Chapter 120 The New Crown Prince Party: At the end of the year before last, Aunt Fang from the manor got married. She married into a family in the capital, a deputy commander of the Plain Red Banner…
At the end of the year before last, Aunt Fang from the mansion got married. She married into a family in the capital, Shu Yun, the eldest son of the Tatara clan, the deputy commander of the Plain Red Banner.
At first glance, the name sounds like a woman's. When the Tara family sent a matchmaker, Shen Wanqing even asked carefully which Shu and which Yun it was.
It was only after the matchmaker explained that the young master of the Tatara family had been in poor health since childhood. He was the only child the family had in ten years, and they raised him like a precious angel, but his health only got weaker.
When all else failed, they sought divine intervention everywhere, from shamans to bodhisattvas to Taoist priests and celestial masters. The family spent a fortune, but nothing came of it.
Later, a traveling doctor appeared out of nowhere. Sometimes medicine and witchcraft are intertwined, and this doctor also knew some mystical things. He was invited into the family of the Tara family to treat Shu Yun. As soon as he saw her, he said he wanted to change his name, and that's how she got this delicate name.
Strangely enough, after changing his name to Shu Yun, the young master's health improved day by day. Not only did his health improve, but his family also had four more children, two boys and two girls, transforming from a family with only one son into a large and prosperous family.
For this reason, Grandpa Yun was always considered a blessed man by his family, the Tatara clan, and even most of the Plain Red Banner. Naturally, the Tatara family wanted to find him a wife who was perfect in every way.
The matchmaker went to Lady Niohuru, because no matter how muddle-headed or irresponsible she was, she was still Fangyi's mother. Marriage was arranged by parents and matchmakers; if Lady Niohuru didn't agree, the marriage wouldn't happen.
Niohuru had thought of causing trouble in recent years, but unfortunately she was simply incompetent and lacked the means to do so. Even her malice was only expressed verbally, and she was unable to put it into action.
This kind of person, if pushed to the brink, might actually fight back. But Shen Wanqing never shortchanged her in terms of material life, giving her whatever she wanted, even the incense offered to the Bodhisattva in the Buddhist hall was the best.
This wasn't just boiling a frog slowly; it was boiling a frog in sugar water. Over time, Niohuru's already waning ambition only diminished further. Seeing no matchmaker arrive, this mother-in-law, who had always hoped for Shen Wanqing's fall from grace, immediately ordered her maid to fetch the eldest mistress.
After the matchmaker praised her, Shu Yun still had no opinion of her own. All she did was turn her head to look at Shen Wanqing, as if asking her if she was satisfied with the marriage. She would agree to the marriage as long as Shen Wanqing nodded.
Whether she was lucky or not, Shen Wanqing only listened to this for a moment. However, what his family wanted was a wife who was perfect in every way. Fangyi had lost her father long ago, and that alone probably did not meet the expectations of his family.
Shen Wanqing's words were practically out in the open: your family is after Yulang and your current status and future prospects, so don't bother with all that fancy stuff. All this talk about good fortune or bad luck is meaningless; when it comes to marrying a daughter, it's all about marrying for her character and family values.
These days, anyone who talks about being faithful for life is out of their mind. Shen Wanqing only has two requirements for the Tara family.
First: After Fangyi marries into the family, we can't use having children to torment her. She definitely wants to have children, but this is something that can never be had just because you want it.
Be patient for the first three years after marriage and don't urge her every now and then. If she doesn't have a child after three years, let the couple discuss it themselves. Don't let the old lady send two maids today and the madam send a concubine tomorrow, making it impossible for Fangyi to live her life.
Second: The ups and downs of official life are unpredictable. It is true that the Tatara family has their eyes on the Hesheli family's future, but as Fangyi's closest relative, she still wants a more steadfast verbal promise.
If Yulang ever falls from grace or even loses his position in the officialdom, as his in-laws, you must not mistreat Fangyi because of this. Even if you cannot stay by her side and protect her, you can at least send her and her dowry out of his family properly and give her a way to survive.
The further she went, the more Shen Wanqing felt the impermanence of life. A riot of flowers may be beautiful, but turning around could also lead to an abyss.
There are no special privileges for those who come from another world. On the contrary, knowing the original course of history and that the road ahead has changed makes it even harder to see whether the new road ahead is a broad path to heaven or full of thorns.
