This state banquet was held in the Hall of Preserving Harmony, and vassal states such as Mongolia, Hui, and Tibet would come to the capital to offer their congratulations.
I heard that the Torghut tribe of Mongolia came specifically to ask for the hand of a Qing princess, and now the only princess who can be considered suitable is the Ninth Princess.
He Xue remembered that in history, the Ninth Princess was one of only two princesses among Kangxi's daughters who did not have to marry far away, and she even married into the Tongjia clan.
It seems that without the protection of her biological mother, the Ninth Princess will inevitably be married off to a distant place, since she is not very favored by Emperor Kangxi at the moment.
Princess Jiu's status has always been rather awkward. Back then, Emperor Kangxi changed the name of the Fourth Prince to that of the Imperial Noble Consort, and even changed the imperial genealogy of the deceased Sixth Prince, but he forgot about Princess Jiu.
If the Ninth Princess acknowledges Consort Wuya as her mother, then she will have a commoner mother. If she does not acknowledge Consort Wuya, then her birth mother is unknown.
Because the Ninth Princess was previously raised in Cixi Palace, the people in the palace treated her politely out of respect for the Empress Dowager. Later, the Ninth Princess moved to the West Third Palace, and the people in the palace thought that the Empress Dowager had abandoned her. They all changed their tune depending on the wind, and the Ninth Princess's life was not easy.
Ever since the Ninth Princess heard the news of the Mongol marriage proposal, she had been restless. All the people around her had been purged by Emperor Kangxi, and they were people she didn't know. She didn't know if she could trust these people.
She knew that this matter would most likely fall on her shoulders, but she did not want to marry into Mongolia. Although her life in the palace was not good, she would have no good life in Mongolia.
She also heard stories of princesses who married into Mongolia and died young. Although they were married down, they were still at the mercy of others once they arrived in Mongolian territory.
Because of this matter, the Ninth Princess went to the Fourth Prince and begged him to help her out of consideration for their shared motherhood.
But the Fourth Prince only said one thing: "Everything is up to Father Emperor!"
The Ninth Princess cursed at the Fourth Prince, but the Fourth Prince didn't care. He told the Ninth Princess to behave herself, otherwise no one could help her, and then left.
The Ninth Princess knew that the Fourth Prince was unreliable, and she could only rely on herself.
Xiaoyu was someone Kangxi arranged to serve the Ninth Princess. One day, the Ninth Princess went out with a worried look on her face. When she came back, she was a completely different person. Xiaoyu didn't dare to ask anything. She just felt that something was very wrong with the Ninth Princess.
At this banquet, the Ninth Princess dressed up meticulously, completely unlike how she looked when she first heard that Mongolia had asked for her hand in marriage. Xiaoyu felt that it was impossible for the Ninth Princess to agree to marry so far away to Mongolia; something must have happened during this time, but she couldn't find out.
After Xue got off the carriage, she asked, "Brother Crown Prince, what brings you here?"
"I've come to pick you up!" Crown Prince Weihexue straightened her cloak and reached out her hand to He Zhu.
He Zhu immediately placed the hot water bottle in the prince's hand.
"Take this, the one in your hand isn't hot enough anymore!" The Crown Prince replaced He Xue's hot water bottle with a new one.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
"Why are you being so polite with me!" After saying that, the Crown Prince took He Xue's hand and walked towards the palace.
"Brother Crown Prince, there are so many people!" He Xue whispered, feeling that everyone's eyes were on her.
"So what if there are a lot of people? It's a good opportunity for them to know that you're mine!" The Crown Prince said gently as he approached Xue.
The Crown Prince had heard Emperor Kangxi mention once that Tong Guogang had once wanted He Xue to marry into the Tongjia clan.
Hearing the Crown Prince's words, He Xue blushed even more and could only walk with her head down, as she did not want to face the stares of everyone.
The Crown Prince held He Xue's hand and walked forward confidently, completely unconcerned about the stares of those around them.
After the people who entered the palace saw the Crown Prince and He Xue, they were no longer convinced that He Xue would marry the Crown Prince. They were now even more determined to get closer to He Xue.
In a secluded spot, a gaze was fixed on He Xue.
"How was it? Are you satisfied with Xue?" the Ninth Princess asked the man beside her.
This man was rather rugged-looking, dark-skinned and strong, a stark contrast to the Ninth Princess's usual interactions with the Crown Prince and others in the palace. This further solidified the Ninth Princess's resolve not to marry far away.
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