Chapter 92 Who's the Fool?: "He Yuzhu, how many days has it been?" "Replying to Your Highness, only seven days."...
"He Yuzhu, how many days has it been?"
"Your Highness, it's only been seven days."
"How come it's only seven days? I feel like it's been a long time."
"Master, it really has only been seven days."
He Yuzhu was speechless. His master would casually grant him twenty days off when he was in a good mood. What kind of person was Yu Lang? He could definitely do a good job if asked to work, but if he was allowed to rest and not work, this guy would definitely not be polite.
Even if it were twenty days, he could stay outside the palace for several more twenty days. He would never imagine that there was a master in the palace eagerly waiting for his return.
"Then how about I send someone to Lord Yu's residence to deliver a message?"
"Need not."
"He's on leave as I have given him; he can do whatever he wants. Nobody should disturb Lord Yu's rest."
It would be a miracle if anyone didn't sense the Crown Prince's anger. He Yuzhu chuckled inwardly, but showed no sign of it on his face. He simply turned his head slightly to look at the Crown Princess in the side room, and when he saw that the maid Zhijie was also looking in his direction, he felt slightly relieved.
"Don't look down on your mistress, there's nothing for you here, you can leave now."
You have to figure out what your master is thinking. He Yuzhu could leave now if he wanted to have nothing to do from now on.
Otherwise, we need to quickly come up with a way to find that Lord Yu, who has completely forgotten about Yuqing Palace and the Crown Prince as soon as he leaves the palace, without making it seem like the Crown Prince is unhappy or not lively enough without him.
“Your Majesty, didn’t His Majesty summon you the day before yesterday to discuss the campaign against Galdan? Shouldn’t we have Lord Yu come back and discuss this matter?”
"What is there to discuss? Should others have a say in the matter of troop deployment? When the time comes, Father Emperor will decide how to assign me, the Crown Prince, to command."
This is a bit like bringing up a sore spot. Emperor Kangxi had the idea of personally leading an expedition, but in the twenty-ninth year, he went out with his troops, only to fall ill halfway and return.
What happened next was even more confusing and almost cost Yinreng his life. Even now, a long time later, Yinreng is still shaken and hopeful, realizing that his own father was so wary of him.
Fortunately, I realized this in such a troublesome but not fatal matter, otherwise I don't know how much longer I would have remained a fool. I thought I was truly the invincible crown prince, and that my boss's underhanded tricks were a joke and nothing to fear.
This time, when the Emperor summoned me to the Qianqing Palace to discuss the matter of personally leading the expedition against Galdan, those present included Prince Yu Fuquan, Prince Gong Changning, several ministers of state, Mingzhu, Yinti, and Shi Wenbing.
The people were all old acquaintances. Except for Shi Wenbing, who replaced the still "sick" Suo'etu, the atmosphere in the study of the Qianqing Palace was more subtle than usual.
Whether it was because he couldn't figure out Shi Wenbing's temperament, or because of Shi Wenbing and the Shi family's solid military achievements over the years and their subtle identity that spanned the Manchu and Han ethnicities, Mingzhu seemed particularly fair and selfless. Even the eldest prince, Yinti, who had been rude to everyone lately, started to act obediently.
Yinreng certainly knew why he was acting this way; the emperor's personal expedition meant that he, as the crown prince, had to stay in the capital.
Fighting a war is different from touring Mongolia. No matter how many times you wish to live long enough, when it comes to a life-or-death situation, no matter what kind of emperor you are, you can die at will, and no one can escape it.
These words cannot be spoken openly, but preparations must be made. As long as His Majesty is not in the capital, Crown Prince Yinreng will become a source of reassurance for the entire nation. If His Majesty returns victorious, everyone will be overjoyed. If any unexpected event occurs, the Crown Prince, the reserve heir apparent, can seamlessly take over and ascend the throne.
As long as the succession to the throne remains orderly, the world will not be in chaos. This is a good thing, and it has been done this way for thousands of years. In any case, Yinreng has never heard of an emperor taking the crown prince out to fight a war while leaving the capital an empty shell and ignoring it.
