Happy holidays everyone
Ever since Yinreng ascended the throne, the Wanshou Festival had been a disaster. The Imperial Household Department was fortunate; Prince Yong was discerning and meticulous, and while Yinreng disliked his birthday, he didn't find it objectionable. The Ministry of Rites was more unlucky. Remember, this date was not only Yinreng's birthday but also the anniversary of Empress Renxiao's death. According to regulations, sacrifices were required at the mausoleum on the anniversary of the empress's death.
Even more unfortunate was that Yinreng was not polite to Yunzhi and Hongxi, his younger brother and son, and would scold them directly when he was unhappy. His knowledge was no less than Yunzhi's, and his attainments in Neo-Confucianism were even higher. If he really wanted to find some fault with them, it would not take much effort.
Yunzhi, however, was prone to occasional confusion over these matters. He believed that the rituals for Empress Renxiao's burial had already been established during the Kangxi reign, so simply following the established rules would suffice. He even deliberately selected Soetu's son, Gelfun, who had been reinstated as the Minister of the Imperial Guard, to offer sacrifices at the mausoleum. If the ceremony were any more elaborate, it would overshadow the emperor's birthday, which was unacceptable.
Just when he thought he had done a good job, Yinreng got angry: "How can it be so simple?!" Yinzhi forgot that in the Kangxi Dynasty, Empress Renxiao was the emperor's wife. When it came to Yinreng, although she was still called "Empress Renxiao", she had been upgraded to the emperor's mother.
Yinreng first scolded Yunzhi: "I gave you the job because you are well-educated, but I didn't expect you to be so lazy!" Are you trying to fool me? Then he turned his gun on Hongxi, "And you! You didn't even remind me!"
Hongxi must have felt incredibly wronged! Yinreng had sent him to the Ministry of Rites to "learn how to do things from Prince Cheng." Before he left, he even used Yunti as a teaching material, telling him to be polite to his elders, not to bring shame upon others, and so on.
Hongxi is a younger generation and his cultural knowledge is not as rich as Yunzhi's. He also vaguely knows that Yinreng does not like people to mention the birthday and death anniversaries. Although he thinks that Yunzhi's behavior is inappropriate, he cannot propose to hold a high-profile sacrifice to his grandmother on his father's birthday - wouldn't this remind people of some bad memories?
Now, Yinreng still had a little face for his brother. He scolded him and let Yunzhi go back to re-draft the decree. But he had no scruples towards his son. As soon as Yunzhi left, Yinreng took action, picked up a ruyi and hit Hongxi on the back: "You beast! You are so shameless! You are being fooled, don't you know? Even if you mention the example of Empress Xiaokangzhang!!! I asked you to do this job to learn to be smart, not to learn to be stupid! You have read so much that you can't even remember it. Choose the good ones and follow them, and change the bad ones! Where are your opinions?"
Hongxi was so angry that he fell to his knees while being scolded and beaten. Yinreng swung his hand, but missed, and threw away Ruyi, then started practicing punches and kicks.
At first, Liang Jiugong and Gao Sanxie played dumb. A father spanked his son, and he did it behind closed doors for the right reasons. Why should they meddle? The emperor wasn't anxious, but the eunuchs were. Later, seeing that things weren't serious, they hurried over to intervene and persuade him, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, don't get yourself hurt by your anger."
This is bullshit. Yinreng is not even forty yet and is not a delicate flower. He won't get angry for a while.
Yinreng had already gotten rid of most of the anger in his heart, so he was not too angry when he was stopped.
Yinreng's anger today was twofold: First, his biological mother's death was his Achilles' heel, and anyone who touched it would die. But every time he celebrated his birthday, it would be touched.
Another point is that his career had been relatively smooth, and although he had some setbacks that had tempered him, his arrogance had not yet been tempered, and he always felt that his children must be excellent. In this matter, Hongxi seemed a little naive. It was obvious that Hongxi should have been able to understand the etiquette of Empress Xiaokangzhang, but in the end, he still followed Yunzhi's plan and was unable to "persuade" her successfully!
