Being close to your relatives is a real worry
After countless hardships, Hesheli finally became pregnant, which finally brought a little comfort to those who were devastated by the bad news. At this time, such news was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for those who felt exhausted.
The most delighted person, of course, was the Eastern Palace. Not to mention Hesheli, even Hongdan quietly went to the Eastern Palace's small Buddhist temple to burn three incense sticks. When Shujia was pregnant with Hongdan, the Shi family's concubines were allowed into the palace. Hesheli naturally followed the same rules this time, but her mother couldn't stay in the palace for a long time like Xiluo had.
Even so, when Madam He Yi came to the palace to offer congratulations, both mother and daughter felt satisfied.
"Work harder and get a boy in one go!" Mrs. He Yi was excited and anxious, her face flushed.
Hesheli's cheeks flushed, and she said with a hint of shyness and a hint of complaint: "Mother!"
Madam He Yi smiled, her eyes gleaming. "This is business, don't be shy," she leaned forward, lowering her voice, her tone becoming serious. "The Crown Prince... doesn't have a concubine anymore?" She held her breath. If this news was true, it would be like a piece of cake. Even outside the palace, a noble who didn't have a concubine before marriage was definitely a sign of a strict family tradition.
Hesheli coughed twice and said, "Yes."
"Ever since the master entered the palace, everyone inside and outside the palace has said that she is the one who values rules the most, and it turns out to be true!" Madam He Yi now likes everyone.
"Mother treats me very well. If it weren't for her protection in these years, I wouldn't have been so happy. This time, she rewarded me with a lot of things. I know they are much more valuable than what the fourth son's wife gave them back then." Hesheli was also truly grateful to her mother-in-law.
Madam He Yi leaned closer to her daughter and said, "The Master loves you so much, you can't become arrogant because of your favor."
"It's natural."
"Uh...next year is going to be another big election, don't you have any ideas?"
Hesheli was thinking, now that she was pregnant, why would she need to arrange for a concubine? Her maidservant, who came with her as a dowry, was no longer a possibility for Hongdan to take her as his wife, but there were still palace maids. This was her own little thought. For a concubine to enter the Eastern Palace, it was an arranged marriage. The word "arranged marriage" made her status even more transcendent. Even if a palace maid was favored, without the need for her parents' permission, the psychological burden of dealing with her was less.
Madam He Yi was thinking the same thing: "Now that you're pregnant, you can't serve the Crown Prince. If you don't pay attention, the Master will see you and think you're ignorant. In my opinion, didn't many new maids come in this year? They've learned all the rules now. You should take a closer look and choose one or two. They'll also remember your kindness. When the Master sees that the Crown Prince has someone to serve him, she'll be able to relax a little next year, and you'll be better off."
Hesheli was unhappy, but she knew her mother was telling the truth. Her face tensed for a moment, then relaxed: "You're right."
"Still! You're already doing well. People with mothers-in-law should think more about everything."
The mother and daughter were discussing this heatedly, but they didn't know that the mother-in-law they were talking about had no interest in her son's private life at all. As for finding a concubine for her son, she would not do it unless she had no choice (because her daughter-in-law couldn't give birth).
She and her daughter-in-law are not natural enemies. No mother-in-law with any sense would do anything to upset her daughter-in-law. She can turn a blind eye to small matters, but when it comes to big things, it is not something that can be solved by having a concubine.
Shujia went to the Eastern Palace to see Hesheli as soon as possible and awarded her rewards, but she did not stay in the Eastern Palace for long and went back to Kunning Palace to listen to the report.
Zhao Guoshi flipped through the book: "This year, six hundred and fifty-two palace maids over the age of twenty-five were released from the palace, and seventy-eight new maids were hired as servants. The total number of maids hired as servants is seven hundred and three..."
A harem of three thousand beauties was simply impossible in the Qing Dynasty. According to regulations, not only did the concubines have to be members of the bannermen, but even the palace maids had to be bondservants, also bannermen. Purely Han women like Concubine Mi were truly exceptional.
