Blessed by God

 

Bambi here. Big announcement, the author misidentified a character but don’t worry, I got your back! Basically, there was around five important Fiyanggū in the Qing Dynasty period. Fiyanggū was a common Manchu name meaning “smallest”, thus given to the youngest child of the family. We’re interested in two: the one who was a military official, and the father-in-law of Yinzhen. Now this is where the author got confused, she thought they were the same person, and in the following chapters she will write as if they’re the same, but they’re not! Don’t get confused~ (Wikipedia also thought so, but I changed it already :). 

Fiyanggū (費揚古/费扬古), who served as a first-rank military official (領侍衛內大臣/领诗卫内大臣), and held the title of a First Class Duke (一等公). He was the younger brother of Empress Xiaoxian —most commonly known as Consort Dong’E— the favourite concubine of Emperor Shunzhi. (Shunzhi was the father to Emperor Kangxi). This is the Fiyanggū that should be leading the war to Galdan. (Sources 1, 2). Fiyanggū from the Ula Nara family. He belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner and was the father of Empress Xiaojingxian, the Primary Consort of the Yongzheng Emperor. He was the son of Bohucha, who was married to the great-great-granddaughter of Nurhachi, the founder of the Qing Dynasty.  (Sources 1, 2, 3).

Shout-out to motokare and judeiiro from the NU forum for helping me clarify my doubts.

 

TIMELINE

 

Yinzhen was born in 1678. (He’s two years older than Yinyou.)

He married Ula Nara in 1691. (She was 10, he was 13).

Yinyou was born in 1680. (The 20th year of Kangxi).

1690 (29th Year of Kangxi.) Galdan’s first appearance (The 4th brother was 12 while the 7th brother was 10.)

1693 (32nd Year of Kangxi.) Nephew and rival of Galdan Boshugtu Khan send an envoy with a tribute to the Qing capital. This is where Kangxi and his court get cosy with his nephew, so as to separate Galdan from the throne. The author is setting the story around these years but it should be later in the 35th year of Kangxi. Gorolo shi and Yinsi were engaged in the 31st year of Kangxi (1692) and married in the 37th year of Kangxi (1698).

—According to Yinyou’s Baidu page, the 7th brother was ordered to lead the Bordered Yellow Banner battalion to follow Kangxi to conquer Galdan in the 35th year of Kangxi (1696). Because of his meritorious service, in the 37th year of Kangxi (1698), he was titled Prince of the Third Rank (貝勒 bèilè). In 1709, Yunyou was granted the title Prince Chun of the Second Rank. In the 1st year of Yongzheng (1723), he was promoted to Prince Chun of the First Rank.

1696 (35th Year of Kangxi.) “The Kangxi Emperor returns in victory. Defender of the Frontier General-in-chief Fiyanggū defeats Galdan Boshugtu Kahn at Zuunmod.” (The 4th brother was 18 while the 7th brother was 16.) 

 

 

Chapter 36: Yinzhen’s Anxiety

We’re in the 34th year of Kangxi, (approx. 1695). Yinzhen is 17 while Yinyou is 15. All the events that should happen in the 35th year of Kangxi, are now happening one year earlier.

 

The following day, three imperial edicts were issued by the Qianqing Palace. The first one was that Yinyou, the seventh prince, would be stationed at the border with the army within three days; the second edict was that after his return from the battlefield, he shall be married. The third imperial edict was the bestowment of Gorolo shi as Fu Jin to the eighth prince, they were arranged to be married by the end of the year1Gorolo shi and Yinsi were engaged in the 31st year of Kangxi (1692) and married in the 37th year of Kangxi (1698)..

 These three imperial decrees turned the originally calm harem into a frying pan. The seventh brother’s Fu Jin was just the daughter of a Deputy Governor2個副都統 gè fùdū tǒng. Deputy Governor is a second-rank position, only second to the garrison general. He’s in charge of “guarding dangerous points, appeasing the army and the people, uniforming the government and punishment, and repairing military equipment.” They handle the defense of the city they’re stationed in., while the eighth brother’s Fu Jin was Ge Ge3Daughters of all imperial princes above the rank of jiangjun also used the same title. Since her grandfather was Prince An of the First Rank, a celebrity in front of Kangxi, she should be a Princess too. from the Goloro family. The disparity between these Fu Jin statuses wasn’t small. Moreover, the seventh brother was so young, yet the emperor threw this disappointing seventh brother into the barracks without even giving him a single post. Wasn’t it easy to see that the seventh brother was without the Holy favour?

