noffsinger Chapter 259 Fang Nanxi's Transmigration to the Qing Dynasty 13
Chapter 259 Fang Nanxi's Transmigration to the Qing Dynasty 13
Two new princesses arrived at the manor, and to give Princess Niohuru the respect she deserved, the Fourth Prince stayed at her residence, Yunxue Courtyard, for three days straight. During those days, Yunxue Courtyard was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and servants bustled about, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
On the fourth day, Fourth Master went to Princess Geng's residence.
Geng Gege was born into the Han Chinese Banner Banner of the Bordered White Banner. Her father, Geng Dejin, held the official rank of fifth-grade official, which was much higher than that of Song's father.
Fang Nanxi's father and Geng Dejin are of the same rank, but Geng Dejin has been working in the capital for many years and has a wider network of connections, so his actual power may be greater.
It has been three years since Fang Nanxi entered the Fourth Prince's mansion. In these three years, her elder brother, Fang Jingxuan, has become very promising under the Fourth Prince's secret promotion. He has now entered the Ministry of Revenue and has been appointed as a sixth-rank official.
The third brother, Fang Jingze, also took the imperial examination and successfully passed the first level, becoming a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations). To give him a better chance of success, his father planned to let him settle down for a few years before trying to become a Juren (a scholar who passed the highest level of the imperial examinations).
Geng Gege was exceptionally beautiful. Because she came from the Han Banner Army, she was more radiant and beautiful than the women of the Manchu Banner Army.
This is quite similar to Yi Gege; both are stunningly beautiful. However, Fourth Prince clearly favors Geng Gege more.
The Geng family was powerful and influential, and they put a lot of effort into raising their daughter, which made Geng Gege's words and actions more elegant, unlike Yi Gege who was somewhat vulgar.
As a result, Geng Gege gradually gained favor, which naturally made Yi Gege resentful. The two women constantly bickered and caused chaos in the mansion. The Fujin (principal wife) could no longer bear it and, in a fit of anger, confined them to their quarters for half a month before the mansion returned to peace.
In November, heavy snow fell outside the window, blanketing the world in white. In Shaoguang Courtyard, the trees had all been transformed into plum blossoms.
Plum blossoms are supposed to bloom in December, but I don't know what method the people in the Imperial Household Department used to make these plum blossoms bloom early, adding a unique charm to the winter courtyard.
Inside, the underfloor heating made the room warm and cozy. Fang Nanxi sat reclining on the couch, holding the two-year-old Fourth Prince in her arms, watching Xingluo brew tea by the stove. Qiushuang sat on a low stool, intently embroidering clothes for the Fourth Prince.
Fang Nanxi looked at the Fourth Prince with affection. The little guy was very well-behaved and could play with the cloth tiger for quite a while.
The third and fourth princes in the mansion have not yet been given names. It is likely that the two children who died in the 45th year of Kangxi's reign have left the fourth prince with lingering fears, and he is worried that if they are named too early, the fourth prince will not be able to control his emotions.
Perhaps sensing his mother's gaze, the Fourth Prince raised his head, his big, watery eyes looking at Fang Nanxi. He held the cloth tiger in his hands and said in a childish voice, "Mother, play, play together, cloth tiger."
Fang Nanxi was so charmed by him that she couldn't help but reach out and rub the Fourth Prince's rosy cheeks, gently place him on the bed, and play with him.
Afterwards, Fang Nanxi brought out puzzles and other educational toys, and the room was filled with laughter. The Fourth Prince's childish voice added a lot of fun to this warm atmosphere.
"What are you saying?" Fourth Master's voice suddenly came.
Fang Nanxi was already used to the Fourth Master's occasional visits to Shaoguang Courtyard. She quickly got up from the bed and respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings to the Fourth Master, may the Fourth Master be well."
The Fourth Prince also struggled to get off the bed, bowed respectfully, and said in a childish voice, "Your subject greets Father."
The Fourth Prince was amused by the Fourth Prince's adorable appearance and laughed heartily. Originally, he treated the two princes in the mansion equally, but the Third Prince was timid and hesitant. Although he was a year older than the Fourth Prince, he was far less sensible than the Fourth Prince, so the Fourth Prince's heart naturally leaned towards the Fourth Prince.
"Alright, get up." Fourth Master smiled, his tone calm but unable to hide his good mood.
Fang Nanxi stepped forward, took the mink coat from Fourth Master, handed it to Qiu Zhu, and said softly, "Fourth Master has just returned. Go and warm yourself up, or you'll easily catch a cold."
The Fourth Prince had this intention, and every time he came to Shaoguang Courtyard to visit the Fourth Prince, Fang Nanxi would thoughtfully ask him to change his clothes. She said that children in ancient times had weak immune systems and there were many germs outside, and she was afraid that the Fourth Prince would bring germs to the child.