Lack of knowledge can be learned; stupidity is beyond control, and this is the core of his anger towards Hongxi.] Yet, it was also the old man who said, "Don't learn from Yinreng's stupidity and arrogance, relying on his status as a prince to bully his uncles." This shows that Yinreng was truly Kangxi's biological son, and in terms of demanding perfection, they were exactly the same.
Hongxi felt truly wronged, yet he dared not argue. Shu%ke)ju* could only blame himself for his bad luck and honestly admit his fault: "Ah, my son knows he was wrong."
Yinreng calmed down his anger and said earnestly, "Prince Cheng is relatively honest, but he can be confused from time to time. When the late Emperor's Concubine Min died, he shaved his head a hundred days later. Don't you know these things? His knowledge is one thing, but his confusion is another." He simply laid it out, "You can only shine when you are around him, don't you understand?"
Pity the love of parents! Yinreng screened his younger brothers, and none of them were easy to deal with. The more capable ones, like the fourth and eighth brothers, easily overshadowed Hongxi's brilliance. Even the background brothers, like the fifth and seventh brothers, whose abilities were slightly less pronounced than their brothers, were conscientious and rarely made mistakes in their work—they rarely served as a comparison group. Only the third brother, who was often unreliable, was most likely to stand out when working with him.
Yinreng saw that Hongxi's face was also scratched, and the red mark slowly appeared. He felt distressed: "Gao Sanxie, go to your master's wife to find medicine for the second prince."
Gao Sanxie took the order and left. Yinreng said to Hongxi, "I'll give you two days off. Think carefully about what to do next."
How to show himself while respecting his uncle, the century-old question was given to Hongxi.
Hongxi's beating wasn't in vain; Yinreng granted him leave and solved his problem: he ordered the crown prince to go to the mausoleum to pay respects, while the emperor himself would worship the tablets in Fengxian Hall and then receive court congratulations. Since the emperor was in a very bad mood, he could simply send everyone's gifts and avoid extravagant feasts.
In fact, no matter how you arrange this matter, Yinreng will not be satisfied. Only when he speaks and you follow his orders, will the matter be considered settled. The source of the matter is on that day in the thirteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. If he cannot travel back in time and bring Empress Renxiao back to life, Yinreng's heart knot will definitely be there, and no one can touch it.
After making his decision, Yinreng fined Yunzhi a year's salary to make him feel relieved. Fortunately, Yunzhi was not a person who lived on salary, and everyone understood the emperor's knot in this matter and knew that Prince Cheng was also wronged.
Regardless, according to Yinreng's arrangement, everyone went through the motions and finally got through the haunted gates of the Wanshou Festival. From then on, every Wanshou Festival was a gloomy occasion: asking us to pay our own way was one thing, but not even giving us the chance to eat our way back at the birthday banquet was just another way to deal with it.
Yinreng was wondering: Which brother is less reliable? Who could serve as a comparison? Damn! It's so hard to find one!
After thinking for a long time without success, Yinreng was blocked by his wife at his residence at dusk.
Shujia's first question was: "Did you hit Hongxi?"
Yinreng was a little angry: "Who asked you to come here? He is not doing his job seriously, can't I teach him a lesson?"
Shujia sighed: "You disciplined the child, but did I ever protect him? But he's grown up already...don't hit him in the face."
Yinreng said tiredly, "I failed."
"You've never hit children before. I panicked when I saw him like that. I didn't understand what Concubine Mao and his wife were crying about. If there's anything, talk to him slowly. He's new to the job, so everything is difficult at the beginning."
Yinreng laughed self-deprecatingly. "It's not a big deal, don't worry. Did you give the medicine to Hongxi?"
