Spring in the Hall of Paintings

In no time, Guo Luoluo and Lan arrived at the old lady’s room. The moment Lan stepped inside, she sensed the serious atmosphere. The old lady’s gaze toward her was unusually cautious, something Lan had never seen before. Although the old lady liked peace and quiet, none of the maids who usually surrounded her were present. Lan instinctively felt something big had happened.

“Mother.” “Grandmother.”

The old lady straightened up from the couch, and Lin Mama placed a soft red silk cushion behind her, which was embroidered by Yun Wei herself—a cushion the old lady adored the most. The old lady smiled and said, “Rongzhi’s wife, I need to tell you something.”

“Please, Mother, go ahead.” Guo Luoluo’s palms sweated as she wasn’t sure what the old lady meant. The old lady’s smile widened slightly as she spoke: “It’s good news. Your daughter Lan might be granted a marriage to the prince, to become the legitimate consort of a proper prince.”

The old lady emphasized the title of “legitimate consort,” and Guo Luoluo tried to maintain her composure, her expression brightening with joy: “Mother, is this true? Lan has such good fortune?”

The old lady nodded, her gaze fixed on Lan. “Lan, are you not happy?”

Upon hearing what others would consider to be an overwhelming joy, Lan staggered slightly, forcing herself to stand. Her face turned as pale as paper. Looking at the old lady’s determined expression, her lips trembled: “Grandmother, I… I don’t want to become the legitimate consort of the Eighth Prince.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Guo Luoluo shot her a glare and tightly grabbed Lan. She gave the old lady an awkward smile. “Grandmother, Lan must be overwhelmed with joy.”

“I don’t think she’s overwhelmed with joy. Lan, I called you both here because I was worried you wouldn’t accept your fate,” the old lady said as she sat up straight, her tone stern and serious. “Whether you accept it willingly or not, before you marry, you must behave yourself. Do not cause trouble or bring disaster upon us.”

“Grandmother.” Lan shook off Guo Luoluo’s hand, knelt in front of the old lady with a thud, and cried out, “I have never asked anything of you, but today, I beg you, let me meet the Fourth Prince. I will ask him to request a marriage from the emperor… I don’t want to become…”

“You fool! Foolish child!” The old lady slapped Lan’s face. “You don’t want to? Do you not realize you’re a candidate for the selection? How dare you reject the emperor’s grace? Lan, you’re being foolish. The legitimate consort of a prince is a truly honorable position. It’s such a high status. Even if the Fourth Prince asks for your hand, do you know that if he offends the emperor or if there’s a dispute among the princes because of you, it will bring disaster to the whole Tong family? The Fourth Prince will hate you for it.”

Lan’s eyes were red, and she cried uncontrollably: “Grandmother, if this is about the Tong family’s honor, I cannot marry any other prince. The princes who are to be matched with me are the Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Tenth Prince. If it were someone else, perhaps… perhaps I would have resigned myself to it. I have no fate with Yinzhen, but if it is one of these three princes, Grandmother, please trust me this once. Those three princes will have a very… their future will be very tragic.”

“You… you…”

The old lady’s fingers trembled. “Yun Lan, are you possessed? Their fates will be tragic? If anyone hears you say this, will your father still be able to hold his official position? Your second uncle’s hard-earned merits will be ruined by your words. If you continue spouting nonsense, for the sake of the Tong family and the late master’s spirit, I’ll have no choice but to strike you down and go to the emperor to plead for forgiveness. I cannot let you ruin the entire Tong family.”

The old lady made a move to get up. Guo Luoluo quickly knelt in front of her, holding onto her legs and pleading, “Mother, Yun Lan is just momentarily confused. She will come to understand. Yun Lan is your granddaughter, and marrying a prince is an honor for the Tong family. It’s an honor.”

