The Crown Princess's First Trip to the North
"What?" Shujia's voice suddenly rose a notch. "Is it the eldest prince from Prince Zhen's mansion?"
Zhao Guoshi also sighed: "In reply to the master, the prince has passed on the message that it is Prince Honghui."
Shujia slumped down in her chair. It wasn't that Honghui cared much about her, she just found it unbelievable. The Third Lady also had a son who died, and it could be said that it was because she had too many children to look after. But the Fourth Lady only had this one son, who she usually cared about like the apple of her eye. How could she not have taken good care of him?
"What a pity! The flowers have already bloomed and should have grown up, but why is it gone?" Shujia was very puzzled. There were so many children who died in infancy in the royal family, and many of them died in infancy. The survival rate of a child like this who has grown to elementary school age should be much higher.
Zhao Guoshi sighed along and dutifully suggested, "Master, should you send someone to tell the wife over there about her grievances?"
"Has the Crown Prince sent someone to apologize to Prince Zhen? Judging from my memory, Prince Zhen is probably in the palace right now."
As a qualified eunuch leader, Zhao Guoshi had done his homework very carefully: "The one who brought the news was Little Li from Yuqing Palace. I asked a question and found out that when the people from Prince Zhen's mansion came to the palace to invite him, the Crown Prince was in front of the emperor with several gentlemen who were to accompany him."
"In that case... let Yuniu and Qingjin go to Prince Zhen's mansion." Shujia pondered for a moment and sent two people. These two people were also well-known palace maids in the Eastern Palace and could be considered to be of some importance.
The two men received the order and returned to their rooms to change into plainer clothes. They also removed the red string and velvet flowers from their hair, inserted a silver hairpin, and tied the ends of their hair with a blue string. Then they received their badges and left the palace to visit the Fourth Lady.
Shujia was stunned in the room for a while. Kangxi had many grandchildren, and Shujia had many nephews as well. Death was a common occurrence, and this was not the first time. However, the Fourth Lady was particularly worrying. The Fourth Lady was also the legitimate wife, so Shujia could not help but feel a sense of grief.
"What's this Fourth Sister thinking?" Shujia vented her anger on others. "Why did you only have one child with your wife? Don't you know your family doesn't practice family planning? Will you die if you have one more child with your wife? And yet you keep having children with your concubine, one after another. You're not a well-behaved person at all!"
The Crown Princess could offer no help other than cursing the Fourth Prince in her heart. She could only sullenly instruct the remaining personnel, "You all need to be attentive, just like last time. If you have any questions, you can ask the Imperial Concubine for help. Any major matters must be reported to the Ningshou Palace. Don't worry about anything else. Even if you set fire to the house, I don't care. I want all the princes to be well!"
Everyone responded in unison.
Shujia then asked Hongxiu, "How are those new palace maids doing lately?"
Hong Xiu knelt and said, "Sister Xiu is watching. They can do some work, but their skills are still far from those of the palace ladies, and they need to be polished. Sister Xiu said that when she first entered the palace, she was first assigned to menial jobs, being ordered around by the senior aunts. It took two years for her to become somewhat comfortable. Another year later, the master got married, and she was chosen to serve. In her eyes, these maids are still very inexperienced."
Shujia rubbed her brows and sighed, "Then let's teach them slowly. I don't expect them to be useful right away. Is it true that none of them can read?"
Hongxiu thought for a moment and said, "Almost the same, but one can write his own name, and the other is said to have an older brother who is educated and taught him a few lines from the Three Character Classic, but he can't write well."
It's killing me! Shujia has all kinds of accounts and books of personal relationships here, so she needs a maid who is literate to accompany her.
"Take a good look at them and tell me which one is the most reliable." I had no choice but to start my literacy education from now on.
“Yeah.”
"You'll have to stay here again this time. Please pay more attention to the family. I'll leave the internal affairs to you. The most important thing is the brothers. I've already made arrangements with Chengqian Palace and Ningshou Palace. If you have any questions, just go to them. Don't worry about falling in favor. The most important thing is to avoid any trouble. If there are any favors, just wait for me to return."
“Yeah.”
