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◎ "I want to live with my father, mother, and third brother forever."◎
When Emperor Xingwu proclaimed himself emperor in the capital, he beheaded a large number of princes, nobles, treacherous ministers and villains of the previous dynasty, and naturally confiscated the property and mansions of these people and made them the property of the royal family of the new dynasty.
According to the identities of the original owners, the regulations of these mansions were divided into several levels. Before Emperor Xingwu, those who were rewarded to the founding heroes were all at the minister level. Many princes' mansions, princes' mansions, and princesses' mansions were still sealed, reserved for the descendants of the old Qin family.
In June, he arranged a marriage for his eldest daughter. Emperor Xingwu then personally chose a princess palace for his daughter based on the palace distribution map he had copied. After much selection, he finally decided on the palace of a prince of the previous dynasty.
Upon hearing this, Left Prime Minister Yan Xizheng even made a special trip to the Imperial Study. "Your Majesty, in previous dynasties, the palaces, titles, salaries, and lands granted to princesses who established their own residences were usually one level lower than those granted to princes. Only the eldest legitimate princesses were given the same status and were considered equal to princes. Your Majesty chose a palace for Princess Yongkang today because of her status as the eldest legitimate daughter, or does this mean that all princesses in the imperial family will be treated the same as princes in the future?"
Emperor Xingwu: "...Yongkang is my firstborn child and the daughter of Empress Chunxiao. Now that Yongkang is getting married, I am grateful for the hard work Empress Chunxiao put in in raising the empress dowager and educating her children. I also pity Yongkang for the difficult life she endured after losing her mother at a young age. Therefore, I wish to grant her a large house. I have no other considerations."
Yan Xizheng: "A country has its own laws, and a family has its own rules. Your Majesty is the founding emperor of the Great Qi. It is best to establish a set of rules for the rewards given to princes and princesses early on, so as to avoid confusion and confusion in the future."
Emperor Xingwu thought for a moment and smiled, "Five fingers have different lengths. Parents have always differed in their favoritism towards their children. Previous emperors killed many sons and daughters, so how could rewards be fair from generation to generation? I conquered this empire so that all my descendants could be born into the royal family and enjoy wealth and honor. I have done them justice. I will strive to be a wise ruler and set an example for future emperors. As for how they reward their children, I cannot control that much and do not wish to worry about it."
"Including me. Today, the princes and princesses have been well-behaved and pleased me, so I will reward them more. If they make mistakes and anger me in the future, I may also take back their rewards. Rewards and punishments are clearly based on their conduct and morality, and have nothing to do with their background."
Yan Xizheng: "But if it's not a regular practice, and His Majesty generously rewards Princess Yongkang today, and Princess Qingyang receives less when she gets married, Princess Qingyang might feel resentful, thinking Your Majesty is favoring the eldest princess. And if Your Majesty also generously rewards Princess Qingyang, Princess Yongkang might be dissatisfied that Your Majesty treats the concubines the same as her. Your Majesty only has two princesses now, so he might not mind if one of them resents him. But what if Your Majesty has several more princesses born to concubines in the future, and they all start to compete with the eldest princess?"
Emperor Xingwu smiled faintly, "Take Yongkang as an example. If they are well-behaved and sensible and please me, I will give them the same amount as Yongkang. If they are not sensible, I will give them less. If they dare to complain to me that it is not enough, it means that they have no self-awareness. I will continue to punish them until they behave themselves. Let's see who dares to find fault with me again."
"What a joke! If I have to worry about even trivial matters like the rewards given to a few princesses, then when I select a group of Jinshi during the imperial examination, won't I also have to worry about the unsuccessful ones complaining to me? If I have to worry about everything, I might as well just give up being an emperor and go back to my hometown to be a poor farmer. There's nothing I need to worry about except filling my stomach. It's the easiest thing."
Yan Xizheng was silent.
Emperor Xingwu glanced at him and reminded him, "The Left Prime Minister has repeatedly offered good advice on state affairs. It is best for me not to worry about my family affairs, unless one day I really lose my mind and fail to distinguish between public and private affairs, causing chaos in the country."
