To some extent, Anning admired the Eighth Prince.
He took acting to the extreme; it wasn't hypocrisy, but rather a form of "performance art." It's remarkable that he could garner support from so many powerful and influential people, even if it was all just wishful thinking.
Yin Yi received a lot of information from An Ning before leaving.
That evening, Emperor Kangxi came over.
Kangxi: "I heard from Liang Jiugong that you summoned quite a few young women today. Did you find any you liked?"
An Ning smiled and looked at Kangxi: "Your Majesty, I have indeed met someone I like, and I was just about to tell you."
Kangxi became interested. Anning had been well-behaved all these years, and her good health was also partly due to her. If her status as a candidate for the imperial concubine was not too outrageous, it wouldn't be a problem to agree to make her Yinyi's wife.
Anning: "It's Princess Xilinjueluo."
Kangxi couldn't remember who it was for a moment, because he was choosing a consort for his son. The families of the young women selected this year were good enough to be imperial consorts. Kangxi had already looked at the list beforehand, but there was no Xilin Gioro clan member among them!
"Princess Xilinjueluo? Whose daughter is she?"
"She is Obai's youngest daughter."
Kangxi remembered that among the prominent Manchu families, there were few who were well-educated. Ebai's son was quite knowledgeable, had good results in the imperial examinations, and was capable, but Kangxi had not used him much.
This family isn't very prestigious; their only advantage is their surname.
"Why would you want her to be Yinyi's wife? I don't think her family background is appropriate."
Emperor Kangxi couldn't understand Anning's thoughts. Everyone else wanted their daughter-in-law to come from a higher family background, but she was different. She was from the Xilin Gioro clan. Her family background was fine as a concubine, but he felt it would be too unfair to his youngest son if she became his primary wife.
An Ning then explained, "I have seen all the candidates for the imperial concubine selection this year. There are not many who possess all the qualities of beauty, family background, character, and virtue. Although Princess Xilin Jue Luo's family background is inferior to the other princesses, I like her very much in terms of beauty, talent, character, and virtue."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi's impression of Princess Xilin Gioro improved considerably. However, his thinking was very much in line with that of men in feudal dynasties: "Since Princess Xilin Gioro is so good, she can be a secondary consort. The primary consort should still be chosen from a family with a good background."
Anning shook her head: "I like Princess Xilin Jueluo, and I also let Yinyi take a look. Yinyi also thinks Princess Xilin Jueluo is good. If she were to become a concubine, wouldn't that make Yinyi favor his concubine over his wife? I can't possibly dislike my legitimate daughter-in-law and like a concubine!"
Kangxi was in a dilemma. If Anning's demands were too excessive, he could easily refuse. But Princess Xilinjueluo felt that her son was being treated too unfairly.
Anning's words made a lot of sense. Yinyi's wife would not affect the court. Neither Anning nor Yinyi had any objections, and he did not want to be the bad guy.
However, he still hesitated: "I feel that this is too unfair to Yinyi."
Upon hearing this, An Ning offered her proposed compensation: "If Your Majesty feels that Yin Yi has been wronged, why not let him leave the palace and come to your residence earlier? That child is restless and will always find an opportunity to run off with his brother. What does Your Majesty think?"
What did Kangxi think?
"Let me think about it carefully."
Leaving the palace early is not a problem. Now there are only the Fifteenth Prince and the Sixteenth Prince left in the palace. If they leave together, Kangxi can afford the expenses.
In the end, Kangxi nodded: "Alright, I agree."
An Ning said with a happy expression, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness. Your Majesty is a kind father. I hope that Yin Yi and his future wife will live in harmony. Then I can rest assured."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi was deeply moved. He felt that Anning was a breath of fresh air in the harem. She did not covet power, never asked for what was not hers, was content with her lot, loved her son, and was a kind mother.
Yinyi is also a good child, filial and intelligent, making him feel at ease.
Kangxi felt an indescribable satisfaction at the sight of his beloved concubine and young son.
Kangxi thought that since Princess Xilinjueluo was good, he would not promote her since her father was too old, but he could make good use of her brother.
Well, to put it simply, Kangxi truly lived up to his reputation as Yinzhen's son; both father and son possessed an extreme sense of loving someone to the point of despair and hating someone to the point of despair.
However, Yinzhen's behavior was more obvious and outgoing, while Kangxi appeared somewhat reserved in comparison.
He loved his son Yinyi and couldn't bear to wrong him. If Princess Xilinjueluo's family background wasn't good enough, he would just add more to it. He couldn't let his eldest son suffer.
An Ning never expected this.
When Anning heard that Ortai had been promoted, she was still stunned, then she laughed. She really couldn't say anything about Kangxi's actions.
After the imperial concubine selection ended and the sixteenth consort was chosen, everyone couldn't help but look on in disbelief, unable to understand Kangxi's thoughts.
Several princes who were on good terms with Yin Yi looked at him with pity, but this was a difficult situation to explain.
Yin Yi didn't say anything.
Ortai was promoted, but his official rank was still not very high. As for Princess Xilinjueluo, her family background was that of a prince's wife. In their eyes, Kangxi did not value Yinyi very much.
Not long after, Emperor Kangxi issued another imperial edict ordering the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Works to arrange for the fifteenth and sixteenth princes to leave the palace and establish their own residences, which made everyone envious.
It should be noted that because Emperor Kangxi had many sons, and the age gap between his sons was not large, it would be too expensive for them to build their own residences outside the palace. Generally, they would stay in the palace for several years after getting married before they could leave.
Well, for a prince, living alone is barely acceptable, but with his wives, concubines, and children, it becomes quite cramped and uncomfortable. The main problem is that there's no privacy or freedom.
When the Fifteenth Prince received the news, he was overjoyed and sent a gift to Yin Yi.
He knew that he was able to move out thanks to Yin Yi. He wasn't particularly favored, and he didn't know when Kangxi would remember him.
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