Therefore, in the entire Forbidden City, including masters, servants, and concubines, the total number of women did not exceed 800. The Empress had only ten maids to serve her, the Empress Dowager had twelve, and the others had even fewer. Including those on duty in various palaces, the servants of the princes and princesses living in the palace came to roughly the same number. Since Yinreng had few concubines, this number of staff was already a significant surplus.
So when Shujia heard that there were twenty-six more maids than last year, she asked, "Why are there so many more? Could it be that someone died of illness and was moved out this year? How come I didn't know about this?"
Zhao Guoshi cursed the Imperial Household Department in his heart. They actually asked him to handle such a difficult problem! The extra 26 people were actually because the Imperial Household Department was worried about the big selection next year. Once new people entered the palace and had a status, they would have to divide the people to serve them, so there had to be some margin.
Zhao Guoshi didn't dare to say it directly, and only said: "Next year, our fifth and sixth princes will be engaged. The seventh prince is not young anymore, so we must prepare some people to serve the new wife, right?" Of course, this is also the truth.
Shujia paused. Every major selection process was a headache for her. First, she worried about Yinreng's desire to enrich his harem, and second, she was troubled by the choice of wives for these men. Not only her own sons, but also young men of marriageable age from the imperial clan, all came to plead for favors. Then there were the high-ranking relatives, hoping to seek favors for their daughters, and they were also eager to seize any opportunity to get in on the action.
As I said, it would have been fine if there was no queen. But now that there is a queen, how could I not try to get in touch with her?
Shujia looked down and calculated. Indeed, Honggui, Hongchen, and Hongzao were all grown up. The youngest, Hongzao, was born in April of the 45th year of the Kangxi reign, making him fourteen (in lunar years) next year. Although Zhao Guoshi, following traditional calculations, believed that Hongzao was a concubine, this could be ignored. Honggui and Hongchen, nineteen and seventeen respectively, were both about to get married.
"Life is so unbearable! In the blink of an eye, I have been made old by these children."
Zichang heard her sigh and smiled, covering her mouth: "My brothers have grown up, started families and careers, isn't the master happy?"
Shujia glanced at her and said, "I'm so happy that I don't know what kind of daughter-in-law to choose." Besides, in addition to her two sons, she also had to worry about the marriages of several nephews and cousins.
Zichang lowered her head and said nothing. This year the Queen had seen many ladies from famous families. Was there none she liked, or was there too many of them and she didn't know which one to choose?
After a while, Fang stepped forward and said, "My lady, the young lady from Master Qing's family has reached the age of marriage." Qingde's daughter, Xinle, would be fifteen next year, and would be the time for marriage. However, this master showed no special care for his niece, only sending Hongxiu to teach the rules at Qingde's home, and sending the Fifteenth Lady and Prince Yu's Lady to give guidance. He only let the child speak a few times and refused to reveal a single word.
Zichang was a vassal of the Shi family. After Shi Wenbing's death, the three sons, though still living together, had gradually divided their spheres of influence. The empress's maids were also a resource, and their families were naturally among those to be divided up. Zichang's parents were both given to Qingde, and Qingde's future residence would likely serve as Zichang's retirement home.
Zichang had calculated that she was living quite well in Kunning Palace, and she had money to live on. She had entered the palace early, when the rule of leaving at the age of thirty was still in effect. Leaving the palace at that time didn't offer much of a future, so it was better to stay with the Empress.
However, even if you're on duty, you can't just stay in the palace for nothing, right? Most likely, you'll have to retire. That's not too old; fifty is the maximum. At fifty, Shujia won't need so many elderly women around her anymore. She'll need new, more agile people, and at most, a couple of old maids to chat with. How to live after leaving the palace is what Zishang needs to worry about.
Since both her parents were in the Qingde Mansion, Zichang had to offer some advice on her future place to live.
Shujia didn't think it was a big deal. It wouldn't be right for her niece to just give up her marriage. Would it be difficult for her to find a decent family? Xinle's elder sister was already a future prince's wife, so it didn't matter if her younger sister's prospects were slightly lower. Shujia had already made up her mind: she would just choose a small, wealthy royal family for her.
