Chapter 40 Venison
venison
Chen Guanxue looked up at the sound and saw that the brilliance of the stars in the sky was covered by fireworks, with the scattered stars forming beautiful patterns, some bright and some slightly dim.
Her hand, which was resting on the table, was suddenly grasped, and a warm, strong hand carefully enveloped it.
She turned her head and met Kangxi's deep, affectionate eyes, illuminated by the colorful fireworks.
He smiled gently.
Chen Guanxue also smiled unconsciously.
Fireworks exploded in mid-air, much like my mood at that moment.
Even after the banquet ended and she returned to her room, Chen Guanxue could still feel her heart pounding.
This made her look down, her heart completely out of her control.
It leaps about like a fawn, and flows gently like a stream.
Everything was unfamiliar, yet it filled her with a magical joy.
Kangxi's feelings for her were always passionate and open, but she seemed to hold back, and she still does now; she will forever keep her secret of coming from the modern world.
But she can finally say without shame that she had an unreserved love for Kangxi.
She would laugh because of his smile, feel happy because he loved her, and be glad because she loved him.
Kangxi saw her clutching her chest, staring blankly at the ground, seemingly lost in thought.
He took a few steps forward and placed his hand on hers. "What's wrong? Is your chest uncomfortable?"
In his eyes, Chen Guanxue was no different from a porcelain doll, and he even felt that she was more fragile than a porcelain doll.
"Nothing," Chen Guanxue replied with a smile. "I was thinking of some happy things."
"Is Fushou asleep?" She was afraid that Kangxi would ask too many questions, so she quickly changed the subject.
"He's asleep," Kangxi said. "He was held by that old nanny earlier and watched the fireworks for a while. He was very happy. The old nanny said that his arms and legs are very strong. I think he will be very good at riding and archery when he grows up."
At this point, Kangxi had already thought very far ahead.
For children from Manchuria and Mongolia, horsemanship and archery are fundamental skills. Even if they are not good at them, they must still develop the skills to fight on the battlefield in order to be considered qualified.
He thought that if Fu Shou was in good health, he could practice more and hunt some foxes, rabbits, and deer in the hunting grounds in the future.
As for going into battle to kill the enemy, he forbade it.
On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes; if anything unexpected happens, Chen Guanxue will probably cry her eyes out.
"However, there is no need to expand territory now, so it would be better for Fushou to study more," Kangxi added.
“Reading makes one wise. Even if you don’t like reading, it’s good to enjoy calligraphy and painting.” Chen Guanxue understood his meaning and went along with it.
Only now do these two truly become parents, worrying and considering their child's future, always thinking about what might happen.
After Chen Guanxue's birthday, life became increasingly better.
Because the concubines of Changchun Garden all thought the performance was good that day, they would invite musicians from the Music Bureau to perform for a while every day.
High-ranking concubines all had lower-ranking concubines in their palaces, and they got along very harmoniously, even when watching performances.
The concubines would feel relaxed and happy, and the people in the music bureau would be rewarded after the performance.
There were almost not enough women in the Music Bureau.
Chen Guanxue also called a lot of people over to look through the song and dance booklet. After a month or two, there were no duplicates.
Every day after Emperor Kangxi left, Chen Guanxue would have dinner and then summon people twice a day, one group in the morning and another in the afternoon.
As Chen Guanxue ate fruit and watched the performance, he felt quite like an emperor.
You have to admit that the ancients knew how to enjoy life.
Even the most enjoyable things can become tiresome eventually. Chen Guanxue watched for two months straight, including the Mid-Autumn Festival, before the Autumn Hunt.
During the autumn hunt, Emperor Kangxi would usually lead his officials to the hunting grounds for leisure, rather than going to the grasslands.
The group from Changchun Garden packed up and went to the hunting grounds intact.
Instead of staying in palaces or houses, hunters would live in large tents.
Chen Guanxue carried Fu Shou and walked from the encampment into the tent that had been set up in advance.
"I thought it was a small tent." Chen Guanxue placed Fushou in the cradle and looked the tent over inside and out.
The tent looked large from the outside, and it wasn't small inside either. It was divided into three rooms by fur racks. The outermost room was where Emperor Kangxi occasionally summoned his officials, the middle room was his study, and the innermost room was where he slept.
However, he usually discussed matters with his ministers in the tent next door, while the outer room was also used by Kangxi as a study.
As for the study in the middle, it became Chen Guanxue's place for painting.
On the first day at the hunting grounds, Kangxi told everyone to rest.
Early the next morning, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard, as palace servants drove the horses out of the stables and fitted them with riding gear.
Chen Guanxue woke up at the sound of the noise, ate breakfast with Kangxi, and changed into riding clothes.
It wasn't early, so she went to check on Fu Shou and found him still sleeping soundly.
Chen Guanxue couldn't help but sigh. Children still need more sleep; they weren't woken up by all this.
He turned around and left with Kangxi.
Watching Kangxi deliver a passionate speech on horseback and ride away with his princes, ministers, and guards, Chen Guanxue sat motionless in his chair.
"Why don't you go for a ride, Sister Chen?" Consort Tong asked.
She did want to go, "I can't ride a horse, so sitting here is fine."
Consort Tong nodded in understanding, and the two of them chatted over the snacks on the table, which served as a way of keeping watch over the rear.
The other concubines who could ride horses also left; even if they couldn't hunt, they could still ride around.
Chen Guanxue looked at the concubines riding slowly on the grassland and felt that they were all somewhat unfamiliar.
The concubines who schemed and plotted in the palace were mostly Manchus. They had learned to ride horses since childhood, but once they entered the palace, their horseback riding skills became useless.
