Two Legends of Ba Ye
Compared to the jubilation of the ninth and tenth concubines, the newly-appointed concubines were much quieter. None of the concubines chosen by Emperor Kangxi this time had prominent ancestors, or had received official titles all at once. The imperial palace was a place of hierarchy, and the same event, depending on the person, would elicit varying degrees of excitement. Clearly, these new residents weren't yet qualified to join the crowd in the excitement.
However, one individual's marriage wasn't so easy to settle: the eighth prince, Yinsi. His marriage had been arranged long ago; it was essentially a marriage between two princes. Yinsi was well-connected, ambitious, and the emperor's own son, so no one could deny him the blessing of a future as a prince. Meanwhile, the Prince An Mansion was where the eighth concubine grew up.
Kangxi wanted to establish some popularity for his eighth son, thereby driving a wedge into the Zhenglan Banner and strengthening his control over it. Of course, he also wanted to avoid embarrassing the eighth son. Although he had been granted a title, his wedding ceremony was still conducted according to the rules for a prince, not based on his title. As everyone knows, a prince is more important than a prince.
Since Kangxi had already expressed his opinion, everyone took it seriously, including those in Yuqing Palace. The Eighth Prince was marrying a wife, unlike the Ninth and Tenth Princes, who were taking concubines. A generous gift wouldn't matter. Given the personal relationship between these three, the Ninth and Tenth Princes wouldn't be uncomfortable with the generous gift given to the Eighth Prince.
Shujia opened the storeroom early and personally led her staff in sorting out the gifts. From the pile of wedding gifts, she picked out linked-bead vases, paired cloisonné enamel boxes, and tribute-gathered satin from Jiangnan. Shujia paused. "Lülu, did you collect the list of gifts for Prince Cheng, the Fourth Beile, the Fifth Beile, and the Seventh Beile?"
"Yes, they are all put in the box," Lu Lu quickly remembered the whereabouts of the things, "I went to get them. Master, do you want to see them?" It should be for reference, right?
Of course it is for reference. Although it is serious, we cannot let the younger brother suddenly surpass the older brother too much.
The list was quickly brought in, and Shujia compared it with the original list, adding and subtracting some of the items. Finally, she finalized the list and ordered Zhao Guoshi to copy it, which she then showed to Yinreng in the evening.
Yinreng has been adjusting his mindset lately. He first adjusted his relationship with Kangxi, then dealt with Soetu, then with the court officials, and most recently with his brothers. Yinreng's initial insistence was to unite all forces that could be united and deal with his current enemies: the eldest brother and those related to the eldest brother.
He had lumped Eighth Brother into the same group as Big Brother, so he ignored Tenth Brother, who was close to Eighth Brother. But he had already made concessions regarding Eleventh Brother, acquiescing to his wife's kindness toward Tenth Brother. Once a person crosses the line, their downfall is swift.
After carefully reviewing his wife's list, Yinreng said considerately, "Old Eighth is often forced to study hard by Khan Ama because his handwriting is not good. I have quite a few calligraphy works by famous people here. I'd like to give a few to him."
Shujia said, "Isn't this stabbing him?"
"How can you be so petty? You gave it to me with the writing material. It's a normal gift, just a bit more expensive."
Shujia thought so too. Gifts for women usually consisted of jewelry, clothing, cosmetics, and the like. Gifts for men, aside from toys, looked more elegant, like brushes and ink. She also selected two paintings and calligraphy by Dong Qichang and packed them in.
Yinreng said, "I seem to remember that this is something from your dowry? You can't do that. I have all the things in my study. Don't touch your private belongings easily." He thought that the eighth brother was the same as the tenth brother. Although it would not be easy to show goodwill, it would not be too troublesome.
Who knew that Lao Ba wouldn't appreciate it.
If you think that Lao Ba is a kind and gentle person, you will think that his temper is really good. That is half self-cultivation and half restraint, and it is a fake appearance.
