Hongdan's Oolong Peeping
Hongdan finally met his chosen fiancée, but unlike his parents, he didn't see her face to face. When Shujia met Yinreng, it was by chance. When Yinreng officially met his wife, he also peeked from the side.
If the Empress Dowager had done this, perhaps a formal meeting would have been a natural outcome, and this was Shujia's idea. It just so happened that, procedurally speaking, the Empress Dowager was the highest-ranking official in the harem. Even when Shujia was celebrating her birthday and receiving court gifts, she had to greet the Empress Dowager before accepting them.
Unfortunately, the old lady was becoming increasingly listless. While they were talking, He Yi's wife and daughter had already entered the palace. The old lady, who had been sitting on the kang, talking, grew impatient and closed her eyes again. This truly demonstrated what it meant to "fall asleep while waiting."
When two people meet, if one falls asleep while waiting, they can just pat him awake. If the sleeping person is the Empress Dowager, then they should be helped into the house to lie down. Hongdan was hiding behind the curtain at the time, watching a group of concubines and his concubine mother surround the Empress Dowager, not daring to even show his head to lend a hand.
The Empress Dowager was supported by someone and did not wake up all the way. This time, they could not meet again. When He Yi's wife and daughter arrived at Ningshou Palace, they encountered this situation. The Empress smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager is old and can't stand sitting for long. She has fallen asleep."
He Yi's wife was shocked and said, "It's because we servants are slow and have made the master wait for so long." Hesheli also followed her mother to apologize.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hongdan glanced at Hesheli. The little girl had a short bun and wore a seasonal velvet flower, looking very clean and fresh. Hesheli's daughter had been well-educated, and the little girl looked more like a proper wife.
Pulling closer, he took a closer look. The girl's slightly round face, still young and rather endearing, seemed to have a small dimple on her cheek as she spoke, though it was a little far away and not very clear. Like his father, Hongdan was content with his wife's appearance.
According to family tradition, choosing a wife is like choosing a father-in-law. He Yi comes from a good family, his ancestors are respectable, and he is quite cultured and not too ostentatious, which is good. Hong Dan doesn't need icing on the cake, just hopes that he won't have a stupid teammate.
You have to know that as large families grow and their populations expand, they inevitably have some bad guys. In many families, you can see the feuds between the rich and powerful without even having to peel off the roof. Alinga and Orondai, those were the kind of people who fought with their own brothers. With a father-in-law like that, you can't brag or criticize, so you can only get angry at yourself.
Hongdan knew He Yi was an official in the court. He Yi was somewhat capable, and his family relationships were relatively harmonious. His family was not extremely powerful, and there were no negative rumors about him. Thankfully, that was enough.
The women outside were still talking, but Shujia had already asked everyone to sit down: "The old man still thinks it's been quiet these past two days."
Concubine Mao chimed in, "The ancestor is happiest when his children and grandchildren are around him."
He Yi's wife could only laugh dryly. Fu Erdan's wife also arrived with her daughter, Guaerjia. Needless to say, this was also summoned by the Grand Empress Dowager. Well, the order came from the Grand Empress Dowager, but the list was drawn up by the Empress.
Guaerjia was a year older than Hesheli and looked quite nice. After the ceremony, she stood obediently beside her mother. She glanced at Hesheli from the corner of her eye. They were of similar age, and Guaerjia was slightly better in terms of family background. A bit of a competitive spirit was brewing among the young girls.
Thinking of this, she looked towards Hesheli, who was also looking at her. They were both looking at each other secretly, but trying to act upright. Shujia saw it clearly from above, but did not point it out, and spoke to them both in the same way.
Furdan's wife also apologized: "I am late."
There were also those who arrived later than her, such as Ma Wu's wife and her daughter Fucha, who were a step behind. Of course, this was also caused by the Queen: it is always good to see a few more.
Within a short time, four or five young girls had already arrived at Ningshou Palace. Their mothers, too, lowered their voices. This wasn't a visit to a relative's home; you were summoned by the Grand Empress Dowager. You couldn't leave without her permission.
Shujia couldn't intervene and ask everyone to disperse. They were having a hard time talking to each other. She mentally slapped herself several times. Whenever the old lady was involved, there were always unexpected events. How could I have forgotten? Even more uneasy than her were the imperial edicts, all of them apprehensive that the Grand Empress Dowager had summoned them but hadn't shown up.
