Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Wen Shan had no choice but to…

Wen Shan had no choice but to agree, and when Yinzhen arrived the next day, she told him about it.

"Mother means you're still young, so you can wait another two years," Wen Shan said. "But I don't know why your father is so eager to arrange a marriage for you."

Could it be that he's old and wants grandchildren?

Wen Shan now felt uncomfortable talking about marriage with Yinzhen. In her mind, Yinzhen was still a child, so why would he want to get married and have children?

"Mother, you know that Fourth Brother got married earlier, and consummation isn't mandatory; it's just a formality," Yinsi chimed in.

Wen Shan had just grabbed their ears to explain the dangers of early marriage and childbearing. Initially, the three brothers weren't surprised that Kangxi was arranging a marriage for Yinzhen; they were indeed old enough. But after Wen Shan's rambling, they finally understood why Mother was so upset.

It was for their health.

Yinxiang, still chowing down on Wenshan's egg yolk rice dumplings, looked up and said, "It would be great if Fourth Brother could get married soon. We still have to rely on him to give birth to a few nephews to inherit the ancestral temple. We can't just keep relying on that brat Hongli."

Not only did he want his fourth brother to get married sooner, but it would be better if he could marry more girls. Yinxiang was thinking in his mind that all the girls who had married into the royal family in his previous life and were easy to bear should be married to his fourth brother this time.

If Yinzhen knew what Yinxiang was thinking, he would probably beat him up out of frustration. What did he think of Yinxiang?

"In any case, you can't get married at fourteen," Wen Shan insisted, "and you can't consummate your marriage at fourteen."

Yinzhen smiled. It didn't matter to him whether it was a few years earlier or later. "Then I'll listen to Mother."

After talking about the time, Wen Shan started to talk to him about the candidates.

Yinzhen's wife in his previous life was a member of the Ulanara clan. According to the historical records she had read, the two of them seemed to have treated each other with respect, not particularly close, but neither to the point where Qianlong and his Ulanara empress remained estranged. So Wenshan asked these people if they were still going to marry someone from the Ulanara clan.

"Fourth sister-in-law... well, she's graceful and good at managing the household, keeping Fourth Brother's backyard in perfect order. She'd be a good legitimate wife." Yinxiang often visited Prince Yong's mansion, so he had a good impression of his previous life's fourth sister-in-law.

"Fourth Brother favors Nian more, and Fourth Sister-in-law isn't jealous. She treats Fourth Brother as an equal."

Yinsi had a slightly different opinion.

"The Ulanara clan's status is lower. Although Fei Yanggu was a First-Rank Minister and had served as the Governor of the Nine Gates, he had retired and returned home. There was no one else in the family who could be of use, so he wouldn't be much help to Fourth Brother."

Fei Yanggu was Ulanara's father.

It was precisely because he had served as the Governor of the Nine Gates for seven years and had been so dedicated and loyal that Kangxi considered his daughter when arranging a marriage for Yinzhen.

Of course, there were other candidates. The whole thing comes back to Concubine De. At this time in his previous life, Empress Tongjia had already passed away, so naturally, Concubine De was the only one who had the final say in Yinzhen's marriage. Concubine De was not attentive to Yinzhen and had not considered choosing a good in-law for him. She was worried that Yinzhen's power would become too great, and she worried that it would block the path of the Fourteenth Prince in the future.

Therefore, under Concubine De's deliberate arrangement, Yinzhen's harem was devoid of Manchu women, and almost all of them were Han Chinese.

"Fourth Brother doesn't have much affection for the Ulanara family, so it doesn't matter if I change someone now," Yinsi said unconcernedly.

Yinzhen remained silent for a long moment, then pondered, "I don't think there's any need to change. Let's go with the Ulanara clan."

"The Ulanara clan's family background is a little less impressive, but it's not too conspicuous, so it's quite suitable."

Yinzhen and the other two had already agreed that in this life, they would continue their previous path of keeping a low profile and letting Yinsi handle the official duties.

Yinsi rubbed his chin, pondering, and feeling that this made sense. It wouldn't be good

for his fourth brother to be too high-profile, so he agreed. However, Yinsi still said to Wenshan, "Mother, you should also choose more concubines for my fourth brother who are of Manchu descent. Concubine De filled my fourth brother's courtyard with Han Chinese, so even if he had a son

, he wouldn't be able to inherit the throne." Although Kangxi constantly preached the idea of Manchu-Han kinship, there had never been a Han Chinese prince eligible to inherit the throne.

