Chapter 81 The Time Curse: July 29th, the 31st year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. One year ago today, Shen Wanqing was completely bewildered…
July 29th, the 31st year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.
One year ago today, Shen Wanqing came from another world in a daze. She can still clearly remember the feeling of firecrackers and red paper flying into the wedding sedan chair and hitting the back of her hand.
Even now, she still occasionally feels a sudden stinging sensation on the back of her hand. Of course, it's just an illusion; the skin on her hand is fair and delicate with nothing there. The only thing is the red mark that appears when Shen Wanqing rubs her hand a couple of times when she feels a sensation.
Shen Wanqing, who was getting married last year, is now presiding over the marriage of Hesheli family's Fuxuan. The wedding date has been set for the first day of the ninth lunar month, which was set when Dong E's family came to the capital from Jingzhou before the Lunar New Year last year.
The groom's family, Dong'e, had been rooted in Jingzhou for many years, and only had an old house left in the capital. The house was small and barely adequate. The two families had agreed that Dong'e's family would return to the capital first for the wedding, and Fuxuan would be sent from her home to get married. The two would hold the wedding ceremony at Dong'e's old house and then return to Jingzhou together.
Shen Wanqing had visited that house. To be honest, if this family had stayed in the capital and hadn't managed to get a military rank like Zuo Ling, they would have just been an ordinary family among the Eight Banners.
Shen Wanqing didn't like Fu Xuan, and she didn't think that Fu Xuan, with her personality, could marry into a prominent family and become the head of the household. In fact, she thought that only a family like Dong E De Cheng's would allow her to suffer less trouble after marrying into it.
Even so, she couldn't help but lament how harsh the world was on women. If a woman was a little older and still unmarried, she would be called an "old maid" by the world and treated like a leftover cabbage, with everyone able to pick and choose.
Because she was marrying far away to Jingzhou, many things needed to be prepared in advance, and Shen Wanqing had to devote some of her energy to managing her own affairs.
After all, in the eyes of outsiders, the Hesheli family is now dominated by Yulang in external affairs and he in internal affairs. If Yulang and he don't give their aunt Fuxuan a grand wedding, they will be criticized by others in the future.
Just before the Lunar New Year last year, the palace issued an imperial edict to confer the title of Crown Princess on Shi Qionghua. In the spring, the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Rites jointly selected several dates and presented them to the Emperor. Finally, the fifth day of the eleventh lunar month was chosen as the official wedding date for the Crown Prince.
With more than half a year to go, everyone feels that there's not enough time to prepare.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince's wedding is a good thing for most people, as the Eastern Palace will soon have a legitimate son after the Crown Princess is born.
The most taboo thing about the succession to the throne is instability. As long as the Crown Prince produces another legitimate eldest son, the bloodline of the royal family for three generations will be secured, and the hearts of the entire court and even the people of the whole country will be more at ease.
With this big radish hanging in front, the entire capital city has been more lively in the past six months than last year. Whether it's related or not, everyone is looking forward to seeing this big, exciting, and joyous event.
The Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites were mainly responsible for preparing for this event. The Imperial Household Department was in charge of internal affairs and managed the procurement of everything needed for the Crown Prince's wedding, while the Ministry of Rites was in charge of external affairs and was responsible for every detail of the process before and after the wedding.
From the betrothal ceremony to the grand wedding, and then to the actual wedding day and the subsequent greetings and audiences between the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, every step had to be reported to the Qianqing Palace and the Yuqing Palace.
There was no other reason than that Yinreng was the first crown prince of the dynasty, and there were no precedents to follow for any of the regulations and etiquette. The already complicated and troublesome matters became even more complicated and troublesome. Every detail and arrangement had to be handled with utmost care. The crown prince could not be wronged, nor could the grandeur displease the emperor.
The matter was quite complicated, but it wasn't without its benefits. Before the Dragon Boat Festival this year, Yu Lang was promoted to a first-class bodyguard by the Crown Prince, specifically responsible for coordinating with the Ministry of Rites, the Imperial Household Department, and the ceremonial staff in charge of Yuqing Palace regarding the Crown Prince's wedding.
