After the Empress Dowager's funeral, everything returned to normal.
Yinzhen and Yue Shu continued their busy work.
Hongxu's relationship with Zhang Ruoqing is getting better and better.
In the eighteenth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, Hongxu became engaged to Zhang Ruoqing, causing an uproar in the court. It wasn't that Zhang Ruoqing's status was insufficient, but rather that she was a Han Chinese.
For the Manchu nobles, their Manchu identity was a source of pride. Even if they did not engage in production, legitimate Manchu bannermen could receive money to spend and ensure that they would not starve.
Even if Yinzhen wanted to, he couldn't abolish this rule for the time being.
Intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese is forbidden; this is their bottom line. But now, the chosen future emperor has chosen a pure Han woman as his consort. To them, this is utterly ridiculous.
Manchus such as Niohuru, Guarjia, and Nara submitted memorials expressing their disagreement.
In response, Yinzhen released an investigation report on the harms of consanguineous marriage and stated: "My actions are also for the future of the Qing Dynasty. Intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese is prohibited. Internal intermarriage will not benefit our descendants in the slightest."
"If you don't believe me, you can go back and check for yourselves. I'm not lying. You'd rather have more and more dull-witted children, but I don't. Go back now!"
Well, it's reasonable and well-founded; he did it for the future of the Qing Dynasty, although it was a bit far-fetched.
Nowadays, intermarriage among high-ranking families is very common in the Qing Dynasty, with relatives marrying each other frequently. When asked to choose a daughter-in-law from among these people, Yinzhen said no, absolutely not.
Once the investigation report was released, the Manchus became obedient and went home to inquire.
The key point is that Yinzhen's document also frightened the Han officials.
When Zhang Tingyu heard this in the court, his face turned a shade paler. You see, his family was a hotbed of consanguineous marriage, with several generations having married into the Yao family of Maxi.
Thinking of his wife, Yao, who died young during childbirth, the two were cousins, not blood relatives, but not too distant.
And then there's his son's engagement...
The more he thought about it, the uglier his face became.
Han Chinese people, in particular, value the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. If children are born from close relatives, even if there are no problems, they will be less intelligent than ordinary children. Over time, the family business may decline.
Seeing the ugly expressions on the faces of both Manchu and Han officials, Yinzhen felt satisfied and relieved.
"Dismiss the court!"
Then the capital city became lively, and soon after, the entire Qing Dynasty became lively as well, with countless people breaking off engagements in various places.
As for the choice of Hongxu's wife, no one said anything more.
On the one hand, they advocate the unity of Manchus and Han Chinese, but on the other hand, they prohibit intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese. This is simply contradictory.
Yinzhen couldn't resolve the conflict all at once, but what he could do was ease the tension and allow the Manchus and Han people to achieve ethnic integration without realizing it.
This process cannot be solved in one generation.
In the autumn of the eighteenth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, Hongxu got married and was simultaneously granted the title of Prince.
Subsequently, the second prince, Hongyun, was granted the title of Prince of the Second Rank. Previously, he was a Prince of the Third Rank and was already married, but due to his weak health, he had never had any children.
The Third Prince was previously a Beizi, but this time he was granted the title of Beile. Yinzhen could never be completely without resentment towards this son. He was already married, and his wife was still Lady Dong'e. He had children and knew that he had no chance of competing with her. His life was much more comfortable than in his previous life.
As the year drew to a close, Zhang Ruoqing became pregnant.
Meanwhile, news came from the Imperial Hospital that Consort Jingren was unwell and might not make it through the New Year; she requested to see the Emperor.
Yinzhen has left.
Excessive worry is a symptom of Ulanara's illness.
Even the most skilled imperial physicians couldn't cure her illness; it was a psychological one.
"Your Majesty, you have arrived."
"Hmm, is there anything you'd like to say?"
"Your Majesty, I don't know either. I just felt that I hadn't spoken to Your Majesty in a long time and wanted to see you. It's rare that the Empress would allow Your Majesty to come over."
Yinzhen frowned: "The Empress never interferes with what I do."
She chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Yes, it was all His Majesty's own choice. Actually, I'm curious, what is it about me that I can't compare to Chang Leshu? She has been the sole favorite for twenty years. Of all the beauties in the world, she only chooses one. His Majesty is truly devoted to her! It's truly enviable and makes one jealous."
“You are different. You are good, and she is good too. It’s just that some things are beyond our control.”
Yinzhen didn't dislike Ulanara in his life; it's just that what he wanted and what she wanted went against each other. They were on different paths and couldn't work together.
The things Ulanara did in her life, some of which she disliked, do not necessarily mean that she was wrong.
What separates them is time, hundreds of years, not Yue Shu.
He has changed, but she hasn't.
Ulanara said with a sorrowful expression, "Your Majesty is much gentler and more patient than before. If Your Majesty had been like this when I first met you, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to tolerate Li and the others. As for Chang Leshu, I can't even bring myself to hate her."
Because she was clever, she understood that Yinzhen was changing, becoming better, gentler, and more worthy of women's affections. She grew to like the current emperor more and more, but his change stemmed from another woman.
How tragic this was for Ulanara! She couldn't even bring herself to hate Le Shu, she couldn't convince herself to do anything malicious to her.
So she confined herself to her quarters, day after day, and ultimately met her own demise.
Yinzhen showed more patience towards Ulanara: "The imperial physician said that your problem is psychological. If you are not comfortable in the palace, you should leave the palace, travel more, and see more of the outside world."
Ulanara smiled gently: "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will not go out. If there is an afterlife, I would like to enter Your Majesty's harem again. I want to know if our ending would be different if I wore the clothes designed by Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please go. I am sleepy and want to go to sleep."
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