Kangxi, Forty-Sixth Year, Summer.
The fifth round of the reformed selection had concluded, and Chuxiu Palace now housed a fresh batch of probationary ladies-in-waiting, there to learn the palace rules.
Those who originally served as official ladies-in-waiting within the Imperial Household Department were now required to receive their plaques and leave the palace.
Unlike ordinary palace maids, Selected Ladies assigned to the role of female officials did not have to wait until the age of twenty-five.
However, those whom the royal family planned to bestow in marriage could not leave; instead, they would be assigned to the palaces of the Empress Dowager and Imperial Noble Consort, so that during the grand banquets, it would be convenient for them to meet and be seen by the families and future husbands to whom they might be given.
Because of this, those who remained in the palace became the envy of all, and every three years, there were always those rejoicing or fretting over it.
After asking Yin Hui’s opinion, Fang He arranged for Tongjia Jixin to come to Chunhui Hall.
Cui Wei and Ranxia were both determined not to marry.
Cui Wei had already become Fang He’s personal nanny.
Ranxia, having persevered, was transferred to the Imperial Household Department to take over the post previously held by Qin Nanny from the Imperial Teahouse, where she now taught rules to the Selected Ladies and palace maids.
Fang He then had Tongjia Jixin start her service in the Imperial Teahouse, so whenever Yin Hui visited, Jixin would always have a chance to see him.
If the two happened to meet in the corridors, a few extra words exchanged at the door of the Imperial Teahouse would not give anyone grounds for gossip.
Tongjia Jixin, with a hint of bashfulness and a whole-body of joy, accepted the post.
Whenever she next saw Yin Hui, her face would flush as if painted with rouge, beautiful and no longer bearing her formerly calm and carefree air.
Yin Hui, however, was rather indifferent toward her.
He was only seventeen; marriage would not come so soon, not for at least a year or two, so when they met, he was mostly gentle and polite.
Perhaps because he had seen so much of his Father and Mother’s public displays of affection, Yin Hui had never liked being too close to others.
He had no desire to stick close to a wife and children day in and day out.
The more he engaged in court politics, the more Yin Hui realized things Kangxi had never let Fang He know.
Rumors of Kangxi’s exclusive favor toward Fang He were a much-told tale outside the palace.
Storytellers in teahouses repeated stories of the Emperor and the Imperial Noble Consort going about incognito, righting wrongs and acting chivalrously, over and over again.
There were even tales that the two were immortals reincarnated, stories that the noble ladies would bring into the palace to please Fang He.
Fang He herself had gone out in disguise to listen, and upon her return, laughed about it within the bed curtains.
But in reality, within the Court Hall, the ties between ruler and ministers had subtly loosened.
The remaining consorts in the harem did not have capable families, while the able ministers could be rewarded by the court only with official titles, ranks, and wealth.
Yet there came a time when no more official titles could be granted, and the imperial house could not allow titles of nobility for non-imperial clans to rise too high.
As for wealth, a single prodigal son could squander it all, failing even to preserve the family’s honor for another generation.
The ministers’ willingness to serve, restrain their greed, or even risk their lives, was never so selfless; ultimately, it was always for the reputation and benefit of themselves and their clans, both in life and after death.
Kangxi’s exclusive favor caused them to lose hope of producing a prince from their own families or making their daughters favored imperial consorts.
Loyalty, aside from the moral and legal restraints between ruler and subject, was fundamentally always a matter of balancing interests.
The seasonal palace banquets and activities alone were not enough to inspire the entire clan to give everything for the imperial house.
If war broke out with Beimong or in Yunnan, and a general out in the field ignored imperial orders or colluded with the enemy, the court would find itself at a disadvantage.
This was why Kangxi repeatedly promoted Aisin Gioro clansmen to defend the capital, and even in war, raised up sons of the Tong Family and red-sash Jueluo clan members to supervise the army.
But Kangxi had warned Yin Hui: if all the power was consolidated in the hands of the Aisin Gioro clan, great trouble would arise sooner or later.
As it happened, he himself had no romantic longing for finding a soulmate and growing old together, and was not inclined to waste time on love affairs—he had enough on his plate with his family.
He only wanted, when he ascended the throne, to choose a suitable noblewoman from the Eight Banners to be Empress, to manage the inner palace and address the problems left behind by his Father and Mother’s affectionate relationship.
To Yin Hui, Tongjia Jixin was currently the most suitable candidate.
