“You don’t need to worry about this. It’s something your mother and father should be concerned about. What you need to do now is grow up happily. As for everything else, your mother and father will pave the way for you,” Hesheli Shi said. She only had this one daughter, while her son would have the family to rely on in the future. But for her Yujin, it was only her parents who could plan for her.
“Alright, it’s getting late. I’ll have the servants bring in the meal,” Hesheli Shi said, changing the subject to prevent her daughter from overthinking.
Lanzhu understood her mother’s intentions and smiled compliantly, “I’m just getting hungry. Today, I want to eat roasted pigeon from the main kitchen.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll do as you wish,” her mother replied.
Forbidden City, Cining Palace
“Master, Tongjia Gege is only thirteen this year. Isn’t this a bit of an overreaction?” Su Ma Lagu didn’t understand why her master was so wary of a young girl.
In her view, although Tongjia Gege was attractive, she wasn’t the most beautiful in the harem. For instance, she thought Concubine Ma Jia was more beautiful, yet her master wasn’t wary of her.
“Su Ma, this cousin relationship… You see, the Emperor didn’t show anything special towards Tongjia Shi before, but I can tell that he feels differently about her,” the Grand Empress Dowager said.
“I don’t want to see the same situation as with Fulin, so I’m taking preemptive measures. Even if I’m wrong in the end, I can always compensate Tongjia Shi,” she continued.
“The Aisin Gioro family is prone to romantic entanglements. I’m just preventing problems before they arise!” The Grand Empress Dowager would never forget how her husband treated Hailanzhu, nor how Fulin treated Dong Eshi. As long as she was around, even if the Emperor had feelings for Tongjia Shi, she would never allow it!
She hoped Tongjia Shi wouldn’t disappoint her!
Such a perceptive young girl, she didn’t want to have to use her methods on her.
“Do you think Tongjia Shi figured out why I sent them away today?”
“I don’t know about others, but Tongjia Gege definitely figured it out, yet she still avoided it,” Su Ma Lagu said, having served her master for decades and understanding Tongjia Gege’s thoughts.
“So I hope she remains this smart.”
“But the harem is a big dye vat; no one can guarantee they won’t be influenced forever.”
“I’m sixty-two this year. I can’t keep an eye on the Emperor for many more years. Once I’m gone, there will be no one left in the Forbidden City to advise him.”
“Master, what are you saying? You’ll definitely live a long life,” Su Ma Lagu couldn’t bear to hear her master talk like this.
She had no family; her master was her lifelong support.
“What are you saying?”
“Who can live to a hundred? I’ve lived this long and feel it’s been worth it,” the Grand Empress Dowager said, looking at Su Ma Lagu with a peaceful expression.
“I don’t know about others, but you definitely can!”
“Alright, go bring me the Buddhist scriptures Tongjia Shi copied today.”
“I’ll go right away.”
The Grand Empress Dowager wanted to see if Tongjia Shi was as calm as she appeared.
No matter how someone disguises themselves, their handwriting can reveal some of their true character.
Especially when it comes to Buddhist scriptures, which test one’s temperament.
When the Grand Empress Dowager received the Buddhist scriptures copied by Tongjia Shi, even though she was somewhat prepared, she was still slightly taken aback.
The rice paper Su Ma Lagu brought over was filled with meticulously written small characters, each stroke full of charm. The Grand Empress Dowager could tell that Tongjia Shi had put a lot of effort into her handwriting.
Moreover, the entire scripture was completed in one go, indicating that the person copying it had an extremely calm mind.
“She has a good temperament.”
“I just wonder how long she can maintain it after entering the palace.”
The Grand Empress Dowager then handed the scriptures to Su Ma Lagu, “Take them to the Buddha hall for offering.”
“Yes, Master.”
Tongjia Residence, Main Courtyard
“Master, Yujin…” Hesheli Shi looked at her husband, hesitating to speak.
“Wife, I understand what you want to say.”
