Chapter 21 Dolan
A small incident before returning to Beijing
He knew that the Seventh Prince was very brave on the battlefield.
Moreover, he has a very forthright personality and doesn't seem like the other princes who are cunning and scheming.
He was well aware that the Seventh Prince had a leg problem, but what did it matter? On the contrary, he was even more satisfied with his brother-in-law.
A disabled person cannot become emperor, and his sister will not be involved in any struggles. As long as he does not commit any crimes, she will be peacefully cared for for the rest of her life.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Dorge's thoughts were only fleeting. After deciding that Yin You was a very good candidate, he thanked him loudly, not even giving Yin You a chance to refuse.
Although Yin You would most likely not refuse, his anxious manner was really strange.
Even Emperor Kangxi had some doubts. Was it really a good idea to marry off one's sister so readily?
After the relationship was established, in addition to being the victor, the Qing Dynasty also gained the status of a close relative, so it was not so ruthless in its subsequent actions, and things like paying tribute and indemnities seemed rather insignificant.
Even so, the tribes that had experienced Galdan's exploitation still felt a pang of pain.
"Prepare the tribute items, and then you'll go to the capital with them. Your brother will come to see you later. Enjoy yourself these next few days, and don't deprive yourself of anything, even in the capital," Dorge said to his sister.
Her dowry was substantial, even excessive, enough to ensure she could live comfortably in the capital with him by her side.
Seeing that she was still reluctant to part, Doge reached out and hugged her, then whispered in her ear, "The woman by the emperor's side, if you can win her favor, even if your brother isn't around, no one will dare to bully you."
After saying that, he patted her on the back, pushed her out of the tent, and waved to her.
"Go play quickly, there won't be such a wide grassland again."
The weather was getting colder and colder, and the books she had brought were already worn out and the pages were curled up. Chen Guanxue didn't like to go out, but Runxi was afraid that she would get bored, so he would go out for a walk from time to time and tell her interesting things.
It is quite a novel thing that Yin You's household will soon have another concubine, and she is a Mongolian woman.
"Seventh Prince wants to add a Mongolian concubine?" Chen Guanxue thought for a moment, but she didn't have any impression of Yinyou's concubines. She only knew that there seemed to be one in his household.
She didn't attend the family banquet either. I heard that she wasn't used to the capital and spent most of her time with Yinyou at the border. Only Yinyou's mother had seen her a few times.
It was more because Yinyou seemed to like her very much, and even Kangxi knew and allowed it, which is why he had some impression of her.
"Look through the jewelry you brought earlier and see if there are any agate or gemstone pieces. Bring them out for me to see." It's fine if we haven't seen them before, but now we have to travel all the way back to the capital, and there are only women like us on the road, so we're bound to meet.
She is, after all, an elder, so it's appropriate to prepare a gift for our first meeting.
Besides, a woman far from home must have been feeling lost and confused along the way. Taking care of her is a reward for Duoge's sensible nature.
Since Emperor Kangxi only brought her along this time, she was the one who had to handle the diplomatic affairs of the lady.
When they set off, Chen Guanxue boarded Kangxi's carriage right under everyone's noses, and of course, no one saw what she looked like.
Once inside the carriage, the veil was removed, revealing a fiery red dress beneath the veil, a stark contrast to the golden hues inside the carriage, yet remarkably harmonious.
"Why didn't Your Majesty hide me away this time? So many people are secretly watching me." Chen Guanxue didn't know what he was doing again. He could have just followed behind him like he did when he came.
Kangxi helped her sit down, handed her a teacup to moisten her lips, and then patted the carriage to signal the caravan to set off.
"Many people in the capital are waiting to see you. Isn't it better for me to let them know in advance?" There was a hint of anger in his voice; it seemed they had gone much further this time.
Chen Guanxue gave him a meaningful look, then leaned back on the soft pillow and smiled somewhat strangely, "So the ladies in the palace finally know who I am?"
"I know, and I'm afraid they also know about the baby in your belly." She was quite far along in her pregnancy, and even when she was sitting up, her belly was still very high. Many people had looked up at her earlier, and the news would reach them before they returned to the capital.
