After Fu Lun returned to the mansion, the Fujin (wife of the emperor) went to question him again. Upon receiving an affirmative answer, she was incredulous. Then, upon seeing her injured eldest son, she fainted.
Of course, these are all things for later, and no one will care.
When Fu Kang'an received the imperial decree to go to the battlefield, he was completely incredulous. Although his father was strict with him, he had never intended to take him to the battlefield.
Even when he wanted to go to the battlefield with his father two years ago, his face immediately darkened, and he was severely reprimanded. He was told to stay home and fulfill his filial duties to his father.
So when he received the decree, he was still a little dizzy, as if he were walking on clouds, it felt unreal. He subconsciously glanced at his father, and seeing his father's calm expression, he knew that his father must have agreed.
So, he was too excited to sleep in the middle of the night and ran out into the yard to do a set of punches. Fu Heng was woken up by the noise outside and rolled his eyes to the sky.
Looking at his wife sleeping soundly in his arms, Fu Heng had no choice but to put on his coat and walk towards the excited, manic person outside.
He quietly walked up behind Fu Kang'an and asked, "Why are you here so late at night instead of sleeping?" Fu Heng had tried his best to calm his anger.
Fu Kang'an was still lost in his thoughts when he was suddenly interrupted, which startled him. "I just have some trouble sleeping."
This family has always followed the principle of a kind mother and a strict father. Since his father was often away on military campaigns, his impression of him was limited to the stern face he used to discipline him. However, Fu Kang'an was extremely obedient in front of Fu Heng.
No one knows a son better than his father. Although Fuheng was strict, he still paid close attention to his son's every move. Just like today, when he received the imperial decree to go to the battlefield, the joy in his eyes was impossible to hide.
"You want to set off as soon as possible, don't you?" Fu Heng walked ahead, with Fu Kang'an following behind. The moonlight shone on the two of them, like a dream.
“Nothing can be hidden from Father.” Fu Kang’an said bluntly; he didn’t like beating around the bush.
“I also think now is the perfect time; the opportunity cannot be delayed. Tomorrow, I will personally advise the Emperor.” Fu Heng had thoroughly analyzed the battle. This was also a way of indirectly satisfying his son. “It’s too late, go to sleep early.”
Fu Heng turned and left. Fu Kang'an respectfully bowed to Fu Heng, and then returned to his own courtyard, satisfied.
The next morning, after the court session, the emperor had just returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and was about to review memorials when he heard Li Yu say that Fu Heng was requesting an audience.
The Emperor rubbed his temples and said "Approved." After meeting the Emperor, Fu Heng poured out his analysis to him.
In short, Fuheng stayed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation for nearly half an hour that day. And shortly after Fuheng left, the Emperor issued an edict ordering the army to set off.
The army set off to quell the Dzungar rebellion. The Emperor stood atop the city wall, encouraging and inspiring the soldiers who were about to go to battle.
Anke was dragged out of bed very early in the morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten. Yawning, Anke hurriedly went up to the city wall, and the moment she stood on the wall, she quickly composed herself.
Outside the palace, she is the elegant and dignified Princess Yong'an. Yes, Princess Yong'an—Ever since her departure from the palace, the Emperor has issued an edict. She is now known as Princess Yong'an both inside and outside the palace.
Ertai was even more excited as he watched the princess approach. Having someone he loved cheering him on was a thrilling experience.
An Ke smiled, her eyes crinkling, and opened her mouth to say something to Ertai.
As Ertai watched Anke's lips move, tears welled up in his eyes. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was looking, he quickly reached out and wiped them away.
Anke: I'll wait for you to come back!
"Let's go!!" With Hailancha's shout, the large army set off in a mighty procession.
*
After Ertai left, Anke continued with her life as usual, but in the quiet of the night, she would always think of that fool who had tried so hard to please her. Counting the days, he should be here by now. She could only pray for his safety.
Time flies, and the time has come quickly for Ziker to write to the Emperor to ask for his arrival in the capital.
Because Fu Erkang was given 50 lashes, he is still recovering at home and hasn't gone out to cause trouble.
Of course, even though he was confined at home, his temper didn't improve, and the sound of porcelain clattering could be heard from his room all day long.
Especially after learning that Ertai had gone to the battlefield, the noise that day never stopped, and the mansion could only keep sending porcelain to the eldest young master's room.