These days, unless a prodigal son emerges, poverty in large imperial families is often due to the division of familial ties. Having many sons means less for each. With many children, the emperor, when bestowing titles upon your family, will be less forthcoming, except for the eldest son, and will not assign duties to every member of your family. These factors are directly related to salary.
A smaller population means less property to be divided, fewer people competing for titles, and more opportunities to serve.
"I have my own opinion on this."
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It was customary during the Changtai Dynasty for the empress to rule on all family disputes. Even arranged marriages were considered family matters. Even when there were political factors involved, such as the selection of the Crown Princess or the attempt to woo the Mongols on the eve of the war with the Zunghars, Yinreng would outline the general outlines and scope, while Shujia would handle the detailed implementation. Yinreng would then give a final glance before signing and stamping the document. And this glance only covered the more important matters; all the rest came from notes written by his wife, which he then issued in accordance with.
Shujia was used to it. If she had trouble talking about filling the harem, then she was certain she could make the decisions about other people's affairs. She also felt that the arrangements for her niece were a sure thing.
I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it! Yinreng suddenly had an opinion.
"I want to leave the girl from the Qingde family to my own son!"
"Huh? To whom?"
"Anyone can do it! No more giving it to others."
Shujia was stunned: "How can this be possible?" They are close relatives! Although Hongxi and Gegentana had two sons and there was nothing wrong with them, Shujia still couldn't accept close relatives marrying.
"Why not?"
"This child's sister has already been given to Hongsheng. Why would she give her to our son? That's too much!"
Yinreng waved his hand: "I know this well. The two children were already a little wronged. I originally wanted to give Qingde's daughter to Prince Xian, but I didn't expect..." If he wanted to be nice to someone, it would be like the emperor's grace was so great that he could enjoy it endlessly.
"Why are you still talking about this now? It won't look good if it gets out."
"I just said that, Qingde's daughter will be given to Honggui. I have the final say on this matter!"
"..." Shujia wanted to die! This situation was even more dangerous than the situation with Hongxi and his wife! Yinreng and the third princess were half-sisters, but Shujia and Qingde were siblings from the same mother, so their genes were closer.
What she didn't know was that Yinreng was betrothing Xinle to his son precisely for the sake of his heir. The Crown Princess Hongdan had chosen was quite good in every way, except for one thing—she couldn't conceive for a long time! Not only was Hesheli worried, Yinreng was also furious.
Looking left and right, the Crown Princess' sisters were all fertile, and so were her nieces. In the two years that Hesheli hadn't conceived, he had regretted it countless times. He thought, "I should have gritted my teeth and kept one of the two girls from the Shi family as the Crown Princess, regardless of taboos!"
Now that it’s time to choose a daughter-in-law, how can we not marry into the family with a tradition of having many children?
With the final word, Yinreng felt much better and began to tease Shujia: "Don't be so cautious. This dynasty is different from the previous one. What's the point of having relatives by marriage? The closer the relatives, the closer they are! What's there to be taboo about? You are suppressing your natal family like this, and they won't feel comfortable with it either. So what if you are a little bolder? You will still be my virtuous queen."
Shujia didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Thank you so much for enlightening me."
"That's right!" Yinreng nodded, then recalled an amusing anecdote. "You should learn from Nian Gengyao, the Sichuan Governor. He also came from a refined family and was no less courageous."
"What? What happened to Nian Gengyao?" No matter how you look at it, Nian Gengyao is a relative.
"He was instrumental in supervising the grain supply last time, and this time he's still in charge of the grain supply. Guess what memorial he submitted?"
"He doesn't want to do it?"
"You can't guess it, right?" Yinreng said with a hint of satisfaction, "He asked me to give him the power of control, and also asked for the double-eyed peacock feather to control the roads."
"That's too bold. You agreed? But why?"
"There's a reason. Imagine how many members of the royal family followed the army when it went out, and how many of them were there in the front, arguing over food and fodder. They were bound to send a few yellow-collared men to 'consult' with him. He didn't just swallow his anger and negotiate, but actually asked me to use my power to pressure them. It was beyond my expectation. That's good, he's brave enough to take on the responsibility!"
