Meet the boss in Cining Palace
The Shi family was shocked. Normally, theirs was a family that could see the Emperor's family. Not only did Hua Shan and Shi Wenbing attend court daily, Fu Dali was now on duty at the palace, and Qingde's duties involved the Emperor's travels, so seeing Kangxi was perfectly normal. And as a woman of high rank, Xiluo Te was a woman of high rank, and she was required to visit the palace to pay her respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager during every festival. It wasn't like they were strangers; while they were delighted to be summoned, they weren't panicked.
But that was all the adults' business. What about these two girls now? The eunuchs of the Cining Palace would never reveal too much inside information. After accepting the red envelope, they said with a smile: "Your Majesty came to the Cining Palace to pay his respects. Just then, someone said that the lady of the mansion had handed in a sign asking to see her. Your Majesty asked from which family. She said it was from your mansion, and then she mentioned the governor. Your Majesty said that the mansion's family was well-educated and the two young masters looked good. The old ancestor asked if there were any other princesses in the mansion. And here I am."
Since it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, just come and meet me honestly.
After sending the eunuchs away, the Shi family began to get busy. The Xiluo family had standard uniforms, which they had already prepared when the badges were handed over yesterday. The two girls, however, hadn't prepared anything yet; they had just moved in and hadn't even unpacked their belongings yet.
Shi Wenbing said, "The Empress Dowager is looking after the child, not the clothes. Clean and elegant is fine." Xiluotai said, "I'm self-aware." The little girl didn't need to be dressed up; seasonal spring clothes would suffice, along with embroidered shoes—she wasn't old enough to wear flower pots yet. Her hair should be combed into two small buns, with two hairpins and a velvet flower. She also found simple earrings and a bracelet, leaving only a gold necklace around her neck.
It’s really clean and elegant.
After packing her things, she began to restrict her diet from that evening, allowing her to eat only light meals and take a bath. Shujia thought to herself, this is really a tiring job.
She finished her shower and lay down, still feeling uneasy. After all, how could you remain calm when asked to meet a national leader? I was once an ordinary citizen, living on my own small plot of land. If it were a foreign leader, there would be no pressure, but unfortunately, the person I was meeting was the current leader. All women in the world were under her control.
She wasn't calm, and the elders in her family weren't so sure either. As a woman, Xiluo Te could only think from her own perspective: "What is the Empress Dowager thinking? Why does she suddenly want to see our daughter? I don't think it's a spur-of-the-moment decision. Ah! The selection will be next year, and our eldest daughter will be thirteen tomorrow..."
Shi Wenbing frowned and said, "Don't let your imagination run wild. Girl, most of the people in the palace are just leaving their mark."
Xiluo Te said, "That's strange. The Grand Empress Dowager is getting old and no longer cares about things. When have you ever seen her meet a lady returning to the capital and also meet her daughter?"
Shi Wenbing, thinking about the family's promotions since the end of last year, felt a bit uneasy. Shuxian was a good choice, but it was a shame she was born out of wedlock. Although legitimate and illegitimate children were equally chosen during the imperial selection process, consideration was always necessary when arranging marriages. Even if the family background was good, the likelihood of a concubine being chosen as the principal wife was low. Alternatively, a less experienced member of the imperial clan could be chosen as the principal wife, so as not to alarm the Grand Empress Dowager.
Shi Wenbing followed his wife's thoughts and thought, this is bad. The emperor's eldest son was born in February of the eleventh year of the Kangxi reign. He should be fourteen this year, and it is also the right age for marriage. His own eldest daughter was born in the thirteenth year of the Kangxi reign. This...
Shi Wenbing was displeased. The factional strife between Soetu and Mingzhu at court was well-known to anyone except an idiot. How could they possibly contend? It was obvious who each had kidnapped and used as a trump card. Shi Wenbing simply disliked Mingzhu. The most obvious logic was that you were using the eldest prince to oppose the crown prince, clearly driving a wedge between the brothers. The eldest prince, fourteen, and the crown prince, eleven, were still very young, and you had already forced them into opposition. If my daughter truly became the eldest prince's concubine, I would lose face, my entire family would lose their lives, and the marriages of the remaining children would be difficult to manage.