The servants who delivered the porcelain couldn't help but sigh. The kind and gentle young master of the past was gone forever. The young master had become irritable, easily angered, and unpredictable.
Especially after learning that the second young master—no, now he should be called the commander of Fuying—was in a fit of rage.
The Princess Consort had tried to persuade him, fearing that the walls might overhear. She worried that Erkang's actions might reach the Emperor's ears. Wouldn't that imply dissatisfaction with the Emperor's decree? But just as Ertai had said, he continued to do as he pleased.
The Princess Consort had considered having Fu Lun come and persuade him to be punished. Fu Lun came as instructed, but seeing his listless and dejected appearance, he was also annoyed.
Fu Erkang blamed Fu Lun for his demotion. He felt that if his father had pleaded for him, he wouldn't have been demoted. Besides resenting the emperor and his father, he also resented his younger brother.
In the past few days, the Empress Dowager also learned about the secret of Shufangzhai from Anke and Qing'er.
Qing'er's description was somewhat euphemistic; she didn't mention that Ziwei frequently gazed at the Emperor with tender affection. An Ke, having nothing to hide, told the Empress Dowager everything she had seen and heard along the way.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager was alarmed. What was Ziwei up to? Was this related to the Fu family? The more the Empress Dowager thought about it, the more restless she became. She made a decisive decision to go to Shufangzhai to see Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei, to find out their attitude.
If Ziwei knew she was the emperor's daughter and still acted with such affection, then she could not be allowed to live; the royal family would not tolerate such a scandal. The Empress Dowager's eyes narrowed dangerously.
An Ke and Qing'er followed closely behind, but just then, the emperor's eunuch Xiao Luzi came to invite An Ke.
Presumably it was some political matter, An Ke had no choice but to follow Xiao Luzi to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Before leaving, Anke exchanged a glance with Qing'er, who nodded cautiously.
Upon arriving at Shufangzhai, the Empress Dowager ordered all the servants to leave, leaving only Qing'er, Xiao Yanzi, and Ziwei.
Xiao Yanzi and Qing'er were still a little at a loss, not knowing why the Empress Dowager had come.
After they had paid their respects, the Empress Dowager told them to rise.
Then, the Empress Dowager sat upright at the head of the table, calmly watching Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei. Under such a calm gaze, Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei's hearts were pounding.
"I have heard from An'an and Qing'er about what happened between you two." The Empress Dowager decided to test the waters first, saying only one sentence before observing their expressions.
Xiao Yanzi looked panicked; she was only worried that An Ke would hold a grudge against her and say something exaggerated. Ziwei also looked worried, but she was worried about Xiao Yanzi's and her own situation.
"Little Swallow, since you knew that Ziwei was the emperor's daughter, why didn't you say so in the first place?" The Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the table, feigning anger.
Little Swallow stammered, "I...I was scared at first too. But when I was about to tell Father Emperor, the Empress told me that impersonating a princess was a capital offense. I...I don't want to die." Whether she didn't want to die or couldn't bear to give up the riches and honors of the palace, we can only speculate.
"Then whose idea was it for Ziwei to enter the palace as a maid?" The Empress Dowager pressed on with another question. "You are impersonating a princess and harboring a real princess. You have committed the heinous crime of deceiving the emperor. Where do you place the emperor?" This was what angered the Empress Dowager the most; the royal bloodline must not be confused.
They clearly knew the seriousness of the matter, yet they still took the risk. The Empress Dowager even suspected that there was someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"It took Empress Dowager Ziwei more than ten years to finally reach my father," Ziwei began her old routine, appealing to his emotions and reasoning with him. "After finding no way to reach him anywhere in the capital, I learned that the Emperor was going hunting in the Western Hills, so I thought I'd try my luck there. But I didn't expect that my body was too weak to climb over that high mountain, so I could only ask Xiao Yanzi to deliver the letter for me."
"The Empress Dowager already knows what happened next. Xiao Yanzi was shot by the Fifth Prince with an arrow and fell into a coma, entering the palace. After entering the palace, she became a princess in a daze, and after the Empress's words, she began to be afraid." Ziwei said, her eyes lowered, almost weeping. "Later, Xiao Yanzi committed a crime in the palace, and the Emperor punished her. I was afraid that she would say something she shouldn't have, so I thought of entering the palace as a maid to stay by her side. I also hoped that one day the Emperor would discover that I was his daughter."
