amaotonovel Chapter 293: Handing over Palace Affairs
Chapter 293: Handing over Palace Affairs
Chapter 293 Handing over Palace Affairs
By the time the Crown Princess arrived, the master and servant had already adjusted themselves, acting as if the incident had never happened. It had to be said that, as an elder, Bull and his younger generation always maintained a high level of respectability. They could have their own little tricks and thoughts, but they would never let the children see them.
Buerhe gently signaled Qi'er to stop the Crown Princess who was about to salute, and waved to her with a smile, calling out affectionately, "Xian'er, come here quickly."
Upon seeing this, the Crown Princess first bowed slightly to Qi'er and said softly, "Thank you, Aunt Qi." Then she lifted the hem of her skirt and walked lightly and quickly to Buerhe's side.
When the Crown Princess approached, Burhe reached out lovingly and took her hand, slowly sitting down together. Then, Burhe gently patted the Crown Princess's hand and said softly, "When you come to my Kunning Palace in the future, there's no need to be so reserved. You've been married into the palace for quite some time now, don't you know my personality? All those red tape and rules and etiquette are just for show in front of outsiders. If you keep putting on airs when we're just family, wouldn't it be exhausting for you?"
At this time, the Crown Princess obediently let Burhe lead her to sit down. Although she felt a little shy in her heart, she was more secretly glad.
She still remembered her uncle telling her on the eve of her wedding that she was truly blessed. Regardless of whether the Crown Prince would change his mind in the future, having a kind and generous mother-in-law like the Empress was truly a blessing earned through her good deeds in a previous life!
Furthermore, the mother-in-law sitting before him was of extraordinary status! She was the emperor's only wife, holding an unparalleled position of respect. Furthermore, she had given birth to five sons and one daughter, all of whom she had raised to health.
Look at the highly praised Crown Prince, a man of both virtue and talent; then look at the gentle, virtuous, and talented Princess Yuanhe; and then look at Prince Rong, who is beginning to show his talent and rise to prominence in the Ministry of Works. Which one of them is not the "other people's child" that other parents often talk about and praise? Whenever she thought of this, the Crown Princess couldn't help but feel a surge of envy.
In reality, the Crown Princess didn't have high expectations for her future life. She knew that living in the palace, her wish to spend her entire life with the Crown Prince might be difficult to achieve.
But even so, she still hopes with great anticipation that she can be as lucky as her mother-in-law, to have a pair of lovely children, and to live happily with her family and enjoy the joy of family life.
At this moment, Burhe didn't care much about the Crown Princess's inner feelings. She had been summoned here today primarily to discuss preparations for Hongchang's wedding. However, before that, there was one more important matter that needed to be addressed—the Empress Dowager's funeral banquet.
You must know that the Grand Empress Dowager, as the Emperor's grandmother, held a crucial position. According to ancestral rules, Emperor Yinreng was required to observe a full year of mourning for the Grand Empress Dowager; however, great-grandchildren like Hongye only needed to observe mourning for six months.
If you think about it, Hongchang has been away on the grassland for several months now. By the time he returns, the mourning period will have just ended. Then, they can immediately begin preparing for the wedding banquet.
As for the mourning ceremony, it is relatively simple and straightforward, and only needs to follow the established etiquette standards.
Buerhe waved his hand and asked Qi'er to bring up all the account books he had prepared earlier. "This one is the account book for the maids and eunuchs in the Forbidden City, this one is for the purchases, and that one is..."
Buerhe introduced them to the Crown Princess one by one, and at the end he also taught her when these personnel needed to be transferred, how to arrange them when they were older, etc.
But in the end, Buerhe patted the Crown Princess's hand and explained seriously: "I will not leave the affairs of those concubines in the palace to you. This does not mean that I don't trust you. On the contrary, it means that I don't want to cause you trouble.
Firstly, you are a junior, and there are many things you cannot get away with. Secondly, I have been taking care of those people for so many years. After my younger brothers leave the palace and build their own houses, those who need to move out will have moved out. The ones left in this palace are all childless. As a junior, you really have nothing to talk about. "
The Crown Princess nodded heavily. She knew what was right and wrong. The Empress Dowager was obviously taking the work on herself and not handing it over to her. This was all for her own good. Come to think of it, in front of those concubines, she, a newly promoted Crown Princess, really had no weight.
Although a new emperor appoints new ministers, it stands to reason that she, the Crown Princess, should have a much more glorious life than those concubines. However, the Qing Dynasty was governed by filial piety. If those concubines wanted to cause trouble and use their lives to discredit themselves, the Crown Princess, then their reputations would be ruined.
Don't underestimate this insignificant point! You must understand that at this moment, many eyes are eyeing those coveted positions in the East Palace backyard.
