The cannon fodder character in the "Dream of the Red Chamber" story of a substitute bride tries to rewrite her life at age 18...
What's it like to marry two daughters-in-law and two daughters within six months?
The word to describe it is "tiring". Getting married in ancient times was already complicated, and with the addition of the words "royal relatives and nobles", it became even more complicated.
Fortunately, the daughter-in-law was married off first, and the daughter was married off later. By the time Little Star and Little Pearl got married, Jia Hui already had two capable helpers.
After her daughter's wedding, Jia Hui lay in bed for several days before recovering. With two young maids constantly around her, Jia Hui just wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Now that she's married, she feels empty and sad. Finally, the three-day homecoming day arrived, and Jia Hui was already waiting at the door.
Little Star and Little Pearl were also eager to return home. They rushed to their mother's house early in the morning. Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, they jumped down and threw themselves into Jia Hui's arms: "Mother, I missed you so much!"
With red eyes, Jia Hui kept pulling her daughter up and down, looking her over. Her two sons-in-law bowed and greeted her, but she just gave them a perfunctory reply without even glancing at the two brats.
Time always flies when you're together; in the blink of an eye, your two daughters will have to leave.
As Jia Hui watched her daughter's carriage drive further and further away, she couldn't help but want to cry.
Seeing how upset she was, Mingrui offered her a suggestion: "Our daughter has just married into her husband's family and is embarrassed to visit her parents' home often. We can go visit them!"
Jia Hui wiped away her tears: "That's right, how come I didn't think of that? I'll go see Fourth Sister-in-law tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow I'll invite Ninth Sister-in-law to play mahjong together."
Then Jia Hui began to spend half the month of each month visiting neighbors.
Mingrui, following his wife's lead, also went to his son-in-law's house to freeload. Then, Prince Yong, who couldn't stand his leisurely life, dragged him to the Ministry of Revenue to work as a laborer.
Before Yunzhu and Wuyunqimuge married into the family, they were worried that their mother-in-law would be difficult to get along with.
Unexpectedly, after getting married, I no longer need to get up early to pay my respects, nor do I need to follow any rules.
After the marriage, Yunzhu would go to pay her respects to Jia Hui every morning. Jia Hui pretended for five days, but he couldn't keep up the act any longer and called his son Hongke to his side.
"Dabao, go back and tell your wife that she should come over for lunch with me from now on, and she should say the same thing."
Go back and talk to your wife. Don't let her come over this morning. Remember to be tactful; just say you feel sorry for her having to get up early!
Hongke almost burst out laughing; he knew his mother wouldn't last more than a few days.
That brat Hongduo even made a bet with him, saying that his mother, out of respect for the new bride, could at least last half a month.
He guessed that five days was his mother's limit, and he was right.
Hongke returned to the courtyard, where Yunzhu greeted him: "Your Highness, did Mother want to see you about something?"
Hongke pulled Yunzhu's hand and sat her down: "It's nothing, Yunzhu. From now on, you can have lunch with your mother at noon. You don't need to get up so early in the morning."
Yunzhu's heart skipped a beat: "Did I do something wrong and make Mother angry?"
Hongke kissed her on the lips: "No, let me tell you the truth, but you mustn't tell anyone. Mother likes to sleep in late in the morning, so if you get up early to pay your respects, she has to get up early too."
Hongduo and I even made a bet on how many days Mother could endure. He guessed half a month, I guessed five days, and I was right.
Yunzhu never expected that her gentle and elegant mother-in-law would have such a lovely side.
She didn't have to get up early to pay her respects, which meant she didn't have to get up so early anymore. That was wonderful; she wanted to sleep a little longer.
When Uyunqimuge married into the family, she received the same treatment. She had to greet her mother-in-law in the morning for five days, but then she was asked to have lunch with her mother-in-law at noon and greet her at the same time.
After a while, Mingrui couldn't take it anymore. He had to work hard with Prince Yong at the Ministry of Revenue, and his time to eat with Jia Hui was taken up by his daughter-in-law.
This is outrageous! In Jia Hui's words, he has already retired and passed on his title to his eldest son.
Mingrui called his two sons over and divided the family property. Next door was the Prince's Mansion that Kangxi had bestowed upon Hongduo, which had just been renovated and could be moved into immediately.
