Chapter 132 Marriage Proposal
The next morning, Kangxi woke up contentedly in Yongshou Palace. Looking at Yuying beside him with a rosy face, as if she was still asleep, he felt pity for her and could not help but lean over and kiss Yuying again, then he quietly got out of bed.
Before leaving, he did not forget to tell the servants around Yuying not to disturb her, and asked them to tell Yuying that he would not come today.
When he went to court today, he was planning to bring up the issue of foot binding for women again.
There was an uproar in the court, especially among the Khan officials, who were filled with indignation and spitting everywhere. They did not have the character of literati at all and they wished that Kangxi could take back his words immediately.
But Kangxi was determined, and even threatened to bind anyone's feet if he tried to stop him.
As soon as these words were spoken, the Manchu officials who had been watching the fire from the other side immediately stood on Kangxi's side. Even the Han officials looked at each other, as if their necks were being strangled. Their faces turned red, but they were speechless.
Under Kangxi's tough attitude, new laws on foot binding were re-enacted.
No one could force a woman to bind her feet. It was up to her to decide whether to bind her feet or not. If anyone forced a woman to bind her feet, no matter who it was, they could report it to the government. Once verified, the woman would be exiled immediately.
After this decree was issued, Kangxi's reputation among the people was mixed, and even saying it was mixed could be considered a good thing. The actual situation should be that except for most women, those men, those so-called literati, wrote countless articles to criticize Kangxi.
It seems that the more words they write, the stronger their backbone will be.
But Kangxi was not afraid of them, he showed no mercy, he directly ordered the arrest of those who led the rebellion, and immediately put them in jail.
In a short time, the prison was filled with people. Those who had not yet been arrested were also worried that they would be arrested in the next second. Under such a tough attitude, the voices of opposition finally became smaller.
Such radical actions were actually contrary to Kangxi's self-proclaimed wise ruler. Kangxi always cherished his reputation and his reputation among the Han people. His actions now could be regarded as a rage.
The previous dynasty's commotion was so great that even Yuying, who was far away in the harem, heard about it. Especially when the commotion was at its worst, Yuying was stunned to hear that Kangxi had arrested so many people, but Yuying did not think that Kangxi did anything wrong, and she even wanted to applaud Kangxi.
…
The new decree has been introduced for some time, but it has had little effect. Yuying sat in the study room of the Qianqing Palace, feeling a little frustrated and sighing constantly.
Kangxi looked at her with a sad face and consoled her: "Aying, before we did this, we already knew the result, didn't we? We don't want to succeed immediately. All we want is to plant a seed in the hearts of those women. All we have to do is wait for the day when the seed breaks through the soil."
Yuying understood, but she was still unhappy.
Kangxi saw that Yuying's mood did not improve after his counseling, so he racked his brains to divert Yuying's attention.
"Chunxi is getting married."
Yuying immediately looked at Kangxi. Kangxi always liked to drop a bomb silently like this, regardless of whether Yuying could adapt to it or not.
But Kangxi's goal was achieved, and Yuying was no longer in a depressed mood.
Chunxi was the daughter of Prince Gong Changning. Because most of Kangxi's previous offspring had suffered misfortunes, he adopted Chunxi as his daughter and raised her in the palace.
After all, there was a saying in the Qing Dynasty that if a family had difficulty in having children, they would adopt a child, and this child could bring other children to the family.
After Chunxi entered the palace, Kangxi's offspring did become more abundant. Therefore, the Empress Dowager believed that Chunxi was a blessed child, and even Kangxi treated his adopted daughter very well, even more than his own biological daughter.
Kangxi had previously told Yuying that he wanted to keep Chunxi for a few more years, so how come he suddenly skipped the selection of a consort and went straight to setting the wedding date?
"Your Majesty, isn't this a little too sudden?"
Yuying frowned.
"I don't want Chunxi to get married in such a hurry, but didn't the Empress Dowager call me to Shoukang Palace a few days ago?"
Yuying nodded, she knew about this, and motioned Kangxi to continue.
"The Mongolian Borjigit tribe sent a letter to the Empress Dowager, saying that they wanted to ask for the marriage of Bandi, the great-grandson of the Prince of Khorchin, to my eldest princess, Chunxi."
"Then Your Majesty, will you agree? Isn't this a little too casual?"
"The Borjigit tribe is so hasty in asking for marriage this time, and it is really helpless. The Junggars have been eyeing the Mongolian tribes in recent days and have repeatedly seized the herdsmen's property. The Borjigit tribe is now asking for marriage in order to strengthen the relationship with the Qing Dynasty and ensure that the Qing Dynasty always stands on the side of Mongolia."
"After the passing of my grandmother, the relationship between the Qing Dynasty and Mongolia has deteriorated significantly. That's why they are so anxious that they even told me through my mother."
"And I cannot refuse. The Qing Dynasty still needs Mongolia's support." The relationship between the Qing Dynasty and Mongolia gradually became tense, and this was indeed the work of Kangxi. But to this day, the Qing Dynasty still needs Mongolia.
After hearing this, Yuying realized that there was no room for negotiation on the matter.
"Don't worry, Ah Ying. I have checked for Chunxi. This person is of the same age as Chunxi and is humble and polite. He himself has some talents and a very gentle temperament. He is a good match for Chunxi and it does not disgrace Chunxi."
Even if Kangxi spoke highly of this person, what was the use?
Yuying was still a little sad because of Chunxi.
After all, she left her hometown to marry a stranger she had never met, and the people around her were all unfamiliar to her. Even if something happened, Kangxi, who was thousands of miles away, would not know. Moreover, this was not modern times, where people could return to their parents' home at any time. Once she got married, she might never come back for the rest of her life.
But Yuying understood better that this was the current situation of the princesses of the Qing Dynasty and their destiny.
And it’s not Kangxi’s fault, that’s just the way things were in that era.
"When is the wedding date set? Does Princess Chunxi know already?" Yuying couldn't help but continue paying attention.
"I have already told Chunxi in person. The wedding date has been set, after the New Year. I secretly want Chunxi to spend the New Year with me again."
Years later.
Yuying calculated in her mind that there were only less than two months left.
Yuying was silent, and Kangxi's mood also became depressed.
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