With so many young girls, there was another round of secret evaluations. "Stop pretending! Being summoned to the palace at this age and time, why? Who wouldn't know? But the higher-ups wouldn't relent. Even after the eliminations, there's been no sign of any particular preference, which is truly unsettling."
This is especially true for the Hesheli clan. Of these, the Heyi clan currently holds the least prominent lineage. Empress Renxiao's line fared better, but even then, it was suppressed during the late Kangxi reign. Compared to the Guwalgiya and Fucha clans, it's still slightly inferior. It's only slightly better than the Nian clan and others who weren't called in this time. Sometimes I wonder, instead of worrying so much, it's better to consider putting up a nameplate or settling for something less prestigious. The late emperor had many descendants, and there were plenty of prime wives waiting for him.
Hongdan was very good at leg skills. He stood there and observed and compared the women. He didn't see any of them with obviously better skills than the others, so he upheld the original judgment.
Shujia was already sitting outside, her voice low and unresponsive. After asking the little girl what books she read and what recreational activities she enjoyed, she was thinking about how to end the conversation. Finally, she couldn't help it anymore. It was almost time for lunch snack, and she was about to call the Empress Dowager.
There was suddenly a noise inside. It was time for dinner and the old lady woke up by herself.
Shujia stood up, and the other imperial officials also stood up in a hurry, watching the Queen help the Grand Empress Dowager out. The old lady wiped her face and rinsed her mouth: "Did I fall asleep again?"
Shujia said, "It's time to have some snacks."
The Empress Dowager was probably still asleep. She put one hand on Shujia's arm and walked out. When she reached the side room, she waved, "Why are you standing here? Isn't it busy up front? Your father-in-law is working very hard. You should also work harder."
The person the Empress Dowager was waving to: the Crown Prince.
Everyone: “…”
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"Hahaha~ Hongdan went out?" Yinreng laughed loudly, "What was he like at that time?" The unscrupulous father's nature took over, and he looked like he wished he could have observed his son making a fool of himself at that time.
"He pushed Guo Chaoyong out," Shujia reached out and grabbed Yinreng's sleeve, where there was a small black spot that looked like ink, and put it down again. "It's stained here, change it and wash it - I can only say, ancestor, this place is not bright enough, you saw it wrong..."
The scene was extremely lively at that time. The imperial edicts and the little girls outside all looked nervous. It was not until Guo Chaoyong greeted them loudly and said, "Just now, the crown prince saw that you were resting and did not dare to disturb you, so he asked me to stay and apologize." Only then did the people outside feel slightly relieved.
Guo Chaoyong came up again to take over Shujia's work, and diligently helped the Empress Dowager out, talking as he walked, confirming that it was him who had just been there. The concubines followed suit and said, "Oh, my dear, it's time to replace the window paper here."
The Empress Dowager said, "Go and get my glasses case." She really thought she was dazzled.
Only Hongdan was in trouble, and he continued to stand in the punishment. The Empress Dowager had called these people here to let her great-grandson peek, but now she heard that her great-grandson had left. She put on her glasses and looked at the little girl for a while, then asked them to go back. Hongdan then walked out stiffly: "Greetings to the ancestors."
The old lady was shocked: "How did you turn into this?"
Everyone pleaded guilty again.
The Empress Dowager took five minutes to understand what had happened: "So that's how it is."
There was silence for another two minutes, and then the Empress Dowager suddenly laughed: "Hahaha, why did you hide there? Were you anxious just now? Come, come, let me see, which one do you think is better?" She belatedly realized and started to make fun of Hongdan.
"..." Yinreng was speechless, "This old lady!"
Indeed, the reaction time is a bit long.
Shujia thought about it and took the opportunity to ask, "So that's how it ends?"
Yinreng said, "It's almost done." There shouldn't be any problems this time.
"That--"
"how?"
"I guess the wives of the princes are here to plead for mercy. Do you have anything else to say?" If they have any other plans, I can reply to them.
"What's the point of them getting involved? Can I still do without their wives?"
Shujia took a sip of tea: "Have you seen the imperial genealogy? Just looking at the book now, it is several times thicker than it was twenty years ago. How can they not be anxious? The fifth and seventh eldest sons are already of age." The fifth family is a little older than the third family, but the previous generation was manipulated behind the scenes, and the slightly younger Hongsheng was betrothed earlier than Hongsheng.
