Chapter 115: What a great job the Crown Prince gave me (a loose combination of two parts): Time flies when you have a child; Shen Wanqing has said this more than once. Sometimes…
Having children makes time fly by, Shen Wanqing has said this more than once. Sometimes she gets tired of saying it herself, but she still can't help but sigh about it.
On the 22nd day of the first month of the 35th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Hesheli family held a banquet for Tongjia's 60th birthday. Due to Yulang and Shen Wanqing's current status and identity, all of the Hesheli family's relatives and old friends who could come attended.
Not only that, but also people who were close to the Shen family, the Shi family, and some people who seemed to have a connection with Shen Wanqing but had never met or known her, all came to wish the old lady a happy birthday.
"Fang Liang, Fang Liang, come here."
"Grandma, what are your orders?"
"Quickly have Lao Wu open another gift register, and bring Lao Zhang from the accounting office overseeing the new one."
"The new gift register is specifically for those who only send invitations and gifts but don't stay for a meal. We'll have two clever people keep an eye on things from the side."
Keep the gifts you receive separate, and be polite to the people involved. Don't look down on them just because they didn't receive an invitation from our household. You never know, the master might need their help someday.
"Okay, I'm coming right now."
"Granny Fei, don't worry about what's going on in front of us. Go to the kitchen and keep watch. There are more people than we expected today. Tell the purchasing staff to go out and get another batch of vegetables and meat right now."
"Don't worry, Madam. I noticed something was wrong this morning, so I had someone send over a batch. There will be more later if that's not enough."
"The food in the kitchen is for eating, so you have to keep a close eye on it. No matter who comes looking for you later, don't answer them, understand?"
"Understood, this servant will go right away."
As the eldest to the seventh child all blossomed and multiplied, the entire capital city experienced a small surge of excitement.
Even though this matter has nothing to do with ordinary people who open their eyes every day to try to earn money to support their families, everyone still feels that it is a joyous occasion. The old royal family is thriving, and perhaps next year will also be a bumper year.
Some say this is all thanks to His Majesty's wise choice of the Crown Prince, which aligns with the will of Heaven and orthodoxy by establishing the legitimate heir as the heir apparent early on. The fact that the Crown Princess in Yuqing Palace became pregnant first, followed by the other princes, demonstrates the paramount importance of a stable foundation for the nation.
Yinzhi was furious about this. As the eldest son of the emperor born of a concubine, he was most sensitive to the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. He wished he were the legitimate son, or even if he wasn't the eldest son. Without the title of 'eldest,' he wouldn't have so many seemingly hopeful but actually distant thoughts.
You should know that the First Consort married him in the 26th year of Kangxi's reign, and it has been almost ten years since then. For nearly ten years, Yinzhi has not allowed any of his concubines or princesses in the harem to conceive. He has been determined to have a legitimate eldest son with the First Consort. Anyone with eyes can see what's going on.
After giving birth to four princesses in a row, even the First Consort was afraid. For the past two years, she had been hinting to Yinzhi that she didn't care whether the eldest son was born to her or not. She said that the concubines and princesses could have children if they could, and she was willing to raise any princes they gave birth to herself, promising not to make things difficult for him or the concubines in the harem because of this.
To everyone's surprise, Yinzhi ignored the rumors and continued to stay in Irgen Gioro's room every night. Now that she was pregnant again, before he could even enjoy his happiness for a few days, these rumors began to circulate in the capital.
Most people said it was because His Majesty had bestowed great favors, while a small portion said it was because the Crown Prince had been chosen well and the country was at peace. In any case, it had nothing to do with him, the eldest prince.
Furthermore, after Galdan was captured alive and brought back to Beijing, the situation in the entire Northwest, the Dzungar Khanate, and the Mongolian Plateau improved amidst the chaos.
Especially after the opening of the border trade, there were more caravans and horse teams heading to the northwest than before. With more merchants, there was more business, and naturally, there were more opportunities to make money. No one is born liking war. As long as the benefits are good enough, any issue can be discussed.
