A month after Tong Guozhu and Tong Fujin returned to the capital, they finally got everything sorted out.
A household still needs a matriarch to manage the household affairs.
This was the day the Tong family sent betrothal gifts to Prince Su's residence.
Logically, the betrothal gifts should have been sent earlier. However, Emperor Kangxi's bestowal of the marriage was hasty, and the elders of the Tong family were not present, so they had no choice but to delay.
Fortunately, Tong Qinian's desire to marry was sincere, so Prince Su had no choice but to turn a blind eye.
Early in the morning, Kangxi summoned Yinreng: "Your cousin said that the Tong family sent betrothal gifts to his residence today and wants you to go and keep order. Your concubine has been in the palace for a year now, so take her there to meet her family."
Yinreng was overjoyed. When had his father, the Emperor, ever been so considerate of his daughter-in-law?
Tong Wanyan received treatment that even a proper daughter-in-law wouldn't receive.
Yinreng's gaze was intense, but Kangxi turned away, looking somewhat embarrassed.
“Prince Su said that my marriage was arranged too hastily this time, and I didn’t allow Jia Rong to show her true status. The previous incident with the Tong family caused unhappiness for the whole family, so they certainly couldn’t prepare the betrothal gifts properly. Since Jia Rong’s husband’s family is not good, he must put on a good show on his side. You are the Crown Prince, so you can support Jia Rong.”
Emperor Kangxi was so worn down by Prince Su that he finally offered up his son.
Better to die for my fellow Daoist than for myself; better to burden my son than for myself.
Yinreng's lips twitched; he knew he shouldn't have had such high expectations of his imperial father.
However, that was enough. If Kangxi had no heart, Tong Wanyan would have had no chance of leaving the palace.
With the imperial edict in hand, Yinreng returned briskly to the south courtyard of Yuqing Palace.
Tong Wanyan was still lying in bed, which was one of the advantages of not having the pampering of her mother-in-law and husband.
Close the door and be the boss; get up whenever you want.
"Master is back so soon?" Tong Wanyan turned over with her eyes closed as she heard the door open, behaving extremely rudely.
Yinreng was used to her saying this: "I have some good news for you, do you want to guess?"
"I won't guess." Tong Wanyan showed no mercy whatsoever.
Yinreng was helpless. It was getting late, and he was afraid that if he wasted time, Tong Wanyan would scratch his face until it was covered in bruises.
"Father Emperor said that I should take you out of the palace to Prince Su's residence," Yinreng said.
As soon as Yinreng spoke, Tong Wanyan sat up abruptly and stared straight at him: "Really?"
"I wouldn't dare lie to my darling." Yinreng affectionately pinched her nose: "Get up quickly. You need to dress up nicely, so that your two brothers, father, and mother don't see you and think I haven't taken good care of you."
Tong Wanyan's heart pounded with excitement; she thought she would never have the chance to leave the palace again in her life.
The last time she left the palace was by accident, and afterwards, Emperor Kangxi kept a close eye on her, both openly and secretly, for a long time.
"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Tong Wanyan threw herself into Yinreng's arms, nuzzled against his neck for a while, and hurriedly called for someone to come in and serve her.
Yinreng remained in his original position, sitting on the edge of the bed with a satisfied smile on his face.
Xiao Yan hadn't been this enthusiastic towards him in a long time.
Knowing Tong Wanyan's eagerness, Chunque and Xiazhu dressed her up more than twice as fast as usual.
With nothing else to do, Yinreng went to the back and had someone open the wardrobe, picking out several cheongsams so that Tong Wanyan wouldn't have to think about them anymore.
"This eggplant-colored dress embroidered with auspicious clouds and gold trim is my favorite," Yinreng said, having the clothes presented one by one, finally pointing to the purple qipao.
Purple is a noble color, so Tong Wanyan cannot wear bright red. Since she rarely leaves the palace, there is no need for her to wear silver-red or light red, which would be offensive.
After much thought, Yinreng decided that dark purple clothes were the most suitable.
Tong Wanyan was holding a purple jade hairpin in her hand: "Great minds think alike."
How perfectly in sync they were! Yinreng and Tong Wanyan exchanged a smile, feeling extremely content.
Tong Wanyan has fair skin, a tall and slender figure, and bright features. Paired with a purple cheongsam adorned with dark ink, she exudes an air of nobility.
She stood beside Yinreng, her aura showing no fear whatsoever; they were a couple who should have walked side by side.
Chunque and Xiazhu stayed in Yuqing Palace to help Granny Ling, so they did not follow.
Sitting in the carriage leaving the palace, Tong Wanyan held Yinreng's hand. With each sound of the carriage wheels, her heart skipped a beat.
"There must be a lot of people at Prince Su's residence today. Will I have a chance to see my brother and father nearby?" Tong Wanyan asked nervously.
Yinreng held her hand and comforted her, "Of course I can. Not only that, I can also find opportunities for you two to spend some time together. Today, Consort Tong will also be here."
"Is Mother alright?" Tong Wanyan had no feelings for Tong Fujin, but she thought that the original Tong Wanyan should have cared about Tong Fujin a lot.
"We'll know everything when we see it. In any case, I'm here for you," Yinreng said.
Seeing that Tong Wanyan was still a little nervous, Yinreng simply changed the subject: "Next March, Yinzhi will be getting married. At that time, the Crown Princess will not be at Yuqing Palace yet. You are the first concubine personally appointed by Father Emperor, so your status is not bad. According to the wishes of Mother Emperor and Father Emperor, you will be in charge of organizing this wedding."
Tong Wanyan panicked even more: "This kind of thing should be done by the Crown Princess."
"So, you're an assistant organizer, not the organizer. There's not much to do; the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department are very familiar with these things. You'll just be keeping an eye on the servants below and occasionally giving them a few pointers. Back when the Imperial Noble Consort was alive, she taught you so much, and it wasn't with Father Emperor's tacit approval. Don't be afraid, I won't harm you."
Yinreng would certainly not harm Tong Wanyan, but the emperor's heart is unfathomable, and Kangxi might be petty.
“I will listen to the Empress Dowager at that time,” Tong Wanyan said.
Yinreng smiled slightly: "You're the most clever one."
The Prince Su's Mansion is very close to the Forbidden City; it takes less than a quarter of an hour to get there after leaving the Forbidden City.
When the Crown Prince left the palace, someone would announce his departure.
When their carriage stopped at the gate of Prince Su's residence, Prince Su and his entourage were already waiting there with bows.
"This servant greets the Crown Prince." Prince Su led everyone in bowing to Yinreng.
Tong Wanyan stepped aside, knowing she was not entitled to receive the prince's courtesy.
When Yinreng called them to get up, Prince Su and his wife stood up and stood to one side.
Only then did the others continue to bow to Tong Wanyan.
After all the formalities were completed, Prince Su stepped forward and patted Yinreng on the shoulder with a big laugh.
After the relationship between ruler and subject, the discussion then moves on to relatives and brothers.
"It is truly a blessing for Jia Rong that the Crown Prince has come to the Prince's residence," Prince Su said with a hearty laugh.
Yinreng raised an eyebrow, behaving casually with Prince Su: "I came here because my cousin spoke to Father Emperor. I must thank my cousin properly, and congratulations to my cousin on finding a good fiancé."
Once the door was closed, there was no one in the Prince Su's mansion except for members of the Aisin Gioro and Tongjia clans.
Since it's not a grand wedding, there wouldn't be any outsiders with no family ties there.
Jia Rong and Princess Shuo secretly had someone invite Tong Wanyan to her courtyard to avoid making her feel awkward in the front yard.
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