Wulana (above)

  "It's no use arguing about it... You all go back first, I'll notify you once a decision is made." At this time, Emperor Yongzheng summoned Hongxu back to the capital, and his original intention of sending him to the military was no longer significant. To delay the wedding again would make Wu Zaku's family lose face, after all, he was a high-ranking official of the second grade. Yongzheng also didn't want to humiliate his relatives too much, so he told Su Peisheng: "Go and announce that Wushitu will have an audience."

  "Hmm."

  Wu Shi Tu didn't expect the Emperor to throw this difficult problem at him and was somewhat stunned. Originally, he and his family had delayed the wedding date once before, and now that Wu Shi Tu's older brother was not in the capital, he felt uneasy in his heart. As a result, just as things were about to be settled, another unexpected situation arose. He never thought that the Emperor would leave the decision up to him - what kind of situation was this?! He almost let out a deep sigh.

  This emperor is really too difficult to deal with, not only is he moody, but the things he comes up with are sometimes so ridiculous that they leave you speechless. As the emperor, can't you just make a decision yourself? Why do you have to trouble your ministers and servants with it?

  "Your Majesty, a country is more important than a family. The Fifth Prince is also the Emperor's son, how can he abandon the country for the sake of his own family? If word gets out, I'll be too ashamed to lead the troops! Moreover, considering the pros and cons, this is a rare opportunity to establish merit and fame. Once the Fifth Prince returns from the northwest, a Beile will not be able to escape (at that time, Hongxiao was a Beizi). The wedding of my daughter will also be more glorious."

  Wu Shitu spoke eloquently, and Yongzheng nodded in agreement. He then summoned the officials of the Imperial Observatory, Suo Jingzhen and Zhao Jingfu, to enter the palace for questioning. Referring to the previous occasion when the Imperial Observatory had calculated the auspicious wedding day for Hongxiao and Wu Zaku, he said: "It was indeed next spring, let's settle on this one."

  It seems that the Emperor had already made up his mind, and asking for opinions was just to ease his own heart. Wu Zetian felt depressed, but still had to retreat with a respectful attitude.

  Back at the mansion, Wan Yan's wife hurriedly ordered someone to serve tea and before he could even sit down, she asked: "Master, is the Emperor summoning you into the palace about Zhen Er's marriage again?"

  Wu Shu sighed: "It's going to be postponed until next spring. Wu A Ge is currently in the northwest, and he's being summoned back to the capital just for the grand wedding..." The words didn't need to be said out loud, everyone understood that the imperial family had no private matters.

  It would be the most glorious and honorable thing for a family to have their daughter marry the prince as his official wife. The fifth brother, apart from being somewhat unstable in temperament, is not inferior to other noble sons in the capital in any other aspect, making him an excellent son-in-law candidate. However, he and my daughter's marriage has been delayed for too long, hasn't it?

  Hai Kuo Zhen, who was standing beside her, hurried forward and waved her hand, saying with a smile: "Isn't this a good thing? Now our daughter can stay by Ama's side for a while longer."

  "After entering the palace, you can't just say whatever you want like you do at home." Wu Shi Tu said, he and Wan Yan Shi only had this one legitimate daughter, originally spoiled, Hai Kuo Zhen was born with a sweet and lively appearance, and she was also filial and obedient. Although he had three sons and two daughters from his other concubines, none of them made him as fond and proud as Hai Kuo Zhen. "In your free time, embroider some pouches or something, I heard the fourth lady's needlework is very good, don't lose to her when the time comes."

  Hai Kuo Zhen shook her head: "A Ma, I can't compare with her, our future paths are different."

  "Ah, good, you can think like that, Ama, and I'm at ease." He then turned to his wife and said, "Don't worry, although the Wu Zaku clan isn't a prominent Manchu surname, it's not inferior either. Our family's reputation is also strict and proper. As long as we don't do anything wrong, this marriage won't fall through. It's just a matter of delaying the wedding date. When the northwest is pacified and Fifth Brother is enfeoffed, wouldn't that be even more glorious? At present, other people's gossip and rumors are nothing to worry about, let's not bother with them."

