The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

The Eighth Princess appears to be a lively person. Last year, she was betrothed to Cangjin, the Prince of Duling of the Ongniud tribe of the Borjigit clan in Mongolia. Even her princess residence in Mongolia has been completed.

Cangjin's original name was Bandi. His grandmother was the fourth daughter of the deposed Prince Ying, Ajige. It is unclear whether Emperor Kangxi was particularly pleased with this son-in-law or whether it was for the sake of the Eighth Princess. He bestowed the name Cangjin upon this future consort, which can be considered a great favor.

However, Emperor Kangxi also said that this daughter had grown up by his side since childhood, and he was reluctant to let the princess get married, so the wedding date has been postponed until now and has not yet been set.

The Tenth Princess, however, remained quiet, seemingly content with her elder sister's presence. She didn't interrupt, but simply smiled and nodded when the Eighth Princess spoke, indicating her agreement with the Eighth Princess's statement.

Seeing this, Yinxiang could only tell the two of them, "Then your sister-in-law and I will come back to pick you up soon."

After saying this, Yinxiang apologized to Consort Hui in a low voice before walking forward. Qingwan didn't have time to speak to the Eighth Princess and the Tenth Princess, so she could only smile apologetically at them and bow to Consort Hui. The Tenth Princess smiled and said, "It's alright, sister-in-law, go ahead. We'll talk later."

Qingwan had no choice but to turn around and chase after Yinxiang. She had only taken two steps when she heard the Eighth Princess behind her say irritably, "Thirteenth Brother, slow down."

Yinxiang then slowed down. He was tall and had long legs, and his strides were long. Qingwan's attire today was not as convenient as Yinxiang's, making it somewhat difficult for her to catch up.

Yinxiang was probably reminded of this by the Eighth Princess's words, and only whispered when Qingwan walked up to him:

"I forgot about that. Let's take it slow then."

Although the two were married, they were not really familiar with each other, and they remained mostly silent throughout the journey.

Upon arriving at Yanxi Palace, Yinxiang left Zhang Rui, who was by his side, in the courtyard. Seeing this, Qingwan had no choice but to leave Muxiang behind as well.

Fortunately, Yinxiang reached out and supported her, then led her to the back while explaining.

“When I was still alive, I lived in Yanxi Palace with Consort Hui. This back hall was my residence at that time. Later, because Consort Hui was raising a young prince, this back hall was left empty by some twist of fate.”

The person pinching their forehead is naturally the deceased Consort Min.

Looking at the doors and windows of the rear palace, Yinxiang thought of his childhood. Princes and their birth mothers rarely saw each other. Although they lived in the same palace, they did not speak often to avoid suspicion. Most of the time, Yinxiang could only bow to Consort Min across the open space in the middle.

Qingwan then understood why Yinxiang had brought her here. Seeing that Qingwan understood his meaning, Yinxiang continued, "My mother is currently resting near the treasure city inside the glazed flower gate of her future mausoleum. I cannot take you to pay your respects to her right now."

Qingwan simply nodded to indicate that she understood, and then asked Yinxiang, "Then do I need to..." Qingwan didn't finish her sentence. After all, this was Consort Hui's palace, and Qingwan didn't know the true nature of Yinxiang's relationship with Consort Hui, which was why she asked that question.

Yinxiang seemed quite satisfied with her statement, but still shook his head: "Never mind, if there's a chance in the future, I'll take you to see my mother again."

Yinxiang knew that doing so was pointless, but upon hearing about the betrothal, he thought he should bring his future wife to see her.

Qingwan tentatively asked, "Then could you tell me more about the Eighth Princess and the Tenth Princess?"

When Yinxiang mentioned his two younger sisters, he couldn't help but smile: "My eighth sister's name is Yi'an. She was raised by Consort Yi since she was a child. If you hear any palace servants mentioning Princess Yikun, they are referring to my eighth sister."

The tenth sister, Yi Huan, was raised under the care of Consort Rong in Changchun Palace. Of course, the tenth sister was also called Princess Changchun Palace, but that was just the way we called her in our palace, and you probably didn't know that.

As for your two younger sisters' personalities, that's not for me to say; you'll have to get to know them yourself after you've gotten to know them.

"Consort Rong?" Qingwan was a little surprised by this arrangement.

Although she spoke softly, Yinxiang still heard her and detected a barely perceptible hint of doubt in her words.

Yinxiang smiled helplessly. He wasn't surprised that Qingwan knew about this. After all, his past with the third prince, Yinzhi, wasn't a secret. Since Qingwan had a father who was a minister, he would naturally tell her these things.

Consort Min passed away in the thirty-eighth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, when he was only thirteen years old. Yinzhi was enfeoffed as Prince Cheng in the third month of the thirty-seventh year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

Later, Yinzhi shaved his head within 100 days of Consort Min's death. When Yinxiang found out about this, he was young and impulsive. Since the matter involved his deceased mother, he was furious and took it to Emperor Kangxi. Yinzhi, who had only been a prince for a year, lost his position as a prince. As a result, everyone in the prince's mansion, from the chief secretary down, was punished to varying degrees. This incident created a grudge between the two.

Even though he and Yinzhi are both now close to the Crown Prince, it's only a superficial relationship; they can barely be considered as brothers.

However, since Qingwan had this question, and considering that although she hadn't yet left the palace to establish her own residence, she spent more time outside, and that her two younger sisters would actually have more contact with her if they were willing, she explained:

"The Khan was good to his daughters, and since the two sisters lost their mother at a young age, the Khan always showed them more favor."

Another reason is that Yinxiang did not explain much to Qingwan. After all, Yihuan was just a princess, and as things stand now, she was destined to be a princess sent to serve the Mongols. There was no need for Consort Rong to make things difficult for her.

Qingwan had already prepared herself for no reply, but to her surprise, Yinxiang's explanation improved her impression of him even further. However, she didn't forget to thank him verbally.

"Thank you for the explanation, sir."

Yinxiang simply nodded indifferently and led Qingwan to the main hall where Consort Hui resided. Consort Hui's attitude towards Yinxiang was not particularly warm, but it was still quite gentle.

After receiving their greetings, he carefully instructed them, offering nothing more than the usual platitudes about marital harmony and wishing them to have children soon. He also bestowed a valuable reward upon Qingwan, the newly arrived wife of the prince, and finally reminded her not to be jealous.

The two chatted with Consort Hui for a while longer before Consort Hui said she was tired. Yinxiang then got up, and together with Qingwan, the Eighth Princess, and the Tenth Princess, bowed and took their leave.

When she returned to the prince's residence, Qingwan felt a little troubled thinking about the court dress she was wearing. She had been wearing it for two days in a row and felt uncomfortable. However, since both princesses were present, she couldn't just go and change her clothes.

Just as they were hesitating whether to receive the two princesses as they were, the Tenth Princess Yi Huan said, "Sister-in-law, go and change your clothes first. My sister and I are not outsiders, so you can be more at ease in front of us."

Yi Huan noticed that Qing Wan seemed troubled on her face and saw that she was wearing court attire, so she guessed what was bothering Qing Wan and said those words.

Qingwan thought for a moment and then said, "Then I'll trouble you two sisters to wait a moment. I'll be back soon."

Although they hadn't spent much time together today, it was clear that the three siblings had a very good relationship. If she insisted on adhering to this etiquette, the two princesses might have some reservations. Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, Yi'an and Yi Huan relaxed a bit.