The Manchus established five principal wives during the reign of Huang Taiji: one primary wife, two secondary wives, and two concubine wives. Although the titles were different, the distinctions between them were not significant.
By the Kangxi era, influenced by the Han Chinese concept of嫡庶 (the distinction between嫡庶, the primary consort and 庶子, the status of the primary consort had become increasingly important, but the secondary consorts were still considered equal wives, and were also entitled to receive the golden book and court dress in the palace, and their names were recorded in the imperial genealogy.
However, the concubine is now only equivalent to a slightly higher-ranking concubine. If the prince is so inclined, he can establish himself as the new concubine without informing the palace.
Qian Shengyan vaguely guessed what Yinzhen was thinking, but guessed that he was still torn between his secondary consort and his concubine. However, Qian Shengyan knew that he would soon no longer have to struggle with this decision.
Because the secondary consorts of Prince Yong were Lady Li and Lady Nian.
Nian Gengyao's sister will be entering the manor soon...!
When that time comes, with one principal wife and three wives on either side of her in the inner palace, she can return to the Fulu Courtyard and continue living her life peacefully, waiting for Yuanshou to grow up, and then they can enter the palace together and eventually become the Empress Dowager.
Hehe, the days ahead are still the best.
Qian Shengyan looked forward to the future, but she had to get through this hurdle first. Naturally, matters in the Yong Prince's mansion were decided by the Yong Prince himself, and even if Qian Shengyan didn't want to see the Thirteenth Prince, there was nothing she could do.
Soon, Lin Mama came over as ordered by Yinzhen to check with her what she had brought to the Thirteenth Prince's residence—it couldn't be ostentatious, it had to be practical and useful, but it couldn't be too much, nor too little.
Yinzhen came in and walked around a few times. A moment later, Qingxue came in and whispered a few words in Qian Shengyan's ear. Qian Shengyan's heart trembled, and she couldn't help but feel her eyes redden: "Just... just now, a funeral was held?"
“Yes…so, what His Highness means is that the Princess should also go and see the Thirteenth Prince’s concubine,” Qingxue said softly.
Qian Shengyan responded and silently recited a Buddhist prayer for the child who had died at the age of one. She calmed herself down and prepared an extra gift for Consort Fucha.
Qian Shengyan and Granny Lin deliberated for a long time before finally finalizing the list after showing it to Yinzhen before lunch. After taking a nap, Qian Shengyan went out with a sense of resignation, ready to get things done quickly.
Since Granny Lin was too old to go out, Qingxue and Zhang Qilin, the deputy chief eunuch of the front courtyard, accompanied Qian Shengyan to the Thirteenth Prince's residence. Qian Shengyan was a little nervous along the way, after all, she was about to meet Yinxiang, the younger brother of Yinzhen, whom she had heard so much about, who was also a famous Iron-Cap Prince during the Yongzheng era. She was naturally very excited.
Yet, amidst this excitement, the funeral of the Third Princess in Yinxiang's family brought a touch of pity and sorrow, along with some indescribable emotions.
She composed herself, took a few deep breaths, and Qingxue heard her. She knelt down beside her, took her hand, and smiled at her.
Qian Shengyan smiled and quietly lifted the curtains to look at the scenery outside.
The capital city was bustling, and the road was lined with shops and stalls. The passersby were all neatly dressed and smiling. Qian Shengyan felt as if she hadn't been exposed to such everyday life in a long time, and she couldn't help but stare.
A moment later, Qingxue whispered a reminder: "Princess, we have arrived at the Thirteenth Prince's residence."
At the same time, Qian Shengyan also saw it.
Because Yinxiang was still a bald prince, and had incurred the displeasure of Emperor Kangxi in recent years, the entire Thirteenth Prince's residence was extremely desolate. Even the main gate looked somewhat dilapidated, and the entrance was bare with no decorations whatsoever.
Qian Shengyan couldn't help but sigh. The carriage rumbled past the main gate and turned into a side alley. Zhang Qilin went over and knocked on the side door. A moment later, the back door opened, and Zhang Qilin actually knelt down.
