The Virtuous Concubine

The incident passed quickly, but Wang was no longer as favored, and Kangxi once again let the prince take charge of many matters related to returning to Beijing.

The Fourth Prince had anticipated this, and he was very calm. He was about to return to the capital, and if he continued to be so glorious, the Empress Dowager and some ministers of the previous dynasty would not let him go first.

But he didn't know that the Empress Dowager no longer had the energy to care about these things.

His own mother had already been secretly making efforts to sound the final death knell for the Empress Dowager.

At this time, Xiaozhuang's life was hanging by a thread, and she was just holding on with her strength.

She must wait until Xuanye comes back!

Xiaozhuang's heart was full of worries. Only when she ensured that Korchin's position was stable could she leave with peace of mind.

Of course, she also had a backup plan. She wrote a few wills and gave them to Su Malagu just in case.

Su Malagu took the will with both hands, her eyes full of grief and determination.

Malu was naturally aware of these things, she even knew exactly where the will was placed. But she still did not give the final order.

If Kangxi refused, or the Fourth Prince found a way to keep Wen Xian, or Ming Xiang could convince Kangxi that any marriage with Khorchin would only fuel their ambitions, then she would not have to make this final move herself.

Malu complained that the letter from the Empress Dowager wanted to ask for Wen Xian's hand in marriage on behalf of Korchin, and the letter was handed to Kangxi along with the news that Xiaozhuang was seriously ill and dying.

Also placed in front of Kangxi was a letter that Malu wrote to the Fourth Prince.

Kangxi read the letter that Malu wrote to the Fourth Prince several times. Seeing that she did not mention the marriage at all and did not express any resentment in the letter, he felt relieved and asked Liang Jiugong to reseal the letter and send it to the Fourth Prince.

He was really considering whether the marriage between Wen Xian and the emperor was feasible.

But I couldn't agree to this just because the Empress Dowager was seriously ill.

After pondering for a while, Kangxi decided to write a letter to Soetu and Mingzhu to see what they thought.

While Kangxi was plotting here, the Fourth Prince also received Malu's letter.

After reading the letter, he was also considering whether he should let Wen Xian marry Korchin.

My mother would definitely not agree, but the princess' marriage was an old Qing custom. . .

If Wen Xian could marry into Korchin and become the de facto leader of Korchin, and then get the Empress Dowager's people in the palace, the prince would never be her opponent.

He sighed and called Wen Xian.

Originally Yinzuo also wanted to come, but was politely rejected by Su Peisheng.

Wen Xian was a little surprised at first, thinking that her brother was going to ask her about Wang's affairs. But halfway through the walk, she sensed something was wrong and had a bad feeling in her heart.

Sure enough, the Fourth Prince handed Wen Xian the secret letter from her mother and asked her to read it herself. When Wen Xian saw that the Empress Dowager wanted her to go to the grassland to marry, and her mother asked the Fourth Prince to find a way to keep her, her eyes turned red.

Wen Xian held back tears and looked at the Fourth Prince: "Fourth Brother, I don't want to go to marry. I don't want to leave my mother and you."

The fourth prince nodded: "Okay."

However, before Wen Xian had time to be moved, the Fourth Prince continued, "But you must choose between Korqin and the Tong family."

When Wen Xian heard this, the joy on his face froze instantly.

She stared at the Fourth Prince in disbelief. "Fourth Prince, why? Why do I have to choose between these two?"

Wen Xian tightly grasped the secret letter, and for the first time he felt resentful towards his fourth brother.

The Fourth Prince looked solemn, knowing that Wen Xian had misunderstood him, and slowly explained to her: "Wen Xian, if you don't choose, the Emperor will make a decision for you. Instead of that, why don't you choose one yourself, and maybe you can still have some initiative."

"Marriage between Manchus and Mongols is an old custom. Even if you reject Khorchin, there are still 48 of the 49 Mongolian tribes that may ask for your hand in marriage. Why not take this opportunity to find a prominent family in the capital that you know well?"

Wen Xian bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. She knew what the Fourth Prince said made sense, but she really couldn't make a decision.

If possible, she doesn't want to get married! At least she should decide who to marry.

Wen Xian pinched his palms and tried to calm himself down: "Why must it be the Tong family? Yonghe Palace doesn't need the Tong family, and my mother doesn't need the Tong family."

The subtext speaks for itself.

Seeing Wen Xian and Troublemaker confronting him, the Fourth Prince also felt a dull pain in his heart.

Yes, it would certainly be good for Wen Xian to marry into the Tong family, but what did she mean by this? Was she blaming her brother for sacrificing even his sister for power?

The fourth prince felt that he was being let down. Why didn't his sister understand him? In the previous life, his sister was able to marry into the Tong family because she was raised by the empress dowager, and she didn't have to marry like other princesses.

In this life, my sister didn't even consider how much planning it would take for a Beile to succeed.

"The Tong family is the emperor's maternal family. No matter who it is, as long as they want... they must make use of the Tong family. This way, even if Fourth Brother doesn't make it, you can still be rich and prosperous for the rest of your life."

Wen Xian remained silent after hearing what the Fourth Prince said. She knew that the Fourth Prince was doing this for her own good, but she was still full of resistance.

At this moment, she hated the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and everyone who made her unable to control her own affairs.

"Fourth brother, I don't want to be a pawn." Wen Xian said softly, "I just want to live the life I want. Mother should mean the same thing."

The Fourth Prince looked at Wen Xian, feeling helpless. He knew what Wen Xian was thinking, but who in the palace could really do as they pleased?

The brother and sister were silent for a long time, and Wen Xian was the first to break the silence: "Fourth brother, can I think about it again?"

The Fourth Prince nodded and said, "Okay, but time is running out. You need to make a decision as soon as possible."

Wen Xian returned to her residence with a heavy heart. She lay on the bed, tossing and turning.

When Yinzuo knew that she had returned from her brother's place, he hurried over.

The twins were very sympathetic. Seeing Wen Xian like this, Yin Zuo knew something bad had happened: "What happened?"

Yinzuo sat down on the edge of his sister's bed, but she kicked him angrily: "The Empress Dowager asked me to marry to Khorchin, and my fourth brother asked me to choose between the Tong family and Khorchin."

Yinzuo couldn't help but be shocked: "How can you marry into the Tong family? Will the emperor agree?"

Wen Xian was so angry at his brother that he laughed: "Why, am I not worthy of the Tong family?"

Yinzuo, who was suppressed by his bloodline, waved his hands quickly: "That's not what I meant. The Tong family is indeed prominent, but what family can be higher than our Aixinjueluo? Until now, no princess of the Qing Dynasty has been able to marry in the capital. Fourth brother, are you bragging like this?"

Wen Xian was silent after hearing what Yinzuo said. Yinzuo's words woke him up.

I really... I really did make things difficult for Fourth Brother.

It was difficult enough for her not to marry in Khorchin. It was even more difficult for her to become the first princess of the Qing Dynasty to marry in the capital.

Even if I am the phoenix among the dragon and phoenix twins, it doesn't necessarily make this matter easy.