Yuniu and Qingjin returned soon after, and Shujia had already given everyone in the family instructions. Seeing them return, she first asked, "How is things at Prince Zhen's mansion?"
Qing Jin said, "There were a lot of people there. When we arrived, quite a few people had already gone to complain. When we went inside, we saw the wives of Prince Zhi, Prince Qi, Prince You, and Prince Si. Only Prince Zhen's wife was not in good condition. Her face was extremely pale."
"Are their families okay?"
Yu Niu said, "There are quite a few mourners, but the servants don't seem to be in chaos and are able to keep things stable."
"You are tired too, go back and rest, we will set off tomorrow - go and burn some incense first." It can be said that he was returning from a funeral.
The two of them took their leave and went to pack up without saying anything.
Yinreng came back not too late that day: "Life is so unpredictable." The first thing the crown prince did when he entered the room was to take off his clothes and change them, and today was no exception.
Shujia also sighed: "Who said it wasn't?" She reached out to take Yinreng's hat and put it on the hat rack, then personally wrung out the towel to wipe his face.
Yinreng had already taken off his outer coat, leaned forward slightly, and stretched out his head and face. Shujia chuckled, held his chin with her left hand, and wiped his face with a towel wrapped in her right hand: "You are so lazy." She took the towel back, folded it, and wiped his neck again.
"We're leaving tomorrow, how are your preparations going?"
Shujia counted on her fingers and said, "I've prepared everything. I've selected the people who will be traveling with me, and I've given instructions to those who will stay. I've also made arrangements for Chengqian Palace, Ningshou Palace, and other places. I've just sent someone to apologize to my fourth brother's wife."
Speaking of the Fourth Prince's family, Yinreng recalled something: "After Honghui left, Khan Ama, out of sympathy for the Fourth Prince, ordered him to stay behind and wait until Honghui's important affairs were almost done before going north to replace him."
"So, we're missing someone to travel with?" Shujia laughed. "That's great. I've never met Wu from his place before. I was wondering what kind of person she was and how to get along with her. Now I don't have to worry about that."
"No matter what her character is, can she act wildly in front of you? If she is really ignorant, just tell someone to tell the fourth brother, and he will send her away." Protecting one's shortcomings is a tradition passed down from generation to generation by the Kangxi lineage.
Shujia accepted Yinreng's kindness with a smile: "I know. This is secondary. I won't meet her, so I can save a part of the meeting gift. When they are rotated out and we return to Beijing, we won't see each other."
"You're so beautiful," Yinreng laughed. "The fourth one won't accompany the emperor for now, but the Khan-Ama ordered the eighth one to take over. How could the eighth one not bring anyone with him?"
"That's not a problem. My eighth brother's wife is an old acquaintance of mine. There's no need to give her a gift when we meet."
"We've been talking about other people's families for a long time, but where are the children?"
"The older ones should be back from school by now," Shujia took out her pocket watch and glanced at it. "They'll be there in half a quarter of an hour. They're always so punctual. Honggui is writing in his yard, and the sixth child is still asleep. I just hope he doesn't get enough sleep now and then make trouble tonight."
"Honggui should have his vaccination next year," Yinreng said, feeling as if he were about to face another hurdle. "And the year after next, he'll have to start school. Time flies."
This resonated deeply with Shujia: "When each of them was born, I was worried about how I was going to raise them. In the blink of an eye, they're already this old now. The most unbearable thing is time."
"You don't know this. Time is the most forbidding thing." Yinreng sighed, but refused to explain further. Instead, he asked about the dinner issue.
In order to take care of the mood of her sons who could not accompany her, Shujia specifically ordered that the meal should include dishes that several of them liked to comfort them.
Hongxi accepted the order to look after the house with eagerness in his eyes. Hongtong protested twice even though he knew the conclusion would not change. Honggui had some objections to being separated from his parents. The dumpling-like Sixth Prince of the Eastern Palace, who could not speak, was deprived of his right to speak as usual.
Yinreng comforted Hongxi: "I am traveling with your mother. We cannot leave this place unattended. You are the eldest in the family, so you have to take care of the family." Entrusted with the important task, Hongxi felt much better after being affirmed.