What they said was very touching, but the Empress Dowager was not impressed. She felt that every word they uttered was an attempt to smear the Empress. She was already very angry.
“It’s not appropriate to tell the Emperor about your affairs right now,” the Empress Dowager said, her head throbbing from their arguments. She couldn’t reason with them; on the contrary, they had a whole host of fallacies. “Little Swallow, if you want to keep your head, you’d better stay quietly in Shufangzhai these next few days.”
"The Mongolian prince will be coming to Beijing in the next few days, so you'd better not go out and embarrass yourself." The Empress Dowager spoke very bluntly, practically stating that she didn't know any manners.
"We'll discuss these matters between you after the Mongolian prince has left," the Empress Dowager declared decisively, then departed without hesitation.
Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei exchanged a glance, and could only bow respectfully to the Empress Dowager and reply, "Yes."
*
Upon learning that the Mongol prince was about to arrive at the palace, the emperor, accompanied by civil and military officials, Anke and his son, as well as his daughter Hejing and her husband, were already waiting at the palace gate. (This was the same place where the Empress Dowager had been welcomed back to the palace.)
In front of Ziker and Saiya were a group of masked dancers performing Mongolian dances.
The Emperor stood at the very front, welcoming the Mongol prince, with Anke standing behind him. This was a promise made by the Emperor himself, who had instructed that Princess Yong'an and the Fifth Prince stand side by side behind him.
The welcoming ceremony for the Mongol prince was no less grand and spectacular than the ceremony welcoming the Empress Dowager back to the palace. After all, it was also a demonstration of the nation's strength.
Just then, three more people quietly appeared behind the pillar.
Unsurprisingly, it was Xiao Yanzi, Ziwei, and Jin Suo.
Little Swallow peeked at the grand scene from behind a pillar. Ziwei and Jinsuo watched and tried to dissuade her, urging her to return to Shufangzhai.
"Little Swallow, have you forgotten? The Empress Dowager just told us a few days ago that when the Mongolian prince comes, we should stay properly in Shufangzhai. It's not good for us to sneak out like this." Ziwei was also a little envious; Anke was actually able to stand behind the Emperor. She unconsciously bit her lip, looking exceptionally pitiful.
"Yes, Little Swallow, think about the situation you created to welcome the Empress Dowager. Do you want to create the same situation to welcome the Mongolian Prince?" Jin Suo, seeing that she couldn't persuade her no matter what she did, wanted to remind Little Swallow of the mistake she made back then.
Unexpectedly, Little Swallow wasn't buying it at all and continued to watch down with great interest. She said nonchalantly, "Oh dear, we'll hide behind the pillars and we won't be discovered. I, Little Swallow, would regret it if I didn't see such a grand scene."
Ziwei and Jinsuo still felt it wasn't safe enough, and while trying to persuade her, they prepared to pull Xiaoyanzi back. But how could Xiaoyanzi be moved so easily? They tried to pull Xiaoyanzi for a long time, but she remained as steady as a mountain.
At this moment, Ziker walked steadily down to the ground, clenched his right fist, and placed it on his heart. "Prince Ziker of Mongolia pays his respects to Your Majesty." Then, he took the hada (ceremonial scarf) from Saiya and placed it around the Emperor's neck.
The emperor laughed heartily, grabbed Ziker, and took him upstairs.
Looking at the kneeling officials below, Ziker gave the emperor a thumbs-up with admiration, "Your Majesty, the scenery and customs of the Central Plains are truly different. The Qing Dynasty's land is first-rate."
Who wouldn't want to hear such flattery? The Emperor was no exception. "It is an honor for me that the Mongol prince has traveled all the way to Beijing. I have prepared a state banquet to entertain him." It would be impolite not to reciprocate, and so the two powerful figures began to praise each other.
Saiya was observing the emperor's children with her eyes fixed straight ahead, but she noticed that most of them were the emperor's sons, and there were very few daughters.
When Saiya saw Anke standing quietly to the side, a look of amazement flashed in her eyes. She liked playing with good-looking people. Clearly, this princess was to her liking. So, she smiled at Anke in a friendly manner.
Although Anke was somewhat confused, she simply nodded gently to her out of politeness.
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