This is going to be lively
With the emperor's return, the capital became bustling with activity. Those involved in quarrels and those on official business finally arrived, each one eagerly reporting various matters to the emperor. As if fearing the atmosphere wouldn't be lively enough, Kangxi announced upon his return that this year's tour of the frontier would begin early, departing at the end of May.
The emperor returned to Beijing on April 29th, and the day the news was announced was May 1st.
One stone stirs up a thousand ripples, and the annual battle for quotas has begun again.
The Crown Prince was defeated again!
This defeat was not unjust. Kangxi twirled his beard and said: "I am taking Hongdan with me to broaden his horizons this time. It is better for you to stay in Beijing."
It was better than having his family holed up in the Forbidden City while his brothers accompanied the emperor. Yinreng still felt Hongdan was a little too young; it would be better if he were a couple of years older. Hongxi was the right age, but unfortunately, he wasn't a legitimate son. He was worried Hongdan was too young to go.
After all the considerations, the final words came out: "It's all up to Khan Ama. I'm afraid my son is still young and doesn't understand things. Don't spoil Khan Ama's fun when he's away from home."
Kangxi said, "Don't dwell on these things. I think he's doing fine. If you have some free time, go to Gandongwusuo and see that they should have cleaned up the house."
Yinreng was startled. Not only was his house ready, but he was also afraid he would find a wife. He had one brother and thirteen younger brothers still alive, and from the fifteenth prince onwards, they were still children. After this big selection, one of his brothers and ten younger brothers would have wives and start families.
This situation is really a mess!
As the saying goes, work is easier with more people, and food is easier with fewer. Now, with a few more people joining the pie, Yinreng felt as if the walls of the room were squeezing inward.
Kangxi was still waiting for his reply. Yinreng suppressed his dislike for his brothers and bowed, saying, "Son, I will go right away."
After leaving the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Yinreng ran into Yarjiang'a. Remembering that Yarjiang'a and his father Yabu were both on the list of those destined to accompany the emperor, Yinreng heard Yarjiang'a say, "That one's been flirting with a lama every day. I wonder what they're up to." He then earnestly asked him, "I can't go this time, but Hongdan has been chosen by the Khan to accompany him. Please take good care of him. I'm really worried about the others."
Yaerjiang'a readily agreed: "Young prince, with the emperor watching over you, everything will be fine. If there is anything you need from me, I will be happy to help."
Yinreng reached out and patted his shoulder: "Good brother."
"Does the prince have an errand?"
"According to Khan Ama's instructions, we are going to see how the Gandongwu Institute is progressing."
"Then I won't keep you any longer." He came to submit the application in person. Even though he knew he could go this time, he had no official mission and was not among the routine entourage of the emperor, so he still had to put on a show.
Sure enough, as soon as he entered the palace and explained his purpose, Kangxi looked at him with a half-smile and said, "Do you want to go out and do something stupid?"
Yarjiang'a admitted generously: "I did think about it. You won't leave me alone, will you?"
Kangxi had always wanted to take him with him, so he kept quiet, teasing him for a while. After Yarjiang'a had said all the good things he could, he finally relented: "Since you are so sincere about going, I will reluctantly agree."
Yarjiang'a cheered, "Xiehan Ama," and then asked, "I wonder who will be accompanying the emperor this time? Last time, I had a horse race with the Thirteenth Prince, and I won by a small margin. He said he would win next time, and we even invited Prince Wuerzhan Galab of Abagai to be the referee."
Kangxi generously revealed the list to him - only those who accompanied the prince. As for the ministers of ministries and agencies, Kangxi did not mention any of them.
When Yarjiang'a heard that the emperor's eldest son Yinzhi, third son Yinzhi, fourth son Yinzhen, eighth son Yinsi, thirteenth son Yinxiang, fourteenth son Yinzhen, fifteenth son Yinwu, and sixteenth son Yinlu were inside, he thought to himself, what a large lineup! It seems these last two were born to the imperial concubines? And the imperial concubine is pregnant, which shows that the emperor's favor continues.