Yan Xizheng said in panic, "Your Majesty is a wise ruler rarely seen in a hundred generations. I was overly concerned about what happened today. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me."
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The five royal children who lived deep in the inner palace had no idea that their father had encountered some trouble when choosing a princess's mansion, so they just followed their father out of the palace.
Princess Yongkang's mansion is located in Yongchangfang, east of the imperial city, only one mile away from the thick city wall, and it doesn't take much effort to walk there.
Yongkang, Qin Ren, and Qingyang accompanied their father in the carriage. Qin Hong and Qin Bing followed on horseback beside the carriage. As they entered Yongchangfang, Qin Bing looked at the words on the gate and said with a smile, "Father, the name of this place is quite similar to my eldest sister's title. Since she's moving here, why not change it to 'Yongkangfang'? Outsiders will know she lives here."
Emperor Xingwu: "According to your naming convention, should I change the name of Qianyuan Hall to 'Xingwu Hall' as well? The names of these lanes and alleys in the capital have been used for hundreds of years, and the people of the city and merchants from all over the country continue to use them to this day. If you change them, people will have to find their way around, which will cause them a lot of trouble for nothing."
Qin Bing: “…”
Yongkang: "Father is right. I don't want to change it either. It's not just my daughter's family in this neighborhood. Changing the name would be too overbearing."
Emperor Xingwu nodded approvingly.
Qin Ren just supported his sister who was leaning against the gap in the curtain and staring at the people walking on the street outside.
When they arrived at the princess's mansion, Emperor Xingwu got off the car first, helped his eldest daughter, the third daughter, to get off, and then carried the little princess in his arms and walked in.
When they first arrived at the new place, Qingyang didn't like being held by his father. Seeing his second brother running in, Qingyang struggled to get down and chased after his second brother inside.
Emperor Xingwu built his own kingdom and had no upbringing as an imperial prince, so he was relatively relaxed with his children. He let the two active ones go play, while he took his eldest son and daughter, as well as his third son, who was unsuccessful but relatively well-behaved, to stroll slowly from outside to inside.
This mansion in Yongkang had been well preserved before the house was ransacked. After three months of renovation, every brick, stone, corridor and pillar looked brand new. The three main halls and side halls were magnificent, and the large garden with running water as a lake was also very pleasant. Yongkang wanted to move in immediately after seeing it.
Before he knew it, Yongkang started walking side by side with his father, holding his arm around his.
Emperor Xingwu said sadly, "It's a pity that your mother didn't enjoy any happiness."
He and his first wife were rarely together, so they could not have a deep relationship, but as a virtuous wife who worked hard to manage the household, was filial to her mother and raised her children for him, Emperor Xingwu also wanted her to live a good life for the time being.
Yongkang couldn't even remember what her mother looked like, so she wasn't too sad. She rested her head on her father's arm, gazing at the distant sky. She whispered, "Father has made my younger brother the crown prince, and he's been so kind to me. If my mother's spirit is still in heaven, she'd surely be very happy."
Emperor Xingwu appointed his eldest son as crown prince not to compensate his first wife, but because his daughter thought so, he did not say anything to correct her. It was just a casual chat, so why bother to make a fuss about it.
After touring the palace, the father and his two sons came to the back garden and saw Qin Bing and Qingyang running to a rockery, so they went to follow them.
Qingyang pointed to the western palace wall and said, "Father, I can see the palace!"
Upon hearing this, Yongkang lifted her skirt and ran up the stone steps. Emperor Xingwu took Qin Hong and Qin Ren and walked up slowly.
There is a viewing pavilion on the mountain, and the family soon sat inside to rest.
Qin Bing asked casually, "When will the emperor grant me a mansion?"
Emperor Xingwu said: "Wait until you get an A grade in literature for five consecutive times."
Qin Bing was shocked: "Is this true?"
Emperor Xingwu was too lazy to pay attention to him, let alone answer the second son's question.