Yinreng thought for a moment and said, "I know this. Hongtong is quite a few, so you should keep an eye on her too! Oh, and there's also Hongyu. Don't forget him. Find him a decent, generous, and honest wife."
"I've thought about that, but I don't know what kind of character is needed."
Yinreng was talking about the girl's qualities, while Shujia was asking about her family background. "You should choose according to the wife of a prince."
The standard is not low.
Shujia nodded: "I understand." Just choose a few more and let Yinreng decide when the time comes.
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Yinreng was very confident in his wife's ability to handle interpersonal relationships. After stating some requirements, he returned to the Qianqing Palace to continue his work.
It was April, and the palace examination was about to begin. He was busy formulating questions. Examinations were also a form of propaganda: if the country wanted to reform, they would set questions related to that, creating public opinion. Sometimes, the emperor might use the palace examination questions as a smokescreen; everything depended on his inner thoughts.
What Yinreng wanted to test was not reform. He also knew that it would be too provocative to talk about it out loud. What he wanted to test was everyone's views on rectification.
Li Guangdi was a shrewd man. Seeing Yinreng's question, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was about the administration of officials. This was better than simply making the gentry pay taxes.
Even if you are extremely clever, you can't defeat "one force can defeat ten skills". The emperor speaks with the power of God, he has made up his mind, what can you do to him?
Li Guangdi's student, Yang Mingshi, had finally completed his mourning period. Yang, however, was a bit of a personality freak, and he didn't report for duty. According to regulations, officials in mourning were required to report to the Ministry of Personnel in the capital after their period ended. Normally, people would rush to register as soon as their mourning period was over, hoping to fill a vacancy. Even if you were diligent, you still wouldn't necessarily get a position unless someone spoke up for you or the emperor took notice.
Yang didn't report to the Ministry of Personnel, so of course he had no official position. He was content with his leisure time. While he was enjoying himself, an imperial edict came down, bringing him back to the capital.
Yang Mingshi himself was surprised: How could he be selected without registering?
Of course, as long as the emperor is thinking about you, it’s useless to shout at the top of your lungs, so just give in to him!
Yang Mingshi had no choice but to pack his bags and come to see Yinreng. He and Yinreng had never met before, so there was no class ties between them. However, the meeting was very effective. Yinreng asked him many questions, mostly about state affairs, such as the administration of officials and the people's livelihood. He also asked about his life at home during his mourning period, whether he knew the price of rice, and the monthly living expenses for a family of four.
Yang Mingshi became quite interested when he heard this. The emperor seemed to be a man who was willing to get things done.
He answered them one by one, and added a note: "I am from Jiangyin, which is located in the south of the Yangtze River and is relatively prosperous. If it were a border area, the livelihood of the common people would be greatly changed."
Yinreng had a good impression of Yang Mingshi, so he immediately decided, "The post of Zhili Circuit Inspector is still vacant, so you can go there."
The Qing followed the Ming system, appointing provincial governors to oversee the Zhili region, not to manage the economy. Li Guangdi placed another emphasis on this. If the emperor truly allowed Yang Mingshi to manage the economy and collect taxes from the bureaucrats and literati, given Yang Mingshi's temperament, he would have worked hard to collect taxes, and things would have gotten out of hand.
Li Guangdi didn't know that Yinreng was testing Yang Ming. Seeing that the emperor had stopped fooling around, he was very happy and was working hard to prepare for this palace examination.
The palace examination was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, with nearly two hundred people packed into the room. This was the first palace examination since his ascension to the throne, and Yinreng attached great importance to it. The ceremony was quite grand, and he gave his sons the day off to invigilate the exam, adding to the psychological pressure on the candidates.
Dai Zi's son, Dai Heng, also qualified for this exam and received special attention from Yinreng. Dai Heng, despite his advanced age, was quite relaxed. He was confident in his own scholarship, and…his scholar status was bestowed by the emperor, and he earned his juren through his own examinations. The chief examiner for the imperial examination was Zhao Shenqiao. Even if he disdained to mention connections, he knew he could be selected as long as he didn't act rashly.
This leisurely attitude made Yinreng appreciate it even more.
After the exam, Yinreng personally worked on grading the papers. This time, he wasn't worried about the examiners taking bribes and randomly selecting candidates. There were no sealed papers or copying procedures. He just reviewed whatever papers he could find. There were over 170 papers, and Yinreng spent three days reviewing them.