Hongtong pouted, and Shujia glanced at him: "Your younger brother is not making a fuss, so why are you, as his elder brother, disobeying first?" Honggui originally wanted to protest with Hongtong, but he happened to hear her mother pointing at her sixth brother who was sleeping soundly, and saying that they were not well-behaved.
The two princes were defeated. Their young hearts were tormented by their mother: "Sixth Prince, you still don't know how to talk, mother! Women are so unreasonable!"
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While the East Palace was a warm and harmonious place (?), the Eighth Prince's residence was in turmoil. Kangxi had suddenly decided to allow the Eighth Prince to accompany him, but his luggage hadn't been packed, his entourage hadn't been arranged, and his family hadn't been given instructions... The Eighth Prince's wife was so busy that she hit her heel on the back of her head, and any servants who were slower were scolded.
The Eighth Prince knew that she was in a bad mood, so he let her go. However, when he heard that the Eighth Lady asked Wan Yan to go with her, the Eighth Prince was surprised: "Why are you asking her to go too? What about you?"
The Eighth Lady sneered and glanced at him: "Me? I have to stay and look after the house!"
"We already have a housekeeper and other staff at home. Don't they know how to look after the house? What's the point of coming? Just come with me to relax. The blue sky, white clouds, green grass, cattle and sheep on the grassland are so relaxing. Leave this to them and we can go for a walk like we did last year. I'm so bored staying at home all the time."
The Eighth Lady was not grateful. "Look at your memory, Master! How can this year be the same as in previous years? I can't leave this year. We have a pregnant woman at home who needs my care. I heard that this is the most important time. We must keep the pregnancy safe. If I go with you, there will be no one in charge of the family. What will she do?"
It wasn't that the Eighth Prince wasn't worried about this pregnancy. It had been six or seven years since he'd taken in a concubine. With a first wife and several concubines, and no children, how could he not be anxious? When he only had concubines, he wasn't too worried about whether or not he had a bastard child. With his wife, he could tolerate not having a child for a year or two. But when there was still no child for three or five years, the Eighth Prince himself was also worried, but he didn't show it on his face.
Yinreng and others thought that the Eighth Prince was henpecked and that the Eighth Lady watched him too closely, which was why he hadn't had any children for so many years. Little did he know that when the Eighth Lady first married him, she watched him closely, and the Eighth Prince himself wanted to make his wife look good, so at that time, Wang Shi was really left idle.
Two years later, the couple still had no children, and Wanyan was pointed out again. This move was a bit of an embarrassment to the Eighth Concubine, but the Eighth Concubine was not just a ruthless person. She was also afraid that there was something wrong with her, so she turned a blind eye to the existence of these two concubines.
As for the Eighth Prince, he also does what he wants. On the one hand, he values his wife, but he also has a strong desire for offspring - which man would want to have no descendants?
Even so, there was still no news from the Eighth Prince's wives and concubines for years. This made the Eighth Lady anxious, secretly vowing—no matter who it was, as long as there was good news, it would break my predicament, right? She could guess what everyone thought of her behind her back: jealous, unable to have children herself, she wouldn't let her husband have any concubines, which made her husband still childless and on the verge of extinction.
The fact that she could have such an idea was also due to the efforts of Prince An's wife.
Tong Jia was very young, but she had the status of an aunt, so she had a lot of ways to persuade the Eighth Concubine: "What people say outside is a bit unpleasant, you have to hold on. So what if you have a bastard child? No one in this mansion can stop you. If you are worried, just bring him home to raise. Look at Prince Yu, he has to be respectful to the old lady even after he inherited the title. Besides, you are still young, and you have a long time to live. Take this opportunity to do something nice and shut up the outsiders!" She didn't want to say that the people in Prince An's mansion also suspected that the Eighth Concubine had some fertility problems, so she felt a little guilty towards the Eighth Prince.
Even her family had been complaining about this, but now that she had the good news, though she felt a twinge of sadness, she was also relieved. "Alright, no more doubts. I'm letting you go. Let's see what else you can say behind my back." To clear her name, the Eighth Lady went all out. She watched the child being born and then raised as her own, and even allowed Wanyan to accompany her. Virtuous enough, wasn't she? The Eighth Lady gritted her teeth.
