In all fairness, Dorji’s looks were not bad; placed in the hall of the princess’s residence, he could serve as a fine decoration.
That was enough. Muxue was determined to make things clear to him during the wedding.
Since it was a political marriage, it would suffice if they maintained a semblance of peace on the surface. As for being a virtuous wife and a good mother—don’t even think about it!
The unofficial histories she had read before her soul-transmigration all claimed that the princesses of the Qing Dynasty led miserable lives. They lived separately from their consorts, and if they wished for a husband-and-wife life, they had to formally summon them. However, with the Steward Matron standing in the way, the princesses were often too embarrassed to summon their consorts. Consequently, princesses had very few children and were said to be "beautiful women with tragic lives" who died young.
Whether this was true or not, Muxue intended to turn these rules to her advantage.
Once the banquet concluded, the Qintianjian selected an auspicious day, and the wedding was set to be held in the capital in November. The Fourth Princess's formal title was also conferred: Princess Kejing Heshuo.
"Ke" signified respect and caution, while "Jing" signified tranquility and peace.
Upon hearing this title, Muxue understood roughly how Kangxi perceived her.
There was another important matter at hand: she had to master the Mongolian language.
The current Qing court was a trilingual environment—Manchu, Mongolian, and Han Chinese. Her Chinese was, of course, beyond reproach, and her Manchu was passable, but she had never put much effort into Mongolian. Her level was such that she could barely understand simple conversations, but anything more difficult was beyond her.
This was not enough. If she wanted to live a stable life on the grasslands in the future, she had to overcome the language barrier.
She didn't want people insulting her to her face without her understanding, let alone being unable to immediately snap back.
Thus, she obtained several Mongolian study books and, with the same drive she once used to study for the IELTS, she practiced from dawn till dusk.
The Fifth Prince was conscripted as her oral speaking partner, which made his life miserable. He ran to Yi Fei to complain:
Mother, I am willing to help, but I have to listen to the master lecture on the Analects at the Palace School. As soon as school is over, Fourth Sister catches me to speak Mongolian. My brain can't even switch gears! Yesterday, when I was reciting a text that was originally in Chinese, I ended up reciting it in Mongolian. She should at least take a break; the way she's going, it’s as if she’s preparing for the Imperial Examinations."
Yi Fei listened with a smile and timely handed him a bowl of chilled milk skin to stop his mouth.
"Alright, just bear with it. These next two months are the only time you’ll be able to accompany your fourth sister for a long while."
The moment Yi Fei said this, the Fifth Prince’s heart softened involuntarily.
"That’s true. Sigh…"
And so, he resigned himself to his fate and accompanied Muxue in her oral practice.
On the other side, Yi Fei was not idle either.
She intended to properly manage the personnel and affairs surrounding Muxue. However, ever since Kangxi began personally ruling, all matters within the palace, large and small, were handled by the Imperial Household Department under the Emperor's direct jurisdiction. Even someone of Yi Fei’s rank could at most manage the trivialities of Yikun Palace and the lesser concubines.
A major event like a princess's marriage—including her residence, Changli, guards, and dowry—required the officials of the Imperial Household Department to report to the Emperor for a final decision. She could not easily interfere.
One day, Yi Fei was summoned to accompany the Emperor.
Kangxi seemed to be in a good mood, so Yi Fei tentatively brought up the matter of the Fourth Princess.
"Speaking of which, the Fourth Princess’s wedding day is drawing ever closer. I wonder how the Imperial Household Department’s preparations are coming along."
Yi Fei massaged Kangxi’s shoulders as she spoke in a casual, conversational tone.
"This child's mother passed away early, and she eventually came to my palace. However, I have those two little rascals under my care and cannot divide myself; there are bound to be oversights. Now that she is to go for Fumeng, and to somewhere as far as Khalkha, I was thinking of taking some things from my private stores to add to her dowry. I wonder if that would be appropriate."
Kangxi closed his eyes to rest. "This is a gesture of your heart. Why would it not be appropriate?"
After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes and said, "This child has a shy disposition. As her father and mother, we should indeed be more concerned. The Imperial Household Department has already purchased several other estates in the capital specifically for the princesses and ladies to stay in. I will have someone bring the locations for you to see later, to decide which is most suitable for her. She can stay there during the wedding or when she returns to the capital to visit family in the future."
Yi Fei said joyfully, "The Emperor is indeed most thoughtful. I thank you on behalf of the Fourth Princess."
Kangxi gave a soft "mm" and said no more.
