Chapter 65 Old Stories (Hitara Clan Side Story) Hitara Clan...
In her early years, Lady Hitara was an exceptionally ambitious young woman. She was a bondservant of the Plain White Banner of the Upper Three Banners, and after being selected by the Imperial Household Department, she was assigned to work at Changchun Garden. Although working there was hard work, the aunt in charge of her was very kind to her. Although she was a bit strict with her, she didn't make her do much manual labor, and she always made her sit closest to the food during meals.
Hitara was somewhat at a loss at the time, and secretly asked her aunt, "Why are you treating me so well?"
The aunt smiled slightly and replied, "Nichuhe, that's a nice name. The Han people's saying 'like a pearl or jade' probably refers to someone like you."
Hitara was taken aback when she heard this, and looked in the mirror several times that night. At that time, several ladies-in-waiting had emerged from the palace, and she touched her face, wondering if she could also have a bright future with her looks.
Later, when the Emperor came to Changchun Garden to escape the summer heat, she met her mistress. At that time, the Emperor was staying at Yuanjianzhai, and her aunt asked her to tidy up and send him a vase of flowers. Lady Xitala was overjoyed and went over with a vase of crape myrtle and jasmine mixed together.
To everyone's surprise, the emperor only inquired about her name and some matters concerning her flower cultivation, and then sent her back home, which greatly discouraged Lady Hitara.
But her aunt was still persistent, saying that the emperor liked Han learning and might just be disgusted by the fact that Hitara's name was Manchu. So her aunt changed Hitara's name to a Han one, calling her Zhu'er. But later, when Hitara went to offer flowers again, the emperor never asked her name again, nor did he say he wanted her to stay and serve him.
"Sigh," Auntie said with extreme disappointment, "Everything is fate."
Upon hearing her aunt's words, Xitala immediately burst into tears of grievance.
Later, Hitara met the empresses in the palace. Before meeting them, Hitara was still unconvinced, but upon seeing them, she felt inferior. The empresses were more beautiful and had a better bearing. If the empresses' beauty was like a feast, then she was like plain porridge and side dishes; the empresses were the bright moon, and she was at most a star beside them. Hitara's desire to become an empress immediately vanished.
There's no other way; we have to keep it off.
Hitara reassured herself that it didn't matter if she didn't become a queen; after all, that wasn't her only path in life. She thought, even if she couldn't be ambitious herself, she could always marry someone ambitious, and then her children would also be ambitious!
With this mindset, Lady Hitara stayed peacefully in Changchun Garden for more than ten years until she was twenty-six years old when an earthquake struck the capital. The emperor dismissed the palace maids in the Forbidden City and the garden, and Lady Hitara made some arrangements to get married.
Although she was a bondservant, she had served the emperor in the garden, which is why many other families were willing to take her in. However, they were also worried that Lady Hitara was too old to have children, so they used the matchmaker's words to say that if she could not have children later, they would take a concubine.
It would be a miracle if Hitara had agreed; he even scoffed, thinking, "He doesn't have the life of a prince or nobleman, yet he wants to enjoy the blessings of having multiple wives. What kind of character is that!"
Later, Lady Xitala took it upon herself to choose Cheng Shifu. Although Cheng Shifu was not from the Upper Three Banners, he was still a Bannerman, and his family had ancestors who had served as officials, so they had some wealth. More importantly, Cheng Shifu was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations. When he visited their home, he wore a long gown and appeared amiable and somewhat refined; in short, he looked respectable.
Hitara was extremely pleased with this. This man, who could pass the county-level imperial examination, might even pass the provincial-level examination and become an official someday. So she happily married him.
She regretted her marriage, or rather, not that she regretted it, but the Cheng family wasn't quite what she expected. It's true that the patriarch of the Cheng family and her husband were both scholars, but after years of trying, neither of them had passed the imperial examinations. They simply gave up on the path of the imperial examinations and decided to focus on raising their own children. The reason they wanted to marry a woman from the Xitala clan was because she had served the emperor and possessed considerable knowledge.
Hittara clan: ......
No wonder they didn't mind her age, and even when she said men weren't allowed to take concubines, they all agreed without hesitation. It turns out they were all counting on her.