However, this makes the Crown Prince's position too delicate. How many officials will feel that the Crown Prince's position is more secure and want to join his ranks as soon as possible? Kangxi will be more wary of this.
Yes, the Crown Prince is someone I intend to leave in the capital to oversee the country. Even if something were to happen to him, he would still be my most favored successor. But I don't want to die yet.
This naturally led to conflict. Yesterday, Yinreng had already felt the ambiguous attitude of those ministers in the Qianqing Palace, and the torment brought about by the lavish treatment and extravagant treatment.
The eldest son looked on with amusement. He didn't care, of course. As the eldest son of the emperor, who was highly skilled in martial arts, he was bound to go to war with the emperor. He didn't need to suppress his temperament at all. He just needed to fight hard on the battlefield.
Yinzhi was not afraid of death; even if he died on the battlefield, he would feel that he had died a worthy death and had lived a fulfilling life. Therefore, judging from the current situation, Yinreng had more concerns than Yinzhi, and thus was less able to act freely.
“Your Highness can’t just listen. I dare not interfere in the affairs of the previous dynasty, but I have no idea what the palace’s rules are now that Father Emperor is leaving the capital.”
On their wedding night, Yinreng himself said he wanted to live the life of an ordinary married couple, so Shi Qionghua naturally wouldn't treat herself like a stone, blindly obeying everything. She still remembered what Shen Wanqing had told her on her wedding day: "Don't let yourself be tarnished, don't let yourself down in this life."
Over the past year, since she had been named the Crown Princess, not only her relatives but also her father and mother had become more polite and respectful towards her.
Shi Wenbing no longer went to the courtyard where his daughter lived. Every time he met Shi Huashan in the main courtyard, he would only say the same three things: How have you been lately? Are the servants in the courtyard still obedient? Tell your mother if you are missing or need anything.
Aisin Gioro felt that she had to think twice before saying anything to her daughter, who was born from her own womb but was about to become her daughter. Aisin Gioro felt that she had to tell her daughter everything, but she also felt that nothing she said was appropriate.
Being caught in a dilemma ultimately resulted in being unable to rely on either side, and a rift suddenly appeared between the once extremely close mother and daughter. With these examples in mind, the words that Shen Wanqing had mustered up the courage to say to her that day naturally seemed all the more precious.
"Observe and listen more and speak less about what happens in the harem. I dare not touch that mess, and you should not get involved either."
"I don't want to get involved either, but when I went to kowtow and express my gratitude to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager that day, did the Empress Dowager mean that she wanted me to help the Consort manage the harem, or did she actually want me to manage the harem, and the Consort would have to give up the power she had gained?"
…………
If Shi Qionghua could tell, how could Yinreng not?
The day after the Crown Prince's wedding, he was supposed to go to the Qianqing Palace to kowtow and express his gratitude before going to the Ningshou Palace. Perhaps because he was happy that his favorite son was finally getting married, Kangxi didn't care about any rules. After seeing his son and daughter-in-law at the Qianqing Palace, he personally took Yinreng and Shi Qionghua to the Ningshou Palace.
The Empress Dowager was the late emperor's second empress. She was never favored in her life and even suffered a lot of resentment because the late emperor doted on Consort Dong'e.
She was widowed at a young age and lived as a widow for many years. Although she was not a meddlesome old lady, she had a deep-seated understanding of the differences in attitude and closeness between her wives and concubines.
Back then, Emperor Kangxi was reluctant to make Empress Xiaoyi his empress because he felt that he was destined to bring misfortune to his wives. Even though the entire harem and the court tacitly agreed that the Imperial Noble Consort was the empress, and Consort Tongjia was doing the work of an empress, the Empress Dowager still repeatedly urged Emperor Kangxi to establish an empress.
That tiny difference remained a hurdle in the Empress Dowager's mind.
After Empress Xiaoyi passed away, Emperor Kangxi lost all interest in bestowing an empress title. The harem was now managed by Consort Niohuru. Although the Empress Dowager did not say it, she always felt that this was not a good thing.
