In the thirty-fourth year of Kangxi, at the end of summer.
Allowing the consorts to leave the palace was no small matter.
Kangxi did not refuse Fang He’s request, yet, unusually, he did not give her a definite answer either.
If he really permitted Fang He’s request, even the ancestors would probably appear in his dreams at night, intent on beating to death this first emperor to dissolve the harem.
Worse yet, the history books might record him as a man who feared his wife.
But Fang He smiled like a cat that had stolen oil.
She understood Kangxi’s temperament well.
For matters that gave him a headache, if he intended to refuse—even to her—he would propose a compromise.
For instance, every summer Fang He always wanted to return to sleep at Shouxuan Chun Yong Hall.
Kangxi compromised by forbidding her from returning, but left a sleeping chamber for Fang He within Chunhui Hall.
Yet most of the time when Fang He woke up, she found that he had shamelessly come to sleep in ‘her’ chamber.
But since she slept soundly and no one else dared to interfere, the so-called separate beds were nothing but a formality.
But if he neither agreed nor refused, then he had no intention of rejecting her, just waiting to see how she would take the matter into her own hands.
At this, Fang He became spirited.
Given a chance to play her hand… well, perhaps this time the selection of maidens could be even livelier!
At the end of June, Kangxi took the already-recovered Crown Prince and the imperial princes for an outing, even bringing along the Eleventh Prince, Yinci, and Er Bao.
The princesses included the eldest, the Second Princess, and Jiujiu, who insisted on joining.
Compared to battling wits with her annoying little brothers, Jiujiu much preferred riding horses on the grasslands.
Beimeng had rendered valuable assistance to Great Qing in the recent victorious campaign, and Kangxi could not leave them unrewarded.
The promise made earlier to the tribes to allow their children to study in the Shang Shufang had been put into practice since the beginning of the year.
During this period, the Eldest Princess’s biological Father, Prince Changning, had set his eyes on a son-in-law for his daughter—a distant cousin of the Khorchin Junwang from the right wing of the Zhassaktu Khanate, the First Rank Taiji, Borchigit Bandi, who happened to be the Empress Dowager’s grandnephew.
The man was brave and skilled in battle, a commander of the Mongol Bannermen.
In the campaign against the Jungar, he had slain many cavalry from the Western Desert.
Yet he was uncommonly honest and reserved, appearing entirely reliable.
When Changning submitted the memorial, Kangxi immediately knew who he meant.
Bandi was one of the few from the Beimeng students in the Shang Shufang who had left a lasting impression on him.
This was a truly clever man.
His grades in the Shang Shufang never exceeded those of the imperial princes, but he was much better than their study companions and outstanding among the Beimeng students.
As for the Eldest Princess, Hajilan, being adopted, she had always been low-profile in the palace and gentle in temperament.
Bandi truly was a good match.
The Second and Third Princesses were also over twenty now, and Kangxi had taken a liking to two other Beimeng youths.
By all rights, this time, the Third Princess should have traveled north as well.
But it was not a matter of sending the princesses for marriage alliances, rather to show Beimeng that their children sent to the capital would truly be trusted and favored by the court, could even be considered as imperial sons-in-law, and that it would not hinder their official prospects.
In this way, Beimeng would be further encouraged to serve Great Qing loyally.
Unfortunately, before departure, the Third Princess fell ill and could not join, so she would have to wait for the next opportunity.
After Kangxi left the palace, the Empress Dowager ceased to meddle, and so Changchun Garden truly became Fang He’s domain.
Other than the Inner Cabinet’s duty room, which she could not interfere with, everywhere else was under her sway, and no one dared obstruct her.
Thus, with Kangxi just out the palace gates, the very next day Fang He summoned Wei Zhu, the deputy steward of the Imperial Household Department, as well as Xiong Cilu, the Minister of Rites, to Dianthus Pavilion.
“His Majesty has said before that the selection of maidens concerns the dignity of Great Qing and is also an opportunity to display the strength of the Eight Banners to the Han people,” Fang He raised her status matter-of-factly before the two.
