CHAPTER 670: [664] QING CHUAN CHENG WANGFEI 33 (COMPLETED)

Perhaps worried that her first child would die young, she gave him Water Condensation Beads after he was born. Not just Water Condensation Beads, she would also often take him swimming in her own space. Yes, swimming, because as the fetus develops in amniotic fluid, they possess an innate comfort with water. With her help, he went from barely managing to becoming adept, completing an infant’s remarkable transformation.

The benefits of Spiritual Spring Water were unimaginable for others, but letting him swim in it from a young age not only enhanced his constitution but also provided him with a survival skill.

So Hong Chang’s physical condition was stronger than that of his peers from a young age. Every time she took her son to the palace, his cherubic appearance would attract the attention of many imperial concubines, but she dared not get too close to them, as being around imperial concubines often meant calculations and she was afraid her chubby son might come to harm due to someone’s envy.

Fortunately, the Emperor also favored the boy quite a bit, and Yun Mi would frequently carry him around and wander about the previous dynasty’s court.

In February of the second year of Qianlong, a tribute was made to Worship Immortal Master Confucius, a sunrise ceremony in the East Suburb on the Spring Equinox, and in the Western Suburb on the night of the Autumn Equinox in August; Yin Bi was sent respectfully to carry out the ritual.

In leap September, Xiyuan became pregnant again. On May 30 of the third year of Qianlong, her first daughter Wen Yi was born, marking the peak of having both a son and a daughter.

That same year, she married off two of her maids, giving each of them a twenty-five percent share in the pancake shop, while she retained fifty percent for herself.

Originally, she wanted to give them the entire hundred percent, but they were reasonable people who wouldn’t accept it, insisting she keep fifty percent.

By now, the business of the pancake shop was flourishing like never before, with the daily foot traffic exceeding that of the pancakes alone. The addition of selling cold dishes in summer, spicy and braised dishes in winter, gave them far more ways to make money, naturally several times more than it was previously.

Even under such tempting circumstances, they weren’t swayed by profit, which spoke volumes of the trustworthiness of these four individuals.

Thus, she invested the remaining fifty percent of the profits entirely into the education of orphans.

In November of the fourth year of Qianlong, twins Hong Wu and Hongkang were born.

That year, under Xiyuan’s decision, she rewarded all the concubines and maids servants around him to his subordinates, making Prince Cheng exclusively favor her alone, securing the position of Princess Cheng beyond reach.

On the Spring Equinox of February 23 in the fifth year of Qianlong, Yin Bi was ordered to represent and carry out the ritual at the Eastern Suburb.

Now, Xiyuan had three sons and a daughter, each with excellent physical constitutions. From a young age, not only could they swim, but they also enjoyed listening to stories. From the children’s story collections Xiyuan adapted, they learned about the famous people and events through the past five thousand years, Tang and Song poetry, and became fans of the comic strip stories Xiyuan illustrated, where they learned about "Journey to the West," "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms," "Water Margin," Jin Yong’s martial arts tales, and many more. At such a young age, they were articulate and extraordinarily intelligent, which pleasantly surprised Yun Mi.

On March 3rd, in the fifth year of Qianlong, Emperor Qianlong appointed 25-year-old Yun Mi as the commander of the White Banner Mongolian. Xiyuan, together with her children, followed him to station in Mongolia, where they enjoyed three years of nomadic life. During the sixth year, their second daughter Bicheng was born.

On the first day of the tenth month of the eighth year of Qianlong, Emperor Qianlong admonished the Manchu for neglecting to adhere to the old ways; Yin Bi and Hong Zhou were criticized for being rude when they put down their chopsticks and sat silently before the Emperor had finished his meat.

After this incident, Yun Mi and his family set off for Mongolia again, this time for a whole nine years. During these nine years, she gave birth to two more sons and a daughter for Yun Mi, after which she decided no more children. In Yun Mi’s life, all his five sons and three daughters not only survived but were also exceptionally well-educated under Xiyuan’s guidance.

