Chapter 148 Everything went smoothly. When they arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yinreng was...
When she arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yinreng was reviewing memorials. When he saw her, he did not stop writing, but glanced at her and said, "Sit down and wait for me. I will talk to you after I finish reviewing the memorials."
Cheng Qianyue said, "No rush, the memorials you're reading are all important matters." She sat down and remained silent, watching him write furiously until he finished reviewing a stack of memorials. After the servants carried the memorials away, Yinreng finally breathed a sigh of relief, turned his neck left and right, and then raised his arm to Cheng Qianyue.
Cheng Qianyue placed her hand in his palm, and he pulled her to sit with him.
Cheng Qianyue had just seen how many memorials he had reviewed. After he sat down, she took his hand and massaged it here and there. People like him who hold a pen and write so often are most prone to tenosynovitis.
She held Yinreng's hand and rubbed it from side to side, laughing as she said, "Especially the tendon on your right side, it gets really sore from writing too much."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Qianyue focused her massage on the area around his little finger and suggested, "Why don't we ask them to bring some hot water to apply to it? That would make it feel better."
"No," Yinreng said, stopping her after a while. "With your massage, all the soreness and pain will disappear."
Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but scoff, "Then what have my hands become?" Is she a ginseng spirit reincarnated or a silver needle reincarnated? Does a massage like this cure everything? How ridiculous.
Yinreng smiled slowly as he looked at her, then asked, "What brings you here?"
Cheng Qianyue: "There is something, about the princesses." She nodded to Ruodie, who stepped forward and handed her the memorial she was carrying. Cheng Qianyue took the memorial and placed it on the table in front of Yinreng, saying, "The princesses have been in the palace for a month now, and I'm thinking of arranging some nannies to take care of them."
Yinreng nodded and said, "This is indeed an important matter. So what are your thoughts?"
Cheng Qianyue then said, "I'm thinking of finding some nannies who can speak Mongolian to teach them." She then mentioned the candidates recommended by Granny Shu, "Granny Shu is an old woman who served the Empress Dowager, so the candidates she recommends must be good."
"Yes, you are capable. Let's do it your way." Yinreng patted her hand and said, "Princess, you will be responsible for governing Mongolia in the future, so you need to learn the Mongolian language and also know the customs of the grasslands."
"In addition, I was thinking of having the princess learn riding and archery." Cheng Qianyue continued, and seeing Yinreng staring at her, she quickly said, "Actually, it's not that I want them to ride horses and fight, but I thought I would take this opportunity to help them strengthen their bodies. To be honest, when I first saw He Hui and the others, I thought they were too thin. The princess's auspicious robes were so layered that they were almost flattened."
She had prepared her speech in advance, using the princesses of the Kangxi era as examples: "Let's not talk about the distant past, just look at how many princesses the late emperor married, but look at how many are still alive now. Take Princess Wenxian from back then, for example. Although she never married into Mongolia, she suffered from heatstroke on her way to the Rehe Imperial Palace and then passed away."
"Health is the foundation of everything." He continued slowly, "You married the princess to Mongolia, firstly to establish good relations between the two families, and secondly, you probably hoped that the princess could make a difference in the Mongolian tribes. But what can a princess who is so delicate and frail accomplish in such a marriage?"
Yinreng fell into deep thought for a moment, but quickly looked up and smiled, "Then what are the plans for my Imperial Concubine?"
Cheng Qianyue raised her head, gesturing for Yinreng to look at the memorial she had brought. "I've written everything down here. Please take a look and see if it's acceptable."
Yinreng opened the memorial and focused intently on reading Cheng Qianyue's writing. Cheng Qianyue explained softly beside him, "It's not convenient for the princesses to study in the Imperial Study, so I'm thinking of turning Yuhua Pavilion into their study. Just like the princes go to the Imperial Study, the princesses can study every morning, and in the afternoon they can walk around, practice martial arts, and gradually learn riding and archery. The backyard of Yuhua Pavilion is quite large, so it's convenient to set up some targets and such."
He paused for a moment and then said, "It's just that you'll have to decide who will teach the princesses. It would be best to choose two older, kind-hearted teachers, and not to be too strict, otherwise the princesses might not be able to handle it."
After reading the memorial, Yinreng listened to her rambling on and on, and his heart softened. He immediately picked up his pen and wrote the word "approved" on the memorial.
Cheng Qianyue: You decided so hastily? She looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Don't you want to think about it and ask me a few more questions?" She had prepared answers to many questions, such as why she chose Yuhua Pavilion as the address and the princesses' study schedule.
Yinreng rubbed his temples and said, "You've thought this through very thoroughly. Prepare the Yuhua Pavilion first so the princesses can go there for lessons. As for the martial arts instructors, I'll choose them carefully."
Cheng Qianyue was overjoyed to see him agree so readily, and was as happy as could be.
Seeing her smile, Yinreng put his arm around her waist and said, "I trust you completely with the children. Hongyan, Hongchao, and Moyaqi—you've raised them all very well." Before his ascension to the throne, he lived in Yuqing Palace while they lived in Xiefang Palace; the children's upbringing depended entirely on their mother. Therefore, he was very grateful to her for her dedication to the children and for raising them to be so healthy. That's why, when she suggested moving Wulinzhu to Yongshou Palace, he agreed without hesitation, and it proved to be the right thing to do. He patted her shoulder with satisfaction and said, "I trust you completely with their upbringing." She had considered everything carefully, both for the sake of the princess and for the Qing Dynasty.