Even Yinsi's biological mother, Concubine Liang, though always referred to as Wei, had changed her surname because she was born in the Xinzheku. She herself was of Manchu descent, belonging to the Juechan clan.

Concubine De's hidden agenda was becoming clear. In his previous life, Yinsi initially dismissed Yinzhen, believing his fourth brother, lacking support from his wife's family and facing a chaotic harem, was unlikely to compete with him. Even Manchu women couldn't bear two princes, so

Wenshan couldn't help but worry about Yinsi and Yinxiang.

She also asked them about their thoughts on the choice of a legitimate wife in this life.

Yinsi and Yinxiang both remarked that their previous lives were good. Yinsi and Guo Luoluo had been a testament to their friendship, weathering a storm of blood and gore together. Yinsi believed that if they could rekindle their past relationship in this life, he would never let her suffer such a fate again; they were destined for a happy and fulfilling life.

Yinxiang and Zhaojia had always had a good relationship, and after their marriage, they were deeply in love and inseparable, so naturally, they were also determined.

Wen Shan nodded after hearing this, feeling somewhat reassured. Although Kangxi was now arranging marriages, Yinsi and Yinxiang's idea shouldn't be a problem, after all, Kangxi had already chosen them directly in his previous life.

Yinzhen's wife and concubines were supposed to be chosen by Wen Shan, but in reality, Yinsi and Yinxiang had already taken care of the process, giving her a list the next day.

"Mother, although the wedding doesn't have to happen so soon, there are so many things to prepare for the prince's wedding. It will take at least two or three years. With the court about to go to war with Galdan, I imagine the emperor is afraid of delays due to his busy schedule, so he's bringing this up with you."

Yinsi and her analyzed why Kangxi suddenly wanted to arrange a marriage for the third prince and Yinzhen.

"So next time the Emperor brings it up, just pick two from this list and tell him." The names listed above

were carefully selected by Yinsi and Yinxiang. They weren't too out-of-place, nor too unfashionable, and most were Manchus, making them suitable for Yinzhen's concubines.

As for the principal wife, Yinsi also gave Wenshan two options. It would have seemed contrived to mention only one, the Ulanara clan, to Kangxi, so he added two more, leaving Kangxi free to choose either one.

These two were Fucha and Majia.

Fucha chose Ma Qi's daughter. Although Hongli's principal wife was Ma Qi's niece, it sounded like father and son were marrying from the same generation. However, Empress Fucha's father, Li Rongbao, was Mi Sihan's youngest son, more than twenty years younger than Ma Qi, making Ma Qi's daughter and Yinzhen's current age similar.

The Fucha clan was a family of loyal and brave men, and many talented people have emerged in the future. Conveniently, the Fucha clan wasn't too prominent at the moment, making it a suitable choice.

As for Ma Jia, she was simply chosen to fill the bill due to her age and family background.

However, while both Ma Jia and Rong Fei's Ma Jia clans were separate branches, Rong Fei's father was a minor official from a branch of the Ma Jia clan. The woman Yinsi and Yinxiang chose was the daughter of Nuo Min, the current head of the Ma Jia clan.

It was clear that Kangxi was deeply concerned about the marriage between Yinzhen and the Third Prince. When he returned two days later, he brought up the matter with Wen Shan. He

explained that Rong Fei had already chosen Dong E, and he was ready to choose a date for the marriage. He asked Wen Shan if she had considered Yinzhen's marriage.

Wen Shan then honestly described the candidates Yinsi had given her.

"Ulanara, Fucha, Majia." Kangxi read them out one by one, smiling slightly and adding a rare note of praise: "It seems you truly listened to my words and made your selection with care."

Wen Shan was speechless. Was she a thorn in Kangxi's side?

She was clearly the most obedient and compliant.

"Look at what you said. After all, it's Yinzhen's lifelong event, so naturally I must pay attention to it." Wen Shan sat down next to Kangxi and asked, "Then, Your Majesty, which one do you think is better?"

