In the early spring of the 34th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign, the decree for the selection of concubines was issued from the Ministry of Rites, and the whole capital became excited.
This selection is to choose legitimate wives for the three princes. Now, the third prince is 18, the fourth prince is 17, and the fifth prince is 16. They are at the right age to get married, but they still don't have a legitimate wife to take charge of the family. It can't be delayed any longer.
As for the princes after Prince Rong, they are still young. According to the emperor and the empress's wishes, they will be kept until the next selection and then arranged for marriage.
The decree for the selection of concubines was issued, and the number of wives and wives who hired maids to govern the palace increased suddenly. When the ladies and princesses went out for small gatherings, they had endless thoughts and private conversations to share, and even the air seemed to be filled with the scent of peach blossoms.
The three princes in the palace who were about to get married were also uneasy.
The eldest prince was granted the title of Prince of Zhi, and now he has left the palace to start his own residence. The oldest among the princes is the third prince. The third prince's mother, Concubine Rong, has "passed away", and only his second sister, Rongxian, is left to depend on him. At first, he could not accept it, but the eldest prince's words suddenly woke him up.
It is difficult to disobey the emperor's order. What my mother did was not a small mistake. If he continues to be so depressed, it will be his sister who will be dragged down.
Yinzhi cried bitterly, and then asked someone to bring him a bronze mirror. He touched the tiny scar at the end of his eye, and suddenly remembered the scene when Fulu broke through the siege and risked his life to save him during the expedition to Junggar.
After having someone send a valuable gift and going to thank him in person, he stared at the bronze mirror in silence for a long time, feeling that he was too naive in the past for having lofty ambitions, dreaming unrealistic dreams, and confronting Fu Lu.
There's nothing to be unwilling about if I'm left with a scar.
The great principles in books are not as effective as those gained through personal experience.
…
Rongxian had already arranged a marriage with Prince □□.Gun of the Balin tribe. She was originally scheduled to get married in the 30th year of Kangxi's reign. However, because she was worried about Yinzhi, she asked Kangxi for mercy and stayed in the capital for a few more years.
She wanted to see Yinzhi get married, but due to the national mourning, the selection in the 31st year was suddenly cancelled. If she waited until the 34th year, she would have become an old maid.
She was not anxious, but the Third Prince was. His sister's marriage could no longer be delayed, and he was already of marriageable age, a "man" who could handle everything on his own. How could he have the face to trouble his sister to look after him
"Second sister, if mother knew, she would blame me." Yinzhi said word by word.
In the summer of the 32nd year of the Kangxi reign, the day before Rong Xian left for the grassland, he smiled and shed tears: "I have asked the Emperor for a final grace. When you get married, please allow me to return to the capital with my husband to meet the future Third Lady."
Now, he is really going to marry a wife.
Without his mother to plan for him, the Third Prince was completely confused as to the choice of his wife.
I was excited and nervous, but I couldn't help but have a longing. I wanted a beautiful woman who was well-educated and well-mannered. Appearance was secondary. If she understood Chinese studies, that would be even better.
The Fourth Prince did have a concubine who he was worried about, but it was all in vain. He had raised her for so many years, and she was so filial to him, who wouldn't love her? But the matter of marriage...
Concubine Cheng was so worried that she couldn't sleep at night. She asked Yinzhen what kind of wife he liked, and she only got one answer: someone who can manage the household.
Those who can become the legitimate wife must have good upbringing. Who can't manage the household
Concubine Cheng went to find Yunxiu with a worried look on her face, "Empress, this child is already so old, but he still hasn't figured it out. He is marrying a concubine, not a steward. If he takes out an abacus and asks the newlywed concubine to keep accounts on the wedding night, how can I sleep peacefully?"
When she thought of that scene, Concubine Cheng almost fainted.
Yun Xiu coughed lightly, suppressed her laughter and comforted her: "... Not really."
Concubine Cheng shook her head and sighed, "Your Majesty, you don't know that Yinzhen has a cold personality, but he is very serious inside. He doesn't know that Fu Jin is the one who will accompany him for the rest of his life. I am afraid that the couple will not be able to treat each other equally, and will become enemies who see each other every day! What should I do if I can't coax my wife?"
