NFBE Chapter 274: Five-grid Marriage and Eight Trigrams
Chapter 274: Five-grid Marriage and Eight Trigrams
Chapter 274 Five Elements Marriage and Gossip
Just days after Prince Chun's departure from Beijing, news suddenly spread from the Forbidden City: the Grand Concubine Cheng, the retired emperor's wife, had unfortunately passed away. However, for such a humble Grand Concubine, her passing did not cause any ripples within or outside the palace. After all, her relatively low status meant her passing naturally drew little attention or discussion.
The arrangements for Concubine Cheng's funeral were also quite simple and low-key. The current emperor simply ordered the eunuch Wei Zhu to handle it, and even people as powerful as Buer did not show up to participate.
The funeral was hastily held for only one day in the room where the imperial concubine had originally lived, after which the body was taken to the imperial concubine's mausoleum for burial. Such hasty handling rendered the funeral like a pebble dropped into a lake, creating only a few insignificant ripples before being quickly drowned by the torrent of time.
After this incident, aside from the occasional private discussions among the retired emperor's concubines, the matter was almost completely forgotten. Even the supremely respected Grand Empress Dowager only heard the news by chance. But remembering Emperor Kangxi's past dissatisfaction with this Grand Concubine, she only casually mentioned it to her personal nanny, Naren, and never mentioned it again.
As the harsh winter chill gradually dissipates, many elderly and frail people are fortunate to have survived another long, cold winter. As the earth regains its vitality and all things begin to revive, with green grass and birds singing, people are shedding their heavy winter clothes for light spring clothes, fully enjoying the warmth and beauty of spring.
Meanwhile, the long period of mourning for the retired emperor finally came to an end. Time quietly passed to the Spring Equinox of the sixth year of the Kaiyuan reign, and a new chapter was about to begin.
Over the past year, many families have been waiting for weddings, quietly awaiting the right time. Now, as time passes, these celebrations are finally springing up like mushrooms after rain. The Ulanara family, in particular, has taken the initiative, sending out wedding invitations to all relatives and friends.
However, what shocked and surprised the entire capital was that the current Queen's brother, the most dazzling golden bachelor of the Ulanara family, Lord Wu Ge, was about to marry an ordinary Han woman!
This was truly unbelievable. After all, according to common sense, a man of Wu Ge's noble status and position should have married a daughter of a Manchu noble, or at least a prominent lady from one of the Eight Banners. However, this future Fourth Lady had no connection to the Manchu Banners, and wasn't even considered a Manchu; she was simply an ordinary Han Chinese woman.
The news was like a bombshell dropped into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves. The matchmakers who had once enthusiastically helped Wu Ge to find a partner were now stunned and began to whisper among themselves.
Rumors about this incident quickly spread, becoming a popular topic of conversation. Some said the fourth master of the Ulanara family had a unique personality and disliked gentle and quiet women; others claimed he deeply detested women who were pretentious and delicate... In short, all sorts of theories about the five elements of marriage selection criteria emerged one after another.
However, just when everyone was still immersed in the heated discussion about this marriage, another explosive news came like a storm, quickly overshadowing the previous topic.
As her wedding day approached, the unmarried princess of the Li family unexpectedly discovered that her fiancé had already fathered a child out of wedlock! This shocking revelation was like a bolt from the blue, leaving Princess Li devastated and indignant. She immediately decided to break off the engagement and left in anger.
As a result, the much-anticipated marriage between the Ulanara family and the Han woman was temporarily put aside, and was replaced by the controversy surrounding the Li family princess's cancellation of the engagement, which once again aroused widespread attention and heated discussion among the people in the capital.
Just as the Li family princess incident hadn't subsided, another uproar erupted in the capital. This time, the focus was on the eldest son of the Jueluo Cha family.
It turned out that during the solemn ceremony of marrying his second wife, the young master was surprised to discover that the woman who would become his stepmother was actually the mistress he had secretly kept deep in the alley! Once this news spread, it was like a huge rock hitting the water, stirring up a thousand waves and instantly attracting countless curious eyes.
It was said that this mistress had mysteriously disappeared six months earlier, with no news of her since. The eldest son of the Jueluo Cha family had searched for her in vain, and was already extremely anxious. Who could have predicted that she would reappear in such a dramatic manner? This scene undoubtedly cast a shocking shadow over the ceremony.
However, the turmoil did not cease there. Soon after, the Xitala family was embroiled in a bizarre incident that rocked the city. Their daughter, previously married, had married her natal cousin. The retired emperor had issued a decree allowing such marriages to be divorced and remarried. However, the young couple, deeply in love, chose not to divorce.
Time flew by, and the period of mourning for the retired emperor finally passed. Just when everyone thought everything would calm down, shocking news arrived from the Xitala family—the pregnant lady had unexpectedly miscarried! Even more shocking, the fetus had four arms and one leg! This bizarre incident spread like wildfire, quickly spreading throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.
As soon as this news broke, the cousins who had been on the sidelines, reluctant to part ways, were suddenly startled. They all decided to end their relationship and quickly found new partners, remarrying. For a time, the capital was bustling with weddings and funerals.
During this period, the people of the capital were treated to a feast for the eyes, overwhelmed by the constant stream of new stories. These stories, sometimes absurd, sometimes bizarre, not only became hot topics of discussion on the streets, but also greatly enriched people's leisure time.
At this moment, the news about the fourth young master of the Ulanara family marrying a commoner woman has gradually been forgotten. After all, in the face of so many complex and eye-catching events, this news seems insignificant and overshadowed.
Thus, amidst this series of diverse and varied events, Wu Ge unexpectedly successfully completed his most important life event—getting married and starting a family. Surprisingly, the marriage did not cause any major uproar; everything proceeded so peacefully and smoothly, which was truly a cause for celebration.
The next morning after the wedding, as the sun shone brightly on the courtyard, Wu Ge and his new wife arrived at Fengwu Palace to express their gratitude. As his sister-in-law, Buerhe was naturally waiting there early.
She examined her new sister-in-law with great interest. Disregarding her family background, judging solely by her personal qualities, this fourth sister-in-law was truly exceptional. She was resolute and resolute, decisive and decisive; she was also cheerful and generous, treating others with genuine warmth and sincerity. Even more remarkable, she was incredibly thoughtful and considerate, bringing delicate, handmade gifts upon her visit, a testament to her thoughtfulness.
Furthermore, a rumour spread through the grapevine that the fourth sister-in-law had successfully tamed her difficult mother on the morning of her wedding. It seemed that she and Wu Ge were a match made in heaven, a match made in heaven.
Seeing the newlyweds holding hands, Buerhe was also very happy. Smiling, she took out a pair of heart-shaped jade pendants that she had prepared long ago and personally handed them to her fourth brother and his wife, offering her sincere blessings.
This gesture not only expressed her best wishes for the newlyweds, but also clearly stated her position: from now on, anyone who dared to use family background as an excuse to look down on or harass the Fourth Sister-in-Law would be blatantly disrespecting her as the Queen. With the support of Burhe's statement, the Fourth Sister-in-Law would surely have a stable and smooth life within the family.