Qingyang sat on his father's lap and asked curiously, "Father, will I have my own princess's mansion when I grow up?"
Emperor Xingwu touched his little daughter's head and said with a smile, "Of course."
Qingyang looked at his third brother: "Where's the third brother?"
Emperor Xingwu: "Your third brother has it too."
Qingyang: "Then my princess's mansion should be next to my third brother's."
Emperor Xingwu lied, "It will take more than ten years for you to get your own palace. If you don't decide now, you might not like your third brother when you grow up and would rather live next to your second brother's palace."
Qingyang glanced at his second brother who was looking at him with a playful smile, turned his head and buried it in his father's arms, making everyone laugh.
.
The princess's mansion has been built, and Yongkang's wedding date has been set immediately, on October 7th.
The eldest princess's dowry had already been prepared by the Ministry of Rites and other government agencies. The emperor, concubines, princes and princesses in the palace only had to get busy with the princess's wedding ceremony.
The wedding date was getting closer, and the harem was getting busier and busier. These days, Qingyang still went to Chongwen Pavilion to study in the morning, and no longer ran to the front court in the afternoon. Instead, he ran to the Imperial Concubine's Palace as soon as he woke up to watch his mother help the Imperial Concubine arrange the work of the palace servants, or ran to his eldest sister's palace to watch the palace servants hang festive red satin everywhere.
Before his eldest sister got married, Qingyang just treated this event as a fun event and ran around having a lot of fun.
Yongkang saw his sister's innocence and happiness, but her reluctance to leave grew heavier. Without a biological mother to confide in, on the afternoon of the day before her wedding, when her younger brother, the prince, came to see her, Yongkang took her younger brother into the inner room alone. She stared quietly at her younger brother, who had grown taller than her, and suddenly she leaned on her brother's shoulder and sobbed softly.
Qin Hong felt uncomfortable when he heard this, and his eyes turned red. He asked carefully, "Sister, don't you want to marry Fu Kui?"
Yongkang shook his head, silently shedding tears, and said, "It has nothing to do with him. I just can't bear to leave you. You are probably the only one in this palace who really can't bear to leave me."
The emperor is the father of many of his brothers and sisters, and he only gives her a small part of his fatherly heart. The imperial concubine is just an adoptive mother, and a second brother is not enough for the imperial concubine to worry about. The imperial concubine can treat her very sincerely, let alone other people. Only her younger brother, who is born of the same mother as her, depends on her for life, and has the deepest affection for her.
Qin Hong's tears also fell.
In the end, Yongkang stopped crying first. He took his brother's hand and sat at the table. Through tears in his eyes, he warned, "I used to hope that you would become the crown prince. Now that my wish has come true, I'm still worried. After all, you're only fourteen, still a child. If someone really wants to harm you, there are plenty of opportunities. So you must be careful in everything you do. Eat less of the food from other people's palaces, and avoid doing dangerous things. For example, my second brother likes to compete in horse racing, so don't be foolish and compete with him."
Qin Hong understood what his sister meant and, with his eyes lowered, he advised, "I'm already grown up. Don't worry about me, sister. If you suffer any grievances after leaving the palace, come to the palace and tell me. I'm the crown prince and can support you."
Yongkang smiled with relief, touched her brother's face and said, "Okay, sister is waiting for you to support me."
The red sun sets in the west, and night falls and passes quickly.
At daybreak, Qingyang, wearing a red dress, followed her mother and the imperial concubine to watch the palace maids comb her elder sister's hair.
Qingyang, relying on his small size, lay coquettishly on the legs of the older sister who was sitting upright.
The little girl was pretty, with pure and clear black eyes. At least at this moment, Yongkang also liked his sister very much. He pinched her little face and said, "If you miss me in the future, you can come to my house to play. We are so close, and my father will not object."
Qingyang was very happy: "Sister, take me there."
Yongkang: "That's fine, my sister will pick you up when she enters the palace..."
The old nanny who was drawing eyebrows smiled and said, "Your Highness, please wait a moment before talking to Your Highness. Otherwise, if you move, I will draw you crookedly."