With the example of the Crown Prince and the shameful end of Longkodo's infatuation with Li Si'er, there was no need for Kangxi to repeatedly instruct the princes "not to favor concubines and sacrifice wives". The princes had already reached a consensus in their hearts that the eldest son could only be born to the wife, and that not distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate sons was the root cause of family chaos.
Under such circumstances, when the Fourth Prince was sixteen, a princess and a concubine appeared in the backyard, but he seemed to ignore them and visited them less than once a month. Therefore, he might not really understand the love between men and women.
Concubine Cheng's worries... are not without reason.
After seeing off the worried Concubine Cheng, Yun Xiu thought for a while and said, "Go and call the Fifth Prince."
Yinqi was handsome and much more obedient than Xiaojiu. Except for a period of mischief when he was young, he had become sensible and was a worry-free person. It was time to go home from school. Hearing that his mother had summoned him, he hurried into the palace to greet her: "Empress Mother."
Yun Xiu smiled and told him to excuse himself, then asked him directly, "What kind of wife does Xiao Wu like?"
Yinqi blushed slightly, thought for a while, and said, "It's up to you, mother."
—The answer was sincere and there was no perfunctory attitude at all. Yun Xiu could see it.
Her head was starting to hurt, too.
After thinking it over, Yun Xiu continued, "In this case, is it possible to treat your wife well in the future?"
Yinqi's face turned even redder, but his expression was very firm: "Son can definitely do it."
Yun Xiu raised her eyebrows and waved at him, "In that case, mother will give you a task..."
******
The Fifth Prince returned from Yuqing Palace like a thief, carrying three booklets in his arms.
He was familiar with this booklet. The only time Xiaojiu was spanked by the Emperor was because he leaked the contents of the booklet, which made the Emperor angry and embarrassed, and it was useless for the brothers to plead for mercy.
When he first read it, he was still young, but now when he read it again, he has different feelings.
Along the way, Yinqi seemed to realize something and covered it more tightly. When he arrived at Qianxi Wusuo, he strolled into the courtyard of the Third Prince and shouted loudly: "Third Brother!"
The Third Prince put down the book in his hand, walked quickly to the front of the courtyard, and asked in surprise: "Fifth brother?"
Then he smiled and asked him, "What are you doing here, brother San?"
Yinqi felt that the Third Prince had changed. He could no longer conceal his gentlemanly bookish air, and was less "arrogant" and "annoying" as Fulu had described him. He also got along well with his younger brothers.
Thinking of this, he handed over the booklet mysteriously and said, "A must-read before marriage, a good thing written by the Emperor himself."
Men of letters always dream of romance and love. If they get this, wouldn't it be like a fish in water, like a tiger with wings? Why would they be afraid of not being able to please their own wives
The third prince took it suspiciously, looked down, and saw the big words "Hadith" coming into view.
His expression immediately became pious and solemn, and he was just short of bathing, burning incense, and kneeling down to receive the order. Waves of joy surged in his heart. Was the emperor going to encourage him or admonish him
He held his breath and turned to the first page. His pupils shrank: "This—"
"My second brother's personal experience has been added to it, it's absolutely genuine." Yinqi leaned over and lowered his voice, "How do you think the emperor coaxed the emperor's mother, and how did my second brother coax my second sister-in-law?"
The Third Prince slowly opened his mouth, and after a while, he held the Hadith and said with emotion: "Fifth brother, I really want to thank you."
…
When we arrived at the Fourth Prince's courtyard, we saw a completely different scene.
>
The Fifth Prince and the Fourth Prince had a very good relationship, but somehow, Yinqi was a little afraid of him. Thinking of the accusation of the Ninth Brother against the Fourth Brother, Yinqi felt sympathetic, put on a serious look, called the Fourth Brother with a smile, and handed over the booklet in a proper manner.
Without waiting for Yinzhen to read it, Yinqi carefully reminded him: "Fourth brother, you must study it carefully. This is the homework assigned by the emperor. You don't have to memorize the whole article, but you must be familiar with it."