The palace is a cannibalistic place.
She and Consort Tong didn't sit there the whole time; they left after a while to check if Fushou had woken up.
Anyway, Kangxi and the others wouldn't be back until evening, and sitting there all day was incredibly uncomfortable.
"Fu Shou can sit up now." Consort Tong exclaimed in surprise as she watched Fu Shou struggle to sit up by pulling on the cloth strip.
Chen Guanxue was drawing when she heard this and glanced at it, then casually said, "She was able to sit up a couple of days ago. Granny Cha said she could sit up in about six months, but only for a short while."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Shou let go of her hand, fell onto the soft quilt, and let out a giggle.
When Chen Guanxue heard him laugh, she wanted to laugh too. She didn't know who he took after, but his laughter was no different from that of an animal, either like a chick or a duck.
"I had no idea I could sit up on my own at such a young age if I'd never raised a child."
Consort Tong placed the rattle drum into his hand, and as he grasped it, the rattle drum made a "dong dong dong" sound, much more agile than when adults shook it for him.
"I'm afraid I'll be crawling on the ground during the Chinese New Year," Chen Guanxue said. "I'll probably walk slower, because the winter clothes are thick and heavy, and I'm afraid I won't want to walk."
"That's alright, there are nannies to carry you wherever you go," said Consort Tong. "However, when you can speak next year, I don't know whether you'll call her 'Mother' or 'Father' first."
"I'm afraid I should call him 'Father' first."
Chen Guanxue had heard Granny Cha teach him to call her "Father" more than once.
She didn't care about that.
As a prince, regardless of whether she was a favored concubine or not, and regardless of whether he gained his status through his mother, calling her "Father" would always please Emperor Kangxi and make him more favored in the future.
"That's good," said Consort Tong.
A day passed just like that, and Chen Guanxue and Consort Tong were a little worried as they saw that Kangxi and the others had not returned for a long time.
"This servant greets Your Majesties." Liang Jiugong returned on horseback first, and after paying his respects, he said, "Today, His Majesty, along with the princes and officials, encountered several herds of deer. They chased them quite far, and the deer were heavy, so they returned a little late. He specifically asked this servant to come back and deliver a message, telling Your Majesties not to worry."
When Liang Jiugong spoke to the two imperial concubines together, he treated them equally, addressing them both as "Your Highnesses" without distinction of rank.
Upon hearing this, the two were relieved. They were already a bit hungry, so they asked someone to bring them some food and then instructed the kitchen to prepare roast meat.
Venison is delicious no matter how you eat it, but after a day away from home, most people eat roasted venison when they get back. It cooks quickly, and you can drink and chat with it.
Sure enough, Liang Jiugong's words were true. The two ate something, and just as darkness fell, a large group of people returned carrying torches.
Those who carry the prey, raise the live and the wounded, and quickly clean up the dead.
Those leading the horses were led away, the injured ones were treated by the veterinarian, and the uninjured ones were all led into the stable, fed in the trough, and given some sugar cubes to replenish their energy after a hard day's work.
Those who were to receive their masters prepared hot water in advance, and after washing up, they went to the flat ground filled with bonfires to roast meat.
When Chen Guanxue saw Kangxi, she smelled his sweat even before she got close. She covered her nose with a handkerchief, stepped aside, and made way for him.
Kangxi wasn't angry. He had been running around outside all day, covered in sweat and blood, and even he couldn't stand it anymore.
The water in the tent was changed once before Kangxi called her from inside.
Chen Guanxue didn't know what he wanted to do, so she went in. As soon as she got close, she was pulled into the bathtub and her clothes got wet.
"Your Majesty!" She was really getting angry; she had just changed her clothes.
Kangxi patted her gently, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. I ate some venison for lunch today, which made me feel hot. I wanted you to try something different."
Chen Guanxue felt no shame; she only thought he was shameless.
The bathtub can seat two people, but it doesn't stop the water from overflowing.
The noise inside the room was quite loud. Liang Jiugong was glad that the tent was covered with several layers of leather for soundproofing, and that the surrounding tents were far away. Otherwise, the emperor would have been embarrassed.
After a while of commotion, Chen Guanxue was carried out, her limbs limp. After changing her clothes, she felt completely soaked.
When Kangxi took her to eat roast meat, he saw that there were several skewers of venison on his plate, so he quickly told Liang Jiugong to take them away.
This stuff is really stimulating for people; for energetic young adults, it's as potent as medicine.
Chen Guanxue calmly drank a glass of wine and ate some grilled skewers.
Hunting basically involves eating whatever you catch, prioritizing freshness.
Although there was meat and wine late at night, and the hearty ministers and guards were dancing around the bonfire, it was getting late, so after the lively celebration, everyone went back to rest.
The next day, Kangxi went out early in the morning as usual.
Hunting was not only a way to deal with the numerous animals that bred in the hunting grounds, but also a great opportunity to showcase the emperor's youth and strength, and the princes' excellent horsemanship and archery skills.
It's not easy to come here again.
For the past two weeks, I've been hunting almost every day.
Chen Guanxue sat there, looking somewhat tired. She was distracted while Consort Tong spoke to her, wanting only to go back and catch up on her sleep.
Thinking about all the commotion of the past two weeks, she felt a little overwhelmed.
How much did Emperor Kangxi love hunting deer? Did he have to kill the deer? Did he have to roast and eat the deer in the middle of the day?
They really have to kill it, and they really have to roast it and eat it right at noon.
The game of hunting deer was a symbol of power, and venison was the best part that emperors ate.
[Author's Note]
Yay, normal word count! [rice]
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