As for becoming the wife of Prince Yong, Changning hadn't felt anything else yet, but she could see everyone's eagerness from the congratulatory and New Year's gifts.
Given Yinzhen's current status and the immense power of the Fucha clan, the annual gifts and filial piety from various households can be described as mountains and seas.
The gatekeeper has made a fortune these past two days.
Looking at the dazzling array of invitations and gift lists on the table, Changning saw Zhao Fuhai outside sending in eight eunuchs, each carrying a box. These were all mountains of gold and silver!
She picked one up at random, which read: "A pair of filigree inlaid cups, four gold hairpins with phoenixes holding longevity fruits, a celadon fan-shaped incense box, and twelve cloisonné floral square incense boxes."
Wow, she thought to herself, this is quite a generous gift. It would cost at least three to five thousand taels of silver, and it's a genuine treasure that only the wealthy and powerful could afford.
So she went to look at the signature: Nian Xialing.
Oh, so it's the Nian family.
Two months ago, it was said that Nian Gengyao had come to the capital, and now he has been appointed to an official position, which is not low. It seems that his connection with Yinzhen is gradually strengthening, otherwise why would he suddenly send such an expensive congratulatory gift?
Speaking of the Nian family, one cannot help but mention Little Rice Cake, the historical Consort Nian.
Now that Yinzhen has become a prince, he only has himself as his primary wife, and the position of secondary wife is vacant. If the old emperor Kangxi suddenly decides to bestow a girl from the Nian family upon him as his secondary wife, it is not impossible.
After all, checks and balances are his usual tactic.
Now that her family has gained power, and she is a member of the Han Chinese Banner Army, it would be perfect for her to become Yinzhen's concubine. She could resist him without giving him too much leverage.
Changning snorted coldly, hoping that Kangxi didn't have that idea.
Although she and Yinzhen are now of one mind and have no grudges, and she believes that he will not touch anyone else, Changning is already in a high position and will definitely not cause herself any more trouble.
As long as she's there, no evil spirits or monsters can get into the house and cause trouble.
Now, Changning manages all the big and small affairs in the mansion, which has made her suddenly very busy, especially during the New Year. The mansion needs to be decorated and prepared everywhere, and she also needs to go to the palace and give return gifts from various places, keeping her extremely busy.
Coincidentally, Yinzhen was dragged away by the Fourteenth Prince because of the Ministry of Revenue's collection of money. Ever since the Eighth Prince and the others were imprisoned, the Emperor had dealt with a large number of officials involved in the case. Now, those who owed money no longer had any backbone, and all that was left was to finish up the work.
Although it wasn't difficult, the numbers and ledgers involved made it extremely complicated, giving the fourteenth brother a huge headache. In the end, he couldn't even recognize the numbers one through four, so he quickly called over his fourth brother, who was also a huge headache.
The couple had been working themselves to the bone this month. Holding hands, they looked at each other with tears in their eyes, speechless with emotion.
Fortunately, Yierha and Hutuli are both old and can help out. The two little girls handle the affairs of the manor quite well, which has greatly reduced Changning's burden.
Changning residents exclaimed how thoughtful that was!
Daughters are so much better! Waaaaah! Unlike those sons!
This year's New Year's banquet marked the first time Changning appeared in public as the wife of Prince Yong.
With the troublemaking Eighth and Ninth Prince's wives gone, this time her sisters-in-law all gave her face.
When the Fifth Prince's wife, Shufen, saw her arrive, she warmly took her hand and called her Fourth Sister-in-law. The other younger siblings also called her Fourth Sister-in-law with great enthusiasm.
And those imperial grandsons.
Led by Hongxi, they all bowed to her one by one and called her Fourth Aunt.
Although the crown prince had been deposed, Hongxi still lived in the palace, and Emperor Kangxi would occasionally summon him.
A group of teenagers, all with chubby faces and adorable features, were very endearing. They also had sweet tongues, and could say one auspicious phrase after another.
Hongmin and Hongchen mingled among them, and for some reason, they also started calling her "Fourth Aunt," making everyone laugh uncontrollably.
Changning happily handed out small purses to each person, containing lucky money for the children. Everyone was exchanging auspicious greetings, creating a lively atmosphere.
Seeing her smooth and smiling demeanor, Yinzhen knew she was genuinely happy and not forcing a smile. No one was provoking her, and even the Third Prince's wife was behaving herself, so he was finally relieved.
Seeing him constantly glancing towards the women, the brothers at the table all laughed at him.
Fourteenth Brother showed no respect for his brother and laughed, "Fourth Brother, what are you looking at? Have you become a wife-gazing stone?"
Yinzhen glared at him, but he was still grinning. Although he didn't say anything more, he kept winking at him, his words practically written all over his face. Oh dear, what's the big deal? Fourth Brother, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, I never thought you'd be troubled by love one day! Hehe!
Yinzhen ignored him and turned to chat with the thirteenth prince, asking him about his recent situation.
This year's New Year's banquet was a lively and successful event.
Everyone was very happy, and the atmosphere at the venue was lively.
It was as if, after the Crown Prince's downfall, the Emperor's suspicion and vigilance finally allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.
As usual, Emperor Kangxi only made a brief appearance before leaving the banquet. Perhaps due to his advanced age, he is now increasingly reluctant to meet people.
On the carriage back to the mansion, Changning quickly took off her shoes to loosen her feet. Not to mention anything else, after walking so much back and forth, her feet felt like they were about to swell up. Luckily, she didn't have to wear platform shoes.
She couldn't help but wonder, who invented the flowerpot bottom?
Wearing this is just humiliating yourself, isn't it?
There's also foot binding, thankfully the Manchus didn't have this custom. I heard it's becoming popular in Beijing now, with young ladies from wealthy families binding their feet; only three-inch golden lotuses are considered noble.
Changning scoffed at this and kept a close eye on the nannies who were taking care of the princesses in the courtyard. She made it clear that the princesses of the Yong Prince's Mansion did not need to bind their feet. If anyone coaxed a princess to bind her feet, then she should cut off her own feet first.
She had long established her absolute authority, so naturally no one dared to speak out.
Upon returning to the manor, Tingfeng and Xingwei hurriedly came to greet her, helping her wash and dress while recounting the events of the day.
Yinzhen of Changning took the children into the palace. She did not mistreat the remaining women in the mansion. Instead, she instructed Eunuch Ma to add a few more steaming pots and some wine so that they could have a better time.
It's not that Changning is now a saint, wanting everyone else to be happy just because she's doing well herself. Rather, she no longer cares about these concubines and maids; it's just a matter of giving them a few instructions, nothing she has to worry about, which is within her job responsibilities.
After all, to run a household well, you must first manage these women.
They are now worlds apart. When you stand on higher ground, you stop caring what the ants at your feet are thinking.
Now her world revolves around how to make herself more comfortable, worrying about the Fucha family, and about Yinzhen and the children.
As for those women, Changning felt it was enough to let them maintain their reverence for him.
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