Hot summer
The afternoon sun scorched the earth. Xu Lejin lay reclining on a soft couch, with several bowls of ice placed in front of her. Ruhua, Nongying, and others carefully attended to her from behind.
Liu Ying hurried in from outside the palace and respectfully reported to Xu Lejin, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has decreed that the Second Princess is betrothed to Urgun, the grandson of the First Princess Gulun Shuhui of the Balin tribe. After the Second Princess reaches the age of marriage, she will marry into the Balin tribe. Furthermore…"
Liu Ying glanced up at Xu Lejin, then quickly lowered her head.
"In addition, the Emperor also issued an edict to bestow a marriage upon the daughter of Prince Darhan and Ta of the Khorchin, making her the primary consort of the Second Prince, with the marriage to be discussed three years later."
"Yes, I understand."
Xu Lejin responded calmly, not at all surprised.
As early as the day the Empress Dowager experienced her final moments of lucidity and passed away, Emperor Kangxi had mentioned this matter to her, though at that time a specific candidate had not yet been chosen. Now...
The second princess was betrothed to the Bairin tribe, and the second prince was engaged to the daughter of the Khorchin Darhan Prince, so things were considered to be a perfect ending.
After a pause, Xu Lejin looked at Liu Ying and continued, "The Second Prince's primary consort has been chosen, but what about the First Prince? The First Prince is a year older than the Second Prince, and although his birth mother, Consort Rong, passed away early,..."
"The eldest prince's younger sister, the second princess, is betrothed to the Balin tribe. As the elder brother, the eldest prince should also decide on his wife."
Liu Ying pursed her lips and remained silent.
Upon seeing this, Xu Lejin understood that the choice of the eldest prince Yinzhi's wife had not yet been decided.
Three days later
Emperor Kangxi stayed overnight at Yikun Palace. After their lovemaking, he embraced Xu Lejin and said in a deep voice, "Yinti, the son of Consort Hui, is betrothed to the daughter of Prince Darhan of Khorchin. The eldest princess, Irm, is betrothed to Bandi, a descendant of Prince Tushetu of Khorchin. The second princess, Flana, the son of Consort Rong, is betrothed to Urgun of the Balin tribe."
“Yin Zhi is older, so it’s time to decide on a wife for him.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Lejin paused for a moment.
Following this, Kangxi added, "Among the ministers of the previous dynasty, those whose daughters are of similar age include the daughters of Peng Chun, Shi Wenbing, and Ke Erkun."
"My dear consort, which family do you think should be chosen as the wife of Yinzhi?"
Emperor Kangxi stared intently at Xu Lejin, whose expression changed slightly.
It was only at this moment that Xu Lejin suddenly realized what was going on.
Yongqin Gong Pengchun, of the Dong'e clan, vaguely remembered that in history, Yongqin Gong Pengchun's daughter married Rongfei's son, the Third Prince Yinzhi.
Now, Kangxi mentioned the daughter of Yongqin Gong Pengchun.
No, the current Yin Zhi is not the same as the historical Third Prince Yin Zhi.
As for Shi Wenbing's daughter, of the Guarjia Shi clan, she was the infamous Crown Princess of Yinreng, the deposed Crown Prince of the Kangxi Emperor. In this timeline, Empress Xiaocheng, of the Hesheli clan, gave birth to a princess in her second pregnancy, the Fifth Princess, Burhe.
She didn't have a deep impression of Korkun's daughter.
After a quick moment of consideration, Xu Lejin whispered, "Your Majesty, this concerns the eldest prince's lifelong happiness, and I dare not speak rashly. I believe that Your Majesty will surely choose a suitable and virtuous wife for the eldest prince."
"Um."
Kangxi responded.
Seven days later
Emperor Kangxi issued an imperial edict to the six palaces, informing the eldest prince, Yinzhi, that he would marry Shi Wenbing's daughter, Lady Guarjia, as his primary consort, with the marriage to be discussed again in three years.
In addition, the eldest daughter of Yongqin Gong Pengchun and the second daughter of Shangshu Ke'erkun were betrothed to the heirs of Prince Yu and Prince Gong, respectively, and the wedding ceremony was to take place three years later.
The news reached Yikun Palace
Xu Lejin frowned slightly and said slowly, "Things are different now. The eldest prince will marry a woman from the Guarjia Shi clan in the future."
"What does Your Majesty mean?"
Ruhua and Nongying looked at each other, their faces full of confusion.
Xu Lejin shook her head.
The eldest prince, the second prince, and her son, the third prince Yinling—if her son Yinling had not been divinely ordained to have a celestial destiny and had not gone to the heavens to cultivate, and if Consort Hui's son, the second prince, had not been betrothed to the daughter of the Darhan Prince of the Khorchin tribe…
Perhaps one of the three women—Guarjia Shi, Dong'e, or Irgen Gioro—would have become her daughter-in-law, perfectly aligning with the course of history. But alas!
Perhaps this is what makes this parallel universe different.
Yanxi Palace
When Consort Hui learned that the eldest prince, Yinzhi, would be married to a woman from the Guarjia Shi clan, her expression changed slightly, but she quickly accepted it after a moment's thought.
Although Shi Wenbing of the Guarjia Shi clan was a commander-in-chief and a third-class earl, he was far inferior to the Khorchin Darhan Prince of Mongolia.
Her daughter-in-law is the daughter of Prince Darhan, and comes from a noble family.
After a cup of tea
Consort Hui pursed her lips and said softly, "Cunxin, how is the situation at Zhongcui Palace these days? Is she still being obedient?"
"Your Majesty, I am usually very well-behaved and obedient. As per Your Majesty's instructions, except for vying for favor, I spend most of my time quietly in the west wing of Zhongcui Palace."
Cunxin paused, looking puzzled.
"Your Majesty, this servant does not understand. She has always been disrespectful to you before, and pretended not to know when you tried to win her over. Why do you still help her?"
Consort Hui's lips curled up, revealing a contemptuous sneer.
“By helping her, I am also helping myself. In any case, we both come from the Nara clan, although not from the same branch, but we both belong to the Nara clan.”
"Since we are of the same clan, mutual support is essential."
Cunxin lowered her head and softly replied.
Consort Hui then continued, "What has Lady Suochuoluo been doing lately in the side hall? Lady Suochuoluo, Lady Suochuoluo..."
"Your Majesty, Consort Suochuoluo is plotting how to gain the Emperor's favor."
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