Chapter 93 A Very Sensitive Little Dog: "Alright, didn't we agree that once we leave the palace, we won't go home, we'll head straight to the estate..."
"Alright, didn't we agree that once we leave the palace, we won't go home, but will head straight to the estate and stay for another two or three days? We'll definitely be able to hunt deer and yellow sheep there."
"Do I care about that? That's not what I cared about from the beginning."
"Yes, yes, I know that the prince doesn't care about this. It's just a deer. He gave it to the crown prince. It's not like it's anything rare, right?"
"you!"
I said city gate tower, you said hip bone elbow. Yu Lang was so angry at Shen Wanqing, who thought she was particularly understanding, that he was barely hanging on and was extremely restless in the carriage.
He wanted to move away from Shen Wanqing, but the carriage was only so big. He thought about just rushing out to ride a horse and ignoring her, but Shen Wanqing kept holding onto his arm and wouldn't let go.
"Let go of me, I'm going out to ride a horse."
"No, you must explain what exactly happened."
Shen Wanqing had vaguely sensed that Yulang was challenging her, but she couldn't figure out why, so she stayed with him at the estate day after day.
Originally, they caught a deer today, and Shen Wanqing specially sent someone back to Hesheli's house to get several jars of good wine. They planned to roast the meat and drink the wine tonight, and then they would have to say everything that could and couldn't be said.
Who knew the Crown Prince and Crown Princess would interfere again? This couple is really something else; they've only been married for seven days and they're already in such a hurry to bring me and Yulang to the palace. What, can't you two live without me and Yulang?
"The clouds have cleared after the storm!"
"I'm here, don't shout into people's ears."
"Grandma" is what Yulang calls her in front of outsiders. My "Grandma" is called more often in the East Courtyard or when there are no outsiders. When it's Jiyun's turn to be called, outsiders can't hear it.
But if someone calls out Shen Jiyun by his full name, it means they're really angry. Since they're angry, Shen Wanqing doesn't dare to joke around anymore. She just can't figure out what she did to offend this guy these past few days.
"I didn't shout, I didn't shout at you."
Upon hearing Shen Wanqing's words, Yu Lang forcibly lowered his voice considerably, and even reached out to rub Shen Wanqing's ear a couple of times, as if he was genuinely afraid that his loud voice had damaged Shen Wanqing's 'fragile' ears.
He knew he was being unreasonable; hunting was all about luck.
Shen Wanqing has always been someone who likes to arrange things meticulously. She dislikes surprises and being caught off guard. She doesn't even care much about whether there are surprises or not. She just wants everything to be under her control, and it would be best if things didn't go too far or cause any trouble.
So no matter what she hunted on her first day, Shen Wanqing would always prepare something else for dinner. If she was unlucky and only hunted two foxes and a rabbit, the fox fur would need to be processed separately, and the rabbit meat was scarce and had a fishy smell if not properly prepared, so it was perfectly fine not to eat either of them.
But Yu Lang felt a strange surge of anger rising within him, and he couldn't explain why or how he could answer Shen Wanqing. If he said anything more, he would be seen as being unreasonable. Why make things worse when they were on a nice trip?
My dog suddenly drooped its tail, lowered its head, and turned its head to the other side, not letting me see its face.
Several maids sat in the small carriage behind them, which made it convenient for Shen Wanqing to use violence to forcibly turn Yu Lang's head back.
"Speak! What is it?"
"I can't explain it."
Shen Wanqing was quite strong, especially compared to those delicate women who were often teased and joked about on the stage and among the guards. Yu Lang sometimes even felt that his mistress could strangle one of them with one hand when she got angry.
But no matter how strong she was, she couldn't compare to Yu Lang. If Yu Lang really wanted to argue with her right now, Shen Wanqing wouldn't be able to do anything to him even if she used all her strength. But Yu Lang couldn't bear to, so he could only turn his body around again following her force.
"Really, it's just a little discomfort. If my eldest mistress hadn't given in to me the other day, she would have come back from the estate that very day, and maybe this little bit of discomfort would have been gone by now."
People are like that, you can't spoil them. If you give them a little more, they'll want more. Of course, Yu Lang knew that Shen Wanqing felt that he had been too busy and tired working at Yuqing Palace for the past year or two, and had no free time at all, which was why she was willing to accompany him day after day to wait for the silly dog.
She's already spoiled me so much, can't she give me a little more? Yu Lang couldn't say how much more he wanted from Shen Wanqing, he just instinctively knew that his great-grandmother still had so much more to give him.
"Then I won't ask?"
"Don't ask anymore, it'll be fine in a little while."
Shen Wanqing gently stroked the back of Yu Lang's neck with her warm palm, and she roughly knew why the boy was acting strangely.
It wasn't that she hunted the rabbit for him but didn't eat it herself, nor was it that she failed to be a gentle, considerate, and understanding woman who relied on him in everything. It was that he had already seen into her heart, and there was still far too little she could give him.
