On the 27th day of the ninth lunar month in the 43rd year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Aisin Gioro Honghui, the eldest son of the fourth prince, died young. The news spread throughout the Forbidden City. The Fourth Prince set up a mourning hall for Honghui in the front courtyard. His body was carried out from a secret chamber in the main courtyard. His wife, holding the coffin, wept all the way. Behind her followed Yan Yu, Lan Qin, Li Shi, Song Shi, Wang Shi, and Wu Shi, all weeping. A group of children also wept along the way. When the coffin stopped in the mourning hall, black and white mourning clothes covered the entire space. All the servants in the entire household changed into white hemp clothing. Only the Fourth Prince and the women of higher rank than Honghui in the inner quarters wore only white hemp ropes tied around their waists.
The Fourth Prince had the First and Second Princesses support the First Princess, while Lady Li, along with the Third and Fourth Princes, stood below her. The other women silently kept vigil behind her for Honghui. Except for those maintaining basic affairs, all the servants of the household knelt on either side of the courtyard, mourning Honghui. Gradually, more people arrived.
Outside the house, the servant responsible for announcing the arrival of the prince announced, "Prince Zhi and his wife have arrived!"
The Fourth Prince immediately went to the door to greet the First Prince. Lanqin couldn't help but look up and glance at the door. She saw a tall and strong man of about thirty-five years old appear. Standing next to him was a woman with elegant features. Both of them were dressed in plain clothes. After exchanging pleasantries with the Fourth Prince, they followed him to Honghui's mourning hall and offered incense.
As Lanqin and the others returned the greetings to Prince Zhi and his wife, Lanqin was able to see Prince Zhi more clearly. He was the eldest prince among Kangxi's adult sons, the first prince to be granted the title of prince, and the nephew of Mingzhu. His birth mother was Consort Hui, one of the four consorts. Historical records state that the eldest prince was strong and skilled in martial arts, having led Kangxi on numerous campaigns and achieved great military exploits. Among the princes, he was highly favored by Kangxi.
The wife of Prince Zhi walked to the side of the Prince Consort, grabbed her hand, and said with a sorrowful expression, "Fourth sister-in-law, you mustn't be too sad. The dead cannot be brought back to life. You and your fourth brother are still young, and you should be able to have more children in the future. The First Prince in heaven would not want to see his mother so heartbroken."
The princess quickly curtsied again and said, "Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law. Please go to the back to rest with the Prince Zhi. Yan Yu, escort your sister-in-law there and tell the servants to take good care of her."
Prince Zhi and his wife followed Yan Yu to the main courtyard to rest.
Following them were the Third Prince and his wife, the Fifth Prince and his wife, the Seventh Prince and his wife, the Eighth Prince's wife, the Ninth Prince's wife, the Tenth Prince's wife, the Thirteenth Prince's wife, and the Fourteenth Prince's wife. As for the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Thirteenth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince, they were still in the Northwest accompanying Emperor Kangxi on his inspection tour of the Yellow River estuary and would not be able to arrive for the time being.
After the Fourth Prince and his wife exchanged greetings, he instructed Lady Song, Lady Wu, Lady Wang, and of course, Lanqin to take care of and settle them in. Besides family members, everyone in the capital who had some connection with the Fourth Prince came with their wives; Emperor Kangxi, though not yet back, also sent Consort De on his behalf; the Crown Prince, responsible for overseeing the country, also sent his wife. Suddenly, the Fourth Prince's residence was filled with some of the most distinguished people in the entire Forbidden City.
People continued to arrive to offer their condolences, while the main courtyard was already packed with people. In addition to having servants constantly serve the guests fruits and tea, Lanqin and the others also had to entertain the guests.
This was the first time the wives of the fourteenth and seventh princes had gathered outside the palace, except during festivals like the New Year. Normally, the sisters-in-law didn't interact much. But now, sitting together, their relationships with their respective husbands revealed a degree of closeness and distance.
"Oh, my cousin is so unlucky. Her only legitimate son is gone just like that." The Third Princess Consort Dong'e was genuinely saddened for the Princess Consort, but it was hard to say what the others thought.
"Alas, everyone has their own destiny. Thinking of this, Ailanzhu's departure is not so sad." The eldest daughter of the Grand Consort was the one whom Kangxi had arranged to marry the Prince of Grinhan of the Dzungar Galdan tribe. She had been sent there by Prince Zhi more than a month ago.
"Sister-in-law, and all my brothers and sisters-in-law, what do you think? Did Honghui really drown accidentally?" Fifth Princess Consort was always eager to find out what was going on.
“It wasn’t drowning, so could it have been caused by someone?” asked the Seventh Prince’s wife, Nara.
"Don't talk nonsense. The obituary that the Fourth Prince sent out to everyone already stated that it was an accidental drowning. Don't spread rumors here," the First Princess scolded lightly.
The Third and Fifth Prince's wives, who always acted in the manner of the First Prince's wife, dared not say anything more when they heard her say this.
Eighth Prince's wife, Lady Guoluo, said, "Sister-in-law, there's not much people here anyway. Let's all share our opinions. My brother-in-law thinks the First Prince's drowning was a bit sudden. Should we pull Fourth Sister-in-law over and ask her?"
Upon hearing this, the First Princess immediately stopped her, saying, "Eighth Sister-in-law, no. Fourth Sister-in-law is truly heartbroken right now, so we shouldn't bring up her painful memories."
As they were talking, the First Princess Consort suddenly caught sight of Consort De slowly walking towards them, supported by the Fourth Princess Consort. She quickly stood up, and the others followed her gaze and stood up as well. They all saw Consort De and immediately stood up as well.
"Please sit down, did I scare you?" Consort De was also dressed in plain clothes today. Although she did not like the Fourth Prince, Honghui was her first grandson, and as his grandmother, she should at least come to see him off.
"This humble servant greets Consort De! May Consort De enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" After Consort De sat down, everyone else stood up and bowed in unison to the true Consort De. In the palace, although Emperor Kangxi did not appoint another empress, the power of the four consorts was equivalent to that of the empress, with Consort De having the greatest authority.
"Alright, everyone, sit down. Xiayu, come here and sit next to me." Consort De beckoned to the Fourth Princess Consort, and everyone took their seats accordingly.
"Xiayu, Honghui is gone. Don't be too pessimistic. Although I am Honghui's grandmother, there are some things I still need to say. The Fourth Prince is in the prime of his life, and you are not old either. You should still have children. Do you understand what I mean?" Consort De had already made herself clear enough.
Upon hearing this, the wives exchanged glances, with the exception of the First and Third Wives, all of them looking on with a hint of schadenfreude. They all looked at the Fourth Wives with sympathy; she had just lost her son and was now being pressured by her mother-in-law to give birth.
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