After a while, Yinreng mentioned something else to her: the Golden Offering Festival would not be held this year. Cheng Qianyue thought of it and nodded, saying, "That's right, the Golden Offering Festival is just a few days before the Empress's half-year memorial service." It wouldn't be right to hold a grand festival right after the Empress's memorial service; that would be too heartless.
Yinreng sighed, "Yes." Then he added, "I will mention the Fucha family's title after the Golden Festival."
"Li Rongbao's family?" Cheng Qianyue asked.
Yinreng narrowed his eyes and casually said, "Ma Qi is old, and he should retire in another three to five years."
Cheng Qianyue: ......Oh wow, that's a statement comparable to Tianliang Wangpo.
When Cheng Qianyue returned from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she immediately called Wu Linzhu over and told her that the Golden Banquet Festival would not be held and that Li Rongbao's family was going to receive a title.
"His Majesty is just being kind to you," she said.
The reason Li Rongbao's family received their title can be attributed to Yinreng, who bestowed it upon them out of consideration for the eldest princess. While it's true the eldest princess's marriage was arranged, only the son-in-law of the family was permitted to hold an official position and thus have the right to enter the palace to express their gratitude. As for Li Rongbao and his wife, they had no chance of entering. Therefore, they must have been extremely anxious these past few months, and it's estimated that once Yinreng bestowed the title, they would immediately submit a memorial to the palace.
Yinreng did this to warn them on behalf of the eldest princess!
"You must have heard about how Grand Secretary Fucha Maqi was reprimanded by the late Emperor for pleading for the Eighth Prince," Cheng Qianyue said softly. "Your father must still harbor some resentment towards him. Moreover, Maqi is getting old, and I reckon that once he retires, the Fucha family's reputation will mostly depend on you and your husband. The Emperor has high hopes for you."
When Wulinzhu learned that the Golden Offering Festival would not be held, she felt both disappointed and relieved. Later, upon hearing about the Fucha family, she felt somewhat ashamed. However, upon hearing the last sentence, a surge of courage rose within her. She said, "Mother Cheng, I will not let Father Emperor down."
Cheng Qianyue looked at her with great relief: "I also have a few words to say to you in advance. Wulinzhu, remember, even if you marry into the family in the future, you will still be the Emperor's daughter and a princess of the Forbidden City. No matter when, no matter what happens, you can come back, because this is your home. In addition, if any relatives of the Fucha family ask you for a favor, you can agree to it in front of them. Afterwards, tell your father about it, and he will arrange it properly. Don't worry, with him around, the Fucha family will definitely not treat you badly."
“Mother Cheng.” Wu Linzhu’s eyes welled up with tears as she heard such heartfelt words.
Cheng Qianyue took Wulinzhu's hand and hugged her, saying, "Good child, everything will be alright from now on." Clearly, Yinreng was paving the way for the eldest princess, giving her greater influence within the Fucha family. If the Fucha family were wise, they would know how to treat the eldest princess, so Wulinzhu's future would only get better.
She had once said this to the Empress, "Things will get better in the future," but unfortunately, it did not come true. However, it was a comfort to see it applied to Wulinzhu.
In the following days, Cheng Qianyue was busy preparing lessons for the princesses. Once the teaching nannies were ready and the Yuhua Pavilion was tidied up, the princesses went there for their lessons. Before October, the martial arts instructor, Anda, also entered the palace. Because of the cold weather, he only taught the princesses Tai Chi in an empty room. Horse riding and archery would be taught next spring.
In this way, everything gradually got back on track.
When the New Year arrived, she gave the princesses a few days off and asked them to help write the "Fu" (福, meaning good fortune) characters to bestow upon the noble ladies. She also entrusted them with another task: to be in charge of decorating Yikun Palace and receiving the noble ladies who came to the palace to offer New Year's greetings during the festival.
In previous years, when the Empress Dowager was alive, banquets were mostly held at Ning Shou Palace. Now that the Empress Dowager is gone, the noblewomen mostly go to Jing Ren Palace. But now that the Empress has passed away, everyone has come to Yong Shou Palace. However, Cheng Qianyue couldn't entertain so many people, so she distributed a list to the Six Western Palaces, instructing the concubines there to host banquets on that day according to their relationship with the Empress. Yi Kun Palace was unoccupied and lacked a capable mistress, so after much thought, she decided to target several princesses.
Fearing that the princesses might be unsure, Cheng Qianyue said to them, "Don't be afraid. Those going to Yikun Palace are all of relatively low rank and their families hold ordinary official positions. They are expected to bow to you anyway, so it's not inappropriate for you to host them. You'll have to learn how to host banquets sooner or later, so consider this a practice run."
Wulinzhu and He Hui exchanged glances and said, "Mother Cheng, we will handle it well." Moyaqi added, "Mother, just watch, leaving it to us is definitely the right thing to do."
Well, in fact, these children are quite capable. They discussed and decorated Yikun Palace neatly, and they knew the etiquette for entertaining guests in advance. No matter if it was the Little New Year, New Year's Eve, or the first day of the Lunar New Year, they treated the people who came to the palace very well.
Cheng Qianyue listened with a smile to Ruodie's message that most of the noblewomen had left the palace, and then slowly slumped onto the kang (heated brick bed). Many people had toasted her at the banquet today, and she had drunk a few cups; now her head was spinning.
Looking at the fairly bright sunshine outside, she thought to herself that another year had passed.
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