Chapter 105 – Qing Transmigration Tale (14)
Before Si Ye returned to the capital, he gave another memorandum to the emperor. Why another?It had to be said this person was very bad. He sent off a memorandum asking for forgiveness.
In the memorandum, he sincerely said, Khan A-ma, you told me to be in charge with Big Brother and Eighth Brother, but this son slacked off. As a result? Eighth Brother fell ill due to tiredness, and described in detail how cautious Eighth Prince was, how he worked without eating or rest. Then he said how embarrassed he was, how he was not a good older brother. Then he wrote of how Commandery Prince Zhi, his eldest brother, had written a letter calling him back to help, praising Commandery Prince Zhi for not caring about fame or fortune, and was willing to guide his younger brother. He would definitely follow behind Commandery Prince Zhi and learn well.
Was this a memorandum asking for forgiveness? This was just a memorandum asking for merit for Commandery Prince Zhi and Eighth Prince.
But it was not right to say that it was asking for merit. If such merit was true, it proved even more that the two had thought for power in the capital.
The intentions were very devious.
Lucky that she had become the Fourth Princess Consort when she came. If she had become the Eighth Princess Consort, she would say that she was very unlucky.
Lin Yu Tong saw Si Ye’s means and her heart completely settled down. With her skill level, it was better not to plot against this person.
After two months on the estate, Lin Yu Tong started to show. So when returning to the capital, the carriage did not move quickly. The weather had heated up and the carriage was not comfortable. Si Ye took Hong Hui and rode horses. Hong Yun was less daring, and even now, he only dared to ride a young horse led by someone else.
At the gates of the capital, the carriage stopped. Lin Yu Tong stilled. Who could block Si Ye’s path?
“Eniang!” Hong Hui’s voice came from outside. “Eniang, A-ma tells us to return to the establishment first. A-ma has some other matter and left first.”
“Who did he leave with?” Lin Yu Tong asked in a whisper.
Hong Hui lifted the curtain and whispered, “People from the Tong Family.”1
“Longkodo?”2 Lin Yu Tong said uncertainly.
Hong Hui nodded. “Eniang, you know this person?”
Lin Yu Tong nodded and said, “Let us return home first and then talk.”
Hong Hui acknowledged. He was nine years old now, and he learned martial arts. After this half year, he was a head taller, and very strong. He rode a half grown colt and protected the carriage as they headed for the establishment.
The carriages all had insignias. The establishment of the Fourth Beile were the aristocrats of the aristocrats in the eyes of the people. No one dared to block them. The way was very smooth. Li-shi and the other women were waiting at the gates. Not seeing Si Ye, they were a bit embarrassed.
Lin Yu Tong called the old granny to reward them. She did not say anything, and returned to her own courtyard.
Hong Hui and Hong Yun returned to the front courtyard to keep on attending class with their teachers. Moyaqi left with Li-shi.
Lin Yu Tong washed up first. Lying on the couch, she thought of Longkodo finding Si Ye.
This person was legendary in the Kangxi and Yongzheng dynasties. But Lin Yu Tong disliked this person greatly. Just his concubine Li Si’er “turning wife to human swine”3 gave Lin Yu Tong the impulse to slaughter the couple.
This was the chivalry she had gotten from Heavenly Dragon making trouble. She could not bear to see injustice.
It was fine if you did not love your wife. You could arrange for her to live in another courtyard, or to the estates. Why torture the woman who gave birth to your sons and daughters so?
This Si’er better not end up in her hands. Otherwise, she would not rest if the other was not dead.
Thinking about this, Si Ye lifted the curtain and entered. “What are you thinking about that you are so lost?” Then he went behind the screen. He was going to wash up.
Lin Yu Tong sent away the servant girls in the room and followed.
“Ye, this Longkodo is very important to Ye?” Lin Yu Tong asked.
Si Ye had just poured water, about to take off his clothing and have a bath. When Lin Yu Tong asked this, he stopped and asked in surprise, “Why ask this?”
“I heard that Longkodo got a woman called Si’er who was his father-in-law’s concubine from his father-in-law. He favors her very much. He even allows Si’er to torture his di-wife. Such a person may not have a good character,” Lin Yu Tong said.
Si Ye patted Lin Yu Tong’s hand and said, “Longkodo is Imperial Eniang‘s younger brother, not very close, but not very distant. At other times, Ye may be able to ignore him, but at this time, when he comes to Ye, for the sake of Imperial Eniang, Ye has to meet him. Whether to use this person, how to use this person, it is not possible to speak of this now.” Then he took off his clothing, and soaked in the tub, letting Lin Yu Tong wash his hair. He closed his eyes and said, “Longkodo is from the Tong Family, when he was twenty-seven, the emperor made him a first rank guard. Later, he became commissioner of the Imperial Procession Guard 4. Two years ago, he was also made the vice commander-in-chief of the Blue Banner in Mongolia. The Tong Family is said to be very powerful right now, but in the end, it is because of the emperor’s support. That is not just Imperial Eniang‘s paternal family, it is also the emperor’s maternal family. Also, the Heseri stand behind the crown prince, and Mingju 5 is jumping up and down behind Commandery Prince Zhi. There may partly be the reason for the relationship between the emperor and the Tong Family. Without the emperor’s tacit permission, there is no Tong Half Dynasty 6. This is just the emperor using the Tong Family. If the Tong Family listens, they may be able to withdraw in peace. If they dare to do things behind the back of the emperor, then the Tong Family is finished.
