Chapter 30 Dispute Two-in-One

Mother Zhao received the princess's order and went back in person to tell the village head named Jiang about the matter and asked him to pick two people from Lao Chen who were familiar with farming.

"At least let them fetch a bucket of water to wash their faces, wash some clean clothes and then go to the Governor's Mansion to wait. If they clean up neatly, you will be happy and save face, right?"

Jiang Zhuangtou nodded and said, "Of course, of course, don't worry, Madam Zhao. We have several good farmers here. I am a skilled farmer with many years of experience. There is also a vegetable farmer here who has a lot of experience in growing vegetables."

"That would be best. The princess seems to attach great importance to agriculture. This is also an opportunity for you." Mother Zhao suggested with a smile.

Jiang Zhuangtou rubbed his hands together and smiled: "We must work hard."

Mother Zhao looked around and didn't see the doctor's household, so she asked, "Is the deputy steward Zeng Qiuhua not here?"

"Oh, they, the couple, went to the Lama Temple early in the morning." Jiang Zhuangtou said, "Well, they are just blindly learning. I can't even understand their Mongolian. I don't know what they can learn."

Mother Zhao asked some trivial questions and told Jiang Zhuangtou to work with the deputy steward to take good care of the dowry people. Jiang Zhuangtou naturally did not refuse.

After walking around, I returned to Dutong Mansion. I just arrived at the small room to thank you and was about to drink some tea before replying. The little maid had just made the tea, and the chief eunuch Yanxi came in to pour it.

"Oh, drinking tea."

"Yes, I was just busy outside." Mother Zhao hurriedly asked the little maid to make another cup of tea, put it in a large covered bowl, and handed it to Yanxi.

Yan Xi thanked him, took the teacup, and blew on the tea soup: "Sister, you have been very busy. You are indeed the princess's right-hand man. I heard that the dowry families all asked you to train them and they are obedient."

"Don't flatter me. Who is looking down on me? Aren't they all pointing at the princess?"

Mother Zhao asked the little girl to go out and fetch water. When everyone had left and there was no one else around, she said directly, "I have to go to the princess to answer questions later. What do you want to say? Please tell me directly."

"It's nothing serious," Yan Xi said, "but some of my subordinates are idle, and I feel uneasy."

Among all the people surrounding the princess, the most valued ones are undoubtedly Madam Zhao, Madam Wu, and the older girl Rong'er. The eunuchs under him are just errand boys. Although there are one or two who really want to retire and don't want to work at all, there are also four or five eunuchs who still want to work.

Especially after traveling for so long, seeing that they were getting farther and farther away from home, and about to cross the desert to the north of the desert. Seeing that the princess even went to see the group of people who came with the dowry in person, but still didn't give them any serious tasks, she was terrified and went to Yeon Hee, the chief eunuch, to cry at night.

If you endure this hardship, doesn't it mean that you have no other income except the money and food that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has reserved for you? I heard that in the northern part of the desert, the winter is even more freezing. Buying fur coats, thick cotton quilts, thick boots, which one doesn't cost money?

These people usually call him "grandfather" or "brother". He couldn't bear it, so he lowered himself and went to find Zhao's mother.

"I'd like to ask you to help us. If there is any suitable job, please give us a push. We are working together and have accompanied each other all the way to such a far place. After all, we have some ties of friendship."

Mother Zhao thought, it seems that he came to me first, it wouldn't be a bad thing if I could give him a hand.

She then asked, "Are there any of your subordinates who have been in charge of the affairs of the imperial farm before?"

Yan Xi thought for a moment and said, "There is a man named Zhuang who has been to the imperial farm for training and is very experienced in doing things."

Mother Zhao nodded and put down the teacup: "Okay, I'll remember that."

Then she asked Yeon Hee to wait while she went into the room to talk to the Fourth Princess.

Mu Xue listened to Mother Zhao's explanation and thought that she rarely used eunuchs nowadays, so she should give them some opportunities. There were only about a hundred people who accompanied her to such a desolate place as Mobei. If these people could stand up and keep each other warm in Khalkha in the future, she would have a greater influence.

So he agreed to let the eunuch Zhuang go with him.

Outside the city of Guihua, among the grasslands and wastelands that stretch all the way to the horizon, the cultivated lands of the thirteen official villages are particularly special.

In the past, this large area was entirely grassland. In recent years, in order to supply food for the officers and soldiers stationed in this city, these lands have been enclosed and used for farming.

