Sure enough, not long after Yunyi returned from Jingren Palace, Emperor Yongzheng's imperial edict was issued.
Nara Yunyi, the youngest sister of Nali, a commander of the Manchu Bordered Blue Banner, is from a distinguished family. She is virtuous, intelligent, gentle, and kind. She is specially granted the title of Consort of Prince Bao and a wedding date will be chosen.
Before the imperial concubine selection was even over, some of the selected women were already betrothed, and they were even given to Prince Bao, who was the most likely to ascend to the throne, to be his concubine.
This aroused the jealousy of the other young ladies in the Chuxiu Palace, who all envied Nara's good fortune.
Yun Yi accepted the imperial decree of marriage with a faint smile, her expression neither sad nor happy, which surprised Su Peisheng, who had come to announce the decree to her.
If it were any other young lady, she would have been overjoyed to learn that she had been betrothed to Prince Bao. But this Princess Nara remained calm and composed, displaying the poise of a lady from a prominent family.
Su Peisheng had a certain opinion of this future concubine of Prince Bao. As the chief eunuch by Emperor Yongzheng's side, he knew a thing or two about her.
It seems that this Consort Nara has a very promising future.
When Yunyi received the imperial edict, Niohuru was complaining to Consort Xi in Jingren Palace.
"Aunt, why were you so nice to that Nara woman just now?"
Consort Xi thought her niece was just jealous and didn't take the complaint to heart.
At this moment, the head palace maid of Jingren Palace stepped forward to report that the Emperor had bestowed a concubine upon Prince Bao, namely the Nara Princess who had saved the person.
Upon hearing this news, Niohuru was shocked and accidentally spilled her tea, ruining her clothes.
Consort Xi hurriedly ordered the palace maids to take her niece to change her clothes, but Niohuru refused. "Aunt, what's going on? Why did the Emperor suddenly bestow a marriage upon my cousin?"
Consort Xi was unaware of her niece's worries, and explained with a smile, offering a few words of comfort to her niece.
"The Nara clan is a very good person. The Emperor originally intended to bestow a concubine upon Hongli, but now it seems that the Nara clan is quite suitable, so he issued the decree. Zhen'er, why are you making such a fuss? Don't worry, with your aunt here, I will definitely find you a good marriage."
But Niohuru couldn't bear to hear any of this; her heart was filled with anger, disappointment, annoyance, and regret.
Ugh! It turns out I gave Empress Nara this opportunity myself, making her my cousin's concubine. I'm so angry!
Overwhelmed with anger and resentment, Niohuru embraced her aunt and burst into tears.
"Waaah, Auntie, I don't want to marry anyone else. I want to marry my cousin. Please help me. I really like my cousin."
"This..." Consort Xi was very surprised. She did not expect that her niece liked her own son. She had never realized her niece's feelings.
After the initial surprise subsided, Consort Xi felt that this was not necessarily a bad thing. Although she was born into the Niohuru clan and belonged to the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner, she was still a member of the Manchu army.
However, her family was a branch of the Niohuru clan. Her biological father was only a fourth-rank official in charge of ceremonies. Her family was not outstanding. Her success today was entirely due to the fact that she gave birth to a good son.
If another imperial concubine were to emerge from the Niohuru family, the Niohuru family would rise to even greater heights, and their family's glory and prosperity would be preserved.
Consort Xi thought about it more and more and felt that the idea was feasible. She found an opportunity to report the matter to Emperor Yongzheng.
"No, the position of concubine is not enough for Niohuru's status. If she really wants to enter the manor, then give her the title of Gege!"
Consort Xi was also surprised that although the Emperor agreed, he did not completely agree. After hesitating for a moment, she accepted the condition.
She entered the palace as a princess back then, when Emperor Yongzheng was only a prince. Now her son is a prince, and her niece, as a prince's princess, is much better off than she was back then.
Furthermore, since her niece and Hongli were cousins, and with her as both mother and aunt, Consort Xi would not mistreat her, which is why she readily agreed.
Five days later, the selection process ended, and the young women left the palace to return to their homes, awaiting the emperor's decree to decide their fate.
Yunyi had already been betrothed, so she returned to the manor in a relaxed mood, without being too apprehensive.
The next day, imperial decrees were issued one after another. The Nara Palace only cared about the decrees related to Prince Bao and did not care much about the others.
Fortunately, the Emperor did not bestow many titles upon Prince Bao this time. Lady Suochuoluo and Lady Niohuru were both Gege (a lower-ranking concubine), while Yunyi had the highest rank and was a secondary consort.
Yunyi was actually a little puzzled. She wasn't surprised that Niohuru was able to enter the mansion.
However, Suochuoluo should have been considered a disrespectful candidate and should have been eliminated, but she not only wasn't eliminated but also entered Prince Bao's mansion, which is truly surprising.
The main reason for this should be asked of Emperor Yongzheng. It was because Lady Suochuoluo came from a prominent family, and with her status, she could have easily become a concubine.
Given what happened, she should have been expelled from the palace, but Emperor Yongzheng, considering her family background, did not expel her and instead bestowed her upon his son as a princess.
The Suochuoluo family was somewhat unhappy, as the position of a princess was far too low for their family's status.
However, given what happened to her daughter, the fact that she wasn't sent out of the palace and humiliated, but instead became a princess to Prince Bao, was indeed the best outcome in comparison.
They could only swallow their anger and watch their daughter enter the Prince's mansion.
Yunyi, as a secondary consort, was entitled to a wedding, and the date of the wedding had to be determined by the Imperial Household Department. However, a princess could choose a date to enter the mansion.
Therefore, Lady Suochuoluo and Lady Niohuru entered the mansion in May and June respectively, while Yunyi's wedding date was set for July 27th.
The day arrived quickly. Hongli rode a tall horse, dressed in a red wedding robe, his face full of excitement and joy. After so many years of longing, he could finally marry Lady Nara.
Upon arriving at the Nara residence, the ceremony was slightly altered because she was a secondary consort rather than the primary consort.
Nerbu, along with his wife Langjia, Nerli, along with his wife Xitala, Yunyi's second brother and his family, as well as his nephews and nieces, were all waiting at the gate.
After they paid their respects to Prince Bao, Hongli returned the greeting, and then everyone headed into the mansion.
When they arrived at Yunyi's boudoir, Hongli was most excited, but also a little nervous.
With the help of her maid Rong Xin, Yun Yi bid farewell to her parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, and others before following Hongli into the bridal sedan chair.
Today, Yunyi is wearing the wedding dress of a prince's concubine. Since she is not the principal wife, she cannot wear bright red, but her light red qipao makes her skin look as white as snow.
Hongli could only see her small hands folded at her waist, but not her beautiful face beneath the red veil.
This only fueled his imagination, making him even more restless and wondering what kind of beautiful face would appear once the veil was lifted.
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