Chapter 7: A Journey Through Qing Dynasty Life (Part 7)

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Orundai’s anger soon faded.

He was no longer resistant toward Lady Wanyan, either.

When Lady Jueluo finished her morning prayers and came out of the Buddhist hall, she found the brother and sister chatting merrily together.

Orundai was looking at his mother with bright, shining eyes.

Lady Jueluo glanced at Orundai, then at Wenyao, and could not help laughing. “You really are siblings of the same blood. That little scoundrel is actually willing to listen to you. Still, that is a good thing. At least there is someone in this household who can keep him under control.”

“Our Orundai is the most obedient child in the world.” Wenyao rubbed his fluffy head. “He is not only polite and well-mannered, but also has lofty ambitions. Just now he told me that from now on he intends to study diligently and practice martial arts, so that he may become a great general who can hold up the heavens and stand firmly upon the earth.”

Lady Jueluo watched as Orundai’s chin rose higher and higher with every word of praise Wenyao bestowed upon him.

“Once I enter the palace, I will have to rely on our Orundai to support me.”

“Hmph.”

Orundai answered proudly, “Of course. Just wait and see. I will certainly make you proud.”

Lady Wanyan, who had followed Orundai over and had been standing quietly in the corner, finally breathed a sigh of relief. So long as the young master did not quarrel with Lord Tong, her tightly strung heart could relax a little.

Her own husband had been on poor terms with his father, and after their marriage, the couple had been driven out of the family home. If she had not happened to become pregnant and been chosen by the Tong family, who belonged to the same Plain Blue Banner, to serve as the young master’s wet nurse, their life would have been even more difficult.

Because she had experienced such hardship herself, she understood all the more clearly how difficult life could be for the younger generation without the support of their elders.

For now, the young master was the only child in the household, and that was one thing. But once more young masters were born into the family, that would be when his hardships truly began.

“Not only must you make us proud, you must strive to do your very best. Once there are other children in the family, you will be the eldest brother. You must set a good example for them.” Wenyao began discreetly preparing Orundai for what lay ahead.

“Mother is pregnant?”

Orundai’s thoughts moved quickly, and his eyes immediately turned toward Lady Jueluo’s stomach.

“No.” Wenyao ruffled his unruly hair once more. “Giving birth takes half a woman’s life. Your mother has already suffered through it twice to bring the two of us into the world. How could Orundai bear to make her give birth again?”

“Of course I cannot bear to see Mother suffer.”

Orundai hurriedly declared his loyalty, then took several quick steps forward and caught Lady Jueluo’s hand, swinging it gently.

Lady Jueluo felt as though her heart were melting. She squatted down and stroked his little face. “With you saying that, Mother could die content.”

Was that not what every mother hoped for—the filial devotion of her children?

“But if Mother does not have any more children, how am I supposed to become an elder brother?” Orundai scratched his head, utterly confused.

“Your father’s two secondary women in the front courtyard will give birth.” Lady Jueluo led Orundai to the principal seat and sat down with him. One moment she was stroking his head, the next she was rubbing his cheeks, clinging to him with unabashed affection.

Wenyao found the sight almost impossible to bear.

Orundai curled his lip disdainfully. “How can the children of servants count as my younger brothers?”

“Then do not treat them as younger brothers. Treat them as helpers your father has prepared for you.” Lady Jueluo did not believe that the children of secondary women could stand on equal footing with Orundai, and her tone remained indifferent as she explained. “Even if that is what you think in your heart, you need not show it on your face. Take Ye Kesh u and the others, for example. They are also helpers your uncle Qizike prepared for Longkodo. They were raised under your wet nurse, and now regard her as their mother.”

“Longkodo does not necessarily think highly of them.” Orundai pouted, clearly indignant.

Though Longkodo was a year younger than him, he was far more domineering by nature. He merely happened to be good at putting on an act. Orundai had seen it with his own eyes: Longkodo’s gaze toward Ye Keshu and the others was just as cold as ice.

“But Ye Keshu treats Longkodo with great affection.”

Wenyao smiled and tapped Orundai on the forehead. “That is something you really ought to learn from Longkodo.”

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As she spoke, she pressed a hand to her chest like the tragic beauty Xi Shi and let out a mournful sigh. “People often say, ‘When fighting a tiger, rely on brothers; when marching into battle, rely on father and son.’ From this, it is clear that only when one’s clan flourishes and stands united can it secure great advantages. The Hesheri and Niohuru clans are powerful great families. Though the Nara clan has divided into separate branches, strictly speaking, they are all still Nara. And then there are great clans such as the Fuca and Gūwalgiya.”