Alright, it wasn't for nothing that Xitala had worked in the garden for so many years. Not only did she manage the Cheng family's affairs perfectly, but she also made the most of her time to have children with Cheng Shifu. As they worked, their first son was born.
Without a word, the old master and matriarch of the Cheng family simply gave up all responsibility and focused solely on doting on their grandchildren. Since Xitala had already been in charge of the household, and with her parents-in-law relinquishing control, her status in the Cheng family rose dramatically.
Privately, Xitala and Cheng Shifu discussed the matter, saying they didn't know if their child would be ambitious enough to succeed in the future. Cheng Shifu suggested they see if the child had any talent and could take the imperial examinations. Xitala replied, "We can't let him follow the same path you've taken."
Cheng Shifu rubbed his bald, half-shaved forehead and chuckled.
Hitara was quite taken with her husband's way, so she said, "If he can pursue a literary career, that would be best. If not, we'll hire a master to teach him martial arts. I heard that our family has some connection with the Zuo Ling family. If the literary path doesn't work out, we'll try to pull some strings to send the child to the infantry or the patrol camp."
Cheng Shifu readily agreed: "I'll do whatever you say."
Having decided on her son's future, Xitala and Cheng Shifu began to have more children, as the saying goes, "many children bring many blessings." Later, Cheng Wanyue and Cheng Qianyue were born one after the other.
Let's talk about the sisters' names first. Because the Emperor promoted Han learning, even Manchus have been naming themselves like Han people in recent years. Hey, not only their given names, but even their surnames are being adopted by the Han people. For example, Cheng Shifu should have been called Cheng Jia Shifu, but for convenience, he simply changed his surname to Cheng, just like the Han people. Now, apart from the old and common Manchu surnames that are unwilling to change, almost everyone else has been assimilated by the Han people.
Moreover, having served the Emperor at Changchun Garden for so long, Lady Xitala naturally knew his preferences, so she gave her children Han names. In particular, knowing that gentleness was considered beautiful in women at the time, she asked Cheng Shifu to give the two sisters gentle and graceful names. After the children turned three and were fully grown, their names were decided: one was called Wanyue, and the other Qianyue, both beautiful to hear and evocative.
The two sisters were beauties from a young age, and Lady Hitara's heart began to stir again. Daughters of Manchu families were all chosen for the imperial concubine selection. If her daughters grew up to look like they did now, they would definitely be no less beautiful than the empresses in the palace. Even if they didn't become empresses, it would be fine if they were assigned to a family as concubines!
Therefore, Hitara took the education of the two sisters to heart.
As the two sisters grew up, the elder daughter, just as Hitara had hoped, grew into a graceful and gentle girl. However, the younger daughter caused Hitara some worry, because she was incredibly lively.
Hitara was quite puzzled. When the child was first born, she was very well-behaved. She would call out when she was hungry or wet, and otherwise she was very quiet and easy to take care of. Who would have thought that this girl would be so lively after she could walk? She found everything fascinating and interesting, running around the yard and even following her brother to watch people fight.
Hitara couldn't help but say to her, "Can't you learn from your sister? Look how quiet and well-behaved your sister is."
To everyone's surprise, the little girl hugged her leg, tilted her head back, and opened her big, round eyes, saying in a spoiled tone, "But I can't learn it. But it's okay, even if I'm not very well-behaved, Mother will still love me, right?"
Hittara clan: ......
Look what she's done—she's given birth to a debt collector!
However, later on, Xitala Shi stopped expecting Cheng Qianyue to amount to anything. Sigh, one's personality is innate and can't be changed. Let it be. Anyway, with her brother and sister around, they'll be able to support this girl after Xitala Shi and Cheng Shifu leave.
Little did anyone know that a disaster would strike so suddenly.
Xitala never imagined that her eldest daughter would not survive the smallpox vaccination. How could this be? Her daughter was already a grown woman! Xitala held Cheng Wanyue's body and wept bitterly, while Cheng Shifu's eyes also reddened.
But no matter how heartbroken she was, the funeral still had to be held. As a result, during the funeral, Xitala couldn't find Cheng Qianyue. She was found on Cheng Wanyue's bed, where she had covered her pillow with her sister's clothes and was sleeping with them in her arms.
