It's unclear whether Emperor Kangxi's lie was too convincing, or whether it was a genuine premonition from Heaven.
Before he stopped writing at the end of the year, he bestowed the title of Earl upon the brothers Tong Ruita and Tong Qinian, and on the night he arranged a marriage between Tong Ruita and Dolan, he actually dreamed that a black bear holding a long axe rescued him safely from the encirclement of the army.
Tong Ruita is skilled in all eighteen martial arts, but her specialty is the long axe.
When Kangxi woke up the next morning, he recalled his dream and felt more and more that Tong Ruita was his lucky charm.
It doesn't make sense that if his son can marry a lucky star, he can't have a lucky general.
After resolving Tong Ruita's marriage, Kangxi took advantage of the occasion when arranging marriages for members of the imperial clan to also marry off Ulan.
Having lost all interest in Yinreng, Wulan was quite obedient.
The Empress Dowager was soft-hearted and, considering that Ulan hadn't done anything wrong, treated her fairly well.
Seeing that the Empress Dowager didn't neglect Ulan, the concubines in the harem would chat with her when they came to Ning Shou Palace, so as not to ignore her.
After experiencing the ups and downs of human relationships in the Forbidden City, Ulan remained the proud grassland princess, only now she was more cautious and rule-abiding.
Emperor Kangxi had already married off three of his daughters, and many of his concubines had daughters.
Considering that Ulan was a Mongolian girl, and that the princesses in the palace were destined to marry into Mongolia, the Imperial Concubine arranged for Ulan to frequently interact with these princesses, as a way to let them get used to the place in advance.
After receiving guidance from the Empress Dowager, Ulan reciprocated by telling the princesses about taboos and precautions on the grasslands. Unexpectedly, this resulted in Kangxi's remaining daughters suffering less hardship when they later married into Mongolian families.
After all, the confidence you feel when marrying into a place without knowing anything about it is different from the confidence you feel when you know about it beforehand.
When Tong Wanyan went to Ning Shou Palace, she overheard the Empress Dowager casually mention that the princesses and princes could practice martial arts together. They weren't expected to be able to lift a cauldron with one hand, but they were expected to be able to handle horseback riding and archery to some extent.
The Empress Dowager granted the request, and Emperor Kangxi, along with some, felt a pang of regret, wondering why he hadn't thought of these things before.
Previously, all I thought about was ensuring the princesses lived comfortably in the palace and received good dowries when they married. I never really considered their adaptability to life in Mongolia.
After all, a large number of servants were to be brought along, but no matter how useful the servants were, it wouldn't work if the master couldn't establish himself.
Tong Wanyan casually mentioned it, and unexpectedly received thanks from the concubines.
Ulan married the second son of a powerful family. He was a simple-minded man with a strong drive for success.
When the Empress Dowager summoned him and his mother to the palace, the two of them unexpectedly took a liking to the smiling and energetic Ulan.
Such a perfect match made Emperor Kangxi readily agree to arrange the marriage.
The thirtieth year of Kangxi's reign passed just like that. The weather was favorable and the harvest was plentiful. Except for Yinreng taking a knife for Kangxi from a rebel, everything went smoothly.
During the New Year's Eve banquet, the First Princess Consort smelled fish and unexpectedly vomited. The imperial physician diagnosed her as three months pregnant, which made Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager overjoyed.
Consort Hui beamed from ear to ear, exclaiming, "Double happiness!"
The imperial physician specifically instructed that the First Princess Consort should take good care of her health, as she had conceived three times in quick succession, and this fourth pregnancy came too soon, causing her body some discomfort.
Yinreng attended the banquet this year with his twins, a boy and a girl. He was holding his chubby daughter in his arms, while Hongzhao sat in Kangxi's lap, enjoying the limelight.
Yinreng, who was content with having a son, felt no jealousy whatsoever when he saw Yinti grinning foolishly.
Even if the First Consort is carrying a boy this time, he will not be the eldest grandson of the Emperor.
After Consort Hui finished celebrating, Yinreng sincerely said to Yinti, "I wish my elder brother all his wishes come true, and that my elder brother and sister-in-law will soon have a son."
Yinti looked at Yinreng with surprise. It was rare for the cunning Crown Prince to say such nice things to him, which made him feel flattered.
In high spirits during the New Year, Emperor Kangxi couldn't resist summoning Grand Secretaries and Ministers to the Qianqing Gate on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year to discuss the principles of music and mathematics.
The ministers who were summoned to the palace were enjoying the New Year at home when they were suddenly summoned to accompany Emperor Kangxi. They had no choice but to leave their families to entertain the guests while they went to the palace.
This is a divine favor, something to be proud of; it pales in comparison to a holiday break during the Lunar New Year.
Emperor Kangxi had a wide range of interests. He was not only diligent in his duties, but also involved in other fields, and his knowledge of them was not superficial; on the contrary, he was quite proficient in most of them.
Emperor Kangxi said, "Musical sounds, whether high or low, cycle and generate each other, and to return to their original tone, must be spaced eight times apart."
To prove his point, he ordered musicians to bring out a flute and a zither to test the pitch, and the original sound was still present on the eighth note.
Pleasure was unrelated to politics, so the ministers didn't need to be on edge. They relaxed and discussed and debated with Emperor Kangxi.
For a moment, the sounds of string and wind instruments from the Ganqing Gate were delightful.
Those in high positions always have a broader mind and greater spirit than musicians. The music played by Emperor Kangxi and his ministers was magnificent and its influence was far-reaching.
After several rounds of musical performance, Emperor Kangxi ordered palace maids to serve tea and snacks.
He ate snacks and chatted with his ministers, and then the conversation turned to mathematics.
"A circle with a diameter of one foot has a circumference of three feet, one inch, four-tenths, and a fraction of a centimeter. I have observed that the Pythagorean theorem in the table of radii is extremely precise. All circles can be squared, and the method of extracting the square root originates from this." Kangxi, holding paper and pen, began to calculate for his ministers.
He checked each calculation one by one, and there was no discrepancy.
He was delighted to receive admiring and respectful glances and praise from the ministers.
Even emperors need praise, especially genuine compliments.
The ministers knew they were there to play the supporting role, so they naturally let Kangxi take the lead and allowed him to display his talents.
"Mathematics is precise; you must not overlook this aspect. The flow of water through river sluice gates can also be calculated to determine the fraction of water flowing in a day and night. For example, first measure the width of the sluice gate, calculate how much water flows in one second, and accumulate this to calculate the total amount flowing in a day and night." Ultimately, Kangxi's study of mathematics was for the purpose of civil administration.
Fearing that some ministers might not understand or believe him, he specially ordered Liang Jiugong to bring out a sundial, mark it with a pen, and indicate the position of the midday shadow, so that all the ministers could wait and watch.
A group of people sat there watching, and by noon, the shadow of the sun and the marker indeed aligned.
Mei Wending, who was well-versed in calendrical science, immediately reported: "Today, I have received Your Majesty's instructions, which are truly unprecedented and unprecedented. I am overjoyed."
The other ministers all agreed and sincerely agreed.
Mei Wending was deeply knowledgeable in calendrical science, and Emperor Kangxi attached great importance to his research in astronomy and mathematics.
Moreover, in his spare time, Emperor Kangxi would discuss with Mei Wending how to revise the calendar and conduct actual observations.
Therefore, Kangxi was extremely pleased that Mei Wending was able to take the lead in sincerely praising him.
Although he was a good emperor, his ministers, such as Mei Wending, were more proficient in mathematics.
The fact that he was recognized and admired by those in the field was something that Kangxi was proud of for a long time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
