Guarjia nodded obediently, feeling much better after her earlier fatigue, which must mean that the medicine contained a lot of precious herbs.
After sitting for a while, Guarjia couldn't wait to go back.
Yuqing Palace
"Quickly bring out my mirror." As soon as Guarjia returned, she impatiently ordered someone to bring out the mirror.
The palace maid following behind quickly brought over the mirror. The glass mirrors that Mingxiu had made did not have tin foil; Mingxiu used mercury instead. Although it was highly toxic, Mingxiu had made sure everyone understood the dangers of this substance, and the rewards were extremely generous. So even though the workers knew the dangers, many still did it. After all, if sacrificing one person could ensure that the family members, young and old, could live well, that was enough.
It's better than everyone starving to death, right?
The maid brought over a mirror. Guarjia looked at herself in the mirror and saw that her complexion was rosy and radiant, making her look exceptionally healthy and beautiful.
Guarjia touched her face, overjoyed: "Look, doesn't my face look much better?"
"Yes, Your Highness, I wonder what kind of bird's nest the Imperial Noble Consort gave you? The effect is amazing! Your Highness's complexion is rosy and radiant, and you look so delicate. I was almost stunned." The palace maid holding the mirror behind her exclaimed as soon as she saw Guarjia's face clearly.
"Yes, yes, Your Highness, you look absolutely stunning right now. Even His Highness the Crown Prince would be mesmerized if he returned," someone below quickly said.
Guarjia's face flushed slightly, making her appear somewhat embarrassed.
"Your Highness, the Imperial Noble Consort is too stingy. She only gave Your Highness this little bit, and she didn't give it to Your Highness sooner. If she had given it to Your Highness earlier, Your Highness might have gained more favor from His Highness the Crown Prince." A palace maid behind her suddenly spoke up.
As soon as she finished speaking, the room fell silent, and everyone looked at the little palace maid with strange expressions.
“Meixiang, this belongs to the Imperial Noble Consort. She can give it to whomever she wants; it’s her own decision. If she gives it to you, keep it safe. But if she doesn’t, that’s perfectly acceptable. You’ve already said what you just said,” Guarjia said coldly.
Meixiang looked around at the people around her, then hurriedly knelt down: "It's the Crown Princess, this servant was wrong, I will never dare to do it again."
"Alright, you can go now. From now on, you'll serve outside. If I hear anything I shouldn't hear, don't blame me for being ruthless, understand?"
"Yes," Meixiang said and quickly left, her head down so no one could see the resentment on her face.
"Your Highness, it seems that Meixiang cannot be kept here," said the palace maid holding the mirror.
Guarjia nodded. This Meixiang was someone she brought into the palace from her own family. She never expected that the first person to have ulterior motives would be her.
"Have someone keep a close eye on her and see if she makes any moves," Guarjia said calmly.
"yes"
Guarjia looked coldly at the air outside, her good mood vanishing instantly.
People's hearts are fickle. Guarjia never expected that in just a few years, the people she grew up with would become people she no longer recognized.
Inside the space
Mingxiu and Kangxi sat on the sofa: "Xuanye, how did things go? Chenghuan has been keeping an eye on me lately, and I don't know how to respond to her."
Kangxi looked at the book in his hand, with a teacup beside him: "It has already begun, so just wait patiently. As for Zhang Tinglu's matter, I have already sent people to investigate, and also to test whether it is Chenghuan's wishful thinking or whether both of them have the same intentions."
Mingxiu nodded, thinking about Chenghuan's behavior during this period: "Okay, I hope it's not Chenghuan's own idea, otherwise Chenghuan will be very sad."
Kangxi snorted coldly: "Hmph, even if it's not true, it doesn't matter. He can't possibly disagree with my decree."
Mingxiu looked at Kangxi helplessly: "How can that be the same? Whether someone truly likes another person or not is different. If someone doesn't like Chenghuan, even if they get married, Chenghuan might not be happy. It's better not to get married at all."
Kangxi waved his hand and said, "No, Chenghuan is wonderful. If Zhang Tinglu doesn't like her, then he has no taste."
Mingxiu was speechless. How could she not understand this?
"Of course I know Cheng Huan is very good, but, oh well, you should ask her first, and we'll talk about it later. If Zhang Tinglu really doesn't like Cheng Huan anymore, then we'll talk about it."
Kangxi wanted to say something more, but Mingxiu turned away and refused to listen to him. It was impossible to reason with her.
The next day, Emperor Kangxi began to exert his power in the imperial court, demanding the abolition of the system that prohibited intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese.
For a moment, everyone was talking about it. Han Chen stayed quietly in the corner, not daring to say a word. It was not something they could say about this matter.
However, some Manchus were dissatisfied, and a few voiced their opposition. But the opposition was not very strong; they simply offered some suggestions and then said nothing more.
Kangxi looked coldly at the people below without saying a word. Not many people opposed this matter, ultimately because it did not involve the interests of many people.
Although intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese is now permitted, those selected for the imperial concubine selection are still from the Eight Banners, which means that the wives of these princes are still Manchus, and the rest are not important.
After all, Emperor Kangxi no longer selects women for the harem, and the older princes are already married.
The Manchus weren't very concerned about this issue, but the Han officials were. Once this issue was resolved, it meant that their children could marry Manchus.
Zhang Ying stood below, feeling a surge of joy. It was wonderful! He had been worrying about his son, who refused to marry a Han woman. Now, he finally didn't have to contend with his rebellious son anymore.
Cheng Huan heard the news while she was at the academy and was quite happy. Now that the rule against intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese had been lifted, did that mean there was hope for her and Zhang Tinglu's relationship?
Should she go and ask him first? Ever since Mingxiu asked her that day if she knew what Zhang Tinglu thought of her, Chenghuan had wanted to ask him, but she had encouraged herself several times but just didn't dare to go. Moreover, there was the rule at that time that Manchus and Han Chinese could not intermarry, so Chenghuan kept it to herself.
She would occasionally sneak up on him, but he rarely went out, and Cheng Huan only had time to go out during her days off, so the two of them only met once.
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