Untitled (Part 2)

  Two days later, Li Rongbao made an excuse to invite Ma Zhi to his mansion for a drink when he went to court. Those who were familiar with him knew that Li Rongbao loved his eldest daughter like a treasure, and now that the selection was over, she would soon be marrying into the imperial family, so it was understandable that he felt uncomfortable in his heart. Drinking with his only surviving brother and complaining a few times was also normal, they all smiled and showed an "I understand" expression, patted his shoulder and left first.

  Ma didn't look as dignified as Li Rongbao, he had talent, was bold, meticulous and agile, in his early years he was more impulsive, but in his later years he gradually became more cunning like an old fox. Seeing Li Rongbao these days with a heavy heart, not at all like someone who didn't want to part with his beloved daughter, guessing that there must be something on his mind that he wanted to discuss with him but couldn't bring himself to say directly, on the surface he responded nonchalantly, but in his heart he was muttering to himself, had something happened to his niece?!

  The mere thought of it made him tremble with fear, God forbid, this marriage is already a mess, if another mistake happens, will anyone be able to survive?! Although he had dared to fight with Kangxi in the imperial court back then because of the matter of establishing the crown prince, Kangxi was Kangxi after all, and his temperament was completely different from that of the current emperor. The relationship between him and the emperor was also different... this act of defying the imperial edict was really not easy to carry off.

  Actually, living up to this point, he has a high position and a noble title, the children in the family are all outstanding, and having an empress from the family is just adding flowers to the brocade of history. On the contrary, the future may not be easy for the descendants, it's really hard to say whether it's good or bad. It's just that families like this, the marriages of their children have always been like this, is there any other choice? Women are different from men, men can make their way by daring to fight and take risks, but women are the opposite, the more they struggle, the narrower the road becomes... it's really difficult.

  Yunzhu, this niece of his was very fond of her. She was intelligent and talented, naturally elegant and refined, with a warm and gentle exterior, but inside she was even more resilient and clever than his own daughter had been in her youth. She was truly suited to being a member of the royal family, a model for all women.

  Yes, the mother is dignified! Ma Qi is still very proud of the young generation in his own family. Although not every one of them is a talented person, they are also not inferior to those who are not worthy of their family status. With these successors, the Fuca clan will not decline. However, there is still a sense of resentment in his heart - why can the Tongjia and Nianhuru clans produce empresses and empress dowagers, but the Fuca clan cannot?!

  Yunzhu is also blessed with good fortune. If it weren't for her, Fourth Brother would probably have passed away long ago, and his own daughter wouldn't be able to conceive again... Such good fortune, isn't it comparable to that of the current Empress Xi?

  He thought so and returned to the mansion, changed his clothes with the help of his wife Xi Ta Nai, hastily washed up and went to Li Rongbao's mansion with his entourage.

  The two brothers were locked in the study for most of the day, and it's unknown what they discussed. Afterwards, Yunzhu went to the study and saw Shuqi, Maqi looked at his niece with a satisfied expression that was so thick it could be turned into water!

  She seems to have grown taller than before, like a white jade orchid on a green jade branch, elegant and refined, noble and free-spirited. From a man's perspective, with such a background, appearance, temperament, and talent... she is almost the perfect wife candidate, flawless in every way.

  But now, he knows that this niece is not just a simple and clever girl, she has the potential to become an outstanding woman with great political vision like Empress Xiaozhuang! The Fuca family has such good roots, how can it not make him ecstatic? Such opportunities are hard to come by in a hundred years, if you don't seize them, you will be a fool!

  Anyway, the imperial decree has been issued, and marrying into the royal family is a done deal. Since Yunzhu has such talent, the Fuca family should go all out to support her! I believe she won't be limited by the vision of an ordinary eight-banner lady!

  "I will instruct that from now on, all the power of the Fuca family in the Imperial Household Department and within the palace will be handed over to you, use it well!"

  Yunzhu was taken aback and looked at Li Rongbao, knowing that his uncle completely believed he had the ability to control those wealthy and powerful families.

  Li Rongbao nodded, his eyes looking at his daughter with a complex gaze. From now on, she would embark on an uneven path. This was not simply being the wife of a prince or just being an empress, Second Brother, this meant he had greater hopes for her. "If anything happens in the future, just instruct someone to notify our family."

  This is unconditional trust and support.

  Yunzhu nodded slightly, her eyes moistening, "Yes."

  In the following days, Yunzhu was busy integrating the hidden forces inside and outside the palace that Ma Qi had newly handed over to her. When she found out that there were moles from her own family in the households of ministers such as Gao Bin, Wu La Nara, Ertai, and Zhang Tingyu, she was very pleased. Thinking back to those concubines after Qianlong, she counted the people in her hands and sent some young and inconspicuous maids into the palace, preparing for future use.

  Ma Zi was also paying attention to Yunzhu's movements, and as a result, within less than half a month, he discovered that she had made the communication channels of these forces even more hidden and fast in transmitting messages. More importantly, many of them were single-line developments, with only the master holding the entire list of personnel names, feeling relieved.

  At first, he was puzzled as to why she had not fully grasped these powers and was in a hurry to arrange for people to enter the Manchu official residences. Later, he discovered that all of these people had one thing in common - they all had beautiful and lovely daughters. He smiled, this niece really liked to prepare for the future. But thinking about the fourth brother's usual self-proclaimed romantic nature, this arrangement was truly...perfect.

