Reborn Lady - Chapter 374
Without worrying about her son’s marriage, Yin Hui was having a good time this year. It was very relaxing, and she also heard a lot about this year’s girls from Ji Xianxian.
Reflecting on the events of the first year of Jinghe, when her father-in-law had just ascended the throne, Yin Hui recalled how, in order to stabilize the hearts of a group of old and influential families there, he had specially selected a group of beautiful women from among the daughters of aristocratic families and bestowed them upon his sons as princesses or side concubines.
s had passed in the blink of an eye, and the Imperial Court was now well established. This time, Emperor Yongping only selected beautiful daughters from the families of local officials to be married to his grandchildren. Beijing officials had no chance to offer their daughters, as only daughters of local officials meeting specific rank requirements—those above the seventh rank and below the third rank—were eligible for selection.
Yin Hui speculated that her father-in-law was wary of his relatives.
“Tell me, does the Emperor dislike us and think that the daughters of our family are not good?” Ji Xianxian, lacking the presence of a maid, dared to speak freely in front of Yin Hui, her words tinged with melancholy.
As a daughter of a prominent family herself, Ji Xianxian believed that her son should also marry a girl from a similar background.
Throughout the dynasties, daughters of aristocratic families were highly regarded, and all five daughters-in-law of the Emperor, except for Yin Hui and Fu Shan, hailed from renowned families. Yet, when it came to selecting wives for his grandsons, her father-in-law opted for daughters of low-ranking officials. Regardless of Ji Xianxian’s perspective, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her father-in-law harbored dislike towards her, Xu Qingwan, and Wang Junfang.
However, Ji Xianxian knew there must be a more serious reason behind it, one that wasn’t suitable for discussion with her sister-in-law.
Yin Hui laughed and reassured her, “Second sister-in-law is just being paranoid. The Emperor has always treated us kindly, so there’s no indication of any dislike.”
Ji Xianxian laughed awkwardly.
While her father-in-law may treat Yin Hui kindly, he didn’t look upon her favorably. Whenever his gaze fell upon her, it was mixed with undisguised disdain.
According to Ji Xianxian’s observations, among the five sisters-in-law, her father-in-law favored Xu Qingwan and Yin Hui the most.
Her father-in-law’s fondness for Xu Qingwan likely stems from his affection for Empress Renxiao, while his favor towards Yin Hui may be attributed to the substantial financial contributions from the Yin family. Whenever the father-in-law saw Yin Hui, he associated her with wealth. How could he be dissatisfied?
As for the debutantes selected for the palace this year, they were currently undergoing training in palace etiquette, and the four concubines would oversee the selection process.
Upon entering the palace, Yin Hui’s mother-in-law, Concubine Shun, informed her about this year’s debutantes. She mentioned that there were several exceptionally beautiful and charming girls, including some who were already famous. Concubine Shun was often associated with Concubine Li, Concubine Xian, and Concubine Shu, so she had got some insider information.
Fifty beautiful girls participated in the final selection, and Emperor Yongping and the four concubines were going to select together. The determination of who would be a wife and who would be a concubine was solely in the hands of Emperor Yongping himself, with no interference allowed, not even from Concubine Li.
As customary, each of the four royal grandchildren was assigned one wife and two concubines. The concubines were then directly sent to their respective places before the grand wedding ceremony of the Emperor’s grandchildren.
The weddings of the Emperor’s grandchildren were not as extravagant as those of the princes, and Si Lang’s wedding banquet was concluded in June.
Over the past six months, Yin Hui had attended the wedding banquets of her nephews, generously giving money and gifts to each couple. Fortunately, being a Princess, her dowry was huge. Otherwise, if she had been born into an ordinary family with numerous nephews and nieces, she would have had to worry about providing money for each wedding.
Yin Hui didn’t concern herself much with the temperament of her nephews’ wives, as they didn’t reside in the same courtyard. Occasionally, she would overhear Xu Qingwan and Ji Xianxian’s lively conversations, either boasting or scolding.
In August of the ninth year of Jinghe, the Emperor’s mausoleum in Pingcheng was completed.
In the third year of Jinghe, Emperor Yongping left Beijing for a northern tour, and the last place of the northern tour was Pingcheng.
Emperor Yongping had long intended to relocate the capital. During his stay in Pingcheng, Emperor Yongping revisited the old site with his five grandsons. At the same time, he found a place of geomantic significance for himself and decided to build his mausoleum in this auspicious location.
Since ancient times, emperors and empresses had been buried together, so the mausoleum of Emperor Yongping naturally became the final resting place of Empress Renxiao as well.
Therefore, after Empress Renxiao passed away from illness, she was not buried but awaited the completion of the Emperor’s mausoleum in Pingcheng.
With the completion of the mausoleum, Emperor Yongping issued an order for Wei Yan, Wei Luo, Wei Xuan, and Wei Jing, along with his elder grandsons, to escort Empress Renxiao’s remains to the mausoleum for burial. Afterward, he planned to follow the coffin’s route to the north and tour Pingcheng. However, the Crown Prince, being the true son of Empress Renxiao, remained in Jinling to oversee the country and could not accompany them.
On the day of Empress Renxiao’s departure from Beijing, all the relatives of the Emperor and ministers of civil and military affairs left the city to kneel and bid her farewell. The Crown Prince knelt at the front, facing the departing coffin, and wept bitterly on the ground.
Yin Hui thought that at least Empress Renxiao was buried in the mausoleum in Pingcheng, so she could be buried with the Emperor in the future instead of staying alone in Jinling.
With the long journey and the selection of an auspicious day for Empress Renxiao’s burial, Yin Hui had anticipated that Wei Luo and her son would stay in Pingcheng for the New Year.
Unexpectedly, in the middle of the twelfth lunar month, the four princes rushed back with their children, visited the palace to pay respects to the Crown Prince and the four concubines, and then returned to their respective mansions.
Even though the purpose of their gathering was to send Empress Renxiao to her final resting place, considering she had been gone for four years, the entire family had already mourned her loss. Now that they were reunited, their focus shifted towards happiness rather than mourning.
Wei Luo remained reserved, while Wei Heng eagerly shared with his mother and younger siblings everything they had seen and heard during their trip.
As a newly established capital, Pingcheng had undergone significant development. The city walls had been reinforced, towering higher and thicker than before, while the streets had expanded, exuding a grandeur unmatched by their previous visit.
The most notable change was the Yan Palace, now transformed into a grand one, boasting a size two full circles larger than the palace in Jinling. Additionally, numerous new residences had sprung up around the Imperial City, designated for the Emperor’s relatives and esteemed ministers alike.
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