After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Emperor Yongchang, in his spare time from state affairs, officially issued the imperial edict granting the marriage between Yao Lin and Li Fuwei.
The marriage edict was divided into two parts: one for the groom's parents and one for the bride's parents.
The Duke and Duchess of Zhenguo were both in the Northern Park, so delivering the edict to them was simple. However, the edict for the Yao family required the decree-reading eunuch to make a special trip back to Changshou Alley in the capital.
Although Yao Huang did not receive the edict herself, she learned of its contents from the Prince of Hui. Aside from praising both the bride and groom, Emperor Yongchang also specially bestowed upon Yao Lin a large five-courtyard mansion.
Land in the capital was worth its weight in gold. If a private residence in the civilian market was up for sale, it would quickly be bought. However, from time to time, the capital would see officials who committed heinous crimes and had their properties confiscated. These officials' mansions would be sealed and absorbed into the state treasury. When the Emperor wanted to reward a new official, he would select a suitable one from these confiscated mansions.
Confiscated mansions often suffered from years of disrepair. When bestowing them, the Emperor would conveniently have the Ministry of Works renovate and repair them, which was why the Prince of Hui, who worked in the Ministry of Works, knew about the news.
Yao Huang breathed a sigh of relief for her maiden family and her soon-to-be sister-in-law. Imperial Father is truly too considerate. Your Highness has seen that small courtyard of our family. My parents live in the main house, and after my brother marries, the couple could only live in the east wing. My brother is a bit of a boor, and my father is even rougher. I can tolerate them, but Miss Li would definitely not be used to it.
With a large five-courtyard mansion, my parents can live in one courtyard, and my brother and his wife can live in their own. In the future, they can share a few meals during festivals, but otherwise live their own lives. Neither side will have to constantly accommodate the other.
Based on Yao Huang's understanding of her parents, they might even prefer to continue living in Changshou Alley, completely handing over the newly bestowed mansion for the young couple to live in. However, doing so would look like they were dividing the family, which would be bad for her brother and sister-in-law's reputation.
The Prince of Hui, who had never needed to worry about external matters like money or real estate, just quietly listened to the Princess Consort's chattering, watching her features become increasingly animated with joy.
Yao Huang did not need the Prince of Hui to respond, continuing to ask him, Does Your Highness know where the mansion Imperial Father bestowed is located?
Zhao Sui: In the west of the city, three streets away from us.
Surprise flooded the Princess Consort's eyes. That close?
Zhao Sui nodded, watching the Princess Consort excitedly pace around the room. Imperial Father must have deliberately chosen a place near our princely manor. Ah, Imperial Father is so good to us, I must thank him properly!
If Emperor Yongchang's bestowing of the mansion was to avoid wronging the noble daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's residence—after all, he had chosen a poor young man for her—then the location of the bestowed mansion was entirely to take care of his daughter-in-law.
Taking advantage of the time before dinner, Yao Huang left behind the Prince of Hui, who advised her to go the next morning, and took her maidservant to the West Palace.
Yao Huang wanted to ask Empress Zhou to convey her gratitude to Emperor Yongchang, but she did not expect Emperor Yongchang to actually be there with Empress Zhou. The Eldest Princess was also present, and the family of three was enjoying their family time.
Yao Huang looked at Empress Zhou and said, feeling quite embarrassed, If I had known Imperial Father was here, this daughter-in-law would not have come over.
Emperor Yongchang chimed in, Hearing you say that, it sounds more like you're blaming me for coming at the wrong time today.
Yao Huang hurriedly replied, This daughter-in-law wouldn't dare.
The teasing over, Emperor Yongchang asked curiously, Coming to find your Imperial Mother at this hour, is there something the matter?
Yao Huang smiled and said, Then it has to do with Imperial Father. This daughter-in-law just learned from His Highness that Imperial Father bestowed a large five-courtyard mansion upon my maiden family. I thought to myself, being able to marry into the royal family and become Imperial Father's daughter-in-law is already a great blessing. Now Imperial Father has granted my brother the same blessing. Imperial Father is so good, I had to come over to express my thanks. But I was afraid of disturbing Imperial Father, so I wanted to ask Imperial Mother to help pass on the message.
Ever since his second son's wife came in, the smile on Emperor Yongchang's face had not ceased. Now, being flattered so grandly, Emperor Yongchang instead put away his smile and said with feigned disdain, You're already a Princess Consort, yet you're this happy over a five-courtyard mansion. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at if word gets out?