  As for the grand wedding of Hongli and Yunzhu, under the attention of Yongzheng, preparations also began. The Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites sent people to order the wedding clothes for the future crown prince's consort, as well as various court dresses, auspicious dresses, and coronets for all four seasons within a few days after the imperial edict was issued. There were also two wet nurses who came specifically to take care of Yunzhu's daily life and some wedding etiquette.

  These imperial ladies originally represented the royal family and were usually very strict, but Yunzhu was gentle and kind-hearted. She would compromise on things that could be compromised, but if someone tried to interfere with her household affairs or personal habits, she would invite them to "drink tea" in a slow and deliberate manner, explaining all sorts of rules and regulations regarding the imperial family's womenfolk. Finally, she would say: "If you're not clear about this, why don't you go back and study it some more?"

  The two old ladies were so embarrassed that their faces turned bright red, knowing that this was not a good person to fool around with. From then on, except for the formalities and etiquette during the grand wedding, they didn't dare take another step or say another word, fearing that Yunzhu would really send them back to the Inner Court and the Ministry of Rites to be re-educated - losing face was one thing, but if things went wrong, they might be taken advantage of by people who didn't get along with them and be trampled down, never to rise again.

  Yongzheng and Ma Qi were secretly delighted when they found out. Ma Qi was pleased that his niece had the ability to keep people in line, while Yongzheng thought this daughter-in-law was quite capable, with a sense of propriety in her actions and not overly soft-hearted, which was quite satisfactory.

  Apart from being familiar with the grand wedding ceremony, Guwalgiya also re-examined her dowry according to Yunzhuan's request. The furniture and other things were handled by the Imperial Household Department, while the silk fabrics, seasonal clothes and other items that would not be used up were only purchased in fixed quantities. The remaining silver was used to buy shops or land, and the largest amount of silver for the dowry chest was given to her fourth brother Fu Wen. Whoever was chosen by the family to go out to sea, she would use this silver to do business with them.

  Li Rongbao and Ma Zhi thought she shouldn't interfere with these business matters, but she retorted: "Reason can take you all over the world, but without money, every step is difficult. Don't believe me? Go ask the Emperor!" Yongzheng should have a common language with her.

  In any case, even if the future Qianlong is rich and the national treasury is rich, it's not Fuca Yunzhu's money. To prevent Qianlong from bankrupting the national treasury in the future, she should still earn some silver first, just to save for her future son.

  She's working so hard for what, and it's a pity that she's not being understood. Hongli, oh Hongli, you mustn't grow up to be like the Emperor Qianlong in his later years, that dissolute and decadent ruler, or else I'll be so angry that I'll chop you off just like that. However, since I'm unhappy now, then you shouldn't think about having a good time either... hmm, let's add some fuel to the fire in your backyard.

  Li Rongbao and Ma Zhi fell silent, no longer responding. They were also very clear about the state of the national treasury when the emperor ascended to the throne, and with the frequent border wars in recent years, the court's finances were indeed very tight... Just look at how the emperor has been struggling for several years, earning himself the nickname " Emperor of Confiscation".

  Besides, although the wedding dress doesn't have to be made by herself, she still has to personally make some embroidery to show respect to her parents-in-law and younger uncle... Alas, do they lack this? Yún Zhu thought to herself while secretly ridiculing them. Fortunately, she usually had some spare time to work on some good things, so she didn't have to embroider too much at once.

  On the other side, Yongzheng thought he had received another delightful message, but when he saw what was written on the material, his face suddenly stiffened. What is this "go ask the emperor"? Does that mean I'm so fond of money? Am I not being forced too?

  Yongzheng was depressed!

  Walking back and forth, neither angry nor amused, feeling really stifled... Hmm, go find the thirteenth brother to vent some grievances!

  After finishing his complaint at the Yi Qin Wang Fu, Yongzheng returned to the palace with a relaxed face. Suddenly, he remembered that all the rituals were being prepared and the wedding date had been calculated by the Imperial Observatory. However, no one had yet calculated the eight characters of Hongli and Yunzhu's birth dates. He had long noticed from Hongli's small actions that he liked Yunzhu. Upon investigation, he found out that they had only met once during the Lantern Festival and had not overstepped any boundaries. Thinking about it, if the future Crown Princess could capture his heart, that would be good too. He was extremely satisfied with Yunzhu, this young girl... They should be a match made in heaven... But since it concerned the imperial throne, he decided to have their birth dates calculated after all.

  "Su Peisheng, take the eight characters of Si Ge and Yunzhu to Suo Jianzheng, let him find someone who is good at calculating the eight pillars to see how their eight characters match."

  Su Peisheng knew that Yongzheng had a very good impression of the future Empress Xiaoxian, and privately referred to her as "Fuca's little girl" or "Yunzhu", without using the surname "Shi" like other women, and didn't think it was strange, so he went along with it.

  But he said that Su Peisheng had just received the eight characters, and he was also quite curious, so he calculated them first. As soon as he did, his heart suddenly "thudded" once: The eight characters of the Fourth Prince were extremely noble, with both good fortune and longevity, a true dragon's destiny! However, looking at the eight characters of the future Fourth Lady Fuca, although she was rich and noble, her good fortune was somewhat thin, and her lifespan did not look long. Moreover, even her affinity for children was shallow...

  He was in a dilemma, whether to report it or not. From the tone of Su Gonggong's words, this future Fourth Imperial Concubine seemed to be highly valued by the Emperor! He walked back and forth, thinking that he wasn't as good at this aspect as Zhao Jian, perhaps he should let him calculate again?