Chapter 144 Beijing City Affairs Snow falls on the Forbidden City, the red walls are covered with snow, and the sight is everywhere...
Snow falls on the Forbidden City, the red walls are covered with snow, and everything looks bleak.
The coffin of the eighteenth prince was buried hastily. The underage prince who died did not have a proper funeral. He was put in a coffin and buried outside the mausoleum.
Mu Xue went to see him off.
The funeral procession was not long, and as the biological mother, Wang Pin naturally could not leave the palace to see her off. Her other two sons, the Eighteenth Prince's brothers from the same mother, the Fifteenth Prince and the Sixteenth Prince, followed behind with mournful looks on their faces.
After they were escorted to the glazed gate of Jingling Mausoleum, Mu Xue lit a stick of incense in front of the coffin.
The Fifteenth Prince said from behind: "Thank you, Fourth Sister. I heard that you took good care of Little Eighteen when you were outside the Great Wall. Our mother knows about this and is very grateful."
"It's a pity that it didn't happen in the end... Alas." Mu Xue sighed.
At present, medical methods still failed to save the Eighteenth Prince. She had privately told Qiuhua to take out a portion of the subsidy from the Mongolian Salt Bureau for medical research. At the same time, she would take advantage of the opportunity in the capital to exchange more Western medicine with missionaries, and it would be best if she could bring one back to naturalize. She would strive to improve medical technology as much as possible under the current conditions. However, all these would take time and could not be achieved overnight.
The Fifteenth Prince turned his head and looked back at his younger brother's spirit tablet, and sighed: "Maybe this is fate, things in the world are hard to predict."
When my mother told little eighteen to be obedient and well-behaved when he went out with the emperor for the first time, she never thought that the child would never come back after this long journey. People in the capital city never expected that the prince who was the crown prince before the trip would become a deposed prince overnight.
"Is it fate?" Mu Xue repeated it calmly without commenting.
She looked at the snowflakes floating in the air and falling diagonally with the wind. The snowflakes went wherever the wind blew. Even if they swirled in the middle, they eventually fell to the ground and dissipated.
The crown prince was deposed as history had intended. He might be deposed a second time. Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel depressed. I felt powerless.
Mu Xue lowered her eyes and stepped into the snow. The thin snow made a slight crunching sound as her palace shoes stepped on it.
She had not been back to Beijing for a long time, and she was the only one who was promoted from Heshuo Princess to Gulun Princess because of her merits, and she accompanied and escorted His Majesty to Beijing. In such a bad situation of the deposed crown prince, Emperor Kangxi could also reward her. Smart people in Beijing sent invitations to the four princesses' mansions in Beijing, some wanted to pay their respects, some wanted to establish relationships, some wanted to reminisce about the past... There were so many things that people were overwhelmed.
But ignoring it all is not an option. The relationships in the capital are complicated, and everyone is related to each other. If you don't handle it well, you don't know what kind of people you will offend. Even if you are not afraid of him, it is still annoying if the little ghost secretly trips you up. Especially when Mu Xue still has property in the capital.
When I was naturalized, I could still use the excuse of the long distance to send gifts during festivals as a way of keeping in touch. But now that I'm in the capital, I'm a monk who can't run away. I can only perfunctorily deal with it, sit with it, and talk nonsense.
When these people came, they always had a long, roundabout way of saying things like "The deposed prince's wet nurse was removed from his position as the director of the Imperial Household Department. Did the princess mention this when she was accompanying the emperor?" and "The old man from the Thirteenth Concubine's family has been feeling unwell lately. Alas, it's really a pity."
Everyone has a different stance and what they say means different things. Mu Xue felt dizzy from morning till night.
Entering the palace to pay respects was another routine. She had her attendants pass a sign to the palace, and after receiving a reply, she had to get up early in the morning to prepare to wear auspicious clothes. The pattern of winter auspicious clothes had to be in accordance with the regulations. After going through several checkpoints, she could reach the Forbidden City and pay respects to Concubine Yi.
The emperor still favored Concubine Yi and was very happy to see her, asking about her well-being.
"It's a pity that I didn't see your little princess."
"At that time, they said that the Eighteenth Prince was ill, and I didn't dare to bring her along and cause trouble, so I asked my husband to take good care of her, and I led my men there myself." Mu Xue said, "Later, there were so many things about the deposed Crown Prince, and I couldn't tell Guihua about it either, so I just sent a letter back to escort Khan Ama back to the capital."
Concubine Yi nodded while holding the hand warmer: "It is indeed not suitable to take the child with you in that situation. Next time you have a chance, bring her to the capital to pay respects so that I can meet her."
"Yes, I will definitely find an opportunity to go to the palace alone with my husband and little princess to pay my respects."
After chatting about family matters for a while, Concubine Yi changed the subject: "The dethronement of the crown prince was sudden, but after hearing the order from His Majesty, it is understandable. I just don't know why the Thirteenth Prince was also confined and not allowed to go out."
Mu Xue was stunned. Why would Concubine Yi ask about the Thirteenth Prince for no reason? She thought about it and thought of the Eighth Princess who was now raised in Concubine Yi's palace. Yes, the Eighth Princess and the Thirteenth Prince were born of the same mother. She asked this question on behalf of the Eighth Princess.
She said slowly, "Thirteenth brother has always been the right-hand man of second brother, so it is inevitable that he will be implicated in this matter. As for the specific reason, it seems that Khan Ama has not issued an order. As for me, I don't know much either."
