Chapter 177 Peace Talks

Days passed, and Cao Qinmo's due date approached, but no one else was paying attention to it for the time being.

News came from the border that Russia, in accordance with the development direction desired by Yinzhen, finally proposed peace talks.

At that time, under the orders of Yinzhen, Nian Gengyao and Yue Zhongqi led their troops to the border to meet with Prince Zhi, Yunzhi. Prince Zhi then sent a letter of inquiry to Tsarist Russia on behalf of the Qing Dynasty, along with the captured Tsarist gold-hunting team.

Several battles, both minor and major, broke out along the border between the two countries, and the lessons learned in blood and tears made Peter the Great understand that, beset by internal and external troubles, Tsarist Russia was powerless against the Qing Dynasty, whose firearms had been comprehensively upgraded and improved.

The fate of the Dzungar Khanate had served as a wake-up call for him. With no other option, Peter I had to suppress his anger and propose peace talks.

The reason why the peace talks attracted the attention of everyone in the court and the palace was mainly because the Emperor issued an edict appointing Crown Prince Honghui, Prince Guo Yunli, Grand Secretary Zhang Tingyu, and Tongjia Yuexing'a as members of a delegation to the border to negotiate with Tsarist Russia. The location of the peace talks was the Nerchinsk region, where the Treaty of Nerchinsk was signed in the 28th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

Putting aside other matters, the fact that Crown Prince Honghui, at only 13 years old, has taken on such an important responsibility shows just how much the Emperor values ​​him.

Given the Qing Dynasty's current military strength, any minister who had even a slight understanding of the situation in Tsarist Russia knew that a successful peace negotiation was inevitable; the only difference was how much they would gain.

This means that as long as the Crown Prince returns safely and accomplishes this historic feat, his position as the heir to the throne will be virtually unshakeable. However, not everyone is happy to see this happen.

"Seventeenth brother, I entrust Honghui's safety to you."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will never let anything happen to Honghui."

Faced with his fourth brother's high regard, Yunli naturally wouldn't refuse. He would definitely protect Honghui, and no evil spirits on the road to peace talks should try to get past him to harm Honghui. He would not betray his fourth brother's trust!

"Your Majesty, Yue Xing'a's identity... what exactly is his surname, Tongjia..." Yunli hesitated, wanting to ensure Honghui's safety, and naturally wanted to eliminate all possible threats. Moreover, he was quite familiar with the conflict between the Tongjia clan and his fourth brother.

"It's alright. Yue Xing'a and Tong Guowei are not the same kind of people. He is not particularly smart, but he is clear-headed enough. Otherwise, I would not have entrusted him with the guards I left with."

Yinzhen, thinking of Tong Guowei, an old man in the Tong household who was still ambitious and determined to restore the glory of the Tongjia clan, decided to give Yue Xing'a a handy incentive and a glimmer of hope, making him more cautious in his actions. Given Tong Guowei's arrogant nature, he would never have imagined that he would use Yue Xing'a, who was tied to Honghui, as a fallback plan for the Tongjia clan. But Yue Xing'a's heart was probably filled with disgust and hatred towards the Tongjia clan.

On the other side, Yixiu had been restless ever since she learned that Honghui was going to represent the Qing Dynasty in peace talks with Tsarist Russia. She was both pleased that the Emperor was watching Honghui and worried that he might encounter danger.

For Yixiu, who had already sensed the risk of the next generation vying for the throne, Honghui's journey would inevitably lead to a life of danger and conflict. How could she, as his mother, not worry?

But she couldn't stop him. She knew that this was something Honghui had to go through. If he wanted to be a qualified crown prince, or even an emperor, he couldn't be afraid of the storms.

Therefore, the only thing she can do now is to pack Honghui's luggage, stay behind him, and provide him with the strongest support.

The busy work mobilized all the palace staff in Peach Blossom Village, and the accompanying imperial physicians, at Yixiu's request, also began preparing medicinal materials for treating various diseases, as well as highly effective wound medicines, bruise ointments, and so on.

"I remember that His Majesty once bestowed upon you a gold-threaded soft armor. You must wear this and wear it every day."

Yixiu held Honghui's hand and gave him detailed instructions. It had been a long time since the mother and son had been this close since Honghui started assisting Yinzhen in handling government affairs.