Yao Huang replied, It may just look like a mansion, but it is actually Imperial Father's vast and magnificent grace. Others wouldn't even have the time to envy this daughter-in-law's family. Those who laugh are just complaining that the grapes are sour because they can't eat them.
Emperor Yongchang couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing again, simply keeping his daughter-in-law here to share dinner.
Yao Huang was naturally willing. She told Aji to go back and inform the Prince of Hui, so he wouldn't wait.
Emperor Yongchang: Why didn't the second boy accompany you?
Yao Huang hummed, His Highness grew up in the imperial palace, and Imperial Father bestowed such a grand princely manor upon him. If a five-courtyard mansion made His Highness as overjoyed as this daughter-in-law, to the point of running over specifically to give thanks, then Imperial Father and Imperial Mother would truly laugh at him for not being dignified enough.
The Eldest Princess said, Second Sister-in-law doesn't need to explain so much. Imperial Father just misses Second Brother.
Yao Huang had a sudden realization. So that's how it is. Then next time Imperial Father rewards this daughter-in-law with something good, this daughter-in-law will push His Highness in front of you even if I have to do it by force.
Emperor Yongchang: ...
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The matter of the bestowed marriage didn't seem like a big deal, but ever since that day, everyone from Consort Xian to Consort Rou, Princess Fucheng, and even Zheng Yuanzhen, who lived in the Eastern Quarters, had been secretly keeping an eye on Yao Huang. Then they discovered that Yao Huang lived exactly as she did before Emperor Yongchang bestowed the marriage. She would either tour the gardens and lakes with the two princesses, invite the Prince of Kang's wives, concubines, and children for a game of chuiwan, take walks and admire the scenery alone with the Prince of Hui, or at most, occasionally invite her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Li Fuwei, to join her on an outing.
Consort Xian had an extra daughter-in-law, Chen Ying, compared to Consort Rou's side. From Chen Ying, Consort Xian learned that when Yao Huang spent time alone with her, there was an extra emotion in her eyes, as if she was very happy for Chen Ying.
At this, Consort Xian also became happy, speculating that Yao Huang had received a hint from the Prince of Hui or the Li family, confirming that the Emperor favored the Prince of Kang!
If even the Prince of Hui and his wife thought so, how could this matter be false?
With Consort Xian rejoicing, Consort Rou and Princess Fucheng also directed more of their hostility toward the Prince of Kang, just waiting for the right moment to strike.
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At the end of August, the 200,000 troops that Emperor Yongchang had randomly selected from the Great Qi's four capital camps and sixteen regional camps successively arrived outside the walls of the Northern Park.
Liangzhou had two regional camps, and 20,000 soldiers were selected from them. Yao Huang asked the Prince of Hui if he had seen the roster for these 20,000 soldiers.
Zhao Sui: I have not. However, your three cousins were all military scholars who were just dispatched there this year. Imperial Father probably wouldn't check their names.
Choosing those he didn't know was what made it random.
Yao Huang wasn't too disappointed, taking the opportunity to chat with the Prince of Hui about the Grand Military Review: The four capital camps are close by, so it's very convenient for their 40,000 troops to come to the Northern Park. But the 10,000 troops from each regional camp have to travel thousands of miles to get here, trekking over mountains and wading through waters. Both men and warhorses could fall ill, so a batch of medicinal herbs must be specially prepared. Including the provisions and military equipment consumed along the way, doesn't the state treasury have to spend a massive amount of silver and rations for the Grand Military Review every three years?
Zhao Sui: It indeed consumes silver and rations. But if there wasn't a Grand Military Review every three years, the regional camps would easily fall into the bad habit of slacking off in their drills. With ruined troops and a weak nation, neighboring countries would seize the opportunity to strike.
He carefully explained the benefits of the Grand Military Review to the princess. For example, before deciding to implement the review as a national policy, the imperial court had built several granaries along the routes where the regional garrisons would dispatch troops to the capital. This avoided the difficulties of transporting grain and fodder. In the future, if a war broke out at the border and troops needed to be mobilized, the regional garrisons and the prefectures supplying the granaries along the way would be able to coordinate and support them in a timely manner.
More importantly, the troops themselves mattered. The ten thousand soldiers participating in the Grand Military Review from various regions were randomly selected by the Emperor. Their performance during the review was directly linked to the promotions of the generals in each regional garrison. For the sake of their own futures, the generals could not afford to slack off on drilling their men. To drill them properly, they had to ensure the soldiers' physical fitness, which meant they could no longer brazenly embezzle military pay, winter clothes, and other essential supplies.