Later, the younger daughter became possessed. She wouldn't smile or speak, and if you couldn't find her one day, you could find her on Cheng Wanyue's bed or in the closet where her clothes were kept. Xitala was terrified and invited monks and lamas to perform rituals. Both groups said it was the vengeful spirit of her eldest daughter. Fortunately, after the two rituals were performed, the younger daughter gradually recovered.
But in the quiet of the night, Lady Hitara always felt that it was all her fault. She thought that she had been too ambitious and dared to scheme against the Emperor, so Heaven had to punish her by taking her daughter away. From then on, she no longer cared about her youngest daughter's manners.
Time passed year after year, and the children grew up.
Since their son Cheng Yexing wasn't destined to be a scholar, Xitala and Cheng Shifu shamelessly gave a generous gift to the Zuo Ling's family and successfully got him a job as a patrolling soldier in the police camp. Then, their youngest daughter, Cheng Qianyue, was going to be selected for the imperial concubine selection.
Xitala's connections from her years working at Changchun Garden hadn't faded. Through her aunt's influence, she established a connection with the palace matrons in charge of selecting the imperial concubines. A girl was guaranteed a spot in the initial selection; there were many eunuchs and matrons in charge of the selection process, so it was impossible for her to be rejected in the first round. Furthermore, the initial selection only eliminated those with illnesses or physical ailments. If a girl failed the initial selection, it was considered unsuitable, and no one would want her in the future.
Hitara wanted her nanny to help her with the re-selection.
The old woman's eyes lit up when she saw Cheng Qianyue, and she said slowly but knowingly, "You want to move the young lady's name to the front?"
Knowing that she had misunderstood, Lady Hitara quickly shook her head, "Sister, you're so kind. Just put our girl aside for a while." She thought that the Emperor would probably get tired of looking at the candidates and would probably be able to get rid of her daughter.
The old woman raised her eyebrows in surprise upon hearing this and said softly, "What a pity." However, after accepting the gift, she gave a definite answer, "I think it's better to put it in the middle, in the next round after the one with the most outstanding appearance."
That's wonderful! With such a gem in front of her, Cheng Qianyue pales in comparison. Xitala immediately smiled gratefully and said, "Great! We really have to trouble you, elder sister. When our daughter returns for her wedding, we'll definitely send her some wedding candy."
After the nanny left, Lady Xitala felt relieved and planned to arrange her eldest son's marriage after Cheng Qianyue returned from the imperial concubine selection, and then find a suitable match for Cheng Qianyue. She didn't want her daughter to marry into a higher social class, and thought it would be fine to find someone of equal social standing.
About a month later, all the other women selected for the second round of the imperial concubine selection had returned home, but her daughter still hadn't come back. Then, the family received news that Cheng Qianyue had been betrothed to the deposed crown prince by the emperor.
Hitara's eyes widened, and she stumbled, falling to the ground. "My girl, so cheerful and lively like a magpie, how will I survive in the palace!"
Lady Hitara awoke from her afternoon nap, a few tears welling in the corners of her eyes. She wondered why she was dreaming about the past. That evening, her son returned from his duties with good news: the Crown Prince had transferred him to work in the West Garden of Changchun Garden.
Lady Hitara was taken aback, and immediately said, "This is a reward from the Crown Prince because of the Crown Princess."
Cheng Yexing nodded heavily and said, "Mother, don't worry, I will definitely do my best to do my job well and bring honor to my sister and brother."
Hitara said, "Good, it's good that you know how to strive for improvement." But even as she said that, she clenched her fists.
Before leaving the West Garden that day, she had intended to tell Cheng Qianyue to be more well-behaved and speak more politely, and not to be as unruly as she was at home. But then she thought, perhaps the Crown Prince liked her just the way she was, and the more she talked or taught, the more mistakes she would make. At that moment, all Xitala could do was hold Cheng Qianyue's hand, pat her, and leave without saying a word.
But the Crown Prince would surely have no shortage of young and beautiful servants. Cheng Qianyue was favored now, but could she maintain that favor in the future? She dared not think about it. Therefore, the future of the Cheng family and Cheng Qianyue now rested entirely on Cheng Yexing's shoulders.
She unconsciously looked in the direction of Changchun Garden and let out a long sigh.
Her child...
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