Chapter 3: You may not know Mu Xue's favorite time of the day...

Muxue's favorite time of the day is the moment around sunset.

The entire Forbidden City was shrouded in a lavender glow, and its original solemnity became strangely gentle.

Her desk was facing the twilight. The ink on the rice paper was not yet dry. After all these years of staying indoors, she had mastered the art of cursive writing. With her sharp pen strokes, she wrote some simple speculations about the marriage.

I still know too little about Mobei. Mu Xue sighed, lifted the paper, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the copper basin with burning charcoal. The flames licked the edge of the paper little by little, flickering black and red.

She stared at the ember for a while, counting the people in her mind who might be able to give her more information. A bright smile emerged.

The fifth prince Yinqi should be able to help her.

This brother was only a few months younger than her. As soon as he was born, he was taken to the Queen Mother's palace to be raised. Because the Queen Mother was used to speaking Mongolian, the Fifth Prince also spoke Mongolian when he was young and had many contacts with Mongolian princes.

On the day when the Fifth Prince came to Yikun Palace to pay his respects to Concubine Yi, Mu Xue was waiting quietly outside the palace gate.

"How is Fifth Brother these days?"

The Fifth Prince was a little surprised when he was called, but he immediately walked towards Muxue with a smile and said, "It's true. Khan Ama is not in the palace, and no one tests my knowledge. It's a pity that this day is coming to an end."

Because he was raised by the Empress Dowager, he was more unrestrained. When he was a child, the other brothers got up before dawn to go to school, but he would sleepily lie in the Empress Dowager's arms and act like a spoiled child. His grandmother loved her grandson and immediately told Kangxi to let him go later. Kangxi was always filial and could only agree.

Mu Xue smiled and said, "Then you have to cram for the exam. When Ama Khan comes back, he will definitely test you."

The Fifth Prince scratched his head and said, "Let's talk about it after the exam. Sister, is there something wrong?"

"I do have something to ask you, why don't you come to my room and sit down."

"Okay."

When they got inside, Mu Xue personally brought him a cup of tea: "It's hot, and I see you're sweating all over your forehead, so I won't make hot tea. This is iced green tea with honey. Try it."

The Fifth Prince took it, raised his head and drank it, praisingly saying, "It's perfect to drink in the summer. I'll ask Fu Jin to prepare some for me when I get back."

He knew that Mu Xue was a quiet person, so this time there must be something wrong. Thinking about the recent events, he probably had some idea in his mind. He was also worried that she would be embarrassed to speak, so he simply said straight to the point: "Sister, if you have any questions about the marriage? If you have any concerns, just ask me."

Before Mu Xue could even open her mouth, the Fifth Prince said angrily, "I'll tell you in secret. Khan Ama sent a letter to the Imperial Grandmother about this marriage. The Imperial Grandmother said that the child is about your age and should be a good match."

"It's a bit far, but after all, he is the grandson of Khalkha Tushetu Khan. Now he is the Zasak Prince, and in the future he will be a prince. His status is noble, so it's not an injustice."

It was a long speech, and he finished it in one breath.

Mu Xue laughed dumbly: "Thank you, fifth brother."

"Hey, between us, why would we say thank you!" The Fifth Prince waved his hand, "In my heart, I only treat you as my sister who is born of the same mother."

Mu Xue nodded: "As for Mobei, there is also this Dun Duobu..."

She paused. It was a long name and she needed to recall it.

"Borjigit Dundubdorji." The Fifth Prince continued.

"Yes, Dunduobu Dorji." Muxue continued, "I can say that I know nothing. If you know something, can you tell me?"

"No problem! But," the Fifth Prince curled his lips, "Khalkha only submitted to the Qing Dynasty in recent years. Most of the people I know from my grandmother are from Khorchin."

He suddenly remembered something and clapped his hands: "Wait for me for a day, I will find someone from Khalkha to ask you clearly!"

The next day, the Fifth Prince got up early, which was rare for him.

There were many princes in the palace, of different ages and with different levels of education, so the study rooms were scattered everywhere. For example, the crown prince studied in Yuqing Palace, while the fifth prince and several princes of similar age studied in Nanxun Palace. In addition to the princes, there were also a few sons of Mongolian princes who were raised in the inner court, and they were also considered the princes' companions.

Before school started, the Fifth Prince rushed into a study room in the Nanxun Palace and shouted:

"Celeng! I have something to ask you."

