King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 828 Baochai - Daughter-in-law becomes mother-in-law

My name is Xue Baochai, and I come from the Xue family in Jinling.

The Jinling Xue Family is indeed a very big name. Few people in the world dare to call themselves that, and our family didn’t dare to do so at first.

To be honest, my family had already fallen into decline when I was born. Not to mention Nanjing, we couldn't even rank in Yingtian, so we could only cling to the Jia family, which had also fallen into decline.

In my memory, my father was very learned and a very kind man, a humble gentleman respected by saints.

My father passed the imperial examination at the age of seventeen, and passed the imperial examination two years later. The elders all said that he was the incarnation of the God of Literature, and that he would definitely pass the imperial examination and revive the family business.

Unfortunately, most things in this world are beyond one's control. In the twelfth month of the fifteenth year of Chengping when his father passed the imperial examination, an urgent letter from the inner court disrupted his plans.

I was just over two years old at the time, and it was difficult for me to understand why the position of head of the Ministry of Revenue bestowed upon my father by the Emperor would make him so depressed and even unable to recover.

After getting this official position, my father became much busier, but he still tried his best to make time to spend with my brother and me, and taught us to read, write and be sensible.

I listened to everything my father taught me, but my brother was only interested in playing. He never read when my father was not around, so he would get beaten every time my father tested him.

In the third year of Zhengtong, my father fell seriously ill and my mother said it was due to overwork.

My mother cried many times and told me that our family was wealthy and there was no need for your father to work so hard.

But I know that the reason why my father was so diligent was actually to make some achievements so that he could ask for grace from the Emperor in the future and be allowed to take part in the imperial examinations and take the right path to success in the imperial examinations.

However, my father never lived to see that day. He passed away in the autumn of the third year of Zhengtong, when I was only eight years old.

My father died loyal to Your Majesty, and suffered so much injustice and hardship during that time, but he couldn't even see Your Majesty. I secretly felt deeply indignant for him.

The passing of my father left our branch without a pillar. My brothers were always doing bad things and couldn't stand up. We had to rely on my mother, a woman, to support us.

Fortunately, my mother is from the Wang family, and the power of her family prevents other members of the clan from acting too rashly, but our family is still inevitably eroded by their interests.

Over the next few years, I learned more than ever before and began to help my mother run the household.

It is now the tenth year of Zhengtong, a very special year and also the most important year in my life.

That spring, Japanese pirates were rampant, marching brazenly through the border of Yingtian City and threatening to blow up Taizu's mausoleum. It was said that at their closest point they were only two miles away from the Xiaoling Mausoleum.

Although the Japanese pirates were quickly driven away, the Emperor was still deeply angry. He heard from his brother that dozens of generals of the Jinling Military Commission had been beheaded.

Afterwards, the emperor sent the prince to Nanjing to supervise the army, and I also waited for the most important person in my life.

It was one afternoon. The urgent news from the inner court made the whole family panic. Meanwhile, my elder brother got into trouble outside. The family was in turmoil.

Just at this moment, the servants came to report that the soldiers outside had surrounded our house. This made my mother and I terrified. What’s worse is that my brother was not there at this moment. Later I learned that it was the Thirteenth Master who came.

The elders of the clan wanted to kowtow, but they couldn't even see the other person's face and were blocked outside their own courtyard wall by the guards.

My unreliable brother rushed back, but he didn't dare to go out to meet the guests, and finally this gentleman broke into the inner courtyard.

There was no choice but for his brother to go out. He was then caught and beaten by the guards. Only then did Zhu Shisan start to question him.

Only then did I understand what was going on. At this critical moment for my family, I bravely argued with him and easily gained the upper hand, but this world doesn't always follow rules.

On this day, the fact that power transcends all rules of etiquette and laws was displayed so closely and clearly before my eyes.

Although I am eloquent, I am speechless and helpless when faced with the logic of this Thirteenth Master.

Just at this moment, a gust of wind came and rolled up the curtain between him and me, so we looked at each other from five steps apart.

The first time I saw him, he gave me the impression of being heroic and masculine, which rather overshadowed his nobleness, the nobility of a legitimate heir to a royal family.

He was also looking at me, and very seriously, but this look made me uncomfortable, because it was an undisguised scrutiny that always made me feel like I was not wearing any clothes.

So I concluded that this so-called royal heir was nothing more than a lustful and frivolous person.

Fortunately, the bamboo curtain fell after the wind blew, blocking his sharp gaze. Otherwise, if he had blown me a few more times, I would have fled in panic.

After that, he did not force me anymore, but instead assigned a task to my brother. However, this move pushed my family to the forefront and made us the target of the struggle between the prince and local officials.

Fortunately, things were finally settled and my family got through this most dangerous time.