In the end, Dai Heng was given the top spot, which was quite high-profile.
After the top scholar was chosen, he would be paraded through the streets with a flower in his hair to express his gratitude, and then he would be sent to the Hanlin Academy to study. Traditionally, the elite among the Jinshi scholars would undergo pre-job training, and only those who were not selected could be appointed to official positions. Therefore, if the emperor wanted to rely on the new Jinshi scholars for his position, he would have to wait another three years.
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Clapping his hands, Yinreng was satisfied with the formation he had set up, and turned around to deal with Dai Mingshi! The palace examination was over, and he was no longer afraid of public opinion. Those who should be killed were killed, those who should be arrested were arrested, and those who should be exiled were exiled!
After killing the man, he ran to celebrate his wife's birthday.
A major feature of the Changtai period: In the emperor's family, the birthdays of his grandmother, his wife, and his son were always more lively than his own!
The most outstanding gift this year was given by Ninth Master Yunlu, a red coral ruyi, a rare find. There's no need to recount the rest.
In Kunning Palace, the wives and ladies of state gathered together. One person who stood out from the crowd was Princess Rongxian, who had come to Beijing to marry her daughter. Everyone praised the Empress's good fortune, remarked on the sensible and well-behaved princesses, and then discussed the joyous occasion of Princess Rongxian's visit.
As the saying goes, when good things happen, people are in high spirits. Princess Rongxian had a faint smile on her face the whole time: "Now that she has been found, I am relieved. I have to thank the grace of the Emperor and the Empress for this."
The Third Lady was gazing at the Fourth Lady in a trance. Her daughter seemed to have grown an inch taller and was becoming even more outstanding. She wondered what kind of man she would marry. Suddenly, the Ninth Lady said, "There are so many happy events this year. Besides the princess's daughter being married to Prince Xian as a consort, Prince Yu's family and the Third Lady's sister-in-law are also going to be mothers-in-law."
We have to squeeze all the happy events into this year because everyone is in mourning and can't have them. Next year will be the big election, and there will be a lot of things to do then, so we have no choice but to get everything done this year.
So, Prince Xian got married first, followed by Prince Yu, and then Hongsheng from Prince Cheng's family.
The women chatted and talked about the selection of concubines. The Fifth and Seventh Concubines, as legitimate mothers, also wanted to say a few words about their sons: "Please ask the Queen to keep an eye on them."
Shujia also smiled and replied: "That's natural."
The Eighth Lady pursed her lips, a hint of hesitation in her heart. Ever since word spread in the capital that the palace had already pre-selected the next year's concubines, she had noticed Concubine Hui's anxiety. She could clearly see that Concubine Hui was worried about her grandson.
The Eighth Lady was conflicted. From her own perspective, less trouble was better than more. She also felt a sense of sympathy for Concubine Hui, unsure whether to raise the issue before the Empress. Various thoughts raced through her mind, and finally, Concubine Hui froze, her image frozen in time as she hesitated to speak.
Concubine Hui doesn't want to cause trouble for herself, right?
The Eighth Lady deliberately left a step behind in order to make a request to the Queen.
After hearing what the Eighth Lady said, Shujia was a little surprised: "What does Concubine Hui think?"
The Eighth Lady smiled and shook her head: "She didn't say it, it's just my little thought. Hongyu is not a child anymore... Why don't you and the Emperor give him this favor? The child will be grateful to you."
Shujia also smiled: "The emperor has thought of this a long time ago, don't worry, it will be fine."
The Eighth Lady was truly relieved. This second sister-in-law didn't seem like the type to resort to underhanded tactics in such matters. All right, now she had an explanation when she returned. Concubine Hui would remember her kindness. Once Hongyu married, he couldn't live in the palace for long. Even if her title was lower, she would be granted a title. Once the house was built, she would have to move out. Concubine Hui could then apply to live with her grandson.
Liang Taipin was approaching her fifth birthday, and it was a good opportunity for her to return home. By then, Hui Taipin had already moved out, leaving her alone as a mother-in-law. Both her mother-in-law and her husband were grateful for her kindness.
The Eighth Lady left with satisfaction.
The author has something to say: It’s still not early enough today!
Try to be a little earlier tomorrow, fist pump!
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