A Crossover of Film and Television: Miao Miao's Life Transmigration

Chapter 258 Fang Nanxi's Transmigration to the Qing Dynasty 12

As a minor concubine in the household, Fang Nanxi's celebrations for the Fourth Prince's third-day celebration and full-moon banquet were relatively simple.

But Fang Nanxi was not disappointed by this. She had a long-term vision and would not be limited to the gains and losses at hand.

After the full moon celebration, the Fourth Prince gave his son the nickname Fu Hui. Upon hearing this, Fang Nanxi secretly thought to herself, "Isn't the 'Fu' generation just reserved for those born to Lady Nian after she entered the manor and gave birth to three princes?" But what could she do about it?

The Fourth Prince was the master of the mansion, and she, a mere concubine, dared not contradict him. She could only force a smile and agree.

After Fu Hui turned one month old, Fang Nanxi gave him an intelligence-enhancing pill. Sure enough, Fu Hui's eyes began to sparkle, revealing a bright and intelligent look. Although he still couldn't see clearly and his vision was blurry, his eyes could already follow shadows.

Since the birth of the Fourth Prince, Fang Nanxi has devoted all her attention to him. She often teases the Fourth Prince and talks to him, and the Fourth Prince responds to Fang Nanxi with his unique baby babbling.

Inside the Shaoguang Courtyard, Xinglu put away some things that were not suitable for a baby.

Fang Nanxi teased the Fourth Prince with a cloth tiger, and the Fourth Prince would occasionally raise his little hand, trying to grab the cloth tiger. Every time the Fourth Prince was about to grab it, Fang Nanxi would move the cloth tiger away, teasing the Fourth Prince repeatedly in this way.

Xingluo and Qiushuang watched from the side, feeling both helpless and worried. They exchanged a glance, both thinking that the concubine was being outrageous, treating the Fourth Prince like a toy. But the Fourth Prince, with a smile on his face, didn't seem angry at all.

Xingluo couldn't bear to watch any longer and quickly said, "Alright, Consort, the Fourth Prince is hungry. Let me carry him away. We can't let the young master go hungry."

Fang Nanxi felt a little helpless seeing Xingluo looking at her warily. She believed that children needed to be spent playing with more to become more lively. Moreover, Fang Nanxi insisted on taking care of the child herself, so that the child could be close to her, rather than leaving the care of the wet nurse entirely.

After Xingluo carried the Fourth Prince away, Fang Nanxi went to the courtyard to tend to the flowers and plants. This was one of her hobbies; now that she had nothing to do, she spent her time planting flowers and plants.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was the 46th year of Kangxi's reign. This year was the triennial imperial selection, and the harem was very likely to assign several princesses to the Fourth Prince.

Fang Nanxi gazed out the window, lost in thought: This time, it should be Empress Niohuru, the birth mother of Emperor Qianlong, entering the mansion.

In May, the Emperor issued an edict to begin the imperial concubine selection. This selection was not only for choosing concubines for the royal family, but also a review of the Manchu population, making it a massive undertaking.

In June, young women from all over the country arrived in the capital, causing the prices of fabrics and face powder to skyrocket. Fang Nanxi arranged for someone outside to open a rouge shop, utilizing some techniques from later generations. The business was booming, and she made a fortune. Of course, this rouge shop had been registered with the Fourth Prince.

"Princess, Steward Liu from outside just sent someone to bring over the account books." Qiu Zhu stepped forward with the account books in her hand.

Fang Nanxi opened the ledger, which used a bookkeeping method from later generations, much more convenient than the current method.

After a quick glance, she asked Qiu Shuang to verify it, and then she checked it again herself. Although Manager Liu outside was loyal to her, she worried that her subordinates might deceive him.

In late June, before the imperial concubine selection was even over, the Emperor took the First Prince, the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Fifth Prince, the Ninth Prince, the Tenth Prince, the Fourteenth Prince, and other princes on a journey beyond the Great Wall, leaving the Third Prince, the Eighth Prince, and the Thirteenth Prince in the capital to handle affairs.