Yinreng quite admired Nian's strength. Shujia didn't want to say anything more, she could only say that a capable person could make a career in any environment, and it wouldn't change just because his sister became someone's concubine.
Shujia said sheepishly, "That's really good."
"Look at you. Who was that? You were so powerful when you told me, 'Only by doing good deeds can one achieve immortality.' Where has your ruthlessness gone?"
"I used it last time."
Yinreng laughed heartily. "Only by establishing meritorious virtues can one attain immortality, only by establishing meritorious virtues can one attain immortality!"
Any emperor who wasn't too bad had ambitions. When Yinreng first ascended to the throne, his only ambition was to inherit his father's legacy, govern the country well, and eliminate all ills. The word "immortality" wasn't explicitly mentioned, but once heard, it haunted him day and night. He had already envisioned it: this year, he would personally pray at the Heavenly Sacrifices, the ancestral sacrifices, and the tombs. He wanted to be a saintly ruler, a perfect example of an emperor, and he wanted immortality.
Yinreng was actually a rather romantic at heart. His wide-ranging interests and hobbies were merely superficial, for he possessed a deep, unwavering perseverance. Simply put, he was single-minded and unwavering in his pursuit of a goal, regardless of the consequences. He might change his mind on his own, but he wouldn't budge under pressure from others, unless you could force him to do so. Even then, he wouldn't budge.
He was now eager to come up with a guiding principle: "Only through meritorious service can one achieve immortality." It could be argued that it was this very idea that allowed him to transcend the limitations of his predecessors. While his personal narrow-mindedness remained, his overall perspective had changed significantly.
Shujia didn't bother to pay attention to his childish look and was still worried: My niece is going to marry my son, what should I do?
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The war ahead was merely a minor issue on the frontier, with little impact on the capital. This wasn't the Three Feudatories Rebellion, which shook the country to its core, threatened to deplete its treasury and put food on the table, nor was it the Galdan Rebellion, which fought repeatedly despite repeated defeats and was on the verge of reaching Gubeikou. It was simply a war in the distant land of Tibet.
It is particularly noteworthy that the opponent is the previously defeated Jungbu troops who once "fled at the sight of the enemy".
The noblewomen of the capital, while grumbling and laughing, said, "I'm not home for the New Year again this year. How annoying!" They also discussed, "Where should we go to the palace for New Year's celebrations and where should we go to see a play after returning?" They also secretly wondered what kind of merits their husbands and sons would achieve and what kind of rewards they would receive. If their husbands achieved more, would their rank be raised a little, or would their youngest son be given a title of patronage, thus ensuring their status?
There was no fear at all.
The husbands of the ladies were not soldiers, so the danger was limited; they were there to gain merit. Of course, when relatives were away on an expedition, there were still concerns. The biggest worry was: they must be eating poorly, they had lost weight since last time they came back, the sun was too strong there, and they got tanned, and they even got sick accidentally. Last time, they injured their arm, and it would take them a month to recover...
No one thought that their family members would not come back.
Those whose family members didn't have the opportunity to go to the front line were filled with envy and jealousy, which was quite ridiculous.
Everyone arrived at Kunning Palace with this kind of mood, and the atmosphere there was heated. Mrs. Fuerdan was one of the happy ones. Her husband had been entrusted with an important task, and when she was in a good mood, she was full of praise for others.
Qingde's wife, Jueluo, was also there, and Mrs. Fuerdan and her sisters-in-law praised her: "She is magnanimous and has raised promising children. The old lady (Xilute) is really good at choosing daughters-in-law. She is a person who will bring blessings to her children and grandchildren."
The Xiluo family's grandsons were indeed quite promising. They were not bad in their own right, and their character was truly good. Their family background as relatives of the emperor made their promotions particularly easy. This time, Fu Dali still did not make it to the front lines, but his eldest son Mingxi went to Qinghai with his uncle, accompanied by Qingde's third son Chong'an.
In everyone's opinion, it was a perfect opportunity for the group to get gold plating.
Xiluo Te said modestly, "You are too polite, Madam. It is just that everyone should do their duty."