“Whenever I think of entering the palace in the future and encountering daughters of all those great families, I lose all confidence.”

“Who can blame me? Our Tong clan has such shallow roots, and even the number of people in the clan is pitifully small.”

“Orundai, your elder sister is truly afraid. I am afraid that one day I will be bullied in the palace, with no one to support me.”

“I would like to see who dares!”

Orundai’s eyes widened at once, and his whole expression changed.

At the thought of his poor elder sister being bullied in the palace by daughters of those great clans, he was consumed by fury. Yet the situation at home was indeed just as his elder sister had said: their family was short of people.

In an instant, Orundai had been led astray. He began to feel that there were simply too few children in the family.

With only this tiny handful of people at home, they would lack all presence if they ever went out to fight a gang war!

Wenyao stopped after making her point. The reason Lady Jueluo had previously refused to think things through was simply that Wenyao’s health had been poor. Even if she entered the inner palace, it would only be to pave the way for Wenyue, so naturally Lady Jueluo had been unwilling to make sacrifices for the second branch.

Now that Wenyao might very well “recover,” Lady Jueluo was naturally willing to take the matter seriously.

After all, one was merely a niece from another branch, while the other was her own daughter.

One would receive all the resources in the future for Longkodo, leaving Orundai to follow along and take whatever scraps remained. The other would receive every resource for her own son.

The difference was fundamental.

After sharing the midday meal, Wenyao rose and took her leave, returning to her own courtyard.

At present, her two senior maids were named Dongrui and Chunling. Whenever she went out, Dongrui generally accompanied her, while Chunling handled the affairs of the courtyard. Two other senior maids did not serve directly at her side: one managed the storerooms, and the other oversaw the tea rooms. Both had been trained by Lady Jueluo and had not come from the Imperial Household Department.

Once Wenyao entered the palace, Dongrui and Chunling would follow the Imperial Household Department’s arrangements and continue serving at her side, while the other two would have to remain at home.

After Lady Jueluo’s persuasion, Orundai had become considerably more open-minded. Whenever he encountered Ye Keshu and the others at the clan school, he could now greet them calmly. For some reason, however, he had developed a fondness for sneering.

This was especially true whenever he faced Tong Guogang. Whether there was any reason or not, he would let out a cold laugh, his expression filled with the arrogant conviction that the whole world was drunk while he alone remained sober. Sometimes, after sneering, he would even look Tong Guogang up and down with an expression of “You are hopeless, and I cannot bear to see it.”

Tong Guogang felt chills running down his spine.

That night, while holding Lady Jueluo in his arms, he complained, “What is wrong with that little scoundrel Orundai?”

“Huh?” Lady Jueluo was still drowsy, and her mind was somewhat hazy.

“He keeps sneering at me. I swear that boy is begging for a beating.” Tong Guogang admitted that his fists were itching and that he particularly wanted to thrash the boy, but lately Orundai had been studying so diligently that he had yet to find an excuse.

“You must be mistaken.” Lady Jueluo naturally could not say that Orundai looked down on Tong Guogang for being useless, so she quickly changed the subject. “This afternoon, word came from outside that our emperor’s wedding date has been set?”

“Yes. It has been set for the eighth day of the ninth month.”

“Hiss—it is right next to the Double Ninth Festival.” That could hardly be called an auspicious date. The palace would hold a sacrificial ceremony on the Double Ninth Festival. To hold such a ceremony immediately after a wedding was not auspicious. Besides, “The date is far too soon. There are only seven or eight months left to prepare all the ceremonial gifts. I am afraid the dowry will not be ready in time.”

This was the dowry of the empress, after all. If it fell short, the dowries of the noblewomen throughout the capital would likely have to be reduced as well. No matter how much affection a family showed its daughter, it could not allow her dowry to surpass that of the empress.

“The Hesheri clan is a great family. If every household contributes a little, there will be more than enough. The real problem is the dispute over the exchange of enclosed lands, which has become increasingly fierce. Lord Ao’s memorial has already been sent to the Ministry of Revenue. Though the matter has been suppressed for now and set aside, I have a feeling the emperor will not be able to keep it contained.”

“So they are hoping to divert attention through the imperial wedding.”

Among the four regents, the Plain White Banner and the Bordered Yellow Banner were locked in conflict, leaving the emperor with no choice but to win over Sony of the Plain Yellow Banner.