Fang Nanxi did not go with them. Originally, the Fujin (principal wife) planned to arrange for her to go with Yi Gege. Yi Gege was a bondservant bestowed by Consort De. She was outstanding in appearance, and the Fourth Prince had even promoted her rank.

However, Fang Nanxi refused to go beyond the Great Wall, citing that the Fourth Prince was too young to be separated from his mother. Therefore, the Princess Consort sent Yi Gege and An Gege instead.

Wu Gege also wanted to go, but she was not favored by the Fourth Prince, and he probably had almost forgotten about her. The Princess Consort naturally wouldn't spoil the Fourth Prince's fun, so she arranged for a princess whom the Fourth Prince didn't like to accompany him.

The Emperor embarked on a northern tour lasting a month and a half, visiting the Mulan Hunting Grounds. Upon his return, he arrived just in time for the final stage of the imperial concubine selection.

Perhaps because of the Fourth Prince's outstanding performance during the Northern Tour, the Emperor personally issued an edict bestowing two princesses upon him: one from the Niohuru clan and the other from the Geng clan. These two were no ordinary women; one gave birth to Hongli, and the other to Hongzhou.

After the two princesses entered the manor, the Fourth Prince went to Princess Niohuru's place first. After all, Princess Niohuru came from the Manchu Banner Army, so the Fourth Prince naturally had to give her the respect she deserved.

However, Niohuru was only thirteen years old and had not yet reached menstruation. The two slept together for a short time, and nothing else happened.

The next day, when paying her respects, Fang Nanxi met this future big winner in the harem. Princess Niohuru was pretty and comparable to Princess Wu. Perhaps because she hadn't fully grown up yet, her face was a little chubby, which made her look quite dignified.

Fang Nanxi noticed that Princess Niohuru was secretly observing everyone, and thought to herself that this Princess Niohuru was not simple.

The Fujin first accepted the tea offered by Princess Niohuru, then sat upright at the head of the table and said dignifiedly, "Alright, we have another younger sister in the manor. We should all get along well. There are still too few children in the manor. All of you younger sisters should have children and produce offspring as soon as possible."

The Princess Consort's gaze swept over Lady Li below, noticing that she was much more composed now. After all, having fallen out of favor, she had lost her former arrogance. She then looked at Fang Nanxi, finding her cautious and prudent. Even after giving birth to the Fourth Prince, she hadn't become arrogant or haughty; she seemed like a good person.

"Yes, Madam." The crowd responded in unison.

As is customary, the Princess Consort inquired about the condition of the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Eldest Princess. The Third Prince was four years old this year, and Lady Li cherished him like the apple of her eye, fearing that he might die young like the Second Prince.

After everything else was settled, the Fujin dismissed everyone. Fang Nanxi walked at the back, when Niohuru Gege slowly approached her and said softly, "Fujin Fang, when we were in the manor, I often heard that the Fourth Prince was intelligent."

Princess Niohuru praised the Fourth Prince, and then asked to meet him, saying she wanted to share in his good fortune.

Fang Nanxi refused outright, citing that the Fourth Prince was still sleeping, without a smile on her face. She knew that she and this Princess Niohuru were very likely to become rivals in the future, and she didn't want to have too much contact with her.

After being rejected, Princess Niohuru was not angry. She said gently, "In that case, I will visit the Fourth Prince again after he wakes up."

Fang Nanxi turned and left. As Fang Nanxi walked away, the smile in Niohuru Gege's eyes gradually disappeared.

She knew full well that she was in a difficult situation. She was too young, her period hadn't started yet, and the Fourth Prince wouldn't favor her. In another two years, perhaps no one would even remember that there was a Princess Niohuru in the mansion.

So she wanted to find someone to form an alliance with. She originally thought that Fang Nanxi had one of the few princes in the mansion, and that forming an alliance with her would be beneficial to her, but unexpectedly, Fang Nanxi rejected her outright.

"Princess?" Shiliu looked at Princess Niohuru in confusion.

"Alright, let's talk about it back at Yunxue Courtyard." Niohuru Shi suppressed her emotions and left with Shiliu.