novelaction Chapter 295 Hongchang Returns to Beijing
Chapter 295 Hongchang Returns to Beijing
Chapter 295 Hong Chang Returns to Beijing
About a month later, there was finally news that Hongchang was going back to Beijing. Because of this, Hongjing took the initiative to ask Yinreng to go and welcome him.
Knowing that the two brothers had a good relationship since childhood, this was the first time that Hongchang went out of the capital to diagnose the second prince's pulse for a long time. Although the secret guards reported that the second prince was fine, Yinreng really missed his second son, so when he saw Hongjing say this, he nodded in agreement.
Hongjing was still young, and Yinreng was worried even if he went fifty miles away to welcome Hongchang back to Beijing. Fortunately, Hongye was also going this time, so he directly put Hongjing into Hongye's team.
The relationship between the younger generation of brothers was indeed good, at least much better than when they were young. Honghui and Hongjing were like younger brothers to Hongye and Hongchang, and they also treated them as older brothers. Basically, wherever Hongye went, Honghui followed, and Hongjing followed suit, like a little tail to Hongchang.
When Hongye and Hongjing arrived, they saw from afar a vast and imposing procession slowly marching towards the capital. The procession stretched endlessly, like a long dragon, and looked particularly spectacular in the sunlight.
Hongye understood, for he knew the situation well. He immediately recognized that this procession was his future second brother's wife, whom he had yet to meet, arriving in the capital with a generous dowry. However, Hongjing, standing by, was completely unaware of this. He had come specifically to greet his brother Hongchang, but the sudden appearance of this bright red wedding procession left him completely baffled.
Hongjing turned to Hongye with a puzzled look on his face and asked, "Brother Crown Prince, what...what exactly is going on?" There was no point in continuing to conceal this. Besides, once they returned to the capital, the imperial decree granting his second brother's marriage would surely spread throughout the capital. Rather than letting Hongjing hear it from others, it would be better to tell him in person.
Hongye then smiled and explained to Hongjing, "That's your future sister-in-law. I haven't been keeping this secret from you on purpose, but because of your uncle's orders. He specifically instructed that no word of this matter should leak out, fearing that someone with ulterior motives might interfere and ruin this wonderful event."
Hongjing initially felt a pang of displeasure upon hearing this. After all, such an important matter was kept secret from him. But then he thought, the Crown Prince's words made sense. Putting aside his other cousins, the princes under his uncle's wing alone were highly regarded figures in the capital, like the moon surrounded by stars.
Besides, this is the order of the emperor's uncle, even the prince can't directly disclose it without paying attention to the emperor's order. Thinking of this, the dissatisfaction in Hongjing's heart gradually dissipated.
Before this, Father had mentioned why a rumor that caused a sensation in the capital some time ago and was known to everyone was circulating - the Emperor's aunt doted on the Crown Princess's sister-in-law.
In fact, there was a profound intention behind this, which was to sound a warning to certain people with ulterior motives. After hearing this news, many people with ulterior motives changed their targets and turned their attention to Brother Hongchang, trying to find an opportunity to take advantage of him.
However, what was unexpected was that Brother Hongchang actually came up with a trick to cut off the source of the trouble! It is conceivable that once the dust settled, the matter would be a done deal. Even if those people racked their brains to come up with thousands of ways, it would probably be difficult to succeed.
At this point, Hongjing couldn't help but wonder, "Prince, could it be that my second sister-in-law is actually Mongolian?" It wasn't that he looked down on people of Mongolian origin; after all, his tenth aunt was from Mongolia, and her gentle and kind nature made her beloved by everyone, even the children. It was just that the Qing Dynasty, after years of development, was no longer very willing to marry into the Mongols.
It could even be said that marrying a Mongolian consort was essentially equivalent to automatically giving up the right to inherit the throne. In response to Hongjing's question, Hongye smiled and replied, "That's right. Brother Hongchang fell in love with your second sister-in-law at first sight, and he insisted on marrying her! Besides, I married a Han Chinese Crown Princess, so why wouldn't your second brother marry a Mongolian-born girl?"
The prince's words made sense, and he also understood what the prince meant. Indeed, whether or not one could stabilize the country and preserve the Qing Dynasty could not be determined by who one married.
Besides, the Crown Prince's position is stable, and they all admire and recognize him. Even if Brother Hongchang marries a Mongolian girl, those outsiders cannot interfere. He is worrying too much.
The procession soon reached the two brothers. Hongchang spotted his elder and younger brothers from afar and galloped straight to Hongye, kneeling down and bowing: "Your humble servant greets His Majesty the Crown Prince. May His Majesty be blessed with good fortune."