No matter how humble his mother's background, he was still a prince, and he possessed the same arrogance. So what if he was a minister? So what if he was from a wealthy family? No matter how powerful you are, can you be more brutal than the royal family? Although Yinsi's interactions with court officials appeared amicable, he psychologically held the upper hand. The saying "respect the virtuous and humble"—the "humble" part—demonstrated that he was still in a superior position.
But getting along with his brothers wasn't always easy. The need to compete and stand out meant he was always at odds, wasn't it? Furthermore, the Crown Prince had behaved so poorly before, and while he'd shown some signs of improvement, it was still relatively young, wasn't it? He just laughed it off. After the marriage, the Eighth Master would become independent, with his own power and connections, a man of considerable weight.
"Prince, are you trying to show your goodwill? So what? I'll take the gift for now. We'll have to wait and see what happens next."
However, you have to accept the gift given by the prince. Not only accept it, but also thank him. Yinsi had no choice but to write a note to thank the prince for the gift.
Thank God, after being busy for several years, she had to prepare gifts for this master's birthday, for this master taking a concubine, and this time this master is spending even more money to marry a wife. Shujia finally got to see the legendary Eighth Master's terrible handwriting.
Yinreng said in a teasing tone: "He has been writing for more than ten years, but he still can't write better. I don't know why his hands are so stiff, even the corners have folds." After receiving the thank-you letter, Yinreng showed it to his wife because it was a gift from the couple and it mentioned the Crown Princess.
This was a piece of common imperial stationery, bearing the Eighth Master's authentic handwriting. The content was standard, but the calligraphy... not horrible, but certainly not great. Objectively speaking, if Yinreng's handwriting could be rated ten out of ten, this would be a mere five. If Shujia had seen this calligraphy before her time travel, she would have thought it was quite good, with a high resolution. But after more than twenty years, the calligraphy looked unremarkable.
They say writing should be characterized by character, but that's because you haven't seen the Eighth Prince's handwriting. Looking at his handwriting, you'll find that a lack of character can be quite beautiful. On a single page, the characters appear clumsy and sparse. Compared to the thank-you letters received by the Crown Prince and his wife for their joint gifts at the weddings of the other princes, this is indeed a bit inferior. Even the Fifth Prince, whose Chinese is notoriously poor, has a more pleasant handwriting than the Eighth Prince.
Yinreng gave her a strange look and said, "We often appreciate calligraphy and talk about great calligraphers. Why are you so absorbed in Old Eight's calligraphy?"
Shu Jia took a closer look and couldn't help but say, "The handwriting is just like the person himself, revealing a tough and murderous aura."
Yinreng held the paper, twisting it left and right, unable to see what was happening. He simply put it aside and ignored it, saying, "Put it away." Although the Crown Prince, who had lost his bottom line, felt that it would be a good idea to win over the Eighth Brother, it would be better than letting him continue to fool around with the eldest brother. There was still a long way to go, and this was not the time to waste.
Shujia was helpless. Eighth Brother was so well behaved now, so it would be petty to predict his future. You couldn't punish him for a mistake he hadn't made yet. At most, you could take precautions. But there was no way to prevent it. Kangxi had suggested marriage when Eighth Brother didn't even know what sex meant. He couldn't be blamed.
At most, I could secretly try to persuade Old Nine and Old Ten. Old Ten was okay, but Old Nine was a die-hard supporter of Old Eight, the kind who would feel fat even in a single trouser leg. It was a real headache…
Before she could come up with a plan, Yinreng called her, "What are you thinking about? They haven't married yet, but our relationship is over, and the gifts have been sent. Just go and have a drink when the time comes... No, you can't have a drink when the time comes."
Shujia's ears felt hot when he looked at her belly. They were an old married couple, but sometimes they still felt a little embarrassed. Yinreng suddenly smiled like a gangster: "Why are you blushing?"
The two of them cuddled for a while, and Yinreng, as if familiar with the routine, let go and felt the fetal movement. When it comes to unborn children, expectant parents always have a lot of strange and divergent thoughts, from the child's gender to personality, and finally they even got around to the strange topic of many pregnant women recently.
