saying this, Kangxi thought that the old saying "meeting once and feeling a little more affectionate" was indeed quite true. During this period, he often visited Xianfu Palace and often saw Wen Shan and Yinzhen, so he unconsciously became more indulgent towards Wen Shan and indeed doted on Yinzhen a little more.
Wen Shan never expected that Yinzhen's marriage would turn out like this. Why doesn't Kangxi think about his precious crown prince at this time?
With three more maternal relatives, especially the Fuca and Magiya clans, wouldn't Yinzhen's position as crown prince be greatly threatened?
Seeing Wen Shan peeking around as if she wanted to ask something but didn't dare, Kangxi put down the memorial in his hand and said, "Say what you want to say."
Wen Shan hesitated for a while before deciding to stick to her frank persona.
"Your Majesty is thinking that the three girls you have chosen for Yinzhen all come from prominent families. Isn't that a bit too conspicuous?" Wenshan said. "Your Highness, you have only chosen one concubine for him."
Consort Hui was really keen to ask for another concubine for the eldest prince, but Emperor Kangxi rejected her request without saying a word.
“Yinzhen is now registered under your name, so what’s wrong with him having a higher status than Yinti?” Kangxi said dismissively. “I’m giving Yinzhen honors, so who dares to say anything?”
"What about the Crown Prince..."
When Kangxi heard Wenshan mention the Crown Prince, he looked up at her and thought to himself that Wenshan really dared to say anything to his face without any restraint.
But this "offense" made him feel strangely comforted, which proved that Wen Shan had nothing to hide from him and had given herself to him wholeheartedly.
Seeing that Kangxi wasn't angry, Wen Shan thought to herself that what Yinzhi said was indeed true; Kangxi was easily swayed by this.
A while ago, Kangxi often came to Xianfu Palace. Wen Shan was so worried that she lost her hair. She didn't know how to deal with him. There were too many secrets in Xianfu Palace now. She was very clear about herself. In terms of scheming and cunning, she was no match for these father and sons. So she was always on tenterhooks, afraid that Kangxi would find out something. She was also worried that she would say something wrong and implicate Yinzhen and the others.
In the end, it was Yinzhi who told her that she didn't need to think about how to reply to Kangxi. She could just say whatever she wanted, and sometimes it was okay to be a little straightforward.
"Father is a very suspicious person. Not to mention Mother, even we would find it difficult to speak freely in front of Father. So you might as well say whatever you want. It will only make you seem sincere and earnest, and Father should not blame you."
Yinzhi was playing chess with Yinzhen when he said this, and immediately checkmated him, winning a great victory.
Yinxiang, feeling indignant, rolled up his sleeves and challenged Yinsi to a game himself, but Yinsi ignored him, which made him so angry that he jumped up and down.
Therefore, even though Wen Shan mentioned that the Crown Prince was somewhat presumptuous and subtly alluded to the infighting among the princes, Kangxi was not angry.
"The Crown Prince is both the heir apparent and the elder brother, so he has some magnanimity," Kangxi said slowly. "It's just that Yinzhen has been assigned an extra concubine. What's the big deal that you're so scared?"
Since Kangxi didn't care, she had nothing to worry about. The next day, she told Yinzhen and the others about it, which surprised them.
"Father has betrothed both Ulanara and Magia clans to Fourth Brother as secondary consorts?" Yinzhi tilted his head, a rare look of utter confusion on his face.
He could understand why the Emperor chose Lady Fucha as his fourth brother's primary consort, but what did it mean that he also designated the other two as secondary consorts?
This isn't like the Emperor's style.
Yinxiang thought for a while and said, "What Father said makes some sense. Fourth Brother's status is different from before. He is more important than the First Prince. It seems reasonable to point to a concubine from a good family."
Yinzhen did not express his opinion, only saying that the die was cast and they could only obey the imperial decree and see what their father was really planning.
After much deliberation, Yinzhi and Yinxiang realized that this seemed to be the only solution.
"It's really tough being so young," Yinzhi sighed. "If the rest of us were already in the court, we wouldn't be in such a passive position."
Although they had laid many nets in the court, it was ultimately inconvenient for them to do things since they were not in the court.
"It'll be soon, in just a few years," Yinzhen comforted him.
While playing with a jigsaw puzzle, Yinxiang casually asked, "Eighth Brother, has Tong Guowei been making any moves lately?"
Yinzhen and the others knew that Longkodo had been detained at home by Tong Guowei and had taken a month's sick leave. This was an expected outcome. Now, it was indeed necessary to make Longkodo and the First Prince cut off their contact first.
