Unlike other princes who were consumed by factional strife, the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, remained loyal and diligent to Emperor Kangxi throughout his life.
He was a devout Buddhist and showed great care and love for his brothers, leaving the outside world with the impression of being indifferent to worldly affairs.
In the 48th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Yinzhen was granted the title of Prince Yong of the First Rank.
The Prince's Mansion became the Prince's Mansion.
After the Fourth Prince was granted the title of Prince, his household registration was assigned to one of the five lower banners, and he also held a certain number of Zuo Ling (military command) within that banner.
In that year, the Zuo Ling (military command) where Nian Gengyao's family belonged, along with some other Zuo Ling of the Bordered White Banner, was transferred from the name of Beile Yanshou to the name of the newly promoted Prince Yong, Yinzhen.
Whether by chance or accident, Nian Gengyao's younger sister, Nian Yunrong, was bestowed upon the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, and married to him directly as a secondary consort.
Although they were both concubines, the treatment of a princess and a secondary consort was vastly different.
The secondary consort held a relatively high status in the prince's residence and could participate in some family banquets and social activities. She typically resided in the main building of the residence and shared the privileged conditions with the primary consort. The secondary consort also enjoyed higher standards in clothing, food, and daily necessities.
The children of a secondary consort usually enjoy better education and upbringing, and have the opportunity to obtain higher titles and official positions in the future. If the primary consort unfortunately passes away or loses her fertility, the secondary consort still has the opportunity to be promoted to the primary consort, and her children will then become legitimate children.
This is also why Consort Li plotted to prevent Geng Youran and Niohuru Wanru from getting pregnant.
"Smack!"
The shattered porcelain pieces on the ground, the harsh insults, and the merciless whipping of the servants made it impossible to believe that this was done by the usually gentle and charming Consort Li.
However, when she learned that Nian Gengyao's sister had entered the palace as a concubine, she could no longer maintain her facade.
"Why? Why should a mere maid become a concubine the moment she enters the manor? What about all my years of painstaking efforts?"
The maids and eunuchs kneeling beside her remained silent, only the nanny beside Consort Li, unable to bear seeing her mistress's almost delirious state, dismissed everyone and returned to her side to comfort her:
“Concubine, even if she is a concubine, she is just a greenhorn. As you yourself said, you have worked hard in the mansion for many years, and you have two princes, Hongyun and Hongshi, by your side. Why get so angry?”
"Granny, I'm so heartbroken."
She had been with the master since she was a teenager. Over the years, she had borne him children and finally saw him rise from a prince to a duke, and her son might inherit the title of duke in the future.
But Nian Yunrong's appearance made her uneasy.
She is prettier, younger, and more energetic than her.
If she were to have another child in the future, all her scheming over the years would have been for nothing.
In particular, the Princess Consort asked her to help with the arrangements for Nian Yunrong's arrival at the Prince's residence, and the Prince actually agreed.
Everything that happened seemed to be a slap in the face to her.
Geng Youran and Niohuru Wanrong, who also learned of this incident during their greetings, hid in Geng Youran's courtyard to gossip.
"Sister, what is the background of the Nian family? How come someone from the Han Banner Army became a concubine as soon as they entered the mansion?"
Meanwhile, Geng Youran, sitting opposite him, was checking the accounts.
A few days ago, the prince asked Gao Wuyong to bring the accounts for the first quarter of autumn so she could check them. Her head was spinning.
She was calculating the accounts with her hands while gossiping with her mouth.
"Who knows? I heard that the brother of this future concubine has recently gained favor with our prince and is being highly valued."
"Sister, what do you mean?"
Geng Youran raised her head and smiled.
“I didn’t say anything. But I’ve heard that this young lady is not only knowledgeable in poetry and literature, but also very beautiful. She must be another ‘Consort Li’.”
The thought of Consort Li ordering Consort Song to poison the two of them made Wanru feel nauseous.
Hopefully she's easy to get along with.
Geng Youran closed the ledger, rubbed her temples, and took the tea that Xinyi handed her.
Business at the shop hasn't been too good lately. Customers are tired of the flavors of some of the pastries, and with more and more imitations appearing, she has to make some new ones.
After thinking it over, Geng Youran felt that taking the 'traditional food therapy' approach was more reliable.
"Xinyi, go and get that book, 'Simple Offerings for Mountain Dwellers'."
This book is Geng Youran's favorite, not only because it is a cookbook, but also because its contents are mostly vegetarian, which suits Geng Youran's taste perfectly.
However, since this book was written in the Song Dynasty, it lacks some of the existing ingredients, so Geng Youran had to make some innovations.
The first thing to do is make 'walnut shortbread'.
First, stir-fry the walnuts in a preheated dry pan until they are fragrant and crispy. Then remove them, let them cool, and chop them into small pieces for later use.
Mix the lard and sugar. Once fully combined, add the flour and knead into a dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise naturally. After about an hour, add the chopped walnuts and mix well.
Divide the mixed dough into small pieces of appropriate size, roll them into balls, flatten them into discs, place them on a plate brushed with a thin layer of oil, and bake them in the oven.
Bake until golden brown, then remove and let cool.
While the dough was fermenting, Geng Youran asked Xinyi to put the chopped pears into a clean cotton cloth. Then she called Xiao Anzi over and asked the two of them to pick them up and twist them against a wooden bowl placed below.
"Gege, when are we going to stop twisting this?"
The two of them wrung out the piece of cotton cloth in their hands as if they were wringing out freshly washed clothes.
Geng Youran put in a lot of effort this time, cutting up half a basket of peeled pears.
"You two should do your best. Anyway, you'll get a share of the good food."
When the pear juice was almost squeezed out, Geng Youran asked Xinyi to filter it again before pouring it into a pot to boil.
"Xiao Anzi, keep an eye on it while you're cooking, and make sure to stir it from time to time to prevent it from burning."
"Yes, sir."
"Xinyi, remove the pits from the red dates, break the monk fruit into pieces, peel and slice the ginger, and then process the rehmannia root, kudzu root, and ophiopogon root."
"yes."
After Geng Youran finished making the 'walnut shortbread', Xinyi also finished processing the ingredients.
Several people poured these ingredients into a pot and brought it to a boil over high heat until the pear juice became thick.
Filter the boiled pear juice through cheesecloth to remove the pulp.
Add honey when the pear juice has cooled to lukewarm.
Because the ingredients include some kudzu root, the final product will be soft and similar to modern jelly.
Once the pear juice cake has completely cooled, seal it for storage.
After the group finished preparing the two items, Geng Youran sent someone to invite the Fourth Prince.
To everyone's surprise, Xinyi bumped into Gao Wuyong as soon as she stepped out the door.
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