Chapter 138 The Haha Beads' Mishap
Xiao Feng said that Cheng Hu needs to cultivate himself, and if he is restricted by rules and doctrines, it will do her no good.
"Are these the sons of civil officials, Your Majesty?" Fanghua asked, pointing to several somewhat familiar names.
Kangxi followed her hand and nodded with a smile. "Indeed, is there another candidate for Empress?" His smile remained, but a closer look revealed the dissatisfaction in his eyes.
He had the son of a Han official accompany him so that Chenghu would be exposed to more Han dynasty rituals and governance, since he himself was deeply fond of Han studies.
"No, it's just that Chenghu is very active. If he were the son of a civil official, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to handle his mischievousness. After all, he is the son of an important official, and we can't let him suffer any injustice."
Since Kangxi had already chosen someone, she naturally wouldn't object, but she could still influence who was chosen to some extent.
Kangxi nodded, as if agreeing with the Empress's statement. He then pointed to some names that had been circled several times in red and said, "Chenghu is indeed full of energy, but he is the second son of the Li family. I heard that he is quite good at his studies and can already recite many works by famous authors at such a young age."
Li Gong was a capable man. Fanghua never expected that Kangxi would make such a choice, but she agreed to it.
"Such talent is something Lord Li is willing to relinquish, after all, being by the prince's side would prevent him from focusing on his studies." This girl is already six years old, the perfect age for studying, and she dared not let Chenghu delay her studies.
She'll offend a lot of people then.
This Lord Li is a representative of the Han officials in the court. If we really ruin his son, we will make a huge enemy.
"I have consulted with Lord Li about this matter, and it was his own will."
Upon hearing this, Fanghua realized that the Emperor had already mentioned in court the matter of selecting Haha Beads for Chenghu. However, it was just a small matter, so why did he need to propose it in court?
The more she listened, the less she understood.
"Take a look at the other Empress and see if there are any that catch your eye." Kangxi didn't give the Empress time to think about it and directly put the memorial in her hands. "Those circled in red are the offspring of civil officials, and those not circled are the offspring of military officers. Empress, take a look."
Fanghua looked at them intently, but she didn't recognize any of them.
After a while, she put down the memorial and said with a bitter look, "Your Majesty, I don't recognize any of these people. How am I supposed to choose? Since Your Majesty has selected these people, you must already have a plan in mind. Why don't you work a little harder and pick out the other one as well?"
Seeing the trust in his eyes, Kangxi laughed heartily.
"Haha, alright, then let me tell you which family these belong to."
After listening, Fanghua understood that Kangxi had really put his heart into the matter of the Haha Beads.
Whether they were sons of civil officials or descendants of military generals, each of them had an extraordinary background.
But only those within the family know their own affairs, and being too deeply involved with the previous dynasty might not necessarily be a good thing for Chenghu.
So she pointed to a name and said, “Your Majesty, this one is like this. Although he has no family background, he is capable. He has risen to his current position in just a few years. He must be very resilient. Chenghu needs someone like this to guide him, doesn’t he?”
Seeing that she always considered Chenghu's interests and did not try to win over court officials for Chenghu's sake, Kangxi was very satisfied.
So he generously said, "Alright, we'll choose the youngest son of General An's family. But Your Majesty, he's An's cousin. Are you really sure you've made your choice?"
Fanghua frowned, then asked, "Are the two families very close?" If so, she would have to think about it some more.
She didn't want those around Chenghu to have too deep connections with the previous dynasty and the imperial harem.
Kangxi smiled and said, "A cousin within three degrees of kinship." This person was just there to make up the numbers, but unexpectedly, the Empress chose him.
However, the Empress is right. General An is indeed talented, and his child is no less so. He is a suitable companion for Chenghu.
"That's alright." Fanghua gently stroked An Zhiming's name with her fingertips for a while before putting down the memorial. "Then let's decide on him. I still need to tell my family. I didn't think things through before."
Seeing her so openly discussing Hesheli's plans with him, Kangxi felt that the Empress had not changed, but he had.
"Very well, give them some more rewards to make up for it. I will also tell Suo'etu."
Fanghua, of course, didn't stand on ceremony with him, saying, "Yes, thank you for your trouble, Your Majesty."
After returning to Kunning Palace, Fanghua instructed Zhang Mama to prepare an apology, and then wrote a letter for Li Changfu to take to Hesheli's residence. Since the matter was now public, she was not afraid that the letter would be investigated.
Besides, she didn't write anything outrageous.
The entire letter was filled with her apologies.
Just as Fanghua had expected, the delivery went very smoothly this time, and even the secret guards didn't check it.
Li Changfu found it strange, but he knew it wasn't the time to overthink it, so he hurried on his way to the Hesheli family's residence.
Gabula hadn't expected things to turn out this way. After reading the letter the empress had given him, he slapped his forehead hard. "I miscalculated. I really didn't think of this. I was blinded by self-interest."
Borjigit's wife was very puzzled. At this moment, she didn't know how to explain it to her third brother and sister-in-law.
"Master, stop keeping us in suspense and tell us what happened." Seeing that her third sister-in-law was getting impatient, Borjigit's wife quickly said to her husband.
Gabula didn't hide anything and handed the letter to his sister-in-law, Tongjia.
Although Tongjia Fujin was disappointed after reading it, she also felt that the Empress was right.
It wouldn't be right to have the uncle become the nephew's servant, given his status.
"Indeed, we were mistaken. We can only thank Your Majesty for your kindness." She had thought she could secure a good future for her son, but now it seems she has to make other plans.
After all, there were many people in Suo'etu's house, and she was not a heartless person, so her offspring continued to be numerous.
However, the Empress gave her a letter, which she was told to read alone and then burn, meaning she wasn't to show it to the Master.
This was given to me by someone else when Eunuch Li was alone.
Consort Tongjia was preoccupied with the private message from the Empress and did not want to linger any longer. So she said to her elder brother and sister-in-law, "In that case, we will follow Her Majesty's arrangements. Algishan is not fortunate enough to have such an opportunity. Elder brother, elder sister-in-law, and younger sister-in-law, we will return to the mansion first."
"Alright, sister-in-law, you won't stay any longer. Take all the compensation the Empress gave you, after all, we are the ones who owed Algishan."
Tongjia didn't stand on ceremony with her sister-in-law; she knew her sister-in-law would overthink things if she refused.
"Okay, thank you very much, sister-in-law."
He hurried back home.
After clearing everyone out, she opened the private message the Empress had sent her.
She felt satisfied after reading it.
The Empress not only gave us official compensation, but also secretly gave us a martial arts manual. Such a valuable item is not something you can obtain simply by having money and power.
These are the unique skills of the Han Dynasty; you can't get your hands on these things without some real ability.
After practicing, pursuing a martial arts career would be a good option for Algishan.
Although she didn't know what arrangements the master had for her two legitimate sons, judging from Gerfen's current plans, he probably intended to pursue a literary path.
Martial arts could also be another way out.
With one brother skilled in literature and the other in martial arts, they can look out for each other.
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