Fangyi had been by her side for several years, and she had learned everything she could. If things went smoothly after she got married, she would definitely be a good housekeeper. If something unexpected happened, as long as she had money and connections, she could survive in this world even if she was alone.
These words were so blunt that even the matchmaker couldn't maintain her fake smile. Niohuru looked puzzled; she felt Shen Wanqing didn't need to be so harsh.
She wanted to question her about whether she was deliberately trying to ruin the marriage, but she also felt that her daughter had spent far more time with her than with her in recent years, so there was no need for Madam Shen to make things difficult for Fangyi.
Only Fangyi, sitting behind the screen, remained unfazed. She had grown a bit older, and at home, she not only managed affairs but also followed Shen Wanqing around, observing her actions and listening to her words. Having seen and heard so much, she naturally began to think more deeply.
She understood her sister-in-law's meaning: marriage is about bringing two families together. Since your family is after my family's status and conditions, let's talk about status and conditions first. It's much better to say things upfront than to tear each other apart later when something goes wrong.
Unlike later generations, verbal agreements between in-laws, while not as solemn as oaths, are no longer something to be taken lightly. With Shen Wanqing's stance now clear, the Tara family will have to carefully consider their options.
After careful consideration, if they don't agree, then they don't agree, and neither family will bring it up again. If they agree, they will have some reservations, and if something really happens in the future, it will be something Fangyi can use to talk about it.
This was a right that Shen Wanqing voluntarily played the bad cop to get for her sister-in-law Fangyi, and Fangyi naturally knew what was good for her.
Nearly a month passed without any response after the matchmaker left, and Shen Wanqing and Yu Lang assumed the matter was over. However, just after Yu Lang investigated the embezzlement case, Ta La Shu Yun returned with the matchmaker once again.
This time, the gifts he brought were more numerous and formal than the last, including Shu Yun's birth chart. This clearly demonstrated the Ta La family's attitude.
Shen Wanqing handed over the betrothal letter and had it delivered to Fangyi. Within fifteen minutes, the maid returned and nodded slightly to Shen Wanqing, thus finalizing the marriage agreement between the two families.
Yu Lang's job was full of ups and downs, as a ship of timber led to a number of cases.
As for the officials and generals in the southwest, they didn't care about killing the local chieftain. They were all wiped out from top to bottom, some killed and some exiled. As for Siberia and Hainan Island, which Shen Wanqing had been thinking about, they were sent to explore the way first.
The bigwigs of the cliques in the capital were also dealt with severely. Ling Pu and his men were dismissed from their posts and their homes were confiscated. Later, because his wife had been the wet nurse of the crown prince, he was given a house and some land to support his family.
It's said that Yinreng's wet nurse wanted to go to Yuqing Palace to complain about this, but unfortunately, after Lingpu was dismissed from his post, she naturally lost the right to enter the palace. She knelt at the palace gate for most of the day before being helped up and taken back by her nanny.
Gerfen, Algishan, and Nalan Kuixu were all dismissed from their posts, and several ministers in the Council of State were also fined several years' salary and grain allowance. Such punishments seemed insignificant, neither life-threatening nor exiled, but for Kangxi, this was sufficient at the moment.
Firstly, from then on, Suo'etu and Mingzhu no longer had any truly trustworthy right-hand men. After all, it was one thing for their son to be unworthy, but whether they could trust him was another matter entirely.
Secondly, even though they have lost their official positions, the retainers they have kept might still rely on them, but the subordinate officials who originally aligned themselves with them will definitely start looking for new ways out. It's only a matter of time before they completely sever ties.
As for the princes whose salaries were reduced, the amount of money was secondary; the main issue was that they were all ministers of the Council of State.
Before the dynasty entered the Central Plains, the power of the princes and ministers was immense, even to the point of being able to co-rule the empire with the emperor. Although their power has been repeatedly tightened in the decades since the dynasty entered the Central Plains, there are still some remaining strengths even in a broken ship, let alone the royal family and clan that have existed since the founding of the dynasty.
Emperor Kangxi punished them all by sending them home to reflect on their mistakes, and pretended to be stupid without appointing any new ministers to the Council of State. Instead, he promoted two Han Chinese Grand Secretaries from the Southern Study, further elevating the status of the Southern Study, which was already involved in confidential decision-making.