  "Don't worry, old master, I'm not that careless." Wanyan also thought it was a good idea to have her daughter stay by her side for a while longer, so she could teach her more about the inner workings of the palace and prevent her from being taken advantage of. "The other day, Haikuo Zhen's uncle had two boxes of southern pearls sent over from the south, saying they were for Haikuo Zhen's dowry. I was thinking of making two sets of headpieces for Haikuo Zhen, what do you think, old master?"

  "It's up to you to decide." With so much time left, it would be better to prepare more generously, not comparable to the Fourth Lady's, but also can't be too shabby.

  ……

  After receiving the news, Yu Pin Ge Shi felt that if this continued, she would definitely lose ten years of her life. How could things be so difficult for her son's marriage? She was really worried that by the time her son got married, she wouldn't even have the energy to attend.

  The reason for Yongzhao's first postponement of his grand wedding was quite absurd, and he could only blame himself for being careless. It was just a few days before the wedding that he had gone to the training grounds with Yunhe, Yunhu, and Hongpu (the second son of Prince Zhuang) - all of whom were around the same age - to practice horse riding and archery. Who would have thought that when dismounting, he would twist his foot?! It wouldn't do for a dignified imperial prince like him to appear at his own wedding on crutches! It was too embarrassing! Yongzheng couldn't bear his son's loss of face, so he had no choice but to agree.

  This time, it can only be said that when Yongzheng threw a group of imperial princes onto the battlefield to temper them, he didn't think that one of his sons would have a grand wedding at the end of the year, and no one reminded him. So... when the Empress and Yu Pin asked, although they could also bring people back, a prince leaving the battlefield just to return to the capital for a grand wedding was not glorious to say the least, and it would also dampen the morale of many generals.

  Yu Bin finally understood this point and could only reluctantly accept it.

  Dzungar

  The enemy of an enemy is a friend, after Chiying Alatant protected the Qinghai rebel Lobsang Danjin, he was always paying attention to the movements of the Qing Dynasty. After his death, his son Galdan Tseren had not yet sat firmly on the throne when he heard that the Qing Dynasty had sent a large army to attack, and he did not want to fight hastily, so he sent an envoy to ask for peace in order to delay time. On the one hand, it was good for Junggar to prepare for battle, and his own side could wait for labor and increase the chances of winning; on the other hand, after winning this war, he could establish prestige and take the opportunity to eliminate those who were not loyal to him.

  Of course, if the Qing dynasty really makes peace, it would be even more ideal. Who else in the entire northwest dares to contend with Galdan's sharp blade?! Wait for him to stabilize and expand Junghar, and with the help of Russia, there is a possibility that he will send troops to the Central Plains.

  It's a beautiful idea. It has to be said that the father-son duo of Choros and Galdan Tseren was a pair of heroes in their time, and under their leadership, Dzungar became a hard nut to crack, which neither Kangxi nor Yongzheng could thoroughly crack in three generations, and even provoked frequent rebellions in Tibet and Qinghai, causing many Qing generals to fall there - especially the Fuca family. If history had followed its normal course, Galdan Tseren's strategy would have been extremely correct, and the Qing army was indeed delayed by him from the seventh year of Yongzheng until the eleventh year, when a large number of generals were defeated due to Fu Heng's impulsive advance, ending in failure.

  Unfortunately, history changed its appearance under Yunzhu's powerful flapping of this butterfly. The Qing emperor and his ministers were unanimous in their determination to send troops, not to mention that during the court meeting, Ma Qi also laid out various strategies he might take, with or without intention, many of his thoughts were wasted.

  In mid-October, Yue Zhongqi and Fu Heng, who had received the imperial edict from Yongzheng earlier, did not slow down their military advance, and the Qing dynasty also did not intend to stop fighting. Galdan Tseren then again petitioned to present Lobzang Danjin to seek peace talks, but still could not stop the progress of the Qing army.

  Yue Zhongqi and Fu Erdan's reactions to Galdan were both within the emperor's expectations, and he couldn't help but sneer. Galdan was furious because his several strategies had not taken effect immediately, causing more of his troops to doubt his authority under the instigation of those with ulterior motives, his face flushing red with rage. He had always thought himself clever and brave, never expecting to be in such a predicament this time.