According to what she had learned, none of the prominent Manchu families and aristocratic families were convinced that a Han Chinese woman like her could ascend to that extremely honorable position.
"Empress Dowager, there's one more thing I need to report to you. Noble Consort Yi will be leaving the palace this month, but so far, there's been no news about whether she'll be going to Uncle Fifth's or Uncle Ninth's residence. What do you think should be done about this?"
Since the passing of the Empress Dowager this year, Yinreng carefully selected the biological mothers of several of his brothers who had close relationships with him and were deeply loved by him, and conferred titles on them.
Among them, the mother of the eldest brother Yinzhi was canonized as Huigui Taifei; and the biological mother of the ninth brother Yin'er was canonized as Yigui Taifei; as for the mothers of the fifteenth brother Yin'u and the sixteenth brother Yinlu, they were also promoted one level with this canonization and were awarded the title of Mi Taifei.
Buerhe briefly considered the Empress Dowager Yigui, who still resided in the Yikun Palace. Then, he gently waved his hand at the Crown Princess and said, "Xian'er, you don't need to get involved in this matter for now. Wait until I, your mother, find the time to personally visit the Yikun Palace before making a final decision. However, in my opinion, she will most likely choose to go to your ninth uncle's place. After all, your fifth uncle's residence is a complete mess right now. Even if she goes, she'll probably just cause a lot of anger for no reason."
The Crown Princess was well aware of the close friendship between the Empress Dowager and the Concubine Yigui of the Yikun Palace. After the Empress Dowager passed away, the Crown Princess had visited the Yikun Palace quite a few times in the past month, at least several times.
Moreover, even the Emperor held Uncle Nine in high regard, and his younger brother-in-law, Hong Chang, had a very good relationship with Uncle Five. Therefore, she only needed to briefly mention this matter, and let Mother make the rest.
After giving all the necessary instructions, Buerhe did not try to persuade the Crown Princess to stay for dinner at Kunning Palace. After all, the couple had only been married for six months and were still in their honeymoon period.
Everyone was currently mourning for the Empress Dowager, so there was no need for her to constantly be glued to the family for meals. It would be better to let her return to the palace early so she could have a good reunion with Hongye.
Besides, the account book had already been handed over today, and many points requiring attention had been mentioned in advance. Now it was up to her to put it into practice and ponder it herself! As the saying goes, knowledge gained from books is shallow; true knowledge requires personal experience. Even if theoretical knowledge is firmly grasped, it will be useless without practical application to complement it!
Besides, she was the only one in Yinreng's harem, so it was quite quiet; and Hongye's backyard was similarly dominated by the Crown Princess. Now that she had some free time, if she didn't take advantage of it, when would she? By the time someone else finally entered Hongye's backyard, it would be too late to practice.
Burhe knew in her heart that no one in the world was as lucky as she was. Ever since she married into this place, she had been blessed with exclusive favors, a luck that even she herself felt seemed like a dream when she recalled it.
To be honest, if she had not been fortunate enough to receive the guidance of Master Pu Du and have the truth told to her, she would probably be like the seemingly glorious princess in front of her. Although she is in happiness, her heart is always filled with fear and anxiety, and she lives in fear all day long.
Hongye was able to marry his beloved woman and make her the Crown Princess in a legitimate way in his life. This was the most ideal result that could be achieved after experiencing fierce struggles among various forces.
After all, his backyard could never be as peaceful and tranquil as his father's. Even if he wanted to keep it quiet, how could the many powerful people in the Manchu clan easily agree to it?
What's more, in recent years, it was a critical moment for the Qing Dynasty to compete with other countries for hegemony. If those meritorious officials who fought on the battlefield and killed the enemies bravely wanted to let their daughters enter the palace as concubines, could the royal family really have the heart to refuse them outright?
You have to know that this is a critical moment in the war. If the royal family dares to go against the wishes of these meritorious officials, I am afraid they will dare to abandon it without any scruples. What is more important and what is less important? I believe Hongye must have a ruler in his mind to weigh the pros and cons.
Buerhe had previously spoken to Hongye about this matter, but he hadn't expected that Hongye could see things more clearly than they did. Thinking back on that conversation, she didn't see things as clearly as any other child.
Hongye: "Mother, don't worry. How many people in this world are so lucky to find their true love and get married? My son is already luckier than most people. At least the person he loves is his wife, and his future heir can also be a legitimate child.
As for the backyard, Huang Mafa had taught his son during his lifetime that there were so many concubines in his backyard, but all of them were under Huang Mafa's control. You just don't believe in your son's ability, but you can see Huang Mafa's example clearly.
Mother, don't worry, I will take care of those things."