Kangxi considered Fucha and Majia acceptable, but he was puzzled as to how Wen Shan had chosen Ulanara.

"Fei Yanggu was a good official, a first-rank minister, but since his retirement, the Ulanara family has been without a representative in the court. Why did you choose his daughter?"

Concubine Hui and Concubine Rong chose their daughters-in-law from families whose fathers or brothers held important positions or were well-established Manchu families. It's not that the Ulanara family's origins were inferior, but compared to those, they were always a little inferior.

Wen Shan hadn't expected Kangxi to speak so bluntly to her, and she was a little uncomfortable at first.

After hesitating for a moment, she said: "I asked someone to inquire about the daughters of marriageable age from officials in the capital. I heard that Ulanara was gentle, virtuous, well-educated and well-mannered, so I included her." "

Besides, when choosing a wife for Yinzhen, family background is important, but mutual understanding is also important. I think Ulanara is a good choice."

Kangxi laughed when he heard this: "I knew that I couldn't let you handle the matter of Yinzhen's wife selection. I still have to be the one to oversee it."

"Ulanara is not suitable to be the legitimate wife. If you like Ulanara, let her be a concubine. I think Fucha is a good choice for the legitimate wife."

Wen Shan didn't expect that Kangxi would look down on Ulanara, after all, they were happily arranged to marry in the previous life.

Seeing Wen Shan's surprised expression, Kangxi smiled helplessly and patiently explained to her: "The legitimate wives of Yinzhi and Yinzhi were either from powerful families or held important positions. It would be inappropriate to choose Ulanara for Yinzhen. Moreover, Yinzhen is now registered under your name as the daughter of a noble concubine, and his status is even more noble than Yinzhi and Yinzhi. If I choose her, it would seem that I treat Yinzhen poorly." "

Besides, Ulanara is three years younger than Yinzhen, so she is too young to be a legitimate wife."

Wen Shan felt even more angry after hearing Kangxi's explanation. Well, if it's not suitable now, it must have been suitable in a previous life, right?

Obviously, I didn't care about Yinzhen before!

Even though she was furious, Wen Shan replied, "Then I'll obey the Emperor. It's just that Ulanara is the daughter of a high-ranking official, and being a concubine is too much of an injustice. Your Majesty, please find her another marriage when the time comes."

Wen Shan, once Yinzhen's legal wife, felt awkward about becoming a concubine. Since they weren't meant to be together in this lifetime, there was no point wasting her time.

Kangxi saw that Wen Shan was still unhappy, thinking she was just throwing a tantrum because she truly loved Ulanara. But as Yinzhen's legitimate wife, he couldn't let her do whatever she wanted, so he patiently tried to coax her: "What's so wrong with her being my son's concubine? If you truly like her, just take good care of her after she enters the palace."

Wen Shan didn't respond, mentally trying to figure out what she could say to dissuade Kangxi from the idea. Seeing that she hadn't been coaxed enough, Kangxi sighed with a helpless smile and gave in again.

"Then why don't I also assign the Ma Jia family you favored to Yinzhen as his concubine? Wouldn't that please him?"

Wen Shan:!

One isn't enough, I need two!

If this arrangement were to happen, Yinzhen would immediately become a target of public criticism.

After all, the Fucha and Ma Jia families chosen by Yinsi and Yinxiang were more than qualified to be the prince's principal wives.

The Ulanara family, though of humble origin, could be considered a minor concubine, but assigning the daughter of the Minister of Justice to Yinzhen would be too conspicuous.

"Your Majesty, this is too much of a compliment to me and Yinzhen. Please retract your order," Wen Shan said hurriedly. "Yinzhen is still a small mansion, and it's enough for him to have only one concubine."

Kangxi, after coming to his senses, felt a little too much. But then he thought about it again. Yinzhen did owe him something in his childhood, and now that he was registered under Wen Shan's name, he was a noble concubine's son, just like Xiao Shi. A son's status is determined by his mother's. Given Wen Shan's social status, it was somewhat reasonable to assign Ulanara and Majia to Yinzhen as concubines.

So, Kangxi, for once, made this decision without weighing the pros and cons, more out of emotional considerations than anything else.

"Your Majesty, I speak my mind. Once I've spoken, I can't take it back. Let's do this: Fucha will be the principal consort, and Ulanara and Majia will be concubines. They will be married to Yinzhi in a few days."