Now that Yinreng has finally married the Crown Princess, the old lady naturally told Shi Qionghua that as the Crown Princess, she should also take on the responsibilities of managing the affairs of the inner palace.
The Empress Dowager's words about the principles of light are reasonable.
Yinreng was the legitimate son of Empress Yuan and was made crown prince at a young age. Now there is no legitimate empress in the harem. Even Consort Niohuru is only given the title of Imperial Noble Consort because her family has already produced an empress. The emperor has not even made her an Imperial Noble Consort yet, and she only manages the harem in the name of Noble Consort.
As the first Crown Princess to be formally married in this dynasty, Shi Qionghua's management of the harem was perfectly legitimate. It was just like in an ordinary family where the master had lost his mistress, and his son had married a principal wife, so it was the daughter-in-law who should take charge of the household.
But one can't live by reason alone. These words made Shi Qionghua's scalp tingle. She could only imitate Shen Wanqing's previous act of being confused in front of her, and obediently and gently smiled and nodded no matter what the Empress Dowager said. She didn't dare to say another word.
Which of the concubines in the harem didn't have powerful backers? The eldest prince and Consort Hui had Mingzhu behind them, the third prince and Consort Rong had already arranged marriages with the Dong E family, and the fourth prince was raised by Empress Xiaoyi, with Consort De and the Wuya family behind him in addition to the Tong Guowei family.
Needless to say, Consort Yi was not someone to be trifled with, even without the Guo Luo Luo family and her two sons. She was born with a fiery temper, and to make matters worse, His Majesty liked her fiery temper.
Even though Consort Niohuru was in charge of the harem, Shi Qionghua often argued with her or tried to find fault with her. As a newlywed Crown Princess who had just married into Yuqing Palace, Shi Qionghua felt that she should not do this unless she was crazy.
"I will figure out how to handle things in the harem myself. But two heads are better than one. I need the Crown Prince's favor."
"Tell me what grace you have bestowed."
"I want to summon Lord Yu's wife, Lady Shen, to the palace. I haven't seen her for seven or eight days, and I miss her terribly. If I can summon her to the palace and have a word with her, maybe I can come up with a solution."
These words made Yinreng unable to resist looking up at his Crown Princess's eyes, to see if there was any hint of mockery hidden in them.
After watching for a while without finding anything, I realized that she really just wanted to invite Shen to the palace to have a chat. She didn't expect me to laugh at her for giving Yulang a leave of absence and now she wanted to see him but couldn't, and she was still stubbornly refusing to admit it.
Only then did she nod in agreement and have He Yuzhu bring another pair of waist tokens for Shi Qionghua. From now on, she wouldn't have to ask her before summoning anyone; she could simply have the nanny or the eunuch from Yuqing Palace take the waist tokens out of the palace to pick them up.
"Granny He, go and get the two jade ruyi that we just got a couple of days ago and give them to Madam Shen."
"Yes, sir."
The old nanny Shou, who had previously come from the palace, was unable to return to the palace. About half a month before Shi Qionghua's wedding, the old nanny Shou contracted dysentery due to food poisoning and suffered from vomiting and diarrhea for seven or eight days, preventing her from leaving the house.
The servants who serve their masters are most afraid of getting this kind of disease. Now that the Crown Princess has not yet entered the palace, the Shi family has plenty of people to do. If you have diarrhea, I can find someone else to do any errands for you.
But if she enters the palace, even as the Crown Princess, Shi Qionghua can only bring a few maids and nannies, and each one must be capable. You're so greedy and can't even take care of your own body. When your master needs you, will he have to search for you in the outhouse?
These words were too harsh. Granny Shou lowered her head and cried, snot and tears streaming down her face, waving her hands. It was unclear whether she meant that she wouldn't cause any more trouble, or that she wouldn't be unavailable when needed.
Whatever the reason, because of this incident, Granny Shou was unable to return to the palace. The Shi family gave her a considerable sum of money as a retirement allowance, and after asking her opinion, sent her back to her hometown.
