The Empress Dowager naturally had no need to care about Youqing, even though she, as the Empress, was indeed favored.
It's Chinese New Year, and everyone is gathered together in a joyful atmosphere.
Youqing held her daughter in her arms and spoke with the Empress Dowager.
Looking at the child in Youqing's arms, the Empress Dowager glanced at her granddaughters sitting below and then spoke.
“Anle is obedient, she doesn’t cry or make a fuss. You really know how to raise a child.”
Youqing said, "Your Majesty, I am not worthy of such praise. It is not that I am good at raising her, but that Anle has hardly cried since she was a child and is quite obedient."
The Empress Dowager didn't know much about her granddaughter Anle. Hearing this, she smiled and said, "She's a clever child. By the way, it would be a great thing if such a good child could marry into Mongolia when she grows up. My family has a few suitable candidates."
Upon hearing this, Youqing didn't show it on her face, but she felt uncomfortable inside.
Was the Empress Dowager saying this intentionally?
The situation in Mongolia is not what it was a few years ago. Mongolia has something to ask of the Qing Dynasty, and Mongolia is quite far from the capital. How could the Qing Dynasty bear to let his daughter marry into Mongolia?
“Anle is still young, and it’s too early to talk about these things now. Besides, His Majesty said that the most important thing for a princess of our Great Qing Dynasty to marry is that she likes the person she marries.”
Things are different now. Qing princesses no longer have the obligation to marry into powerful families, so they are naturally more noble. After all, they are the emperor's daughters. If an ordinary family marries one, they will have to treat her with great respect. If anyone dares to bully her, Emperor Kangxi will not stand idly by.
“That makes sense, but the second and third princesses are getting on in years, and it’s time to consider their future.”
The eldest princess, Mingshan, was already married. Although her husband was Mongolian, he now lived in the capital, in her princess's residence, and was living a very comfortable life.
She had no in-laws to control her, her husband was sincere to her, and she was also shrewd and calculating, so they lived a very happy life.
The second princess's birth mother was the former Consort Rong. She was also the third prince's younger sister. She was now in her early twenties. Royal women usually married at nineteen or twenty. If they liked someone too much, it was normal for them to stay for another year or two.
The Third Princess's birth mother was the former Consort Bu. Her mother's presence in the harem was not strong, and she was not particularly noticeable either. She was one year younger than the Second Princess.
The two princesses blushed upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words; young women are always shy when talking about their marriages.
This was the first time Youqing had noticed the age of Kangxi's daughter.
It wasn't that she had deliberately forgotten about it; it was just that they rarely saw each other. They were pampered and spoiled, and before they got married, it was impossible to tell their age. Even though the Second Princess was already in her early twenties, she looked like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, without much difference.
She didn't have a thorough understanding of some things in ancient times, unlike native ancient people who attached great importance to things like what age one should get married, so she didn't notice this matter.
She finally understood why the Empress Dowager had made her uncomfortable for a moment; from the outside perspective, she had indeed fallen short in this regard.
As the Empress, and the only woman in Emperor Kangxi's harem, the princess's marriage indeed needed to go through her hands.
Youqing looked at the two princesses and said, "Your Majesty is right. I will keep an eye on it. If Your Majesty has a suitable candidate, please tell me. I will then speak to His Majesty and ask him to send someone to investigate. The consort of a princess must be worthy of her."
Empress Dowager Ting was satisfied with what Youqing said; she was quite magnanimous. She didn't try to take full control of the matter herself, but instead asked for Youqing's opinion and also informed the Emperor.
"You are a reliable person. I trust you to handle things. You can decide what to do first." If she feels the candidate is unsuitable, the Empress Dowager will naturally replace him.
Upon hearing this, Youqing naturally refused to take on the task.
She quickly replied, "Your Majesty, what you say is true. Even if I were the most careful, it wouldn't be as good as Your Majesty personally overseeing this. I haven't spent much time with the princesses, and I don't understand their personalities as well as Your Majesty does. When it comes to matchmaking, both parties naturally need to be compatible. Even if I could find a talented young man, he would still have to be compatible with the princess's temperament. Your Majesty, don't you agree with what I'm saying?"
The Empress Dowager thought that it made sense.
Youqing continued, "Why don't you let Your Majesty keep an eye on this matter? If there's anything you need, just give the order and I'll obey. Also, the princess is His Majesty's own daughter, how can he not love her? His Majesty will probably inquire about this matter as well."
This last sentence is a reminder to the Empress Dowager that although she doesn't intend to interfere in this matter, she shouldn't act too impulsively, as some people are not suitable to marry a princess.
After thinking for a moment, the Empress Dowager realized that since the concubines had requested to leave the palace, these princesses had been raised by her side. Because their mothers were not around, the princesses were very close to the Empress Dowager and were very well-behaved and sensible. The Empress Dowager liked them very much and naturally hoped that they could all find a good place to go.
Although the Empress Dowager spoke kindly about Youqing, she wasn't truly at ease with him. It would be good if she could keep an eye on him personally. As for the Emperor having to review the documents in the end, the Empress Dowager didn't care too much about that, that much was certain.
The Empress Dowager would definitely have to ask Emperor Kangxi for his opinion on who the princess would marry; this was a responsibility he could not avoid.
"That's fine too."
The marriage of the second and third princesses was thus put on the agenda.
After that, Youqing and the Empress Dowager naturally became very polite to each other, and everyone got along well.
Not long after, Emperor Kangxi entered with the Crown Prince and other princes to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
Taking advantage of this moment, the second princess whispered something to the third prince.
“Brother, today Grandmother Empress and Mother Empress discussed my marriage with Third Sister.”
In fact, the Second Princess did not want to call Youqing "Empress Mother". In private, she referred to Youqing as "that woman".
However, given the occasion, she was afraid of being caught red-handed, so her tone wasn't as aggressive.
"What did the Empress Dowager say?"
"Empress Mother said that Grandmother Empress should keep an eye on things, and then Father Emperor will probably make the final decision."
Upon hearing this, the Third Prince said, "This is a good thing. Your mother would never push you into a fire pit. Here's what I'll do: I'll have someone keep an eye out for suitable families in the capital. I'll make sure you don't marry a bad person."
The second princess lowered her head shyly.
"I'll do whatever my brother says."
The Third Prince immediately began to consider various options; his sister's marriage might be an opportunity.
Before Consort Rong left the palace, the second princess was the first princess to survive Kangxi's reign. At that time, Anle had not yet been born, and there was no legitimate princess. Her birth mother was a concubine, and she considered herself to be of noble status, so she was somewhat strong-willed and always wanted to be better than her older and younger sisters.
The eldest princess, Mingshan, was an adopted daughter, so she always yielded to her. The third princess, who was about the same age as her, was born to a noble lady, but not as noble as Consort Rong, so she also always yielded to the second princess.
Therefore, when it came to marriage, the second princess naturally wanted to find someone who was good in every way.
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