Autumn Hunting

The emperor enjoyed a leisurely time until September, when he decided to go on an autumn hunt before returning to Beijing.

Now that the emperor has spoken, the people below must naturally act quickly and make sure things are done properly.

Prince Xuan was responsible for the security around the enclosure, and he had been so busy these past few days that he hadn't even returned to his bedroom. He also consciously avoided disturbing Li Qingping or Liu, and slept directly in the study.

Concubine Qing hasn't been idle these days. Although the Empress is accompanying her on this trip, she and the two concubines who accompanied Concubine Ying also have to work together. It's worth mentioning here that the current Empress is the successor empress. When Empress Yuan passed away in the third year of Xianshun, the Emperor ordered the successor empress, still a Noble Concubine, to assist with the four concubines in managing the harem's affairs. Later, the Noble Concubine was first promoted to Imperial Noble Concubine and then to Successor empress. The Emperor didn't reverse his order for so long, allowing the four concubines to continue to oversee some of the affairs.

Of course, Concubine Qing would rather not do anything at all, as she is really exhausted.

But what can they do now? The Empress also wants to hold on to power, but the Emperor won't let her, so they can only continue to waste time like this.

Concubine Qing was too busy to take care of the Eleventh Princess, so she asked Li Qingping and the eldest daughter to take care of her more on a daily basis.

Soon it was the first day of the autumn hunt.

The autumn hunt lasted three days. On the first day, the emperor would lead his guards and a group of princes to kick off the hunt. Afterwards, the emperor would offer a grand prize, and whoever caught the most prey in the following days would take home the prize.

Li Qingping and the others followed Prince Xuan to the large open space in front of the enclosure. Now the open space was full of tents. As the eldest son of the emperor, Prince Xuan's tent was near the imperial tent, second only to those of the empress and the crown prince.

This time, the emperor came to the Chengde Palace for the summer with only his five sons: Prince Xuan, the Crown Prince, Prince Yue and the Seventh Prince, both born to Concubine Qing, the Sixth Prince, born to the Empress Dowager, and the Tenth Prince, born to Concubine Shu. Of the remaining princes, Prince Su, the Second Prince, born to Concubine De, and Prince Ling, the Fifth Prince, born to the Empress Dowager, remained in the capital to oversee the state, while the remaining younger ones had not been brought along. Now, with Prince Xuan's appearance, the Crown Prince and the remaining four princes, with the exception of the Tenth Prince, who was only four years old and still being taken care of by Concubine Shu, all came to greet their eldest brother.

Due to his status, this was the first time Li Qingping had met these princes. Of these, the Crown Prince was naturally the most honorable.

I heard that Empress Yuan was also a rare beauty in the flourishing harem. Her only biological son was gentle and elegant, but also had the noble pride of a crown prince. Even when facing his eldest brother, Prince Xuan, he only showed a little superficial politeness.

Li Qingping glanced at him and then looked away. The emperor favored this legitimate son, and after Emperor Xianshun died, the crown prince's succession to the throne was a foregone conclusion. It was understandable that the crown prince looked down on his other brothers.

However, seeing that Prince Xuan and the others were normal, Li Qingping just thought it was normal.

Mrs. Li Qingping was quite important, and was called "little sister-in-law" by the crown prince and the princes. However, Mrs. Liu was not treated in this way, and simply hid at the back and pretended to be invisible.

After the greetings, Prince Xuan led his brothers to pay homage to the emperor, while Li Qingping took the eldest daughter and Liu to find a place to sit.

Because the Princess of Xuan hadn't come along, the other women weren't too enthusiastic about the Princess's diplomatic ties. Of the princes who had come along, only the Crown Prince and the Prince of Yue were married, and the Crown Princess hadn't stayed long after meeting them. However, the Princess of Yue, because her mother-in-law, Concubine Qing, favored the eldest daughter and Li Qingping, took the initiative to sit closer to Li Qingping and spoke to her affectionately.

Soon, Concubine Qing arrived with the Eleventh Princess. Finally, there was someone familiar, and Li Qingping's frayed nerves relaxed a bit, and he simply followed Concubine Qing.

