Secrets of Yuqing Palace

The next day, Shi Wenbing entered the palace early.

By the time he left the palace and returned to Guaerjia Prefecture, it was almost noon.

The emperor appreciated his achievements in Fuzhou over the past three years and not only bestowed upon him many rewards, but also specially invited him to stay in the Qianqing Palace to have an imperial meal with him.

It can be said that Jian is in the emperor's heart.

However, after returning to Guwaljia Prefecture, Shi Wenbing also brought back some news, not sure whether it was good or bad.

It turned out that the Tong family sent another concubine's daughter into the palace today.

Moreover, this Tonggiya princess entered the palace from Donghua Gate through Cangzhen Gate.

If Donghua Gate had not been the only entrance for ministers to go to and from court, he would not have happened to encounter it when he left the palace.

After leaving the palace, she asked around and found out that Princess Tonggiya had come to the palace to serve the emperor.

The most important thing is that this Tonggiya princess was born in the seventh year of Emperor Kangxi's reign and is now 24 years old.

The Tong family's conspiracy probably started when Empress Xiaoyi Ren's eighth daughter died.

Otherwise, he would not have kept this concubine's daughter until she was twenty-four and not married her off.

Sitting in Shi Huashan's study were Shi Huashan and his son, as well as the second princess Shi Wanlin.

With the incident of close-kin marriage, the father and his two sons are now almost certain that Wanlin will be the candidate for the Crown Princess.

So I also want her to know more about the current situation of the former dynasty and the harem.

After entering the Eastern Palace, it will be very important for her own status and for assisting the crown prince to succeed to the throne.

When everyone heard the news brought by Shi Wenbing, except Shi Wanlin who remained expressionless, the father and his two sons all frowned in thought.

I want to find out what the deeper meaning behind the emperor's actions is?

After all, the purpose of the Tong family doing this is clear with just a little thought, and the emperor cannot fail to see it.

Do you want to support the Tong family? But the Tong family is now powerful enough.

Or do you really want a prince with Tong family blood?

But didn't the emperor already know the dangers of inbreeding? Why did he summon this Tong family princess into the palace?

Shi Wenbing had not been in the capital for three years, so he was not very clear about the current situation of the capital.

"Father, do you think Tong Jianu's entry into the palace will have any impact on the Crown Prince or the future Crown Prince?"

Shi Huashan was also a little unsure of the emperor's purpose.

Especially in the period before the election.

Shi Huashan stroked his beard and analyzed with some uncertainty.

"De Fei has been demoted. The people in charge of the harem now are Noble Consort Niu Hulu, and the three concubines Hui, Yi, and Rong."

"The older princes mentioned above all have high-ranking concubines. Is the Emperor worried about an imbalance in the harem?"

"The Fourth Prince has no power behind him, so he summoned Tong Jianu into the palace?"

"After all, because of Empress Xiaoyi, the Fourth Prince has some ties with the Tong family."

Shi Wenzhuo said, "What Father said is not impossible. You have to know that the Fourth Prince was once the adopted son of Empress Xiaoyi."

"The Emperor not only wants to balance the power of the harem, but he may also want to balance the power of several princes from the previous dynasty."

Shi Huashan looked at his granddaughter who had been silent across from him.

"Lin'er, do you have any opinions? If you have any, just say it."

Wanlin didn't have much opinion, and she had no intention of entering the Eastern Palace again in this life.

Whether it will have an impact on the Crown Prince or the Crown Princess, what does it have to do with her?

But she knew what the elders in the clan expected of her, so she had to analyze it based on the little information from her previous life.

"Father, my granddaughter is shallow and doesn't have any good ideas."

"It's just that my granddaughter feels that the Tong family is the emperor's maternal family after all. The death of Lord Tong Guogang and Empress Xiaoyiren was a huge blow to the Tong family."

"This may also be done to continue to protect the Tongjia clan and enhance the glory and status of the Tong family."

"After Empress Renxiao passed away, there were two more concubines from the Hesheli clan in the palace."

"After Empress Xiao Zhao passed away, the current Noble Consort Nianhulu appeared in the palace."

"After Empress Xiaoyi passed away, it is impossible for the Emperor not to give the Tong family this honor."

"This can be considered as a tacit understanding between the major families of the previous dynasty and the emperor, deepening the connection between the family and the royal family."

"As for the harem, Consort Niuhulu not only holds a high position, but also has a powerful family, something the other three cannot match."

"My granddaughter thinks the Emperor might also want to divide Concubine Bo's power and prevent her family from being the only one in power."

"As for the impact on the Crown Prince, I don't think it will be significant."

"The Fourth Prince has a very good relationship with the Crown Prince. Even though the Fourth Prince is Empress Xiaoyi's adopted son, as long as the Fourth Prince stands on the Crown Prince's side, he will pose less of a threat."

"Besides, the Emperor didn't change Yudie, so the Fourth Prince has no close relationship with the Tong family."

"On the contrary, if this Tongjia Princess enters the palace and gives birth to a child, the power behind the Fourth Prince will be reduced, and her influence on the Crown Prince will be even smaller."