With the soldiers' physical fitness and training guaranteed, the long-distance trek every three years became a practical exercise in troop mobilization. With more exercises and ample experience, the overall military strength would be significantly improved.
Only with a strong military could the stability of the borders be ensured. Once the borders were secure, the imperial court could focus its efforts on pacifying the people and enriching the nation.
Yao Huang did not like reading the obscure and difficult Four Books and Five Classics, nor did she care for military strategy and tactics. However, she loved listening to her father and brothers chat about military affairs or trivial matters in the camp, and she also enjoyed listening to Prince Hui explain these things to her in such a simple and easy-to-understand way.
"Who was the first to come up with the idea of the Grand Military Review?" Yao Huang asked.
Zhao Sui replied, "It was proposed by the former Marquis Weiyuan, old Marquis Cen. The late Emperor passed away from illness shortly after adopting it. After my imperial father ascended the throne, he officially implemented this national policy."
The Li family of the Duke of Zhenguo's estate was a family of renowned generals that had endured since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty, while the Cen family of the Marquis Weiyuan's estate had risen to prominence under the previous old Marquis, making them a newly noble military family of two reigns.
Yao Huang said with admiration, "The old Marquis was formidable, and so is your imperial father."
Thirty years ago, the national treasury was still very tight, yet Emperor Yongchang dared to allocate silver for the Grand Military Review. It was hard to imagine how much pressure he bore, fearing that the silver would be spent like flowing water without successfully training the troops.
Zhao Sui nodded. His imperial father and the late Emperor were entirely worthy of being called the two generations of restorative monarchs of this dynasty.
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This year's Grand Military Review was scheduled for the sixteenth of the ninth lunar month and would last for three days.
On the thirteenth of the ninth lunar month, Prince Qing's three-month confinement to reflect on his mistakes finally ended. Early in the morning, before the sky was even bright, Prince Qing arrived outside Emperor Yongchang's bedchamber and knelt to beg for forgiveness.
After he knelt for nearly an hour, Eunuch Wang led him inside.
There was no minor court assembly today, and Emperor Yongchang was preparing to eat breakfast. Looking at his third son, who had knelt on the ground as soon as he entered and appeared even thinner than when he first returned from Jingzhou, Emperor Yongchang said, "Tell me again, where did you go wrong in your bandit suppression campaign?"
Prince Qing spoke with bitter remorse, repeating the very faults Emperor Yongchang had scolded him for in the main hall: underestimating the enemy and losing too many soldiers.
Emperor Yongchang nodded in satisfaction. "You are still young. A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit. Just don't stumble in the same place again in the future. Come here and eat with me."
At this, Prince Qing's tears genuinely flowed. His imperial father had finally forgiven him and was willing to share a meal with him!
Besides sharing a meal, Emperor Yongchang also gave Prince Qing a new assignment, having him temporarily serve as the Vice Commander of the ten thousand selected troops in the capital's Southern Camp. The Commander-in-Chief was Cen Jun.
Prince Qing's eyes instantly ignited with a fighting spirit once more.
When Consort Rou, Princess Fucheng, and Zheng Yuanzhen learned of this, although they did not immediately assume that Prince Qing had regained all his prospects, the fact that he could still be entrusted with an important task was undoubtedly a joyous event.
On the evening of the fifteenth of the ninth lunar month, Emperor Yongchang hosted a banquet at the temporary palace. The attendees included the twenty regional commanders who had led their troops here, as well as Prince Kang, Prince Hui, and Prince Qing.
After the twenty great generals entered the hall, they first paid their respects to Emperor Yongchang and his sons.
Liangzhou had sent two regional commanders, one of whom was the Marquis Weiyuan, Cen Lianshan.
Everyone saw that when Cen Lianshan bowed to Prince Hui in his wheelchair, his eyes grew red.
During those three years of the war against the Wu, the other regional commander from Liangzhou, as well as the commanders from Jinzhou, Jizhou, and Liaozhou, had all fought alongside Prince Hui or gathered in the same hall to discuss military tactics. Even Luo Heng, the regional commander from Nanzhou, had fought against the barbarian enemies alongside the eighteen-year-old Prince Hui.
These five great generals did not lose their composure like Cen Lianshan; they even treated Prince Hui the same way they treated Prince Kang and Prince Qing.
But Emperor Yongchang knew that his three sons held entirely different weights in the hearts of these generals.
