"You mean Fucha Mingyu is better than our Ying'er?" Madam Nian raised an eyebrow.
“Consort, Fucha Mingyu has a very powerful family background. Her uncles, Ma Qi and Ma Wu, are both military commanders who hold great power in their respective regions, and her father, Li Rongbao, is the governor of Chahar. Nearly half of the Qing Dynasty's military force is in the hands of her uncles and her father. Marrying her means taking control of the military. With our General's support, it would be like adding wings to a tiger,” Bai Zhi said hurriedly.
Upon hearing this, Madam Nian suddenly broke out in a light sweat. This marriage was indeed much more cost-effective than marrying her own niece!
"But now, Hongli has already beaten us to it. How can Your Highness be so biased, giving that boy such a good marriage? But Hongsheng's marriage is still hanging in the balance!" Madam Nian said angrily. Over the years, although the Fourth Prince had visited her place quite often, even to the point of sharing the attention with the South Courtyard, he seemed to care more about the South Courtyard than about her.
“Consort, please don’t upset yourself. Although Miss Fucha’s marriage is good, it doesn’t mean there aren’t better families with better backgrounds. Let’s choose carefully,” Bai Zhi said quickly when she saw that Lady Nian was angry. Lady Nian’s health had never fully recovered. After several miscarriages, it had deteriorated further, and she even suffered from postpartum hemorrhage. This pregnancy had been particularly difficult; she had spent almost several months in bed. Even though the pregnancy was finally stable, she still dared not move around and mostly remained in bed.
"Alright, we must write to my brother immediately and have him choose carefully with Hongsheng," said Madam Nian, having calmed her anger.
Meanwhile, besides Lady Nian being very jealous of Hongli's marriage, there was another person who was also very resentful, and that was the Fujin (Prince's wife). Ever since she heard that Hongli was betrothed to the eldest daughter of the Fucha family, she summoned Hongshi (Hongli's son) and talked to him about it.
After Hongshi married Irgen, their relationship remained good. He greatly admired Irgen's gentleness and kindness, but he didn't particularly like Ulanara Shuzhen's cautiousness. Consequently, after their marriage, Hongshi visited the main courtyard less frequently than before.
The wife was furious that her adopted son had forgotten his legal mother as soon as he got married, but she didn't want to confront Hongshi directly. So she instructed her niece to try to win Hongshi's heart.
“Mother, since Father has decided, you don’t need to worry about it. A marriage alliance with the Fucha family will greatly benefit our Prince Yong’s mansion,” Hongshi said after hearing his wife’s words.
Seeing that Hongshi was calm and composed, the Fujin (principal wife) became furious and said, "Do you know what kind of threat it would pose to you if Hongli married this woman?"
Hongshi, confident in his own talent and having gained some standing with the Fourth Prince, didn't take the matter too seriously. He was currently basking in the glow of his love with Lady Irgen, and seemed more gentle and cheerful than before.
“Mother, Hongli is just a young boy. Aren’t you being too nervous?” Hongshi said.
"Foolish! Has Lady Irgen bewitched you? How come you've only been married to her for a few months, and all your former fighting spirit and ideals have vanished? If Hongli gets the support of Lady Fucha, it will be very difficult for you to compete with him in the future." The Fujin looked Hongshi up and down, her hatred for Lady Irgen, who had bewitched her son, only intensified.
“Mother, Father has already arranged this marriage for Hongli. No matter how much we object now, it will be of no use. Why are you worrying here?” Hongshi could only say this after being scolded by his wife.
“As long as we haven’t gotten married by the end of the day, we may never get married,” the princess said, looking out at the trees through the window.
Hongshi glanced at his wife's profile and said in a low voice, "Mother, both families have already tacitly agreed. How can we ruin it? I still have some standing in Father's eyes. Unless it's absolutely necessary, we can't let him down."
"Your mother summoned you here so that you could remain in your father's eyes for a long time. Hongshi, can't you see that your father is paving the way for Hongli?" The Fujin looked at Hongshi, her desire to get rid of Irgenshi growing stronger. This woman had only been married for a few months, yet she had already bewitched Hongshi to the point of not recognizing her. If she continued like this, Hongshi might not even listen to her anymore.
Absolutely not! Hongshi has painstakingly cultivated this sharp sword, and he hasn't even repaid his efforts yet. How can it be ruined by a woman?
Seeing that his wife was indeed very worried, Hongshi couldn't help but think about Hongli's marriage.
“Mother, if we want the woman to annul the engagement, I’m afraid they won’t agree. After all, even though the Fucha family has deep roots, they don’t have the guts to offend Prince Yong,” Hongshi said.
“Therefore, we must make your father take the initiative to break off the engagement.” A dark glint flashed in the Fujin’s eyes as she spoke.
“Father, you’re going to break off the engagement? That seems unlikely. The Fucha family has such a strong foundation, what reason would Father have to break off the engagement?” Hongshi said.
“What if Fucha Mingyu’s birth chart is incompatible with your brother’s? Or what if she has problems with her virtue and reputation? The Aisin Gioro family would never marry a woman with a tarnished reputation as their principal wife.” The Fujin said, stroking the sleeve of her other hand.
Hongshi looked at his wife in surprise, not understanding her meaning for a moment, but soon he understood.
“I’m afraid that’s not a good idea. The Fucha family isn’t so easy to bully,” Hongshi said, taking a deep breath.
"If we strike before she's on guard, we're sure to succeed. But if she finds out and becomes prepared, it will be much harder," the princess said.
Hongshi felt a surge of excitement. After hearing what his wife had said, he realized that the marriage arranged by the Fourth Prince for Hongli was indeed too good. Compared to his own marriage, it was nothing.
Although the Irgen clan was also a Manchu surname, its family foundation was far inferior to that of the Fucha family. Although he liked the Irgen clan very much, Hongshi couldn't help but reconsider when faced with the prospect of personal gain.
"Does Mother want us to tarnish Miss Fucha's reputation?" Hongshi asked.
The Fujin nodded and said, "Don't indulge in love between men and women all day long. Irgen hasn't even given you a son yet. Shuzhen's birth chart is very compatible with yours. I can tell from her figure that she is also fertile. You should hurry up and give birth to a few children. That way, your father will value you even more."
Hongshi was still immersed in the background of the Fucha family when his wife said a few words that made him blush with embarrassment.
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