Now that the door is open, the downfall will be swift! The Eighth Lady thought with some self-deprecation, even if they let them give birth, they should still call me "mother." It's better than having someone in the palace send someone to cause trouble whenever they get the chance. As long as I get pregnant, the child I give birth to will be the most precious one.
The Eighth Lady pushed the Eighth Prince out of the house and said, "Why don't you go and see her?"
The pregnant woman was Wang, the Eighth Prince's most senior concubine. She had been with him longer than his wife, and had suffered the torment of childlessness for even longer. When she couldn't conceive, she worried about being left alone for the rest of her life. But when she did, she worried about being disliked by his wife. It was a real dilemma. But the joy of having a child of her own was such that Wang felt a certain unease.
Having entered early and being personally appointed by the Emperor, Wang Shi had her own little courtyard within the Eighth Prince's residence, even if she had to go to the Eighth Lady to establish order. She was currently pacing the room, restless. On the kang (bed) lay a pile of fine goods sent by the Eighth Lady, including food and clothing. Wang Shi subconsciously averted her gaze from the pile of things covering the kang.
The Eighth Prince came over and left immediately. "I'm going on a trip with the Emperor tomorrow. You should stay home and take care of your pregnancy." He also saw the things on the kang. "Did Consort Fu send someone to deliver something again? She's really thoughtful. This makes me feel relieved."
Wang was speechless. This time, the Eighth Prince had visited her twice more, and each time he was more concerned about her belly. Forget it, living under such a powerful concubine, it was better to be honest. After all, she was the child's biological mother!
The Eighth Prince was going to be a father and was so excited that he came back to comfort his wife.
The Eighth Lady said, "You've been saying this for a few days now? Again! Do you really think I'm intolerant? We haven't had a son in all these years, and now she's giving birth to a son for me, why should I be unhappy?" As she spoke, she burst into tears, "This is better than just staring blankly in the hopeless hope of having a child! Every time I'm with them, I can't take my eyes off the bulging bellies of others... Woo woo..."
The Eighth Prince tried to comfort her: "As the saying goes, good things take time. Why don't we allow our son to achieve success later in life?" He said many more nice things, and only then did the Eighth Lady come around.
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Honghui's death did not stop the emperor's journey, and the team set out as planned. Although Shujia was traveling with her husband and son, they were not in the same car. Her husband and son had to accompany the emperor, while she stayed in her own car.
When she emerged, Shujia was draped in a full set of ceremonial attire, each hand sporting three gleaming jeweled nail caps. These were purely decorative, as the Crown Princess's nails were now only slightly grown. With the birth of more and more sons, the meticulous care she had given Hongdan was no longer possible, though she had retained the habit of not growing her nails when the child was young to prevent scratches. The youngest, plump child in the Eastern Palace was not even a year old, so the Crown Princess's nails naturally remained short.
The procession was magnificent, and the onlookers were having a feast for the eyes. However, the Crown Princess, seated in her carriage, could only stare blankly at the furnishings in her carriage. She had even boarded the carriage in the palace, and once aboard, she was dragged into the procession, where she could only listen to the bustle of the procession.
"It's quite boring," Shujia thought. Cars these days, even ones of the Crown Princess' class, are no match for later generations, and the roads aren't as good as highways. Reading in a car hurts the eyes, let alone a horse-drawn carriage. Shujia looked at the box of books and sighed silently.
Xiaoman accompanied them, finding everything new and exciting: "Master, judging by the sounds, they must have left the city gate. Uh, they stopped. Are they the officials seeing them off?"
Shujia said, "That's about right. By the way, Prince Jian is also traveling with us this time. Once he settles down, you can send a young eunuch to look for Prince Jian's wife."
"Prince Jian's wife is here too?" Xiaoman knew that the Crown Princess and Prince Jian's wife had a good relationship, so she was also happy. "I'll send someone to go after we set up camp and rest—"
"Wait, I haven't finished what I want to say yet, you look so anxious! The Eighth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince brought their concubines with them, which is fine, but the Fourteenth Prince came with his wife. Ask them to scout out the place first and find out where these people live. Then go and invite them over to talk to me."