"I sent Gao Sanxie to his wife, who is keeping an eye on him." He also called a Mongolian bonesetter, saying that it was Xikubu who was injured. Of course, he couldn't say this.
Seeing Yinreng showing signs of fatigue, Shujia didn't want to stay any longer. Although her coming here wasn't excessive, it was still a bit inappropriate. She told Yinreng to rest early and went back to rest.
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After the Wanshou Festival, everyone gradually became more active. Even when preparations for the late emperor's anniversary celebration began, the emperor's expression wasn't as horrified as it had been during the Wanshou Festival. Two months and ten days after the Wanshou Festival, the late emperor's anniversary celebration would arrive. After this day, except for close relatives of the imperial family, anyone with surviving elders could marry, drink, and enjoy the theater. Well, it was a big day, and preparations had to be made.
To prepare for this grand sacrifice, Yinreng, on the recommendation of Prince Yong, transferred the Thirteenth Prince to the Imperial Household Department. Even without the Fourth Prince's recommendation, Yinreng would have wanted the Thirteenth Prince to train at the Imperial Household Department for a while: the Fourth Prince would be transferred to the Ministry of Revenue, and after his departure, the Thirteenth Prince would take over. By the way, the Thirteenth Prince also had a very good aesthetic sense.
This appointment later caused a major incident, which I will discuss later.
Anyway, the situation at the moment is that everyone has gotten through the most difficult day—the anniversary—and is relieved. Happy events bring a boost of energy and activity, and some of the more far-sighted have already started thinking about making new clothes to wear after the anniversary.
More and more people are coming to Shujia's place.
It rained again in June, and the air was slightly filled with the scent of moist earth, which was very pleasant. Living in Changchun Garden was a wise choice. Shujia yawned slightly and looked at Shuhui sitting across from her: "Are you worried about something?"
The two sisters live close to each other and are now sisters-in-law. It is very convenient for them to chat and gossip whenever they have time.
Shuhui looked around and asked softly, "Hongxi's wife... isn't she serving you now?" She hadn't seen Gegentana around Shujia for a few days, and couldn't help but say, "It's time for her to set some rules."
Shujia said, "You forgot that she has a mother-in-law. Now that Concubine Mao is also the head of a palace, she can naturally be treated as a daughter-in-law."
Shuhui curled her lips and said, "Don't say that. The late emperor's palace had no proper mistresses and consorts for so many years. The concubines were... well, it's different now."
Shujia took a sip of tea, and Shuhui said gloomily, "This is really a difficult matter."
"What's so difficult about it? Do I want to make things difficult for Hongxi's wife? And let people know that I'm blocking her from meeting her husband's biological mother? You're stupid! I've already said this in front of the emperor." No matter whether you are right or wrong, report it to the leader first, so that you can deal with any other explanations later.
"Don't beat around the bush. Tell me what's the matter." Shujia didn't want to be diverted from the topic. There was one thing she didn't say. Gegentana's father is still in the high-level prison cell, right?
Shuhui hesitated for a moment before saying, "At Suzhou Weaving Factory..."
Shujia raised an eyebrow: "Who asked you to say that?"
Shuhui pouted. "I've really put him in a difficult position. You know, Li Xu is a bit related to my mother-in-law. When Cao Yin sent his son to Beijing, the emperor ordered the two textile manufacturers to return, and Li Xu got anxious." She looked around. "He doesn't want to come back!"
Shuhui then revealed a little more information: "Cao Yin was seriously ill and just wanted to protect his family. He was eager to come back. But Li Xu was different. He was healthy, so why would he want to come back? Cao Yin sent his son away, but Li Xu asked his son to bring all his wealth to Beijing and make connections."
People are always confused by the situation. Anyone in Li Xu's position would be reluctant to give up such a good job, let alone the prosperity of Jiangnan. He was popular in the south—of course, this popularity was bought with money—but in Beijing, he was nothing, so why would he want to come back?