Shujia suddenly felt a little uneasy: "I... it's not very convenient now. There are sick people and busy people in Xiefang Palace, and you..." The pregnant women the two people mentioned just now, in addition to the Third Lady Dong E, there are also the Fifth Prince's concubine and the Third Prince's two concubines... Anyway, the grand selection has passed, and the concubines have been arranged to be married off or married off, so there is nothing wrong with being generous in words.
Yinreng sighed, "You're already busy enough with family matters. How can I bother you with something I don't know whether it's good or bad? To be honest, I'm not in the mood to deal with all of them. Don't worry, don't worry."
Shujia restrained herself and asked: What if everything is okay with you?
This is a stupid question, like, "If your mother and I fell into the water, which one would you save first?" Go ahead and choose P. You're out of your mind to put yourself and someone else's mother at odds. You can't treat your mother-in-law like your own mother; at least treat her with respect and courtesy. If you have the guts, make yourself indispensable to his life, because your presence makes everything right. That's it, isn't it? — Of course, he has to realize this first.
All her thoughts vanished when the Crown Prince suddenly said, "Besides, it's quite convenient." Grabbing a pillow, the Crown Princess boldly threw it at the gangster!
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The parents are in love with each other, but the son is miserable.
The fat boy, like many other children worldwide who have suffered the ravages of early childhood education, was memorizing the multiplication table. Finally no longer a repeater, his mother was testing his IQ again. Fortunately, he was holding a table—the kind with staircase-shaped frames you see in first-grade math textbooks, personally made by the Crown Princess.
After mumbling for a while, the little fat boy put down the book in his hand and sighed: "Hmph."
Sehetu said softly, "Master, the Crown Princess has instructed that we must recite it three times today before we can take a break." When it comes to studying, she absolutely insists on carrying out the orders from her superiors.
The fat paw opened: "Five times! Hot."
Sehetu hurried forward to wipe his sweat, asked for a fan, and then asked for freshly squeezed juice from the well: "Use a small cup, don't let it freeze your stomach."
The little fat boy just complained verbally, finished drinking, got up and walked a few steps, then climbed up to the table on the kang obediently: "I still have to recite." He continued to recite the multiplication table.
It was hard work, but if he behaved well during the checkup, he would be allowed to lie on his mother's belly and get kicked a few times by the guy who was neither his brother nor his sister.
Shujia was very decisive: "When you were young, it was your father who read to you, that's why Hongdan is so smart. Now your father is busy, and you are going to be someone's brother. Don't you want to be a little man? Come on, recite and read it."
Children are the easiest to coax! Men are even easier! Little men are twice as easy to coax. Give him enough face, and with all his older brothers and uncles going to school, the fat kid is successfully fooled. Gritting his teeth, maintaining his little man's dignity, he reads the article no matter how difficult it is to understand, and memorizes the math no matter how difficult it is to understand!
Here, I solemnly introduce the Qing Dynasty study method once again for the hundred and twentyth time! My mouth is dry and my tongue is parched! His mother also taught him: "Don't howl at the top of your lungs, use your strength, otherwise your throat will be damaged." But she didn't say he could recite it twice less.
The responsibility of a little man rests on his shoulders, so if the little fat boy wants to cheat, he has to get through this hurdle first.
Shujia felt a little sorry for him, but she refused to let him go. She also had to find time to think about how to organize him, lay a foundation for him, and cultivate some good habits before he officially came under someone else's care.
Children are in the process of developing their intelligence. Nutrition goes without saying, and exercise is next. Memory development is only part of the equation. Other things, like jigsaw puzzles, are trivial. Many of Shujia's childhood toys are either girls' toys or simply too difficult to make in this era of productivity. Such a shame! A Rubik's Cube would have been fun...