"The master is the master, he knows everything."
Shujia said to Qingjin, who had been silent the whole time, "Look at her, she's also pouring rice soup into my mouth. Everyone needs to report in advance how many followers they are bringing and what their identities are so that we can make arrangements for the journey. Once they report it, the Crown Prince will know, and if the Crown Prince knows, I will know. I only know that the Eighth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince brought concubines with them, but I have no way of knowing which one they are."
Xiao Man smiled and said, "Then I'll make a guess. The Thirteenth Prince has only one proper concubine, so it must be her, right? The Eighth Prince is over there, and one of them is pregnant and can't come, so it must be someone else..."
Time flew by with gossip as entertainment, and Shujia followed Xiaoman's guesses; she never forbade such harmless gossip. The Crown Princess's reputation for being lenient with her subjects was partly due to this.
Shujia thought, "Just don't bring up topics that could lead to trouble. Anything else can liven things up, and sometimes gossip can yield a lot of useful information." Besides, if you're too controlling, and people dare not say anything, and you don't even know your son is obsessed with a little vixen, won't you regret it? Why not relax a little and be more relaxed with everyone? Your subordinates will treat you like one of their own, so they'll be well-informed, right?
We didn’t walk far that day and stayed overnight when we arrived at Tangquan.
spa!
In her previous life, when she was a grassroots, she could save some money for food and still enjoy a bit of luxury. But after traveling through time, she became the second most important woman in the world and couldn't even take a hot spring bath. Such a contrast is really pitiful.
The palace at Tangquan was still quite popular during the Kangxi Emperor's reign, and it was well-maintained. Everyone had their own quarters, and Xiaoman, without Shujia's permission, went out to chat with Wu Mingli. Wu Mingli nodded and went to inquire about the whereabouts of the other concubines. Xiaoman returned to report, and also helped Shujia change her clothes. "Oh, this inner dress is soaked through! Master, wipe it quickly! Even though it's summer, you still need to be careful not to get wet in the wind. Today is the first day of your trip, so you won't need to dress so warmly tomorrow."
Shujia said, "That's perfect. Why don't you take a dip in this hot spring and come with me later?"
Xiao Man's face was full of longing, and he mumbled, "A servant's job is to serve the master."
Wu Mingli was a quick walker, and upon returning he reported to Shujia, "His Majesty has summoned all the gentlemen to dine together. The Crown Prince's men encountered me, and I came back to tell him that there was no need to keep any food for him." A young eunuch from Yinreng's office appeared behind him and repeated Wu Mingli's words, changing their meaning and adding, "The Crown Prince said he would return after dining with the Emperor."
"I understand." A meal with the emperor would take a long time, so she had plenty of time to meet with her sisters-in-law. With a glance, Xiaoman was already on her way out with Wu Mingli, and she also took Qingjin with her.
Shujia sat at the dressing table while Qiao'er recombed her hair. Her auspicious attire had a crown, and her hairstyle was different from when she wore an ordinary cheongsam. She changed her hairstyle again to match the outfit.
After combing my hair and drinking a cup of tea, I hadn't read more than two pages of the notes I brought with me when the three people who had gone out had already returned: "Because the emperor has called all the gentlemen to dinner, the ladies said they would come to see the master after dinner."
Shujia asked Xiaoman, "Did you find out who followed you? How many of your guesses were correct on the way here today?"
Xiaoman giggled: "I guessed it all." He poured out all the information from the bamboo tube. The Eighth Prince brought a woman from the Wanyan family, the Thirteenth Prince brought a woman from the Guwaljia family, there was no need to guess about the Fourteenth Prince's wife, and there was no suspense about Ning Hui either.
Qiao'er complained to her, "After all this time, you only guessed one, and you still have the nerve to say you guessed them all." Xiaoman stretched his features towards her and said, "I'll go see what's on offer for dinner tonight and tell them to make something the master likes."
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Eating alone is always fast. As soon as the Crown Princess put down her bowl and the table was cleared, Ning Hui arrived, followed by Wanyan, Guaerjia, and finally the Fourteenth Lady. Everyone made some changes.