It was not that there weren’t more proper noblewomen than Jixin.
But with families of too high a standing, their external relatives would become a danger; too much merit, and another Empress might bring the awkwardness of overshadowing the ruler.
Tongjia Jixin, being from Kangxi’s maternal clan, and a cousin to Yin Hui, had an unassailable status.
Yin Hui had heard his Mother subtly caution him that marriages between cousins might produce unhealthy children, just like the former Imperial Noble Consort Tong.
This suited him well.
He planned for the Tong Family to continue as his staunch supporters, giving them a continued foundation for honor and prosperity, but he did not intend to let the Tong Family produce another emperor.
After much consideration, when faced with the equally flower Jixin and Fuca Shulan, the full sister of the Twelve Princess Consort, he chose Tongjia Jixin.
Of course, Yin Hui was always one to play the pig to eat the tiger; he would not let Jixin sense his polite distance.
Though he seldom spoke to Jixin, he would instruct Zheng Yusheng to find interesting trinkets to send to the Imperial Teahouse.
He even went out of his way to find Longkodo, warmly calling him Third Uncle, and asked if his future father-in-law needed him to bring anything for Jixin.
“You haven’t properly seen Lady Tongjia in three years. She’s at Chunhui Hall now. I’ll mention it to Mother—once Third Aunt comes into the Garden to pay respects, they can have a meeting.”
“Third Uncle, don’t be so formal with me.” While saying this, Yin Hui smiled and prodded Longkodo’s shoulder with a riding crop, suggesting intimacy between the two men.
But Longkodo, seeing the crop, could only shiver, remembering all those dangerous pursuits on the northern tour involving Yin Hui and the riding crop.
He had no mind to play the future father-in-law’s part.
He gave a dry laugh and bowed, “No need, Jixin’s always been well-behaved. She’ll have to come back to prepare for marriage sooner or later, plenty of time to talk with family—no need to trouble the Imperial Noble Consort.”
He was afraid that if the Imperial Noble Consort gave too much instruction, even his own honest and taciturn consort might end up wielding the riding crop.
He really preferred her honest and taciturn now!
As for Duke Tong, though sickly, the old man remained calm and handed over a banknote for twenty thousand taels to Yin Hui.
“It’s not quite proper for us to send things into the Garden. Let the Fifteenth Prince see what Jixin needs and have the Imperial Household Department send it—much better that way.”
Yin Hui cheerfully accepted Duke Tong’s banknote and promised to ensure Jixin lived comfortably.
“Settled, then. I’ll have Mother wait for Third Aunt to come to the Garden, and once the Imperial Astronomer fixes a date, we can discuss letting Lady Tongjia leave the palace.”
Longkodo wanted to cry but had no tears: How could he take the money and still have to bring people into the Garden?
With that woman at home who could barely say a word even if beaten, what could she possibly know?
Father and son decided it would be better to visit Changchun Garden themselves to meet with Jixin, properly teach her the rules, and then set the wedding date with the Emperor.
As a concubine’s daughter, Jixin had always had little presence in the Tong Family.
Her mother had only conceived after Longkodo got drunk, and it was only thanks to the kindness of the main wife that Jixin was born safely.
When Lisi’er entered the household, it was just over a year before she tormented Jixin’s mother to death.
Jixin grieved bitterly in the palace, vowing to make something of herself, to make Grandfather and Father regret, and to avenge her mother.
But before she could leave the palace, Lisi’er had already been dealt with by Yinzhen.
For a while, Jixin’s heart was set on that always-expressionless Yinzhen.
After all, he was an Aisin Gioro prince and a Tong Family cousin.
If she could enter his residence, even if the Princess Consort was jealous and ruthless, she could hardly mistreat her mother’s side cousin.
However, after the flower-game order was issued, she quickly collected her feelings.
Even as Yinzhen’s secondary consort, at best she could become a Prince’s side consort, but if she became the Fifteenth Prince’s consort, she would have a chance to become mother of the nation.
Now she was all but guaranteed to be the Fifteenth Prince’s consort, just waiting for the Imperial Astronomer to set the date before she would receive the imperial edict to return home and prepare for marriage.
She felt both excited and vindicated, and pride began to grow within her.
Once she returned home, she must have Grandfather and Father send her mother into the clan’s ancestral hall.
Her mother would be the Empress’s own birth mother!
The two elders of the Tong Family were astute.
With just one meeting, they immediately noticed the flightiness in their illegitimate daughter.