Shi Wenbing, a typical feudal bureaucrat, was unhappy. Kangxi was about to issue a direct decree, and he had no choice but to express his gratitude. But now, even if it was just speculation, he was still considering the possibility of action. He also had another plan in mind: to find a father-in-law for his eldest son who didn't have to take sides.
Over there, Xiluo Te was still muttering: "Even if the Empress Dowager doesn't have that intention, the eldest girl is old enough and we have to be on guard."
This hit the nail on the head. Shi Wenbing's brows furrowed even deeper: "It's still too early for the grand selection. Go tomorrow with confidence and dignity." If Shuxian behaves well enough and has enough style, perhaps she won't be assigned as the eldest prince's concubine. Otherwise, it will be difficult for her to be the legitimate wife. I believe that people in the palace are not fools.
As for Shujia, no one discussed her. She was only eight years old, so what was there to discuss? People in the palace did things this way. No one was straightforward. Whatever they did needed someone to "accompany the prince to study" to get it done. It was all for her to broaden her horizons.
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The next morning, Shujia was afraid to drink too much water or eat anything unusual. She only had one glass of water for the entire morning, and she was even forced to use the restroom before leaving. Xiluotai took the opportunity to instruct her two daughters: to talk more to Shuxian, but to act like a grown-up woman and have style. She kept her instructions to Shujia simple: just follow her lead.
There is also how to speak, and when performing greetings, just look at Xiluo and follow his example, and so on.
Seeing that the time was almost up, the mother, daughter and their two children got in the car and headed for the palace.
The Forbidden City was still called the Purple Forbidden City at that time, and Anmen was the last place to leave. In those days, the court was in front and the harem was in the back, and the front was the world of men.
Entering from Xihua Gate, she got off the car and walked. Shujia wanted to look up and around. She felt familiar with this place. She had visited the Forbidden City several times in her previous life. After all, she had visited the main building and remembered its style.
Unfortunately, the Forbidden City was under renovation at the time, leaving many areas closed to the public, including the Cining Palace. She'd always wondered when she could finally get inside, and now, with her chance, she was embarrassed. When walking around the palace, avoid looking around. During my visit, I kept my eyes level at best, mostly with my face slightly downcast. I couldn't look around, so my view was limited. The only things I was most familiar with were the floor tiles, the red walls, and the base of the walls.
After turning a corner and passing through several palace gates, they finally arrived at the steps of the Cining Palace. Shujia lifted her slightly stiff neck and saw the plaque under the central eaves. The words "Cining Palace" were written in Manchu, Mongolian, and Chinese. Hmm, she recognized them all. This was probably the Cining Palace's unique feature. Other places were inscribed in a mix of Manchu and Chinese. Another difference was that the statue in front of the Cining Palace was a bronze qilin instead of a lion. These unique features were probably related to the residents.
While I was pondering, something was announced inside.
Shuxian and Shujia followed Xiluo's example, kneeling and bowing in silence.
Xiluo Te was called up and given a seat. Shuxian and Shujia followed her on either side. The formal attire of a noble lady was quite heavy, making it difficult to move around, but they couldn't bring servants with them, so it was a difficult task. Shujia instinctively reached out to support Xiluo Te's arm—she often did this when Xiluo Te was pregnant. Shuxian, on the other side, noticed her move and quickly supported her other arm.
Standing still, she couldn't lower her head too much, or it would look petty. With this in mind, Shujia was able to take a look around the palace.
Of course, the place where the Empress Dowager lived was extremely good, especially since Kangxi was a... rather extreme guy.
The old empress was very wealthy, and Shujia's initial nervousness subsided a little when she saw her. Perhaps because of her ethnic characteristics, the old lady's face was very similar to that of her grandmother and Xiluo Te. Next to her stood a woman of similar age, a little thinner, with similar gray hair, but dressed much more simply.