It was a sunny day. Mu Xue stood on a high place and looked into the distance. Farmers in twos and threes were tending to their crops.

"Are these all the Yan Xing people?" she asked.

General Fei Yanggu nodded and said, "Yes? I specially asked for permission to open a ticket office so that these people can go to the border areas to farm with the tickets."

"So they still come here in the spring and go back after the autumn harvest?"

"Yes, this is still the same as before. These people are not allowed to stay here privately, or marry Mongolian women, bring their families, etc."

Mu Xue asked again: "So, how do you pay them?"

"After the autumn harvest, we will give them a certain amount of money according to the harvest. They can take it back to celebrate the New Year."

General Fei Yanggu answered these questions one by one. He was a little confused in his heart. Why would the fourth princess be interested in these fields? Obviously, the time to stay in Guihua City is limited, probably only three days to rest. Instead of taking the time to rest, she insisted on taking time out to bring some servants here to take a look.

When the Fifth Prince heard that they were going to see the farmland, he was not interested at all and asked the Fourth Prince to go to the pasture to ride horses. However, the Fourth Prince was willing to follow. He just said that he wanted to take a walk by himself, and no one knew where he went.

Speak of the devil and he will appear. The Fourth Prince came up in two or three steps, his boots still stained with mud.

Mu Xue greeted them: "Fourth brother, did you see anything interesting?"

"Nothing, I just went to check out the irrigation water source." The fourth prince said, "This area is indeed good for developing agriculture. The river is just over there, very close."

Fei Yanggu said: "There are indeed several rivers near Guihua City, but these places have never been cultivated before, and they are only used as reserve pastures. When we planted the land in the first year, the harvest was not very good. But after all, it is close, so it can save some military expenses compared to transporting military rations from a long distance."

The fourth prince nodded: "Indeed."

Mu Xue listened to the scene, and unconsciously integrated the information she had heard and seen since entering the city. Opening the Eight Banners official village on the territory of Tumed. On the one hand, it was the result of Tumed being disciplined by the Qing court and becoming inflexible. On the other hand, did it mean that the officers and soldiers would stay here for a long time? Otherwise, why would they go to such trouble to open up the fields?

The soldiers were stationed here for a long time, which was an extra layer of protection for her, but she didn't know how many soldiers there were.

She asked in a very innocent tone: "How many soldiers can be fed in a year by the food grown from these fields? I think the land is quite large."

Fei Yanggu smiled and shook his head: "There are more than 5,000 people in the camp ahead. How can they be self-sufficient with just these? It can only solve part of the problem."

"Is that so? That's how it is."

The Fourth Prince frowned slightly when he heard this. Things like the number of garrisons were not something a woman should listen to. But looking at the Fourth Sister's expression, it seemed that she mentioned it casually, so he didn't think much about it.

After chatting for a while, a soldier came to report that lunch was ready.

Fei Yanggu invited Muxue and the Fourth Prince to move over for dinner: "There weren't many houses here before. After the official village was built, two small houses were built for the convenience of supervision. Lunch will be served in the small house. The house is simple, and I'm sorry that the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess are inconvenienced."

"That's good."

Several people moved away.

In the distant farmland, Xiao Liu, a newcomer to the Yanxing group, was swinging his hoe when he looked up and saw the "nobles" in the distance.

"Dad, is that the Fourth Princess?"

His father, Lao Liu, was hunched over and exclaimed, "Ah!" "What did you say?"

"Dad, look." Xiao Liu said loudly.

Old Liu looked up, and together with Little Liu, they saw a woman in a green cloak with her back to him, walking further and further away.

"Is it the fourth princess who dug a well and gave water?" The farmer nearby joined in the fun. "She looks like a kind bodhisattva. It's a pity that she has to go to Mobei."

After a few words, the farmers dispersed and continued to work before the supervisor came over to scold them.

The main dish for lunch is roasted lamb back, which is made from freshly slaughtered lamb, with the lamb back meat on the bone, rubbed with spices, and roasted over charcoal. The skin is golden and crispy, and it makes you salivate at the sight.

Fei Yanggu took out a jar of wine and said with a smile: "This is the horse milk wine brewed by the army. It tastes delicious. Would you like to try it, Fourth Prince and Fourth Princess?"

The Fourth Prince was naturally the one who drank and only looked at the Fourth Princess.

Mu Xue had never drunk mare's milk before, so she was curious and wanted to try it for a fresh taste. When she saw that it was white like mare's milk, she thought it was not very strong, so she drank a big bowl of it happily.