Yinzhi shook his head: "Tong Guowei is always cautious in his actions. He won't act rashly without absolute certainty. If he suddenly appears again, it's because he has a big gift to give me."
Tong Guowei never engaged in routine visits or empty words of comfort. Instead, when he did act, it was always with momentous events that could shake up the entire political landscape, thus demonstrating his capabilities to Yinzhi.
"I'm a little curious about what Tong Guowei's expression will be when he finds out that we all support Fourth Brother." Yinxiang thought about it and felt that the scene would be wonderful, completely fooling that old fox.
At that time, not only Tong Guowei, but all the ministers in the court will be shocked.
The three of them had discussed it beforehand. Since they were going to lie, they would lie thoroughly. Apart from the three of them, they only planned to tell a few loyal and upright officials the actual situation. Obviously, Tong Guowei was not included in this.
Yinzhen's mind wasn't on that; he was looking at the reports handed to him by his subordinates, which detailed the information they had gathered about talented people from the common people based on the list given by Wenshan.
Some of them are already old, some are still children, and there are not many in their prime, not to mention those who haven't even been born yet.
It's not easy for the people handling the affairs below to gather such a large number of these people.
"Tian Wenjing is indeed very efficient," Yinzhen praised. "He sent everyone to the capital in just half a month."
Tian Wenjing has now risen to the position of prefect. Although he is not a high-ranking official, his promotion speed is a leap forward compared to the snail-like pace of his previous life.
Moreover, this prefect was promoted little by little by Yinzhen and Yinsi without leaving a trace. Tian Wenjing was extremely grateful for Yinzhen's help and never asked him to do anything to suppress dissent. Instead, he was always told to be a good official and bring benefits to the people.
Gathering these common people was the first time that Yinzhen had instructed Tian Wenjing to do something.
Yinzhen's instructions were to treat the people on the list well, to make sure they were settled in their homes before sending them to the capital, and he also made it clear that he intended to give them important positions, so there would be special people to receive and settle them in the capital.
Although Tian Wenjing did not know why the Fourth Prince wanted to make good use of these people, he sent people everywhere to find out after receiving Yinzhen's letter. Once they were found, they were escorted to the capital as quickly as possible.
After arriving in the capital, these people were settled in a garden that was part of Empress Tongjia's dowry. Now that it belonged to Yinzhen, they were put to use since it was empty anyway.
Then Yinzhen sent over some books about products of the Industrial Revolution that Wenshan had painstakingly pieced together.
Reports from those below indicated that many people, after reading the text, felt it was a treasure and proactively requested a lot of materials and equipment, and had already started making things.
"Let's find an opportunity to leave the palace and take a look in a few days." Yinzhi was very curious about the things Wenshan had described, and as soon as he heard that there was progress in the people being raised in the villa, he wanted to go and see what was going on.
Yinxiang quickly expressed his curiosity as well, and then the two of them stared at Yinzhen expectantly.
Yinzhen had no choice but to agree to find an opportunity to take them out of the palace.
A few days later, before Yinzhen and the others could find a chance to sneak out, the imperial edict of Emperor Kangxi bestowing the marriage was officially issued.
The emperor appointed Lady Dong'e as the primary consort of the third prince, and Lady Niohuru, Aling'a's niece, as a secondary consort, which was a proper and conventional arranged marriage.
Yinzhen's decree of marriage surprised a great many people in the harem and the court.
Ma Qi's second daughter was his primary consort, while the daughters of Fei Yanggu, a first-rank minister, and Nuomin, the Minister of Justice, were his secondary consorts.
Compared to the eldest and third princes, Yinzhen's marriage was quite extravagant.
Some people in the court have pointed out that the Fourth Prince's marriage is too conspicuous compared to the other princes, and wondered if Emperor Kangxi is being too indulgent.
Of course, the main ones were the eldest prince's followers.
Then, Kangxi rejected them all on the grounds that the Fourth Prince was of noble birth as the son of Consort Xuan.
While things were relatively peaceful in the imperial court, no one dared to voice their opinions under Kangxi's pressure. However, the inner palace was in genuine turmoil.
Consort Hui and Consort Rong couldn't stand Wen Shan no matter what, but Wen Shan never cared about such things. Whenever they tried to pick a fight, Yin Si would easily thwart them, leaving them feeling humiliated. Moreover, Wen Shan rarely went out and kept to herself.
It wasn't until Consort Niohuru's birthday, when Emperor Kangxi held a grand celebration for her in the palace, that Wen Shan made a rare public appearance.
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