Meeting the Unlucky Prince
That's what the Empress Dowager thought, her political acumen practically nonexistent. Kangxi and Xiaozhuang (now Xiaozhuang) chose their Crown Princesses based on character, conduct, and appearance, while also considering the complex relationships behind them. Why was Hesheli the Empress and Niuhuru a concubine at Kangxi's wedding? The former was the granddaughter of the Regent, while the latter was the Regent's daughter.
The Empress Dowager also considered these things, but her starting point was: finding a grandson's wife. Since her own grandson looked so good, of course she wanted to choose a wife who was perfect in every way. Even considering family background was from this perspective. The old lady believed that there were many noble families with beautiful girls, all of whom were quite attractive. It wouldn't be a big deal for her grandson, so finding someone who would get along best with her would be a good choice.
Over the past year, the Empress Dowager's relationship with Kangxi had grown increasingly close, and Kangxi's respect for her had grown stronger, leading him to become more intimate and acquainted with many matters. Kangxi certainly wouldn't rush to find a wife for his son less than a year after his grandmother's death, though he'd only casually hinted at this in conversation. Before her death, Empress Xiaozhuang had considered the Crown Princess when choosing a wife for her eldest son. While the Empress Dowager's political acumen was near zero, her IQ was still average, so it wasn't as if she didn't realize the girl before her was a candidate.
The emperor is on a southern tour now, and the Empress Dowager's anniversary has passed. The Empress Dowager is very free. Most importantly, the girl she likes is right in front of her, so doesn't she think of her?
Glancing around, wow, this girl had actually dodged. The Empress Dowager's mental picture was instantly shattered. Yes, in a situation like this, the daughter of a foreign minister should have avoided the Crown Prince. But... since she was already here, she couldn't just pretend she didn't see it, could she?
Yinreng had already noticed Shujia nearby, but he didn't show it. As the first crown prince since the founding of this regime, his arrogance was a normal part of his nature. This arrogance varied depending on the situation; ordinary eunuchs and palace maids wouldn't be a concern. If a maid appeared in Ningshou Palace, he would have just glanced at her. But this time, it was clearly not a maid.
After a quick glance, Yinreng secretly paid attention. He continued to act like a good grandson and chatted with the old lady.
Yinreng and the Empress Dowager should have had little in common. To put it in a way everyone could understand, the Empress Dowager was semi-illiterate, while the Crown Prince... at fifteen years old, his Sinology theoretical level was at least enough to produce a paper published in a national core journal. If the Crown Prince wasn't researching, he was studying politics. As for the Empress Dowager, if she wasn't studying, she'd just eat and sleep, barely understand opera, and at best, gossip about family matters with others, unable to even play cards properly.
Fortunately, there was an old scholar named Bai Juyi who proved with facts that elegance and popularity can coexist. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince then devoted himself to studying it. Moreover, the Empress Dowager really liked him and he also knew that the Empress Dowager loved him, so the two of them finally got along well.
Yinreng sat across from the Empress Dowager and glanced at the table on the kang. The various purses were well-made. He glanced at his grandmother, lost in thought, and couldn't help but remind her. The Empress Dowager came back to her senses, her eyes full of kindness: "Come and take a look. Is this okay?"
It could be said that the best things in the world were first chosen by the crown prince, and only after he had chosen did it pass to others—including Kangxi, who acquiesced to this state of affairs. Yinreng weighed a purse and said softly, "Well done." Nowadays, things in the palace still used light colors, and the pattern on this purse was not bright or festive, but it was still elegant and unique.
From what he had seen, if he said it was good, then it was really good. The Empress Dowager was delighted: "Isn't it beautiful?" She personally picked up one, opened it, and showed it to him: "Look, look, this is so fresh." Yinreng was happy to talk to this innocent old lady. Talking to her didn't require any thought and made him feel good. It was really relaxing. He tolerated the Empress Dowager's wandering mind and said, "Why don't you try someone else?"
The one in his hand was also meticulously crafted. Secret pockets weren't really that useful for someone of the Crown Prince's stature. He had people ready for whatever he needed. When the Crown Prince and his concubines had sex, there were always people waiting outside to serve them. Of course, he didn't have a concubine yet, so he had his own secret possessions, and he didn't need to hide them.
The old lady was delighted, and even if she didn't want it, she wanted to try it. So Yinreng smiled and said to the Empress Dowager, "Since it's good, give it to your grandson." He pretended to take it from her, but the Empress Dowager said angrily, "You child," and pretended not to give it to her. After a long teasing, Yinreng finally let her "grab" one and slip it away, stuffing it into her sleeve and thanking her.
The Empress Dowager was amused for a moment, then she expressed her concern for her grandson's work and studies: "Are you tired? Are you tired of the things in the previous dynasty? Take your time. You can't eat a fat man in one bite."
Shujia hid aside and grinned. If this old lady were to live three hundred years later, she would be the kind of elder who would hold her grandson back and condone not doing his homework.