In addition, Shi Wenbing led the western army to achieve military merits last year, and the number of officials in the court who were affiliated with the Shi family was also gradually increasing.
Shi Wenbing served as a general in Jiangnan and Fuzhou. Even though the officials in these two places had no official dealings with the Shi family openly or privately, they all felt a sense of belonging to him to some extent.
Everyone was thinking, "It's not the right time yet. We have a long-standing relationship with General Shi, so we can do whatever we want after the Crown Prince ascends the throne."
This situation is very delicate. Originally, it was a situation where it was either the emperor or the crown prince. But because of the addition of Shi Wenbing, who is currently a close minister of the emperor and will be the crown prince's father-in-law in the future, the situation in history where it was either one or the other, the crown prince was left hanging in mid-air, and the ministers supported other princes and found their own way out, has not yet shown any signs of happening, at least for now.
Last year, Songgotu accompanied Emperor Kangxi on his campaign against Galdan. He was assigned to the central route to oversee logistics and provisions, and while he didn't cause any major trouble, he didn't stand out much. Later, at the ceremony of bestowing honors, he was given gold and silver as part of the general trend, but received no further rewards.
Their son, Gerfen, served as a minister of the Imperial Academy, and Algishan served as a vice minister of the Ministry of Rites. These were high positions that ordinary people might not be able to reach even after a lifetime of hard work, but for their status, these positions seemed to be more prestigious than they were actually.
Above the reclusive ministers are the Grand Ministers and the Grand Ministers of the Imperial Guard; it is not up to Gerfen to make decisions in front of His Majesty.
The Vice Minister of Rites was quite busy. Most of his work involved ceremonial and ritual matters. In addition, the Emperor had personally assigned him the daily affairs of the Ministry of Rites related to the imperial mausoleum. It sounded very important, but whether it was truly important or not was another matter.
The entire lineage of Songgotu currently appears outwardly prosperous and powerful, still the same Songgotu who wielded immense influence in the court. However, anyone who looks closely can see that their strength is merely superficial.
Because of Suo'etu's actions, Mingzhu, the tool used to counterbalance Suo'etu, naturally became less prominent. The court still appeared to be a struggle between two factions, with Shi Wenbing leading the centrists to mediate between them. However, Yinzhi could clearly sense Mingzhu's changing attitude towards him.
In the past, Mingzhu would always push Yinzhi forward whenever he wanted to do something. Now, if Yinzhi wants to do something, he has to send people to Mingzhu again and again.
Even then, one or two out of those three times, he would be nowhere to be found, and when asked, he would say he was ill. If Yinzhi still didn't understand what this meant, then he would truly be a fool.
Unable to stay in the palace any longer, Yinzhi steeled himself and went to the Emperor's court twice more. He didn't mention the matter of his title, but simply told Kangxi that his entire family was too crowded to fit in the five eastern palaces.
He even found a location for his own residence. Not far west of the palace, there was an old royal residence from the previous dynasty. It was a bit dilapidated, but it was spacious enough to be completely demolished and rebuilt according to his wishes.
People say that daughters can't be kept when they grow up, but when it came to Emperor Kangxi's sons, he couldn't be kept when they grew up either.
Before the new year, Emperor Kangxi conferred the title of Princess Heshuo Kejing upon his fourth princess and betrothed her to Dundobdorji, the Prince of Khalkha of the Borjigit clan.
Dundobdorji was a prince of the Tushetu Khanate, which was the largest and most powerful tribe in the Khalkha Mongol territory. The entire Khalkha Mongols were enemies of the Dzungars for generations, and Galdan had led his troops to invade the Khalkha many times, so the two sides had a deep enmity.
However, the Khalkha Mongols had not been under the control of the court for long. In order to consolidate the northern desert, win over the Khalkha Mongols, and guard against the Dzungars and Tsarist Russia further north, this marriage alliance was arranged.
After bestowing titles and marriages upon the fourth princess, the princes followed suit after the New Year, receiving a new round of titles. The eldest prince, Yinzhi, was granted the title of Prince Zhi, the third prince, Yinzhi, was granted the title of Prince Cheng, and the fourth, fifth, and seventh princes were all granted the title of Beile.