When preparing her daughter's dowry, Jia Hui divided her personal savings in two.
Each daughter received 500,000 taels of silver as a dowry, and each of the two sons received 500,000 taels, which were to be divided equally between the estate and the shop.
After the family divided their property, Mingrui and Jia Hui moved to a garden near Changchun Garden in the western suburbs.
This garden was bestowed upon Emperor Kangxi; it was originally a private garden dating back to the Ming Dynasty.
The garden was in a state of disrepair, so Mingrui ordered people to build this garden on the site, intending it to be a place for himself and Jia Hui to retire.
The reason why so much effort was put into repairing this garden was because Jia Hui said that after Yongzheng ascended the throne, he spent more than half the year living in the Yuanmingyuan Garden, and it would be more convenient to live here.
In the early morning of November 13th, 61st year, Emperor Kangxi summoned all the princes, members of the imperial family, and Hongke, the commander of the infantry and the commander of the nine gates, to Changchun Garden.
On his deathbed, Emperor Kangxi ordered Hongke to read his will aloud in front of all the princes, members of the imperial clan, and his trusted ministers:
"The fourth prince, Yinzhen, is of noble character and closely resembles me. He will surely be able to inherit the throne and succeed me as emperor..."
To ensure that her father-in-law, Yinzhen, would succeed to the throne without any controversy, Jia Hui had the system give him a lucky charm.
They gave Emperor Kangxi a "last gasp" before his death, allowing him to remain lucid for an exceptionally long time and make clear arrangements for his affairs before his death.
Perhaps it is true that a dying man's words are kind, for he mentioned that Yinzhen's adoptive mother, his cousin Empress Xiaoyiren, had repeatedly told him that she hoped to amend the imperial genealogy to include Yinzhen under her name.
He had concerns at the time, fearing that if Yinzhen became the legitimate son, it would threaten Yinreng's position as crown prince, which led to Empress Xiaoyiren's regrettable passing away.
This became a regret in his heart. Now he was going to see Empress Xiaoyiren. Before leaving, he wanted to finish what he had promised Empress Xiaoyiren.
This is also why he summoned the princes of the imperial clan to change the imperial genealogy. From then on, Yinzhen was the biological son of Empress Xiaoyiren and had no further relationship with Consort De of Yonghe Palace.
When Mingrui returned and told Jia Hui about it, Jia Hui couldn't help but applaud and cheer for Kangxi.
He knew how to kill by destroying the spirit. He was not unaware that Consort De favored her youngest son, Yinzhen, and neglected Yinzhen, but he simply kept quiet about it.
This time, the situation was completely reversed. Consort De could no longer refuse to move the palace or the title that Yinzhen bestowed upon her, saying that her son's succession to the throne was not what she had always dreamed of!
She can't be made Empress Dowager this time; she can only be a Consort Dowager. Jia Hui thinks Consort Yi must be overjoyed.
Consort Yi was laughing so hard she almost went crazy. For a moment, she even thought it was a good thing that Emperor Kangxi died.
Being able to see my nemesis, Consort De, having fun, and being able to leave the palace to live with my son—that sounds wonderful.
Consort De fainted from anger. She looked down on Yinzhen, only thinking that he was raised by Lady Tongjia and therefore not close to her.
But he was a piece of his own flesh and blood. How could Kangxi be so heartless as to change the imperial genealogy and register him under the name of the Tongjia clan, thus erasing their mother-son relationship?
It's no wonder that Consort De lost her composure. The Imperial Genealogy is the family tree of the royal family, which was revised every ten years starting from the Tang Dynasty and continuing from the Song Dynasty.
Whether Yinzhen was born to Lady Tongjia is not important. What is important is that as long as the imperial genealogy is changed, he will be Lady Tongjia's biological son and will have no relation to Consort De anymore.
After Emperor Kangxi's death, Empress Tongjia's eldest son, Yinzhen, ascended the throne, changed the reign title to Yongzheng, honored his aunt, Consort Tongjia, as Empress Dowager, and moved to Cining Palace.
Consorts Hui, Rong, and De were Grand Consorts and resided in the Eastern Three Palaces attached to the Cining Palace.
