Chapter 6

The Donggo clan is vast, encompassing several banners and companies, including those under the Plain Red Banner, the Plain White Banner, and the Bordered Red Banner. Shushu, at just a few years old, had only met a few of her clan members.

Even though Shushu had long known the identity of the Ninth Princess, she had never inquired about "Donggo Seventy," nor had she ever thought it would be related to herself.

She participated in the selection at the beginning of the month to elevate her status, treating it as a mere formality. She never expected that a marriage decree would actually come down!

The Manchu people practiced both early and late marriages; a woman in her twenties getting married was not unusual. Qi Xi and his wife planned to keep their daughter for a few more years.

To outsiders, Qi Xi and his wife had one daughter and five sons, all legitimate, making their family prosperous. In reality, they had experienced much hardship in their early years to have children.

As a young couple, they had not been able to conceive for many years, and despite seeking medical help, they found no solution. Desperate, they turned to Buddhism and Taoism for help.

By a stroke of luck, one New Year's Day, the couple went to the Hongluo Temple in Huairou to pray for a child. They encountered a poor old woman selling dried plums and, out of pity, bought all of her stock. Soon after, Jueluo became pregnant.

After ten months, a purple-red baby girl was born. The purple color only faded after a month, leaving her with a rosy complexion.

Shushu's name comes from this, meaning "purple-red" in Manchu.

After giving birth to their daughter, Jueluo went on to have five sons, but she still loved Shushu, her first and hard-won daughter, the most.

Regarding Shushu's marriage, Qi Xi and his wife had previously chosen a candidate, Shushu's cousin, Prince Kang's grandson, Prince Chun Tai.

Shushu's great-grandfather, He Helu, was one of the "Five Founding Ministers" and the head of the Donggo clan. Her great-grandmother was the eldest daughter of the Taizu Emperor, Princess Wenzhe. Therefore, this lineage had a long history of intermarriage with the descendants of Prince Lie of the Taizu Emperor.

When Shushu was young, she was close to her aunt and did not dislike her cousin, so she had no objections. However, after regaining her past memories, she found the idea of marrying her cousin akin to incest and could not bear it.

Three years ago, Shushu firmly refused the match to her parents, citing the negative effects of intermarriage among close relatives, using the example of her own lineage's declining fertility over generations.

Her great-grandparents, who were cousins, had two sons, but her great-great-grandparents, also cousins, had no children and had to adopt. Her grandfather, who married a cousin from a different branch, had two sons, but the eldest was weak and had congenital issues. Her uncle, who married a cousin from a different branch, had no children and had two miscarriages. In contrast, Shushu's father, who did not marry within the maternal clan, had one daughter and five sons.

Qi Xi and his wife, though they loved their daughter, did not fully believe her reasons but could not bear to force her. They agreed to find another match and were currently considering two candidates from their extended family.

Choosing a husband involved not only family background and education but also potential and ability, so they planned to wait until the selection of guards this year before making a decision.

Who would have thought that the emperor would issue a marriage decree!

Jueluo was equally surprised and whispered to her daughter, "The Tenth Princess's match was decided years ago, but the decree was not issued because the Tenth Prince was in mourning... Many families were eyeing the position of the Ninth Princess... Your father secretly inquired before the selection, fearing you might inadvertently offend someone. It was rumored that the eldest daughter of the Alinga family was the candidate, but something must have gone wrong, and it ended up being our family..."

With one Princess Consort already from the Donggo clan, who would have thought another would come from the same family?

Qi Xi had boldly sought permission to arrange his daughter's marriage, confident that the position of Princess Consort would not fall to his family.

But an unexpected turn of events occurred!

"This... we need to prepare to receive the decree..." Shushu said, trying to hide her frustration.

Jueluo glanced at her daughter, "Marriage is a serious matter, decided by parents. The decree is for your father, so he will go to the Qianqing Palace to receive it!"

Shushu remained silent, feeling no enthusiasm for the position of Princess Consort.

The Ninth Prince was known for his greed, cruelty, and promiscuity.

This was a royal marriage, and there was no option for divorce.

If she had known, she would have accepted the match with Prince Kang's family. Her aunt, the Grand Princess of Prince Kang, could have smoothed things over with the palace, and the marriage would have been a formality.

Jueluo sighed, "You didn't want to climb high, but you ended up climbing high!"

Shushu was deeply troubled. What a lousy high branch!

It was more like a sinking ship, unstable and likely to drag down the Donggo clan.

Jueluo, seeing her daughter's lack of embarrassment, felt a headache. "We thought either your aunt's family or a lower match would be suitable... But now, marrying into the palace means dealing with several layers of mothers-in-law. You need to learn the rules and be gentle and compliant..."