Because there was no third campaign against Galdan, and the second campaign against Galdan was postponed by two years, the future Eighth Prince Yinzhi, who was only fourteen years old two years ago, missed this campaign and was left in the capital.
If you're even one step behind, you'll fall behind in every step. Yinzhi, who should have been granted the title of Beile in this round, was grouped with Yintang and Yin'e and became the princes who stayed behind in the Forbidden City, continuing to study in the Imperial Study.
The two princely residences and the three beile residences were all located in the inner city on the east and west sides. The Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department had already decided on the locations, and they were just waiting for the princes to be officially conferred their titles before announcing them to the public.
After the announcement, preparations can begin, including surveying, determining the feng shui orientation, drawing detailed maps of the mansion's location, and submitting the maps to His Majesty for review before construction can commence.
Even before the blueprints are finalized, many people are already eyeing the procurement and craftsmanship departments, the two most time-consuming and expensive aspects.
Yinreng was not idle this time. His brothers went on the expedition and all of them were given titles. As the Crown Prince Regent, he didn't have much to be rewarded, but he couldn't leave them with nothing.
In the past, when it came to arranging people, Yinreng's first reaction was to summon Suo'etu, Lingpu, and others to Yuqing Palace to discuss how to arrange the people he wanted to place.
Now they've learned their lesson. Without consulting anyone, they head straight to the Qianqing Palace. As soon as they enter, they stretch out their hand towards their father, Emperor Kangxi, palm up, the meaning clear: Father, I want people, I want official positions, will you give them to me or not?
I, the Crown Prince, am honest and have no desire to compete with you, my father, for the throne prematurely. I won't touch the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of Revenue. I'll just put Yulang in the Ministry of Works so he can do some real work, see what the bottom of this empire is like, and how to manage and arrange it. That should be fine.
"Are you really that reluctant to let Yulang be idle?"
“It’s too easy for him to be a captain of the Plain Yellow Banner. He is thorough in his work and has a steady temperament. I want him to do something practical.”
"This is a lucrative position. Aren't you worried that he'll get spoiled by the people under him?"
"Even if he's fat, he's still nothing special. If he can't even get past this hurdle, then we can just replace him with our son."
In recent years, Yinreng has gradually distanced himself from Suo'etu and has listened more and watched less about court affairs. The feeling that he had when he first moved to Yuqing Palace and became powerful after the Crown Prince took charge of government affairs has gradually subsided to the point where only a trace of ambition remains, which Kangxi could only see upon careful observation.
Given the choice between a prince who was like a pufferfish, truly seeking nothing and wanting nothing, and a prince who was capable and ambitious but willing to submit and adopt a submissive attitude, Emperor Kangxi, as the emperor and his father, naturally preferred the latter.
So even though he knew that Yinreng wanted to use Yulang as a breakthrough to win over lower- and middle-level officials, and that the Ministry of Works, by doing more specific tasks and not participating in specific decisions, would look more deeply into the lives of ordinary people and places outside the capital, he still nodded and agreed to Yinreng's request.
The imperial edict appointing Yulang as the Director of the Ministry of Works has been issued, and Yulang has already made two trips to the Ministry of Works.
I didn't do anything serious. On the first day, I had a meal with the assistant minister and the head of the department and looked around the small courtyard where I would be working.
I also confirmed that one of the assistant directors was a trusted confidant left behind by the previous director, and the other was a director who was originally intended to fill the position as a candidate. The two directors were shrewd and worldly-wise, but I still couldn't figure out their intentions. However, they definitely had other people behind them, but I didn't know if they could be used.
Two days later, when I went back, the traces left by the previous doctor were almost gone.
Under the head of the department, there are usually about twenty clerks. On his second trip to the Ministry of Works, Yu Lang selected two old clerks who had been working in the Ministry of Works for more than ten or twenty years to be on duty in the small courtyard where Yu Lang was working, to help the newly appointed Lord Yu Lang become familiar with official business.
Yu Lang said nothing about this, but kept the two clerks he had recruited in advance after the Crown Prince clearly wanted him to serve as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.
