After taking her eldest son along and learning about the details, Yunyi finally relented and agreed to Erlinzhu's idea.
Rubbing her throbbing forehead, she wearily chased the two away. She didn't want to see that brat Erlinzhu for the time being.
The eldest brother, Hongyao, who was also implicated by his sister and kicked out, could only get up and take his leave. As he walked out, Erlinzhu followed closely behind and slipped a small item into his hand.
Thinking it was a little trinket made by his younger sister, Hongyao accepted it with a smile.
When I got back, I discovered it was a portrait of my cousin, with a letter tucked inside.
It was written by Erlinzhu, who asked her eldest brother to pass the painting on to her cousin, saying that it was painted by her fourth sister herself.
Hongyao was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected his fourth sister to have feelings for his cousin...
But since it was his third sister's request, he did as she asked, even though he didn't agree.
My cousin Song is no longer Hongyao's study companion. He became the top scholar in the special imperial examination held this year after the new emperor ascended the throne, and now he works in the Hanlin Academy.
The next day, after court, Hongyao found a time to hand the painting to Song Zhiheng, instructing him to open it when he returned home that evening, when no one was around, and not to let anyone else see it.
Although Song Zhiheng found it a bit strange, he assumed that Hongyao had something to tell him, so he accepted it anyway.
After returning from the Hanlin Academy that evening, Song Zhiheng went back to his study, dismissed the servants, and opened his things.
This sight surprised him.
With sharp eyes, Song Zhiheng noticed a letter next to him and picked it up.
After a long silence, he sighed heavily.
He is 20 years old this year and should have been engaged long ago, but he was preparing for the imperial examination and was afraid that marriage would distract him, so he did not look for a partner for the time being and planned to make a decision after passing the examination.
He knew the Fourth Princess well, having met her several times because of the First Prince and the Third Princess, but he didn't know that she thought this way.
Feeling a little strange, but inexplicably, Song Zhiheng's hands kept moving. He carefully rolled up the painting and put it away in the most hidden corner of the study, carefully concealing it.
If outsiders were to see this, it would damage the Fourth Princess's reputation.
He picked up his pen and wrote a letter. That evening, he sent a servant to deliver the letter to Prince Duan, asking him to pass it on to the Third Princess.
Although it was said to be a letter to the Third Princess, it was actually addressed to the Fourth Princess.
When Erdeni received the letter from her third sister, she was immediately embarrassed. She never expected that her third sister would actually show him the painting.
Suppressing her shyness, her cheeks flushed, she opened the letter.
Seeing that she had finished reading the letter, Erlinzhu whispered a few words to Erdeni.
After a long while, Erdeni stood up and bowed to her third sister.
The two sisters exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.
That afternoon, Erlinzhu went to see her father and told him her thoughts, while Erdeni went to tell her mother that she had someone she liked.
When Yinzhen heard his daughter say this, his first reaction was shock, followed by great joy. He never expected that Erlinzhu, who had been mischievous since childhood, would have such grand ideas and be able to shoulder the responsibilities of a princess.
But then he felt sad. As his precious daughter, whom he had pampered since childhood, Yinzhen was also reluctant to let her marry into such a faraway place.
His eldest and second daughters were married and lived in the capital, so he could see them from time to time. But if Erlinzhu had married and moved to Mongolia, he would only be able to see her once in a long while.
However, Erlinzhu was adamant, and Yinzhen thought about it for a long time before making a decision.
When he went to discuss the matter with the Empress in the evening, he overheard her talking about Erdeni's marriage.
That young man from the Song family is indeed remarkable. His father was a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations back then, and now he has become the top scholar at a young age, even more impressive than his father was back then.
This kid has been with Hongyao since he was a child, serving as his study companion. He is excellent in every way, including character, personality, and knowledge.
This family, though a bit low-ranking, belonged to the Han Chinese Plain White Banner bondservant class.
But then he heard the Empress suggest that the Consort's family be elevated to a higher banner.
...
Three days later, an imperial edict was issued, and the entire lineage of Consort Xian, née Song, was carried under the Manchu army's Plain White Banner, whereupon she became known as Lady Songjia.
The daughter of the Imperial Concubine, Princess Heshuo Huaijing, was promoted to Princess Gulun Huaijing and betrothed to Agula, the heir apparent of Prince Darhan. The wedding was to be held on a chosen date.
Once the imperial edict was issued, Yinzhen sent Prince Darhan back to Mongolia to prepare, but left the heir apparent in the capital.
Prince Darhan, accompanied by his servants and news of the bestowal of gifts and a marriage, set off for Mongolia in a grand procession.
The Crown Prince was supposed to stay at the post station in the capital, but Hongxuan dragged him to live at his residence.
Since Hongxuan started practicing martial arts, he hadn't met many skilled fighters. Now that he had met Agula, who would soon become his brother-in-law, he was eager to try his luck and immediately took Agula home so they could spar anytime.
Following the first two imperial edicts, another imperial edict was bestowed, personally delivered by Su Peisheng to the Song residence. The Empress's legitimate daughter, Princess Gulun Huai Shu, was to marry the eldest son of Song Yunshu, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who would become a sixth-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy. The wedding was to take place on an auspicious day.
On the same day, three imperial edicts were issued, which not only elevated the family of Consort Xian to a higher banner, but also exceptionally granted the Third Princess the title of Princess Gulun, who was to marry into the Mongol tribe.
Furthermore, the Empress's daughter was betrothed to the Consort's nephew. All of this seems to explain a lot.
There were many happy events in the palace in the first year of Yongzheng's reign. First, the marriages of the two princesses were settled, and then news spread that Consort Nian of Yikun Palace was pregnant.
As soon as Lady Nian entered the palace, she won the favor of Prince Yinzhen with her good looks, and in less than half a year, news of her pregnancy spread.
The old women who once lived in the prince's residence, like Lady Li, have all grown old and lost their beauty, and have long since lost favor.
Yunyi is alright. From the moment she entered the manor, Yinzhen had a good impression of her. Over the years, she has held a special place in Yinzhen's heart, so he would occasionally go and visit her.
Because she was not favored by her mother and had previously lost two sons, Lady Li was very strict with her only son, Hongshi. Hongshi, who was already mischievous, was annoyed by her and could only run away from home every day to avoid his mother's lectures.
Hongshi, who never went to school and always wandered outside the palace, was soon replaced by his eighth uncle.
With his silver tongue and gentle demeanor, Yun Si quickly won over the naive and simple-minded Hong Shi, becoming his number one fan.
Under Yinzhi's brainwashing, Hongshi also began to have some designs on the throne.
While progress was being made in the court, at the same time, a spy in the inner palace delivered some remarkable news to Yinzhi.
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