After I left, my grandmother and mother discussed it:
"Sabintu's (meaning 'Qi' in Manchu, the heroine's second brother) wedding preparations need to begin. The old man's passing delayed things for another year, and your father-in-law ultimately didn't get to see Sabintu married and have children. Alas..."
“Mother is right. The betrothal ceremony will take place on an auspicious day after the mourning period ends. The daughter of the Imperial Censor Wang is 19 this year. Yesterday, her mother even asked the nanny to inquire about this matter!”
"Oh? Her mother? Which family's daughter did Imperial Censor Wang remarry?"
"She is the eldest daughter of Lord Li, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy (rank 6). She got married during the Mid-Autumn Festival the year before last, and our family gave a gift for her son's one-month celebration this summer, Mother."
"I remember now, I remember now," Grandmother said, rubbing her forehead. "Look at my memory! This whole family owes so much to you. Before your father-in-law passed away, he told me that arranging your marriage for Korkun (the female lead's father) was the best thing he ever did. Although he didn't say it, he was very satisfied with you."
Since you came, our family has prospered, and Korkun's official career has flourished. You are a blessed woman, having given this old woman six wonderful grandchildren, all of them filial and sensible. Nichuhe (meaning pearl, the fourth sister of the female protagonist) and the fifth girl are also good, beautiful and intelligent. The backyard is also quiet. When I go out, all my sisters envy me. Let them envy me, for only the mediocre are not envied, hahaha!" Grandmother smiled sincerely.
The mother blushed with embarrassment at her grandmother's praise and hurriedly served tea to cover it up. In a whisper, she said, "How could I, your daughter-in-law, be praised as well as you, father and mother? These are all things I should do, and it's all thanks to your good teachings, father and mother."
Grandmother pointed at Mother and said to the nanny beside her, "Listen to this, listen to this! You're a grandmother now, what are you still ashamed of!"
The old lady was given tea to moisten her throat.
When Grandmother said that, Mother calmed down, though the blush on her face betrayed her earlier embarrassment.
"If you ask me, our old master was truly insightful back then. Our old lady of the Irgen Gioro family was kind and gentle, and she was very good at teaching. All the sons and daughters she gave birth to were intelligent and clever. If you ask around in Beijing, how many families are as harmonious as ours!"
"This old servant is ignorant and has no words to describe it. Can you think of one, Madam?" The old nanny was amused by the old lady, her face full of wrinkles from laughing, and she was gesturing wildly.
"You old rascal, you're just trying to make me happy."
"Alright, is the second daughter of the second son's family fully recovered?" Grandmother continued to ask.
"Thank you for your concern. My second sister-in-law has sent word that everything is well and she will be able to come and pay her respects to you again in two years," Mother said respectfully.
"Yes, there's no rush to greet you. A young lady's health is precious, so take good care of yourself. If you need any tonics, just let me know. Fourth Brother brought back some top-quality red dates and white fungus yesterday afternoon. Take some back with you later, and also take some for Second Brother's family."
"yes."
Grandmother closed her eyes briefly. "Is the second son's son still healthy? When can we bring him over for a visit?"
“He’s very strong. My second sister-in-law has been waiting for him for over ten years. She’s been taking care of him personally, without asking anyone else to do it. Now he’s been given a nickname, Kang Ge. In another ten years or so, we’ll be able to bring you a granddaughter-in-law.”
"Hmm. That's good, that's good. His aunt and I have been master and servant for twenty years, serving me since we were in Khorchin. The second son was raised by me since he was a child, and I even named him Lilafeng'a (meaning long-lived person). He's no different from my own son. I can't watch his lineage end, and in the future, there won't even be anyone to carry his coffin and break the urn." When Grandmother mentioned her second uncle's aunt, she thought of her carefree girlhood, with horses galloping across the grassland.
"Is Bai La Shi still behaving herself?" Grandmother looked directly at Mother.
"Mother, don't worry. Kang-ge is my second sister-in-law's own son. She knows that in her heart."