You can exchange and communicate with each other. If you have a private advisor, you can sort out the messy information and matters first, and then submit them to yourself in categories.
The two most important things are: if a craftsman and a painter from the Ministry of Works want to draw up the blueprints, they must go to the palace many times to communicate with the princes and nobles. They are not qualified to do so. At least a junior official or a high-ranking official should follow up.
Secondly, the procurement of materials needs to be put on the agenda. Many pieces of wood and porcelain need to be purchased from the south, and every single one of these requires communication with the Imperial Household Department and the Jiangnan Textile Bureau. These expenditures all require silver, and on the other hand, good relations with the Ministry of Revenue must be maintained, otherwise, if they easily obstruct you, it can cause you great distress.
Things were in complete chaos, and Yu Lang only realized how ruthless the Crown Prince could be when using his own people after jumping into this mess. But all the chaos was behind the scenes, underwater; what first came to the fore was the glamorous facade and the grand gathering of distinguished guests.
Shen Wanqing knew that many people would come to Tongjia's birthday banquet, but she still didn't expect so many to come.
Many people who weren't close enough, or even those who couldn't get a chance to visit, would leave a visiting card and a birthday gift and leave. In just one morning, the gatekeeper had already moved several rounds of gifts back and forth to the storeroom, otherwise the gatekeeper wouldn't have been able to hold them all.
"Madam, Lord Suo has arrived, along with Algishan and the Vice Minister's wife. The Master asks you to go to the front yard to greet him."
Shen Wanqing had just finished giving instructions to the kitchen and the guestbook when she was about to go to the main courtyard to see Lady Tongjia.
This morning, Lady Guarjia from the First-Class Duke's Mansion came over with several of her daughters-in-law. Lady Aisin Gioro from the Shi family didn't come; instead, it was the Crown Princess's two sisters-in-law. As a result, the main courtyard is now crowded with officials' wives, all going there for different reasons. It's practically a complete mess.
He had barely turned around when Urgun, who was rushing over from the front yard, called out to him. Hearing his words, he nearly fainted. This Suo'etu really knew how to pick his timing! If you, a high-ranking and trusted minister, wanted to be arrogant, then be arrogant! Why did you suddenly descend to earth at this moment!
"Is it only the Vice Minister's wife?"
"Yes, I heard that the First Madam has caught a cold recently and is unable to go out."
Algishan was the second son in his family, and since his name was a mouthful, outsiders mostly called him Second Master Shan. It was a good name, but he was really not a very kind person.
Shen Wanqing still remembers the first time she visited the poor families under the Zuo Ling. The second son of the family who had given birth to Renyi and Daode had his leg broken by Algishan's horse.
Later, Yulang gave him money, and Shuangren's broken leg was basically healed. Unable to be a cavalryman, he now raises and trains horses at the horse farm under Yulang's jurisdiction.
Si Dezi, who was born lame, was also arranged by Shen Wanqing to learn accounting at the counter of the shop. He even came today and helped the accountant and the gatekeeper run errands. When Urgun came to report that Algishan had come to offer birthday wishes, he happened to run into Si Dezi coming to talk to Shen Wanqing.
Upon hearing the name Algishan, Si Dezi's hand, which was holding a cane, trembled slightly. He then stood aside quietly and waited until Urgun finished explaining before stepping forward.
“Grandma, Old Zhang from the gatehouse asked me to tell you that some people have sent gifts that are the wrong weight, and he asked me to ask if these gifts can be accepted.”
"We can accept any birthday gift that comes with an invitation. Gifts without invitations can be thrown into the basket outside the door. Today is the old lady's birthday, and as long as the guests are sincerely wishing her a happy birthday, we can accept any gift."
Of course they could accept it. The day before, Crown Princess Shi had already used the old lady's birthday as an excuse to bestow some gifts. The gifts weren't particularly valuable, but they were a signal—a signal that the Hesheli family could hold a grand celebration. Or rather, they wanted it to be beautiful and impressive for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to be satisfied.