"Alas, this is inevitable." Concubine Yi said. "I asked this because of the Eighth Princess. She fell ill because of the Thirteenth Prince's matter and has been recuperating these days. I won't ask her to come to see you, lest she pass on the illness and that would be a sin."
"Oh, Eighth Sister is sick? Is it serious?"
"It's still a heart disease. This child has always been worried and weak. He looks a bit like you when you were young." Concubine Yi said, "But now he has taken a few medicines and is getting better. Don't worry."
Mu Xue nodded: "Thirteenth brother, it is not a good time to bring up this matter. Perhaps if we wait for Khan Ama's anger to subside, there may be a turnaround."
“That’s indeed the truth.”
As they were talking, a eunuch came in and announced that Concubine Wang had come to pay her respects.
Concubine Yi was surprised and asked, "Why is she here at this time? Please come in."
Mu Xue understood a little bit, it should be about the Eighteenth Prince.
Wangpin was from Suzhou. It was said that she was a beauty carefully selected by the locals when Emperor Kangxi was on a tour to the south. She was indeed beautiful, and she walked like a willow in the wind. She gave birth to three princes in succession. However, even so, because of her background, she did not get a clear position. The palace people just called her "Niangniang" and "Niangniang" in confusion. In fact, she did not even have the title of a noble lady. It was not until the eighteenth prince died that the emperor promoted her to a concubine.
Wangpin came in, with a gentle and beautiful face, but a little sad. She greeted Concubine Yi first, and then looked at Muxue: "I heard that the Fourth Princess is here, and I want to thank you for taking care of the Eighteenth Prince on the way. You also went to see him off. Thank you so much."
As she spoke, she took a red sandalwood carved food basket from the maid and said, "These are some cakes and pastries that I made myself. Please keep them for yourself, Fourth Princess."
Mu Xue refused for a while, but had to accept it. She thanked Wang Pin and said, "Please accept my condolences, Madam Wang Pin. Please take care of yourself."
Wangpin smiled, with a bit of helpless numbness: "I will, after all, life still needs to go on."
Although she was extremely heartbroken because of the Eighteenth Prince's anger, she still had two children to take care of. She could only let the sadness pass.
Mu Xue said: "This way, the Eighteenth Prince can rest in peace. Before he passed away, he said he was very sorry for you."
Wangpin heard this and tears welled up in her eyes: "This child, this child...what's there to be sorry about? I am the one who is sorry for him."
If she had a higher status, the child might have received more care and might have been in better health. But she was born a Han woman, of humble origin, and with a very poor family background. As a result, the child did not enjoy any happiness.
"We are mother and son, it's fate, there's no need to feel sorry. Okay, calm down. Although you are young, you are the elder. How can you behave like this in front of the princess?" Concubine Yi reminded Wang Bin when she saw her expression.
Concubine Wang wiped her tears with a handkerchief, held them back, bowed and took her leave.
Seeing her leave, Concubine Yi sighed and said, "It's not easy. With this background, I have to endure so much to be able to become a concubine."
The situation of Han concubines in the harem who were not from the Han army banners was generally difficult.
Mu Xue didn't know what to say, so she just pursed her lips and said, "Yeah. It's getting late, I should leave the palace."
"Well, it's cold and the roads may be icy, so be careful on the road." Concubine Yi gave some instructions and asked the nanny beside her to send Muxue out of the palace.
When Mu Xue left Yikun Palace, Concubine Yi leaned on the warm bed and said, "Call the Eighth Princess over."
The eighth princess came over quickly and paid her respects.
"I wonder if Fourth Sister said anything?"
Concubine Yi said, "There's nothing useful to say. In the end, I told you to wait until His Majesty calms down."
When she said this, she felt a little awkward. Mu Xue's answer was watertight, but a little distant, just like how she treated the Ninth Prince. After all, she has grown up and has her own considerations. Concubine Yi thought again, she was able to keep her mouth shut, no wonder she was valued by the Emperor. This is a good thing. Forget it, don't think too much.
After hearing this, the Eighth Princess twisted her handkerchief and said, "I am worried that he will be depressed after being confined to his room... Alas, there is really no better way."
Concubine Yi thought for a moment and said, "In fact, you are close in age to the Sixth Princess. You should also consider marriage. If you get married, the Thirteenth Prince will definitely have a drink at the wedding."
After hearing this, the Eighth Princess bowed her head and knelt down: "Please ask Concubine Yi to mention this matter for me."
"However, this marriage will most likely be Fu Meng again."
"It doesn't matter if Fu Meng is defeated." The Eighth Princess raised her little face and said, "He can't escape anyway. If there is an opportunity to release brother from house arrest, maybe he can go in and out as before."
"Okay, I understand."
Concubine Yi thought about it for a long time and chose a time to mention the eighth princess' marriage to Emperor Kangxi.
"The Eighth Princess is also twenty years old."
Emperor Kangxi understood her meaning. After thinking about it, he decided to send the Sixth and Eighth Princesses out of the palace together, so as to divert the Empress Dowager's attention and prevent her from being sad about the deposed Crown Prince. So during the New Year, he issued an edict to confer the title of Heshuo Princess on the Eighth Princess and to marry her to the Duke of Duling of the Ongniud Tribe of Mongolia.
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