"Are you sure it's him?"
The Second Princess had never met the man; she had only heard from her brother that he was a good person. Compared to the person chosen by Emperor Kangxi, the Second Princess clearly trusted the Third Prince more.
The second princess was favored when she was young. Although Emperor Kangxi did not pay much attention to his daughters after she grew up, she was still the most favored among the princesses because of Consort Rong's protection.
Later, for the sake of Youqing, Emperor Kangxi left the harem empty, and her mother also requested to leave the palace. In her heart, the Second Princess regarded Youqing as a bewitching vixen, but she dared not say it openly. She could only mutter it to herself in private, and dared not say it aloud.
In her mind, Kangxi had been bewitched by the vixen, and he would definitely listen to her. How could the vixen possibly care about her?
Thinking of this, the second princess nodded firmly: "I'm sure."
Kangxi looked at the Second Princess and couldn't help but say a few more words. After all, she was his daughter. Even though he knew it wasn't a good place, if he could persuade her to stay, he would naturally try to dissuade her.
"When a woman marries, although I can protect you from being bullied, once you're married, I can't protect you in everything. Do you understand?"
The second princess lowered her head upon hearing this, feeling resentful. What did she mean by "cannot protect"? It was simply that she didn't want to protect them.
She didn't even consider that Kangxi had so many daughters, many of whom were more devoted than her. She had never even said a few kind words to Kangxi, so why should Kangxi protect her regardless of personal gain or loss?
Just because she's Emperor Kangxi's daughter?
Emperor Kangxi didn't need another daughter like her.
“My daughter understands.”
Kangxi waved his hand helplessly, "Go back! I have granted your request this time, and whatever the consequences may be, you will have to bear them."
The second princess didn't believe it. Could it be that marrying into a good family was worse than marrying into a family of humble origins? She harbored resentment and was determined to make her life better.
After seeing the Second Princess off, Liang Jiugong noticed Kangxi's worried and troubled expression and quickly said, "Your Majesty, it's about time for the Empress to have her meal."
Upon hearing this, Kangxi put down the book he had been holding but couldn't get into and said, "Let's go to the Empress's place."
When Youqing heard that Emperor Kangxi had summoned the two princesses, she saw that he did not look relaxed when he came over, and knew in her heart that the talks probably did not go well.
"What are your plans, princesses?"
Emperor Kangxi sighed: "The Third Princess will proceed according to the original plan. As for the Second Princess, let her do as she pleases."
"Should I try to persuade them again?"
"No need. She's stubborn and has taken some advice from someone. She's convinced that I won't do anything for her, and she'll only understand the truth after she suffers."
Youqing had no feelings for the second princess, but she could understand Kangxi. After becoming a mother, Youqing often thought about what Anle would be like when she grew up.
Only after suffering do we understand the truth. As parents, we are heartbroken when our children get hurt, especially since it is a major life event. No wonder Emperor Kangxi was troubled.
Youqing then stopped asking about the matter.
In the afternoon, Kangxi went to the Empress Dowager and told her about the arrangements for the two princesses.
"I originally intended to find two families with modest backgrounds but good family traditions for the two of them. The Third Princess was obedient and well-behaved, but the Second Princess was unwilling. I said a few words to her, but she still refused, so I gave in to her wishes. The Third Princess was betrothed to Niu Gulu Qingge, the second son of Niu Gulu Xing'an, a member of the Niu Gulu branch. The Second Princess was betrothed to Namuzhu, the eldest son of Maska."
Maska's surname was Fucha. His four brothers of the same generation all held important positions in the court. Emperor Kangxi investigated and found that Maska was capable and competent, but his two sons were not very successful.
Maska not only held an important position but also held some noble titles. The Fucha family was quite prominent, yet they never sent their daughters into the imperial harem.
Men rise through military merit, and it must have been difficult for the Second Princess to select him after careful consideration.
The Empress Dowager was taken aback upon hearing this, as the whereabouts of her two granddaughters were not within her consideration.
The third princess married too low, and the second princess married too high.
Although the Empress Dowager also wanted her granddaughter to marry well, she never considered the Fucha family. Such a prominent family, with four brothers, each capable and holding military power, the Empress Dowager knew what she could and could not touch. Unfortunately, the second princess did not know this.
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but sigh: "Have you really decided?"
Kangxi nodded: "It's settled."
"Then let's do as the emperor wishes!"
"Um."
The Empress Dowager did her best, but she was ultimately an Empress Dowager without real power. Her current dignity was given to her by Emperor Kangxi, who was willing to give her face, and the Empress Dowager knew she couldn't go too far.
The matter is settled. The emperor has come today to inform us, not to discuss it.
Seeing that the Empress Dowager readily agreed, Kangxi continued, "The Empress has never arranged a princess's wedding before, so I'll have to trouble Your Majesty with this matter."
The Empress Dowager was pleased to hear this.
She couldn't decide who her granddaughter married, but at least she arranged the wedding, so it should at least have some dignity.
This matter should have been handled by Empress Youqing herself, and the Empress Dowager knew that she owed the Empress a debt of gratitude.
"Of course, I guarantee that both of my granddaughters will have a grand and glorious wedding."
After Kangxi left, the smile on the Empress Dowager's face disappeared. The future of her two granddaughters was already decided; whether it would be bright or bleak was hard to say.
The Empress Dowager understood all too well the helplessness of women. What good was a princess's nobility? How many daughters who were once noble in their maternal homes ended up suffering a lifetime of hardship after marriage?
She was of noble birth, a princess of the Khorchin, who entered the palace with the honors due to an empress. But what was the result? Emperor Shunzhi could not even look at her properly and even verbally humiliated her.
The Empress Dowager had grown up in luxury and had never suffered such humiliation. She wanted to return to the grasslands at that time and was unwilling to enter the palace. However, she had no choice. Emperor Shunzhi was unwilling to be controlled by his own mother and had no ability to resist. He showed his power to this empress sent by the Mongols.
At that time, the Empress Dowager was still young and felt extremely wronged. She felt that the Forbidden City was a cage. She thought that if she were to be entangled with Shunzhi for the rest of her life, she would die young.
She entered the palace a few years later, Emperor Shunzhi died. Although she appeared to be sad, as a young widow, anyone would say how tragic it was.
But in the dead of night, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but feel fortunate. If Shunzhi were alive, she would have died long ago. Although it wasn't a good thing, that's how the Empress Dowager thought. Who would want to die if they could live?
Life in the palace was precious these past years, but no matter how precious it was, it couldn't compare to the grasslands of the past. Before she got married, those were the happiest days of the Empress Dowager's life.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty has arranged suitable marriages for the two princesses, so why are you sighing!"
The Empress Dowager said, "The Second Princess has become too arrogant because of Consort Rong's upbringing. I knew this before, but after she was raised by my side for a few years, I thought she had changed her personality because she became more obedient. Who knew she would still be so strong-willed? The Third Princess's husband's family is not of high status, but they are a good family and are suitable for the Third Princess's personality. What I am worried about is the Second Princess."
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