As for these birthday gifts with smuggled items, we can sort them out later. We'll accept what we should accept, and for the ones we shouldn't, we'll find an excuse to repackage them and return them as is. Everyone will understand our and Yulang's attitude.
"Hey, now that Lord Suo is here, you don't need to go to the gatehouse. Go help out in the accounting office. They'll be sending over a feast later, so don't go hungry today."
"Don't worry, Grandma, how could a cripple like me possibly get close to Lord Suo?"
"Don't say such angry things. It's true that sometimes circumstances are stronger than people, but who knows, one day people might be able to control those circumstances."
Si Dezi hadn't originally intended to do anything, but seeing that Shen Wanqing was still patiently talking to him, he nodded even more firmly.
“Grandma, today it was Lord Suo who took the initiative to come to wish you a happy birthday. I can see clearly which side he is on. You really don’t need to worry about me doing anything reckless. No matter how much trouble I cause for my brother’s broken leg now, it’s a minor matter. It will have to wait until later. Maybe it will become a big deal later.”
Si Dezi understood, and Shen Wanqing naturally understood as well. She waved him off to go to the accounting office to do his work, then turned around, took a deep breath, put on a warm and eager smile, and hurried to the front yard to welcome Algishan's wife, Fucha, into the house.
Fucha was not familiar with Shen Wanqing, but she had been dealing with Guarjia and her daughter-in-law for many years. So when they arrived at the main courtyard, they were not awkward or speechless.
Soetu came today not to cause trouble. He said he was there to celebrate the birthday of his elder, Lady Tongjia, but to put it bluntly, he came to bow down to Yulang.
He could already see his power and the Crown Prince's favor slowly slipping away. His plan to send his daughter to the palace had also fallen through. He had heard that Consort Ping had been ill since the New Year and had not gotten better. If Consort Ping were to have another accident, the Hesheli family's lineage would have less and less face in front of the Emperor.
Gerfen and Algishan held high official positions, but compared to Yulang, Suo'etu didn't even want to say who was more valuable. Gerfen was originally supposed to come today, but last night he suddenly said he had caught a cold and couldn't go out, so only Algishan and his wife came with Suo'etu.
Gerfen still couldn't bring himself to lower his head, feeling that Yulang, a member of a fallen branch of the family, had risen to prominence and gained such prestige in just a few years thanks to the Crown Prince's favor.
Although Argishan was arrogant, he always saw things clearly. Back then, his father had also gained such great wealth and honor because he had the emperor's favor. If he could do it, why couldn't others?
So now, as long as Suo'etu can let go of his pride, he has no problem at all. At the start of the birthday banquet, he was more relaxed than anyone else. He not only drank several cups with Yulang, but also acted as if he were one of the Hesheli family, and said a lot of auspicious words to Tongjia.
After the birthday banquet ended, Yu Lang was carried back to the East Courtyard by Chang Shun and Chang Lu. Shen Wanqing returned to the East Courtyard first, and was so tired on the warm couch that she didn't even want to move her fingers.
When Yulang returned, she simply shifted her position to make room for him on the couch. Both of them reeked of alcohol, so neither of them had to mind.
"Where is Yi'an?"
"He's staying with his aunt, so I don't need to worry about him today."
"Did Lady Fucha say anything to you?"
"She said she knew who the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Works planned to use for the procurement trip to the south, and she wanted to get her younger brother from her maternal family included."
"Don't get involved in this matter. It concerns several princes, and Songgotu cannot get involved."
"Am I stupid? How could I not know?"
"The eldest madam isn't stupid, it's me who's stupid. I actually took on such a troublesome task, I must have believed the Crown Prince's nonsense, oh dear, what a headache."
Yu Lang, half-jokingly, buried his head in Shen Wanqing's arms and hummed softly. As he hummed, the two of them rolled around in a ball and fell asleep, only to wake up groggily when the sun was setting and only a sliver of light remained.
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I've seen the questions you all left in the comments. Thank you for pointing out the shortcomings; I will try my best to correct them and improve.
A red envelope is dropping in the comments section of this chapter! It's finally Friday! [Let me see!]
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