Ning Hui and Shu Jia are most familiar with each other: "You asked us to come here, but I won't agree if there is no good thing."
Shujia said: "There is a good thing, but it's not for you."
"Huh? Everyone's here, why am I the only one missing?"
Shujia clapped her hands, and Xiaoman brought out a tray: "Fujin, our master prepared a gift for meeting you. You are so familiar with the master, this must not be the first time you meet."
"You little girl, you always favor your master." Ning Hui said angrily.
Shujia said to the Fourteenth Lady (whose surname was also Wanyan), "I live with my Fourteenth Brother's wife in the palace, and we are familiar with each other, right?"
The Fourteenth Lady bowed and smiled.
"Look at how nice Fourteenth Brother's wife is. You are so much older than her, but you are not as quiet and polite as her."
Ning Hui sat across from the Fourteenth Lady and said in a feigned anger, "Look, compared to you, I'm like a burnt scroll."
The girls laughed non-stop.
Shujia then distributed the gifts, mainly to Wanyan, the eighth prince's family. Guaerjia had already met her, so she had to treat them equally.
Shujia wasn't worried about running out of topics for this meeting. The fact that the Eighth Prince was expecting a child wouldn't be a good topic of conversation. Furthermore, some of the people present, including the Crown Princess, had never been to the grasslands, which was also a good topic for gossip. The Crown Princess, Prince Jian's wife, and the Fourteenth Prince's wife were all roughly of the same social class, so they spoke freely.
Unfortunately, the information that the Wanyan clan of the Eight Prefectures could provide was too little, and no one was satisfied.
As the sun was setting in the west, Shujia smiled and said, "I'm afraid Khan Ama's place is about to disperse. Why don't we all go and rest? We have to travel tomorrow. Can we talk tomorrow night?"
Ning Hui was the first to agree: "I'm old and can't stand it any longer."
"I remember we were selected in the same year."
"yes."
Depend on!
The Fourteenth Lady observed with a smile, then borrowed from the Crown Princess a book of miscellaneous books that she had just mentioned when gossiping and took it home to read.
Guwalja and Wanyan also followed them and took their leave.
Xiaoman said, "Finally, it's all done. Master, there's a pool of water behind this room. Do you want to go and relax? How could the prince come back early after seeing the emperor? Go and take a dip. The prince will come back to watch..."
Cough cough!
Qiao'er complained to her: "Don't you want to try something new too?"
Shujia said, "Didn't you hear what Wu Mingli just said? You all have places available. You can split up and go and relax a little. Just don't leave anybody unapproved."
Everyone cheered with joy. They were no longer rookies entering the palace, but rather important figures, yet they couldn't resist the allure of this hot spring! It didn't require constant additions of hot water, making it a worthwhile experience even in the heat of summer.
After the shifts were divided, Xiaoman wisely requested to serve the Crown Princess first and then enjoy herself. In theory, the Crown Princess should hurry up and take a bath before the Crown Prince returns, and by then, Qiao'er and the others on the next shift should have come to take over.
As a result, not long after the Crown Princess went into the water, the Crown Prince arrived.
Xiaoman wisely withdrew and helped close the door. Looking up at the stars, Qiao'er hurriedly finished washing and came over to scold Xiaoman for being cunning, but Xiaoman glared at her like a chicken, "The prince is in there!"
Qiao'er had no choice but to swallow all the words in her heart, and Xiaoman went to take a hot spring bath with peace of mind.
Tangquan Palace also has a place for palace maids to bathe, but the furnishings are not that good and the conditions are a bit simple. Soaking in the hot water, Xiaoman thought to herself: It's worth it to take a bath in the hot spring this time. I'll really envy them when I go back.
Bathing with hot spring water? Ahem, it's just a bath... Anyone who has been in the water knows that water has resistance. It's fun to play with it, but it's very troublesome to exercise with.
The two climbed onto the shore naked, one wrapped in a large bath towel. It turns out that being half-hidden and half-exposed is more tempting than being completely naked, especially when there's a rather large soft couch in this private room...
Light up, river crab!
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