  "Despicable!" He suddenly turned around, his eagle eyes coldly scanning the deputy generals in the tent, "In that case, let's go to war! The Zunghar Empire does not have soldiers who are afraid of death!"

  Facing the map, he began to give orders to his generals. Some were responsible for attracting the attention of the Qing army, some used their familiarity with the terrain to prepare an ambush, and others set up traps and spread false information... The Zunghar had fought several wars against the Qing army before, and Galdan was somewhat wary of Yue Zhongqi. If it weren't for him, his uncle Dalai Batur would not have retreated from Tibet after killing Lhazang Khan and losing the land he had conquered in Yili.

  Eagle eyes narrowed, fortunately he had made early preparations, and had bribed many ordinary Tibetans along the Qing court's military route, as long as they had the opportunity, they would spread false rumors and military information... As long as they were deceived, he would teach them to come and go!

  ……

  After returning from Xiuyun Temple, the sky was already late, Yunzhu let Ye Nian and Shang Nian personally go to Jingren Palace and Chengqian Palace to say a word, and then went to sleep directly under the service of Si Xie and others.

  Although Yunzhu was dissatisfied with her own attitude of not being humble and obedient, she couldn't grasp anything to use against her. The empress and Xi Fei had no choice but to carefully question the two wet nurses about the major events at Xiyun Temple, especially the part where they drew lots in Guanyin Hall, without missing a single word or sentence.

  The next day, Yunzhu arrived at Chengqian Palace to pay her respects. With not much time left, Xi Fei swallowed the words she had originally wanted to say, thinking to herself: Who told you to come so late and not put me in your eyes? You'll know how to rely on me to live a comfortable life after suffering a bit.

  At this point, Zhen faintly asked a sentence "Was yesterday's incense offering tiring?" and then led her to Jingren Palace to pay respects to the Empress.

  "I'm not feeling well, so I've summoned a niece from my mother's family to the palace to keep me company and chat with me. Let everyone get acquainted." Early in the morning, the empress gave everyone a surprise.

  Yesterday, Xi Fei Yu Pin and others who received the news knew that the emperor's niece was prepared to be given to Hong Li as a concubine. Although she had not yet reached the age of selection, she was brought into the palace just thinking about getting familiar with the emperor's face and pleasing him if possible. For the time being, everyone's attention turned to Yun Zhu.

  She was dressed in a pale green cheongsam with an embroidered yulan magnolia pattern, her hair styled in a chignon adorned with a green jade flower and a gold-plated chrysanthemum hairpin, her ears dangling with gold-studded earrings, and on her hands were red gold bangles. Her face was as clear and delicate as spring water, without any makeup, her skin as smooth as snow, seemingly fragile enough to be bruised by a touch. Her lips were pink and tender, like peach blossoms kissed by the dew in March.

  This outfit, though not as elaborate and luxurious as the ones worn by the ladies in attendance, is as refreshing as a gentle breeze on a clear moonlit night or a willow tree swaying by the riverbank, leaving an unforgettable impression that evokes a sense of intimacy.

  Every night, Yunzhu practices her skills without a break. How could she possibly miss the commotion at Jingren Palace and Chengqian Palace last night? She already knew about it long ago and wasn't surprised. With an air of calmness, she sat there sipping tea and eating pastries, which made all the consorts wonder in their hearts: was this Fourth Mistress not putting the Ula Nara family in her eyes or did she not understand the meaning behind this? Looking at her elegant demeanor, as natural and beautiful as clear water flowing with clouds, eating and drinking without a care, it's hard to believe that she wouldn't be afraid of ingesting something unclean inside.

  The gazes of the crowd she could feel without looking. Yunzhu secretly smiled to herself, having stayed in the palace for a long time, watching others make fools of themselves had become a favorite pastime of these women.

  She was originally just bored and killing time, so she pinched a piece of dim sum, but unexpectedly the taste and texture were both to her liking. This morning she slept in and didn't eat much, now that she had something to eat, of course she wouldn't be cruel to herself. As for whether or not there was anything messy inside, she would know as soon as she ate it, even if she couldn't tell at first, going back home would just mean diarrhea - her bodily functions had already been adjusted by the Yulan tree and space to react immediately to anything unclean or harmful to her body.