Guo Luoluo reminded the old lady that if Yun Lan caused trouble, this honor would be lost. Yun Lan wiped her tears, feeling an immense sense of injustice. She dared not act out of line, fearing it might attract the attention of other princes and spark a dispute. She held back her feelings, suppressing her nature, unwilling to cross boundaries. But was she able to avoid it? The Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Princes all had tragic fates awaiting them. Yun Lan could not let go of Yinzhen. Initially, her feelings for him were based on memories from her previous life, but as they spent time together, she realized that Yinzhen was a man she admired and felt sympathy for. With this recognition, Yun Lan was willing to become Yinzhen’s side concubine, to stay by his side, comfort him, help him, and walk through the most difficult days of the fight for the throne. In fact, Yun Lan was confident—knowing the history and having modern knowledge—that by staying by Yinzhen’s side, she could ease his burdens. Moreover, Yun Lan had ambitions to educate Hongli, preventing him from wasting the legacy that Yinzhen had built, and stopping the Qing dynasty from repeating the humiliating fate of the late Qing period.

Yun Lan was not claiming to be noble, but she could never forget the pillar of shame erected in the ruins of Yuanmingyuan. She didn’t believe that women from the Qing dynasty only talked about love. Qing women loved their land, regardless of whether they were Manchu or Han. They were all part of the Chinese nation. Even if there were conflicts, they were internal contradictions within the nation, far better than the foreign invaders from Europe, America, Japan, and Korea. Yun Lan harbored great resentment towards this. Now that she had Yinzhen, enjoying his deep affection for her, the more she interacted with him, the more she felt that Yinzhen was the hidden flame beneath the iceberg. She had fallen for him. However, Yun Lan forgot the greatest enemy of all Qing dynasty women—the Emperor Kangxi, who stood high above them.

“Does it have to be me? Can’t it be someone else?” Yun Lan lifted her gaze to the old lady. “Grandmother, can’t it be someone else? Sixth sister is more beautiful and sensible, and second uncle is a loyal and courageous duke, and…”

Yun Lan bit her lip. She too didn’t want Yun Wei to marry a prince, especially one who was bound to have an unfortunate future. The old lady spoke coldly, “What? Why aren’t you continuing? Let me hear what more nonsense you can say. Rongxuan is the commander of the Fengtai military camp. Do you think the emperor would marry Yun Wei to a prince unless it was absolutely necessary? Didn’t you think of that, Yun Lan? When you calculate it carefully, the emperor’s arrangement for your marriage to a prince is still out of respect for Rongxuan. Based on Rongzhi’s position, you are not qualified to be the legitimate consort of a prince.”

“I’d rather not be qualified.” Yun Lan stared at the old lady, unwilling to back down. “Grandmother, you don’t understand. I can’t fully explain it, but let me meet with the Fourth Prince. He will have a solution.”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up.”

The old lady, Madam Jue Luo, repeated “shut up” three times, and her hairpins rattled. “Yun Lan, do you even understand the difference between a legitimate consort and a side concubine? They are all princes and nobles. I truly don’t see any difference.”

“Mother, please calm down. Let me scold Yun Lan again. She will understand,” Guo Luoluo said, covering Yun Lan’s mouth, fearing that the old lady would be so angered she might fall ill. If Yun Lan’s actions led to accusations of unfilial conduct, who would dare marry her? Would Rongzhi still be able to keep his official position? Guo Luoluo loved Yun Lan, but she knew that her son was the real hope for the family. She couldn’t let Yun Lan’s ungratefulness cause harm to her husband and son. She muttered bitterly, “Yun Lan, stop talking.”

“Keep an eye on your daughter. If Yun Lan tries to run away from the Tong family, Rongzhi’s wife, I’ll have Rongzhi divorce you.”

This matter was too serious, so the old lady had to speak her mind. Guo Luoluo, having been in the Tong family for many years, was seeing the old lady this angry for the first time. She also knew that the old lady was a woman of her word. If Yun Lan made a mistake, the old lady would have Rongzhi divorce her. Guo Luoluo quickly assured, “Mother, don’t worry. I will keep a close watch on Yun Lan.”

