Xu Lejin was shocked and surprised by Kangxi's words.
I see!
On New Year's Eve of the twenty-eighth year, everything went smoothly. After midnight, it was the twenty-ninth year of Kangxi's reign.
With the arrival of the new year, a new atmosphere was set forth. At Xu Lejin's deliberate reminder, Emperor Kangxi issued an edict in the first month of the year to set the wedding dates for the third and fourth princesses and to bestow upon them titles.
The third princess, Yaliqi, was bestowed the title of Princess Heshuo Gongjing. On May 16th, she married Yehenara, the youngest son of Nalan Mingzhu.
The fourth princess, Ihana, was bestowed the title of Princess Heshuo Mingke and married into the Niohuru family on the eighth day of the tenth month.
In addition, the fifth and sixth princesses, who had already been betrothed, as well as the seventh princess Wuxiha and the ninth princess born to Xu Lejin, were kept by Emperor Kangxi for a few more years, so the wedding dates were not set.
At the same time, Kangxi also arranged marriages for several princesses at once, all of which were arranged first, and the wedding date would be discussed after the princesses came of age.
The tenth princess was betrothed to a member of the Khorchin tribe, from the lineage of Prince Zhuoliktu.
The eleventh princess was betrothed to the Suochuoluo family;
Princess Wuyoudai was to marry into the Fucha family;
The thirteenth princess was betrothed to the Wanyan family;
Princess Wulingzhu was betrothed to the Shumulu family;
The fifteenth princess was betrothed to a member of the Tongjia clan;
The sixteenth princess was betrothed to the heir of the Khalkha tribe's prince;
The seventeenth princess was betrothed to the grandson of the Prince of Abahai.
The Suochuoluo family, the Fucha family, and the Tongjia family were prominent families in the Eight Banners.
Although the Wanyan and Shumulu families were not major surnames, they were well-known and influential families in Manchuria, with influence comparable to that of the Fuca and Niohuru families, which were prominent surnames in the Eight Banners.
Consort Duan smiled as she sat at the lower seat, raising her eyes to look at Xu Lejin and said, "Your Highness, now that the Emperor's decree has been issued, the Thirteenth Princess is betrothed to the Wanyan family and will live in the capital, I can finally rest assured."
"Although the Thirteenth Princess is not my biological daughter, she is registered under my name, and over the years I have long regarded her as my own."
After a pause, Consort Duan stood up and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I thank you for speaking well of me and the Thirteenth Princess before the Emperor. From now on, I am willing to obey Your Majesty's every command."
"、、"
After a moment of stunned silence, Xu Lejin suddenly realized what was going on.
Consort Duan believed that it was because of her that the Thirteenth Princess was able to stay in the capital and marry into the Wanyan family.
Very well, it's fine if Consort Duan thinks so.
With a faint smile, Xu Lejin said softly, "The Thirteenth Princess is now engaged, and in a few years it will be time for her to get married. As the Thirteenth Princess's mother, you must prepare a good dowry for her."
"The Dong family of the Imperial Household Department"
Xu Lejin paused slightly, then spoke in a cold voice.
"Although the Dong family has produced a Consort like you, they are still bondservants of the Imperial Household Department. The Emperor has not elevated them to the Manchu banner, so it will be difficult for them to marry a princess."
Upon hearing this, Consort Duan's face instantly turned bright red.
After a long while, Consort Duan said in a low voice, "Yes, the Imperial Noble Consort's admonition is correct. I will go back and immediately write to the Dong family to dispel any improper thoughts they may have."
"Um,"
With a light reply, Xu Lejin casually began, "Actually, both the Emperor and I are aware of your family situation, Consort Duan. The Emperor's favor towards you, and his bestowal of the title of Consort Duan, has never had anything to do with your family background."
"Hesitation leads to trouble. I hope Consort Duan understands this principle."
Consort Duan stared in disbelief, her mouth agape in astonishment.
After a long while, Consort Duan nodded and bowed as she left Yikun Palace.
Watching Consort Duan's unsteady figure, Xu Lejin sighed softly and said, "Back then, Consort Duan was an orphan and a widow. The Dong family saw that Consort Duan was beautiful and gentle, and forced her to enter the palace through the preliminary selection."
"When Consort Duan was out of favor, the Dong family not only did not help her, but also kicked her when she was down. Now that Consort Duan has become a consort and has two children, the Dong family is eager to use the rise and fall of their family to bind her."
After a pause, Xu Lejin continued speaking.
"It's one thing for the Dong family to want power; the Imperial Household Department is a complex and entrenched organization. The presence or absence of the Dong family makes little difference. But what the Dong family shouldn't have done was set their sights on the Thirteenth Princess."
"Although the Thirteenth Princess's birth mother, Lady Seattle, was of humble origin and died young, her adoptive mother was one of the four concubines in the palace. No matter what, she would never marry into a bondservant family."
Ruhua and Nongying exchanged a slight glance and respectfully replied, "Yes."
Xu Lejin raised her eyes and glanced at the sky outside, then said coldly, "Even though I am a Noble Consort with the same rank as the Empress, my maternal family has been elevated in rank and given a surname by the Emperor."
"My father and my half-brother have been trying to curry favor with the princess all these years, but what have I done?"
Even if I were confused, I would never marry a princess from the palace to my maternal family.
"Besides, those are the sons of my half-brothers."
Ru Hua spoke softly, "Yes, Your Majesty's considerations are thorough. However—"
"However, I heard that the master made a scene at home a few days ago, threatening to kill himself and pressuring the madam and the fifth young master. He even said that Your Highness is already an Imperial Noble Consort, so why hasn't the Emperor bestowed upon the master the title of First-Class Duke of Cheng'en..."
Xu Lejin scoffed, her tone icy.
"Let Father make a fuss if he wants to. He can't really cause any trouble. With Mother at home, what can he do even if he threatens to kill himself? These past few years, Father has become increasingly unreliable since he came back from Shengjing."
"A man of advanced age, with a large family of children and grandchildren, is still disrespectful to his elders and wants to take a sixteen or seventeen-year-old maid as a concubine."
With a 'snap', he put down the teacup in his hand.
Xu Lejin added, "Fortunately, I had my mother put medicine in my father's food back then, otherwise my father would have given birth to countless half-brothers and half-sisters over the years."
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