He was sending a message to the entire court: as emperor, he valued talent above all else, regardless of whether one was Manchu or Han. Those of you who had benefited so much from the system, the imperial relatives and nobles, were to obediently follow his orders and stop trying to control the affairs of the realm and the imperial family.
Those who were dismissed from their posts and had their salaries reduced dared not say much to their superiors, but they had plenty of ways to make things difficult for their subordinates. For at least half a year, nothing Yu Lang did went smoothly; there was always someone tripping him up.
Impeachment memorials were submitted to him every now and then, citing reasons such as the slow progress of the project, nepotism in the selection of craftsmen, excessive harshness towards his subordinates and servants, and even the pigments, spices and jade brought back by the Shen family's caravans being criticized for various reasons.
While they complained that Yulang's supervision of the construction was not fast enough and would delay the departure of several princes and nobles from their residences next year, they also tried every means to block any possible interference.
Kadeyulang went from having a temper to having one, and eventually he was even able to politely argue with these princes and officials from the former Mingzhu Party and Suo'etu Party. So what if it involved reworking the work a few more times? It didn't matter.
You all dare not touch the money needed to repair the princes' and nobles' mansions, but my budget is so large that I could sleep in a bed of silver. You may find fault with me, but as long as I pay you enough, I will still have craftsmen who can finish the work on time and in the required quantity.
It was this behavior and the way he pulled that made the Fourth Prince, who was interning at the Ministry of Works, feel really frustrated. At first, he couldn't hold back, and neither Yu Lang nor Yin You could stop him from getting angry at the officials who were slacking off and causing trouble.
Getting angry was useless. In front of the Fourth Prince, those officials kowtowed and admitted their mistakes, some even weeping profusely. Then the next day, they would go back to their usual ways. If all else failed, they would shrug and say, "I didn't take bribes, I didn't rebel, I did my job well, you can only think I'm incompetent."
If you think I'm incompetent, Fourth Prince, you can find someone more capable. Anyway, that's just how I am when I work; nagging me won't help. I'm a complete scoundrel.
The Fourth Prince, who had never experienced the wickedness of the world, was so angry that he trembled all over. If Yin You hadn't held him tightly by the tiger's mouth, this young master might have fainted from anger on the spot.
Afterwards, when Yu Lang returned and spoke with Shen Wanqing, he repeatedly remarked that, apart from his somewhat uncontrollable temper, the Fourth Prince was a trustworthy person. After all, several times he had lost his temper because he couldn't stand those people making things difficult for him.
But after the anger subsided, things still had to be done, and the marriage between the Hesheli family and the Tatara family was not neglected.
The wedding date was set for the end of that year. The Tatara family followed all the proper procedures, from matchmakers to betrothal gifts, without any deliberate perfunctory actions.
Until the end of the winter month, Fangyi, the eldest daughter of the Hesheli family, was sent to marry into the Tatara family and became husband and wife with Tatara Shuyun.
Half a month later, Yu Lang also took the completed memorial to the palace to report to Emperor Kangxi in person. The two princely mansions and three princely mansions were completed on schedule. After joint inspection by the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Clan Court, and the Ministry of Works, there were no problems. The princes could move out of the palace after the New Year.
Those six months were truly eventful. Yinzhen's temper, which was prone to outbursts and a desire to eliminate all these corrupt officials, gradually subsided.
He gradually learned how to argue and shirk responsibility with these officials and clerks, and sometimes he could even turn the tables on them and make them run around like dogs.
After all, those officials were only pretending to be in no hurry. Their difficulties with Yulang were timed precisely. They couldn't possibly keep the progress blocked indefinitely. They just wanted Yulang to suffer, not for everyone to suffer if the task wasn't completed.
But Yinzhen was really not in a hurry. He, his wife, and the concubines Li and Song could still live in the five courtyards in the east. He could stay in the palace next year. But whether you can really not finish the project depends on how stubborn you are.
After all, Yulang will have the Crown Prince's protection; at worst, he'll get a scolding and go back to his position as a military officer. But your backer has already fallen; if something really happens, you'll truly have nowhere to turn for help.
Yinyou became fascinated with the craftsmanship of mortise and tenon carpentry at some point, and even took the initiative to ask Yulang for some of the supervision work, spending his days going back and forth between several mansions.