 After receiving the imperial order, the eighth brother sent Li Dequan away and sat on the chair in a daze. Gorolo shi was the Fu Jin he wanted. He wondered whether the emptiness he felt was the result of his expectation being realized, or some other reason.

“Congratulations, Master,” De He, who was serving close by, approached fawningly.

 Yinsi clenched the imperial decree in his palm, and stared at the green fume of the burning incense, “Has the imperial decree been delivered to the seventh brother?” 

De He was stunned, “Master forgive this crime, the slave doesn’t know.” 

At this moment, a young eunuch hurried into the inner room, knelt down in front of Yinsi and said, “This servant greets the Master.”

Seeing that it was Xiao Quanzi, the most trusted servant by the Master’s side, De He lowered his head and waited to hear the news. Secretly, he wondered why his Master cared so much for the seventh brother.

“Was the seventh brother bestowed a marriage?” Yinsi stared at Xiao Quanzi, without allowing him to get up, in his usually gentle face, there was no trace of a smile.

Xiao Quanzi once again kowtowed and said, “Back to the Master, the emperor pointed out the daughter of the Deputy Governor to the seventh brother as Fu Jin, and…” 

“And what?” Seeing Xiao Quanzi’s panicked expression, Yinsi felt a little bit uneasy, “Say it!”

“The emperor ordered the seventh brother to go to the border with the army, saying that the seventh brother was lazy, so he should practice hard with the army.” Xiao Quanzi did not dare to lift his head after saying this.

 Let an unmarried prince go to the border, with Galdan ready to move, what if the seventh brother faced a war between the two armies? Could it be that Huang Ama wanted to push a prince to the border to encourage the morale of the army?!

 The eldest brother was being suppressed by Huang Ama, so naturally he will not be allowed to go to the border to make contributions. The Crown Prince had a high status, and Huang Ama was reluctant to let him suffer this crime. The third brother’s E’Niang was Consort Rong and she was deeply favoured by the emperor. The fourth brother was in charge of the Minister of Revenue and couldn’t leave his post. The fifth brother was a nobody, and the other brothers were either too young or lacking in status. On the other hand, the seventh brother’s mother was from the Bordered Yellow Banner and was now a Consort, thus the seventh brother’s status was just right. Even if the seventh brother made achievements in the army, his own condition made him unable to have another heart, and if he died… Huang Ama, who was in his prime, will only lose a lame prince4With “unable to have another heart” it means to harbor expectations to gain the throne, since Yinyou is lame, he’s not qualified so it doesn’t matter if he has achievements. As for “Huang Ama is in his prime” it means that Kangxi’s position as an emperor is solid and can’t be shaken by a prince having military achievements, it also means that Kangxi can continue to have more children, and to lose one would not be a big loss. Considering that Kangxi kept having children till his dying day… yeah. . 

Was this the reason why Huang Ama raised Dai Jia shi status as a Consort?

“You all go down,” Yinsi muttered, “no one is allowed to enter the room without the Master’s order.”

“Aye,” He De and Xiao Quanzi sweated on their foreheads. The Master had spoken and they didn’t dare to stay inside anymore. 

Only after exiting the door, did they notice that the room they left behind was terribly depressed and gloomy.

 The two of them walked to the corner before they dared to wipe their foreheads with their sleeves. Xiao Quanzi looked around and seeing that there was no one, he whispered, “When the seventh brother arrives at the barracks, isn’t he going to have military achievements?”

He De sneered after hearing this, “The emperor is in his prime, not to mention whether the seventh brother can build military merits, even if he does, so what?” 

“Are you telling me that… the seventh brother is not favoured by the emperor?” Xiao Quanzi didn’t believe this point yet.

 De He patted the non-existent dust on his clothes, and spoke out the words slowly, “If he really valued him, why would he let him join the army before getting married?” After finishing speaking, he did not wait for Xiao Quanzi to understand, but turned around and walked outside the yard.

 It was hard to say whether the seventh brother will come back alive, so why did it matter to talk about inexistent military exploits? Even if he had some achievements, did this matter if he died on the battlefield?