Below the Grand Empress Dowager sat a middle-aged woman. Judging by her clothing and headdress, she was probably the Empress Dowager. The surrounding palace maids wore red gowns, their hairstyles no more elaborate than those of the Shi family's maids, and they wore few ornaments, their makeup light, and their shoes flat. Overall, aside from being more standard than the Shi family's maids, there wasn't much difference in other aspects.
After the observation, she stood quietly listening to her mother answer the Grand Empress Dowager's questions: "How is Hangzhou?", "How are the living habits?", "How are you feeling after returning?", "How promising is their son? It's all thanks to their parents' good upbringing." It was all just idle chatter. The Empress Dowager simply listened, her expression somewhat bored and numb, without interrupting. Finally, she simply began to observe Shuxian and Shujia.
Shujia thought, although you have to ponder every word the leader says, such a leader is still easier for the subordinates. However, the Empress Dowager is not as good as the Grand Empress Dowager.
Unexpectedly, after the Empress Dowager finished speaking to Xiluotai, she said, "You are a blessed person," and then she changed the subject and spoke in Mongolian, "Your son is also very good. When a woman is old, she depends on the blessings of her children and grandchildren."
Xiluo Te hurriedly bowed and replied, "Thank you for your kind words, Empress Dowager. I appreciate your kind words." She also spoke in Mongolian.
The Empress Dowager was finally encouraged - Xiluo Te had said before that although this lady had been in the palace for many years and her Manchu was passable, her Chinese was still mediocre and she could not understand many things.
Shujia: ...How can you survive in the Forbidden City like this? Fortunately, you are the Empress Dowager. If you had a different title, you would have been rated as incompetent in the year-end evaluation and would have been sent home to eat by yourself.
The Empress Dowager asked in Mongolian, "Are your sons the two boys the Emperor mentioned the other day?" She knew it all along, for sure. How could she not mention her sons before coming to see him? Xiluo Te replied, "If the master is referring to Fu Dali and Qingde, then they are my sons."
After a few talks, they started talking.
Shujia decided to take back what she had said. The Empress Dowager's expression was lively when she was talking about topics that interested her, or when she was talking about language she could understand. She was also a lonely woman, quite pitiful. Shunzhi's death was only twenty years ago, and the older generation still remembered it clearly. The old man's madness was still vivid in his mind, and he would talk about it when he spoke.
In particular, Empress Duanjing was a member of the Manchu Plain White Banner, making her a neighbor of theirs. According to regulations, Manchus lived in the inner city, Han Chinese lived in the outer city, and the Eight Banners lived in their respective colors. The Shi family, a member of the Han Plain White Banner, lived in the same large neighborhood as the Dong'e family.
When Empress Duanjing died, she wasn't even empress yet; he posthumously conferred her the title. Then, he insisted on burying her according to the rites for an empress, forcing the princes, ministers, princesses, and ladies of state to weep. Who would want your concubine? It's better that she's dead, so you don't have to go off and dethrone her, forcing everyone to petition him. In that situation, how could anyone truly weep? He even threatened to punish the imperial ministers for not crying sadly enough. Thankfully, his mother had the foresight to stop him.
During that time, the Dong'e family didn't dare to look at anyone when they went out! Did they anger everyone?! (The legacy of tribal democracy back then was much stronger than it is today.)
All she heard was similar gossip. Shujia thought there was something wrong with these two! Shunzhi was so eccentric that the world only cared about this "sex scandal" and had no other feelings. Apart from him, no one else was optimistic about him and his Empress Duanjing. You can't say that everyone was blind.
Look at the Empress Dowager, look at the Grand Empress Dowager, and then think about the orphans and widows in the palace. I can only say that no matter how great a love is, once it is set against the backdrop of someone else's suffering, it will seem extremely despicable.
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The victims then, now the beneficiaries, had finally made it through. The Empress Dowager no longer had to worry about Shunzhi looking for trouble to depose her to make room for his beloved concubine. Besides being lonely, her life was quite comfortable. Speaking of which happy part, she asked about Xiluo's family background and where her hometown was.