"Yes, Mother, I will do whatever you say. I will wear it every day and never take it off." Honghui knew his mother was worried, so he naturally agreed to whatever Yixiu said. He stood obediently beside his mother, listening to her endless nagging. Even though many things had been repeated several times, he didn't find it annoying at all.

Looking at her well-behaved and sensible son, Yixiu reached out and touched his face: "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, my Honghui has grown up so much. He's reached the age where he can go out and make his way in the world..."

"No matter how old your son is, he is still your son. I hope you won't dislike him."

“You,” Yixiu couldn’t help but laugh at Honghui’s funny antics, knowing that he was trying to make her happy, which eased her mood considerably. But thinking about the list of people on this trip, she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed: “It’s all because my maternal family is incompetent that we couldn’t find a single person who could help you.”

"Mother, you don't need to say that. Your well-being is the greatest help to Honghui."

Honghui genuinely believed this. Under Yinzhen's devoted tutelage, Honghui was so wealthy that he had no shortage of supporters, making the support of his maternal family completely irrelevant. Moreover, having learned about the past and how much his mother and father had suffered because of the Ulanara clan, Honghui felt only resentment, not affection, towards this maternal family.

Yixiu was touched by Honghui's answer. When she came to her senses, she realized that she had just lost her mind and had even thought of supporting Ulanara for a moment. She had been living a good life for too long and almost lost her vigilance.

"Okay, Mother will be fine and will be waiting for you in the palace. You must promise Mother that you will be careful on your journey and come back safely."

"Yes, Mother, don't worry. Father Emperor sent so many people to protect me, and Seventeenth Uncle is here too. I will be fine. Honghui promises that I will definitely come back safely for Mother's sake."

Seeing Honghui raise his finger to assure her, Yixiu smiled, not wanting her worries to become a burden for Honghui any longer. So she seemed much more relieved: "Mother believes in you. Alright, go back now, don't you still need to say goodbye to your younger siblings?"

"Then the son will leave first."

"Go."

As Yixiu watched Honghui's departing figure, the smile on her face faded. Jianqiu, who was standing beside her, quickly reassured her, "Your Majesty, don't worry. His Highness the Crown Prince is blessed with good fortune and will be fine."

"A mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles..." Yixiu couldn't help but sigh, "Let's not talk about that, where is Huichun?"

Not understanding why her master suddenly mentioned Huichun, Jianqiu hurriedly went outside the hall and called Huichun in.

"This servant greets Your Highness." Hui Chun rushed over, bowing to Yi Xiu with a puzzled expression, but was not called upon for a long time. Her heart sank, and she racked her brains, trying to figure out what she had done wrong.

Yi Xiu gave Hui Chun a deep look, seeing her anxious yet completely unashamed appearance, and after a long while, she finally told her to get up. After all, Hui Chun had followed her for so many years, and she still believed in Hui Chun's loyalty. However, it was possible that her mind had been manipulated by someone else.

"Huichun, why did you suddenly bring up the matter of your maternal family's support?"

Hearing Yixiu's question, Huichun was somewhat puzzled, and replied in detail: "There have been constant wars in the previous dynasty, and I have heard a lot of related news. It is said that General Nian has repeatedly made great achievements, and with this uncle backing Princess Minjia, she will definitely have a better life than Princess Wenjia in the future. I have also heard that Consort Duan's father and brothers have also made meritorious contributions on the battlefield, which will certainly benefit the Second Prince, his adopted son..."

Huichun glanced at her mistress's expression and continued, "This servant... this servant thought that if others have it, how could His Highness the Crown Prince not have it as well, so I said a few words out of turn..."

Yixiu waved his hand, dismissing Huichun. It was clear that Huichun had unknowingly become a mouthpiece for others. Aside from the Ulanara clan, Yixiu didn't think of anyone else.

Seeing that Honghui's position was secure, she wanted to come and pledge allegiance. Where was she before? Don't think she didn't know. In recent years, Ulanara has supported Rouze quite a bit. She doesn't think of her when there are good things, but she thinks of her distant daughter when she wants to gain benefits. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

"Jianqiu, teach Consort Wan a lesson. I want the Ulanara clan to know. Honghui and I have no need for the Ulanara clan now. Since we have chosen Rouze, there is no need to waver."