Then an interesting thing happened. The prince, who should have had no connection with me, actually sent someone to send me something, which included a poem by Li Bai.

The clouds think of the clothes, the flowers think of the face, the spring breeze blows on the threshold, and the dew is thick. If we hadn't seen it on the top of the jade mountain, we would have met under the moon on Yaotai...

Although this was a frivolous act, it made me guess that this Xing was interested in me, but I didn't take it to heart afterwards.

As time passed, I followed my mother to live in a villa in the countryside. I also went to Nanjing Temple to fulfill my vow and thank the Bodhisattva for protecting our family's safety.

This was an ordinary action, but I didn't expect to meet him again.

Later I found out that he had sneaked out to wander around, so he only brought a few dozen guards with him, and then he was ambushed by the White Lotus.

He and his men retreated to my villa. In order to protect the survival of our family, we also joined the defense. I also asked my brother to recruit tenants to help with a generous reward.

Later, the war broke out. I was so scared that I thought I was going to die here.

In order to maintain our innocence, my mother and I hid in the room, snuggling up to each other, holding scissors.

As expected, the thieves broke into the room where I was hiding. The maid who was standing outside was killed on the spot, and the splattered blood fell at my feet.

The thief discovered my mother and me. Just when I thought I was going to die today, he rushed in with a knife and killed the thief easily.

Even many years later, I could still remember his concerned eyes and the strong sense of security he gave me, but I didn't know at the time that I had fallen in love with him.

Later, the crisis was resolved, and my family was rewarded again for our rescue efforts. I was also recommended by him to become the princess's tutor.

Afterwards, my family followed him to Beijing, and when we arrived there I realized that the so-called four major families were nothing but ordinary, and what Beijing had the most was the powerful and wealthy.

Fortunately, I met the best sister and confidant of my life in Beijing. At that time, I thought that even if I was not selected, it would be worthwhile to have such a close friend.

Daiyu is an interesting person. Although she is young, she is as knowledgeable as me. So during the days I spent at the Jia family, I could talk to her about anything.

After that, the selection of tutors began. Although I had his recommendation, I was still not very confident about being selected.

But in the end, I still made it to the re-selection and met the Queen Mother, who would become my mother-in-law in the future.

The Queen's majesty was so overwhelming that I couldn't bear to look at her directly. To my surprise, she was very kind. Later, when we talked, I learned that it was because I saved her son.

Then, I faced her first test. My answer must have satisfied her, so the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree to reward me generously.

After that I became the princess's tutor, a very sought-after position.

Later I realized that the reason why he was so popular was not because of the position of tutor itself, but because it was closely related to the Thirteenth Master.

The reason was that she was going to get married the following year, and every family was trying their best to send their daughters to Kunning Palace, in fact, to recommend a princess to the Queen.

Among the four people selected, I was the only surprise, and the surprise came from him.

I don't know when I started to love the Thirteenth Master. Although I accompanied the princess in the East Hall of Kunning Palace every day, I always looked forward to his coming over.

Afterwards, he asked me to teach him how to play chess, poetry, and the piano. I knew he had other intentions, but I was filled with joy.

After spending a long time with him, I found that he was indeed very nice and polite to me, and there was a lot of love in his words, which made me guess that he might really have me in his heart, and the poem he gave him was not frivolous.

I was ecstatic when I realized this, but I still remained reserved for the sake of appearance. I had to suppress my emotions because this is the quality that a good woman should have.

Later, Jia Zhen played a suicidal trick on the Qin family, which made me realize once again the supremacy of imperial power. The inheritance of the eldest branch of the Duke's Mansion angered him and I was almost beaten to death.

Later, Prince Beijing was stripped of his title because of a horse, which also proved the same truth and made me realize that no matter how powerful you are in the Ming Dynasty, you are nothing but slaves of the Zhu family.

This time I am not worried about the Jia family, because Jia Zhen really brought it upon himself. I heard a lot of bad things about the Ning Mansion when I was at the Jia family.

He saved the girl from the Qin family, but when I saw him being intimate with that girl, my heart felt like it was being stabbed by needles, as if I had lost the most precious thing in my life.

I didn't show it and instead joked with them a few times, but I felt bad about it for several days.

After that, the days became peaceful. I continued to serve as a tutor in the palace and spent time with him in my spare time. Our feelings continued to deepen, and we were deeply involved in it without knowing it.

Of course, it was during this time in the palace that I learned a lot of secrets and witnessed the methods of my future mother-in-law. This was the period when I grew the fastest.

In the eleventh year of Zhengtong, he was officially canonized as King Xiang and moved out of the palace. At the same time, the time had come for him to choose a concubine.

I lost my father at a young age and should not have run for the election, but Princess Rui recommended me to the Queen. Although she had bad intentions, I am indeed very grateful to her for this matter.