A man's voice rang out: "Get up quickly, Eunuch Zhang, there's no need for such formality."
Upon hearing this, Qian Shengyan's eyes widened slightly, and Qingxue hurriedly said, "It seems to be the Thirteenth Prince, Princess..."
"Your subject, Yinxiang, greets Fourth Sister-in-law." Yinxiang's voice rang out from outside the carriage, and Qian Shengyan had no choice but to remain seated inside and say, "Greetings, Thirteenth Prince."
"I have a letter. May I trouble my sister-in-law to deliver it to my brother?" Yinxiang continued.
Qian Shengyan naturally agreed, and then called Zhang Qilin. After listening to the various sounds outside, a gentle female voice rang out: "Sister-in-law, please get out of the car and sit in the warm pavilion, have some tea and rest."
After Yinxiang passed away, it was unclear whether the one left behind was his primary wife, Lady Zhaojia, or some other secondary wife.
Qian Shengyan helped Qingxue out of the car and immediately saw two women dressed in plain-colored cheongsams standing there, one in front of the other, smiling at her.
She nodded slightly, and Qingxue said softly, "It is the Thirteenth Prince's wife and the Secondary Prince's wife, of the Guarjia clan."
Qian Shengyan smiled and curtsied to the two women, saying, "Prince Consort, Second Prince Consort."
"Sister-in-law, you're too kind. Please come in." Zhao Jia was a very gentle person, speaking softly and in a low tone. Guarjia was more radiant, but her face showed signs of aging.
Qian Shengyan lowered her eyes and followed Zhao Jia into the mansion. They sat down in the warm pavilion, exchanged pleasantries, and then talked about the affairs of each household.
Since the little princess of the Thirteenth Prince's residence had just passed away, Qian Shengyan did not mention the child. It was Zhao Jia who took the initiative to say, "I heard that the Fourth Prince's residence has two new little princes this year. Our master was very happy to hear that."
"Ah, yes." Qian Shengyan smiled, casually mentioned some interesting stories about Yuan Shou and Tian Shen, and chatted about the New Year's arrangements before getting up to take her leave.
Knowing that she wouldn't stay long, Lady Zhaojia got up to see her off. This time, she let Lady Guarjia go back first, while she and Qian Shengyan walked out side by side, whispering to each other.
Qian Shengyan mainly asked Yinzhen about the Thirteenth Prince's daily life and diet, as well as his knees, which had been damaged from kneeling in previous years, and whether they were feeling better now that it was cold.
Lady Zhao answered each question in turn, and subtly expressed the Thirteenth Prince's longing for his Fourth Brother, Prince Yong. She said that the Thirteenth Prince was able to accompany her to the frontier to see his sister off on her final journey, thanks to his Fourth Brother, and that his whole family was deeply grateful.
Overall, the meeting was quite successful. Both groups expressed their feelings and learned what they wanted to know. Qian Shengyan boarded the half-empty carriage and returned home feeling relaxed and relieved.
According to the rules, a princess like her shouldn't be allowed to visit other people's homes, let alone be addressed as "Fourth Prince's Wife" by a prince. But there was no other way now; Yinzhen didn't intend to let his primary wife and secondary wives leave, so he only pushed her out. Her presence represented the dignity of the Yong Prince's Mansion, and even though she felt extremely guilty when Yinxiang called her "Fourth Prince's Wife," she still forced herself to accept it.
After returning home, Qian Shengyan expressed all her feelings to Yinzhen. When Yinzhen saw her unconsciously touching her chest and pouting her red lips while she was talking, he couldn't help but laugh.
He took Qian Shengyan's hand and made her sit on his lap, laughing, "You've always been clever and insightful, how could you not understand my thoughts? It's just that things have been so eventful before the New Year that I haven't been able to ask for a title for you yet. We'll wait until after the New Year..."
Before he could finish speaking, Qian Shengyan pressed her finger to his lips.
Qian Shengyan smiled brightly, but her lowered eyes held a hint of aloofness and indifference. Her voice was gentle and sweet, and her tone exceptionally sincere: "This servant understands Your Highness's thoughts."
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