Yongkang smiled and pressed his sister's lips, signaling the little one to stop making trouble.
The princess's wedding ceremony was complicated, and Qingyang was soon taken away by her mother to the Taiji Hall to wait for the ceremony.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne. Qingyang wanted to find her father, but her mother held her hand tightly. Emperor Xingwu glanced at the mother and daughter, but did not indulge his younger daughter today.
Amid the sound of ritual music, the prince consort Fu Kui, wearing a wedding gown, and Princess Yongkang, with her head covered with a veil, appeared outside the Taiji Hall at the same time. They walked through the civil and military officials lined up on both sides, came to the front of the imperial platform, and knelt down to bid farewell to the emperor.
Emperor Xingwu encouraged him, and with a complicated expression, he looked at his eldest daughter, who seemed to have grown into a big girl and was about to get married in the blink of an eye, and said with difficulty: "Go."
The female official helped Princess Yongkang turn around and walked out of the hall step by step as they did when they came.
Qingyang watched his elder sister walk further and further away, and looked up and asked, "Mother, where are you going?"
Concubine Li quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and said softly, "Princess Mansion, from now on, Big Sister will live in the Princess Mansion."
Qingyang was bewildered: "Aren't you going back to the palace?"
The little princess thought that her elder sister just had an extra mansion outside the palace and would still live in the palace.
Concubine Li shook her head.
Qingyang looked at the figure in red who was about to leave the hall and burst into tears: "I don't want big sister to leave..."
Concubine Li's heart was pounding and she quickly covered her daughter's mouth.
In front of the Taiji Hall, Yongkang, who had been holding back his tears, stopped when he heard his sister crying, and tears rolled down like a dam breaking.
.
Not wanting her daughter to ruin the eldest princess's wedding, Concubine Li took her leave early and returned to Xianfu Palace with her crying daughter in her arms.
The little princess fell asleep after crying herself tired. Concubine Li asked Jie Yu and the wet nurse to look after her as she had to go to the banquet in the palace.
When Qingyang woke up, he saw his father sitting by the window in the distance, facing outside, wearing the scarlet dragon robe he wore in the Taiji Hall.
Qingyang immediately remembered what happened before he went to bed, sat up, and asked aggrievedly: "Father, where is my elder sister?"
Emperor Xingwu came back to his senses and saw his daughter's pitiful appearance. He walked over and sat down beside the bed, picked up his daughter and said, "My eldest sister is married and has her own family. She only comes to the palace to visit us when she is free."
Qingyang: "I don't want my elder sister to get married. I want her to live in the palace forever."
In childish words, Emperor Xingwu teased his daughter: "You didn't often go to play with me before. Why are you reluctant to let me leave the palace?"
Qingyang thought for a moment and said, "Father, mother, and concubine are all in the palace. My eldest brother, second brother, and third brother are all in the palace. I don't want my eldest sister to leave."
Emperor Xingwu patted his daughter's head and said, "When you grow up, you will all have your own families. When your second and third brothers marry princesses, they will live in their palaces. Lin'er will also live in your princess's palace with your husband. The princess's palace is very big, and it doesn't have as many rules as the palace. If you like it, you will like it too."
Qingyang: "I don't like it. I just want to live with my father, mother, concubine and third brother forever."
The little princess hugged her father's neck tightly, as if her father was about to separate from her.
Emperor Xingwu patted his daughter's shoulder and sighed, but he did not fool his daughter by making any promises.
【Author’s words】
Ahem, I'm about to start reading. Let me explain again here. This book mainly tells how the little princess was chosen as the crown princess by her feudal father, the emperor, despite having three older brothers. The tone is light-hearted and daily (quarrels and disputes are also within the normal range). It should end when the little princess ascends the throne. There will be a few chapters of daily life of couples and siblings at most. It will not involve the government reforms after the empress ascends the throne, the selection of the next crown prince, etc. It is for easy entertainment and saves brainpower.
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow [kiss]
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