Yinreng smiled casually, "Nothing serious." He'd been having a pretty easy time lately. Even though his duties as regent required preparing for the emperor's inspection upon his return to the capital, Yinreng's work was still quite good. There were no signs of instability in the capital, and the court officials seemed quite settled.
Mingzhu's power was destroyed by Kangxi, leaving the princelings feeling relieved. They had only two concerns: first, how to stabilize their position and install their own people in the court; second, how to completely destroy Mingzhu. Either of these seemed much easier to the princelings now than when Mingzhu was in power.
In a good mood, Yinreng seemed to be indifferent to everything, so he told the Empress Dowager that nothing was wrong. Then he solemnly reported to the Empress Dowager where the emperor had been today. The Empress Dowager was very concerned about this and asked in detail where the boat was moored.
Shujia was bored and tried to kill mosquitoes in Ningshou Palace but failed. She concentrated on listening to the conversation between the grandparents and grandchildren above.
Surprisingly, the crown prince was very patient. He even piled the purses on the table together and began to draw a map on it. As he drew, he said, "The capital is here. Khan Ama sailed south. This is Henan, this is Shandong..."
Damn it! Qing officials, you've screwed me over so badly. Isn't the Crown Prince an arrogant and unreasonable guy? Why is he so good at geography? Why does he even remember the population of this place last year? The Crown Prince was saying, "There were so many households here last year. It was a prosperous place."
I really can't help it. If someone tells you that watermelons are square, then if you see a round watermelon one day, you will also stretch your head to look.
Shujia carefully adjusted her stance and glanced around. The palace maids stood very straight, seemingly unnoticed. She raised her eyelids and glanced at the Crown Prince, who looked increasingly mature. She mentally calculated that the Crown Prince was only about a month shy of fifteen, so a bit of childishness was to be expected.
It's really terrible, this guy actually explained geography problems to the old lady with a calm face. Shujia had seen this kind of expression when she was a volunteer at the nursing home. It was a senior sister who listened to the old lady's dialect very patiently, holding the old lady's hand, whose thoughts were no longer clear, and writing on her palm stroke by stroke. Her face was shining with a soft glow. No matter what she looked like, with that expression, you are the most
My dog eyes! Shujia wailed.
If a person is willing to be patient with the elderly, especially those who can't keep up with the pace of the times, and can still not despise them, then he can't be considered completely bad. Respecting the elderly and loving the young is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and at least this guy has achieved half of it.
Did this prince actually have some good qualities?! Shujia was skeptical, but then she thought about what the official had said, which often didn't match up, and temporarily trusted her own eyes—the prince wasn't such a jerk. Because she had a good impression of the Empress Dowager, and seeing how the prince treated her properly, Shujia's opinion of him actually improved.
The Empress Dowager missed her son very much. Yinreng had explained everything to her in as much detail as possible, but he himself had never been south, and what he said was only what he had read in books or heard from others. The Empress Dowager was not satisfied with what she heard, and suddenly remembered, wasn't there someone here who had been south of the Yangtze River?
Shujia, who hadn't hit a mosquito, was brought forward.
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Yinreng had seen Shujia a long time ago, but he was so calm that he didn't ask any questions. Then he heard the Empress Dowager say, "This is the maid from the Guarjia family. Maid, didn't you come back from Hangzhou?" She wanted Shujia to tell her about her journey.
Shujia Khan.
Yinreng's mind was already racing. The Guarjia clan was a prominent Manchurian clan. Which Guarjia clan was this girl from? And she was from Hangzhou? She was still young, so he couldn't help but ask, "Whose clan are you from?"
Shujia sighed inwardly and answered honestly, "My father is the commander-in-chief of the Han army under the Zhengbai banner." How could she answer without being ostentatious or drawing attention? Even if her impression of the crown prince had improved slightly, she still didn't want to draw his attention to her family, associate with the princelings, and wait for the anti-princelings' open and covert attacks and Kangxi's subsequent reckoning.
Yinreng was no stranger to this. How could he not remember all these generals? Suddenly, he realized, "So it's Shi Wenbing's family." Their family had just changed their surname, so it was no wonder they were a bit slow to react. His mind raced through the basic information about the men in this family, and the more he thought about it, the more surprised he was—they were all very capable people.
Shujia retracted her praise for Yinreng. Anyone hearing someone their own age call their father's name would be uncomfortable in their own country. She mentally repeated, "This is the Qing Dynasty, and he's the Crown Prince," ten times before calming down.
Seeing that the two had started talking, the Empress Dowager couldn't let them continue talking, so she asked Shujia, "Have you been to Qinghe County when you went south?"
Shujia thought, "How could I remember that?" Back then, she was seasick and heatstroked, and she wasn't allowed to wander around. But she hadn't yet fully returned her geography knowledge to her teacher. Thanks to exam-oriented education, she still remembered. Besides, Qinghe was where Ximen Daguanren lived, connected to Wu Erlang, and located in Shandong. Starting with these key points, she slowly explained it to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager then asked where they were going next. Shujia frowned, "This, that, you don't even know the arrangements for the Holy Ride, let alone the people below."
