Looking at the surrendered Dzungar people before him, Ertai felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration. Although fighting on the battlefield was exhilarating, he was more anxious and devoted to his princess. Now, seeing them surrender was like seeing the capital city again, with the princess standing at the palace gates to welcome their triumphant return.
Ertai pondered for a moment, then led the surrendered men to join the main army.
Then he witnessed a scene he would never forget: yes, the main force of the Dzungar Khanate had also surrendered. They had won and could return to Beijing.
Fu Ertai, who thought he had become cold-hearted, was now moved to tears. Looking at those who surrendered, they felt as if the capital was beckoning to them.
That evening, the Qing government invited all the Dzungar generals to its camp to discuss their surrender.
As a result, when the Dzungar generals arrived at the Qing camp, they all lowered their heads and acted like quails.
Compared to the ashen-faced Dzungars, the Qing side was overjoyed, and morale was greatly boosted.
Hailancha also drank a couple more glasses of wine out of excitement. Afterwards, they signed some minor agreements, and their coach said he would go back and discuss the rest with their king.
Hailancha was a seasoned veteran; how could he let them go back so easily? He simply said that he would send the soldier who usually kept in contact with the royal family back to report the news.
The Dzungars had no choice but to send one person back to report as instructed by the Qing Dynasty, while the rest were treated to good food and drink in the Qing camp. Hailancha also sent a soldier back on horseback as quickly as possible to report the news.
*
Two days later
The Emperor had just finished the morning court session and was reviewing memorials in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. He was looking at the memorial submitted by Ali Khoja, a Hui Muslim, who said that Ali would arrive in Beijing soon.
The Emperor frowned, lost in thought. In recent days, the Hui tribes on the border had been rather unsettled. The Hui had even fought several battles, though victories were won, but many had perished.
This time they probably came prepared, and it's likely another tribe that wants to get involved with the Qing Dynasty.
The Emperor isn't afraid; he's offering them some incentives and protecting them for now. His fear is that they might gradually grow stronger and no longer need the Qing's aid, only to turn against the Qing and bite back – that would truly be nurturing a wolf with treacherous ambitions.
The Emperor frowned deeply, and the Hall of Mental Cultivation felt like an ice cellar. Li Yu and Xiao Luzi stood beside him, trembling with fear, not daring to breathe. The other eunuchs serving before the Emperor dared not utter a sound either.
Just then, a guard rushed in with good news.
Xiao Luzi was about to step forward to stop the guard when Li Yu, being more experienced, quickly stopped him.
Judging from the guard's joyful expression, something wonderful must have happened. This guard arrived just in time; he's saved them from dire straits.
Now, in Li Yu's eyes, the guard was no different from a Bodhisattva who saved people from suffering. He's here, he's here, he's coming with good news.
The guard knelt before the emperor with great excitement and said in a resounding voice, "Your Majesty has won a great victory! The Qing Dynasty has won the battle against the Dzungars! General Hailancha was the first to send the guard back to report the victory."
Upon hearing this, both Li Yu and Xiao Luzi were overjoyed. The Emperor hadn't had a proper rest in the past few days, constantly talking about the Dzungar campaign or other border tribes.
Now that the Dzungars have won this battle, the Emperor can finally relax and relieve himself of a burden.
As expected, the Emperor was overjoyed, rising abruptly from his throne and exclaiming three times, "Excellent! Excellent! The Qing Dynasty has won! But when will we return to the capital?"
"The guard reported that some clauses have not yet been signed, and General Hailancha is urging the Dzungars to sign them," the guard said truthfully, head bowed.
Even so, the Emperor was very pleased. "Good, have that guard tell Hailancha to make sure all the terms are implemented. I will prepare a victory banquet for them in the palace and wait for their triumphant return."
The guard was also very excited. He replied with a "Yes" and strode out.
The emperor was so happy he didn't know what to do, and his right hand kept touching his bald head.
"Li Yu, go to Cining Palace and tell An'an this news." The Emperor wandered around Yangxin Hall for a long time before remembering to tell An'an the good news first. "I was worried before and kept the battle reports from the front from her. Now I can put her mind at ease."
"Yes, this servant will go right away." Li Yu smiled, his face full of wrinkles. As long as the emperor was happy, he was happy.