Shujia spent her free time in the palace reading and practicing calligraphy. Her handwriting was so good that she even wrote numerous scrolls. In elementary school, the school was decorated with portraits of famous people and famous quotes. The memories of those years are truly lifelong! There were sayings like "Proficiency comes from diligence, but not from play" and "Learning is like rowing against the current," as well as quotes from international friends that were taken out of context.
Printed on the back of her middle school workbook was the line "Genius is 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration." Many years after graduating from middle school, Shujia finally discovered the second half of Edison's words and vomited three liters of blood.
However, this method is not bad. A lie repeated a thousand times will become the truth. Shujia rolled up her sleeves and hung propaganda banners covering half the back hall of Yuqing Palace. Among them were some famous quotes from great men who might not even have been born yet.
Brainstorming! Since the transition from primitive man to modern man, the wisdom of the ancients isn't necessarily inferior to ours; it's just that the amount of information isn't as rich. So, why not expand the fat kid's knowledge? It doesn't mean he needs to memorize everything. Immersing him in real life is more effective than forcing him to memorize.
Shujia's early childhood education curriculum isn't limited to the traditional "Three Character Classic." The little boy is reciting another passage, this time from Chinese: "When the sun is at its highest point, I hoe the field, my sweat drips down to the soil..." This is a must-know! And, of course, a nutritional supplement is essential: plenty of fruits and vegetables for vitamins.
The fat boy raised in this way is growing up well. Although he has two older brothers, because they do not live together, he has a strong feeling for the one in his mother's belly, a feeling of an eldest brother - except that he likes to play tricks and refuses to eat green peppers, and he will not eat radishes until they are simmered in broth to remove the unpleasant smell.
I'm the older brother, and I have to set a good example for my younger siblings. With tears in my eyes, I swallowed another mouthful of the dreaded vegetables.
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The little fat boy should be content. Compared to someone who is not encouraged to "set an example for his younger brothers and sisters", he is still relatively happy.
The chubby little uncle's mood could be described as "half sea, half fire," torn between two sides, tormented. On the one hand, he'd married a wife, proving himself an adult, and her maternal uncle was quite respectable. On the other hand, the fact that he had to pay respect to Concubine Hui when marrying her meant that his own mother, Concubine Wei, would have to sit in the back row, which was a rather unpleasant feeling. Despite waiting and waiting, Kangxi refused to allow his mother to ascend to the throne and receive the ceremony from his wife before the wedding.
It wasn't until the day before his wedding that he finally gave up on the idea and began to adjust and prepare for marriage. At the same time, he secretly made up his mind: he must be better than his brothers, so as to bring honor and status to his mother.
The prince's wedding was also preceded by a dowry delivery. The Eighth Concubine's arrival was preceded by a dazzling display of splendor. Almost ten years had passed since her engagement! How much dowry could a powerful prince's family have prepared in ten years? A vast procession carried the treasures into the Forbidden City. Full-length dressing mirrors, rosewood furniture, dozens of loads of jewelry... all poured into the Ganxi Tousuo.
The newly recruited young maids were so stunned that their eyes widened. The two sisters bit their fingers and exclaimed, "Is that a big mirror? I've never seen anything like this since I was assigned to Concubine Yuan's place."
"I just heard from Xiao Cui, who was assigned to the Yanxi Palace, that the dowries of all the concubines are not as good as this one. Even when she was the Crown Princess, hers was no better than this. Maybe there are some that are not as good as this..."
This was not appropriate and was heard by the aunt who was passing by. She gave them a sharp look and said, "Come here!"
On auspicious occasions, no beating or scolding is allowed. Each person holds a bowl on his head and kneels at the foot of the south wall. "You are so full and bored. If you really want to be idle, I will find something for you to do."
It must be said that the Eighth Lady's behavior earned Lao Ba a lot of face. Because the engagement was made early, when he was still young, the engagement ceremony and the written engagement ceremony were completed. Otherwise, it would have left a heavy shadow in Lao Ba's heart - his father-in-law and mother-in-law were gone, and this marriage was not completed.