He also said, "What a pity, the Tenth Prince didn't go either."
Kangxi said, "He, the tenth and twelfth sons will stay in Beijing to learn how to do their jobs." Another reason was that all three would remain in Beijing as concubines. However, taking a concubine wasn't a big deal; as long as the prince himself was present, there was no need for grand ceremony. Kangxi waved his sleeves, leaving his three sons behind.
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When a prince takes a concubine, the ceremony doesn't need to be grand, just acceptable. She's just a concubine, not a concubine. Yinreng walked around the Gandong Wusuo and found that the work was finished, the paint had dried, and they were filling it with furniture one by one.
Identical courtyards, all occupied by untitled princes, all with the same standard equipment, and their personal belongings hadn't been moved in yet. By the time he saw the third courtyard, the Crown Prince was already dizzy. Entering three identical courtyards in a row was a huge test of one's mental strength - he had to check each one one by one.
I’m almost having the illusion that “all yards in the world look like this.”
After inspecting the courtyard and confirming there were no omissions, he focused on the 12th prince's residence. Yinreng knew that of the three brothers who were moving in, the 12th prince was the most background. The 13th prince had the emperor's favor, and the 14th prince had a mother who was the head of the imperial palace, a brother who was a prince, and a sister who was a princess.
When he came back to report to Kangxi, he also mentioned the twelfth prince in detail.
Kangxi listened to Yinreng's words and felt that he understood the ways of the world. He praised him in his heart, but did not praise him out loud. "I understand. Tomorrow is a good day. Your nephews will go to the palace to study. After the court is dismissed tomorrow, you can go with me to see them."
Yinreng honestly didn't want his nephews, especially Hongyu, to study in the palace. Or rather, he didn't want the emperor to show kindness and generosity while he was no longer emperor. If he had ascended the throne, then bringing his nephews to the palace to study and demonstrate his kindness would have been a completely different matter.
Kangxi had long considered sending the emperor's grandson to study in the palace, and Yinreng could not object. At this moment, he was thinking about another related matter: "Hongdan already has Master Xiong and Master Zhang teaching him. Now... will he go with his nephews, or are there other arrangements?"
"What do you think?"
Yinreng hesitated for a moment and said, "It would be nice to have a teacher to teach him alone, but it would be too lonely. Besides, he and his cousins are about the same age, so they can study together and get closer."
"We still need a master, but it's not good for him to be too isolated from the group. Zhang Ying and Xiong Cilü are both old and want to stay away from the court. Let Hongdan go with the brothers." There was another arrangement he didn't say. Hongdan still had to be given a separate master. Let Zhang and Xiong make do with each other first. Once a more suitable one was found, they would be allowed to retire.
"Khan Ama is very thoughtful."
"You should go back and rest for a while. You will be busy when I arrive."
On the way home, Yinreng sorted out his thoughts. He had three things on his mind: the imperial examination, studying, and traveling. He had no say in anything, and being second in command was a terrible feeling.
When they returned home, Shujia reported to him, "The small Buddhist hall has been prepared. I have brought a Bodhisattva from the small Buddhist hall in Ningshou Palace."
Yinreng's mind was not on this small Buddhist temple at the moment. He nodded to show that he understood: "Is there any news from Qixiang Palace?"
"It's peaceful there. You can stay or go after Khan Ama reads it himself." She picked up the towel and threw it into the warm water, then wrung it out to wipe his face.
Yinreng lowered his head and felt the warm towel on his face, relaxing his pores. He decided to take a bath before bed. "Did anything interesting come out of Ningshou Palace?" he said, sitting at the table like a noble man, holding up a cup of tea.
Shujia placed the towel on the tray, washed her hands, and sat down opposite Yinreng. "The Empress Dowager has taken a fancy to the daughter of the Abagai Wuerjin Galapu County Prince family, but I don't know who she will marry."
Yinreng took a sip of tea and stroked his chin: "It would be better if it was given to the Thirteenth Master."
