In the afternoon, Qingyan leaned wearily against the soft couch. Unlike the other wives of the prince, this princess's wife was surprisingly good at crying, which she found hard to bear.
The Manchu princesses are all straightforward; none of them are delicate like Lin Daiyu. Today, in just a few hours, they completely dispelled Qingyan's idea. This person is truly beyond praise.
"Little Darling!" Yin heard from Su Lan that the Crown Prince's wife had arrived. He had rushed over to see Qingyan after returning from the battlefield in Qiu Mi.
The Crown Prince's wife was chosen by the Empress Dowager, partly to provide the best and most supportive backing for the Khorchin, so that after her death, she could advise the Crown Prince of Khorchin. However, proper advice is not as simple as other matters.
"Fourth Prince, who exactly is the Crown Prince's wife?" Qingyan felt a headache coming on; that person's crying skills were too impressive.
No wonder Consort Tong got a headache and felt uncomfortable all over when she mentioned this person. If she were in Consort Tong's position, she would feel uncomfortable too.
Yin sighed. Their imperial princes couldn't touch this woman; the Empress Dowager had plenty of backup plans.
"The future wife of the Prince of Khorchin, well, if you don't like it, just ignore it." Yin rubbed his temples, hoping that his father could understand their suffering.
When the Empress Dowager returned, she immediately summoned the imperial physician, who was not very popular.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has summoned the imperial physician, saying that she caught a cold from the wind and has suspended the greetings from the concubines and wives!" Su Lan reported from the tent entrance.
Qingyan was stunned. The Empress Dowager was in very good health. What... could something be going on?
Yin smiled, knowing that his grandmother was extremely disgusted with that woman and was now feigning illness.
"Sisi, let's go take a look!" Qingyan wanted to find out what was going on.
Yin wanted to pull Qingyan along to walk towards the Empress Dowager's tent. She wanted to take a closer look. The Mongol wives would never give up on those ideas so easily. He knew that he would be the best choice in their eyes. Qingyan was the only mistress of the Beile's residence, so the Mongol women would certainly not give up on this hope.
Therefore, Xiao Guai will become the object of those wives' vying to please. When they return, the selection of concubines will begin again. At that time, Mongolian noble ladies will also participate in the selection. The Empress Dowager will not think about the grasslands like the Grand Empress Dowager, so they will have to work hard on their own.
"Let's go see how Grandmother Empress is doing!" Yin Dai and Xiao Guai walked out together. When they arrived at the entrance of the Empress Dowager's tent, they found that several princes had come over. Even Yin Zhi had dragged Dong E Shi along. All of them had anxious expressions on their faces.
When the wives of the emperor heard that the empress dowager was ill, they wanted to come and care for her, but they were stopped by an imperial edict from Emperor Kangxi. The Mongol wives would not be able to see the empress dowager for the time being.
"Sister-in-law, how is Grandmother's health?" Qingyan asked with concern.
"Sister-in-law, the imperial physician didn't say anything, so it should be fine," Yin Genjue Luo Shi whispered to comfort Xiao Guai.
Yin Genjueluo met with several Mongolian wives. Their heads had fought alongside Yin on the battlefield and had a good relationship with him. They asked a lot about Qingyan.
"Fourth Prince, you'd better be careful. Those wives are all asking about Xiao Guai. It seems they've got their eyes on you." Yin's thick hand patted Yin's shoulder, making him involuntarily shrank back.
"Brother, I won't take those Mongolian noble ladies. Even if they find Qingyan, I won't accept them." Kangxi understood his thoughts and wouldn't easily allow noble ladies to enter the Fourth Prince's residence.
"Her Majesty said that all the princes and their wives should go back first. It's best not to pay their respects to the emperor these next few days. If you want to go hunting, you can bring more people with you. It's good to relax!" The Empress Dowager's words were somewhat illogical, but Su Mo'er relayed them one by one.
The princes were all shrewd individuals. They understood from the Empress Dowager's words that she was clearly implying they should not have any involvement with the Mongol rulers, otherwise, their lives would certainly be difficult.
"Yes!" Yin and the others quickly agreed.
"Granny, is Grandmother alright?" Qingyan sidled up to Su Mo'er and asked in a voice that the two of them could hear.
"Don't worry, Fourth Princess Consort, Her Majesty is fine. Please be careful, there are many wild animals that are watching people on this grassland!" Su Mo'er reassured Qingyan with a smile.
As soon as she finished speaking, Qingyan felt relieved; the Empress Dowager should be alright.
"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Granny!" Qingyan reassured Su Mo'er softly, "Please take good care of Grandmother."
Qingyan left with Yin, who remained silent the whole way, perhaps pondering what to do next.
"Little darling, come here first!" Yin sat down at his desk and put Little darling on his lap.
Qingyan glanced at him; his mood seemed a bit off since he returned.
"Fourth Brother, are you in trouble?"
"It should be considered that the wives of several princes and heirs who arrived today are all from the royal family or the imperial clan. They will use their seniority to prepare for you to accept a Mongolian noblewoman." Qingyan's irritable temper meant he would never agree to have other women share him.
When the wives learned that Emperor Kangxi had decreed that women would not be sent to the Fourth Prince's residence unless Qingyan agreed, even the Imperial Concubine who was in charge of the selection of concubines could not make the decision on her own.
They would think this is better. As a junior, Qingyan should definitely respect her elders. They come from the Aisin Gioro family and not only have aunts from Qingyan's husband's family, but also great-aunts from her husband's family. After marriage, Manchu noblewomen have a very high status in their natal families. Qingyan has only been married into the royal family for a short time and does not know the general rules. Taking advantage of Qingyan's ignorance to achieve their goals is not a bad idea.
"What?" Qingyan bristled, her eyes filled with anger.
We finally managed to get rid of all those self-made pillows and mats in the capital, but now even more are coming from the grasslands.
A femme fatale!
Yin felt very angry when he saw Qingyan's little eyes. This had nothing to do with him. Those people just thought that Qingyan was still young and would be easier to get their hands on than the other three wives.
Furthermore, Yinzhi spent most of his time in the military camp and rarely visited his residence. Yinzhi, in particular, preferred the company of beautiful women, few of whom were literate. As for Kangxi's attitude towards the grasslands, it was clear once he entered the Yuqing Palace.
After much deliberation, only Yin and Yinqi were considered suitable. This year, Yinqi was betrothed to a concubine who was a fifth-rank official. They considered their daughter to be noble, and they felt it was a disgrace to be suppressed by a fifth-rank official's daughter.
Therefore, they turned their attention to Yin. Although he came from a poor background, he was adopted by Consort Tong. Qingyan was the legitimate daughter of a high-ranking official. After careful consideration, Yin became the most sought-after person.
"Little darling, you're absolutely adamant! Father Emperor said no more concubines are allowed!" Yin was thankful that Kangxi's decree had been issued along with the imperial edict of marriage; otherwise, those people would have had an excuse to speak ill of Qingyan. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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