“However, the next selection won’t be for another three years. It’s too early to make arrangements now.” Whether from the perspective of the Tongjia clan or as a father, Tong Guowei wanted his daughter to be happy.
In this generation of the Tongjia family, Yujin was the only legitimate Gege, and she was doted on immensely.
Moreover, the Tongjia clan was already the Emperor’s maternal family, and the Emperor showed them many favors. As the saying goes, ‘the human heart is never satisfied.’ Excessive prosperity isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Family honor should be fought for by the sons, not by sending the daughters into the palace to maintain it!
“Master, does the Emperor… have such intentions?” The most crucial thing now was to see the Emperor’s intentions. As long as the Emperor hadn’t made up his mind, any difficulties could be resolved one by one.
“Wife, the Emperor now holds great power, and I can no longer guess his thoughts.” The Emperor was no longer the young ruler whose court was controlled by the four regents. He was now a mature and competent monarch.
“Doesn’t Big Brother’s family have a concubine’s daughter who will be of age for the selection in three years? What do you think…” Hesheli Shi’s idea was to use a concubine’s daughter to replace Yujin in entering the palace.
Although she knew this idea was somewhat naive, she had to try.
“Are you talking about Big Brother’s second daughter?”
Big Brother only had two Gege under his care. The eldest, Mingxiu, had already participated in the selection, and the second, Mingyu, was about the same age as Yujin.
But a concubine’s daughter… as long as the noble people in the palace had any sense, they wouldn’t choose her.
“Yes.”
Tong Guowei sighed, “Wife, putting aside the difference between legitimate and concubine-born daughters, do you think the palace would give up a valuable porcelain for a worthless tile?”
“I know, but because it’s difficult, I want to try.”
“I want to keep Yujin by my side,” Hesheli Shi said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Tong Guowei wanted the same, but as the Emperor’s maternal family, they had to unconditionally support the Emperor’s decisions.
This was both the honor and the shackle of being the Emperor’s maternal family!
“Rest early.”
…
A month before New Year’s Eve, Lanzhu accompanied her mother to Baoguo Temple in the capital to offer incense.
“Go play, don’t just sit here with me,” Hesheli Shi said, wanting to find the abbot to draw lots. Since it concerned Yujin, she let her daughter go out for a walk.
“You’ve been cooped up in the residence for so long, go out and walk around,” Hesheli Shi said, pushing her daughter away without giving her a chance to refuse.
Lanzhu had no choice but to take Liu Chun and Liu Xia to the back mountain.
It was the middle of winter, and the back mountain of Baoguo Temple was filled with various plum blossoms. If one could ignore the biting cold wind, it was indeed a good place to visit.
Lanzhu was the type who didn’t like to move around, and in this weather, she was even more reluctant to leave the warmth of her room.
But since her mother had things to do, she couldn’t follow her.
“Eldest Miss, shall we go for a walk in the back mountain?” Liu Chun, who had served the Eldest Miss for many years, naturally knew her temperament. But there was nowhere else to go, and the back mountain was considered a good spot.
Lanzhu glanced at the trees swaying in the wind outside. To be honest, she didn’t want to take a single step out.
But with Nanny Yun watching her from behind, she couldn’t stay even if she wanted to.
Lanzhu tucked her neck into the white fox fur, hugged the delicate hand warmer in her hands, and slowly moved into the snow.
Fortunately, the path was paved with bluestone slabs, and the snow had been swept clean, so there was no worry about getting her shoes and socks wet.
The three of them walked for about two quarters of an hour before Lanzhu’s eyes reflected the sight of a mountain full of colorful, blooming plum blossoms.
In the middle of a patch of fiery red plum trees stood three unfamiliar men.
At the sight of people, Lanzhu’s first reaction was to turn around and leave, but the commotion on their side quickly caught the attention of the people over there.
Lanzhu wanted to leave just like that, but the people over there had already come over.
Seeing this, Liu Chun and Liu Xia hurriedly stood in front of the Eldest Miss, using their bodies to shield her completely.
