Kangxi looked at Tong Ruita with excitement. This kid had found a wife on his own, so he didn't have to worry about finding one for him all the time.
"Which family's daughter is she?" Kangxi thought to himself. Even if that girl was already engaged, he would still agree to give her to Tong Ruita.
What a fine minister! He never asks him for anything, and whether in court or on the battlefield, he always executes orders precisely. Such a good and trusted general deserves to be treated well.
Tong Ruita knelt down solemnly: "Your Majesty, this servant admires Dolan, the Khalkha princess of the Mongolian steppe."
"Hmm, not Ulan?" Kangxi didn't have a deep impression of Dolan.
On the contrary, Ulan, who caused a ruckus as soon as she entered the palace, now gives him a headache whenever he hears the word "Lan".
Tong Ruita shook his head: "This servant does not know anyone named Ulan."
When Tong Ruita went to escort Ulan to the capital, he only knew that she was a princess of the Khorchin region, but he didn't know her name. It wasn't that Mongolian daughters couldn't reveal their names, but he had no interest in asking, and others certainly wouldn't tell him.
From beginning to end, Tong Ruita and Wulan barely exchanged a few words.
He treated picking up Wulan as a chore, while Wulan treated him as just another person who came to pick her up.
It must be admitted that Kangxi did an excellent job of keeping things secret; even the person involved did not know his intentions.
The Khalkha were a large tribe in Mongolia, but to be honest, marrying a Mongolian woman would not have been beneficial to Tong Ruita's career.
Aside from the fact that the title of princess sounds prestigious, in reality, she couldn't even compare to the daughter of a third-rank official in the capital.
At least in the capital, families that could hold the rank of third-grade official had all the connections and status that came with it, so marrying a wife was like gaining a powerful family to rely on.
Emperor Kangxi chose Ulan for Tong Ruita because she was from the Khorchin clan.
The Khorchin were special, holding a different status in the Qing Dynasty.
When Emperor Kangxi learned that Tong Ruita had taken a liking to an ordinary princess, he couldn't help but laugh and scold him for being a fool.
"Minister Tong, do you know that even if you fancy the daughter of a high-ranking official, as long as she is not the eldest daughter of the principal wife, I can still bestow a marriage upon you?" Emperor Kangxi advised Tong Ruita.
Tong Ruita said, “Your Majesty, my heart is not in this, I am not truly foolish. What you said, my mother and sister-in-law have also said. I am deeply grateful for your concern. However, I only want to marry a consort, not a family. I am a son of a concubine, and my eldest brother is capable of upholding the family's honor, so there is no need for me to add to the family's prestige. Even if Princess Duolan were just an ordinary Han woman, I would still be willing to marry her.”
Tong Ruita spoke sincerely, and Kangxi stopped trying to persuade him.
Because everything he said made sense.
If Emperor Kangxi had bestowed upon Tong Ruita a wife with a prominent Manchu surname, it could easily have caused discord within the otherwise harmonious Tong family.
"I vaguely remember that Dolan is not engaged. Since you like her, I will write a letter to the old queen of Khalkha and then bestow a marriage upon you both," Kangxi said.
They said they were going to the book to inquire, but it was just a formality.
Emperor Kangxi had already made his decision; how could the old princess possibly refuse?
However, the Khalkha had always been loyal to the Qing Dynasty and never caused him any trouble. As an emperor, he couldn't be too domineering towards such a subject.
When Tong Ruita heard Emperor Kangxi announce that he would be betrothed to Tong Ruita, he was overjoyed and instantly felt too ashamed to face anyone.
Looking at Tong Ruita's honest and loyal face and his imposing and robust physique, Kangxi couldn't help but ask curiously, "Don't you only go to court and the military camp? How did you get to know a Mongol princess?"
"It was fate that brought us together, Your Majesty. You wouldn't understand. I can't tell you how I met Princess Dolan now. I'll tell you on my wedding day, okay?" Tong Ruita was worried that if Kangxi knew Dolan had gone to the tavern, he would have a bad impression of her.
Kangxi laughed loudly, "Does it mean that if I find out, I can go back on this marriage decree? Fine, you chose your own consort, so you have to accept it whether she's good or bad. I won't investigate; I'll just wait for you to tell me yourself when the time comes."
Tong Ruita chuckled, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant has excellent eyesight; I can see arrows flying from a thousand meters away. This Consort's eyesight must be just as good."
"What a shameless person. How can these two things be confused? I value your marriage as much as my son's. Now that you have someone you like, I don't have to worry anymore," Kangxi said with great relief.
Tong Ruita was deeply moved: "Your Majesty, this servant kowtows to thank you. Your Majesty, please rest assured, as long as this servant lives, I will protect the Qing Dynasty for you. Not only this servant, but also my wife and my son will guard the border for you. Whoever dares to offend us, this servant will send them all back for you."
Tong Ruita cleverly laid the groundwork for Dolan's future desire to go to the battlefield.
Kangxi was unaware of the truth and was deeply moved by his words of utmost loyalty.
Emperor Kangxi sent a messenger with a fast horse to deliver a letter to the old princess of Khalkha. Upon learning that Emperor Kangxi himself had acted as matchmaker and that the matchmaker was from the Tong family, the old princess agreed without the slightest reluctance.
The old princess was very pleased that she could marry into the emperor's maternal family and that he was the second son.
As for Tong Ruita's status as a son of a concubine, Kangxi did not hide it from him.
But the old princess herself was born out of wedlock, and she didn't believe in birth; she valued a person's abilities more.
The fact that Emperor Kangxi went to such lengths for Tong Ruita shows that he was favored by the emperor.
“Celing, your sister is getting married. You need to grow up quickly. You can’t always let your grandmother and your sister look after this tribe for you. You are the future king of the Khalkha, do you understand?” After sealing the reply that had been granted, the old queen asked the messenger to take it back to Kangxi, and then said to her only grandson.
Celing was still young, but he was already quite sensible: "Grandmother, don't worry, I will try my best to grow up and protect you and my sister. But what kind of person is my brother-in-law? If he can't kill a bear with his bare hands, I will look down on him. My sister wants someone who can protect her; someone who can't even lift a basket is unacceptable."
"This child knows so much. Your future brother-in-law is very skilled in martial arts and will be a fierce general guarding the borders of the Qing Dynasty. He will definitely be able to protect your sister well," the old princess said to Celing with a smile.
"Then I'm relieved." Celing's mature demeanor made the old princess's eyes crinkle with laughter.
Emperor Kangxi received the old princess's reply and immediately issued an edict to bestow a marriage upon Tong Ruita.
As he had said before, before bestowing a marriage upon Tong Ruita, he needed to elevate his title.
But Tong Ruita hasn't made any major contributions yet, so how can she be promoted to a higher rank?
Kangxi had a sudden inspiration and used the story of Xue Rengui, the young general of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, as a reason.
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang once dreamed of a young general on a white horse, and he could also dream of a general with a black bear.
They were all emperors, so why was it that only Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had divine intervention?
When Emperor Kangxi bestowed a divine aura upon Tong Ruita, he did not forget to also cloak himself in the guise of divine right of kings.
He was the emperor, the son of heaven. His favorite ministers were naturally sent to him by heaven to help him make the Qing Dynasty more prosperous.
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