“Not long ago, because Longkodo did not command his subordinates well, the emperor scolded him for not focusing on his duties. He was removed from his duties as the commander of the Imperial Guard Procession and the position of vice commander.” Si Ye laid on the edge of the tub, and allowed Lin Yu Tong to wash his back. He said, “This is not removing Longkodo from his duties, this is the emperor cautioning the Tong family.” He laughed coldly. “A while ago, Eight started to jump and was very close to Tong Guo Gang. The emperor was unhappy. Speaking of this, with Longkodo’s pride, this crime is not very proper. The emperor is give the Tong Family face. Being dragged into a crime by others is better than committing a crime themselves. At least, they have no stain on their reputations. When they are to be used again, it will be natural. On the other hand, it is reminding the Tong Family to not forget their position.”
Lin Yu Tong did not expect so many reasons behind such a matter.
Si Ye opened his eyes and looked at Lin Yu Tong, saying, “Tong Guo Gang wants to bet on an imperial son. He is a fool! Longkodo felt that he lost his positions because of Tong Guo Gang so he found Ye. This person is useful, but not easy to control.” He looked back at Lin Yu Tong and said, “Everyone knows of Longkodo’s concubine. The niangniang in the palace also know. Many of the women in the imperial family have been offended by this concubine. Why do you think no one has told the emperor? They all understand the reasons. The emperor is protective. Longkodo is not just the emperor’s young brother-in-law, but also his younger cousin. Otherwise, why does the imperial sons do not call Heseri 7 uncle-in-law, and not Alingga 8, just Longkodo. If we call the others uncle-in-law, they do not dare to respond. Longkodo dares, because Longkodo’s aunt is our blood grandmother. The relatives of the imperial house depend on how you recognize them. If the emperor recognizes them, we will have to. If the emperor does not, no matter how close, we cannot recognize them.”
Lin Yu Tong nodded. There were a lot of things in this matter, and these matters were not simple, not things that she could casually meddle in.
“Ye says this, but not for you to endure her and yield to her. If she dares to offend you……” Si Ye’s eyes flashed coldly and then he said, “Just have a servant girl slap her in the face. Ye will take care of the consequences.”
Lin Yu Tong looked in surprise at Si Ye. Seeing that he was serious, she laid on top of him and kissed his shoulder. “Ye, do not worry, I know.”
Then she started to massage his back.
After the bath, the two of them stayed on the couch and talk. Lin Yu Tong had the servant girls bring cherries. “Ye, taste them. I feel they are very good.” Then she asked Pu Tao, “Did you deliver to the young masters?”
Pu Tao smiled and said, “Princess Consort, yes, but not much each time.”
“Yes! You cannot give them too much.” Then she smiled at Si Ye and said, “Hong Hui is all right, but Hong Yun’s stomach is weak.”
Si Ye ate two and said, “If you like to eat, have people buy them.”
At dinner, Lin Yu Tong personally made sweet and salty pork with cherries. The children and Si Ye all liked it. The children especially liked the sweet and salty taste.
“Di–Eniang, tomorrow, have the kitchen make this again.” Hong Yun’s bowl was confiscated by the granny, and he had not had enough.
“The kitchen will have this prepared after this, and you can just order it when you want,” Lin Yu Tong said and then instructed Shi Liu, “Tomorrow, buy a few baskets, and seal them up. Then they can be eaten even in the winter months.”
Shi Liu hurriedly responded.
The next day, the family bought a dozen baskets, distributed among the women of the courtyard, and the remainder to be preserved.
But on this day, the emperor sent people to deliver cherries traveling a thousand miles. Si Ye was rewarded with a basket. In reality, the cherries from Jiangnan were not as fresh as the ones bought in the capital. But this was imperial grace, and they had to give their thanks.
“Just distribute it,” Si Ye had a taste and said, “Such things are rare. The titled niangniang will get a basket, and the rest will just get a plate. Getting a plate is a reward. Commandery Prince Zhi gets a basket, our family gets a basket, Eight gets a basket, and the rest will not get any.”
The emperor is giving Ye face,” Lin Yu Tong smiled and said, “Should we distribute it outside?”
“How to? It is not enough. Too many persons,” Si Ye shook his head and said.