The sounds of horse hooves and whips came one after another from the front. It was the emperor and the princes going into the hunting grounds to hunt.

Concubine Qing asked them to stay where they were, and she took the Eleventh Princess and the Princess of Yue to pay her respects to the Queen.

Li Qingping couldn't see clearly from a distance. However, the empress was naturally graceful and elegant. Seeing the concubines and ladies of high rank coming to pay their respects to her, she smiled gently, said a few words, and then let them go.

Concubine Qing came back and said that the Queen had been ordered to allow the female members of the family to move around outside the hunting grounds.

Liu and a concubine in Prince Yue's mansion got along well, and they agreed to go rabbit hunting together, so she said goodbye to Concubine Qing and others first.

"I've been so exhausted these past few days that I won't be moving. Fourth Lady hasn't been feeling well lately, so please come back to your tent with me and rest. Eleventh Lady will definitely be unable to sit still, so I'll trouble Madam Li and Princess Pingyang to take her out for some fun."

The Eleventh Princess followed Li Qingping and the eldest girl to go horseback riding.

"I wonder if my father will tour the outer frontier next year. Running on the grasslands outside the frontier would be even more enjoyable."

When the eleventh princess was resting after running tired, she said to the eldest girl that she had gone to the frontier with them last year, and she told the eldest girl vividly about the interesting things on the grassland.

"The tribes beyond the Great Wall are collectively known as the Mongols, and their people are known for their bravery and open-mindedness. A princess from the Chahar tribe won first prize in a hunting competition. When her father asked her what reward she wanted, she directly expressed her love for the son of an important official and requested a marriage!"

The older girl's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "This is too bold!"

The customs of the people in the Great Qi Dynasty were relatively open compared to the previous dynasties, but not to this extent. Most girls were still shy and introverted.

"Did the Emperor grant the marriage in the end?"

The Eleventh Princess said regretfully, "No! That man already has a wife. How could a princess of Chahar, of such noble status, be reduced to a concubine? Wouldn't that hurt the reputation of both Great Qi and Mongolia? In the end, the matter was left unresolved, and my father gave her a lot of extra rewards."

"Let's not talk about that. I'm telling you, roasted lamb on the grassland is the most delicious..."

"This makes me want to go to Mongolia to take a look!"

The two little girls huddled together and whispered to each other. Li Qingping didn't disturb them and drank tea beside them.

Soon, the emperor and the other princes, who had entered the hunting grounds, returned to camp one after another. They all appeared to have made a good harvest. The emperor had led the hunt, capturing a bear, a good start to the autumn hunt. A bonfire feast would be held tonight, roasting the bear to demonstrate the emperor's power.

Prince Xuan had hunted a deer, five foxes, and a few other small animals—a considerable sum. Upon his return, he entered Li Qingping's tent and said, "My father and the Crown Prince are here today, so I shouldn't get too carried away. Fortunately, I've had a good harvest. Two of those foxes have fur as pure white as snow. We'll use them to make you some clothing, even a shawl with a fur collar."

Li Qingping smiled and said, "Thank you for the reward, sir."

The eldest daughter also got some of Prince Xuan's prey, including a fox and two rabbits. Liu Shi got a fox with a slightly messy coat, but it was good enough since it was hunted by Prince Xuan himself.

As for the stag, it was presented to the emperor by Prince Xuan.

There was no other way, since the emperor was his father! The largest head of the prey had to be offered as a token of filial piety and respect.

At the evening bonfire feast, the emperor was delighted and promised a generous reward to whoever won first prize in the autumn hunt, including the skin of the roasted bear that won the prize. As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes burned with excitement, eager to get out and draw their bows and arrows.

This is the bear skin that the emperor hunted himself. If you get it, it will not only bring honor but also dignity!

But this is none of Li Qingping's business. She is a good rider, but not a good archer.

It would be better to savor the roasted bear meat and roasted venison given by the emperor.