Consort Yi was granted the title of Noble Consort Yi and resided in the main hall of Ning Shou Palace. Other lower-ranking concubines either resided in the three northern palaces attached to Ci Ning Palace or moved to the side halls or rear halls of Ning Shou Palace.
Emperor Kangxi had many concubines, and the Cining Palace and Ningshou Palace were simply not enough to house them, and their conditions were not comparable to the previous Six Palaces.
After discussing with his ministers, he decided that after the mourning period, concubines with children could leave the palace with their adult sons to live out their days in comfort.
After Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, he first bestowed titles upon his brothers. Those who were already princes of the second rank were promoted to princes of the first rank, and the sons of those who were already princes of the first rank were granted the titles of beile and beizi.
The most unique case is that of the thirteenth prince, Yinxiang, who went directly from a Beizi (a lower-ranking prince) to the hereditary Prince Yi. This brotherly bond is truly touching.
The Eighth Prince, Yinzhi, who had been living a secluded life since the Eagle Killing Incident in the fifty-third year of his reign, was still a bald prince and seemed to have been forgotten.
Ironically, his son Hongwang was granted the title of Beile. It must be said that Yongzheng knew how to hold grudges.
The Fourteenth Prince, Yinzhen, was also in an awkward position, as he had previously been granted the title of Grand General.
But that doesn't mean he was a prince; in fact, he was just a prince.
After Yinzhen ascended the throne, he did not hold it against him and instead granted him the title of Prince Xun.
The Fourteenth Prince wanted to cause trouble, but unfortunately, this time Yinzhen was Empress Tongjia's biological son, and they were no longer siblings. He lacked confidence and ultimately didn't dare to make a scene.
Yinzhen's primary consort, Ulanara, was made empress, and Honghui was made crown prince.
Honghao was granted the title of Prince Bao, and Xiaoxingxing Wuxiha became Prince Bao's wife.
Yinzhen and the Empress had a good relationship. Since the Fourth Prince Consort gave birth to Honghao, almost no one entered his residence.
This includes Consort Nian, who is said to be Yinzhen's favorite concubine, and Princess Niohuru and Princess Geng.
I don't know why, but it seems that every time Emperor Kangxi bestowed a reward upon his son, he forgot about him. Perhaps it was because he was too busy?
Anyway, he only had a handful of concubines in his household, and apart from his secondary consort Li, they were all maids or princesses.
Yinzhen placed them all in the Eastern Six Palaces. Except for Lady Li, who was granted the title of Consort Qi, and Lady Song, who was granted the title of Consort Mao, the others were either Noble Ladies or Attendants.
He himself lived in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Empress lived in the Palace of Eternal Spring, the Honghui family lived in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the Honghao family lived in the Palace of Eternal Longevity.
For convenience, he also had the Tiyuan Hall converted into a connecting hall, directly linking the Changchun Palace, Tiyuan Hall, and Taiji Hall together.
The family of four lived a good life. Hongyun and Hongshi, these two unfortunate brothers, were granted the title of Beile and left the palace to establish their own residences.
Yinzhen was more biased than his father, Kangxi. He disliked Li, who had plotted to kill Honghui, and consequently neglected her two sons as well.
It was a blatant declaration to her that I was treating her differently. Li was filled with remorse; because she had harmed Honghui, her two sons had long been excluded from the line of succession.
Of the quadruplets, Yinzhen's favorite was Hongduo, who was just as mischievous as Honghao. With a stroke of his pen, the Fourth Prince, known for his clear-cut likes and dislikes, bestowed upon Hongduo the title of Prince Zhongyong, and appointed him to command the Imperial Guards and the Firearms Battalion.
Jia Hui lived to be nearly a hundred years old in this small world. She saw off Mingrui, her two best friends, Ulanara and Dong'e, and Emperor Yongzheng and the Ninth Prince, among others.
By the time she left this small world, Prince Rui's lineage had already reached four generations. She had become the great-grandmother in her great-grandson's eyes.
It's just that no one usually dares to call her that in front of her; her great-grandchildren all call her "Grandma."
When she hears others call her "Grandmother," she thinks of Old Madam Shi, and gets goosebumps all over. Knowing that she is old is one thing, but being constantly reminded of her age makes her happy.
postscript:
In this little world, when the crown prince was deposed for the second time, the Jia family was raided and exiled.