Shujia really wanted to roll her eyes: "He found Concubine Mi? What did the Fifteenth Master say?"
Shuhui said, "He doesn't dare to accept this, nor is there any need to accept it, and his life is not in danger. Compared with Cao Yin, he handled this matter a little worse. But my mother-in-law is worried, afraid that the old account of the deficit will be brought up again."
Yunyu hadn't done anything bad, but he did have a basic level of political sensitivity. He saw and remembered the Fourth Prince's actions within the Imperial Household Department. Without the Emperor's support, how could the Fourth Prince do this? Therefore, as long as the Li family wasn't subjected to the scourge of beheading and confiscation of property, he wouldn't intervene, nor would he have any reason to.
"How did Concubine Mi know about the deficit?" Shujia found it strange. Concubine Mi had been in the palace all the time, so how could she seem to know so much about the situation in the south? No, Li Xu must have contacted Concubine Mi.
Her guess wasn't wrong. Even the imperial families within the Imperial Household Department had intermarriages. Even the strictest palace rules could be followed when things weren't too urgent. When interests and lives were at stake, of course, every trick had to be tried. Even a cornered rabbit bites.
"Don't worry, I'm just asking so I can report back to my mother-in-law. She also thinks it's fine as long as he's fine. Our father also said not to get too involved." The second half of the sentence was to avoid angering the emperor and getting a heavier punishment. "I'm telling you this just to avoid you being unaware of it later."
Shujia thought for a moment and said, "Let's be frank. Go tell Concubine Mi to tell the Li family to behave themselves and stop jumping around. No one likes restless people. The Emperor doesn't want to serve those who served the late Emperor. You do the first day, and I do the fifteenth. Let's just settle down. If you want more, be careful not to let it overflow."
Shuhui, having received the confirmation, made a complete statement to her husband: as long as the Li family remained oblivious, their family would be fine. She also had something to say to her mother-in-law. Concubine Mi had a favorable impression of the Li family, but she also understood the principles of "a new emperor appoints new ministers" and "the harem should not interfere in government affairs." She felt sorry for Li Xu for a while, but her main concern was to gather information and hope that the Li family would be safe.
Shuhui felt relieved and turned to talk about things she cared more about: "Sister, aren't you anxious about Hongdan's matter? The anniversary of the late emperor is approaching, and the Crown Princess has not been found yet. Don't let us be caught off guard when the time comes." Only someone with her status and relationship could say such words.
A man is considered responsible only after he's married. This situation is exactly the same as when Yinreng got married. While one shouldn't harbor any intention to harm others, one must always be on guard against them. Hongxi has already taken charge of government affairs, and he's not just worried about Wang Xian. Both the Empress's and the Crown Prince's families must be carefully considered.
The two sisters were both sensible people, so Shujia understood without them having to say anything so graphic.
Shujia said unhappily, "I do think I had no say before. But everything they saw was all in vain! Such a shame for the ladies from famous families. Now you've said it too, the anniversary hasn't passed yet. Apart from my own sisters-in-law, how can I invite all the ladies from other families to come with their daughters?"
Shuhui was speechless for a long time before she said, "What kind of wife do you want?"
This time it was Shujia's turn to be speechless. What kind of thing did she want? When she was not in control of herself, thinking was useless. Now that she had a say, she felt that nothing was perfect. This mother-in-law's mentality was really annoying!
Shuhui wisely changed the subject and mentioned her niece again: "Wu Yunzhu has started learning needlework?"
"Ah? Ah! I'm just learning to knit first."
The sisters chatted for a while, and Shuhui went back to tell her mother-in-law the news. Shujia was thinking: What kind of daughter-in-law would be the best?!
The author has something to say:
On April Fool's Day, I thought of many ways to make jokes, but later I realized that if I dared to do so... I would probably be beaten to death, so I had to come back and update the post honestly.
Everyone knows that there is a three-day holiday for Qingming Festival.
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