He had more and more princes and princesses now. Toward the children born later, especially those who were exceptionally quiet like the Fourth Princess, there was inevitably some neglect, just as Yi Fei had said.
But that did not mean he was entirely indifferent. A princess going for Fumeng was a matter he had decided. Since his youth, he had witnessed a harem that was almost entirely dominated by Mongolian concubines; as he grew older, he realized the impropriety of such a situation.
Therefore, after taking the reins of government, he rarely took Mongolian women into the palace. Instead, he chose to have princesses marry into the grasslands to maintain the Manchu-Mongol alliance. In the long run, the heirs of these Mongolian tribes would all carry Aisin Gioro blood. Generation after generation, they would be inseparable, a grand strategy to help stabilize the Qing Empire.
As a sovereign, he had to prioritize the interests of the nation. As a father, he did what he could to wait until the princesses were fully grown before sending them for Fumeng.
However, the Fourth Princess did seem a bit delicate; he wondered if she could withstand the wind and snow of the Mobei grasslands.
The next day, Kangxi specifically summoned the head of the Imperial Household Department and questioned him in detail about the preparations.
"The Fourth Princess’s dowry and the people accompanying her must be selected from the best. No negligence will be tolerated."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, your servant will certainly prepare with the utmost care!"
As soon as the head of the Imperial Household Department returned, he immediately gathered the relevant managers of the Seven Departments and Three Courts for a meeting!
"The Emperor has personally inquired about this. The Fourth Princess’s dowry and the people accompanying her must be the best! None of you are to be negligent! If anything goes wrong, no one will be able to bear the responsibility!"
"Rest assured, sir, we will certainly do our best and will absolutely handle this matter perfectly!"
The managers of the Seven Departments and Three Courts returned to their respective offices and immediately gathered their staff for a meeting!
"The Emperor has personally inquired, and the head official is personally supervising. The matters regarding the Fourth Princess’s marriage must be given high priority. This must be handled beautifully!"
Meeting adjourned.
A Xiao Kuguan of the Duanku within the six repositories of the Guangchu Si frowned as he hurried down the steps, complaining in his heart: Every single thing is important, every single thing is my responsibility! A single word from above, and those below run themselves ragged! It’s the truth!
Though he grumbled, he dared not be slack. The palace rules were strict, and there was a set process for taking items from the repository. There had to be a written document signed by a superior. After verification, three Xiao Kuguan had to be present simultaneously before they could get the keys from the guards, open the repository doors, and take out the required items.
As soon as the meeting ended, the Xiao Kuguan broke into a sprint, eager to draft the document to open the repository. He had to take advantage of the break in the meetings to quickly find the Tang Langzhong of the Imperial Household Department to get his signature of approval! If he missed this window and couldn't find the man, it would be a disaster.
The superiors naturally wouldn't care; at worst, they would just shift the blame, saying their subordinates were incompetent or intentionally delaying. However, when the time came to settle accounts, the ones getting scolded and punished would all be Xiao Kuguan like them!
Today his luck was good; he actually managed to catch the Tang Langzhong.
With a face full of smiles, the Xiao Kuguan carefully presented the drafted document and explained, "These are items selected for the Fourth Princess."
The Tang Langzhong took the document, glanced at it, and with a flourish of his brush, signed his name. He also lectured, "Be careful, pick the good ones."
"Rest assured, sir, I will certainly pick with great care. I will absolutely use the premium items from the recent tributes."
With bows and scrapes, the signature was obtained. Coming out, the Xiao Kuguan dared not delay for a moment. Holding the signed document, he hurried to find two other repository officials. The three of them rushed toward the guards of the Duanku. Upon arrival, the Xiao Kuguan, panting heavily, handed the document to the Duanku guard.
The Duanku guard took it and carefully checked the document and signature line by line. When he saw the date, he joked with a smile, "You’ve struck it rich this time; the documents are all ready within a single day."
"Isn't that the truth," the Xiao Kuguan said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "If only things went this smoothly every time, it would save us servants from living in fear and running all over the place."
The doors of the Duanku opened, and the three officials went inside. They selected forty Shu Jin handkerchiefs of excellent quality, thirty Zhou Chou handkerchiefs, and eighty Bai Cui Lan Bu handkerchiefs. They respectfully packed them into boxes tied with red silk.
These handkerchiefs were but a tiny part of the Fourth Princess’s dowry.
In the other six repositories of the Guangchu Si, the Yinku selected full-weight silver of fine appearance, and the Piku chose furs with excellent coats. Every department was busy, collectively preparing the items for Princess Kejing Heshuo’s dowry.