Then I felt a little dizzy, and then I realized that the alcohol content of the wine brewed by the army itself was probably not low.

But people who get drunk for the first time will never feel that they are drunk, they just feel that their body is a little hot and their brain is particularly active. Mu Xue is a person who doesn't show her face when drinking, but her face looks normal, so the two people eating with her didn't realize it.

After eating a bowl of wine with the roasted lamb, Mu Xue pinched the corner of the table with both hands and said excitedly: "In fact, cultivating the land here is a good thing, just like Cao Cao's farming in the past. The more people there are farming, the more people we have."

Fei Yanggu laughed loudly: "Princess, you are very insightful."

Mu Xue smiled and said, "What kind of experience is that? It's just a closed-door project. How can it compare to Mr. Fei, who led the troops to guard the front line and is a pillar of the country."

"The princess sacrificed herself for the country."

"It's different, it's different." Mu Xue shook her head violently, causing the pearl tassels on her temples to swing and jingle. "I would rather die on the battlefield to repay my country, but unfortunately I have no choice."

The fourth prince put down his glass and said, "Fourth sister, you are drunk."

"I'm awake," Mu Xue said coldly.

Fei Yanggu tried to smooth things over: "Haha, the alcohol brewed by the army does have a certain alcohol content."

Mu Xue blinked slowly: "I want to learn more about military affairs from you, but it's a pity that you are going back. I also want to go north."

She raised her hand and took another sip of wine. "I originally thought that I still recognize you here, and if there is any change, I can get closer for help. However... now I don't know what the future will be like. I don't know anyone in the army."

"That's enough." The fourth prince grabbed her wrist which was holding the wine glass. The more he spoke, the more outrageous it became. What was the point of a princess knowing about military affairs?

The fourth prince turned to Fei Yanggu and said, "The fourth princess is drunk. I will send her back to rest."

Having said that, he pushed her into the sedan chair without further ado.

The sedan was shaking, and Mu Xue's stomach felt churning and she vomited.

The Fourth Prince dodged very quickly, but still not enough, and some of it got on his right sleeve.

He was so angry that veins on his forehead were throbbing.

How could there be such a woman, and she is his sister!

But because he was afraid that Muxue might talk nonsense after getting drunk, the Fourth Prince insisted on sending her back to her bedroom.

The maids quickly washed Muxue, changed her clothes, and fed her sobering soup. Muxue took a nap for half an hour. When she woke up, she was a little more sober, but still felt uncomfortable.

But, remembering that he had accidentally vomited on the Fourth Prince, he felt nervous and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is the Fourth Prince?"

"Do you still remember who I am?"

Outside the door, the Fourth Prince, who had changed his clothes, walked in with a sullen face.

"Everyone, go back." he ordered.

Rong'er glanced at Muxue, and Muxue nodded at her, and then she led people out.

The room suddenly became dead silent.

Is the Fourth Prince going to scold me? Mu Xue frowned and said nothing.

He found a chair and sat down, resting his hands on the armrests, looking at Muxue, and said, "You are a princess, and you must have read the Four Books for Women in the past, 'Be gentle and obedient, be chaste, obey the Three Obediences, be careful about the difference between inside and outside, be diligent and respectful, and be consistent from beginning to end. Then you can manage the household, be harmonious with superiors and subordinates, be harmonious with relatives, and everything will be harmonious.' What you should worry about is women's words and virtues, husbands, uncles and aunts, not military and national affairs."

When she was asked to marry far away to help the Mongols, it was to consider the peace of the country and sacrifice was necessary. However, asking one more question was to make irresponsible remarks on military and national affairs.

Mu Xue's anger surged upwards, she clutched the corner of the quilt tightly, and her whole body was shaking.

She really wanted to scold him without caring about anything! But she couldn't, because this person was the Fourth Prince, the future emperor. If she felt happy for a while, she would be unhappy in the future.

Mu Xue used her right thumb to press against the base of her left hand, leaving a deep fingernail mark. She suppressed her anger and thought about what she could say to benefit herself.

The Fourth Prince probably naturally dislikes powerful women. It's not just him. There are so many men like him in and outside the court! But he is her brother after all, and he cares about the interests of the Qing court. The discussion should revolve around these two points.

