Wen Xian and Xiao Liu, newly arrived in the countryside, were immediately dazzled by the magnificent and bustling scene, lingering and admiring the sights. Yinreng, meanwhile, was drinking tea at a nearby teahouse. The Longjing tea there was coarse and the broth not clear enough, far inferior to the tribute tea from the palace. In just one month, Yinreng’s palate had become quite discerning. He put down his teacup and sighed inwardly, “Indeed, it’s easy to go from frugality to extravagance.”
Teahouses in the Kangxi era were bustling. At this time, the Manchus had only been in power for fifty years, and customs were quite open. Storytellers recounted tales of the Ming Dynasty, and people discussed current affairs. However, the people of the capital, under the emperor’s nose, remained mostly vigilant, discussing trivial matters that didn’t involve power struggles.
As the sun set, Yinreng rose, went to the street to find his two young masters, and they returned to the palace together. Xiao Liu obediently followed behind Wen Xian. Wen Xian, reluctant to leave, wanted to play a little longer, but a stern glare from her Crown Prince brother silenced her.
Once inside the palace, Yinreng ordered the two princesses to be sent to their respective mothers, while he went to the Qianqing Palace to report back.
After Yinreng left, Wen Xian hadn’t gone far when she said to Xiao Liu, “Xiao Liu, let’s not go to our mothers yet, let’s go pay our respects to the Empress Dowager.”
Xiao Liu nodded obediently.
The eunuch sent by Yinreng couldn’t stop them, and considering they were going to the Empress Dowager’s palace, he figured nothing bad would happen, so he reluctantly changed course.
In the Cining Palace, both the Empress Dowager and the Empress were present. After Wen Xian and Xiao Liu greeted the Empress Dowager, they were both pulled to her side by the Empress Dowager.
“Good children, come and tell your grandmother who you met today?”
Wen Xian and Xiao Liu’er then described in detail all the young ladies they met at the Nalan residence. Although they were young, they had excellent memories. Although their descriptions were varied, they remembered every word and action clearly.
This chrysanthemum-viewing banquet, where all the young ladies of the capital gathered, was vividly presented to the two empress dowagers.
“Judging from Wen Xian’s words, that girl from the Shi family is intelligent, decisive, and knows how to be sensible; she’s quite good.” The Grand Empress Dowager nodded slowly. “She’s not rash, knows how to conceal her talents, and isn’t one to cause trouble.” The Empress Dowager also praised her repeatedly. Remembering something, she asked Wen Xian in Manchu, “Does that girl speak Mongolian? If not, how well does she speak Manchu? If she can enter the palace in the future, she can keep me company.”
Wen Xian was about to complain to the old matriarch about that ungrateful woman blocking her way, but unexpectedly, the old matriarch praised her. Now, upon hearing the Empress Dowager’s inquiry, even the clever little girl couldn’t answer: “She, she probably doesn’t understand…”
The Empress Dowager was quite disappointed. It was truly a pity that the wife Bao Cheng would marry in the future couldn’t keep her company.
The Empress Dowager glanced helplessly at the Empress Dowager, seeing her simple and clueless appearance, and sighed. She could only console herself that at least she had become Empress Dowager. She then asked Wen Xian a few more questions, rewarded her with some snacks, and ordered the nannies to escort the two of them back to the palace.
“Princess, which girl do you think is the best?” the Empress Dowager asked, turning to Su Mala Gu, who had been smiling silently in the corner. Although Sumalagu was highly respected by the palace mistresses, she never forgot her duty. Hearing her mistress’s question, she stepped forward respectfully and replied, “In my humble opinion, the daughters of the Wu Ya, Tong Jia, Dong E, Guo Luo Luo, and Shi families are all quite lovely. However, according to the Fifth Princess, the Crown Prince asked about the Shi family’s name?”
The Empress Dowager pondered for a long time before finally saying, “The palace has been quiet for quite some time. While my old bones can still move, please invite the young ladies from these families to come to the palace and keep me company.”
Sumalagu understood and softly agreed.
Yinreng left the Qianqing Palace, someone from the Eastern Palace reported that Lord Suo’etu had come to pay his respects to the Crown Prince.
Suo’etu? What was he doing here? Yinreng had never met Suo’etu, but he had heard of him for a long time. From the memories Yinreng had left him, Suo’etu was the one who led the Crown Prince’s faction in court, and Yinreng treated him with great kindness. However, even though he didn’t understand history, he knew that the more trouble one caused, the worse the outcome; the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
However, he still didn’t understand Kangxi’s character. Aside from the famous Kangxi-Qianlong era of prosperity, there was the Yongzheng reign, characterized by its harsh laws and enlightened politics, whose ruler was the fourth prince, Yinzhen, and the extremely fierce struggle for succession among the nine princes in Kangxi’s later years. He knew nothing else.
Yinreng again berated himself, “Why did you, a time traveler, study civil engineering? Are you going to build Kangxi’s imperial tomb in the Qing Dynasty? You idiot!”
No matter how much his inner turmoil ran through Yinreng, he remained outwardly calm, walking slowly and deliberately with one hand behind his back. Seven or eight young eunuchs in blue robes followed behind him. Influenced by the memories of the former crown prince, his demeanor and bearing increasingly resembled the prince’s haughty air. Even at only thirteen years old, he possessed an imposing nobility and majesty.
Kangxi needed to be able to visit the crown prince at any time; therefore, Yuqing Palace and Qianqing Palace were not far apart. After crossing a wide square and a straight bluestone palace path, a turn led to the main gate of Yuqing Palace.