The nanny He who is now accompanying us into the palace is Shi Qionghua's wet nurse. During the years that Nanny Shou was in the Shi family, she was almost always with Nanny Shou. She has figured out all the rules and unspoken rules of the palace. It doesn't matter if Nanny Shou is unwilling to talk about the deeper ones. She will understand everything after living in the palace for a while.
Sitting in Shi Qionghua's position, she may not have any smart or capable people around her, but everyone around her must be trustworthy and loyal. Shi Qionghua really wouldn't dare to keep someone like Granny Shou, who was so eager to return to the palace, by her side.
"Remember to tell her that I was worried she might get lost when she went to the palace to express her gratitude, and that it would be best if her master Yu escorted her here."
"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant has remembered."
Well, he'd only made a fool of himself. Yinreng stood up and walked to Shi Qionghua, trying his best to appear as an unapproachable and dignified Crown Prince: "Your Highness, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"If my husband can't say what's hard to say or find, isn't it only right and proper for me, as his wife, to help him find it?"
“That night, the Crown Prince himself said that he wanted to be an ordinary husband and wife with me. This is what an ordinary husband and wife is. What does the Crown Prince think?”
She had said everything she wanted to say, so what could Yinreng do? He casually took the waist token that He Yuzhu had just given him and threw it to him: "Go, listen to your mistress, and quickly find Yulang and Shen Shi."
Yu Lang wasn't home, and neither was Shen Wanqing.
The two had agreed to stay overnight at the manor after their winter hunt outside the city, but because Madam Shen neglected the rabbit that Lord Yu had hunted the night before, and only ate deer and lamb, Lord Yu made a grand vow that he would hunt a deer himself the next day no matter what.
But sometimes you can't force things. With so many people and hunting dogs in this weather, finding the deer shouldn't have been too difficult. But Yu-lang took it too seriously, and the deer disappeared as well.
The group spent the next day searching the mountains, bringing back a pheasant, a rabbit, a fox, and even a lone wolf, but they didn't see a deer. Not only did they not encounter any deer, but they also didn't run into any gazelles or sika deer that looked similar.
Yu Lang sensed something was wrong, and when he returned the next afternoon, his face was rather sour. He neither said he was going back nor not going back, but just clung to Shen Wanqing, constantly saying that something was wrong, very wrong.
Akdun took two days off. The firearms battalion had just been established and there were many things to deal with. Yulang, who had a long vacation, didn't care, but he couldn't stay any longer.
Shen Wanqing thought that Yu Lang had indeed been busy for the past two years, so she simply let Akdun take Dai Jia Shi back first, while Yu Lang and a few people under the Zuo Ling stayed behind to accompany him to find deer for another day.
To everyone's surprise, they still hadn't found it on the third day. This time, Lord Yu was much more confident than the day before. It was because Fang Liang had brought his men to the estate, along with the account books that Shen Wanqing needed to handle and the matters that required her decision.
Since it didn't interfere with things at home, let's stay another day. It's a rare trip, and we shouldn't go back with regrets. Yu Lang, like a dog, rested his head against Shen Wanqing's waist, looking up at his wife sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed) looking at the account book that Fang Liang had brought over.
For a moment, he was in a daze, feeling like he wasn't some first-class guard of Yuqing Palace, but just a small steward on this estate, who was getting into a fight with a missing deer over a trivial matter and some inexplicable sense of face.
Since the silly deer said so much just to hunt a deer, how could Shen Wanqing refuse? So she decided to stay another day.
Fortunately, on the fourth day, Yu Lang finally managed to catch a roe deer and hit it. On the way back to the manor, he was so arrogant and domineering that even from a distance, Shen Wanqing could hear Yu Lang talking about how he was going to eat the roe deer that night.
Then He Yuzhu appeared from behind the gate of the manor: "Lord Yu, why don't you take this roe back to Yuqing Palace to eat? There's no time to eat it now."
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Yu-chu-zi: Peanuts! Feed me peanuts! [bursting into tears]
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