The Grand Empress Dowager, seeing the Empress Dowager's rare joy, did not interrupt. Her niece's daughter was just like that, not a very clever person, but now that she had made it this far, at least she could give her family an explanation.
The Empress Dowager beckoned to the two little girls and said, "Come here, let me take a look."
As soon as she spoke, the Queen Mother and Lady Xiluo stopped and looked over.
Shujia was daydreaming just now, and the nervousness she had when she first entered the palace had subsided a lot. Now that the Empress Dowager called her, she started to get nervous again.
The two of them walked up to the Grand Empress Dowager and bowed. They stood straight, their heads slightly downcast. Modern courtesies often require looking someone in the eye; in this era, staring at someone's face is considered impolite, especially when addressing a superior. The utmost respect is required, ideally by pointing the top of your head to the other person's face, allowing them to inspect the shaving process.
The Grand Empress Dowager pulled one up with each hand. She sat down, and as she adjusted her gaze slightly, she happened to see their faces. Kangxi had already inquired about Shi Wenbing's family situation and had told the Grand Empress Dowager about it. The Grand Empress Dowager already had a preconceived impression, and this second glance only confirmed her original view.
It's true that Shuxian is prettier in terms of appearance, but Shujia's looks are more appealing. Furthermore, Shuxian, having reached a point of growth, has become thinner, while Shujia remains plump. The latter deeply envied the former, unaware that hers is the "standard look favored by middle-aged people." It's impossible for people in this world to not have the concept of legitimate and illegitimate children. And then, seeing the legitimate daughter is dignified and pleasing, while the illegitimate daughter is a bit frail, the balance is already skewed. It's not obvious on the surface, but the inner balance is already tilted.
The Empress Dowager took a quick look at them and began to ask their names. Shuxian answered first: "My name is Shuxian," her voice was clear, though slightly trembling.
The word "slave" was so hard to say. Shujia's heart twitched, and she spoke unconsciously: "To the Empress Dowager, my father named me Shujia." She was also a little trembling.
However, the Empress Dowager still looked kind and gentle. She asked them to sit next to her and asked someone to bring them some snacks.
How could I have the heart to eat! But since she gave it to me, I had to eat it! I held a small piece of dessert with my handkerchief and nibbled it slowly. Hmm, it was a little too sweet. I guess it was because the Cining Palace was inhabited by elderly people whose sense of taste was a little dull, so the taste was a little stronger.
The Empress Dowager took a quick look and said, "Hmm, his table manners are quite good." She then asked for more tea.
It was perfect, a bit nervous and still eating dry food, so tea was a welcome relief. The tea wasn't overpowering, but light and delicious. I tested the temperature of the teacup with the back of my hand before lifting it up and taking a sip. After two sips, I felt calmer. I put the teacup down, wiped the corners of my mouth, and then wiped the small beads of sweat from the tip of my nose.
I looked up and blinked, and saw the Empress Dowager and the elderly woman standing next to her looking at each other and nodding slightly.
The Empress Dowager smiled at the man and said, "Princess, look, this little girl is quite lovely."
"Princess?" "Princess from which family?" Shujia was confused. A princess from the palace shouldn't be this old, right? She couldn't ask casually, so she sat upright, handkerchief in hand. Shuxian didn't make these little movements. She ate a few bites of snacks, drank a few sips of tea, and sat there motionless, not even blinking.
The Empress Dowager had a good impression of the Xiluo family. They were close to each other and spoke the same language. So she asked, "Which one are you talking about?" The Empress Dowager pointed at Shujia and said, "This little one, go and show the Empress Dowager if I am right."
Shujia had no choice but to stand up and bow to the Grand Empress Dowager before going to the Empress Dowager's seat to pay her respects. The Empress Dowager took her hand and rubbed it back and forth. Although the skin on her hand was a little loose, it was still quite soft. Her fingers were covered with shiny gold nail covers. She looked her up and down and asked with a smile, "You are indeed a lovely girl. How old are you?"