The ladies all said that this wasn't necessarily true; honest people were common, but capable people were rare. Lady He Yi sat across from Lady Xiluo Te and said with a smile, "If everyone could uphold their responsibilities, there wouldn't be so many problems. But upholding one's responsibilities isn't something everyone can do."
Everyone laughed. They were all thinking about what Mrs. Furdan had said about "well-educated children." These children included not only boys, but girls as well! The most striking thing was the rumor that Qingde's second daughter was to marry the prince.
Marriage between relatives is indeed a beautiful thing. However, everyone restrained themselves and could not say too much because the official did not recognize it. It was really painful.
The gossip was eventually confirmed, having already become quite obvious during the Grand Selection. Xinle entered and exited Kunning Palace every few days, and was even summoned by the Emperor. The only person who received the same treatment was Ma Qi's niece, Fucha, daughter of Li Rongbao.
His father, Mi Sihan, was a renowned official during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. All of Mi Sihan's sons were talented, though Li Rongbao was the less prominent. However, Ma Qi, Ma Wu, Ma Sika, and the others didn't have any suitable daughters this time around. Only Li Rongbao, Ma Qi's younger brother, happened to have a daughter of the right age, and he had a good upbringing.
In Shujia's opinion, this family had no blood relationship with the royal family, at least she didn't know about it. At the same time, the little girl had a standard appearance. Simply put, she looked pleasing to the eye and seemed like she could give birth - she no longer wanted to worry about her grandson.
Yinreng believed that the Manchu nobles needed to be won over, but with the passage of time, the military aristocracy had become too powerful, which he disliked. He needed to boost the influence of the civil aristocracy. For example, the Crown Princess Hesheli, whose ancestors were intellectuals, and the Misihan family, whose expertise was in general affairs.
To put it bluntly, it's necessary to govern a country. Of course, people are not immune to this. For example, they favor their mother's family, even if there are not many outstanding people, they will reward them with high titles and support them. For example, if there are capable people in their wife's family, they will use them.
The final result was that the daughter of Li Rongbao, the governor of Chahar, became the legitimate wife of the fifth prince, Honggui, and Qingde's second daughter became the daughter-in-law of Shujia's sixth son.
The other nephews of the emperor who were of marriageable age also got beautiful wives.
The circumstances were similar in all previous selections, so I will not describe them one by one here.
Of course, everyone was also surprised to find that in this selection, as in the previous one, the Empress herself refused to assign concubines to anyone. The Emperor, who was manipulated by his wife, had actually forgotten that the concubines were either assigned to be the first wives or were simply given up.
The social atmosphere formed by this is beyond description.
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Families preparing to marry off their daughters were all excited, as they were pointed out to be the first wives! The Shi family was no exception. When the family was taking inventory of the dowry, they suddenly received bad news -
The Empress's beloved nephew, Mingxi, was ambushed by the Junggar tribe. He fought bravely and was wounded, nearly dying. He will be taken to hospital for recovery and returned home when he can move. A hospital room has been prepared for him, so we'll wait for his return.
This had stirred up a hornet's nest. Little Mingxi, the eldest grandson of the Shi family. Since the Shi family had been descended from the Huashan line since his great-grandfather, he could be called a "grandson of the clan." He was injured, so injured that he couldn't move. This was a serious problem.
The entire Shi family was in a state of unrest.
Fu Dali also instructed Guanyinbao: "Keep everyone in the family in check and don't let the old lady know a word. She's old and can't handle it. Let's see how Mingxi is doing. If he's doing well, don't tell the old lady to save her from worrying!"
Then he said to Wendu, whose eyes were filled with tears, "Going to the battlefield is not a picnic nor is it a summer retreat with the emperor. With your dear uncle looking after you, you will be fine."
Wendu was heartbroken, but as the head of the household, she could only endure her grief. She ordered her family not to tell Xiluo Te, and asked Mingxi's wife to tidy up the house and wait for the return of the waiter.
The author has something to say:
1] This is not the historical Empress Xiaoxian. Li Rongbao had more than one daughter. A daughter of the Fucha family didn't necessarily have to become an empress, but given their family's circumstances, it was perfectly normal for them to have a concubine.
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