Yulang was bold and quick-witted. Many reports from the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites to the Crown Prince were changed and adjusted back and forth, but in the eyes of his master, it was just a matter that he couldn't understand no matter how many times it was turned over and over again.
One or two times would be one thing, but when it happened repeatedly, Yinreng lost his patience. Seeing the Crown Prince like this, the officials below became even more cautious, pondering every single matter.
This is a vicious cycle. Over time, both the client and the service provider will fall into a vicious cycle where they try their best in everything but fail to do anything well.
At this time, Yu Lang's presence was very important. Compared to the other guards, he had the surname Hesheli, which naturally brought him closer to the Crown Prince.
Looking at the pile of gifts from the Crown Prince on Yu Lang's body—swords, jade pendants, thumb rings, and silk fabrics—there's no need for further explanation. Whenever people from the Ministry of Rites or the Imperial Household Department come to Yuqing Palace, they have to sound out Lord Yu first.
Yu Lang could distinguish between what matters he should oversee for the Crown Prince and what matters he shouldn't touch and should leave to the Crown Prince to decide.
As time went on, the Crown Prince simply submitted a memorial to the Qing Palace, and Yu Lang was promoted and given a raise at a remarkably fast pace, becoming a true favorite of the Crown Prince.
Fucha Deyin remained in charge of guarding the entire Yuqing Palace, while Yulang was responsible for external coordination and communication during the wedding. He made decisions on minor matters and reported major matters to the Crown Prince.
At first, only the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites contacted him frequently. Gradually, when the Qianqing Palace needed to communicate with the Yuqing Palace, they would first come to Yulang. Even Liang Jiugong's side, Yulang has now become a familiar face.
As a result, Shen Wanqing, who was outside the palace and had close ties with the Shi family and the Crown Princess, naturally rose in status as well. Not only were people outside eager to curry favor with her, practically wearing down the threshold of the Hesheli family, but even the Shi family was willing to consult Shen Wanqing on matters, after all, she had Yu Lang behind her, and behind Yu Lang was the Crown Prince.
With two marriages, one large and one small, one outside and one inside, to manage, the family's land and shops to take care of, and the major and minor weddings and funerals of the Zuo Ling (military commander) to attend to, Shen Wanqing lived a very fulfilling life in the thirty-first year of Kangxi's reign, even more so than when she was in charge of two projects at the same time.
Today I finally had some free time to come back to the Shen family to hide away. Otherwise, there would definitely be people coming to my door, asking if they had obtained rare stones and treasures and wanted to use Shen Wanqing to present them to the Crown Princess, or to use Lord Yu to present them to the Crown Prince. There was no excuse that Shen Wanqing hadn't heard of.
Shen Wanqing's attitude towards this was to stay away. What kind of precious auspicious creatures could the Crown Prince and his betrothed possibly touch? Even if there were any albino chickens or deer, they should be sent to Emperor Kangxi to congratulate his beloved eldest son on his upcoming marriage.
He is the emperor. All auspicious omens in the world should only exist for his sake. The crown prince and crown princess are essentially the same as those auspicious omens; they are merely accessories to make His Majesty's every wish come true. Who has ever seen anyone give auspicious omens to auspicious omens? Isn't that just courting death?
Who knew that hiding in the Shen family wouldn't bring peace? After lunch and a nap, she woke up to find Xu Shi blocking her room with a small box, insisting on adding to Fu Xuan's dowry. Upon hearing this, Shen Wanqing's smiling face instantly collapsed, almost falling to the ground.
“Since Mother is so rich, she should give it to me. His aunt’s dowry has already been prepared. What relationship do you have with her? It’s not our family’s place to add to the dowry.”
“We’ve already taken all ninety-nine steps, and we’re just one step away from the finish line. Why be so stingy about this? It’s just two hundred taels of silver and a pair of gold hairpins. It’s nothing.”
"It's not that I'm being petty, it's just that there's no such rule in this matter."