“The young a-ge in the palace likely will not get any. Depending on the Imperial Household Department, they likely do not have the face. If any are bought from outside, it is not convenient to bring them in,” Lin Yu Tong casually mentioned, “I had people ask. Eighth Prince gave them to many people. Many members of the imperial family speak well of Eighth Prince. We will not seek a good reputation, Ye can just care for your younger brothers. Sixteenth Brother, Seventeenth Brother are about the same age as our Hong Hui and Hong Yun. The reputation of winning over brothers will not fall on Ye.”
“Never mind. You can decide,” Si Ye said with a smile, “Why do you compete with Eight, it is not the same?”
But he did not elaborate on how it was different.
Si Ye was on duty with Commandery Prince Zhi in the palace each day, and Lin Yu Tong’s days grew idle. Each day, she would tell stories to Hong Hui and gossip. Of course, this was only when Hong Hui did not have a lot of homework.
The weather slowly heated up. Her belly slowly grew bigger. When people were not present, she was more willing to hide in the pocket space alone, hiding from the heat outside.
She usually did not eat a lot of the fruits from outside. The pocket space was not large, but the produce was rich. Occasionally, when people did not pay attention, she would switch out the fruits from the pocket space to eat.
So once she was pregnant, her skin did not grow worse, but better. Even the stretch marks on her belly were not very obvious.
The recent days were very hot. Lin Yu Tong originally planned to deliver ice to Si Ye. But when she asked, she learned that because Eighth Prince was in charge of the Imperial Household Department, he called the Imperial Household Department to send ice to the people on shift. All the officials thought well of Eighth Prince.
Lin Yu Tong had to admire this Eighth Prince. It was not easy to be so considerate in matters like this.
She could not help but feel that this Eighth Prince was very capable. He was not in the palace, saying that he was ill all this time, but the sense of his existence was so strong people could not overlook him.
No wonder people always said that Eighth Prince won people’s hearts.
This person truly had his special traits in order to be able to compete with Si Ye.
When Si Ye returned today, his expression was not very good. This person was angered, and Lin Yu Tong did not dare to tease him. Right now, she was pregnant, so she did not help him bathe, but had people pour the prepared medicine into the tub. It had the ability to remove the heat and rashes. She send a young eunuch to help him bathe, and then gave him a cup of mint tea made with the pocket space water. She only sighed in relief after he drank it.
She had never seen people who would wear three layers of clothing inside and three layers outside in the middle of summer, along with a hat and boots. When the boots were flipped over, water would come out. It could be imagined just how much he had sweated outside.
Now, wearing a large robe, his legs bare, leaning against a cool bamboo couch, he sighed in relief.
Si Ye narrowed his eyes, and thought inside that Princess Consort was even better at taking care of people, able to take care of his matters very well, and caring well for his health. Each year, he would have rashes all over and several incidents of heatstroke. This year, it was hotter than past years, but no matter what it was outside, if he entered the door, he would be rid of all heat and feel very comfortable.
Just this mint tea. No one else was able to get the same flavor as her. Su Pei Sheng, the idiot, ruined two pounds of mint, and did not learn the skill.
“Ye returned early today. Sleep a bit. It is noon.” Lin Yu Tong hugged her belly as she laid down on the side, yawning as she spoke.
Si Ye nodded, and lightly placed his hand on Lin Yu Tong’s belly……
- Grafting Life Chapter 104 – Qing Transmigration Tale (13)
- Grafting Life Chapter 106 – Qing Transmigration Tale (15)
- Grafting Life Chapter 107 – Qing Transmigration Tale (16)
- The Manchurians were gradually sinicized over time, taking on Han traditions and losing their own. One aspect was their clan names. The Tong Clan is the sinicized name of the Tunggiya Clan. ↩
- The Kangxi Emperor’s birth mother is from the Tong Clan, making them proper consort kin. In addition, one of the daughters of the Tong Clan, Kangxi’s maternal cousin, became his noble consort. This particular Noble Consort Tong raised the Fourth Prince after his birth, rather than Uya who later became Consort De. However, Noble Consort Tong died, but right before her death, Kangxi made her empress. Longkodo is the younger brother of the Tong Empress, and another of her sisters became an imperial noble consort of Kangxi. ↩
- See Consort Qi of the Han Dynasty for what human swine is. ↩
- The Imperial Procession Guard is in charge of the emperor’s procession. ↩
- Mingju of the Nara Clan is a powerful politician. He is related to Consort Hui. ↩
- The Tunggiya is one of the eight Manchu Clans. A Tong daughter was the wife of Nurhaci, the founder of the Manchu. There were many Tong women married with the imperial family, including Kangxi’s mother, his cousin (first Imperial Consort Tong and then Empress for a day), and her sister, second Imperial Consort Tong among the most famous. The Tunggiya were able to prosper through five different Manchu rulers. Their influence was said to affect half of the officials, hence their nickname of “Half the Dynasty”. ↩
- Kangxi had three empresses. The first, from the Heseri, gave birth to the crown prince and then passed away. ↩
- Alingga is from the Niohuru Clan, and the younger brother of Kangxi’s second empress. Their father was one of the four regents during Kangxi’s early reign. ↩
Tell me something