After Ulan finished speaking, everyone in the hall gasped.
Even the Empress Dowager's joyful face showed a hint of displeasure.
Yinreng was wearing the Crown Prince's everyday clothes, and the Empress Dowager did not believe that he had not learned some royal etiquette and common sense before entering the capital.
The emperor's dragon robe was bright yellow, while the crown prince wore apricot yellow. Among all the clothes in the palace, only these two were truly unique.
If Yinreng hadn't been wearing this outfit, it would have been fine. The youngest daughter loves handsome men, and given her status, it's not that she can't think about princes.
Even if Kangxi didn't have such an intention, he wouldn't be angry.
The Horqin people are really bold.
The atmosphere inside the hall was tense, but Ulan remained oblivious.
She waited with great anticipation for Yinreng's response, or for him to give her a look of amazement.
She was the most beautiful woman in Mongolia, and countless Mongolian men wanted to marry her.
"This is my crown prince," Kangxi said.
"Ulan is willing to become the Crown Prince's concubine," Ulan said, seemingly oblivious to the situation.
Yinreng had no reservations like Kangxi. He first bowed to Kangxi and the Empress Dowager, and then said, "I am unwilling."
"Why? Is it because Ulan is not good-looking, or because her family background is not high enough? Ulan knows that she is not worthy of the title of Crown Princess and dares not dream of it, but is it not even acceptable to be a concubine?" Ulan is courting death.
Yinreng sneered: "It's enough that I know you're delusional. I look down on you. Even if you offered yourself to me, I wouldn't give you a second glance."
"Baocheng, come here." Kangxi interrupted Yinreng, not wanting him to say anything even more hurtful.
Yinreng looked coldly at Wulan, and as he walked toward Kangxi, he said, "Ugly people are often troublesome."
Emperor Kangxi looked at the Empress Dowager with a headache, fearing that she would be angry about this.
The Empress Dowager has seen many storms over the years; she wouldn't make such a fuss over a mere niece.
I originally thought she was obedient and clever, and I wanted to arrange a good marriage for her and give her a generous dowry, but now I realize that's unnecessary.
The Qing dynasty had a large number of imperial relatives, and there were many princesses and noblewomen in the capital. Mongol princesses were really nothing special in the Qing dynasty.
Calling someone a princess is an honorific; in reality, she may not be as noble as the legitimate daughter of a prominent Manchu family.
The Qing Dynasty belonged to the Manchus, not the Mongols.
The Empress Dowager smiled reassuringly at Kangxi, indicating that she did not mind.
"Yinreng, why didn't you bring Yuanbao'er? And what about my Tana and Hongzhao?" The Empress Dowager was thinking of Tong Wanyan and Tana.
Yinreng cupped his hands to the Empress Dowager: "She knows that your clansmen are coming to the palace today, and she is afraid that she will be jealous if she sees you showing affection to others, so she asked me to ask for leave for her. She said she will pay her respects to you first thing tomorrow morning, and asked you not to hold it against her."
"Your Majesty, listen to what Yuanbao'er is saying! She's such a jealous little thing. Everyone in the palace knows that she's my favorite. No one can compare to her. But it's all because I spoil her." Although Tong Wanyan wasn't there, the Empress Dowager was pleased. This was because she treated her like a close elder, which was why she dared to be so willful.
"Baocheng, go back and tell Yuanbao'er that I can't bear to see her get up so early to come to Ning Shou Palace. Even though she's very filial, I'm getting old and wake up late. She should still come at the same time as usual, and I'll save breakfast for her." The Empress Dowager said to Yinreng.
Yinreng quickly agreed and thanked the emperor on behalf of Tong Wanyan.
Once everyone had arrived, the imperial kitchen servants came in a row carrying food boxes to serve the dishes.
Of the princes present, only Yinreng and Yinzhi were of similar age to Ulan, while Yinzhen and Yinqi were younger.
None of these privileged young men were interested in Ulan. Even Yinzhi, who was obsessed with beauty but lacked common sense, didn't like Ulan's appearance. He preferred the gentleness of Han women.
The young princes, having finally had a chance to see Emperor Kangxi, chattered excitedly as they surrounded him.
The Empress Dowager pulled Yinqi aside to talk; she loved the child she had raised herself even more.
Ulan stared blankly at the Imperial Concubine and Consort Yi, wondering why everyone had suddenly stopped paying attention to her.
Just now, she was like a dazzling pearl, with everyone surrounding her, flattering her, and praising her to the skies.
Everything changed after the Crown Prince arrived.
When Consort Gui and Consort Yi met her gaze, they immediately turned their heads and pulled Consort Hui and Consort Rong aside to talk.
She's just a young girl after all, inexperienced and not very shrewd.
She sat on the stool looking wronged, her bright little face looking listless, making her even less endearing.
After the meal, Ulan was still kept in Ning Shou Palace.
The Ning Shou Palace is a newly built palace, and its side halls are equally brand new, ready for people to move in at any time.
The Empress Dowager lived in the main hall, and the concubines in the side hall could not disturb her.
Initially, the Empress Dowager wanted Ulan to live close to her, but after what just happened, she simply had the nanny arrange for her to live in a more secluded place. After all, it's still within the Ning Shou Palace grounds, so even if it's remote, it's not bad.
Ulan moved into the west-facing room alone. As soon as she closed the door, she sat on the couch, hugging her knees, and cried.
The maid who came with her was quite sensible.
One of them said, "Princess, the Prince instructed that you must not speak recklessly after you arrive in the capital, and you must obey the Empress Dowager's arrangements in everything you do."
“I’m not talking nonsense. I just want to marry the Crown Prince, because he’s so handsome. Besides, he is the Crown Prince, the future Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. In the current harem, Mongolian women don’t hold high positions. If I can win the Crown Prince’s favor, it will be a good thing for the Khorchin,” Ulan said, indulging in a whimsical idea.
Her two maids were terrified when they heard this and quickly covered her mouth.
She really is a little devil, living right under the Empress Dowager's nose and still daring to talk nonsense.
Even they, as servants, knew that the Qing Dynasty and Mongolia were not so close, yet this master dared to think so much.
“Princess, the Prince summoned you to the capital to ask the Emperor to choose a suitable husband for you, but he must not be a concubine,” the maid said.
Ulan pried their hands apart and said willfully, "What if the Crown Prince likes me? Maybe he doesn't like the clothes I'm wearing today, or maybe it's because the Emperor is here?"
"Princess, please have mercy! This is the Forbidden City, not Khorchin! These are things you can't say carelessly!" The maids were almost in tears.
I originally thought it was a good thing that they came to the capital with me, but now I realize that there was a reason why the other sisters were secretly hiding from the little princess.
The young princess, spoiled by the prince, has become too audacious, completely indifferent to politics and only concerned with her own desires. If she were to utter a single wrong word, her master might escape unscathed, but they, as servants, would certainly lose their lives.
“Coward. Go to sleep, go to sleep. Tomorrow I’m going to see who the Empress Dowager’s favorite person is. Are there other members of our clan in the Forbidden City?” Ulan frowned.
She was good at pleasing elders because she knew their words were the most effective.
She refused to believe that once she talked to the Empress Dowager about the vast grasslands and her grandfather, the Empress Dowager wouldn't help her.
The Empress Dowager was also a daughter of the Khorchin, and it was impossible for her to be willing to see the Mongols have no status in the Qing Dynasty's harem.
Thankfully, she didn't voice her thoughts. The maids, who had been terrified, wiped the cold sweat from their brows and helped her to bed. Otherwise, while Ulan slept soundly all night, the maids probably wouldn't have dared to sleep a wink.
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