The Zhen family, on the other hand, was more pragmatic. With the help of Prince Keqin, Nersu, they surrendered before Yongzheng ascended the throne and voluntarily returned the money owed to the national treasury, thus ensuring a peaceful end.
Although Gu Qingyuan is nominally Mingrui's brother-in-law, everyone knows that his wife Jia Wei was the one who set up Jia Hui.
The fact that Prince Rui's Mansion didn't suppress him means they didn't care. It's impossible to climb the social ladder by relying on Prince Rui's Mansion's connections.
Because of his poor social skills, he was never valued in the Hanlin Academy. Later, he was sent to a post outside the capital with Jia Wei. Although he only served as a county magistrate throughout his life, he was always conscientious and left behind a legacy of integrity.
Compared to Jia Wei, Jia Xuan was clearly less able to accept that she had been reborn, painstakingly planned to marry the Crown Prince, gain his favor, and give birth to a son.
As a result, the crown prince was deposed, and everyone in Yuqing Palace was imprisoned in Xian'an Palace, never to leave again.
This huge contrast drove her to madness. After being deposed, Yinreng spent his days indulging in debauchery in his study and had no interest in caring about her.
The Crown Princess was a virtuous woman, but she had too many things to manage. Before long, Jia Xuan was found to have drowned himself in a well.
Her son was taken in and raised by the Crown Princess, which saved his life.
After Emperor Yongzheng completed his 27-month mourning period, he ordered Prince Zhi, who had just been restored to his title, to lead Honghao and Hongduo in building up the navy.
To save the Qing Dynasty in this world from a century of humiliation, Jia Hui used a dream-creating talisman on Yongzheng and his son Honghui, falsely claiming the name of the deceased Kangxi Emperor.
It is said that after his death, he returned to the celestial realm and learned that all the emperors of past dynasties were actually immortals of the Purple Star who descended to earth to undergo tribulations, and only after achieving perfect merit could they return to the celestial realm.
This means that you don't need to waste your time on alchemy or seeking immortality; as long as you can be a good emperor, you will eventually achieve enlightenment and become an immortal.
It's like dangling a pie in the sky for him, so he won't end up eating himself to death while trying to refine elixirs later on.
After making his promise, he changed the subject and told him that after his return, he had calculated that the Qing Dynasty would face a great calamity in the future, and the source of the responsibility lay with him.
First, we closed ourselves off from the world, and while foreigners were developing Western sports, we fell behind.
Furthermore, back then, I was misled by those missionaries like Ferdinand Verbiest and mistakenly exiled that capable and loyal minister named Dai Zi to Ningguta.
Dai Ziben should have been a genius weapon maker in our Great Qing Dynasty.
Because those foreigners who were not of our race feared that he would develop more powerful weapons that would threaten their motherland, they framed him.
You should find Dai Zi as soon as possible and give him important responsibilities, allowing him to focus on developing weapons. This way, we can prevent foreign countries from surpassing us in weaponry in the future.
Most importantly, we must start now to vigorously develop the Qing Dynasty's navy, build large ships and cannons, and open up maritime trade routes.
I have carefully drawn a world map for you. The countries circled in red are the enemy countries that bullied our descendants and future generations of the Qing Dynasty.
The countries that drew circles must be destroyed, and their land incorporated into our Great Qing.
You should work hard. Your father knows it's difficult. Your eldest and second brothers are both quite capable; keeping them confined is a waste of food. Let them out to lead troops and conquer the world.
Don't worry, Father Emperor personally appeared to them in a dream, so they wouldn't dare not do a bad job.
Your years as emperor may have been filled with hardship and toil, but upon your successful completion of your tribulations, you will not only return to the celestial realm but also be remembered for generations to come.
Jia Hui's promise was incredibly grand, and upon waking up, there was even a hand-drawn, high-definition world map.
After the morning court session, his eldest son, Honghui, came to see him with an identical world map, saying that he had met the Emperor.
It was a series of interconnected events, leaving Yongzheng no choice but to believe it. Jia Hui had been preparing for this moment for a long time.
First, let the small system save Dai Zi and his sons' lives, give him a miraculous encounter, make his weak body healthy, and stuff his brain with a lot of knowledge about weapons from later generations.
Improve their harsh living conditions so they can survive in Ningguta and focus on researching more powerful weapons.