In a flash, Mu Xue made up her mind and said in a trembling voice: "Does Fourth Brother hate me so much? Don't worry, just bear with me for another ten days or so. Send me to Khalkha, and you can go to Beijing. When he sees me again, it will probably be my coffin. No - he won't even see the coffin. I was pointed to the northern desert, so naturally I will be buried here. When the time comes, I will have to ask them to erect a monument facing the direction of Beijing, and that will be the end of it."

When she talked about sad things, a huge tear rolled down her cheek.

The fourth prince took a closer look, changed his sitting position, leaned forward slightly, and said, "When did I ever say that I hated you?"

Although his voice was still angry, it was much better than when he had just entered the room and questioned him.

Mu Xue keenly captured the change in his attitude. He was the kind of person who would respond to soft tactics but not hard ones.

She then pinched herself and tears fell like rain in pain.

"I don't know what military and national affairs are, and I haven't thought about them. It's just that my daughter is marrying far away, thousands of miles away from her parents' home. I thought there is a family of servants nearby, and if I get bullied by my husband's family, I can ask someone to come and help. How did it get involved in making irresponsible comments on military affairs?"

"Yes, I was too talkative. I should have been vegetarian and prayed to the Buddha all day, hoping that Mobei would be at peace with us. Aunt Chunke had done the same thing, but who could have predicted what happened later? Who cared about her? Fourth brother, ask yourself, do you believe that Mobei will be absolutely submissive from generation to generation? Will they never have two minds? I only need one word from you. If you say yes, I will believe it, and from now on I will not care about anything, but just be a good wife to Dunduobu Dorji, support my husband and raise my children, and be filial to my uncle and aunt."

The fourth prince was stunned. He knew that it was wishful thinking to believe that Mobei was loyal and would never rebel. As for Princess Kechun, it was true that Khan Ama had felt guilty and sighed. It was a pity that she was burdened by the rebellion.

He wanted to explain, but the fourth sister was obviously very angry and was crying hard: "I am not qualified to ask these questions. I thought that if I knew a little bit, I could help my father and brother in Mobei... I was rude. I apologize to the fourth brother."

Then she covered her head with a quilt, refusing to see him, and crying uncontrollably.

The fourth prince was helpless and stood up and came over: "How could I mean that? Stop crying, or you'll get sick from anger."

Mu Xue, who was covered in the quilt, said in a buzzing voice: "Fourth brother, please go back, or you will not stand in the room of a woman like me who has no virtue or manners, and get your boots dirty."

Seeing the little girl's temper, the fourth prince was both angry and amused: "That's just what I said in anger. You're my sister, how can I not feel sorry for you? It's just... Oh, forget it, I was just too hasty."

"I'm going to sleep. Please go back, brother."

"Okay, you take a good rest and don't take it to heart."

The fourth prince gave some instructions and turned to leave.

When he got outside, he saw the Fourth Princess's personal maid standing by, so he asked, "Does your master have any favorite food?"

Rong Er said, "When the princess is sad, she likes to eat sweet things."

Sweet? The fourth prince thought about it, and when he returned, he ordered the eunuchs accompanying him to find the bird's nest. "Boil a bowl of bird's nest with rock sugar and send it to the fourth princess."

When the Fifth Prince and the Fourth Prince-in-law came back, they heard that the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess seemed to have had a quarrel. Because they were talking privately, they didn't know the reason.

The Fifth Prince went to ask the Fourth Princess, but she refused to say anything. She just curled up on the bed and said in a hoarse voice, "It's okay."

"Your throat is sore after crying like this, are you okay?"

The Fifth Prince came up and insisted on taking a look at the situation and insisted that she show her face.

I took off the quilt and saw that my eyes were swollen like walnuts!

The Fifth Prince was also furious when he saw this.

Before leaving, my mother had specifically told him that the fourth princess was always quiet, well-behaved, sensitive and thoughtful. She would not dare to speak out when she was wronged, but would just keep her sadness to herself. She wanted him to take good care of her sister and pay attention to her. As a result, he only went out for a while, and the fourth princess actually dared to let her suffer!

He knew that the Fourth Prince had a stubborn temper and would get angry when he got angry. Even Khan Ama asked him to "be humble and not impatient."

"I'm going to look for my fourth brother!"

The Fifth Prince raised his leg and went to look for the Fourth Prince.

Dorji frowned, sat beside the couch, and looked at Muxue: "Did you suffer a loss? What do you need me to do?"

Did you suffer any loss?

Mu Xue smiled, but the smile was fleeting, and she just shook her head: "Fortunately, I can handle it."