The old lady let out a long breath, her gaze softening a little when she saw Yun Lan’s red, swollen cheek from the slap. She sighed and said, “Yun Lan, you’re still young. One day you’ll understand that we are all doing this for your own good. Think more about the Tong family, and think more about your mother.”

Yun Lan, unable to persuade the old lady, gave a bitter smile. “Mother, I understand. Being a legitimate consort to a prince is an honor.”

The old lady stared at Yun Lan for a while before speaking slowly. “I’m glad you finally understand, Yun Lan. Let me say it again—remember that you are a talented woman chosen for the selection, and every action you take impacts the lives of hundreds in the Tong family. Don’t blame me for being harsh. The Tong family cannot be ruined by this. If the emperor’s anger is provoked, it will be a massacre.”

Yun Lan shuddered. She knew that Emperor Kangxi had executed many people. The old lady continued, “Furthermore, the emperor has not yet issued the decree for your marriage. Everything is still uncertain. The emperor is the ruler of the world, and we must obey him. I’ve inquired about the three princes. All of them are talented and handsome. After their marriages, they’ll move out of the palace to set up their own households. If you’re married to any of them, you’ll become the legitimate consort, with the authority to run the household. The empress and the emperor live in the Forbidden City, so you wouldn’t have to serve them every day. It’s a very comfortable position. But if you’re a side concubine, no matter how much he favors you, you’ll never be able to act freely in front of the legitimate consort. You know his character—can you really ask him to break the rules for you? Even if he does, don’t forget there’s still the emperor and the empress. They won’t allow a side concubine to go too far. Killing a side concubine and erasing all traces would be easy. On the other hand, if the legitimate consort doesn’t make a major mistake, her position is as stable as a mountain. The emperor values face, and the princes place more importance on their legitimate wives and sons.”

The old lady spoke earnestly to Yun Lan for a long time. When she saw that Yun Lan was starting to accept her fate, she finally allowed them to leave. Before they left, the old lady once again warned Guo Luoluo. Lin Mama placed a tea cup on the floor and said, “Madam, I think the Fourth Miss has come to understand.”

The old lady drank some tea and cleared her throat with a sigh. “I can’t see through Yun Lan anymore. I truly hope she’s figured things out. I’m now just hoping the selection process happens soon so that we can send Yun Lan into the palace. That way, if anything goes wrong, it will be contained. The rules in the palace are strict. Even if Yun Lan wanted to see the Fourth Prince, it would be difficult. There’s no way they would allow a talented woman to run around recklessly in the palace.”

“Madam, do you think the Fourth Prince will…?”

The old lady glanced at Lin Mama and huffed, “Are you also confused? No matter how much the Fourth Prince likes Yun Lan, to him, his future and title are the most important. I’ve heard from Rongxuan that the emperor is about to bestow titles upon the princes. The Fourth Prince is adopted by Empress Tong, and his biological mother is Imperial Concubine De. His status is not low. Furthermore, when the Fourth Prince supported the emperor in the northwest, he may even be promoted to a princely title. Yun Lan has grown up quite well, but I don’t believe the Fourth Prince would risk angering the emperor for her. As long as we manage Yun Lan properly, there won’t be any trouble from the Fourth Prince’s side. As for Yun Lan, she seems clever, but actually… I really don’t know how to describe her. In any case, she’s hard to figure out.”

“The maid heard from the Fourth Miss… Does that mean the other three princes won’t be good choices in the future?” Lin Mama was silenced by the sharp look from the old lady. “I’m only speaking in front of you, Madam. I wouldn’t dare say a word of this to anyone else. Please rest assured.”

“You understand, that’s good,” the old lady murmured tiredly as she lay back on the couch. “The girls who marry out of the Tong family are not the ones who shape its future. The future of the Tong family depends on Rongxuan’s martial skills. As long as those two live with integrity, no one, no matter how high their position, will be able to bring trouble to the Tong family.”