Yongzheng was incredibly efficient. He sent trusted confidants to bring Dai Zi's family back to the capital, and then immediately went to Xianyang Palace to invite Crown Prince Yinreng to take up a post.
The Crown Prince and the First Prince had nightmares all night, being chased, beaten, and scolded by their deceased father, Emperor Kangxi, until they wept bitterly and knelt down begging for mercy.
To be fair, Kangxi's sons were actually quite filial. Although Crown Prince Yinreng plotted to usurp the throne several times, he only wanted Kangxi to abdicate in his favor and never intended to harm Kangxi.
The eldest prince, Yinqi, was even more of a target. His struggles with the crown prince were actually all for Kangxi's favor.
He wasn't really interested in that position; he just wanted to show Kangxi that he was no less capable than the crown prince whom he had personally raised.
These two were beaten and scolded in their dreams, and all they could do was cry and say they were wrong. This made Jia Hui feel embarrassed, so she told them to listen to Yinzhen and fight diligently for the Qing Dynasty.
When Emperor Kangxi was invited to serve, Yinzhen went to invite him, and Yinreng and Yinti readily agreed.
They dared not refuse. When "Father the Emperor" left, he said that he had finally managed to get this opportunity from the fourth prince.
If anyone dares to let him down, they might come looking for trouble one night. He also told them about his current identity and made grand promises, saying that as long as they worked hard, they would have a chance to reunite with their father in the future.
These two are now acting like they've been injected with chicken blood. To make them believe her more, and also out of fear that they might die too soon, Jia Hui even gave them and Yongzheng a health-strengthening pill.
The feeling that their physical ailments had vanished after taking the health-preserving pills was undeniable; they were now absolutely certain that it was "Kangxi" who had appeared to them in a dream.
Soon, Emperor Yongzheng ordered that Yinti be reinstated as Prince Zhi and given the salary of a double prince, and that Yinreng be granted the title of Prince Limi. The Third Prince, who had been idle at home, was also brought out of retirement.
For the princes, the eldest prince and the crown prince were once two mountains weighing on their heads, and now those two mountains have returned.
Take the Eighth Prince for example. He dares to challenge Yinzhen, but he would never dare to openly show his teeth to the First Prince and the Crown Prince.
Even the ninth and tenth princes, no matter how resentful they were, had to behave themselves in front of the eldest prince and the crown prince.
Emperor Kangxi usually only scolded his sons, but he actually physically punished the two of them.
With the Crown Prince in charge of the capital, the First Prince led the Tenth Prince, Honghao, and Hongduo to Guangzhou, where they wanted to convert the navy into a naval force.
The Eighth Prince was granted the title of Prince Lian and put in charge of the Court of Colonial Affairs, while the Thirteenth Prince was put in charge of the Ministry of Revenue.
Under the Crown Prince's watchful eye, the Fourteenth Prince immediately became obedient and sensible. He took over the Fengtai camp, led the troops in drills, and prepared to march out and conquer territories at Yinzhen's command.
The Third Prince and the Fifth Prince were in charge of road repair, bridge construction, and river embankment work.
The Seventh Prince and the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Princes were also busy; each of them had a task, and no one could be idle. They all had to get busy.
After several years of busy preparations, in the spring of the fifth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the Qing Navy's first stop was Japan.
This small island nation, which Emperor Kangxi had repeatedly instructed to be destroyed, was surrounded by the Qing navy, which unleashed a barrage of cannon fire.
From then on, Japan was destroyed, and in its place, the Qing Dynasty added an archipelago called Ryukyu.
Ryukyu was rich in gold and silver mines. After the Japanese were destroyed, the remaining islanders, both men and women, worked as miners.
Later generations said that Ryukyu miners were short, bow-legged, and resembled dwarfs.
After conquering Japan, the Qing Dynasty seemed to have unlocked its full potential and began to emulate the Han Dynasty.
First, send envoys to the surrounding small countries. Once there is sufficient reason to send troops, immediately launch a large-scale military attack.
Jia Hui couldn't count how much the Qing Dynasty's territory had expanded.
But before she died, the Koreans had long since turned to ashes, and all of Siberia, which she had once longed for, had fallen to the Qing Dynasty, and the Caspian Sea had become an inland lake of the Qing Dynasty.
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