So later, no matter how many people attacked her, I ensured her safety throughout her life, but that was a long time later.

When the Queen asked me how I felt, I was really nervous.

Although the Zhu family did not value family background, I lost my father at a young age and was not worthy of participating in the election, so I was afraid that I would say something wrong and cause the Queen to be furious and bring disaster to the family. But I finally couldn't bear to give up, and I bravely expressed my feelings. Unexpectedly, the Queen directly agreed to let me participate in the election.

Therefore, I am also very grateful to my mother-in-law. It was she who gave me the opportunity to run for election, which led to my future honor.

After that came the long process of selecting a princess. I passed the preliminary selection, the re-selection and reached the final selection. The experience on the day of the final selection will also be unforgettable for me.

There were only two people involved in the final selection, the other one was the Queen's niece, who was almost universally recognized as the Princess.

In fact, at this point, I already feel very lucky. From now on, I can always be by his side. I would be happy with the lower position of concubine, let alone that of a concubine.

On the day of selecting a concubine, both the emperor and the empress were present, as well as all the ladies of the third rank and above from inside and outside the palace. It was indeed a grand scene.

Yang Jingting and I stood inside Kunning Gate and watched him pick up the Ruyi in the distance and walk towards us with confident steps.

His eyes were fixed on me, and I thought he was apologizing to me. After all, both he and I knew at this moment that our hearts were already filled with each other. It was a pity that lovers could not become couples.

But when he got closer, he actually walked directly in front of me and handed me the Ruyi. Everyone was talking about it for a while.

I advised him not to act rashly, but he was more determined than I thought. In the end, I couldn't resist his "coercion" and took over the Ruyi, which represented the identity of the princess.

The situation changed drastically in an instant. I saw the ashen face of my future father-in-law, which made me terrified and extremely panicked, but since things had come to this point, I could only take one step at a time.

The emperor left in anger, but fortunately the empress stayed and allowed the concubine selection ceremony to continue, but I was still uneasy.

After the selection of concubines was completed, I returned to Jinling according to regulations and waited for the royal family to carry out the subsequent ceremony.

The fact that I had chosen a princess caused a great uproar in the capital and Nanjing. Many people talked about it and ridiculed King Xiang for his outrageous behavior.

I felt deeply guilty about this and thought I had harmed him, but later I realized that this was what he wanted, just to throw some dirty water on me.

But no matter what, I eventually married into the royal family and was brought back from Jinling by him, but problems arose at the last step.

Although I am his wife, His Majesty the Emperor has not issued an edict to confer the title upon me, so I am not yet a royal princess.

Then the trouble started. He and I were sent to Shanglinyuan, and the emperor asked my husband and I to farm there, and we had to take care of ourselves for food and daily life.

Such days were extremely difficult. Many people said that this was a test from the emperor, trying to make me give up, but I understood that this was a test for him.

A prince became a farmer, carrying a hoe to farm every day. The gap between them is much bigger than it is for me.

But he had no complaints and even had a smile on his face, which made me feel much more at ease. I was still a little worried that he would abandon me, because I am indeed rather selfish when it comes to my lover.

In fact, I also asked him why he valued me so much and chose me as his princess despite the world's opposition, but his answer made me even more confused.

After that, we supported each other. He went to farm and I cooked at home, just like we were ordinary farmers, and we both lived a very peaceful life.

It was the hard work during this period that made me realize how difficult it is for the people to survive, and also made me a virtuous queen in the future.

Four months passed like this, and we passed the emperor's test. Finally, I was canonized as the Princess of Xiang, and became one of the most honorable women in the Ming Dynasty. I was only fifteen years old at that time.

After becoming a princess, I had a lot of things to do. The affairs in the palace were just a small part of it. The interactions with the ladies in the palace and the various noble houses were what really made me worry and tired.

The money in the mansion was not enough, so I went to the Eastern Palace and Prince Rui's Mansion to beg for money. I guarantee that I really wanted to pay the money back at that time, and it was completely his idea not to pay it back later.

But later on, his achievements in the wars outside became greater and greater, and my life in the capital became more difficult. I enjoyed secretly fighting with Yuanchun and Chen Zhi.

I don’t know since when, but human life has become worthless in my eyes, so like my mother-in-law, I also started to like worshiping Buddha and chanting scriptures.

Regarding the killing, I took the initiative to give orders at the beginning, ordering the servants in the palace to get rid of those who were plotting to murder the palace. Later on, I only needed to give hints and someone would take care of the job.

The people who were eliminated ranged from the followers of Prince Rui’s Mansion in the Eastern Palace to even the officials appointed by the imperial court. The most famous of them was the prince’s teacher Gao Shuyan.

The Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot have many eyes and ears, but as long as it involves the Eastern Palace, Prince Rui's Mansion and our family, they all become blind. However, I still act with extreme caution.

By this time, I had become a truly qualified princess, not just someone sitting in that position.

Later on, his military achievements grew, and the attacks on him became more and more frequent inside and outside the capital, and my life became more and more difficult.

Many times, I suffered alone in the capital, and hoped that he would return to the capital as soon as possible to support the palace. I really felt that I could not bear it any longer.

In the seventeenth year of the Zhengtong reign, the Empress fell ill, and this time there was no cure.

I went to the palace to serve her every day, so I knew how weak she was and how difficult it was for her to endure the medication every day, but she still insisted on waiting for her youngest son to return to Beijing.

I guess that perhaps the queen already knew at that time that her youngest son would inherit the throne in the future, so she had to see him to explain some things.

Finally he returned to the capital in time, and the queen finally saw her son and told him everything she needed to say.

Two months later, the Queen passed away. She was a virtuous queen, and her death made many people very sad.

Among them, the saddest person was His Majesty, but the tragedy that happened three months later was the real blow to him.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival of that year, our three families proposed to celebrate properly. The emperor agreed to our request and decided to hold a family banquet in the West Garden.

His Majesty the Emperor will not know that the three of us have murderous intentions and want to get rid of each other at the banquet.

In the end, our family won, and the Crown Prince and Prince Rui lost power.

Things were easy after that, and we finally lived a peaceful life.

In the eighteenth year of Zhengtong, he became the crown prince and I became the crown princess. I was twenty-three years old that year.

After that, he was going on a tour to the east, and I went with him. After eight years, I returned to the place where I was born.

The memories of my childhood are still vivid in my mind, and I have already reached the ninth heaven, becoming the number one lady in the inner and outer court.

I stopped outside the door where I first met him and asked why the bamboo curtain was gone. Everyone was trembling with fear, but I finally just laughed it off.

In the blink of an eye, another two years passed. The emperor, who had suffered a series of blows, became very ill and eventually died in the autumn of the 20th year of Zhengtong.

That night, he went into the palace first, and I went in after I had arranged things in the mansion.

I have walked this road from Dong'anmen to the Qianqing Palace countless times, but tonight I felt something different.

Through the gaps in the curtain of the sedan chair, I could see that the nobles, soldiers, guards, and imperial guards all knelt down and saluted me wherever I passed by. I couldn't see a single person standing in front of me.

It was also on this night that I rode in a sedan chair into Donghua Gate for the first time. This was a privilege only afforded to the emperor and empress, and no one else was allowed to do so without the emperor's imperial decree.

Logically speaking, I am not the queen yet, but the people below me are already taking actions to win your favor.

A few months later, I was officially crowned as the queen and began to rule the country like my mother-in-law.

Similar to when I first became a princess, the queen has much more to do, and the matters she handles are becoming increasingly complex.

I have to carefully oversee the expenses of the inner court, the rewards, punishments, promotions and demotions of the ladies inside and outside the court, but mistakes will always happen at the beginning.

At this time, I realized that I had many shortcomings compared to my mother-in-law. Managing the inner palace and the ladies both inside and outside the palace was indeed a very energy-consuming task.

But the real trouble is yet to come!

My troubles came from my sons. By the first year of Qiansheng, I already had three sons. When they were young, they loved each other, but the situation was different when they grew up.

These three brothers always quarrel over trivial matters, causing chaos every day. No matter how smart and wise I am, I can't manage it.

It is true that they are my sons, but they are also the legitimate princes of the Ming Dynasty. There are too many people who are eyeing them. How can I possibly control them?

In fact, I really wanted to have a daughter so that I would have someone who was caring for me. In July of the seventh year of Qiansheng, I became pregnant again.

However, in May of the eighth year of Qiansheng, I gave birth to another son. This made me somewhat disappointed, but looking at the little guy's smile, I still felt that I loved him very much.

Because he was the ninth in the family, he said that nine was the extreme number, so he named him Zhu Muji.

Although I felt that the name was inappropriate, I finally agreed to it because it was indeed a good name.

After that, I focused my main energy on coordinating the relationships among my sons. The three brothers Zhen'er, Zhen'er and Dong'er eventually turned against each other and each had their own forces to compete with.

I know this is the result of his indulgence. He has the same idea as the late emperor, to limit the fighting to his legitimate son.

I have arguments with him from time to time, but nothing can be changed.

It was then that I realized that the final result of years of hard struggle seemed to be that I was living a life similar to that of my mother-in-law.

Fortunately, I have a husband whom I love deeply, and he has always been very loving and loyal to me.

Fortunately, my youngest son is very obedient, although he is indeed a little naughty.

(End of this chapter)