"?"
A capable prince, paired with a weaker wife, would be less likely to cause trouble. A daughter from a prominent family, paired with a less ardent prince, would be more reassuring. For example, this time, he hoped that the motherless Thirteenth Prince would have a powerful father-in-law, while Fourteenth Prince's father-in-law would ideally be a less powerful one. Ma Qi's daughter would be perfect for Thirteenth Prince, or even Twelve Prince...
"By the way, Khan Ama is going on tour this month and wants to take Hongdan with him."
Shujia asked in a lost voice: "What about you?"
"Of course I will stay in the capital."
Shujia immediately understood the intention and remained silent for a long time before she said, "Well, it's always good to see more. Who else is traveling with you?"
"I heard from Yarjiang'a that Khan Ama wanted to take the eldest, third, fourth, eighth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth sons, as well as Prince Jian and his son, along with a few other people."
Are the eldest and the eighth brother going? Shujia was worried for a moment, but then she was relieved. It wasn't that serious yet.
Thinking of another piece of news she had heard today, she hurriedly asked Yinreng for confirmation: "Today, my third brother's wife said that their daughter Hongqing is going to study in the palace. Is this true?"
"Not only Hongqing, but all the emperor's grandchildren who are about the same age as Hongdan will enter the palace to study in the next two days."
Shujia's mouth curled into an O shape as she took a deep breath. "I need to prepare several gifts for the meeting—where are they studying? With Hongdan?" Being separated made her son seem different, and also isolated. Being together inevitably meant being in a group. Child counseling is the most challenging job.
"I want them to study together so they can practice distinguishing right from wrong."
This is the word "non" (non-two characters), which is truly profound. "With you teaching me, I never have to worry."
After the whole day, this sentence was the most heartfelt. Yinreng said very naturally: "That's right."
Hey, you can do it!
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The imperial grandchildren arrived at the palace to study on the day Kangxi had promised. Since it was their first day, they didn't follow the standard palace schedule. Hongdan had already finished reviewing tomorrow's lessons and read today's lesson 120 times. After listening to his teacher explain the meaning, he began writing large characters when a young eunuch came running over and said, "Your Majesty has left court."
Hongdan looked at the half-written paper, placed his brush on the pen holder, and slowly got down from his chair. At a call, the eunuch in attendance brought a basin of water.
After washing his hands and straightening his clothes, he walked into the classroom.
Today was the day the imperial grandchildren all started school. When Hongdan arrived, his cousins had already started lining up. They all knew each other and were greeting each other. Because of his arrival, they lined up again.
Kangxi soon arrived with his sons. After a brief exchange of greetings, he began his opening speech, which, given the students' young age, was very straightforward and easy to understand: "Your fathers also studied here when they were young. They studied very hard and achieved what they have today. Now that you are here, you should emulate them."
He then introduced the student code of conduct and the daily schedule, and finally brought up the teachers: "The teachers are all learned and erudite. You must be humble and seek instruction." He then admonished the teachers: "You must devote your heart and soul to teaching the emperor's grandson."
There is no fixed ceremony for the emperor's grandson to become an apprentice. The princes already knew the story of Hongdan becoming an apprentice of Zhang and Xiong, but they were still quite hesitant: this apprenticeship was not one-on-one, but a large class. How should they teach their sons to perform etiquette?
After pondering for a long time, they all came up with a very opportunistic idea: "See how others behave, and then behave the same way."
The group of boys looked at each other and noticed that Hongdan, who was at the front, had already bowed deeply. Then they followed suit in twos and threes, which made the performance look uneven.
The master secretly groaned, thinking this job was not easy, and hurriedly returned the gift. Kangxi was finally satisfied: "Let's go to the class first." He wanted to sit in on the class, not only himself, but also dragged his sons to sit in as well.
The master was terrified and first asked the emperor's grandchildren about their learning progress. After learning that they had all learned to read, he asked them a few simple questions to test them. After they had a clear idea in mind and focused, he began to teach.
