NFBE Chapter 172 A Brief Discussion on Cooperation
Chapter 172 A Brief Discussion on Cooperation
Chapter 172 A Brief Discussion on Cooperation
The dinner that day went very smoothly. The next day, Yuqing Palace welcomed Kejing and the Prince and his wife, and of course Yuanshou also came along.
According to the plan, the prince and the prince went to the study in the front yard together, where Prince Yong was already waiting. Yuanshou was taken to their courtyard by Hongye. He had already received the task of popularizing the Shangshufang for Yuanshou, so his main purpose at this moment was to see the cultural level of Yuanshou.
As for Ke Jing, she had already taken the initiative to hold Buerhe's hand and walked into the main courtyard.
Seeing the familiar scene again, Ke Jing complained without hesitation: "Second sister-in-law is really wronged. This Yuqing Palace is really small and cramped. Did Second Brother say when we can move out?"
Buerhe patted Kejing's hand and said, "You are still as impatient as before. Why are you in such a hurry? We have to do things step by step. Your second brother said that if it doesn't work out this year, we can move out of this place next year at the latest.
There are just some things I need to confirm with you in person. Have you truly made up your mind? You know, this road is not easy to walk, especially since you've finally gained a foothold in Khalkha. If you get too close to us, I'm afraid you'll be implicated."
Ke Jing walked into the house carefree and sat directly on the kang table by the window. He picked up a kumquat and played with it in his hands: "What are you afraid of? My sister hasn't been living off the fat of the land these past few years. All the guidance and support from my sister-in-law over the years has not been in vain."
She whispered quietly into Burhe's ear: "Don't worry, sister-in-law, Khalkha is in my hands now. What the emperor knows is what I want him to know."
Burhe knew that his sister was intelligent, but he did not expect her to be so capable. From the time she married into Mobei to now, it has only been ten years. Not only has she firmly occupied the position in the heart of the prince, given birth to the legitimate heir of Khalkha, but she has also firmly controlled Khalkha in her hands.
However, thinking of what Yinreng had recently told him, Buerhe also whispered, "Then why did you bring Yuanshou to the Forbidden City? The Emperor's suspicion is getting worse. Your second brother said that the Emperor has been looking for opportunities to scold him recently, and even the task of reviewing memorials has been canceled. Now he has basically nothing to do.
There are undercurrents in the capital right now, and chaos is expected to break out soon. You're bringing Yuanshou into the Forbidden City and even asking him to enter the Shangshufang. You should know that the Emperor's heart is probably already restless right now."
Ke Jing didn't care. "I've known the Emperor's character for a long time. When I decided to marry into the Khalkha family, I understood it. It's just become more serious now. Besides, my sister is in power now. Even if it's just a small area, I know what a powerful person should think. He just doesn't want to believe that he's getting old, and he doesn't want to give up the power he has."
Buerhe: "Since you understand everything, yet you still want to wade into this muddy water, aren't you afraid that the Emperor will target you next?"
Ke Jing: "Don't worry, sister-in-law, the emperor won't do that. Not to mention that Khalkha is too far from the capital, among so many people who married into Mongolia, I am the only one who has been involved in local politics so far, and I even have some control over the military power.
The more the capital wants to cause chaos, the more the emperor doesn't want to see problems elsewhere, especially since Khalkha is so close to Outer Mongolia. At this time, the emperor will only try to calm my husband and me, and his attitude will become more gentle until my husband and I leave the capital.
This is also the reason why I brought Yuanshou here. All under heaven belongs to the king. No matter how important the location of Khalkha is, or how powerful its military is, it is still a tiny country compared to the Qing Dynasty. If the emperor wants, he can conquer it with a wave of his hand.
Therefore, if I want to maintain my current position in Khalkha, then the support of the Emperor is indispensable. And Yuanshou staying in the capital will not only have the care of you and my aunt, but also guarantee his position as the crown prince. These are my most powerful support."
Buerhe nodded and said, "Don't worry, this Princess Yuanshou and the Crown Prince will take care of him. He is nine years old this year, just one year younger than Hongye. When the time comes, Hongye will be able to help take care of him in the Shangshufang."
Ke Jing: "Thank you, second sister-in-law. With your words, I feel relieved."
Speaking of children, Buerhe suddenly remembered what the Fourth Lady had asked of her before. She said to Kejing, "You also know that pacifying the Mongols is a national policy. Most of the princesses in the palace are going to marry into the Mongols. There are four princesses of marriageable age in the harem now. It is estimated that the emperor will choose a prince consort this year.
The ladies in the palace are getting a little anxious. A few days ago, my fourth brother's wife told me that she wanted to find an opportunity to invite you to visit Prince Yong's mansion."
Ke Jing hadn't been back to the Forbidden City for nearly ten years. To be honest, she didn't really understand the personalities of the princesses in the palace. She knew that the fifth princess, who was the same age as her, had married into Khorchin.
Ke Jing: "It's fine to visit, but sister-in-law, tell me, which sister does the Fourth Master want to ask about marriage for?"
Buerhe was helpless: "You are really not familiar with these sisters. When you got married, they were still young, just yellow-haired girls following behind you. Now if they appeared in front of you, you probably wouldn't recognize any of them. The one who asked the Fourth Lady to come to the palace was Concubine Min. She has two princesses under her name, the Eighth Princess and the Tenth Princess. Now one is nineteen and the other eighteen, both of the right age to get married.
They probably wanted to know if life on the grassland was hard and whether the delicate princess could survive in such a harsh environment."
Ke Jing was curious. "Even if I didn't tell them, they'd be able to get the news anyway. Why do they insist on meeting them? That's basically all I know! They're strong and resilient, and they've made preparations ahead of time, so living on the grasslands is easy. All the training I received back then was very helpful. Didn't they learn anything?"
Seeing Ke Jing's doubts, Buerhe shook his head and said, "I know something about this. I heard that Concubine Min believes that girls should be gentle, docile, obedient, and follow the rules. That's why Concubine Min has been stopping the Eighth and Tenth Princesses from taking the horseback riding and archery courses that the palace encourages princesses to learn.
I once mentioned this to the Imperial Madam, and somehow it reached Concubine Min's ears. She personally went to the Qianqing Palace to ask the Imperial Father to exempt the Eighth and Tenth Princesses from these courses. Later, because of the bad blood between the two sides, I stopped asking about their affairs. If Fourth Brother's wife hadn't come to me with this plea, I wouldn't have spoken up.
Ke Jing was speechless: "Is she really that stupid? What kind of vision does the Emperor have?"
Buerhe glared at Ke Jing and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Besides, raising a woman and raising a daughter cannot be done according to the same standards. What's wrong with the emperor liking gentle and considerate women?
Besides, just because the imperial concubine is like this doesn’t mean he wants his princesses to be like this too. I heard that the emperor later hired someone to train the two princesses, but the two princesses were deeply influenced by Concubine Min’s thoughts, and it was not easy to correct them at once.”
Ke Jing now felt a little sympathy for the two sisters. If they wanted to live a good life in the second half of their lives after meeting such a confused mother, they would need to fall flat on their face before they could wake up.
Ke Jing: "Okay, then I agree. I'll send an invitation and visit Fourth Brother's wife's house. It can be regarded as a token of my care as a sister."
Bull and: "Just keep it in mind."