Such a thing was originally so secretive, but it was so blatantly obvious in the eyes of lovers. He had already sensed it, and Shen Wanqing had nothing to say or refute it.
But Shen Wanqing had no choice. It wasn't that she didn't want to immerse herself in a marriage of convenience that blossomed into love, but the cost was too high, so high that Shen Wanqing couldn't instinctively get into it.
Of course she knew that true love was rare, and she also knew that at least at this moment, Yu Lang's heart was completely genuine. Shen Wanqing would be the first to disagree with anyone who questioned the authenticity of this affection.
But knowing is one thing, but this isn't a card game where I can always follow your lead. In fact, I can't keep up.
"Madam, aren't you going to ask why the Crown Prince summoned us to the palace today?"
"Then let me ask, why did the Crown Prince summon us to the palace?"
Shen Wanqing used all the techniques she used to use to pet dogs and cats, and the carriage rushed from the manor into the capital. Only then did Lord Yu manage to calm down and look up at his great-grandmother.
"His Majesty wants to attack Galdan. The Crown Prince had already discussed this matter privately before his wedding. Now that the Crown Prince's marriage is settled, there are even fewer concerns about attacking Galdan."
"Do you really have to go? Doesn't the Crown Prince need you by his side?"
As a Zuo Ling of the Plain Yellow Banner, Yu Lang certainly didn't enjoy so many preferential treatments and powers for nothing.
When the court is at war, as a captain, one must lead the cavalry and infantry under one's command to fight; this is both an obligation and a duty. Yu Lang said this to divert Shen Wanqing's attention from what had just happened, but he did not expect Shen Wanqing to ask him this question.
"Not only can we not go, we absolutely must go. Whether His Majesty leads the campaign personally or not, the Crown Prince cannot leave the capital. Lord Suo has been staying at his residence long enough; his illness should be almost cured by the end of the year."
After all, he had been "sick" for so long, and there were many people and things he needed to contact and stabilize before returning to public life. It was highly likely that the Emperor would not take him on his campaign. If Suo'etu was not going, then who else could the Crown Prince send out? It was none other than himself.
"The firearms battalion is almost ready. No matter how valuable the firearms battalion is, it can't just be for show and not used. This time, we will definitely take it out to test its power."
Akdun, Suhe, and Martai have all joined the firearms battalion. The Crown Prince will surely find a way to let me lead another squad; that way, I'll be safer at the front and more likely to earn merit.”
He didn't really intend to follow the path of a courtier or a favorite. Even though Suo'etu was so arrogant and domineering now, he was once capable of leading troops and achieving great things.
He couldn't possibly guard the Crown Prince's door for his entire life; even the most devoted guard was still just a guard.
In time, the Crown Prince will no longer favor him as much as he does now. There are only so many positions available for him, and if he doesn't move up, he will definitely be squeezed out by the newcomers.
Shen Wanqing understood this principle without Yu Lang needing to elaborate. She wasn't entirely unprepared for Yu Lang, as a Zuo Ling (military commander), to go out to fight. In fact, Yu Lang had already led his Zuo Ling men into battle during the first campaign against Galdan.
But that kind of preparation was vague and unrealistic; it was all in the past. To Shen Wanqing, it sounded more like a story, something she could just listen to and forget.
Shen Wanqing is quite timid. In the past, during holidays, she was too afraid to squeeze into the city center because of the large crowds, fearing she would be pushed and fall.
Now that it's suddenly said that Kangxi is really going to fight against Galdan Yulang, Shen Wanqing is very clear-headed, but her fingers still can't help but feel numb.
"It's alright, Grandma, don't overthink it. I'm still a Zuo Ling, and I have Akdun and the others under me. Even if I were a vanguard, I wouldn't be one of the first to charge into battle."
"You're just saying these things to fool me, taking advantage of the fact that I can't go or see them and I don't know anything about this. So whatever you say goes."
"Really, really, how could I dare to lie to Grandma? Grandma and I haven't had enough of our life together yet, and we must live to be a hundred years old."
Yu Lang, who had always been deliberately trying to find out how much of himself Shen Wanqing cared about him, suddenly felt satisfied.
Just moments ago, he was itching to question Shen Wanqing: "Do you love me? How much do you love me? Can you love me even more?" But now he's turned around and is comforting his wife.
It's as if swords and blades have eyes, because Lord Yu is going to stay with his mistress forever, so he definitely won't bump into or get close to him.
Shen Wanqing certainly didn't believe him, but when people have no other choice, they have to believe it.
Shen Wanqing didn't know how to fight this battle either, so she didn't know where to start asking questions. She could only hold Yu Lang's hand tightly with her fingers and wait silently for her emotions to calm down.