Perhaps due to his age, Kangxi's attitude towards his teachers was much better than it was in his youth. He didn't embarrass his teachers in front of his students. After the class, he would bring up the unclear points of the teachers' explanations and re-examine them. His explanations were so fluent, smooth, and lively that the teachers' calves trembled for a long time.
The princes attached great importance to their sons' education, especially since their sons' academic achievements were crucial to their standing before Emperor Kangxi. They all sat upright. Their oppressive gazes further crushed the teachers' spirits. Only the crown prince had a more amiable demeanor, a kindly touch that made them feel approachable. They couldn't help but glance at him a few times to calm their nerves.
The approachable Crown Prince was actually distracted, having been since the teachers began their lecture. The river works weren't finished yet, the grand plan had gone awry, the Imperial Censor had impeached the Governor, it was cold outside the Great Wall at night, so Shujia had to buy Hongdan two more cloaks when he got home, and he didn't know if the baby was a boy or a girl...
After Kangxi had finished pointing out the problems, he concluded: "You have spoken well."
Masters: ...
Having perfectly played the role of a bad parent and successfully dampened the teachers' enthusiasm, Kangxi left with his sons in high spirits: "Let's go talk outside and don't disturb their lessons."
From the beginning to the end, weren't you the ones disrupting the classroom order?
The wicked parents, completely clueless, formed a group to wreak havoc and then left in a group. The leader of the prankster group could be heard from afar: "As we agreed this morning, everyone should go about their business! Yinzhi, please stay!"
When Hongyu heard his father's name, he shifted in his chair and began to lose focus. When Hongdan heard about his father's legendary nemesis, his ears jumped: "Ask Mafa tonight, tell my father tomorrow."
Facing such a group of elementary school students, they couldn't hit them, couldn't scold them, and the only punishment they could give them was copying books... The teachers felt frustrated and thought, in a past life, they must have been even more cruel and evil than the county magistrate in the provincial capital. What was the matter with the emperor calling him the Prince of Zhi?
My eyes darted open, and my head hurt. Speaking of the Prince of Zhi, you'd think of his ulterior motives, the Crown Prince, and the twenty-year-long feud between them. I could have stayed out of it, but now... on my left, the Crown Prince's son, on my right, the Prince of Zhi's son.
Why is it so hard to make a living these days?!
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Kangxi called Yinzhi to coordinate the garrison work for this tour. This was a task Yinzhi often performed, so it was no surprise that he received it. After hearing Kangxi's instructions, he already had a rough plan in mind and accepted the task with confidence: "I will do my best to complete the task."
"Go ahead and do it."
"Well, I will take my leave."
"Hmm," Kangxi replied casually, picking up a memorial from the Lifanyuan. It read, "Khalkha Heshuo Prince Chewangzabu, Heshuo Darhan Prince None, Duolo County Prince Murgen Jinong Guluxixi, Duolo County Prince Kundulun Boshektu Gunbu, Darhan Zhuoliketu County Prince Sanjizabu of the Sizi Tribe, and Abagai Duolo County Prince Wuerzhan Galabu, among others, request an audience with Your Majesty."
What was the purpose of these tours? Wasn't it to meet these people? Kangxi wrote "yes" next to the names of those he wanted to meet, and in the appendix next to their families, he wrote his thoughts: "I don't know Concubine X," "The mother of a certain prince, Concubine X, is often ill," "And Concubine X is old and frail"... He wrote with great joy.
It was not until the Empress Dowager sent someone to the Ningshou Palace to ask the Emperor to speak that Kangxi put down his pen with an unsatisfied look and rubbed his wrist.
The Empress Dowager wanted to inquire about the Grand Selection. She couldn't forget the time the Emperor had asked her to look at a Mongolian prince's daughter, intending to marry her to the crown prince. She had put considerable effort into this major task. With the imperial review due in just two days, the Empress Dowager was eager to hear whether her work had paid off and what plans Kangxi had in store.