Yu Lang thoroughly honed his character. After finishing his current duties, he remained in the position of Director of the Construction Department for two more years until the end of last year when he was assessed as a top-ranking official by the Ministry of Personnel and was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue as Director of the Bureau of Civil Affairs.
Yu Lang's entry into the Ministry of Revenue signifies that the turmoil of two and a half years ago is finally coming to an end. Some of the henchmen who previously relied on Mingzhu and Suo'etu have found new patrons, while many others have hunched their shoulders and obediently served as officials, no longer mentioning the Suo'etu or Mingzhu factions.
The princes who left the palace to establish their own residences are currently busy with their own duties. Prince Zhi is in charge of the Ministry of War, and Prince Cheng is still compiling books, so they are quite close to many scholars.
From the Ministry of Works to the Ministry of Revenue, the Fourth Prince still worked with Yu Lang. Because of this, in the eyes of outsiders, the Fourth Prince was the first prince to express his stance and stand behind the Crown Prince.
When the Fifth Prince was initially assigned to the Ministry of Justice by Emperor Kangxi, it was thought that he would have no obstacles or concerns in presiding over criminal cases due to his natural protection from the Empress Dowager. However, he himself did not like it, and after the embezzlement case was resolved, he took the initiative to approach Emperor Kangxi and asked to be transferred from the Ministry of Justice.
Yinqi had grown up by the Empress Dowager's side since birth, and after much deliberation, it was finally decided to send him to the Court of Colonial Affairs. After all, Mongolia was a particularly important part of the Court of Colonial Affairs, and sending Yinqi there as a mascot was quite appropriate.
The only one who actually stayed in the Ministry of Works was Yin You. He worked with Yu Lang for more than half a year back then. He genuinely liked the place where he could take action, get things done, and achieve results. For him, empty talk was meaningless. He would rather bury himself in doing something practical than waste his time on that.
These words were originally spoken casually by Yu Lang and the Seventh Prince after drinking when Yu Lang was about to leave the Ministry of Works. After reaching Emperor Kangxi's ears, he bestowed a great deal of gold, silver, and books upon the Seventh Prince's residence the next day.
Even for an emperor, not every son has the opportunity to ascend the throne, so having ambition is understandable. But being able to proactively find another path that one likes and is willing to take is even more commendable.
Equally remarkable is Yu Lang. He was promoted from the Ministry of Works to the Ministry of Revenue without the Crown Prince's approval or any reward for his merits. He worked diligently in the Ministry of Works for three years and weathered the storm of the embezzlement case. Yu Lang was like a dragon entering the sea, a truly rare and exhilarating experience.
Even within the court, there were vague rumors that Suo'etu was a member of the old Crown Prince's faction and Yulang was a member of the new Crown Prince's faction. But no matter what, the Hesheli family remained firmly in power, and His Majesty still held the Empress Dowager in mind and favored the Crown Prince.
It was precisely because of this saying that after the Emperor proposed to accompany the Empress Dowager on a southern tour after the New Year this year, many people who wanted to accompany him but were unsure if they could did so sought help from Yu Lang.
The Ministry of Revenue is busier than the Ministry of Works, and it's rare to see Lord Yu. If you can't see Lord Yu, then go find Madam Shen. Anyway, everyone in the court knows that Lord Yu fears nothing but his wife. As long as you can win over Madam Shen, Lord Yu won't be a problem.
Shen Wanqing didn't know where the rumor came from. At this moment, what gave her a headache was Yi An, that little bastard. She had only been out of the city for a few days to inspect the estate, and he had already caused a huge commotion at home. She had just returned and hadn't even gotten off the carriage when his teacher was already crawling over to the carriage to complain.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry about this. My brother will give him a good beating when he gets back. That kid just needs to be taught a lesson."
"Your brother? Where is your brother? I was out of town for four days and he sent people to the estate every day to ask me when I would be back. Now that I'm back, I can't find him again."
It would have been better if this hadn't been brought up, because once it was, Shen Wanqing felt both annoyed and amused. When she wasn't home, he felt bored being alone, but when she came back, he was afraid she would blame him for not taking good care of their son, so he simply avoided her.
"Perfect, you don't need to go back today either. When your brother comes back, I'll deal with them both at the same time. Just watch the show."
These words made Fangyi shudder. She kept waving her hand behind her back towards the hanging flower gate, signaling Yulang and Yi'an to get away quickly and not come back to get scolded.
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