The next day, Yinsi rose early, dressed radiantly, and waited for Prince An's mansion to send him a wife. The ninth and tenth princes arrived early to show their support, and the eldest prince and the crown prince also arrived. The eighth prince, originally delighted, was upset when he saw these two: "It's my wedding day, and I'm going to be upset if any of you make trouble!"
How could he be so blind? The eldest brother kept showing affection, but the prince just looked on indifferently. Yinsi breathed a sigh of relief and decided to toast his second brother a few more glasses of wine to express his gratitude.
The Eight Blessings' colorful sedan chair arrived outside the Forbidden City Gate. The others followed the sedan chair on foot, disembarking at the west entrance of Ganxi and led into the palace by female officials. Yinsi's concubine, Wang, who resembled a backdrop, knelt inside to greet her master. Yinsi couldn't meet his wife and exchange greetings yet, as the time for the wedding ceremony had not yet arrived.
She was a little excited, but also a little hesitant, wondering what her daughter-in-law would look like. However, the Eighth Lady had seen Yinsi before. When Yinsi passed by Prince An's mansion, because they had already been engaged, her aunt was particularly tolerant. While Yinsi was talking to Prince An, she had someone lead her to the alley in advance so that she could take a few glances from afar.
The prince's wife, already chosen long ago, was also pampered by her uncle's family. The Eighth Concubine had high standards, and from her perspective, Yinsi was considered passable. There was only one regret: Kangxi had already given him a legitimate concubine. Well, no one is perfect, so she would earn a brilliant future for herself!
The sun's shadow moved westward, the sky gradually darkened, and Yinsi finally arrived. He lifted his veil, revealing a pretty young lady, her eyes shy but still boldly looking at him. Yinsi was captivated by her gaze, and a smile formed on his face...
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Shujia sat at Yinsi's wedding banquet for a while before returning. Firstly, she was worried about the fat boy, and secondly, the tangled smells of food and crowds were too much for her. She returned with the pregnant Third Lady, who was also pregnant. They checked the time. Tomorrow, after the Eighth Lady paid her respects to the elders, she would also have to pay her respects to her brother and his wife. Their first stop wasn't the eldest prince's, but Yuqing Palace.
Shujia said, "Let's do the same thing tomorrow as we did with the fourth brother and the others. We'll greet them and then go home and wait."
"Of course, it's the same as always," Dong E said, her smile slightly odd. She wasn't a petty person, but she was still a little uncomfortable with the Eighth Lady's high-profile appearance. However, since the Crown Princess hadn't said anything, she didn't need to be a mean person. It was all right. With a strong wife and a weak mother, the Eighth Lady had a hard time.
Although the wife may appear strong, she is the younger generation after all, and although the mother is of a lower status, she is still her husband's biological mother. The Eighth Lady understood this principle. Moreover, the mother-in-law she had to pay her respects to first was Concubine Hui. As for the Eighth Prince's biological mother, the respect she showed to her could not be higher than that to Concubine Hui, so there was no question of whether she was wronged or not.
The Eighth Lady was thinking clearly. Since Concubine Wei had no control over her courtyard, she would just treat Concubine Wei as a Bodhisattva and worship her from afar. So what?
She got up in the morning, shy as a bride, and helped Yinsi dress. She then paid her respects to Kangxi, the Empress Dowager, and then to Concubine Hui. As expected, Concubine Wei was only allowed to see her son and daughter-in-law after Concubine Hui. Concubine Wei was prettier than Concubine Hui and more pleasing to the eye. Concubine Eighth Lady was incredibly polite and considerate to Concubine Wei. It was a joyful occasion.
The eighth brother got married and had his own power, so Concubine Hui and her son treated him even more politely. Finally, Concubine Hui said, "You two haven't seen each other for a long time. Now that you have a wife, you should talk more together." She actually let them meet in the side hall where Concubine Wei lived.