When the Emperor sat down at the table again to read the memorials, he was still all smiles. Even when reading the dry and tedious memorials from local officials, the Emperor would wave his hand dismissively and simply say "read" in a good mood.
With the Emperor in a better mood, everything in the Hall of Mental Cultivation naturally came back to life, and spring returned with warmth. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
*
Cining Palace
At this moment, Li Yu arrived at Cining Palace but did not see Princess Yong'an. He caught a young palace maid and questioned her, only to learn that the princess had taken Qinggege to Ruyi Pavilion. However, the maid did not know exactly what they were doing there. Li Yu did not press the matter further and simply told the maid to go about her business.
Li Yu had no choice but to turn around and make the arduous trip to the Ruyi Pavilion. The Empress Dowager was taking a nap and had no idea that Li Yu had come to the Cining Palace. Otherwise, she would have known about this firsthand "news."
*
Ruyi Pavilion
Although Benjamin went to Jinan with Yongqi to investigate, at least he still had his master, Priest Lang, right?
Every day was spent in the Cining Palace, either admiring the scenery or sitting together embroidering and reading. Occasionally, An Ke would take Qing'er out of the palace to visit Prince Rui's residence. An Ke found the days rather dull and monotonous.
Last night, I suddenly had the idea to make some Western-style teacups. Anke had a sudden inspiration and, while the Empress Dowager was taking a nap, dragged Qing'er to Ruyi Pavilion.
The materials she needed were probably all at Ruyi Pavilion, and they could be found there. Anke wasn't disappointed; she indeed found what she needed at Ruyi Pavilion.
Anke taught Qing'er to pinch and poke here and there, and then they followed the example of the Western-style teacups that Priest Lang had taken out and used to color the teacups they had made.
The two compared their teacups, exchanging words as they finished making their tea. Luckily, they had wrapped themselves in cloth beforehand; otherwise, their exquisite new palace attire would likely have been ruined by the paint.
"I'm sure this will look great." Since Anke's hands were covered in paint, she couldn't put her hands directly on her hips, so she put her palms outwards on her hips instead.
"I drew this piece by piece based on Priest Lang's teacup, and I think I can make a teacup that is exactly the same as Priest Lang's." Qing'er was also looking forward to her finished product.
But for Anke, what she likes is novelty and innovation; she would never create an exact replica of a teacup based on an existing one.
Anke: It's not fun if it's exactly the same. Isn't that just copy and paste?
Anke went all out and painted it in all sorts of colors, and Priest Lang watched with a furrowed brow as he did so. No one had ever dared to paint like that before; the princess was definitely the first.
Priest Lang wasn't sure if the teacups would look good this way, but seeing the two girls' high spirits, he couldn't bear to dampen their enthusiasm. Although the coloring process was beyond Priest Lang's comprehension, he still maintained a humble and eager-to-learn demeanor, standing aside and watching.
While the two were waiting for the finished product, the red, green and blue staff from Ruyi Pavilion brought out a small table and two chairs, and also placed hot chocolate on the table.
"Is this the delicious thing Benjamin always talked about?" Qing'er sat in her chair, looking at the dark substance in her teacup. Somewhat incredulous, she leaned closer and took a gentle sniff, discovering a rich, mellow aroma. But this "delicacy"...it looks like Chinese medicine!
While Qing'er was still hesitating, An Ke simply picked up her teacup and drank it down. After all, there was no longer any freedom to buy chocolate; now, she could only come to this Ruyi Pavilion to mooch some.
Yes, Ankoko didn't just come here to paint or make tea. She also had a personal reason for coming: to try some hot chocolate.
It's no exaggeration to say that these days, the only places in the entire palace that have hot chocolate besides the Emperor's residence are probably the Ruyi Pavilion.
Anko is a true chocolate lover, but in this Qing Dynasty, she can't even get a single piece of chocolate. Finally, she meets Benjamin and gets to drink hot chocolate.
Anke: My child loves this, but suddenly we cut it off for him. Who understands?
Seeing An Ke's satisfied expression, Qing'er knew it must be delicious. Qing'er usually liked the same things An Ke liked; their tastes were quite similar.
Qing'er stopped hesitating, picked up the teacup hesitantly, but out of caution, she still took a small sip. But even that small sip was enough to make Qing'er's eyes widen in surprise.