Kangxi reflected on the saying that a moment's affection is truly true. He had been frequenting Xianfu Palace lately, seeing Wenshan and Yinzhen frequently. He'd naturally become more indulgent with Wenshan, and indeed, he'd shown a bit more affection for Yinzhen.

Wenshan had never imagined Yinzhen's marriage would turn out like this. Why didn't Kangxi consider his beloved crown prince at this moment?

With these three new relatives, especially Fucha and Majia, wouldn't that be a significant threat to Yinzhen's position?

Seeing Wenshan peeking inwardly, as if she had something to ask but didn't dare, Kangxi put down the memorial in his hand and said, "Speak if you have anything to say."

Wenshan hesitated for a moment, then decided to stick to her outspoken persona.

"I'm wondering if the three girls the Emperor has chosen for Yinzhen, all of them from prominent families, might be a bit too conspicuous," Wen Shan said. "You've only appointed one concubine for the eldest prince."

Concubine Hui had desperately tried to secure another concubine for the eldest prince, but Kangxi had rejected her offer without a word.

"Yinzhen is now registered under your name, so what's wrong with having a higher status than Yinzhi?" Kangxi shrugged. "I simply want to honor Yinzhen, so who dares to say anything?"

"What about the Crown Prince..."

Kangxi only glanced up at Wen Shan when she mentioned the Crown Prince, thinking that she was so bold as to say anything to his face, without any reservations.

Yet, this "offense" felt strangely comforting, as if it only proved that Wen Shan had nothing to hide and was completely devoted to him.

Seeing that Kangxi wasn't angry, Wen Shan thought to herself that Yinsi's words were indeed sound; Kangxi fell for them.

Kangxi had been visiting Xianfu Palace so often lately that Wen Shan was losing her hair in worry, unsure how to handle it. Xianfu Palace was now full of secrets, and she was acutely aware that her scheming and cunning were no match for these father and son. She lived in constant fear, fearing Kangxi would discover something, and worried about saying something that would incriminate Yinzhen and the others.

Finally, Yinsi reassured her that she didn't need to carefully consider her response to Kangxi's words. Just say whatever came to mind, and sometimes it was okay to be a little blunt.

"The Emperor is inherently suspicious. It's hard for us, not just you, to be relaxed in front of him. So just say whatever comes to mind. It will appear sincere and genuine, and the Emperor won't blame you."

Yinsi said this while playing chess with Yinzhen, and with that, he secured a decisive victory.

Unconvinced, Yinxiang rolled up his sleeves and challenged Yinsi to a game himself. Yinsi ignored him, leaving him furious.

So even though Wen Shan mentioned that the prince was a bit presumptuous and hinted at the fighting among the princes, Kangxi did not get angry.

"The Crown Prince is both the heir apparent and the elder brother, so he should be magnanimous," Kangxi said slowly. "It's just that he's assigned Yinzhen another concubine. What's the big deal to scare you like this?"

Since Kangxi didn't care, she had nothing to worry about. The next day, when she told Yinzhen and the others about it, they were indeed shocked.

"The Emperor assigned both Ulanara and Majia to my fourth brother as concubines?" Yinsi tilted his head, a rare look of confusion on his face.

He could understand the Emperor's choice of Fucha as his fourth brother's legitimate wife, but what did he mean by assigning the other two as concubines?

This didn't seem like the Emperor's style.

Yinxiang pondered for a moment, then said, "What the Emperor said makes some sense. Fourth Brother's status is different now, even more valuable than the eldest. It seems reasonable to choose a concubine with a good family background."

Yinzhen didn't comment, simply saying that the matter was done and they could only obey the Emperor's order and wait and see what the Emperor was up to.

Yinsi and Yinxiang pondered and found that this was the only possible explanation.

"It's really hard to be so young," Yinsi lamented. "If we were all at court now, we wouldn't be so passive in many things."

Although they had laid many networks within the court, it was still difficult for them to do things without the court.

"It will be soon. Only a few years," Yinzhen consoled.

Yinxiang, playing a puzzle, casually asked, "Eighth brother, has Tong Guowei been active lately?"