“Our emperor is still too young. When the ruler is young, the ministers take advantage of him. If he were merely five years older and able to rule personally, he would not be placed in such a difficult position.” Lady Jueluo’s words were extraordinarily bold. Only the emperor’s maternal aunt by marriage would dare to speak so openly—and even then, she could only say it after lowering the bed curtains and pulling up the quilt.

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“His maternal clan is weak as well. If only our Tong clan were as prosperous as those great families, the emperor would not be forced to suffer so much.”

“Since we are speaking of this, I must say one more thing. You must treat Orundai better in the future. He has already sworn that he will study hard, master both letters and arms, and become a great general who can support his elder sister.” Whenever Lady Jueluo mentioned her son’s ambitions, she could not help covering her mouth and laughing.

Tong Guogang laughed along with her. “No wonder that little scoundrel has become so diligent lately.”

He drew his wife closer. “Tell me honestly. Can Wenyao truly recover?”

He had seen everything his wife had done in recent days, and naturally understood why she had changed. That was why he had asked.

“A complete recovery will probably be difficult. But if she merely wishes to live for a long time, there should be no obstacle.”

“That is enough.”

Tong Guogang’s heart gave a sudden jolt.

For all these years, he had devoted himself to helping the second branch. Yet if he truly examined his own heart, he could not deny that he, too, had been unwilling.

***

Once the emperor’s wedding date was set, the entire Hesheri clan sprang into action.

As Lady Jueluo had said, the wedding date was extremely close, and the future empress’s dowry presented a serious problem. No matter how many treasures the clan possessed, they could not place every one of them into the dowry chests. They still had to search far and wide for rare and precious objects.

This was especially true of fabrics and furs.

The Hesheri servants obtained travel permits for leaving the capital and hurried south to Jiangnan. Three weaving offices were located there, and every year all the fabrics designated for imperial use were purchased in Jiangnan and sent to the palace. Although the daughter of the Hesheri clan was entering the palace to become empress, she could not use tribute goods. They could only make private connections and see whether they could secretly acquire a selection of the latest fabrics.

Furs were simpler. A single announcement throughout the Plain Yellow Banner lands was enough to gather a considerable number of fine pelts.

The banner people were not stingy, either. After all, she would be the mistress born of the Plain Yellow Banner. So long as she prospered, their banner would stand above the others in prestige, and they would certainly enjoy benefits in the future.

In the blink of an eye, April arrived.

The atmosphere at court grew increasingly tense.

Because of the dispute over enclosed lands, the Ministry of Revenue held countless meetings, both large and small. At last, after completing the necessary procedures, they reported the matter directly to the emperor during a minor court audience. Yet Ao Bai was an overbearing and tyrannical man. He was willing to accept only those parts that benefited him, while completely ignoring all opposing opinions.

In the end, he even took a blank imperial decree and stood beside the imperial desk, looking as though he intended to watch the emperor issue the decree himself.

Fortunately, the other three men intervened in time. Otherwise, such a scandal would have been recorded in the historical annals. Perhaps no one dared criticize him at present, but a century or two later, Ao Bai’s reputation would surely stink beyond redemption.

Sony repeatedly tried to persuade him, earnestly urging him to consider the Gūwalgiya clan and warning him not to take the wrong path.

When the Grand Empress Dowager heard about it, she was consumed by rage.

Her feelings at that moment were as though she had returned to the days when Fulin had first ascended the throne. She and her son had been alone and helpless, with Dorgon watching them like a tiger, preparing to destroy Haoge and claim the throne for himself, while Namuzhong stood behind them clutching Boguo’er, hoping to profit as the third party.

In those days, she had hardly dared sleep soundly, fearing that she might lose her life in the midst of a dream.

Still, the Ao Bai of today could not truly compare with Dorgon. Dorgon had been the biological son of the Great Khan and possessed the blood of the imperial Aisin Gioro clan. No matter how arrogant and tyrannical Ao Bai might be, he was still only a minister. After a brief moment of disorientation, the Grand Empress Dowager quickly regained her composure.

She would have to teach Ao Bai a lesson.

Thus, at dawn the following day, the entire capital was thrown into chaos by an edict from the Grand Empress Dowager.

One of the former candidates for empress, the legitimate daughter of Ebilun, Ao Bai’s goddaughter, and the noblewoman of the Niohuru clan whom the Grand Empress Dowager had personally praised as possessing “a blessed appearance”—Niohuru Tana—

was being sent to Mongolia in a marriage alliance!

Moreover, her wedding date was set only one day after the empress’s wedding, on the ninth day of the ninth month—the Double Ninth Festival.