In the thirty-sixth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the fifth prince, Yinqi, finally married his primary consort, Lady Tatara.
Among the sisters-in-law, the Fifth Prince's wife had the worst family background.
Yinqi was initially unhappy, feeling that Kangxi did not love him and had chosen such a weak-willed wife for him.
It was Yinzhen who went to persuade him: "Your status as a prince is already noble. Fifth brother, you still have me as your younger brother and your favored mother. If you were to have a wife of noble birth, wouldn't that cause misunderstandings among the officials?"
Yinqi thought about it and agreed, but he still felt awkward: "It doesn't mean that the family background is so low. Even the wives of the imperial family members are better chosen than the wives of a proper prince like me."
The Ninth Prince, who thought himself sweet-talking and good at coaxing people, kept quiet in front of his honest and simple older brother.
"I'll go find my second brother, the Crown Prince." Yinzhen had developed an instinctive habit of seeking help from his second brother when he needed something, and from his tenth brother when he didn't.
Yinqi hesitated, wanting to call out to him, but the words stuck in his throat.
What if the Crown Prince has a solution? Father Emperor favors the Crown Prince the most; no one else's words are as effective as the Crown Prince's.
Yinqi held onto hope that Yintang could bring about a turning point.
Since the imperial consort could not be divorced, Yinqi, who already had a son and a secondary consort, did not have high requirements for his primary consort, but he was also unwilling to accept anything too low.
Yin Tang left like a gust of wind, and he came like a gust of wind.
The eunuchs following behind him were panting heavily, not daring to tarnish their image or offend their masters' eyes; they were truly pitiful.
"Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother!" Yinzhen gasped for breath, hands on his hips, eyes sparkling as he looked at Yinqi.
Seeing that his expression was good, Yinqi was excited: "Is it because my second brother, the Crown Prince, is willing to speak to Father Emperor on my behalf?"
“The imperial edict has already been issued, and it certainly cannot be changed.” Yinzhen directly rejected Yinqi’s fantasy.
Yinqi instantly deflated: "What else can we do? The daughter of a minor official, how will she manage my household in the future? She might not even be as good as Liu Jia Shi."
"Fifth Brother, the inner quarters are all about men. We brothers don't fight or compete, so the Fujin (wife) doesn't need to be too scheming. Besides, the Emperor chose this Fujin for you because of yourself." Yinzhen began to share the gossip he had heard from Yinreng.
Yinqi was astonished and immediately realized he had overthought things: "I have no affair with her, nor have we ever run into each other!"
Yinzhen burst out laughing, spitting all over Yinqi's face.
“My fifth brother, even if you do have one, it doesn’t matter.” Yinzhen thought his fifth brother was a real character: “Do you remember what you said a few years ago when Father asked you what kind of wife you liked?”
Yinqi shook his head. That must have happened several years ago, and his answer probably wasn't what he truly felt. How could he possibly remember?
“I guess Fifth Brother can’t remember either. Second Brother, the Crown Prince, told me that this is how you told Father Emperor back then.” Yin Tang drew out his words, which made Yin Qi anxious before he said, “I was raised by Father Emperor since I was a child. I am fluent in Mongolian, my Manchu is so-so, and I am not good at Chinese. I hope my future wife can speak Chinese. I don’t have high requirements for appearance, as long as she is fair-skinned and soft like a glutinous rice ball.”
For a period of time, Yinqi was extremely fond of eating glutinous rice balls, and he would talk about them constantly.
Upon hearing Yinzhi's sly retelling, Yinqi felt as if the sky had fallen.
His hands trembled: "So the princess my father chose for me is fluent in Mongolian and looks like a glutinous rice ball?"
Yinzhen nodded happily: "That's right. But Fifth Brother, you don't need to worry. The Crown Princess and Second Sister-in-law have both met the future Fifth Sister-in-law and said she has a good temper. Moreover, she has a charming appearance, not as ordinary as the portrait shows."
Since his family background could not be changed, Yinqi could only hope for his future wife.
Ultimately, he chose this person himself, and Kangxi did not disregard his wishes. On the contrary, he did his best to find such a suitable person for him, so he could not harbor any resentment.
"Father, you've gone to so much trouble." Yinqi sighed deeply and acknowledged, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and your sister-in-law have also gone to great lengths."
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