"These three younger sisters are all candidates for the imperial concubine selection this year. They will participate in the selection in March. Since they saw that I was lonely here, they came to have some fun and learn some manners." Lanqin said meaningfully, thinking to herself: Whoever is destined to be with you should hurry up and find someone you like.
"Then wouldn't we be the first to arrive?" the Third Prince said with a smile. His words were so direct that the three of them blushed with embarrassment.
"I heard that Third Brother has had a son and a daughter again. How can he still care about the imperial concubine selection?" Ninth Master seemed to be addicted to teasing Third Brother. Since he couldn't tease Fourth Brother, he would tease Third Brother instead.
The Third Prince, upon thinking of the women in his harem, immediately lost interest. Lanqin, observing this, was grateful for the Ninth Prince's "righteous frankness," as she didn't think highly of the Third Prince, Yinzhi. Although the Third Prince seemed to be favored by Emperor Kangxi at this moment, receiving garden gifts and praise in court, didn't he know that Kangxi was actually diverting hatred towards the Crown Prince?
Lanqin thought about the final fate of the Third Prince, and then looked at his current high spirits. Even his clothes were almost as big as the Crown Prince's, as if he was planning to compete for the throne.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the Fourth Prince started drinking. The Manchus loved wine and were quite capable of drinking.
Soon, the atmosphere at the table shifted to drinking and chatting, and Lanqin led the three girls to get up and take their leave, going into the inner room to continue eating and drinking.
Inside the inner room, a large table had been set up, and a meal was laid out on it. Lanqin and the three princesses sat down and began to eat and drink slowly.
"Alright, you've all seen the people. Tomorrow we're hunting, and Fourth Master and I are going together. Any of you who want to come along are welcome. Shuhui, you can't ride a horse, so you'll just have to stay put." Lanqin saw the three girls still secretly watching the figures outside with lingering interest.
"Hmm. I can't ride a horse, so I'll just stay here and guard for you ladies." Shuhui looked like an honest child. Lanqin looked at her innocent and carefree appearance and sighed slightly: If someone with such a personality were to enter the palace, she'd probably devour them until there wasn't a bone left.
"I wonder what their wives are like. If they really enter the prince's harem, I'm afraid they'll encounter a vicious wife," Chen Xiuzhu said bluntly.
Lanqin glanced at her and said, "So it's better to eliminate her and marry her off to someone else as a legal wife. Xiuzhu, what do you think?"
Chen Xiuzhu was clearly surprised by Lan Qin's question, and quickly laughed awkwardly, remaining noncommittal.
"Whether or not you can be assigned to a prince's harem isn't something you can just do however you want. It also depends on whether you have the luck and fortune to do so. Second Sister was able to enter the Fourth Prince's residence and now she's been promoted to a secondary consort. I don't know how many hardships and dangers she has overcome," Xin Yi said, scooping a spoonful of soup into her bowl.
Lanqin smiled and said, "Xinyi and Xiuzhu both know how to ride horses, right? Why don't you go together tomorrow? I've made several riding outfits, one for each of you. Shuhui, just stay in the main tent."
Xiuzhu was overjoyed to hear that she could have close contact with these princes the next day, and quickly said to Lanqin, "Thank you for your help, cousin."
Xin Yi merely cast a gentle glance at Lan Qin. She knew about Lan Qin's help, but after seeing those people look at her, she wasn't really sure herself. She was fed up with her mother, Zhang Shi, being a concubine who was not favored, so she was genuinely hesitant about whether to enter the prince's harem. She wasn't particularly beautiful; if she became a princess and couldn't conceive immediately, she feared she would end up like her birth mother.
Outside, the sounds of drinking games grew louder and louder, and everyone was getting into the spirit.
"Fourth Brother, what do you mean by bringing so many sisters all at once? Are you trying to squeeze one or two into our household?" Ninth Brother was clearly a bit drunk.
Fourth Master was drinking with Seventh Master when Ninth Master said, "Get lost! Do you need me to force you to have the woman you want? Your mother already arranged one for you." Fourth Master was also clearly drunk and couldn't help but start swearing as well.
Eighth Master's expression remained as calm as ever, but as Ninth Master spoke, he inadvertently glanced at the figures in the room.
“That little princess from Tonglu is quite adorable. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a simple and honest girl,” the Tenth Prince suddenly said.
A glint flashed in the Fourth Prince's eyes. He hadn't expected that the Tenth Prince would notice Shuhui. Judging from his expression, it seemed that he had already taken a liking to her.
“Lord Chen’s daughter is quite proactive,” the Third Prince said.
"Third Brother, you should take a break. The Third Princess and Lady Tian are already enough to give you trouble. If you add another little firecracker like this, you'll be in for a world of trouble," the Ninth Prince teased.
Fourteen seemed to be distracted the whole time, and he would steal glances at the scene inside the room from time to time.
"I'm afraid Father Emperor won't be selecting any more people for this year's imperial selection," the Eighth Prince said suddenly after remaining silent.
The Fourth Prince's eyes darkened, and he glanced at the Eighth Prince without leaving a trace, saying, "How could that be? It's a selection of candidates every three years. Father Emperor will still select a few, even if it's just for show. Most of these candidates will end up in the imperial family or the princes' harems."
After a moment of silence, everyone present fell silent. Among them were sons of the four concubines, and others who weren't. Usually, who was bestowed a princess or something similar depended on whether Kangxi remembered that son or one of the four concubines. After all, the more concubines one had, the more offspring one had, which meant that one was more valued by Kangxi.
Consort De always sent two people to the palace for each of the Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince, and she also once selected two for the Thirteenth Prince. This year, Consort Cheng deliberately delayed Consort De's request, determined to send two people to the Seventh Prince.
"Seventh Prince, your position as the primary consort has been vacant for a long time. Why don't I have Consort Hui choose one for you?" the Eighth Prince suddenly said.
The Fourth Prince glanced at the Eighth Prince, then looked at the Seventh Prince and said, "Father Emperor is really concerned about Seventh Brother's affairs. The Eighth Prince is truly worried."
Eighth Master smiled subtly and said, "I have always kept Seventh Brother in my heart."
The Tenth Prince suddenly said, "Eighth Brother, please have Consort Hui point out that... that Shuhui to me."
At this moment, everyone present was successfully drawn to his words.
"Tenth Brother, are you serious? You really have your eye on that Shuhui?" Thirteen asked when he saw a hint of surprise flash across Fourth Master's face.
“Yes, I have taken a liking to her. Eighth Brother, I’m telling the truth,” the Tenth Prince said honestly. He was the posthumous son of Empress Niohuru. Although she was the empress's successor, the Tenth Prince was still the legitimate son, so Emperor Kangxi always doted on him, even though he knew that the Tenth Prince was mediocre.
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