"Father!" Princess Wenyi exclaimed as she entered the main hall. She immediately saw the figure she hadn't seen for over a decade on the main bed. The figure was both unfamiliar and familiar. Before she could think, she blurted out the name.
Emperor Kangxi was playing chess with Consort Rong at a crucial moment when he suddenly heard a gentle voice calling out. He looked up and saw his daughter, whom he had once doted on.
"Wen Yi!" Kangxi called out, waving to Wen Yi and signaling her to come over.
Wen Yi fluttered like a butterfly among flowers, not at all like a thirty-year-old woman. She seemed to still be that carefree teenage princess, running and jumping into Kangxi's arms.
"Oh my, my second princess is back." Kangxi hugged Wenyi affectionately, thinking of the princesses who were married off to distant places, most of whom died young, only Wenyi was able to come back.
"Then Wenyi won't leave, okay, Father Emperor?" Wenyi raised her little face and looked at Kangxi emotionally.
Consort Rong quickly said, "How old are you? You're still clinging to your father and acting like a spoiled child. You're such an unruly mother."
Emperor Kangxi raised his hand and gently pinched Wenyi's nose, saying, "Even if my Wenyi becomes the Grandmother, she will always be my Second Princess."
Ignoring Consort Rong's hints, Wen Yi continued to plead, "Father, I really won't leave, okay? This time I came back, I specially brought Asaha and Linna with me. If Father doesn't let me leave, I'll stay here with the two children, okay?"
For a moment, the hall fell silent again. Kangxi gradually suppressed his doting smile, and Wenyi sat up straight from his lap.
"Wenyi, this time you returned home because the Dzungar Khan specially wrote to me, granting you permission to come back to visit your family." Kangxi emphasized the words "visit your family."
Wen Yi understood perfectly well, but she was still unwilling to give up. She took Kangxi's hand and said, "Father, it is fine for the princess to return to the capital and establish her own residence. Mother is getting old, and Wen Yi wants to spend more time with her."
Emperor Kangxi patted Wenyi's hand and said softly, "This time, you can stay until after the New Year and spend the New Year with your mother. As for Ashaha and Linna, I have gifts to give to my grandsons."
Before Wen Yi could say anything more, Consort Rong quickly smiled and said, "Wen Yi, go and bring those two children to your father, the Emperor."
Qin Momo quickly pulled Wen Yi aside and led her out.
"Wenyi was only thinking of Your Majesty and me, which is why she said those foolish things. Your Majesty shouldn't take it to heart." Seeing Kangxi sitting there with a gloomy expression, Consort Rong continued, "Your Majesty is about to win this game of chess. Why don't we finish it?"
Emperor Kangxi said calmly, "Is Consort Rong deliberately letting me off the hook? It's fine if she doesn't go down then."
The smile on the emperor's face gradually faded, disappearing without a trace like ripples on a lake.
Consort Rong quickly stood up, curtsied, and said, "It's all my fault. I will persuade Wenyi."
Emperor Kangxi's expression softened slightly, and he said to Consort Rong, "In a few days, I will host a banquet for Wenyi. Please invite Ma Jia's people in. Wenyi's brothers and sisters-in-law will also be there. Today, I will not dine with you and your children. Later, I will have someone send gifts for the two children."
Consort Rong quickly curtsied again and said, "On behalf of Wenyi, I thank Your Majesty for your kindness. Wenyi is too spoiled; it is all my fault for indulging her. Your Majesty really did not need to make such a fuss for her."
Kangxi stood up, unconsciously adjusting his dragon-patterned robe sleeves, stepped down from the main seat, and walked towards the door.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off." Behind her, Consort Rong bowed respectfully.
After the emperor had walked away, Consort Rong stood up, the smile on her face long gone.
"Mother, when did you become so unbearable in front of Father Emperor?" Princess Wenyi asked tearfully, hiding in the warm pavilion.
"You've seen it all. Now, your mother only has the title of Consort Rong left. Lady Ma Jia is no longer what she used to be." Consort Rong seemed extremely tired. She looked at the unfinished Go game and said, "Put it all away. I don't want to play Go anymore."
“Mother, Father used to dote on you a lot. You even bore him the most children. Why are you not as favored as Consort De and Consort Yi now?”
Consort Rong gave a bitter laugh and said, "Those things are not for you to know, nor are they things you can control. My seventh and eighth princes couldn't be saved, and since then, I haven't been the same as before. I finally survived Empress Xiaozhaoren, but then came Consort Tong, then Consort De, and now Consort Yi. I only hope that you are doing well. Your third brother is the one I worry about the most, and with my fifth brother like that, at least things are peaceful."
Wen Yi emerged, her makeup already ruined by tears. Despite being a woman of privilege, who could understand the sorrow in her heart? Although she was married to the Dzungar Khan and greatly favored, she couldn't suppress her longing for her homeland.
"Fine, let the Khan lead his troops to fight. Then I'll take Mother and daughter to live with me." Wenyi wiped away her tears and said, "When I persuaded my daughter to marry him, I promised to treat Mother well, but what kind of situation is Mother in now?"
"Your mother is getting old. Being born into the royal family has brought this result," Consort Rong said, suppressing the bitterness in her heart.
“Then Consort De is old, and Consort Yi is not young either. Why is it only Mother who is like this? Mother’s seniority is much longer than theirs. I had no idea how difficult Mother’s life has been all these years.” Wen Yi calmed down and wiped away her tears.
"Wenyi, you're a mother now too. In the end, you should just bear with it for the sake of the child. You've finally come back for a visit, so don't think about these things anymore. Go visit your maternal grandmother's house tomorrow." Consort Rong has fallen out of favor in recent years and has had less contact with her family.
"They don't care about Mother, why should I give them face? Didn't Father say they were invited to the palace banquet?" Wen Yi said disdainfully.
“A palace banquet is a palace banquet. Your mother can no longer bring any glory to Lady Magiya. Now your imperial father values you so much, firstly because he has missed you all these years and truly loved you; secondly, you are the Princess Consort of the Dzungar Khanate, and this relationship is crucial. Besides, why talk such nonsense? You've already given birth to a child, how can you not go back?” Consort Rong said.
“Mother, I’ll listen to you. Let the men sort out their own affairs. Tomorrow, I’ll take the two children to explore Beijing. They’ve lived on the grasslands since they were little and have never seen a bustling capital. I want them to remember the splendor of Beijing and, if they have the chance in the future, to be like their father,” Wen Yi couldn’t help but say.
That evening, Kangxi opened the letter from the Dzungar Khan, read it, and then stayed in the Qianqing Palace. Finally, he instructed Liang Jiugong to go to Consort Rong's palace to deliver an imperial edict, ordering Consort Rong to accompany him in the Qianqing Palace.
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