Chapter 176 Returning to the Court and Changing Nature
Two days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, an urgent report came from the front lines. This time it was good news: Jilong and others brought a pledge written by Galdan himself to the Qing army, announced their surrender to the Qing, and said that they would not dare to invade Khalkha again.
Emperor Kangxi issued an edict: "If they break their oath again and recklessly commit robbery and other acts of violence, I will prepare my troops and make all necessary preparations to thoroughly punish them without fail!"
Although Galdan presented a handwritten oath, Emperor Kangxi knew that Galdan was cunning and the oath was not to be trusted. Galdan was only pretending to surrender because he saw that the situation was not good. After the Dzungar tribe had a few years to recuperate, Galdan would definitely make a comeback and start another conflict.
Emperor Kangxi ordered the soldiers at the front to do both post-war military affairs and preventative measures, guarding against any possible conspiracies by the Dzungars or a surprise attack to reignite the war.
After several days of maintaining a relaxed exterior but tight interior vigilance, Fuquan received news from his scouts that Galdan had led his remaining troops to the border between Southern and Western Mongolia and was heading straight for the Dzungar tribe with no intention of turning back. Therefore, he made comprehensive arrangements for the withdrawal of troops.
Fuquan led his eldest son, who served as his deputy, back to the capital, while another army led by Prince Gong Changning also set off south.
The first campaign of the Qing Dynasty against the Dzungars came to an end. Although Galdan was not killed and the Dzungar tribe was not completely eradicated, an initial victory was achieved. Galdan's 20,000-strong army was defeated, leaving only a few thousand remnants to retreat back to Western Mongolia, which rendered the Dzungars unable to invade Khalkha again.
Although the campaign against the Dzungars was victorious, the Qing army suffered heavy casualties, with the highest-ranking among the fallen being Tong Guogang, Emperor Kangxi's maternal uncle.
Emperor Kangxi lost his mother at a young age, so he treated his maternal family, the Tong clan, very well. He also had a good relationship with his two maternal uncles, Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei. When Tong Guogang died in battle, Emperor Kangxi was extremely grieved and ordered that his maternal uncle Tong Guogang's coffin be transported back to the capital.
Emperor Kangxi originally intended to personally go out of the city to welcome Tong Guogang's coffin, but after being dissuaded by many ministers, he made a concession and decided to send his son-in-law Shang Zhilong and others a hundred miles outside the capital to welcome him, and then send his eldest son and other princes out of the city to welcome him.
Yin'e and the Ninth Prince did indeed have the opportunity to leave the palace. Although this opportunity had an indescribable meaning, Yin'e was still more happy than anything else, since they were finally able to leave the palace. However, it would be at least September before Tong Guogang's coffin returned to the capital, so they would have to wait another half month.
In late August, Emperor Kangxi arranged a marriage for his third princess, who was 20 years old this year (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), betrothing her to Urgun of the Borjigit clan in the Bairin tribe. She would be formally conferred the title of Princess Rongxian of the First Rank the following year, and was expected to marry into the Bairin prefecture in June.
After the Third Princess's marriage was arranged, Yin'e was surprised to find that the Third Prince's attitude towards him had changed drastically.
The Third Prince and Yin'e used to be at odds. Although he wasn't as rude to Yin'e as he was to the Ninth Prince, he still spoke to him in a sarcastic and mocking tone.
But overnight, the Third Prince seemed to have changed his nature, suddenly becoming warm and friendly towards Yin'e. He was usually so gentle and refined in front of Yin'e, a stark contrast to his previous sharp and mean demeanor.
The first person to express surprise was the Fifth Prince: "What's wrong with Third Brother lately?" He scratched his head, his chubby round face full of confusion. "When did Third Brother's personality become so good? Did he encounter some good fortune?"
Fifth Prince was straightforward and honest, but he was not stupid or foolish. He always knew that Third Prince, Ninth Prince, and Yin'e did not get along. Every few days in the Imperial Study, he could hear them arguing and see them fighting until their faces were red and their necks were thick.
The Third Prince suddenly changed his nature, and even the honest Fifth Prince wouldn't think that the Third Prince had reformed and wanted to be a good older brother.
"I don't know." The person involved, Yin'e, shook his head blankly, looking even more bewildered than the Fifth Prince. "What is Third Brother doing? Is he trying to be a smiling tiger who smiles at me but stabs me in the back? The more warmly he smiles at me, the more strange I feel, and the more vigilant I become."
The Ninth Prince raised his long, slanted eyebrows, widened his phoenix eyes, and said with a resentful tone and a determined look, "Third Brother did it on purpose. He pretended to be friendly, but he actually wanted to lower your guard."
"Tenth Brother, you must be careful! Third Brother's sudden change in behavior is definitely a sign he's up to no good. He must have a backup plan." Ninth Prince slammed his hand on the table, his face filled with utter disgust. "He's so despicable! Third Brother is truly despicable! He actually resorted to such a vile trick!"
Yin'e thought for a moment and couldn't help but raise an objection: "Ninth Brother, not to be rude, but it seems that Third Brother has a bigger conflict with you. If he wanted to use underhanded tricks, he should have done it to you first."
The Ninth Prince's sharp tongue was a powerful weapon; everyone who had a bad relationship with Yin'e and the Ninth Prince had their hatred drawn to him. This meant that although Yin'e wasn't a good person either, and like the Ninth Prince, he was always playing pranks and often acted foolishly, the people they offended were the Ninth Prince, who disliked his foul mouth even more.
Tilting his head and thinking for a moment, the Ninth Prince couldn't help but nod in agreement with Yin'e's words: "You're right, if Third Brother is playing dirty tricks, I should be the first one he targets!"
The Ninth Prince was completely baffled, and his brows furrowed. After a while, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and he exclaimed with shining eyes, "I know! This is Third Brother's despicable trick!"