  "Niangniang has met the four noblewomen, and they are all auspicious and lucky." Wulana said. Nian Niang finally gave Yunzhu a salute. After more than two years of study, her etiquette is now perfect and elegant, with a dignified air in every gesture, and everyone who sees her praises her. Nian Niang was originally quite proud of herself, but after seeing Fucha Yunzhu's demeanor when she entered the palace to pay respects, she felt somewhat disheartened, thinking that compared to Yunzhu, her own behavior was too stiff and artificial.

  "Sister, don't be too polite." Yunzhu smiled and helped her up, saying to the empress, "Where did Your Majesty find such a beautiful niece? She's like a flower, lovely to look at."

  Indeed, as described in the materials, she has a tall and slender figure, with skin that is white and radiant with a healthy glow. Her eyebrows are shaped like a crescent moon, her nose is straight and high-bridged, her eyes sparkle like stars, and her full lips are red and luscious, making one want to take a bite... She is truly beautiful from head to toe, just like she said, like a flower, a rose.

  Like a lotus flower emerging from the green waves. This rose is placed in the water, revealing its dew, elegant and not common, noble and thornless. "I didn't prepare anything for the time being, so this golden chrysanthemum hairpin will be a meeting gift for my sister." Yunzhu pulled out the pin from her hair and put it on her, "It looks good with this dress indeed."

  Wulana wore a orange-yellow cheongsam with golden and silver thread embroidery of chrysanthemum patterns, over which she wore a pink cape with embroidered chrysanthemum patterns and a white fur trim. On her head, she wore a ruby flower hairpin, on her ears, she wore eastern pearl earrings, and on her hands, she wore a pair of white jade bracelets. This outfit not only set off her bright temperament but also added a few points to her noble and elegant demeanor. When people saw the exquisite golden chrysanthemum hairpin on the side of her head, the new and bright golden light shining on her smooth and delicate cheeks, they couldn't help but praise: "Indeed, it suits this outfit."

  In her heart, she thought that this Ula Nara was only eleven years old and had such a temperament and appearance. If she were to be by the side of the Fourth Prince, she would definitely be a strong competitor for the position of Fourth Imperial Concubine. The Empress Dowager must have put in a lot of effort to make this arrangement. It seems that the glory of the Ula Nara clan will not decline for a while.

  Zhi Xi Fei secretly resented it, this empress dowager was clearly trying to pull her own son over to Wu La Na La's side, wishful thinking! Could Yun Zhu really be so foolish as not to see the hidden malicious intentions of these two?!

  She didn't know that Yunzhu had already thought it through: in the future, when Hongli inherits the throne, there can't be only one empress in the palace. There must be some consorts and concubines to balance things out. Having only one empress would be too eye-catching, and although she could handle it herself, it wasn't necessary to go to that much trouble. Besides, she didn't plan on falling in love with Hongli or spending day and night fending off other people's schemes for him - that wouldn't be worth it! She didn't mind the superficial glory of being an empress, and was even happy to have others share it with her, as long as she occupied the highest position and controlled the underlying power. The same went for the imperial court: quietly developing one's strength was the right way to go, while those who recklessly sought to elevate themselves would always die early. Apart from some members of the royal family who would become a balancing force in the emperor's hands against officials and relatives, the outer court couldn't let the Fuca family dominate alone - the Ula Nara family was still acceptable, having produced two empresses.

  "Hmm, Xi Fei's dislike? Just right, let her have a life-and-death duel with Wu La Na La in her lifetime. Absolutely cannot let them become like the characters in Qing Dynasty novels hundreds of years later, otherwise not only can't I watch the show but also might get annoyed to death..."

  "Thank you, Fourth Princess." Nian Muli didn't rush to call her "sister", which made Yunzhu look at her with new eyes. According to the information from the Wu La Na La Fu, she had already had a good impression of Hongli, hadn't she?

  Prohibited from contact, yet knowing that the excellent man is her future husband, the girl's emotions are like a long-brewed old wine, rich and with a lingering aftertaste. The more she loves, the more she anticipates, but the person she loves in her heart is mostly imagined by herself...

  Will Wulana, who is familiar with the rules and etiquette of the imperial palace, follow in the footsteps of those discarded by Emperor Qianlong? She was really curious about it.