“Since the selection will be held outside the palace, I believe more people ought to witness the poise of our noble girls under the Banners, so that they may set an example for Han womenfolk, and help foster a sense of belonging to the court among the common people. What do you both think?”
Wei Zhu: “….”
He thought, Elder Sister must be spouting nonsense.
She just wanted to see some excitement and felt the current maiden selection outside the palace was still much the same as within.
In truth, Fang He couldn’t help but feel that, no matter how meticulously the palace refined the rules for selecting maidens from the outside world, how much it dressed the process up as fair and orderly, those girls were still only being transferred from one gilded cage to another.
No matter how grand the new cage, it offered no real space for them to discover who they truly were or what they might be worth on their own.
Women could not remain forever confined to the Noble Ladies’ Residence—they too deserved a stage of their own.
Fang He was cautious by nature and knew she did not have the organizational skills of Da Ningzi, so she did not dare to take too bold a step.
So she discussed with the Princess of Chengyuan, planning to let them first bring glory to their family, leaving a good name among the people, and thus surround the court from the folk side.
Put plainly… it still wasn’t lively enough.
A maiden selection, after all—wasn’t it appropriate to create a few idols worshiped by all, to lead the fashion in Great Qing?
Xiong Cilu, however, was deeply moved by her words and even unconsciously stepped forward to bow to Fang He by saying, “In my opinion, Your Ladyship speaks with great wisdom! Among the common folk, women still bind their feet, and in Jiangnan it is even considered elegant. They mock our Eight Banner noble girls in every way. I have long thought it is time for the world to witness the charm of our Manchu noble ladies. Your Ladyship indeed has foresight!”
After his effusive flattery, Xiong Cilu smiled sheepishly, hinting at another concern.
“However, the rules for the selection are jointly managed by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue, and once set by His Majesty, all expenses require Ministry of Revenue approval. Though I support Your Ladyship’s ideas… I truly lack the power to help!”
Fang He was unperturbed, smiling at Xiong Cilu she said, “Minister Xiong, I understand. We’ve just finished a war, and the national treasury is likely not wealthy. I am working for the greater good, how could I bear to trouble the Ministry of Revenue?”
“As for the money, the Imperial Household Department and I will handle it. I just need Minister Xiong, in the name of the Ministry of Rites, to do me a tiny favor.” She made a finger-pinching gesture that Kangxi knew all too well.
The barely visible gap between her fingers reassured Xiong Cilu that the ‘tiny’ was indeed small.
He laughed and said, “If there’s no need to worry about funds, the Ministry of Rites will of course fully support Your Ladyship in promoting the majesty of Great Qing!”
Fang He’s smile grew even brighter as she said, “In that case, I must trouble Minister Xiong. The second round is imminent, and I will settle this as soon as possible.”
After Xiong Cilu left, Fang He grinned at Wei Zhu, once again making that ‘tiny’ gesture.
Wei Zhu burst out laughing, “Elder Sister, just tell me what you want done. The more you gesture, the more nervous I get. Last time you made that tiny gesture and sent godfather out to handle business, the whole family of the Deputy Steward of the Imperial Household Department lost their heads, and even the Crown Prince nearly lost his position.”
Fang He replied with a straight face, “It’s nothing really. Just have Chen Ping tell his godfather to spread some news in his Imperial Shop and Nanyuan.”
Wei Zhu felt a chill—everyone now knew the Imperial Shop carried all the items favored by the Imperial Noble Consort.
The shop had moved inside the inner city, using Fang He’s money to purchase a grand residence.
The front had a two-story building as the shopfront, which had become the favorite place for the ladies of all the city’s powerful families, as well as the object of pursuit for all the surrounding merchants.
As for Nanyuan, ever since Changchun Garden was established, His Majesty rarely went hunting there, and the Nanyuan Palace had long stood empty.
The Ministry of Revenue had even pointed out that leaving the palace unused while spending large sums on repairs every year was a waste.