Although he knew that his daughter did not know about the matter of consanguineous marriage, Shi Wenbing still asked her in order to test her understanding.

"Oh? Then if Princess Tonggia really gave birth to a child, wouldn't it have a greater impact on the Crown Prince?"

Wanlin said calmly, "Father, the emperor's prince is now ranked fourteenth."

"The age difference is too great. By the time this Tonggiya prince takes up political office, the power in the court will have been almost completely divided up by the older princes."

"Because of the emperor's preference for the Tong family, this prince will only become a target of public criticism and will likely be suppressed by the forces of the previous princes."

"The Tong family used to be just a small family, but it is only because of the emperor's support that they have achieved their current prosperity."

"But our family's foundation is not deep, and we can't withstand the joint suppression from the major Manchu families. It might even lead to the overthrow of the Tongjia clan."

"Even with the Emperor's blessing, if all the major families unite, the Emperor will be powerless."

And she knew that the women of the Tongjia clan did not leave any offspring after entering the palace.

This concubine's daughter of the Tong family has never even gotten pregnant.

I don't know why, but it's the fact.

Shi Wenbing felt very satisfied as he watched his daughter talking freely.

Shi Wenzhuo also felt that his second niece was smart, scheming and capable, and would definitely achieve something after entering the Eastern Palace.

[With a princess like this in your family, why worry about not prospering? ]

[With a sister like the Crown Princess, my daughter doesn't need to worry about her future marriage. As long as she chooses a good son-in-law, she won't have to worry about the rest of her life.]

Shi Huashan continued to ask: "Then what position do you think the emperor will give this cousin?"

Wanlin thought about it and realized that in her previous life, Tong Jia was appointed as a concubine by Emperor Kangxi after entering the palace.

Although there was no enthronement ceremony, she was no different from the four concubines Hui, Yi, De and Rong.

It was a completely different situation for Concubine Chuxiu and Princess Xianfu.

In December of the 39th year of the Kangxi reign, she was named a noble concubine, becoming the third noble concubine of the Kangxi Dynasty.

But in this life, Concubine De was demoted to Concubine De, and there happened to be a vacancy among the four concubines, so this Tongjia concubine was likely to still be a concubine.

Moreover, if Depin could not return to the position of concubine later, then after the death of Concubine Wenxi, in order to maintain a balance among the four concubines, this Tongjia concubine might remain a concubine for the rest of her life.

So Wanlin said, "When the Emperor established the harem's rank system, it stipulated the empress, the imperial concubine, two noble concubines, and four concubines."

"Now that Concubine De has been demoted to Concubine De, one of the Four Concubines is now vacant."

"According to the emperor's partiality for the Tong family, and the legacy left by Empress Xiaoyi, this Tong Jia Gege may have entered the palace to fill this concubine position."

"Actually, Mafa and Ama, Second Uncle, don't worry about this Tongjia Princess entering the harem. The ones you should be most worried about are the concubines in the harem."

Everyone nodded.

Shi Wenbing looked at his daughter and suddenly said.

"Lin'er, your father came to the palace today, and the emperor praised you highly in front of your father."

"He said you came from a prominent family, had good character, were gentle and virtuous, and had the demeanor of a great wife. He was very satisfied."

"I think you should know what the emperor means."

Shi Huashan and Shi Wenzhuo were shocked when they heard the evaluation of "Dafu Zhifeng"!

Shi Huashan's hand, which was stroking his beard, shook, and a hair was pulled out.

"hiss!"

[Has the Emperor confirmed Wanlin as the Crown Princess?!]

The teacup in Shi Wenzhuo's hand also tilted, and the tea in the cup wet his clothes.

Wanlin looked surprised.

【what happened? 】

[This never happened in my previous life! ]

What Wanlin didn't know was that the emperor had already eliminated many promising candidates for the Crown Princess through the results of Soetu's investigation.

Among them was the princess of the Hesheli family.

In his previous life, Crown Prince Yinreng actually took Soetu's advice to heart.

He also expressed to Kangxi that he wanted his cousin to be the Crown Princess.

Soetu was already powerful in the previous dynasty and had committed many heinous crimes.

If it weren't for the prince, he would have turned a blind eye and the Hesheli family would have been confiscated and exterminated long ago.

So after Kangxi hesitated, he was worried that the crown prince would succeed to the throne in the future, and the power of the foreign relatives would increase, affecting the Qing Dynasty.

So in the end, the idea of ​​making Hesheli the Crown Princess was rejected.

Moreover, he did not want his prince to be held hostage by the Hesheli family in the future.

Therefore, it is necessary to add another powerful force to the prince that can curb Soetu and the Hesheli family.

The Guwalja clan happened to be one of his favorite candidates, and the Guwalja clan had grown very powerful in recent years.

Among the clan members, there are not only those with military power but also high-ranking officials, and not just one or two of them.

In addition, Shi Huashan’s two wives were both princesses of the royal family, and the royal relatives represented by them were also a force that could not be underestimated.

This made Kangxi very satisfied!