The forty-seventh year of Kangxi, spring.
Although Jixin was quickly sent away by the Tong Family, they did not give up on the position of Fuqin for the Fifteenth Prince.
Especially before the end of the forty-sixth year, right before His Majesty put down his brush for the New Year, after conferring titles on the princes.
Tong Guowei, his son, and Erlundai all reached a consensus: no matter what, a daughter of the Tong Family must enter Prince Rui’s inner residence.
Yes, Yin Hui skipped over the title of Prince of the Third Rank and was directly promoted to Prince Rui.
The Eldest Prince, Yinzhi, and the Third Prince, Yin Xi, were conferred as Prince Yinzhi and Prince Cheng, respectively.
The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, was conferred as Prince Yong; the Fifth Prince, Yinqi, and the Seventh Prince, Yin Yu, were promoted to Prince Heng and Prince Chun; the Eighth Prince, Yinsi, was promoted to Prince Lian; the Ninth to Thirteenth Princes were all promoted to Prince of the Third Rank.
The Sixteenth Prince, Yin Yu, and the Seventeenth Prince, Yinshi, were also granted the title of Prince of the Fourth Rank.
Even the soon-to-be-married Nine Princess was conferred as Princess Gulun Hexi.
The only thing that surprised everyone, though not entirely unexpectedly, was that because the Fifteenth Prince, Yin Hui, had made military achievements at the border of Beimeng and Luosha, he was specially conferred as Prince Rui.
In fact, Kangxi had wanted to confer him as Prince Rui of the First Rank.
After all, everyone already knew whom he favored for the position of Crown Prince.
Even if he did not establish a new Crown Prince, Kangxi did not want Yin Hui to feel that what he had received was less than Yinreng.
It was Yin Hui who stopped Kangxi, only pleading, “Please spare your son, Father. In the future, I still want to hoodwink— cough, cough, get along amicably with my elder brothers, and ask them for help.”
“If you make me a prince of the first rank, I fear I won’t hear a single word of truth in the future, so how will I do errands for you, Imperial Father?”
Even as a Prince of the Second Rank, Yin Hui already felt it was too much.
He almost wished he could stay as a Prince of the Third Rank, so that he could put his arm around the Ninth Brother’s shoulders, mock the older brothers together, and then, in a show of unity, plot how to keep the elder and younger brothers busy spinning around.
But if his merits were left unrewarded, it would cause a bad impression in the Court Hall, and Yin Hui didn’t want to play the fool so well that people truly thought he was one.
Yet, even as a Prince of the Second Rank, others treated him with even more warmth than the Prince Yinzhi and Prince Cheng.
Many ministers, both openly and in secret, harbored deep feelings, wishing to talk with Yin Hui about whether their families might have the good fortune to become in-laws.
Longkodo, although a bit fearful of Yin Hui, was still as bold and forthright as ever.
So what if he was afraid?
Afraid of the future emperor?
He feared arrogance, but he wasn’t planning to rebel.
Letting Prince Rui know that he was honest would only make His Highness more comfortable using him.
So, under the guidance of his father, Longkodo brought a huge amount of tribute silver and busied himself running around for the still-under-construction Prince Rui Manor, and finally, at the beginning of spring, managed to catch up with Yin Hui.
“Your servant greets Prince Rui!” Longkodo, with sharp eyes, spotted Yin Hui and hurried over, giving him a flawless formal bow.
Truth be told, with Longkodo’s usual pride, he would only act this way before Kangxi; toward others, he had never been so respectful.
He even spoke very frankly, “Previously, my young daughter was ignorant and caused me much shame. For many days I have been anxious and sleepless, hating my own foolishness that led to such an unaccomplished daughter.”
“But I can swear upon my heart, the Tong Family’s loyalty to the Aisin Gioro is as clear as the sun and moon. The entire Tong Family is forever willing to lay down their lives for His Majesty and Prince Rui.”
“We dare not covet the position of Prince Rui’s primary consort any longer, but I beg Your Highness, for the sake of our life-and-death friendship, to allow a Tong Family daughter to enter your residence as a concubine. This would be a blessing accumulated over eight generations for our family!”
Yin Hui was no longer as easygoing as before.
He pulled Longkodo to sit beneath the unfinished corridor frame, pointing to some newly transplanted plants in the Xiangyun Pavilion.
“Uncle Tong, look— others like bamboo, or orchids, or the parasol tree, proclaiming the virtues of a gentleman. But I just like the gourd vine. Do you know why?”
Longkodo: “Because you’re especially odd?”
Yin Hui laughed and explained, “The gourd bears both male and female flowers on the same vine, and many gourds grow on one vine. It looks just like a close-knit family.”
“Someone suggested I plant a few grape vines, but even if grapes are sweeter and look nicer, if they compete for the gourds’ nourishment, then they’ll never appear in my residence.”
Without waiting for Longkodo to reply, Yin Hui stood up, patted Longkodo’s shoulder, and left bluntly.
Longkodo returned to the Tong Family and checked with his old father.
“Others say Prince Rui is truly sentimental. Is that really so?”
Upright, but in reality most like His Majesty: skilled, strategic, and able to be ruthless when needed.