Dorji sighed and glanced at her crying face. No matter what the reason was, she shouldn't have cried like that.

"It hurts to see you like this."

Mu Xue could hear the sincerity in the tone.

She lowered her eyes, stared at the embroidered butterfly on the quilt, and said softly, "It's not necessary."

The room was silent for a long time before Dorji spoke: "Today I saw a very beautiful white horse. I bought it and will take you to ride it tomorrow."

"……good."

It's quiet here, and lively there.

The Fifth Prince rushed to the Fourth Prince at the speed of flight, speaking in Mongolian in a hurry.

"Fourth brother, are you being stubborn again? How could you make Fourth Sister so sad? She was originally going to marry far away, and the closer she is to Mobei, the more anxious and worried she is. Don't you know all this? I was originally worried that when she arrived in Khalkha, her in-laws would not treat her well, but we are in the capital, so far away, what should we do? But you, the one who sent her off, made her angry first. Why is that?"

As he was talking, he thought of the Empress Dowager who had raised him. Also thousands of miles away from home, the Empress Dowager would occasionally look at the sky above the Forbidden City with a very melancholy look, looking at the clouds and saying, "These clouds are not as beautiful as those on the grassland."

At this time, the Fifth Prince knew that the Queen Mother was just missing home.

Thinking of this, the Fifth Prince couldn't help but feel sad. Why on earth were there so many separations?

He paused for a moment, and then he spoke in a more begging tone, "Fourth brother, I beg you. Can you be more tolerant of Fourth Sister? She is the only one among all the princesses who was betrothed to such a far place as Mobei. Think about it from her perspective. There is really nothing to be unhappy about. For the sake of our brotherhood and for the sake of her service to the country, please treat her better."

After listening to all this, the Fourth Prince pursed his lips and said, "You are talkative. If you want me to say something, how could I not know it? You all have long speeches."

While complaining, he stood up and asked the Fifth Prince, "Is she still crying?"

"Her eyes are so swollen, it's heartbreaking to see!" Fifth Prince muttered, "Fourth Brother, women are easy to coax. Go and take a look, and say something soft, and she'll be fine."

"Shut up!" The Fourth Prince cursed and turned to walk out.

He walked in front with big strides, followed by the eunuchs carrying sugar-coated bird's nests, and went straight to the courtyard where the fourth princess was.

When he entered the house and saw Muxue's swollen eyes, the Fourth Prince felt a little guilty.

He cleared his throat and said, "You have a really bad temper. Are you tired of crying? I made you a bowl of bird's nest to moisten your throat."

Coming in person to deliver the food? This is to give her a way out.

Mu Xue knew what was going on, so she turned around and asked Dorji to change his clothes. He came to see her as soon as he came back, and there was mud on his trouser legs.

Dorji saw that the brother and sister had something to say, so he stood up, looked at the Fourth Prince, and then left.

"He still cares about you." The Fourth Prince said to Mu Xue, "He even dared to glare at me just now."

Mu Xue picked up the bird's nest with rock sugar and said, "He has a quick temper. Thank you, Fourth Brother, for your tolerance."

This statement is full of double entendre, and is also an opportunity to ask the Fourth Prince to express his willingness to step down.

The Fourth Prince sat down on the chair opposite her and waved his hand: "It's okay."

He hesitated for a moment and looked at Mu Xue: "In addition to Guihua City, about 2,000 miles west of Kulun, there is also a military headquarters in Uliastai. It governs the Tushetu Khanate and Chechen Khanate. Although our dynasty has shown favor to Mongolia, it is by no means based on their conscience."

"Among the three Khalkha tribes, Khan Ama chose the most powerful Tushetu Khan to marry his daughter off. One reason is to show respect and the other is to divide them. This is a short time since the victory, and the remnants of the Western Desert are still eyeing you covetously. For at least three years, as long as Tushetu Khan is not crazy, he will not rebel or mistreat you. So, don't be afraid."

What the Fourth Prince said was information that Muxue had never been exposed to before.

His words could be worth many of her hard-earned thoughts. Because they had different educations, different perspectives, and different news.

It would be best to take this opportunity to learn more from him.

Mu Xue thanked the Fourth Prince very seriously: "Thank you for teaching me, Fourth Prince. Now I can feel more at ease."

Then, she smiled shyly: "Also, can Fourth Brother teach me the procedure for submitting memorials to Khan Ama? I want to write to him to tell him about the scenery along the way."