Qing'er finally understood why An Ke always wanted to go to Ruyi Pavilion. She had previously thought An An was obsessed with Western paintings.
Just as Qing'er and An Ke were quietly enjoying their hot chocolate, Li Yu arrived silently. It was the alert and quick-witted Hong Lv Lan who spotted her first.
Then, Li Yu greeted her with a beaming smile, her voice filled with undisguised joy, "Princess, His Majesty has sent me to inform you that the Qing Dynasty has won! The Dzungars have won this battle! The army will soon be returning to the capital."
Fortunately, Anke wasn't holding anything, otherwise, in such a state of excitement, she might have dropped what she was holding.
Of course, Anke was also overjoyed. "Really? Fine, I'll go ask myself." Anke couldn't wait to hear the good news.
An Ke ran quickly toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The eunuchs and maids in the palace were just wondering what had happened that could make such a calm princess lose her composure.
Qing'er was happy for An'an. With this victory, Fu'ertai would be returning. Although An'an didn't say it on the surface, Qing'er could tell that An'an cared about Fu'ertai.
Several times I passed by An'an's study and saw the light on. Several times I also stood at An'an's desk looking at the crumpled papers. I watched An'an struggle to pick up her pen several times, only to hesitate and put it down again. Qing'er felt everything An'an went through.
Just before leaving Ruyi Pavilion, An Ke turned around and glanced at Qing'er. Qing'er nodded at An Ke, and only then did An Ke feel relieved and head towards Yangxin Hall.
Qing'er knew that An'an was worried about her and afraid that she would be unhappy. But with such delicious hot chocolate, and being able to be the first to see the finished product made by her and An'an, wasn't this a wonderful thing?
*
Hall of Mental Cultivation
The guards outside the hall did not stop Princess Yong'an as she ran towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation. After all, the Emperor had already decreed long ago that Princess Yong'an was free to enter and leave the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Hearing the mingling footsteps, the Emperor secretly curled the corners of his lips. The moment An Ke arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Emperor had already put down his memorials and looked up.
"I knew you were coming," the Emperor said, looking at his niece with great affection. "I've already had some flower tea and cloud cakes prepared for you. Rest for a while. Ask me anything you want to ask, and I'll answer you one by one."
Anke had run all the way here and was feeling a bit thirsty, so she sat down without any hesitation. The flower tea had cooled down a bit and was now just the right temperature.
After drinking a cup of flower tea, Anke felt her dry throat was relieved.
"Alright, what do you want to ask?" The Emperor's memorials have been mostly reviewed. Today's memorials, apart from a few concerning official matters, were mostly greetings to him. So it didn't take much effort.
"Did they really win? Uncle, I've been asking you about the Dzungars lately, but you've been avoiding the topic." Anke blurted out impatiently, "What about Nartai? Is he injured?"
"You really won? Are you questioning Hailancha's strength?" The Emperor, who was not used to drinking flower tea, picked up the Longjing tea next to him, took a few sips, and said slowly, "I didn't tell you before because I was afraid you would be anxious. A few days ago, the battle reports came in one after another like snowflakes."
"Hailancha was in a bit of a rush at the front, and his planning in the first battle went wrong. Ertai was injured and even fell unconscious. How could I tell you at the time?" The Emperor was also thinking of Anke's safety; the fewer people who knew, the less they would worry. "But don't worry, his injuries have long since healed. I heard that Ertai even made great contributions in the final battle."
Anke's brows were furrowed, and her face looked as bitter as a bitter gourd.
"Look at you, I knew it was right to keep it from you back then. Look at that bitter face." The Emperor reached out and smoothed An Ke's brow. "Hailancha said in his letter that Ertai performed well in the army and got along very well with the soldiers. This time, he deserved the greatest credit for the battle against the Dzungars. Now I don't have to worry about you anymore."
An Ke had been building up her emotions, but upon hearing the Emperor's words, she instantly lost it. "What do you mean by worrying about An An?"
"He has made a great contribution this time, shouldn't I reward him accordingly? He's the one who made the greatest contribution. If he uses the reward I gave him to ask for the princess's hand in marriage, do you think I should agree or not?" The Emperor held his teacup and looked at An Ke with a mocking expression.
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