 

 Before Yinzhen brought the tea to Yinyou’s residence, he already knew the content of the three decrees. He held the purple clay tea can with the tea leaves in his hand tightly, took several deep breaths, and suppressed all his emotions as he quickened his pace and walked towards Yinyou’s residence.

 He didn’t want Yinyou to get married, but if those women could only come later to Yinyou’s side at such a price, he would rather Yinyou marry those women. At least, he was still in front of his eyes. At least he will never have to face the possibility of Yinyou never coming back.

 When he arrived at Yinyou’s residence, the courtyard was very quiet. There were two eunuchs sweeping the floor, but they didn’t look happy. What’s there to be happy about? Indeed, the Master had been conferred a marriage, but he still had to go to the border. With how the times were, who could tell what could happen?

Arriving at the main house, there were two eunuchs standing outside the door, one of them was Fu Duo, Yinyou’s closest servant. Seeing Yinzhen’s arrival, Fu Duo seemed to be relieved, “Greetings to the fourth Master.”

“Is the seventh brother inside?” Yinzhen looked at the closed door, his face so serene it didn’t seem to hold any emotion.

 “Master is in his room,” then Fu Duo added something seemingly unintentionally, “He has been inside for more than an hour5时辰 shíchen. One of the 12 two-hour periods of the day. So two hours., and it’s almost noon. I don’t know when the Master plans to eat.” 

Yinzhen’s eyes dimmed as he spoke to Xiao Luzi behind him, “You wait outside the door, Master will go inside and ask.”

 Opening the door, Yinzhen paused his feet slightly when he smelled the pungent aroma of incense. He then raised his feet into the house and reflexively closed the door. Looking inside the room, Yinyou was sitting quietly on a chair, and when he saw him coming in, he raised his head, “Fourth brother.” 

There was a hint of a smile on his face.

Yinzhen was distressed. He walked to Yinyou’s side, only to find that the teapot Yinyou was drinking was no longer hot, so he put the teapot he brought on the table, “It’s this year’s Dragon Well tea.” After that, he sat quietly by Yinyou’s side.

“Thank you, fourth brother, for thinking about me every year.” Yinyou smiled, took the teapot in his hands, lifted the lid and took a whiff, “It smells fresh and elegant, it’s a good thing.” 

Yinzhen longed to reach out and touch the smile on Yinyou’s face but he could only hide his hands in his sleeves. He replied to him with a wry smile, “As long as you like it.”

“Well,” Yinyou was still smiling as he gently put the teapot back in its original place.

Seeing him like this, Yinzhen couldn’t bear it anymore and he leaned on to gently hold Yinyou in his arms, “Don’t be afraid, Feiyanggu is your fourth sister-in-law’s Ama6As I said before, this is Consort Dong’E’s younger brother, the first rank military officer who defeated Galdan. Yinzhen’s father-in-law is also called Feiyanggu, but he’s from the Ula Nara family and they’re two different people. , and he will take care of you.”

 Yinyou smelled the faint scent of sandalwood on Yinzhen’s body, a smile hanging on the corner of his mouth, “Fourth brother, Lord Feiyanggu is a minister after all, so don’t do this because of me. No matter what, when the princes and the ministers get too close, it will cause trouble.”

“It’s just a few words, you don’t have to worry about it,” Yinzhen patted Yinyou’s back lightly, “I won’t let anything happen to you, I swear.”

 Yinyou’s heart heated up. 

This life could be considered as picked-up, how could he know that he’d met such a person who treated him sincerely, and was willing to get into trouble because of him? 

When he looked up into Yinzhen’s eyes, there was no timidity or cowardice in his gaze, “Fourth brother, I’m Aisin Gioro Yinyou, the seventh prince of the Great Qing Dynasty.”

 Yinzhen’s heart ached7疼 téng. (it) hurts; sore; to love dearly. (I liked the connotation of hurting because he loves Yinyou too much.)), but he couldn’t say a word.

 Yinyou laughed softly, “I thought I saw everything clearly, but I didn’t realize that everything was changeable. I became worried and cowered. Now that I think about it, it’s nothing more than that8不过如此 bùguòrúcǐ. (idiom) nothing more than this; that’s all; no big deal; not very impressive.. Even if I really don’t live up to expectations, it’s enough if I can make my E’Niang feel at ease by cherishing the life she gave me.”