With so many people coming to the palace, not everyone could get a small plate of barbecue. Only Prince Xuan, the eldest son, who had the upper hand in front of the emperor, could benefit from his influence and get a small plate.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, worthy of the royal chef's craftsmanship. You have to eat more of this, because if you miss this opportunity, you will miss it.

While the emperor, empress, and princes were being toasted in front, the Eleventh Princess was very bored sitting in her seat, so she took the opportunity to slip down and talk to the eldest girl.

"From what Father said, I guess we'll have to spend Mid-Autumn Festival here before returning to Beijing."

"real?"

"It's true! One of the Crown Prince's concubines was diagnosed with a month's pregnancy and wanted to keep the baby safe before returning. Father was very happy and gave her many gifts. He also couldn't bear the hardship of the concubine's journey, so he decided to stay for a while."

Li Qingping listened from the side and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

I'd long heard that the Emperor favors the Crown Prince, and even his family, and is quite tolerant of everyone in the Eastern Palace. Today, I've heard it's true! The Crown Prince married at seventeen, and it's been three or four years now. He only has a legitimate daughter, Princess Yurong, and a bastard son. The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and having children means the continuation of the dynasty. Now that the concubine is pregnant, isn't that a great joy? If it were the Crown Princess, it might not be so conspicuous. But the fact that the Crown Prince's concubine is pregnant and needs to rest is why he delayed his return to the capital. Isn't it all about giving the Crown Prince another healthy child?

This matter was not a secret. It had spread throughout the palace, making everyone envious of the prince and his entourage.

The emperor's grace is so great! Apart from the Eastern Palace, who else has such a good fortune?

Since they had to stay for a while longer, and seeing that the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, the Queen and others began to prepare for it.

This time, it was Concubine Qing and Concubine Ying who went to help. After finally finishing the autumn hunt, the Mid-Autumn Festival came. The two concubines looked not very good, and they had no energy for a few days after the autumn hunt.

Although the Eleventh Princess was playful, she was still filial in her heart. Seeing that Concubine Qing was unhappy, she joined in the fun. Apart from running a few laps of horseback with the eldest girl, she just stayed obediently in front of Concubine Qing, which made Concubine Qing feel strange for a while.

Speaking of the hunting these days, everyone was trying their best to win the first place.

The Crown Prince, who served the Emperor at his side, was not included in the competition, so he didn't need to give way to the crown prince. Prince Xuan also had a good catch. After all, Prince Xuan was a son of a military prince, having participated in several campaigns, so hunting was naturally a breeze. But he didn't try to show off, and in the end, he ranked second in the prey count, but he only had two rabbits less than the leader, so it wasn't too disappointing.

The emperor still loved his eldest son, and he laughed and praised him.

Prince Yue and other princes were envious. Apart from the Crown Prince, Prince Xuan was indeed the one who enjoyed the most respect in front of his father.

The prince wore a smile on his face, but he didn't care in his heart. He couldn't control his eldest brother, but after all, no one of his brothers could threaten his position as crown prince.

The emperor rewarded him with a lot of fine leather, gold, silver and jewelry, which, together with what Prince Xuan hunted himself, filled several large boxes.

These skins would be distributed to the royal palace after returning to Beijing, so Li Qingping asked people to take care of them one by one.

"Master, I will be staying with Madam Liu tonight."

Yun Su came in through the curtains, untied the hairpins and pearls from Li Qingping's hair, and asked for hot water for her to wash her face. The master was busy packing the gifts today and was exhausted.

Li Qingping said he knew.

Yunsu had been with her for so many years and knew Li Qingping wouldn't spend too much time on this matter. Besides, only her master and Liu had come to the palace this time, so there was no need to argue. She simply changed the subject: "Master, what kind of filling do you think would be good for our mooncakes this year?"

"Make one with red bean paste and one with ham and pickled plums." Li Qingping had thought it through long ago. "When I make them later, I'll send some to Concubine Qing and the Eleventh Princess."

Yun Su smiled and said, "Then I will ask Qian Guang to prepare it tomorrow."

Li Qingping was also sleepy, so he blew out the candle and went to sleep.