Fu Xuan's marriage was due to either the old relationship between Shuai Yanbao and Erhe, or because Yu Lang was currently enjoying great favor with the Crown Prince. The Hesheli family had sent enough relatives to Fu Xuan's home to add to her dowry.
Some people gave her dowry money, a hundred or two hundred taels at first glance, but after adding it up, Shen Wanqing calculated that she had received at least two thousand taels just for the dowry.
The clan elders under the Zuo Ling also pooled their money to make a complete set of red gold headdresses for Fu Xuan. The Fu Chang family sent a box of fur rugs, while Dai Jia sent a complete set of saddlery and horse tack, which perfectly matched the fine horse that Yu Lang had given to his aunt.
“Mother, am I a stingy person? So many of his relatives and subordinates have given dowry gifts. Your two hundred taels of silver is not much. He already owes such a large amount of favors, so he probably doesn’t care about this much.”
"You said you didn't care, so why are you stopping me from giving it to you?"
My daughter is doing well now, and she's someone of importance in the world. Everyone knows that Madam Shen, who serves the Crown Princess, is capable, shrewish, and decisive. In the future, once the Crown Princess takes over Yuqing Palace, if anyone outside wants to ask the Crown Princess for help, they'll have to fawn over their aunt to relay the message.
"The dowries given by these relatives of the Hesheli family will be returned by me and Yulang. Everyone knows this. If you send the dowries over, won't Fuxuan have to repay this favor when her younger sisters get married in the future?"
She's far away in Jingzhou and can't come back, so I'll have to repay this favor. I'm happy to contribute whatever I can to my sister's dowry; there's no reason why I should owe her money after I've already spent it. That's not fair.
"Besides, I've already spent a lot of money and effort on her marriage over the past six months, so there's no need for our family to add to it."
The Hesheli family had prepared a considerable dowry for Fuxuan, but many of the items were no longer suitable for the transition from the north to the south.
After the New Year this year, Yu Lang discussed it with Shen Wanqing and took out another three thousand taels of silver from the public funds to replenish Fu Xuan's dowry. Many of the leather and wool materials they went to Jingzhou were not used, but they had to buy a new batch of silk and satin.
The land originally intended for Fuxuan as her dowry also needs to be replaced. Only fifty mu will be left for her in the capital, as a memento for her here in the capital. It would be good if she could write back every year to inquire about these fifty mu.
The remaining shops and farmland that were originally promised to be part of her dowry were all transferred back to the eldest son's family. Shen Wanqing sent someone to Jingzhou to purchase 300 mu of paddy fields, two shops in a good location in Jingzhou city, and a small courtyard house for Fuxuan as her new dowry.
The 200 mu of irrigated land that the Hesheli family prepared as dowry land for Fuxuan was of medium to high quality. While it couldn't compare to the best batch, it was definitely above average. There weren't many people selling this kind of irrigated land these days, and land and money were often not equivalent, so the eldest son's family benefited from this arrangement.
For this reason, Shen Wanqing not only reserved fifty acres of land for Fuxuan in the capital, but also specifically instructed the people going to Jingzhou to buy the best paddy fields in Jingzhou, and the shops in Jingzhou should also be in good locations, so that Fuxuan could make money whether she opened the shops herself or rented them out to collect rent.
"Among the people who went to Jingzhou were the stewards who served the old lady. After they came back, everyone told the old lady that my grandmother was kind and honest."
It wasn't easy to acquire property in Jingzhou so quickly. Shen Wanqing didn't let the Dong'e family get involved. She preferred to spend more money to ensure that these properties and shops belonged entirely to Fuxuan. She even refused to let the Dong'e family find someone to act as a matchmaker.
If they have a connection, it's fine if they live well after marriage, but if they don't, and the Dong'e family wants to take advantage of Fuxuan's dowry, having this connection will make it easier for them to do so.
"To buy those three hundred acres of land and shops, we spent nearly two hundred taels of silver more than the budget. Add to that the two thousand taels we need to give as gifts later, and all the other miscellaneous expenses that are hard to calculate but unavoidable. Mother, I've already lost a lot!"