Yinreng smiled rather unkindly. He had been observing Shujia as she spoke. The mention of Shi Wenbing reminded him of this girl, whom the Empress Dowager had seen in the Cining Palace during her lifetime. He certainly knew why these young girls were always present in the Cining Palace.
Yinreng had no impression of Shujia before. Kangxi and Xiaozhuang selected people based on the same criteria: virtuous, graceful and elegant. Of course, their appearance could not be delicate and charming, weak and slender, or sarcastic and competitive. They must have the demeanor of a mistress and a blessed face. In short: they all look the same.
It's a bit difficult to remember just one of the little girls with chubby and rosy faces who haven't grown up yet.
Now I have time to take a closer look. Hmm, she seems to have grown a bit taller than I remembered. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince tried to recall the relative relationship between the head and the pillar when he looked at people two years ago, and calculated it. Yes, she has grown a bit taller. His eyes glanced at the bottom of the flowerpot, and he took back his words. But she seems to be growing taller? To show that he was not a hooligan, the Crown Prince subtly withdrew his gaze, not daring to stare at the girl's newly developed body.
Of course, Yinreng knew that this was also one of his candidate wives. Similarly, he had more than one candidate wife.
The prince had originally had some interest in Dong E, or rather, he was interested in Dong E's father. However, when Mingzhu stepped down last year and the Suo Party dug up old scores, they found out about the old relationship between Pengchun and Mingzhu - the relationship of recommendation. The prince's interest in Dong E immediately dropped to a very low level.
Pengchun couldn't be considered Mingzhu's ally, and he couldn't stand up to the Crown Prince's pickyness. "I marry your daughter, you side with me," that kind of thing was an unspoken rule, too humiliating to speak out. The Crown Prince considered marrying someone from his political enemy's camp humiliating; the Crown Prince was a dragon, not a duck. He also deeply disliked Qi Shi, calling him "monkey" in front of his father with all his integrity.
As for Kangxi, Qi Shi was indeed a bit shrewd. Peng Chun and Qi Shi were also not on good terms. They were cousins, but they had some conflicts. This wasn't Peng Chun's fault; it was Qi Shi's tendency to take advantage of others. As for Kangxi, who pursued perfection... even Emperor Taizong of Tang criticized this person: Why the Xuanwu Gate Incident? It's too bloody and difficult to cover up. Wouldn't it be better to eliminate them peacefully?
So although Pengchun was good in every way, he was removed from the list of the prince's father-in-law by Kangxi.
The list of candidates grew shorter and shorter, and the Crown Prince became increasingly concerned about the matter. His eldest sister-in-law had given birth to a daughter last year, and thankfully it was a girl—even though he believed his own child was undoubtedly more valuable than his eldest, the Crown Prince was still thankful for the birth of a daughter. The struggle between the two had become instinctive.
The woman in front of him seemed to be very favored by the Empress Dowager and was presumably on the list of candidates. The Crown Prince and Soetu had privately discussed who would be the most advantageous person for him to marry. The daughter of Shi Wenbing was indeed a good choice.
Unfortunately, Yinreng had no way of identifying a half-grown bun, or a bun among a pile of buns of the same size, and could only study the bun's father, her grandfather, and her relatives. Now that he saw it, he began to study the bun based on his previous impression.
Baozi is just baozi, nothing to delve into. You haven't bought it yet, so you can't open it to see what the filling is. From the outside, it looks clean and white. Conclusion - a standard baozi.
To say that the Crown Prince ever fantasized about a life with the Princess, as if he were in a girl's comic, is an insult to Kangxi's educational principles. But to say that he never considered living with a virtuous and beautiful wife is to doubt the Crown Prince's maturity.
It was a bit disappointing, but not disappointing. He had taken a look at his eldest sister-in-law, and she had the same style as these others. When his eldest wife was pregnant, before the diagnosis was even made, his father-in-law and Mingzhu had both met with misfortune. At least his future father-in-law wouldn't be as unlucky as Kerkun. The prince consoled himself in this way.
He rummaged through his purse, his gaze no longer fixed on Shujia, his ears still perked. Her appearance was already a classic example of a shrew, but what about her conversation? The Crown Prince would still be interested. If there was a real selection of concubines, he would definitely not be allowed to see them. After all, there might be the emperor's concubines among them, and if the Crown Prince was picky, it would have a bad impact. At a time like this, it was truly a chance from heaven. Even if he could only examine one, it was better than knowing nothing at all.
I hadn't expected this girl to know quite a bit. Her speech was lively and simple, and it was clear from her description that she knew quite a bit, demonstrating her cultural literacy. However, her simple words were clearly meant to be used to cater to the Empress Dowager. The important thing was that she was speaking Mongolian, which was quite impressive.
Yinreng's lips curled up into a smile and raised an eyebrow. Observing secretly, the corner of his mouth twitched. This girl can stand up well, but being the crown prince is like air. Then, he smiled. The girl began to sweat. His grandmother asked her a question that she couldn't answer.
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