As soon as Yinreng stepped into Yuqing Palace, his wet nurse, Granny Li, stepped forward and curtsied, then asked solicitously, “Second Prince, have you been away all day? Are you tired or hungry? This servant has prepared a strong pheasant soup; please have a bowl to soothe your fatigue.”
Suo’etu was still waiting inside. Yinreng said, “Leave it there; I’ll have it later,” and then went inside.
Upon seeing the Crown Prince enter, Suo’etu respectfully rolled up his sleeves and knelt to pay his respects: “This servant Suo’etu greets the Crown Prince. Long live the Crown Prince!”
Yinreng felt a chill run down his spine and bent down to help him up, saying, “Please rise, Prime Minister Suo’etu.”
“Thank you, Crown Prince.”
Suo’etu stood up respectfully, his eyes showing a hint of elder’s affection. He glanced at Yinreng briefly before immediately lowering his head, his expression solemn and composed, once again displaying the respectful demeanor of a subject. Yinreng sat down on the throne and said to those on either side, “Please take a seat.”
Immediately, eunuchs brought over brocade stools. Suo’etu thanked the emperor, barely managing to sit halfway down, and bowed slightly before saying to Yinreng, “This servant has come regarding the matter of the Russian Kingdom.”
Yinreng had heard of the Russian Kingdom sending envoys to court recently. In May of the 24th year of Kangxi’s reign, after the emperor quelled the “Rebellion of the Three Feudatories,” he immediately dispatched troops to Aigun to fight against the Russian forces that had repeatedly harassed the border. General Peng Chun led the attack, directly penetrating Yaksa. The Qing army withdrew, but the Russians returned. In the 25th year of Kangxi’s reign, the Qing army attacked Yaksa again, killing the Russian leader, Tolbuzin, and inflicting heavy casualties on the Russian army.
The Russian king “begged for the lifting of the siege of Yaksa” and sent Golovin as ambassador to negotiate with the Qing.
How majestic! Tsarist Russia begged the Qing Dynasty to withdraw its troops. Yinreng, a descendant of the Yellow Emperor for two generations, was filled with pride. However… Yinreng glanced at Suo’etu, who seemed to have much to say, and gestured for him to continue.
“The Russian envoy is quite arrogant, and His Majesty is very angry, wanting to send ministers to deal with him. Mingzhu intends to use this task to curry favor with the Emperor. This servant doesn’t intend to compete with him, but with Mingzhu’s limited talent, it’s hard to guarantee he won’t damage the prestige of our Great Qing in front of foreign envoys. Besides…” Suo’etu paused, then said with particular seriousness, “Since his wedding, the First Prince has become increasingly prominent in court. If Mingzhu also gets this task and receives praise from His Majesty, the First Prince’s arrogance will surely increase, which would be detrimental to Your Highness.”
So, unable to handle Mingzhu, he had come to Yuqing Palace for help. Yinreng glanced at Suo’etu, his gaze sharp as a sword, much like the Emperor’s. Suo’etu lowered his head in respect. Yinreng pondered for a moment, then slowly said, “Yinreng is too young to participate in politics. I deeply agree with what my uncle said. However, Father Emperor is a wise and benevolent ruler for all ages. He must have a firm grasp on this small Russian kingdom. It is not appropriate for Yinreng to offer any opinions.” Soetu showed a slight disappointment, then heard Yinreng continue, “Yaksa has been besieged twice, a truly dire situation. The envoys are not only not humble and begging, but also arrogant. They are certainly not easy to deal with. Moreover, this concerns the territory, and the responsibility is immense.” “Father Emperor is extremely cautious in choosing his men, so Uncle, please rest assured and simply obey His Majesty’s orders.”
These words conveyed three layers of meaning: first, Yinreng was still a Crown Prince without political power and didn’t want to get involved; second, while success would bring great honor and reward, it wouldn’t be easy, and the responsibility would be correspondingly heavy; third, Emperor Kangxi had his own plans, and Suo’etu should simply follow orders and stop making unfounded guesses.
Suo’etu listened carefully, pondering the Crown Prince’s words, and found them quite reasonable. Success would be good, but failure would surely incur the Emperor’s wrath, and given the matter’s importance to the empire, he might even incur eternal infamy. Despite this, the thought of Mingzhu’s arrogance made Suo’etu extremely uncomfortable. He then thought, “The Crown Prince is already thirteen, old enough to choose a consort. Once the Crown Prince is married and attends court with the Emperor, let’s see how long Yinti can remain so arrogant!
” “Your Highness, there’s something I’m hesitant to say.”
This kind of opening usually makes things very awkward. Yinreng wanted to say, “Then don’t say anything, just leave.” Unfortunately, one is often caught in a dilemma, so he smiled and said, “Uncle, please speak freely.”
“The First Prince has been married for almost two years, but there’s still no news of a consort. If Your Highness could surpass the First Prince and give birth to the Emperor’s eldest grandson, the Emperor would surely be pleased,” Suo’etu said solemnly.
“Damn it!” J Liangren almost cursed. “You old bastard, you even interfere in my private affairs! Don’t you give me any personal space?! Can the eldest grandson of the emperor be managed by me alone?! Can he manage alone?!” Thinking of this, J Liangren, with her three wives and four concubines in her mind, knelt down. Her face changed drastically, and fear and despair suddenly appeared in her eyes. Did this mean that she, she too, would have to experience being on top of many different women and doing those lewd things? Her crotch twitched, then went limp again. Liangren gritted her teeth. She absolutely refused to be a stud!
The Empress Dowager didn’t understand the deeper meaning of their conversation, but she was still happy to hear that young ladies would come to the palace to keep her company.