She spoke Mongolian. It couldn't be helped; she was only familiar with this language system; the others hadn't been upgraded yet. Shujia also replied in Mongolian. The Empress Dowager was delighted to hear she could speak Mongolian, and she became more talkative: "What do you usually do? What do you like to eat?"
Shujia thought for a moment and said, "I can eat any home-cooked meal. I'm not picky. I just like to drink some soup."
As they spoke, a nearby palace maid glanced at the clock. Xiluo Te, sensing her opportunity, was about to take her leave. Shu Jia noticed, too, glancing at the clock. It was ten-twenty. The audience wouldn't last long, and the two Empress Dowagers weren't exactly free; if they did, there were other ways to entertain themselves. Quietly straightening her sleeves, she prepared to kneel and pay her respects.
Just at this moment, Kangxi arrived.
He really came.
When he arrived, the two people who were originally sitting in the inner room were all gone. No matter what they were doing, everyone else had to kneel before him. Xilute had to avoid kneeling because she was a woman of the outer court.
Kangxi first paid his respects to his grandmother and his stepmother before letting everyone get up. After Xilute got up, she moved further away, and Kangxi happened to see her daughter.
Kangxi also said: "I came at an unfortunate time. You have someone here."
Bullshit! Shujia was initially nervous. Kangxi, the nemesis of time-traveling women, has a 200% chance of poisoning someone's phone. As soon as he opened his mouth, she felt he was being hypocritical. "Don't be ridiculous! How could you not know who the Cining Palace was meeting? Even if they didn't know beforehand, they would have told you when they arrived at the door."
Kangxi, unaware that someone was secretly criticizing him to his face, asked again which family it was from. Shujia looked up briefly. They had already agreed to let Shuxian answer first. The emperor's aura seemed much stronger than the Grand Empress Dowager's. Shuxian's voice was even more uneasy than before, and Shujia's heart trembled. Humans are easily influenced. She had originally planned to observe the legendary pockmarked face up close, but now she dared not even look, fearing she would be accidentally discovered and killed by this nemesis. Master Kang's broom skills were unquestionable!
The Emperor's questions were more sophisticated, focusing on different topics. He asked what books she had read. Shuxian replied, "I've finished the Four Books and am currently reading the Four Books for Women." The Empress Dowager again found herself confused and growing bored. Shujia moved closer to her and saw her expression return to a state of stony silence.
Kangxi naturally sat down as well. Shujia stood, not daring to look at his face. She only saw that he was dressed in bright yellow, as if he had just come down from court. He looked rather sturdy and strong. Kangxi did not ask about her homework after asking her what books she had read.
Shujia replied, "I read the Four Books and the Four Books for Women with my sister." Kangxi raised his eyebrows and stopped talking.
Xiluo Te was sweating profusely, and when she looked up at the eunuch who had come to deliver the imperial edict, she saw that the eunuch was fair and willing to help even if paid, and nodded slightly. Xiluo Te knew it was time to leave.
Sure enough, none of the three giants stopped her. The Grand Empress Dowager said, "They are all good children, they must be raised well." The Empress Dowager showed some emotion, a little reluctant. Shujia was close to her, and she even took Shujia's hand and said, "Slow down, be careful with the kowtow." The Emperor said nothing.
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Shujia was thankful she had a full shirt on underneath; even though it was soaked with sweat, her coat still looked dry and didn't look out of place. Back home, she was still baffled. Bringing her daughter to pay a visit wasn't a common occurrence. Even ladies of high rank couldn't even get a chance to see him, so how could this happen...
Initially, the psychics had some speculation, but a few days later, the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager visited three little girls, ranging in age from eleven to twelve, including Irgen Jueluo, the daughter of Manchu Minister of Revenue Kerkun, and Wu Ya, the granddaughter of Manchu Minister of Works Samuha. This shifted everyone's focus away from the Shi family.
Shi Wenbing and his wife finally breathed a sigh of relief. Shuxian, a concubine's daughter, had no advantage over these girls. As for Shujia, she was too young, and the main battleground would be next year's selection. It seemed they were choosing a wife for the eldest prince. No pressure at all.
Really?
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