The young man who was studying raised his head. He was wearing a dark blue robe, about 20 years old, with a calm temperament. He was always the first one to arrive in the study. Suddenly he saw the Fifth Prince and immediately greeted him.

The Fifth Prince waved his hand to ask him to excuse himself, and then he leaned closer and lowered his voice: "I remember you were born in Khalkha, right? How much do you know about the situation in Khalkha and Dunduobu Dorji?"

Celeng replied: "Yes, I am indeed from Khalkha. I met that young prince when we were young."

"Really? That's great!" Fifth Prince said, "What's that person like?"

Celeng smiled and asked, "Fifth Prince, are you asking this for the Fourth Princess?"

"You're really quick to react," the Fifth Prince said as he sat down with great fanfare. "Hmph, I don't know who he is, but he's lucky enough to become my sister's husband."

Celeng said: "Before he came to the capital, everyone said that the young prince was the young eagle of the Mobei grassland. Now that he has grown older, I believe his talent has become more outstanding and he has become a dazzling eagle on the grassland."

"It sounds like it does." The Fifth Prince said, "Tell me about the situation in Mobei."

"It's hard to explain it in words right now," Celeng suggested, "Why don't I write down what I remember and give it to you directly?"

"That's good," said the Fifth Prince, "so I don't have to misinterpret the message. Write it down for me before Khan Ama returns to the palace, and that little prince will come along."

Half a day of literature classes and half a day of martial arts classes.

Although he was also educated in the inner court, Celeng seemed somewhat lonely in the corner compared to the five princes surrounded by the outer court.

Bending the bow and shooting arrows were his strong points, but today, when he was drawing the bow, he was inexplicably distracted and the arrow actually grazed his finger, leaving a tiny blood mark.

No one saw it, and Celeng hid the wound as if nothing had happened.

After school, he returned home through the palace gates. This house was given by the emperor five years ago. That year, the Junggar invaded Khalkha and his family lost all their territory. With nowhere to go, he had to bring his grandmother and younger brother to surrender and seek help from the capital. Fortunately, the emperor was so kind that he accepted them and awarded them the third-class title.

Of course, this title is not as honorable as Dunduobdorji's. Although they are both from the Tushetu Khanate of Khalkha, Dunduobdorji is the eldest grandson of Tushetu Khan and will be the king of the entire tribe in the future.

What a lucky man he is. He had won a great victory in the war against Dzungar and was already in high spirits. Now he was going to marry the fourth princess.

It is just like the poem of the Han people: "The spring breeze is so strong that the horse gallops, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day."

Celeng rubbed the wound, slightly distracted.

In the swaying light, a small figure emerged from my memory.

It was New Year's Eve in the thirty-second year of the Kangxi reign. The emperor gave a banquet, and members of the royal family as well as Mongolian princes and nobles all attended.

It was the first time for him to attend such an occasion, and he was smiling and welcoming despite the fact that his family was in ruins.

After all, he was still young, and after toasting everyone, he felt sad, frustrated, and lonely, and it came over him like a tide, overwhelming him and making it hard for him to breathe.

So he quietly slipped out of the palace banquet.

On a clear night after the snow, he walked towards the darkness, tears streaming down his face silently.

Suddenly, in a corner of a red wall, a faint crying sound was heard.

A girl, wearing a wedding dress and with a circle of pearls on her hair, leaned against the wall and sobbed quietly. She was startled when she heard footsteps, and looked over with wide eyes, then she was startled again because she saw the traces of tears on his face.

After looking at each other for a few breaths, she asked something softly.

Unfortunately, he didn't understand Chinese very well at that time, so he didn't understand what she meant and just stood there in a daze.

She then said nothing more, just turned slightly and continued to cry towards the wall.

He didn't know what to say, and just hid in the dimly lit area, licking his wounds like a wounded wolf on the grassland.

The two people turned their backs to each other and were silent for a while.

Until the sound of palace maids calling people was heard in the distance, coming intermittently in the wind.

These words were easy to distinguish, and he heard clearly that it was "Fourth Princess".

The girl rubbed her eyes, turned around and ran towards the source of the sound.

That's all.

Later, at the palace banquet, he could occasionally see the fourth princess from afar. A very quiet girl, standing in the crowd, but like the moon on the grassland, distant and far away.

So he secretly called her "Sari" in his heart.

But now, Sari is about to fall into the arms of another man from the grassland.

Celeng rubbed the wound and took a deep breath.

After a moment of silence, he picked up his pen and wrote down some things related to Khalkha.