Isn't this what he wanted people to know? Why is he getting angry now?
Chen Guanxue really couldn't understand his strange thought process, but she could guess that he didn't want others to see his treasured jewelry.
"After returning to the palace, we won't have to stay in the Qianqing Palace anymore. I wonder if the plum blossoms in the Imperial Garden have bloomed yet. We should take a good look while we can still walk around."
After spending a long time in this desolate place, even the few scattered plum blossoms in winter could make her yearn for it.
Just as Kangxi was thinking that it might snow and the roads would be slippery on the way back, he heard her say again: "When will you call that Mongolian girl who came back with us so I can see her? I heard she is a rare beauty on the grasslands. I wonder how beautiful she is."
Seeing her so seriously praising someone else's beauty, he momentarily thought of summoning the imperial physician to examine her eyes.
How can someone who was perfectly healthy suddenly have such poor eyesight? They clearly have the best-looking self, yet they always think others are more attractive.
Kangxi silently opened the drawer, took out a mirror, and placed it in her hand.
She looked down and saw something new – not a bronze mirror, but a Western mirror that could reflect a person clearly. She picked up the mirror and looked at her reflection, unable to tell whether it was familiar or unfamiliar.
After looking at it for a while, he asked, "Why did Your Majesty give me a mirror?"
"I'm telling you to take a good look at yourself. With a face like yours, how can you say that other people are good-looking?" He raised his hand and took her hand, then raised the mirror to show their faces.
She rolled her eyes at him, pulled her hand back, and put the mirror aside.
"I don't know if His Majesty is too tired, his eyes are a little blurry. There are so many beauties in the world, I am just an ordinary one. Naturally, I have to look at others to know what beauty is." Before he spoke, he touched his belly and said, "It's good to let this child see, so that he can grow up to look like a beauty."
“Who would really pick someone else’s looks? Even if she only resembles us a little, she’s good-looking enough.” Kangxi also reached out and touched her belly.
That's the truth.
His appearance seemed frozen in time; he looked young. She wasn't ugly either; she had all the features of a beautiful woman.
It's said that beautiful people always look alike, so if you really look like them, you can't be too ugly.
"So, will Your Majesty allow me to see that Mongolian beauty or not?" Don't think that saying all this will fool her; she still wants to see what Doge's sister looks like.
"I'll let you see what she looks like when I have time."
Seeing that he couldn't fool her, Kangxi had no choice but to agree. However, he didn't let her see him for a while. The weather was good along the way, so they didn't stop. It wasn't until they were almost in the capital that it snowed. The snow was heavy on the road, and the heavy snow kept falling. They had to stop their progress.
Fortunately, it was close to the capital and there were imperial palaces along the way; otherwise, the group of people following them probably wouldn't have been able to find a place to stay to avoid the cold and would have had to stay in tents.
It suddenly started snowing, and Chen Guanxue, who was usually afraid of the cold, found it more interesting. She asked Runxi to open the window and leaned against it, watching the snowflakes falling outside.
When Dolan arrived, she saw Dolan reaching out to catch the snowflakes drifting in from outside, a smile on her face, somewhat similar to, yet not entirely the same as, the princesses she had met who had married into Mongolia.
"Sit down." Hearing footsteps, Chen Guanxue turned around and simply told her to sit down.
There's no question of whether or not to bow to each other. One is a Mongolian princess who will become the concubine of the seventh prince, and the other is a girl who follows Emperor Kangxi but whose identity is unknown yet is respected by everyone. It would be inappropriate for either of them to bow to the other.
Dolan's features were exquisite, resembling the appearance of an ethnic minority she had ever seen—both strikingly beautiful and delicately elfin—and she instantly fell in love with her.
"There must be many snowfalls like this in the north." It's colder up north than in the capital.
Dolan nodded, somewhat reserved, and then heard her say, "The capital isn't as cold as the northern frontier, and the people are all gentle and mild-mannered. If anyone has a different temperament, just tell the Seventh Prince."
She said these words to someone else she had never said before, since she had never raised children and had never had the opportunity to give such instructions to younger generations.
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