After the Fourth Prince changed his clothes, before Fang Nanxi could stop him, the Fourth Prince ran to the Fourth Prince's leg, hugged his leg, and said in a coquettish tone, "Father, come and play."
The Fourth Prince smiled and picked up his son. The little guy was wearing a red jacket and had rosy cheeks, looking just like the Sudhana under the Bodhisattva's seat, which made the Fourth Prince's cold face break into a smile.
The Fourth Prince played with the Fourth Prince for a while, and the three of them enjoyed dinner in a warm and ordinary manner, just like an ordinary family.
The Fourth Prince has been weaned, and Fang Nanxi carefully prepares complementary foods for him on a daily basis, and also lets him drink a cup of sterilized buffalo milk.
Fang Nanxi took this buffalo milk out of her spatial storage because she was worried that there might be something wrong with the buffalo milk in this world.
After the Fourth Prince was led away by the servants, the Fourth Prince looked at Fang Nanxi. Fang Nanxi had a graceful figure, and after giving birth to the Fourth Prince, her figure became even more curvaceous.
The atmosphere between the two gradually became ambiguous. Fang Nanxi understood the Fourth Prince's thoughts and chuckled, saying, "This concubine will go take a bath first."
After Fang Nanxi finished bathing, Fourth Master couldn't wait to pick her up and carry her to the bed, and everything proceeded naturally.
……
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was the forty-seventh year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.
In the imperial court, the emperor's apprehension towards the crown prince deepened daily. The crown prince seemed to sense the crisis and began to aggressively expand his own power base.
As early as the 42nd year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the emperor harbored resentment towards the Crown Prince and even imprisoned the Crown Prince's uncle, Suo'etu, in the Imperial Clan Court.
On the 21st day of the ninth month of the 47th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Suo'etu was starved to death. If it were not for the Emperor's permission, who would allow the Crown Prince's uncle to starve to death?
The Fourth Prince was becoming increasingly busy, and with his son soon to enter the palace next year, Fang Nanxi was filled with worry. As a concubine, she couldn't attend the New Year's Eve banquet and had to entrust her three-year-old son to the care of the primary wife. Thinking of this, Fang Nanxi was filled with anxiety.
Once the Crown Prince is deposed this year, the Fourth Prince will most likely be promoted to a Prince, at which point there will be two spots for a concubine in the mansion. Fang Nanxi thought that if she could give birth to another child and her maternal family could make contributions, she might be able to seize the opportunity to become a concubine.
However, Fang Nanxi also had her concerns. The Fourth Prince was exceptionally intelligent, and she didn't want her other brothers to compete with him for power in the future. After much thought, she decided to try to conceive twins, as children who looked alike would generally not be involved in the struggle for the throne.
After careful consideration, in February, after the first month of the lunar calendar, when the Fourth Prince entered the backyard, Fang Nanxi invited him to Shaoguang Courtyard on the grounds that the Fourth Prince missed his father.
In April, Fang Nanxi felt the time was right and she couldn't wait any longer, so she summoned the family physician. Soon, news spread throughout the household that she was almost two months pregnant.
Since Fang Nanxi gave birth to the Fourth Prince, no one in the household had conceived for nearly three years. During this time, although several more princesses were born, there was still no news of pregnancy, leading many to privately criticize the Fujin (principal wife) for being unvirtuous. Now that Fang Nanxi is pregnant, the Fujin's pressure has been greatly reduced.
Upon learning the news, the Princess Consort immediately sent Lanxin to Shaoguang Courtyard with the gifts.
In the main courtyard, the Fujin turned her prayer beads and sighed, "This Fang is really lucky. Wu entered the manor with her, and it's been almost four years, but there's still no news."
"The fact that anyone in the household can get pregnant is all thanks to the Princess's blessing," Zhu Ying said ingratiatingly from the side.
The princess did not respond, but her thoughts turned to Honghui, who had died young. If she were truly blessed, how could she have failed to protect Honghui? With that thought, the princess rose again and went to the east wing to worship Guanyin Bodhisattva.
When Wu Gege learned that Fang Nanxi was pregnant again, she turned ashen with jealousy.
This wasn't Fang Nanxi's first pregnancy, and thinking about this, Wu Gege was furious.
She entered the manor with Fang Nanxi, and Fang Nanxi became pregnant one after another, which made her feel worthless.
Now that Consort Wu has fallen out of favor, and the Fourth Prince rarely visits even once every two months, her days in the mansion are becoming increasingly hopeless. Sitting blankly on the couch, she murmured to herself, "Why her of all people?"