Xianle, of the Aisin Gioro clan, was the thirty-sixth daughter of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. She was the thirty-fourth princess in terms of birth order and later became Princess Gulun Chenshu. Her mother was Empress Xiaoshuren, of the Xu Muer clan.
Xianle has four older brothers, seven older sisters, and one younger brother, all of whom are her own children.
Xianle and her younger brother Yinhu are twins, but Xianle is the older sister and Yinhu is the younger brother.
Less than 100 days after Xianle's birth, her mother, Xu Muer, was made empress by Emperor Kangxi. Xianle and her younger brother suddenly became the empress's youngest legitimate son and daughter, with extraordinary and noble status.
Young sons and young daughters,
Well, Xianle was Emperor Kangxi's youngest daughter, but her brother was not Emperor Kangxi's youngest son. Below her was a twenty-third brother who was a month younger than them.
However, the twenty-third brother's presence was not very noticeable. Therefore, Xianle and her younger brother were the youngest son and daughter born to Empress Xu Muer.
From a young age, Xianle and her younger brother were deeply loved by their father, Emperor Kangxi, their mother, Lady Xu Muer, as well as their older brothers and sisters.
To put it bluntly, if Xianle and the others wanted the moon and stars, and if Kangxi could go to heaven and pluck them down for them, he would do so.
I remember when Xianle was ten years old, she suddenly wanted a tall attic and wanted to live in it.
So Emperor Kangxi personally issued an edict, ordering the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds. His mother and sisters participated in the design, while his brothers were responsible for supervising and overseeing the construction. After half a year, a nine-story pavilion appeared in the northwest corner of the Imperial Garden.
This pavilion was named the Star-Picking Pavilion by Xianle, meaning that one could pluck stars from the sky.
From then until Xianle's marriage, she lived on the ninth floor of the Star-Picking Tower. During this time, Xianle overheard madmen in the palace saying that this Star-Picking Tower was the same as the Star-Picking Tower of the Shang Dynasty a thousand years ago.
Some say that Xianle is the reincarnation of Daji.
Mother Xu Mu'er also jokingly said that this Star-Picking Tower was actually a nine-story demon tower.
Xianle smiled without saying a word, continuing to do as she pleased.
By the age of sixteen, Xianle had grown into a graceful and beautiful young woman. Suitors lined up from the Qing Dynasty to Mongolia: her father, Emperor Kangxi, her mother, Lady Xumur, her brother, Emperor Yonghe, and her sister-in-law, Lady Ulanara—none of them agreed.
Until one day, Xianle came down from the Star-Picking Tower and met a young man, dressed in flowing white robes, just like her seventh brother-in-law from years ago—a refined and elegant young man.
Just like my fourteenth brother-in-law back then, he was gentle and refined, with red lips and white teeth.
At first glance, Xianle knew that this was the man she had been waiting for all these years. Xianle went to Jingren Palace to inquire with her sister-in-law, who had a strange expression on her face.
Many years later, Xianle found out.
The young man she took a liking to at first sight was a son of the Tongjia clan, who had entered the palace on his father's orders to deliver gifts to the Empress Dowager Que.
The history and entanglements between the Tongjia clan and the Aisin Gioro family could be discussed for days and nights. Emperor Kangxi was wary of the emergence of "half the court of Tongjia," and so was his elder brother, Emperor Yonghe.
Therefore, the Tongjia clan has been suppressed for many years.
Even though a few princes and princesses became consorts, they were not all princes or princesses who were not particularly favored.
Emperor Kangxi and Empress Dowager Xu Muer at the Changchun Garden Imperial Palace
Emperor Yonghe and Empress Ulanara dared not restrain or discipline Xianle too much because Xianle was their youngest sister. So, after Xianle found out the truth, she left the palace openly.
Xianle went to the Tong family and met the Tong family patriarch, Orondai.
Of course, Xianle didn't tell the world that she was going to see the young man she had fallen in love with at first sight. Xianle was actually going to visit her half-sister, Princess Changting, the thirty-third daughter of the Liu family, also known as Princess Heshuo Minjing.
Xianle and Princess Minjing had never interacted before, and when Princess Minjing saw Xianle, she couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes.
For the sake of the boy she fell in love with at first sight, Xianle began to frequently visit the palace and the Tong family. Finally, Emperor Yonghe felt that he could no longer indulge her, so he sent a letter by express courier to the Changchun Garden Palace.
In addition, Princess Minjing was also forcibly confined to the Zhaixing Tower.
During that period, Emperor Yonghe and Empress Ulanara went without food or water, and their hair turned quite white from worry. Their condition only improved slightly after Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager returned to the palace.
Empress Dowager Xu Muer looked at her with deep concern, without saying a word.
Xianle knew what her mother was worried about, but Xianle just loved him and wanted to see him every day. Xianle was at odds with Kangxi and the Empress Dowager, but in the end, Kangxi and the Empress Dowager couldn't persuade her otherwise.
As she wished, Xianle was betrothed to the Tong family.
Xianle knew that the ailing Consort Taishang Que had played a part in this, so Xianle was very grateful to her and personally went to visit her.
I remember that when the Empress Dowager Que was there, she simply pursed her lips and said that she hoped to be happy and joyful in the future.
Xianle was bestowed the title of Princess Gulun Chenshu and married into the Tong family in grand style, marrying the husband she had chosen herself. However, after marriage, Xianle gradually discovered that life was not as she had imagined.
It wasn't a life like that of a fairy-tale couple.
Sometimes, Xianle couldn't help but think that she was probably really spoiled by her father, Emperor Kangxi, her mother, the Empress Dowager, her brother, Emperor Yonghe, and her sister-in-law, Ulanara, so she didn't know how to get along with her husband.
The prince consort wasn't quite what she had imagined—not the perfect partner with whom she could compose poetry and paint, live in harmony and mutual respect. Xianle discovered that aside from his handsome appearance, the prince consort wasn't particularly outstanding.
The prince consort's literary talent was inferior to that of the great scholars of the time, and his martial prowess was not as good as that of the generals who rode horses and fought on the battlefield.
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