Kangxi therefore ordered a renovation, leaving only the new palace on the central axis for his own use.
All other parts were given to royal clansmen and ministers, for them and their families to hunt and maintain, as both a reward and a responsibility for repairs.
Wei Zhu immediately understood— ‘Elder Sister was targeting Han officials, merchants, and nobles, aiming to sweep up all the influential people in the capital!’
He cautiously asked, “What message does Elder Sister want to send out?”
Fang He replied lightly, “Nothing serious—just that the selection still lacks some benevolent imperial merchants to provide support for the maidens. For example, the girls’ clothes, jewelry, the instruments for their six arts, even the decorations in the school, it would be best to standardize them all.”
“If anyone truly possesses benevolence and wishes to perform a good deed, just tell them to approach the Princess of Chengyuan. During the selection, I will also attend and confer rewards on those virtuous imperial merchants.”
Wei Zhu was stunned, ‘Was the Elder Sister planning a massive fundraiser??’
Fang He looked up at the dumbfounded Wei Zhu and said with a beaming smile, “But this matter—no one is allowed to use my name to force anything. It must be entirely voluntary, and if the Princess of Chengyuan or I discover otherwise, the punishment will be severe!”
“You must make sure they understand—it’s not that I lack money. My own storehouse is filled with silver. I simply want to give these benevolent merchants a chance to change their fates.”
Wei Zhu: “….”
‘Yes, you do have a lot of silver. But the more money comes in, the happier you are. Whenever you spend even a tael, it’s like cutting your own flesh.’
‘Even the New Year’s lucky money for the Nine Princess and the Fifteenth Prince, who knows how much the Elder Sister has tricked away already.’
But he knew clearly, Elder Sister was not the type to be shortsighted for immediate gain.
If she made such a decision, she must have her reasons.
Yet no matter how deep her meaning, Wei Zhu couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment.
“Elder Sister, does His Majesty know about this?”
Fang He raised an eyebrow, “He will know soon enough.”
“This doesn’t touch his private treasury, nor the national treasury, and is good for Great Qing. Do you think His Majesty would object?”
Wei Zhu fell silent again.
Only after joining the Imperial Household Department did he learn just how stingy His Majesty could be.
He dared say nothing more, as the situation was beyond words.
Because there had been two cases of corruption in the Imperial Household Department before, His Majesty now personally reviewed the ledgers once a year.
He was strict on saving where possible, spending only when needed.
Even Fang He had to rack her brains to get a bit of His Majesty’s silver, others stood no chance.
Thinking over Fang He’s logic… Wei Zhu realized, ‘this really was a perfect match. His Majesty might well agree.’
He wouldn’t stand in her way then, and simply said, “I will see to it, for safety’s sake, after instructing Chen Ping, I’ll have someone report the message to the imperial presence.”
Fang He made no comment.
In any case, Kang Master surely had left people at her side.
Given his need for control, he couldn’t have left so readily otherwise.
Perhaps even before Wei Zhu could send the message, Kangxi would already know.
In fact, as Wei Zhu was having the official from the Upper Stud Department of the Imperial Household head out with the message, Kangxi had already received Zhao Chang’s urgent report from 800 li away.
Opening the secret report, Kangxi’s lips twitched.
Wasn’t this the same as what happened on Jinshi Road and at the Juren Memorial Archway?
They called it voluntary, yet when the shadow of imperial favor loomed—when a single nod from the palace could lift a merchant’s name from the dust and set it among the stars—what real choice did those small traders have?
Refuse, and remain forever lowly, their sons and daughters barred from any higher path; accept, and bind their families to the throne’s unspoken demands.
Freedom, dressed as an invitation, was only another word for a summons too dangerous to decline.
Having read the report, he gave a wry laugh and asked Liang Jiugong, “What do you think this troublemaker is up to now?”
Was she actually planning to have the maiden selection become as lively as the parade for the top scorer in the imperial exam?
And what did this have to do with consorts going to the Five Dragons Pavilion?