Yinzhen glanced at the big words "holy teachings" and nodded seriously, then said with some disapproval: "Fifth brother, you are off the track. For a work written by the emperor himself, it is essential to be able to recite it by heart. Wouldn't it be slack to just be familiar with it?"
“…” Yinqi took a small step back, shocked by the words “recite by heart”, and said with admiration, “A real man’s word is as good as gold. My younger brother is far inferior to my fourth brother.”
When he was about to turn around and leave, Yinqi slapped his head and finally remembered Yunxiu's instructions.
"On your wedding night, if you can't hold back your words, just recite the Hadith to your sister-in-law." Yinqi said in a low voice, "This is the Imperial Mother's oral order, so don't forget it."
The Empress Dowager's oral order
The Fourth Prince was completely confused by what he said. He wanted to refute but didn't know where to start. He finally nodded hesitantly.
Yinqi breathed a sigh of relief and ran away like the wind.
Looking down at the Hadith, Yinzhen calmed down his excitement and slowly turned to the first page.
“…” His ears gradually turned red.
As she looked at him, the blush gradually spread to her cheeks, and her face became as beautiful as a monkey's butt.
Yinzhen only felt that his whole body was hot and smoking, and the emotion called regret swept over him like an overwhelming force.
Recite it by heart...
His fingertips trembled slightly.
******
Time passed quickly, and in the early summer of the 34th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the selection process gradually came to an end.
After the Empress and the concubines reviewed the selections, the Emperor personally came to re-select and finally decided on the legitimate wives for the three princes.
The third concubine was Dong E, the fourth concubine was Ulanara, and the fifth concubine was Tatala - it is worth mentioning that the father of the fifth concubine was no longer a fifth-rank official in his previous life. He had been helped by the king's uncle Tu Yueti many years ago, and had made some achievements, becoming a second-rank official.
During the talent show, the Ninth Prince led the Fifth Prince to secretly climb up the rockery, saying that he wanted to see his future sister-in-law.
Yunxiu did not hide this from his ears. Afterwards, he summoned Yinqi and asked him, "You said you would let your mother decide. In this case, your mother chose Tala for you. Are you satisfied?"
Yinqi groaned for a long while, his voice as thin as a mosquito: "... Satisfied."
After the selection of the concubine was made, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department became busy.
The princes' weddings were arranged in order of precedence. When the third prince got married, Princess Rongxian and her husband returned to Beijing from afar. Hearing that the third wife was Peng Chun's daughter Dong E, Rongxian was very satisfied and told Yinzhi earnestly, "Dong E is well-educated and well-mannered. She is known as a talented woman in the boudoir. You must treat her well."
Yinzhi agreed immediately and looked forward to the wedding from then on, his eyes full of anticipation and eagerness.
No matter what, we can't let down the Emperor's Hadith, right
…
After the marriage, just looking at the shy look of the Third Lady, one could tell that the couple lived in harmony and peace, which made everyone envious.
The Fourth Prince became nervous unconsciously.
Whenever he felt nervous, he would start reciting the Hadith. This was a habit he had developed over the years. He would even fall asleep peacefully while reciting at night.
On the wedding night, Yinzhen lifted the veil with a wedding scale and looked into the eyes of his wife, Ulanara.
The Fourth Lady felt her heart pounding, her cheeks flushed, and she lowered her eyes to avoid that cold gaze.
Yinzhen opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be blocked by a ball of cotton. He couldn't utter a word for a long time, and his ears slowly turned red.
The bridal chamber fell into silence.
The Fourth Lady knew a thing or two about the Fourth Prince's temper. She did not expect her husband to speak first, so she took a deep breath, pinched the handkerchief and was about to speak, but the next moment, she heard extremely sincere and sweet words in her ears, which made her blush and did not stop for a moment.
Yinzhen clenched his fists and moved his lips: "I have been fond of you for a long time..."
The Fourth Lady suddenly looked up, unable to maintain her expression for a moment, surprised and terrified: "Really?"
"…" Yinzhen paused, blushing unconsciously, and continued, "There is no need to doubt my feelings for you. Fu Jin, you look very beautiful today."