Shushu shook her head, disagreeing. "Can I pretend for a lifetime?"

Setting a persona is not easy, and the outcome is usually a collapse of that persona.

Jueluo retorted, "Even if you can't pretend for a lifetime, you should at least pretend for a year or two to avoid being sent back! You were so well-behaved during the 'palace stay,' and that's how it should be!"

Shushu regretted it, whispering, "Mother, could it be that I was too well-behaved in the palace, and that's why Empress Yi noticed me?"

Among the selected girls, Shushu, in terms of status and appearance, was top-notch. To avoid overshadowing others, she had been very reserved and unassuming.

But if that was the reason she was chosen as a Princess Consort, it was her own doing.

Jueluo dismissed this idea, "It's unlikely. Our emperor ascended the throne young and is known for his independence... Even the mother of a prince has no say in the selection of a Princess Consort..."

"Is there... any possibility of breaking the engagement..." Shushu hesitated, leaning in to whisper to Jueluo, "The emperor and the crown prince are strong, and the struggle for succession could arise at any time. The Ninth Prince, being a prince, might get involved, and we could be implicated..."

Jueluo looked at her daughter, her expression becoming serious, "There is no possibility of breaking the engagement! Even in the case of a serious illness, the only options are death or becoming a nun... As subjects, we cannot defy the emperor's decree, and even the royal family cannot refuse a royal match without severe consequences..."

Shushu felt frustrated but knew her mother was right.

The system of selecting and assigning marriages had been in place for decades, and not every family was satisfied.

But no one dared to resist because it was an extension of the emperor's power as the "Master of the Eight Banners," and no one could defy it.

As they talked, news of the engagement spread, and well-informed guests began to arrive.

Today, the Donggo family received many guests from various households, all sending their congratulations. The selection of a Princess Consort was a cause for celebration for the entire clan, not just the Donggo family but also the entire banner and the old noble families.

The Donggo family was busy with guests all afternoon.

Shushu stayed in her room, listening to the reports of the gifts, feeling increasingly heavy-hearted.

Not only the Donggo family but the entire Plain Red Banner was stirred by the news.

Back in her courtyard, Shushu's expression was calm, but when she picked up a brush in her study, her thoughts were chaotic.

Breaking up the Eighth and Ninth Princes' relationship?

Dream on!

The principle of "outsiders not interfering in family matters" has always been true. A wife can be replaced, but a brother cannot.

If she showed any intention of sowing discord between the brothers, she would only be rejected. Moreover, women could be divorced for "gossip," and the emperor, Empress Yi, and the empress dowager could all deal with her, bringing shame to her family.

So, a gradual approach...

But it was already the 37th year of Kangxi, and the struggle for succession was not far off. There was no time to waste.

She needed to find a way to slowly distance the two without directly causing conflict...

The Eighth Prince... the Eighth Princess...

As a sister-in-law, she had no direct relationship with her brother-in-law, but what about with her sister-in-law?

The Eighth Princess was known for her arrogance, and as a top noblewoman, she was likely to be headstrong. Sibling rivalry was not uncommon.

If the sisters-in-law did not get along, even if the brothers were close, their families would have limited interaction, and the distance would grow over time.

Shushu thought of a plan, burning the paper with her thoughts. She needed to be careful about what to write down and what to keep secret.

She went to see Fusu, who had been entertaining guests all day and was finally able to catch his breath.

"Even a day earlier, and we couldn't have handled this!"

Fusu chuckled, "Is this what they call 'no fight, no deal'? Should we give up on the shop?"

Shushu replied calmly, "Why be so generous? It's better to have it ourselves... The settlement agreement states a ten-day period... We should push for the transfer as soon as possible to be at ease..."

After all the effort, she didn't want to lose the shop.

"Can they renege? I don't think so. This isn't for someone else, is it?"

Fusu was skeptical, "Princes and princes' sons are not short of money. Could they be so petty?"

Shushu sighed, "Because it's not someone else, and we don't have to worry about the Donggo family demanding it, they might renege."

As for whether princes and princes' sons were short of money, they certainly were, or why would the Ninth Prince be so active?

The settlement may have been reached, but it damaged the Ninth Prince's dignity. He would likely try to delay the process.

Shushu narrowed her eyes, thinking of a plan, "Have someone keep a close eye on Gui Dan. When he buys more property, we'll intercept it again! I heard he's also looking at land in the suburbs. It's not a good time to buy land after the spring plowing, so he must be in a hurry... Given his character, he won't follow the rules. There must be some weakness we can exploit..."

*

The Forbidden City, Yikun Palace.

The Ninth Prince, with his phoenix eyes wide, jumped up, "Why did they choose her?"