Kangxi assured the Empress Dowager: "This is the person my mother has chosen. I will not let Abagai Borjigit suffer a disastrous end."
The Empress Dowager was satisfied and didn't ask for any more news. She cheerfully asked about my well-being: "You're going on tour again, so you must take good care of yourself. You just went out last month and I was really worried about you. By the way, you should also add two more servants to these concubines..."
Kangxi listened with a smile.
As promised, Emperor Kangxi personally arranged for Abagai Borjigit to be the Tenth Prince's legal wife. The Empress Dowager was delighted and almost wanted to keep Abagai Borjigit in the palace to accompany her. Emperor Kangxi gave her a signal, and Nouwen stepped forward and said to the Empress Dowager, "My Lord, the marriage has been arranged, and the princess must return home to prepare for her wedding."
Kangxi coughed and said, "I, your son, am also going to the frontier. Her father is among those who will be present at the court. Please let her go home to meet her parents first. When the tenth prince brings her back to marry, you can do whatever you want with her."
The Queen Mother then stopped arguing.
The East Palace was bustling with activity. Everyone in the East Palace was filled with enthusiasm: "Great! The Emperor didn't add any more children to our family!" After the excitement, they finally had the mood to care about gossip. Shujia asked the eunuch who was asking around, "How's it going? Any other news?"
Such information would go through several procedures before being officially released, so it was perfectly normal for it to leak out. It wasn't something that had to be kept secret, and many people involved in the process made a small fortune selling the list.
The young eunuch explained one by one: With the exception of Gao Tingxiu's daughter Gao, who was named in the list, the rest were either appointed to princes or members of the imperial clan. Besides the tenth prince's legitimate wife, Zhang Jia, the daughter of guerrilla Zhang Haoshang, was appointed as the legitimate wife of Prince Yinzhi of Zhi; Dong E, the daughter of General Qi Shi, was appointed as the legitimate wife of the ninth prince Yin'er; Fu Cha, the daughter of Grand Secretary Ma Qi, was appointed as the legitimate wife of the twelfth prince Yinlu; Zhao Jia, the daughter of Shangshu Ma'erhan, was appointed as the legitimate wife of the thirteenth prince Yinxiang; and Wan Yan, the daughter of Assistant Minister Luo Cha, was appointed as the legitimate wife of the fourteenth prince Yinzhen.
After talking about the big ones, there are also the small ones. Li Jia, the daughter of Cherte, was made the concubine of the 12th prince Yinlu; Guaerjia, the daughter of doctor Ahazhan, was made the concubine of the 13th prince Yinxiang; Irgen Jueluo, the daughter of second-class guard Shi Bao, was made the concubine of the 14th prince Yinzhen; and Shushu Jueluo, the daughter of Yuanwailang Mingde, was made the concubine of the 14th prince Yinzhen.
Most surprising of all, Kangxi appointed another Wanyan clan member for Yinsi! Kangxi was also anxious. How long had Yinsi been unfaithful since Wang? He had been married to Guo Luoluo, and even after their honeymoon, they still had no children. As an autocratic monarch with deep-seated feudal ideas and protective tendencies, he concluded that the problem wasn't his son's, but the woman's.
A new person was added to the Eighth Prince's Mansion.
Shujia's biggest embarrassment was that Kangxi had taken his daughter-in-law-in-law-sharing scheme to a whole new level: he was pitting his wife and concubines against each other! Imagine living in the palace for a month or two, a group of young women getting to know each other and adapting to each other in an unfamiliar environment. Some got along well, while others developed grudges. Regardless of the situation, there was always a sense of closeness and longing.
As a result, one imperial decree turned one into a master and the other into a servant. Is there any justice in this world?!
The worst part is that those of lower status get to enter first, because the higher-ranking ones can't wait for the complicated process! A concubine might be prettier and more talented than the wife, but she'd lose in the father-to-be process. If two secretly competing wives are assigned to the same person, it could be a catastrophic mess.
This is going to be lively...
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