Just a glance between them, and with a few words, they had Jixin beaming with delight.
Longkodo: “A few days ago, your Grandfather spoke with the clan elders. Soon, I’ll move your mother’s grave to the center of the family plot, right beside mine, so she’ll be with your legitimate mother, one on either side.”
Duke Tong: “From now on, you are the hope of the Tong Family. Grandfather is already handling part of the family estate, and will ensure you have the finest dowry among all the princess consorts. The honor of… will never be lost.”
They could not say “Mistress Consort” with the Emperor still alive and the Fifteenth Prince just a prince.
But Jixin understood, and her eyes sparkled with delight, barely maintaining her demure smile as she curtsied.
“Jixin will certainly follow Grandfather and Father’s teachings, serve His Majesty, Mistress Consort, and the Fifteenth Prince well.”
Duke Tong thought for a moment, moved closer and whispered, “No need to curry favor with His Majesty, just serve the Mistress Consort well.”
Longkodo also quietly added, “Just to be safe, pay extra attention to the Nine Princess, the Tenth Princess, the Sixteenth Prince Yinyu, and the Seventeenth Prince… also act wisely.”
They meant for Jixin to start with those Yin Hui cared most for, show her kindness as a sister- and sister-in-law, and thereby support her future husband and ensure the Empress’s seat remained secure.
But for once, Jixin started overthinking, especially with Grandfather being so serious.
Grandfather said she only needed to serve the Mistress Consort; Father told her to pay attention to the Fifteenth Prince’s siblings and to be clever…
She recalled the rumors in the palace.
Many believed the Imperial Noble Consort’s favorite was the Nine Princess.
Even though she wished to marry a Han, the Imperial Noble Consort asked the Emperor to elevate the Han’s banner and even granted him a major post, perhaps intending for Nine Princess to emulate the powerful princesses of past dynasties and interfere in politics.
After all, Nine Princess’s reputation in the Girls’ Academy was no less than the late Crown Princess Consort and the deceased Prince Li Consort, second only to Yuan Zhen Imperial Noble Consort herself.
Because she chose a Han as consort, her reputation among Jiangnan scholars was especially high, quieting much of the scholars’ opposition to the Girls’ Academy.
Not to mention Sixteenth Prince Yinyu and Seventeenth Prince, both turning fifteen soon and eligible for court.
Both were the youngest sons, deeply loved by His Majesty and the Imperial Noble Consort…
Most importantly, they looked different, so there was no danger of twins.
If His Majesty lived long enough, who knew who would inherit the throne?
As for the Tenth Princess, she only liked to run to the stables and was hardly present, but she was the Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort’s most favored little daughter.
If the Tenth Princess supported either the Sixteenth or Seventeenth Prince, who could say who would stand behind the Main Hall plaque?
The more Jixin thought, the more she felt Grandfather and Father’s instructions were correct.
She began to look at the Fifteenth Prince with a touch of melancholy.
If the Fifteenth Prince could not become Emperor, then her giving up her feelings for Yinzhen would have been pointless.
At first, Yin Hui was completely puzzled by the melancholy and yearning in Jixin’s gaze and asked Zheng Yusheng about it.
Zheng Yusheng was also at a loss.
“Duke Tong and Assistant Minister Tong did meet Lady Tongjia in the Garden. I invited Jade Nanny to listen in, and though their words were a bit self-serving, they were not out of line!”
Any girl married into the royal family could not put on airs, and would surely be instructed to care for her husband and his family, wouldn’t she?
Master and servant thought it over for a while, could not make sense of it, and let it drop.
Women’s inner thoughts were not Yin Hui’s concern, and Zheng Yusheng only cared about what his master cared about.
But little did they know, not long after, they would find out what was troubling Jixin.
At the end of June was Fan Lianghan’s birthday; he planned to go to the health retreat at Xiaotangshan, taking his wife, several princes, and friends for a lively gathering.
Jiujiu casually tossed the invitation to Jixin, winking and smiling at her.
“Please, future sister-in-law, run this errand for me. Tell Lady Tongjia to let that boy know—no matter how busy he is, he must come, and leave those three little rascals to him. I have other business.”
Because Kangxi could not bear to let Jiujiu marry early, even though the three-year term was up and she was already nineteen, Kangxi pretended to forget and never mentioned it.
He had privately told Fang He thatbhe wanted to keep his daughter until she was twenty, noting how healthy Jiujiu was since her mother had children in her twenties.