This meeting was extremely short, so short that the Eighth Lady only stood up, took the teacup from the tray held by the palace maid, and placed it in front of Concubine Wei, and then had to leave - the Eighth Prince had many brothers! His second brother lived far away.
Where's the legendary Eighth Concubine? Shujia mentally prepared herself to meet this powerful sister-in-law. She was seriously doubting her preconceived notion. Look, the Crown Prince wasn't an idiot at all, the Fourth Prince was adorable, and as far as Shujia knew, the loyal and good Eighth Prince had at least two concubines besides his official concubine, Wang... So the legendary Eighth Concubine wasn't necessarily all that fierce, was she?
But yesterday's talk about the dowry had eased her suspicions a lot. This aura was really extraordinary.
Therefore, she prepared herself mentally to meet a feminist pioneer.
The female leader hadn't noticed it yet, but the vanguard had. The Eighth Concubine was the first prince's wife in the palace to call her "Second Sister-in-law."
The newlyweds greeted their brother and sister-in-law, using the formal title: "Greetings to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess."
When chatting, the Eighth Lady's greeting to Shujia changed to: "I heard that the second sister-in-law came home early yesterday. Is she feeling well?"
Shujia was mentally prepared, but she still paused when she heard the word "Second Sister-in-law". Fortunately, she was not too surprised and immediately smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is thoughtful. She should have stayed until the end, but she really couldn't hold on any longer."
Yinreng immediately asked with concern, "Yesterday you only said you were tired, could it be that you're feeling unwell in some other way?"
The Eighth Lady covered her mouth and smiled, "The Crown Prince really loves his second sister-in-law."
The voice is crisp and clear, without any drag or softness, yet it does not sound rude. What a talent!
Shujia didn't respond. "No matter how eloquent you are, you can't compare to my ability to change the subject," she said. "Go get them."
Three boys came, standing in order from tall to short, to pay their respects to their eighth uncle and eighth aunt.
As a newlywed, Lady Eighth was shy and evasive about the idea of having a child, but she couldn't hide her deep desire and couldn't help but take a few more glances. Hongyang looked pitiful, Hongxi was generous and decent, and the little fat boy was the most lovable.
They gave the gifts with a smile on their faces. In addition to writing materials and other items, Hongyang and Hongxi got fan pendants, and the fat boy got a whole set of heavy jewelry: bracelets, anklets, and necklaces.
Yinreng now wanted to be a noble, pure man, free from vulgar tastes, with a high profile and a low attitude. His tolerance for women's nagging was so high that it surprised Yinsi.
Since when, all children have this strange idea: brides are beautiful. Little boys love looking at brides, and little girls love pretending to be brides. Little Fatty is no exception. This little pervert actually drools over the Eighth Lady! He even claps his hands and asks for a hug!
The Eighth Lady really liked the fat baby and actually reached out and picked him up. Shujia said, "He's quite heavy." The Eighth Lady said, "That's okay. I just like him." The little fat boy smiled for everyone to see and even leaned against her well-developed chest.
So embarrassing!
Shujia, with her belly sticking out, came closer and threatened the fat boy: "If you keep looking at a pretty girl, try to get close to her!"
The Eighth Lady was stunned, then burst into laughter: "Second sister-in-law is really good at praising people. I feel embarrassed."
Shujia said seriously, "The other day, the old eunuch from Ningshou Palace wanted to hold him, but he slapped him away with three slaps. Ask him if he has one."
The little fat boy silently climbed down and went to join his brother, leaving everyone with a desolate back. That was because he wanted to walk, not because he disliked his brother's appearance.
At the end of the day, the Eighth Lady asked Yinsi, "Didn't they say the Crown Prince was difficult to get along with? He's quite amiable, isn't he?"
Yinsi was speechless. How could he know what was wrong with the prince?
The author has something to say: The last chapter had a bug. Lao Shi's mother is a noble concubine, not an imperial concubine. Since Jinjiang does not allow the revised word count of V chapters to be less than the original word count, let's put it aside for now...
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