“Do you only care about…” Consort Chen? Yinzhen’s palms were cold, and he swallowed the words abruptly, “Nothing will happen.”

“When Huang Ama spoke to me yesterday, I was still a bit unclear. Now that I’ve been thinking about it all night, I gradually came to an understanding. It doesn’t matter what Huang Ama is planning, the process will not change.” 

Seeing that Yinzhen was pale, Yinyou knew that he was worried about him, so he added, “Fourth brother, you don’t have to worry about me.” 

The seventh brother in history did not die in battle, and now he was that seventh brother. If he was unlucky, he would be gone. But if he was lucky, he’d come back and help the person next to him get the position he desired.

He was sincerely worried about him and didn’t care if he got into trouble as long as he was safe, how could he fail to reciprocate this sincerity? Yinyou suddenly bowed his head and whispered in Yinzhen’s ear, “Fourth brother, if I can’t come back, please take care of my E’Niang for me in the future.”

“If you can’t come back, what’s the use of me taking care of your E’Niang?” Yinzhen lowered his face to Yinyou, his eyes were like cold stars, “You must come back to me, you hear me, you must come back!” 

 

 

He tightly wrapped his hand around Yinyou’s wrist, “You are a prince of the Qing Dynasty, no one would dare let you go to a dangerous place! It doesn’t matter if you have military merit or not, as long as you come back properly, do you understand?!”

 His wrist hurt from being squeezed, but Yinyou’s heart was scorching hot. When will such an anxious fourth brother be seen again? He curled the corner of his mouth, “Okay, I will definitely come back.”

 Yinzhen let go of his hand slowly, “I believe you.” Even though his hands were trembling, even though he wished that the people around him could be under his protection forever, he still suppressed the turmoil in his heart, “I believe in you.” 

It’s just that the “believe” in this sentence, who could tell if he really believed Yinyou or was just trying to calm himself down?

Seeing Yinzhen like this, Yinyou suddenly felt he didn’t have worries left. He knew the course of history, how could he be so unlucky and not live well? He just needed to go to the battlefield, a good man should guard his home and country.

 In his previous life, he lived in peace and never had any chance to take a great undertaking. Now that he was here and could do it, why did he need to be worried?

“Fourth brother, when I come back, you must invite me to a good drink,” Yinyou tilted his head to look at Yinzhen and smiled, and his originally pretty face became even more dazzling and beautiful.

 Looking at this smiling face, Yinzhen’s original fear and uneasiness seemed to fade little by little.

He slowly said, “I’ll wait for you.”

His fingers closed slowly as if trying to grasp something.

 

1Gorolo shi and Yinsi were engaged in the 31st year of Kangxi (1692) and married in the 37th year of Kangxi (1698).2個副都統 gè fùdū tǒng. Deputy Governor is a second-rank position, only second to the garrison general. He’s in charge of “guarding dangerous points, appeasing the army and the people, uniforming the government and punishment, and repairing military equipment.” They handle the defense of the city they’re stationed in.3Daughters of all imperial princes above the rank of jiangjun also used the same title. Since her grandfather was Prince An of the First Rank, a celebrity in front of Kangxi, she should be a Princess too.4With “unable to have another heart” it means to harbor expectations to gain the throne, since Yinyou is lame, he’s not qualified so it doesn’t matter if he has achievements. As for “Huang Ama is in his prime” it means that Kangxi’s position as an emperor is solid and can’t be shaken by a prince having military achievements, it also means that Kangxi can continue to have more children, and to lose one would not be a big loss. Considering that Kangxi kept having children till his dying day… yeah. 5时辰 shíchen. One of the 12 two-hour periods of the day. So two hours.6As I said before, this is Consort Dong’E’s younger brother, the first rank military officer who defeated Galdan. Yinzhen’s father-in-law is also called Feiyanggu, but he’s from the Ula Nara family and they’re two different people. 7疼 téng. (it) hurts; sore; to love dearly. (I liked the connotation of hurting because he loves Yinyou too much.))8不过如此 bùguòrúcǐ. (idiom) nothing more than this; that’s all; no big deal; not very impressive.