Hongzhao was also very surprised to see Thirteen, and immediately stood up and bowed: "Uncle Thirteen".
Thirteen nodded, peeked out, and saw a little girl dressed in Mongolian attire looking at him questioningly. Hongzhao scratched his head embarrassedly: "Her name is Naritai, and she is the daughter of the Prince of the Durbet tribe."
Thirteen nodded knowingly, but didn't say much. He patted Hongzhao on the shoulder and left.
Hongzhao felt a vague unease.
Sure enough, he was summoned away by Yinzhen that very night.
“Father, I made a promise with Naritai that when we meet in the capital, I will take her around to see the sights. I don’t mean anything by it.”
Yinzhen looked at Hongzhao's youthful but gradually resolute face and smiled: "Alright, Father didn't say anything to you. It's just that your thirteenth uncle saw it and mentioned that Hongzhao is almost ten years old now and can be engaged."
engagement?
Hongzhao's mouth dropped open. In his mind, his cousin Duoxihui was already sixteen and only now getting married. The same went for his older sister.
Besides, her brother hasn't even mentioned marriage yet, so how come it's her turn?
However, Hongzhao was no longer that naive child who knew nothing. He could understand what his father meant, and his face turned red, which was rare for him.
If my future wife is Naritai, life will probably be more interesting, right?
No one knows a son better than his father. Seeing his son's state, Yinzhen understood. He didn't say anything more, only telling him that it was best for him not to go out with Naritai for the next few days.
With representatives from all forty-nine Mongolian tribes, and numerous informants, it's hard to guarantee that we won't be discovered, which would only lead to unnecessary trouble.
Although Hongzhao was disappointed, he still obediently nodded.
Although he could not visit Naritai at the post station for the next few days, Hongzhao still saw her at the banquet in the Taihe Hall.
The Mongolian princess, dressed in her finest attire, was like an ever-shining sun, her aura constantly drawing him in.
Hutuli and Yierha's gazes were also constantly drawn to Mengguqing.
She is now the de facto leader of the forty-nine tribes of Mongolia. Even the largest tribe, the Khorchin, now treats her with deference, since everyone knows that Mengguqing has a close relationship with the Emperor and Empress.
At this Manchu-Mongolian banquet, Yinzhen announced that Mongolia would be divided into banners, and each banner would be a league. Each league would have a league chief, and each banner would have a banner chief. The central government would send ministers to be stationed in various places, which greatly weakened the centralized power of each tribe.
Several princes from major tribes were somewhat impatient, but Meng Guqing was the first to rise and express his gratitude for the imperial decree. Next were Amur from the Aohan tribe, Ashida from the Durbet tribe, and the heir apparent from the Khorchin tribe, who also agreed.
The first few tribes all stood up to receive the decree, and even if the princes behind them were unwilling, they dared not object.
Therefore, it was unanimously approved.
In addition, Yinzhen also bestowed a marriage upon a Mongolian boy and a Qing imperial princess on the spot.
For example, the fourth princess of the Zhijun Prince's Mansion was betrothed to the youngest son of the Borjigit Prince of the Khorchin tribe.
Prince Zhi's face turned pale at that moment.
He almost knelt down and kowtowed on the spot, begging the emperor to rescind his order.
But then Yinzhen said something else.
"The fourth princess of Prince Zhi is hereby conferred the title of Princess Duanrou of the First Rank, and Princess Duanrou is permitted to establish a princess residence in the capital and live there with her husband."
These words caused an uproar in the room.
The people of Khorchin had clearly anticipated this, and thus calmly expressed their gratitude and accepted the imperial decree.
Prince Zhi was overjoyed.
He and his wife shared a deep bond, and they had four daughters and one son. His son was certain to inherit the title, and his daughters' marriages were his biggest worry.
After all, intermarriage between Manchus and Mongols is an old custom, and I'm afraid the emperor won't give it up easily.
The emperor couldn't bear to part with his own daughters, so the only ones he could use as pawns were the daughters of his brothers.
It wasn't just Prince Zhi; there were also the third, fifth, and seventh princes, and so on. Every one of them had a daughter, and they were all worried.
But they never expected that the emperor would be so wise!
Although it was still a Manchu-Mongol marriage, the fact that the princess's residence was allowed to be built and the princess and her husband could live in the capital was simply wonderful news!
I no longer have to worry about my daughter having to be mindful of others' opinions, nor do I have to worry about her traveling all the way to Mongolia only to end up dying young.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Prince Zhi burst into tears, knelt down, and kowtowed to express his gratitude, making the marble floor resound with each thud. Even Changning felt a headache coming on just listening to it.
The other princes were also overjoyed. The Emperor's move was excellent, a win-win situation, and they no longer needed to worry about their daughters' marriages.
Under these circumstances, they suddenly realized that this fourth brother was indeed a benevolent and good emperor, and they trusted him even more.
There are so many important events tonight, each and every one of which involves Mongolia's vital interests.
So when the party ended that evening, Hongzhao originally wanted to chat with Naritai a bit more, but he saw her being pulled away by the person sitting next to her, which left him completely baffled.
That evening in Chengqian Palace, Changning massaged Yinzhen's head while smiling and saying, "That's good now, one of my worries has finally been resolved."
Yinzhen patted her hand: "Don't worry, I've never broken my promise to you."
"However, do you really want to bestow a marriage upon Naritai and Hongzhao?" Changning hesitated slightly upon thinking of this.
Yinzhen hummed in agreement. "While we don't need to court the Mongols as we have before, we can't abandon them either. After all, Nian Gengyao is currently fighting against the Dzungars, and the Mongols are a very important ally."
Aside from these imperial princesses, the emperor himself naturally carries more weight.
Moreover, I think Hongzhao really likes Naritai.
At this point, Changning had no way to refute it: "That's true. I didn't expect that among so many children, this little devil would be the first to get it."
"Next year, we'll first select female officials, then arrange a grand wedding for Honghui and Yierha, and find a concubine for Hongyan. Next time we hold the imperial concubine selection, we'll also arrange the marriages of Hongyan's wife and Hongzhao's."
Changning nodded, tightening his grip slightly: "Alright, you should get some rest. You must be exhausted from dealing with the Mongolian affairs lately."
Yinzhen held Changning's hand and said gently, "I'm not tired, Yaoxian. I want to take advantage of my youth and competence to make the foundation of the Qing Dynasty more solid, eliminate all these hidden dangers, and leave Hongyan a peaceful and prosperous era."
Changning was somewhat moved, but didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, Yinzhen didn't need her answer and said to himself, "Once all these matters are settled, Hongyan is married, and has children, I will abdicate early and accompany you to travel all over the country, making all the travelogues you read every day a reality. Is that alright?"
Hearing this, Changning's eyes reddened, and she choked up a little: "Okay."
This is a promise from an emperor.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