Hongye and Hongjing had already dismounted upon seeing this. Hongye personally helped Hongchang up and punched him: "Good boy, after this trip, you've learned to speak sweet words. When did brothers become so polite?"
Hongchang didn't say anything, but just smiled at Hongye, looking naive.
Hongye is really unbearable to look at. Mainly because in the past, Hongchang was always in the laboratory, and hardly ever saw the sun. He was fair-skinned and could still look cute with a smile like this. But after a stroll on the grassland, his face has become much darker. Now when he smiles like this, all you can see is his big white teeth.
Hongye glared at Hongchang unhappily and said, "Alright, you're back. Let's go back to the palace first. The Emperor and Mother are waiting for the family reunion."
Hongjing was also laughing beside him. He had never seen his second brother look so honest. What's more, his teeth were really white. It can be seen that he cleaned them carefully every day.
Hongchang grabbed Hongye's sleeve and said, "Brother, Ageqi..."
Hongye struggled to free himself from the other party's tightly grasping sleeve, glared at him, and said unhappily, "Huh! Can't you see that this is not a good time to pay me a visit? I'm here today on the emperor's orders! Borjigit Gege's dowry will be delivered directly to the garden later, and I have already dispatched a team of elite guards to escort it.
As for this princess herself, she must return to the Forbidden City with us. Mother has already instructed us to host a banquet for my second brother and his wife today.
Hongchang was shocked when he heard this. He had never imagined that his mother had arranged everything so perfectly. For a moment, his face flushed slightly, like a ripe apple. Fortunately, it was getting dark, and his face became darker. If you didn't look closely, it would be difficult to notice this subtle change.
Seeing this, Hongye continued, "In my opinion, you might as well go and inform that princess, so that she can feel at ease. We need to return to the Forbidden City first. As for when to send her to the garden, that will depend on Mother's wishes."
Hong Jing, who was standing nearby, also joined in the fun, urging with a smile, "Second brother, you'd better hurry over. If you delay for too long, your sister-in-law will probably get impatient and restless waiting!"
Hearing his brothers' teasing and joking, Hongchang couldn't help but grin and nodded in agreement. Then he waved his whip and hurriedly ran towards the carriage that Aqiqi was riding.
The experienced and sophisticated old maids who came to Beijing with Ageqi immediately understood the meaning when they heard the news - this was a great honor bestowed by the royal family!
Normally, when a new daughter-in-law has been chosen, the mother-in-law will deliberately ignore her for a few days before summoning her. This is known as a show of force, intended to demonstrate the mother-in-law's authority.
Therefore, before setting off on this journey, these old maids had already made full mental preparations to deal with all kinds of difficulties and tests that might be encountered. However, what no one expected was that they had just arrived in the capital, without even a moment to breathe, and they actually received an invitation to a banquet from the Empress.
Undoubtedly, this was a delightful and auspicious start for Ageqi, who was about to marry into the imperial court. Her heart, which had been hanging in the air all along the way, now gradually settled down with this unexpected joy.
At this moment, Ageqi couldn't help but think to herself: I really should trust Hongchang more! After all, to be able to raise such an outstanding and talented prince like Hongchang, surely the Empress wouldn't be the kind of unreasonable, cunning, and mean-spirited mother-in-law? And so, the carriage, carrying everyone's joy and anticipation, continued to creak and squeak along the road.
As they passed Prince Yong's residence, Hongjing suddenly asked to leave. It turned out that the palace was hosting a family banquet today. Even if he went, since no one was present, and even his uncle and aunt would have no objection, considering the unique circumstances, he felt it was inappropriate to interrupt them.
Besides, coming to greet his second brother was the primary purpose of his trip. As for the brothers wanting to chat and have a long conversation, they could arrange it another day, and they would surely have a great time then.
So, Hongjing dismounted in front of Prince Yong's palace and said goodbye to the Crown Prince and Hongchang: "Crown Prince and Second Brother, please return to the palace. I will be returning home soon. We will arrange another time to get together after today."
Yu Hongchang nodded in agreement. He had been away from Beijing for a long time and missed his brothers. He decided to spend time with his family today and catch up with them tomorrow when he had time. So he said to Hongjing, "Okay, you say hello to my second brother and my fourth uncle and aunt. Oh, and to Brother Honghui and Sister Minyan. I'll come visit after today. I brought a lot of goodies for Sister Minyan this time."
After waving goodbye to everyone, Hongjing turned and walked towards his own mansion...