"He knew that I was close to my tenth brother, so he tried to scheme against us and sow discord between us, so that my tenth brother would not be close to me in the future!"
"How vicious! How vicious!! Third Brother is so vicious!!!" Ninth Prince was furious, gritting his teeth and pounding on the desk in front of him, wishing he could use all his strength to overturn the desk to show his anger.
If the Third Prince were right in front of him, the Ninth Prince, who was about to go crazy with anger, might lose control of his emotions and rush up to bite the Third Prince hard, to let him know that other people's sore spots cannot be touched casually.
The Ninth Prince was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table until his hand turned red. Yin'e and the Fifth Prince quickly tried to persuade him, with Yin'e saying repeatedly, "Ninth Brother, you're overthinking it. Third Brother has always been at odds with me and would never think of befriending me."
"Even if we take a step back and assume that Third Brother really did have this idea, Ninth Brother, think about it, what kind of relationship do we have? Do you think Third Brother could possibly sow discord between us?"
Yin'e and the Fifth Prince each grabbed one of the Ninth Prince's arms, preventing him from continuing to pound the table. They used force to subdue him, leaving him only with futile struggles to express his anger.
"Ahem..." Just then, the Seventh Prince coughed lightly, his right fist pressed against his lips. "I do have a guess, but it may not be accurate."
Yin'e's eyes lit up. While tightly controlling the Ninth Prince's right hand, he asked, "Seventh Brother, what insights do you have? Tell us quickly."
Yin'e had some understanding of the Seventh Prince's character. The Seventh Prince never lied, and he never spoke rashly about things he wasn't sure of. Now that he had spoken, his words were at least 70% credible.
After glancing at Yin'e, the Ninth Prince, and the Fifth Prince, the Seventh Prince smiled faintly and said in a calm tone, "Father Khan recently arranged the marriage of my Second Sister to her in Bairin, a tribe in southern Mongolia."
The "second sister" mentioned by the Seventh Prince refers to the Third Princess.
Emperor Kangxi's eldest and second daughters both died young, making the Third Princess the eldest of Kangxi's surviving princesses. Princess Chunxi was Kangxi's adopted daughter, one year older than the Third Princess. Her younger siblings called Princess Chunxi "elder sister" and the Third Princess "second sister."
"I know that." The Fifth Prince's face lit up with a happy expression. He was raised by the Empress Dowager, and as a result, he was closer to Mongolia than the other princes. He had a good impression of Southern Mongolia. "But what does this have to do with Third Brother suddenly changing his attitude and greeting Tenth Brother with a smile?"
The Seventh Prince pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and said softly, "Second Sister's future husband, Urgun, is the second son of Prince Ochir of Balin, and Ochir's wife..."
At this point, the Seventh Prince stopped talking and turned his head slightly to look at Yin'e.
Looking up and meeting the Seventh Prince's gaze, Yin'e looked completely bewildered: "What does this have to do with me? Balin County is far away in southern Mongolia, I've never even heard of it before."
The Seventh Prince choked for a moment, and a hint of speechlessness flashed across his indifferent face: "The Princess Consort is from the Niohuru clan, and is the elder sister of Empress Xiaozhao and Consort Gui."
Yin'e exclaimed "Ah!" with a somewhat confused expression. He remembered that Empress Xiaozhao was his mother, Consort Niohuru's, older sister from the same mother, and also Ebilun's second daughter and Aobai's adopted daughter. He hadn't expected that Empress Xiaozhao had an older sister who had married far away to Southern Mongolia.
Yin'e didn't think about what the connection was between the Princess Consort of Balin being his aunt and the Third Prince greeting him with a smile. He was just a little puzzled as to why it was Empress Xiaozhao who entered the palace back then, and not her elder sister.
However, Yin'e quickly realized that it was probably just a matter of time before he missed his chance. Empress Xiaozhao was several years younger than Kangxi. When she entered the palace in the fourth year of Kangxi's reign, she was said to be thirteen years old, but that was her nominal age; she was actually only a little over ten. The fact that Niohuru chose Empress Xiaozhao to enter the palace suggests that her elder sister had already married into the Southern Mongolian tribes.
While Yin'e was lost in thought, the Ninth Prince's incredulous voice rang out: "Just for this, Third Brother changed his ways?"
The Seventh Prince hummed in agreement, then glanced at Yin'e, the Ninth Prince, and the Fifth Prince: "We don't have any sisters, so we can't understand how the Third Brother feels. But I think that in order for the Second Sister to have a better life after marrying into Mongolia, the Third Brother is willing to make peace with the Tenth Brother."
Shaking his head, Yin'e was a little confused and moved. His voice lowered as he said, "Even if the Princess of Balin is my aunt, Mongolia is so far away. Even if I don't get along with my third brother, I can't do anything he wants to do."
"Father Khan goes hunting outside the Great Wall almost every year." The Seventh Prince glanced at Yin'e, his expression still indifferent. "Whenever the Noble Consort accompanies the Emperor on his tour, she will definitely see Princess Balin in Rehe or Mulan Hunting Ground."
After a pause, the Seventh Prince added, "Urgun is twenty years old this year. He is brave and strong, skilled in archery and horsemanship. He just led the soldiers of the Right Wing Banner of the Bairin tribe in the Battle of Ulan Butong and performed outstandingly on the battlefield. That's why Father Khan chose him to be the consort of my second sister."
"Father Khan carefully chose a husband for Second Sister. It seems that even though the princess is going to pacify the Mongols, she hopes that Second Sister will have a smooth and happy life after marrying into the Mongols. Third Brother must think the same way, hoping that Second Sister will have a harmonious relationship with her husband's family and that the couple will live in harmony, and that no external forces will disrupt it."
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