On the grassland, they followed their mother and learned wrestling, close combat fighting, they learned medical skills from Mongolian doctors, and they studied horseback shooting with the soldiers. Whether boys or girls, they all gained knowledge and the ability to protect themselves.

Mongolian winters were especially cold, and far, far away from Beijing, but Xiyuan felt that the days on the grassland were the happiest time of her life because there was freedom and exclusive pampering. Not only did her husband dote on her, but her sons and daughter also treated her with extraordinary affection. In her hands, many medicinal materials turned into pills that strengthened the body and improved health. Under Xiyuan’s care and protection, not only was her family healthy, but they also each had a promising future.

On the second day of November in the 17th year of Qianlong, Emperor Qianlong decreed, "Appoint Prince Xian, Yin Bi, as commander of the Zhengbai Banner Manchu." From then on, he was called back to Beijing.

In May of the 18th year of Qianlong, in charge of the Imperial Book Office, Yuan Mi was thirty-seven years old, Xiyuan was thirty-four years old.

Hong Chang was seventeen years old that year, Wen Yi fifteen, Hong Wu and Hongkang fourteen, Bicheng twelve, Hong Chao ten, Hongchen eight, and Jimei five.

Over the next ten years, due to Hong Chang’s repeated military achievements, he earned the hereditary right that once belonged to his father, Prince Cheng, which in the previous dynasty had only bestowed him the title of Commandery Prince, but in this life, he became a Prince, and in the future, he would even be eligible to inherit the title of Prince Cheng.

Similarly, the twin brothers, one pursuing a scholarly path and the other a martial one, Hongkang followed Hong Chang into the military to climb the ranks, while Hong Wu directly took the civil service exam and became an Advanced Scholar. With the efforts of these three, the line of Prince Cheng was destined for glory and unlimited favor.

Precisely because of the excellence of her sons, the marriages of Wen Yi, Bicheng, and Jimei, the three sisters, turned out quite well. Not to mention becoming main wives, their in-law’s family even had to hold them in high regard.

Although Hong Chao and Hongchen were not as outstanding as their brothers, Hong Chao inherited his mother’s ’cunning merchant’ nature and managed to expand his shops across a large portion of the Qing Dynasty. The youngest, Hongchen, loved medicine and traveled everywhere, forging his own path.

As her children made their mother proud, Xiyuan was happy too. Since the family’s fourth child had money, she didn’t skimp on exploiting this son. She donated most of his assets, always provoking the fourth son to blow his top at her.

Whenever this happened, Xiyuan would always look askance with a dismissive expression, "What’s the big deal about spending some of your money? If I don’t help you spend it, won’t the Emperor set his sights on you, and in the end, wouldn’t it all be turned over to the national treasury? Now that you’ve donated this money to the struggling common folk, it greatly reduces the chances of you being constrained in the future!"

Even Yun Mi eventually praised Xiyuan for her thorough thinking, teaching his son the lesson that possessing a treasure could lead to his demise. In the end, Hong Chao, clearly coming to question her, ended up investing an additional twenty percent of the profits. By the end, the only money left was what was needed to keep the business running, which infuriated him. But the couple, having successfully plotted, took a long sigh of relief.

Being able to make money was a good thing, but one also needed to be alive to spend it. Knowing that Emperor Qianlong, unlike Yong Zheng, was not frugal and given to squandering, to prevent him from benefiting, the couple were of one mind.

In September of Qianlong 28th Year, Yun Mi was responsible for the affairs of the House of the Imperial Clan.

In December of Qianlong 31st Year, he oversaw the affairs of the Jade Scroll Hall.

On December 20, 1773, he passed away, given the posthumous title "Ke."

Five years after Yun Mi’s death, Xiyuan passed away in her sleep, having lived her happy and comfortable life.

— "The end of this story." Thank you for watching.