Yin Hui’s metaphor was easy to understand.
Though he did not say so, he especially treasured his feelings for Kangxi and Fang He, and even cherished such close-knit plants.
And those gourds on the vine—who else could they represent?
Yin Hui simply wanted the Tong Family to understand that whoever threatened his feelings for his family would always be kept out.
Tong Guowei pondered for a long time and said, “Whether he truly feels this way or not, as long as Prince Rui shows such intention openly, from now on we must hold those people in the highest regard.”
“Tell your mother to instruct the girls at home and those two from the main house who enter the palace—don’t act foolishly again.”
Fawning on the Nine Princess and the others is just a matter of a little pride and some silver.
As for the long-term plan, when they’ve placed the Nine Princess and the rest on pedestals, whether Prince Rui will accept it or what he will do then, that’s not their concern anymore.
Longkodo went to take care of it immediately.
Though he said he didn’t care about the position of primary consort, if there was a chance to be the Empress, who would want their family to produce only a concubine?
Longkodo moved fast, but Kangxi moved even faster.
Just after the Longtaitou Festival, the imperial edict for bestowing marriage was issued.
Kangxi bestowed upon Yin Hui as Fuqin the Shitara Clan lady who had previously served as an official in the Sewing Workshop.
The moment this edict came out, everyone was stunned.
Shitara Clan?
Which branch of the Shitara Clan?
Whose daughter?
When everyone found out that her father was merely a little-known head of the Imperial Works’ Yuheng Office, a minor official of the eighth rank who had never even attended Court Hall, they were even more baffled.
The Shitara Old Master, who had grown used to boasting with the tobacco and pear blossom liquor his daughter brought back from the palace, came home to see Liang Jiugong delivering the imperial edict and was more shocked than anyone, falling to his knees with a loud thud in the stone-paved courtyard.
“Liang… General Manager Liang, why, why are you here at my… at my home?”
His kneeling was so loud it hurt Liang Jiugong’s ears, so he hurried to have someone help the twitching and stuttering Shitara official up.
Liang Jiugong smiled with unblinking eyes and told a smooth lie, “To let Shitara Lord know, after your daughter in the Sewing Workshop created the Bai Fu Cloth, she helped the court and the people solve a great problem. His Majesty and Prince Rui both praised her several times.”
“Now that the Shitara Lady has been serving in Shoukang Palace and received repeated praise from the Imperial Noble Consort Zhen, with the Empress Dowager as the decision maker, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau has calculated: your daughter’s birth characters and Prince Rui’s are a match made in heaven. His Majesty sent me especially to deliver the edict.”
“Please, sir, light incense and accept the decree!”
Shitara Old Master was so delighted—or perhaps pained—that his mind buzzed, unable to react for a moment.
It was his wife who calmly called people to invite the Old Madam and Old Master out, had incense lit, the table set up, and thick cushions placed.
Seeing Shitara Old Master still standing there foolishly grinning, the Shitara Lady (Madam) nonchalantly kicked—or pressed—his knee pit, making him kneel straight down.
Shitara Old Master even looked gratefully at his wife.
The Shitara Old Madam and Old Master pretended not to see anything, faces full of astonishment as they looked at Liang Jiugong.
Shitara Lady (Madam)… kept smiling serenely.
Liang Jiugong thought: ‘No wonder she’s the Shitara Lady’s mother. That calmness was just the same, clearly a family trait.’
He stifled his laughter, recalling the scene when he saw the Shitara Lady in the Qianqing Palace.
In fact, all that polite talk just now was something Liang Jiugong made up on the way over.
Before the Lantern Festival, no one in the Qianqing Palace even knew who the Shitara Lady was.
Fang He, Jiujiu, and Minbao had tried every trick they knew.
Sanbao and Fourbao clung to Yin Hui every day, but none of them figured out who his chosen candidate was.
Then, after the banquet in the Fifteenth Palace, Yin Hui brought her straight to the Qianqing Palace and told Kangxi and Fang He that this was the Fuqin candidate he favored.
Shitara Lady Muhua was utterly stunned, staring blankly at Yin Hui in confusion, clearly not knowing she had caught the eye of the Fifteenth Prince.
Kangxi frowned deeply, and though his expression wasn’t severe, anyone else would have been frightened at this point.
But Fang He saw that although she was bewildered, she was also extraordinarily calm, performing her etiquette perfectly.
Fang He liked her name very much and couldn’t help but smooth things over for the father and son, asking Jiujiu to personally help Muhua to her feet.
She smiled and asked, “Have you ever had dealings with Yin Hui?”
Muhua was silent for a moment, then cautiously replied, “Replying to Your Ladyship, probably… not really. I have only seen Prince Rui from afar in the Nine Princess’s flower field.”
Before entering the palace, her mother had taught her: extra courtesy does no harm, always lower your head before nobles.
So Muhua had performed a perfect bow from afar to Yin Hui, not straightening up until he was out of sight, and then collapsed onto the ground, exhausted, before continuing to weed.
Jiujiu was especially surprised, “Weren’t you in the Sewing Workshop? Why were you in my flower field?”