Shumulu and Borjigit quickly went to the palace to comfort Xiuning.
Yinyi and Yinlu also ran towards Qixiang Palace.
Even Bu'er and Dai, who lived in the princess's residence, came to join in the fun.
Xiuning: ...There's no need for that.
Xiuning felt that she was not that fragile, and besides, although she was not going to the borderlands, Yinyi, Yinlu, and the children, Buer and Dai, would be accompanying her.
"I won't be around, so please look after each other."
After Xiuning finished speaking, she looked at Buer and Dai and said, "You've reached the age where you need to be married. Your father might take this opportunity to choose a husband for you."
Both Bu'er and Dai were already eighteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), and according to the general marriage age of Qing princesses, it was time for them to get married.
Buer and Dai nodded, "Mother, don't worry, I will be extra careful on this trip."
"Mother, your son will also inquire and pay close attention, and I promise I won't let my sister get married off so easily," Yinlu replied with a smile, his expression somewhat cynical.
Yin Yi was much more serious; he was methodical and indicated that he would pay more attention.
It's normal for Yinyi and Yinlu to be concerned about their younger sister's marriage.
Xiuning didn't stop the three of them. After they finished speaking, Xiuning added, "Remember to listen more, observe more, and speak less on this trip to the borderlands."
Your eldest sister, Ningchuge, will be coming from Mongolia. Remember to ask her anything then.
The situation in Mongolia has been unpredictable and unclear in recent years.
Xiu Ning occasionally learns about Ning Chuge's situation through snippets of information from the system.
All I know is that Ning Chuge is very shrewd and capable, and that he has subdued a number of tribes, large and small, around him. As for other things, I don’t know much.
The reason why Emperor Kangxi did not take her with him on this trip to the borderlands was closely related to Ning Chuge.
When Yinyi and the other two heard their mother mention their eldest sister, they all began to ponder.
The most sensitive among them was Yin Yi, who tentatively asked, "What does my elder sister know?"
Xiuning nodded, "But we need to find an opportunity, your father might try to stop us."
Ningchuge's power grew too quickly; she now held more than half of the power in Khorchin and even the entire Mongolian Empire.
It's estimated that Kangxi's trip to the borderlands won't be very friendly to Ning Chuge.
Xiu Ning remembered that in the original timeline, Princess Ke Jing, who held immense power in the northern desert, was summoned by Emperor Kangxi and reprimanded in person because of her excessive power.
Not only did they present a plaque instructing Kejing to be a good wife and mother, but they also said some random things to Kejing's husband.
Clearly, Emperor Kangxi disliked daughters who wielded too much power, even if the daughter was his own.
After hearing Xiu Ning's words, Yin Yi looked surprised. "I don't think so."
No matter what her elder sister was like, she was still the daughter that her father, the Emperor, cherished before she got married.
Yinlu understood better than Yinyi. "Third brother, how long has it been since eldest sister returned to the palace?"
Yin Yi paused, and Bu Er and Dai chimed in, "It seems that in all these years, our eldest sister has only come back twice."
Once, her eldest sister was pregnant; another time, her eldest sister brought the young prince to the palace to pay respects to their father, the Emperor, and wish him a happy birthday.
For the rest of the time, the eldest sister lived in Khorchin. Every few years, when the Emperor went to the border region, the eldest sister would rush over to see him briefly.
Yinlu nodded, "Yes, my elder sister has been married for many years. How long can Father Emperor maintain his father-daughter relationship with her?"
Before his marriage, he was still the Emperor's favorite son.
Looking at the present situation, he has no standing in front of the Emperor anymore.
This is the downside of time; people's feelings can change.
The Emperor has too many children. He sees this one today and that one tomorrow. He likes those who are obedient more and ignores those who are disobedient. In the long run, how many people can withstand this?
In any case, Yinlu couldn't stand his father's attitude of changing his mind so frequently.
What's going on? It's just that he has a good attitude and doesn't usually care about these trivial matters. Otherwise, if it were one of his other brothers, they would definitely have been driven crazy by the Emperor's actions.
To be honest, Yinlu had already seen through Kangxi's true nature during this period.
That explains why the prince suddenly went mad in the original timeline.
It was entirely due to the pressure exerted on him by Emperor Kangxi and his brothers who were vying for the throne.
Nowadays, Emperor Kangxi doesn't favor the Crown Prince as much as he did in the original timeline, but he still doesn't hold back in using the Crown Prince to balance the court. No wonder the Crown Prince wanted to rebel in the end; who could stand being treated like this every day?
Yin Yi's heart trembled as he listened to what Bu Er, Dai, and Yin Lu said.
He looked up and couldn't help but glance at his mother.
Little did she know that her mother was not paying any attention to her at all; she was engrossed in examining a beautiful piece of mutton-fat jade pendant in her hand.
Yin Yi: ……
Xiu Ning stopped, "Alright, once you leave Qixiang Palace, I won't teach you what to say or not."
Qixiang Palace is her territory, so she's not afraid of any rumors spreading.
But outside, including the residences of these three people, Xiuning didn't trust them much.
"Remember, I won't be there for this trip to the frontier, so don't meddle in other people's business."
Without a mother's support, this is what happens; sometimes, a pillow talk (i.e., a woman's words of advice) is more effective than anything else.
...
In mid-April, Emperor Kangxi led a large army on a journey to the border regions.
Xiuning was standing in the center of the courtyard. She had just seen Kangxi and the others off and hadn't rested since she got back.
"Your Majesty, Consort De has arrived."
Chunyu walked up to Xiuning and bowed slightly as she spoke.
"Consort De?"
Xiu Ning's expression shifted slightly.
During this trip to the borderlands, apart from her staying in the palace, the only other high-ranking concubine was Consort De.
The reason Consort De did not go was not because Emperor Kangxi did not want to take her, but simply because Consort Zhangjia in her palace was ill.
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