The carriage was cramped, making it difficult to calm her emotions. After getting off the carriage, she followed He Yuzhu into the palace and walked towards Yuqing Palace. Looking at the Forbidden City, which seemed completely different from what she had seen seven days ago, Shen Wanqing's mood slowly calmed down.
I've been to the Palace Museum before, but back then I was too busy taking photos, queuing, and getting stamps on the souvenirs I bought. I didn't really think about what the palace was like or what it felt like.
Walking along the palace path with Yu Lang, the overwhelming sense of oppression was so real that Shen Wanqing completely dispelled her earlier sentimentality. She was about to meet the Crown Prince and Crown Princess; Yu Lang's little crush on her should wait.
"This humble servant, Lady Shen, wife of Zuo Ling Hesheli Yulang, pays her respects to Your Highness the Crown Princess."
"Get up, get up. What kind of relationship do we have that you need to be so formal with? I sent people to your house to look for you before, and you were lucky if you came to the manor once out of three times. Now look what's happened, it's much harder for you to see me than before."
He Yuzhu left the palace in the morning with the jade ruyi, and it was already late afternoon when the two of them entered the palace. Every day at 5 pm, the palace gates had to be locked, and ministers, relatives of the imperial family, and noblewomen who were summoned to the palace had to leave before this time.
"This servant thinks it's not bad as it is now. I not only received a favor but also a reward when I saw Her Majesty. I was the first person Her Majesty summoned when she entered Yuqing Palace. Her Majesty has given me such a great honor, how could I be so arrogant?"
"The pair of jade ruyi scepters that He Yuzhu presented to me on behalf of Her Majesty today are exquisitely crafted. I've never seen such beautiful and small ruyi scepters before. Next time Her Majesty wants to see me, she'll be in trouble; what could possibly be better than these ruyi scepters?"
He was all smiles and called himself a servant at first, but before he could even finish a sentence, he immediately reverted to his true colors with his "you" and "me" in his speech.
She still has the nerve to ask me for a reward; there's simply no one in the world bolder than her.
Shi Qionghua had no doubt that this was because Shen Wanqing was a woman and rarely saw the Emperor. If she were given a chance to see the Emperor, she would have plundered everything in the Qianqing Palace's treasury in just a few times.
Despite her complaints, Shi Qionghua still liked Shen Wanqing's personality. The seven days she had spent in Yuqing Palace were not bad. As the Crown Princess, everyone treated her with great respect. The Crown Prince had privately said that he wanted to be an ordinary couple with her, and in Yuqing Palace, he never put on airs as the Crown Prince.
"That afternoon I was busy packing up the dowry I brought in, which covered the inside and outside of the house. He had nowhere to put his feet, so he simply took off his shoes and curled up on the warm couch to read a book."
"When I get busy, I don't care about anything else. I just put things on the couch when the floor is full. I only thought that it was okay to put the silks and satins on the couch cleanly. Only after I finished tidying up did I see that the Crown Prince and several eunuchs in front of him were looking at me with troubled expressions."
At the time, Shi Qionghua was busy packing her dowry into the storeroom, her mind entirely focused on directing the palace maids and nannies. When everything was almost packed up and she finally had a place to stand, she looked back and realized that she had squeezed the Crown Prince into a corner to read a book, and he could only sit cross-legged and not stretch his legs out.
“I was terrified at that moment, afraid of offending the Crown Prince. I didn’t expect him to not say anything, and even told me that it was okay if I didn’t finish cleaning today, and that I could have the servants clean up the side hall tonight, and I could sleep there.”
"That's great! The Crown Prince is so considerate of the Empress; things will definitely get better and better from now on."
Only seven days later, Shi Qionghua came to the palace to see her. Shen Wanqing didn't believe that Shi Qionghua simply wanted to see her; there must be something else she hadn't said.
"I knew that even if I said nice things first, I couldn't fool you. I really have something to tell you today."
"Now that I have accepted Your Highness's jade ruyi, I naturally want to share your burdens in everything."
"He who takes a man's gift is bound to be grateful," and Shen Wanqing had already received many benefits from Shi Qionghua. She could already imagine how lively the Hesheli family would be tomorrow after she left the palace. The Crown Princess had summoned Shen Shi so eagerly after marrying into the palace; she was certainly making quite a splash.
"His Majesty wants me to help the Consort manage the inner palace. What do you think, is it possible to agree to this?"
"Of course not!"
Shen Wanqing was dumbfounded. What logic or reason? If everyone could live their lives based on logic, what use would those old-fashioned mediators be in later generations?
Not only does she have to manage the household for her father-in-law, but she also has a bunch of concubines in the house, and each of them comes from a powerful or wealthy family. What kind of hellish scene is this? Shen Wanqing was terrified just thinking about it.
He disregarded all notions of hierarchy and shook his head vigorously, saying, "Your Majesty, if you want to live a few more years in peace, please don't touch this matter."
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