Longkodo had been detained at Tong Guowei's home for a month on sick leave. Yinzhen and the others knew this, and it was a predictable response. They really needed to sever ties between Longkodo and the eldest prince.

Yinsi shook his head. "Tong Guowei is a cautious man. He won't act rashly without absolute certainty. The next time he shows up, it'll be a gift for me."

Tong Guowei never engaged in routine inquiries or greetings. When he did, it was always a major, game-changing move, a way to demonstrate his power to Yinsi.

"I'm curious what Tong Guowei's expression will be when he finds out we're all supporting Fourth Brother." Yinxiang pondered it, thinking that scene would be a wonderful one, to have this old fox completely fooled.

By then, not just Tong Guowei but the entire court would be stunned.

The three of them had agreed some time ago that if they were going to deceive someone, they would do it thoroughly. Besides them, they only planned to share the truth with a few loyal and important officials, obviously not including Tong Guowei.

Yinzhen's mind wasn't on this. He was looking over the reports submitted by his subordinates, which were about the talented people from the public they had recruited according to the list provided by Wen Shan.

Some of them were already elderly, some were still children, and there were actually not many who were in their prime, not to mention some who hadn't even been born yet.

It was a difficult task for the subordinates to find so many of them.

"Tian Wenjing is really doing his job well," Yinzhen praised. "In just half a month, they were all sent to Kyoto."

Tian Wenjing had now reached the position of prefect. While not a high-ranking official, it was a huge improvement compared to the snail-like pace of his previous life.

This prefect had been promoted by Yinzhen and Yinsi, without anyone noticing. Tian Wenjing was deeply grateful for Yinzhen's support, and after his promotion, he never asked him to do anything to foment dissent. Instead, he constantly urged him to serve the people well.

This was Yinzhen's first order for Tian Wenjing to do something.

Yinzhen instructed him to treat the people on the list well, ensuring they were settled in their homes before being sent to the capital. He also stated that he intended to use them, so he had someone to meet them in the capital.

Although Tian Wenjing had no idea what the Fourth Prince intended these people to do, upon receiving Yinzhen's letter, he immediately dispatched people to investigate. Once they were found, they were escorted to the capital as quickly as possible.

Once in the capital, these people were settled in a garden that had been part of the Tongjia Empress's dowry. Now in the hands of Yinzhen, the garden was vacant and ready for use.

Yinzhen then sent Wenshan a book she had painstakingly compiled about the products of the Industrial Revolution.

Reports surfaced from his subordinates that many were so enthralled by the readings that they had requested materials and equipment and had already begun making things.

"Let's go out of the palace in a few days and take a look." Yinsi was curious about the things Wenshan had described, and upon hearing that the people in the other courtyard were making progress, he wanted to go and see what was happening.

Yinxiang quickly expressed his curiosity, and the two of them stared eagerly at Yinzhen.

Yinzhen reluctantly agreed to find a way to take them out of the palace.

A few days later, before Yinzhen and his companions could find a way out, Kangxi officially issued the imperial decree granting the marriage.

It designated Dong'e as the Third Prince's legitimate wife, and Alinga's niece, Niuhuru, as his concubine, a fairly standard arranged marriage.

Yinzhen's decree stunned everyone in the harem and the court.

Ma Qi's second-born daughter was his principal wife, while Ulanara, the daughter of First-Rank Minister Fei Yanggu, and the daughter of Minister of Justice Nuomin, were his concubines.

Compared to the eldest and third princes, Yinzhen's marriage was quite lavish.

Some in the court raised the issue that the fourth prince's marriage was too conspicuous compared to the others, and that Kangxi was overly doting.

The main concern, of course, was the eldest prince's connections.

Kangxi dismissed these claims, citing the fourth prince's status as a noble son of Consort Xuan.

While the previous dynasty had been relatively stable, under Kangxi's pressure, no one dared to intervene. However, the harem was in turmoil.

Consort Hui and Consort Rong disliked Wen Shan endlessly, but Wen Shan never cared. Their attempts to find fault were easily dismissed by Yinsi, ultimately leaving them frustrated. Furthermore, Wen Shan became a recluse, rarely leaving the house.

It was not until the birthday of Concubine Niohuru that Emperor Kangxi held a grand celebration for her in the palace and Wen Shan made a rare appearance.