Although the Manchu people weren’t as strict about the separation of men and women as the Han people, there was no one else around. What if they accidentally offended the Gege?
But when the two of them saw who was coming, their vigilance eased considerably.
“This servant greets Tongjia Gege,” the person said in a sharp yet calm voice. It was a very familiar eunuch.
“Eunuch Liang, you’re too polite,” Lanzhu said, turning slightly to avoid Liang Jiugong’s salute.
She was just a minister’s Gege without any rank, not qualified to receive the salute of the Emperor’s chief eunuch.
Liang Jiugong was the chief eunuch by the Emperor’s side, holding the rank of fourth grade.
Seeing Tongjia Gege’s actions, the smile on Liang Jiugong’s lips became more genuine.
He had to admit, Tongjia Gege’s cleverness surpassed that of many concubines in the harem.
Liang Jiugong could genuinely feel that Tongjia Gege didn’t look down on him because he was a eunuch, nor did she flatter him because he was the chief eunuch by the Emperor’s side. This kind of interaction made Liang Jiugong feel very comfortable.
“Did Tongjia Gege come to offer incense today as well?” Liang Jiugong straightened up slightly but didn’t keep his eyes on Tongjia Gege’s face. After a brief glance, he lowered his gaze.
“I came with my mother to offer incense,” Lanzhu said, looking at her cousin, the Emperor, in the distance, without any intention of going over.
“Why don’t you come over and sit for a while?”
“There’s a pavilion over there. You can sit down, have some hot tea, and rest for a bit.” As the close attendant by the master’s side, Liang Jiugong understood the master’s thoughts better than others.
The master seemed to treat Tongjia Gege the same as everyone else, but Liang Jiugong knew that the master felt differently about her.
Lanzhu looked up at the plum grove and happened to meet a pair of deep, dark eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she then pretended to look away casually, “Alright.”
Since Liang Jiugong had said so, it must have been with the Emperor’s permission. Besides, it was just a conversation, which wouldn’t take much effort.
Lanzhu led her people over and stopped more than a zhang away from the Emperor, “This servant greets Your Majesty.”
Kangxi looked at his cousin, who was standing quite far away, and the secret joy in his heart settled down, “Cousin, do we really have to be so distant with each other?”
“Your Majesty, etiquette cannot be neglected.” If it were in the past, Lanzhu might have been happy that her cousin was close to her.
But ever since she learned of the Grand Empress Dowager’s intentions, Lanzhu had felt uncomfortable.
Kangxi looked at the gentle and calm Lanzhu with a complicated expression, guessing the reason for her change in attitude, “Yujin, you…”
Kangxi wanted to ask if she knew his thoughts, but he opened his mouth and didn’t ask in the end.
Does the answer matter?
It doesn’t matter!
Whether Yujin was willing or not, in three years, she would definitely enter the palace!
His mother was gone, the Empress was gone, and he wanted Yujin to stay with him in the future!
He was the Emperor; there was nothing he couldn’t do!
In time, she would understand his heart.
“Cousin, you seem to have lost weight. Have you not been eating well lately?” Kangxi didn’t want to dwell on the unanswered question and changed the subject.
“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. It’s just that I’m at the age of growing, so I look thinner,” Lanzhu replied with a gentle smile.
Kangxi was taken aback by Lanzhu’s words, “Yujin, you don’t have to refer to yourself like that. In front of me, you are just Yujin.”
In the past, they had gotten along well, but since the Empress’s death, this was their first private meeting, and he felt that Yujin had become much colder.
Author’s Note:
Dear readers, let’s make a deal. Can we have fewer updates on weekends after entering V?
It’s hard to keep up, and the money-eating beast is too troublesome! Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or watered me with nutrient solution between 2035-05-09 35:10:49 and 2035-05-11 04:14:24~
Thank you to the little angels who watered me with nutrient solution: Zzz 17 bottles; Qiangym 1 bottle;
Thank you all for your support, I will continue to work hard!