Bai La was her father's concubine, and she had one son, who was her father's seventh son.
He entered the household in the fourth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. It is said that his mother encountered him while inspecting the properties.
At that time, Aunt Bai's family was already desperate. Her father had passed away, leaving behind only an orphan and a widow. To make matters worse, her fiancé had also died.
The other party believed that Aunt Bai was cursed to die, and they relentlessly targeted her, embezzling the silver that the court gave to the Manchus. Their family was also kicked out by their aunt.
She sold her mother's dowry and rented a small house in the suburbs. Her fiancé's family blocked her from becoming a palace maid, and she was harassed by hooligans and thugs. Her younger brother was still young.
The old woman from the village, seeing her pitiful state, begged her mother for protection.
Manchu people were forbidden from serving as servants, except when they entered the palace as maids. If caught, they would be punished and their masters would be implicated. The mother saw that the girl had regular features, clear eyes, and knew a few characters, so she gave her 100 taels of silver and told the head of the estate to protect her widowed mother and younger brother and to marry her to her father as a concubine.
She was required to remain childless after entering the household and assist in managing her father's concubines. She would serve as her mother's head maid under the guise of a concubine. To agree, she would take the sterilization pill. Aunt Bai took it without hesitation, kowtowed to her mother, and went back with her.
Actually, this isn't a sterilization drug; it's more like a low-cost version. After taking it, one is generally unable to conceive for seven or eight years. Many mistresses would use it to deal with favored concubines.
Because Aunt Bai was so diligent in her work, her mother later even helped her younger brother find a school. The tuition fees were personally handed over to the teacher by her mother's head nanny. This was also to prevent betrayal; scholars valued their reputation, and if even the person who supported their education turned against them, their reputation was essentially ruined. In the end, Aunt Bai's younger brother passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, and the family acquired over twenty acres of fertile land, their lives becoming increasingly prosperous.
As it turned out, Mother's judgment was correct. Aunt Bai had always been diligent and never slacked off. After being given the medicine again in the mansion, she stopped having children. If she was lucky, she would have had offspring. Aunt Bai was blessed; she later gave birth to her seventh brother at the advanced age of 36.
"After the mourning period, let the second son be given a formal name and added to the family genealogy. Also, the fifth and sixth daughters, the second daughter of the second branch, the third daughter of the third branch, and the three sons of the fourth branch, all the sons and daughters of each branch who are over six years old, have their fathers give them names. We will choose a few days to open the ancestral hall and add them to the family genealogy."
Funeral arrangements in this dynasty:
If a person enters the court and his parents pass away, his children, wives, and concubines must observe a three-year mourning period, which is 27 months.
When grandparents pass away, grandchildren (and their wives and concubines) and granddaughters (who are unmarried or have returned home after marriage) shall observe a one-year mourning period, which is 9 months.
Unless the emperor decreed a change in mourning, such situations were rare, as the Qing Dynasty governed based on filial piety. Even if a change in mourning was made due to special circumstances, failing to observe proper mourning would be a major stain on one's record, and the emperor would later find you untrustworthy. After all, how could one expect a person with a conscience to disregard the kindness of their parents in raising them?
In prominent families, male members are usually included in the family genealogy at the age of six. The infant mortality rate is high, but it is greatly reduced by the age of six.
If a girl in the family has brothers or cousins, she can be included in the family genealogy. Generally, it is good to have a separate ancestral hall for girls to be included in the genealogy. In this era where many children are considered a blessing, most girls will be included before the age of 10. A very small number of girls from the eighth cohort will also be included in the genealogy before the selection process, and the clan head will report the information to the higher authorities.
The selection of candidates for the imperial concubines was initiated by a procession of officials, including the captains, lieutenants, cavalry captains, leaders, and clan chiefs, who submitted their reports to the commander-in-chief. The commander-in-chief then reported to the Ministry of Revenue, which in turn submitted a memorial to the emperor, who then approved the date for the selection and viewing of the candidates.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
