In July, the grasslands of northern Mongolia are a verdant expanse, filled with the fragrance of fresh grass and the pungent smell of horse and cow dung. In addition, a faint odor of blood lingers in the air.
Two days ago, a fierce battle took place here. Twenty thousand Qing soldiers were buried here forever, and more than thirty thousand Dzungar people also died here. Their blood seeped deep into the grassland, mingled together, nourishing this land and sustaining tens of thousands of cattle, sheep, and horses.
After this great battle, the Qing army won by a narrow margin, but the number of dead and wounded soldiers was also enormous.
This was the Fourteenth Prince's first time participating in such a real battle, and he was surprisingly unharmed, even demonstrating extraordinary combat abilities and achieving considerable merit. The Eighth and Ninth Princes were both injured, and the Prince of Zhi also displayed exceptional capabilities, successfully leading three thousand elite guards in a surprise attack on the enemy camp, which fundamentally changed the course of the battle at the front.
What Kangxi did not expect was that Galdan, the Dzungar Khan, had actually contacted the Mongol tribes in the southwest and northwest, delaying the Qing army's rendezvous with Kangxi there, making it not so easy to capture Galdan's main camp.
Emperor Kangxi's temper has been unpredictable lately, and no one can figure out what the emperor is thinking.
"Father, how is your headache?" The Fourteenth Prince was having a meal with Emperor Kangxi at the moment.
"I feel much better. With my fourteenth son by my side, I feel much better. Come, eat!" Kangxi had always doted on this son, so he hadn't taken him to the battlefield for a long time. In fact, his other sons had already been to the battlefield by his age.
"Thank you, Father Emperor." The Fourteenth Prince always spoke frankly and openly in front of Kangxi, never hiding his thoughts. This was perhaps one of the reasons Kangxi liked him.
"You came here because your fourth brother helped you?" Kangxi picked up a piece of duck meat for the fourteenth brother.
"Well, I begged him for ages, and he finally agreed after I told him I'd come by myself if he didn't let me!" Fourteen came with the grain transport team.
"Your mother is going to be worried about you," Kangxi said with a smile.
"My mother always treats me like a child, but I'm not a child anymore. I can go to the battlefield now," Fourteen said proudly.
"Yes, my fourteenth son has grown up and is even able to fight for his father." Kangxi said with satisfaction as he looked at him.
Fourteen smiled and continued eating the food in front of him.
"When you were in the capital, did your elder brother, the Crown Prince, attend court every day to handle state affairs? Did your fourth brother live in the palace every day?" Kangxi asked again.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince attends court every morning, and Fourth Brother is almost always in the palace. But let me tell you, the idea of having officials donate grain wasn't yours, Your Highness the Crown Prince or Fourth Brother, but rather Fourth Brother's Consort Niu!" Fourteenth Brother said. He didn't know that the Crown Prince and Emperor Kangxi's memorials only mentioned him, not even Fourth Brother, let alone Lanqin.
Kangxi asked in surprise, "Is that your fourth brother's little princess?"
"Yes, it's her. She even thought of getting wealthy households to donate grain so that their children could take the imperial examinations and become officials!" Fourteen added.
Upon hearing this, Kangxi's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.
After the Fourteenth Prince finished his meal with Emperor Kangxi, he took his leave to visit the Eighth and Ninth Princes.
After the palace maids had taken away the remaining food, Kangxi ordered Liang Jiugong to retreat outside the tent and guard it, preventing anyone from entering.
Kangxi sat behind the octagonal table with his eyes closed, pondered for a while, and then said to the air in front of him, "How is the investigation I asked you to do?"
Suddenly, several dark figures flashed through the air. They were all dressed in black, their faces even covered with black cloth. They were the legendary secret guards. This group was a force directly under the emperor's command; they were the emperor's private spies. Almost no one had ever seen them. They were all selected from ordinary people from a young age. Once they became the emperor's spies, they could never reveal their identities to anyone, not even their families. Concealing their presence at all times was their fundamental skill.
"Your Majesty," the masked man said, "the matter in Yangzhou involves Su Fusheng, the prefect of Yangzhou, the garrison commander, the circuit intendant, and even the provincial governor. They secretly began excavating that cave several years ago. However, he has always maintained close contact with a wealthy local man named Zhou Wangen. It is said that the Zhou family is extremely rich, owning almost all the major banks in Jiangnan."
*Smack!*
Emperor Kangxi slammed his hand hard on the Eight Immortals table, his face extremely gloomy.
"Kill them all! I have been too lenient with them. They dared to manufacture weapons and dragon robes privately. This is tantamount to rebellion," Kangxi said.
None of the men in black on the ground dared to utter a sound. No one could fathom the emperor's mood at this moment, and a single misstep could lead to their deaths.
"Go and investigate further, arrest that man surnamed Zhou. I want to find out from him who their master is," Kangxi said again.
The men in black immediately retreated, appearing and disappearing without a trace as they had come!
Kangxi sat for a while longer, then said to Liang Jiugong, who was waiting outside the tent, "Go and summon Consort Wang!"
Meanwhile, Fourteenth arrived at Eighth Master's tent. Eighth Master had been stabbed in the arm and was resting in his tent. Ninth Master had been shot in the leg and was also sitting in Eighth Master's tent.
"Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother, how are your injuries?" Fourteenth Brother asked.
"Sigh, it's still the same. There aren't many imperial physicians here, and medicine is scarce. My legs are still hurting," the Ninth Prince said with dissatisfaction.
"Alright, this place certainly can't compare to the capital. Fourteenth Prince, you did a really good job this time. Even Father Emperor didn't expect you to go to the battlefield," the Eighth Prince said to the Fourteenth Prince with a smile.
"Hehe, I told you I could fight. Mother was always worried about me. Luckily, Fourth Brother brought me here this time," Fourteenth Brother said.
“Your fourth brother has it the most comfortable. He eats and sleeps well in Kyoto. How can he be as hard-working as we are?” Ninth Master said.
Fourteen thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Fourth Brother isn't having an easy time either. He's busy every day at the Ministry of Revenue raising grain. It's said that many fertile fields in Yangzhou have suffered poor harvests, and he's busy investigating that too." Fourteen said. He felt that it would be better to send him to the battlefield than to have him do those things.
Eighth Master and Ninth Master exchanged a glance, but Fourteenth Master didn't see it!
“Your fourth brother is so tired, why don’t you stay and help him? Why did you come here?” the ninth brother said.
“That won’t do. I have absolutely no interest in those things; they’re not my forte,” Fourteen said.
"Fourteenth Prince, did Father Emperor mention Yangzhou during your meal today?" the Eighth Prince asked under a pretext.
"No, Father Emperor just asked what my Crown Prince and Fourth Brother were busy with in the capital!" Fourteenth Brother replied.
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