To put it nicely, when the Hesheli family divided their property, they had already set aside dowries and money for the two girls' weddings. But everyone knew that under the circumstances, it was Erhe, the eldest brother, who was prepared to subsidize his younger sister.
Now that Erhe is long dead, the meager amount of money he left behind is simply a pipe dream when it comes to giving Fuxuan a grand wedding. If it's not up to them and Yulang to cover the cost, then who else can provide it?
“I know you’re stingy with money, but there are benefits to spending it. Go out and ask around, and you’ll find out that everyone says you and your husband are kind people, and that you took care of everything when your aunt got married.”
The Hesheli family's affairs last year were like a story, and I don't know how many people laughed at them. Now that Yu Lang and Shen Wanqing are helping Fu Xuan so much, everyone says that Lord Yu is filial and righteous, and Madam Shen is virtuous and generous. The two of them are currently in the limelight, so having such a good reputation is indeed a good thing.
"Mother, how could I not know that this money would be spent? So I didn't say a word of complaint about it being spent."
Shen Wanqing could easily understand the idea of spending money to buy a good reputation, but spending money herself and the Shen family adding to the dowry were not the same thing.
Shen Wanqing insisted on stuffing the box that Xu had brought back: "The person hasn't even married into the family yet, who knows what kind of person Dong E Decheng is? Those who can provide dowry for his aunt are all relatives of the Hesheli family. Please don't make things worse."
The Dong'e family and the Shen family are both related to the Hesheli family by marriage. So, the two families are indeed related, but if they don't want to be associated with each other, then it's as if they have no relationship at all.
Shen Wanqing's current attitude is this: first, she'll see what kind of people the Dong'e family is, and then decide whether or not to deal with them later. Adding dowry? No dowry allowed.
If she doesn't want her to, then so be it. Madam Xu can't do anything about Shen Wanqing right now. Her own daughter is so powerful now, coming and going from her parents' home with such pomp and circumstance. Both of her wives are looking forward to her return. Where can she find any reason to complain?
“If you say you won’t give it, then you won’t. I’m not arguing with you about this.” Madam Xu put away the box containing the silver notes and then took her daughter’s hand. “But there’s one thing you have to listen to me about. When are you going to get that famous doctor I found for you…”
"Oh dear, oh dear, I forgot, I forgot I have things to do at home." Shen Wanqing knew something was wrong as soon as she heard this, and she got up and ran away before Xu Shi could finish speaking.
Enraged, Madam Xu chased after her but couldn't catch up. She could only watch Shen Wanqing's back and huff at her, "If you're so capable, don't come back next time you're tired!"
She'll definitely come back; in a couple of days, Xu will forget about it and she'll be back. After rushing out of the Shen family home and settling into the carriage, Shen Wanqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Unmarried parents long for marriage, married parents long for children, and parents who have children long for several sons and daughters. In short, this expectation, which has been passed down from generation to generation for who knows when, is so annoying that people can't say anything to nag Xu Shi.
Chunxian knew that her mistress was not in a hurry to have children, so she sat quietly in the carriage without saying a word, fiddling with the cooled mint tea in her hand, and served it to Shen Wanqing to cool her down and calm her mind.
The weather was still hot in late July and early August, and a cup of mint tea made me feel much better. I wanted to talk to Chunxian, but the carriage suddenly stopped. Before Shen Wanqing could ask what was wrong, Yulang came in from outside, radiating heat. All the mint tea I had just drunk was wasted.
"Why are you heading back so early? I was thinking of going over there for dinner before coming back."
It turned out to be Lord Yu, who had come out of the palace after finishing his duty. Not seeing his mistress at home, he simply came out to pick her up.
"I'm not leaving, or my mom will start nagging me again. You shouldn't go either, or my mom will nag me even more if you go!"
Shen Wanqing took another cup of mint tea from Chunxian's hand and gulped it down. "What's with all the urging? I have so many grand ambitions to achieve, how can I have time to have a baby!"
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