Chapter 114 As if the Emperor Were Here
The carriage slowly came to a stop in the pre-arranged spot. The guards on both sides made way, their expressions even more vigilant, while the princes held their breath and stared intently.
The carriage door opened, and a tall, upright man in dark blue robes stepped out first. Instead of exchanging greetings with the assembled Mongol princes as usual, he turned around, extended his hand towards the carriage, and bowed slightly in welcome.
A section of apricot-yellow sleeve emerged from the carriage and rested on Prince Yi's arm. Under the watchful eyes of a group of burly Mongolian men, a noble young man dressed in apricot-yellow summer court robes stepped out of the carriage.
Her apricot-yellow dress was intricately woven with gold thread, which shone brightly in the sunlight. As she bent over, the gold bells on her braids dangled down. Every gesture she made exuded an air of imperial grandeur. It was clear that she was extremely pampered, and ordinary families could never cultivate such a noble and graceful demeanor.
It was thanks to the sound of the golden bell that everyone present was brought back to their senses. They all knelt down on one knee and placed their right hands on their shoulders as if they had just come to their senses. "Your subject pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. Long live the Crown Prince!"
The prince of the Zhalute tribe even turned his head to look at the most arrogant prince of the Balin tribe, who had just been shouting the loudest. Seeing that he was also obediently kneeling and bowing, he secretly sneered.
Hongzhao stopped, waved for the guards blocking his way to step aside, and raised his hand slightly with a friendly smile – “Your Highnesses, there’s no need for such formalities, please rise.”
"I came to the Mulan Hunting Grounds this time for two reasons. First, my father remembers the loyalty of all the princes and always uses the Mulan Autumn Hunt to teach us brothers. However, my father has been busy with state affairs for three years since he ascended the throne. Second, my father has been a Buddhist and dislikes killing when he was still a prince. That's why he sent me here to participate in this matter on his behalf."
Hongzhao stood with his hands behind his back, his voice clear and steady, showing no sign of stage fright. "Furthermore, as the Crown Prince, I have often studied riding and archery, but I have never actually come to the grasslands to see the true face of this vast world. Father Emperor could not bear to let me have this regret, so he specially granted me this Mulan Autumn Hunt. I will have to trouble you princes and nobles with this matter."
After saying this, Hongzhao raised his sleeves and cupped his hands in greeting. The Khorchin prince at the front quickly followed suit and bowed even deeper. "Your Highness, what are you saying? We are grateful for His Majesty's constant concern. Now that Your Highness has come to the hunting grounds, we will certainly treat you well and will not let you down."
As if to confirm Hongzhao's words, Prince Yi, who had been silently following behind Hongzhao, suddenly stepped forward, took out a bright yellow imperial edict from his bosom, and held it up in front of everyone.
"The Mongol princes received the imperial decree."
"Now the Crown Prince understands Your Majesty's heart and travels on my behalf. This is truly a sign of respect, obedience, filial piety, and brotherly love. You should all work together to assist the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince's words are as if I were there in person."
On the vast grassland, the strong wind made the clothes flutter. Hongzhao knelt down facing the wind, raised his hands high, and received the bright yellow imperial edict from Prince Yi. He then turned around and stood facing the crowd.
The apricot-yellow hem of her dress fluttered in the wind, the whistling sound passing by her ears, accompanied only by shouts that grew louder and louder—"Long live the Crown Prince!"
The Khorchin prince joined the crowd in shouting. He finally understood. This was not a prince who had been disliked by the emperor. This was clearly the emperor's darling. It wasn't enough that so many people had escorted him to the Mulan Hunting Grounds. Prince Yi even had to bring an imperial edict to protect him. These people were just Mongolian princes, not monsters. They were not going to be eaten by this prince.
However... he glanced discreetly behind him, then looked up at the Crown Prince before him, who remained composed and dignified. He closed his eyes helplessly; it seemed they couldn't outmaneuver this Crown Prince...
——
Meanwhile, at Prince Dun's residence.
The Fujin's courtyard was quiet, without a trace of life.
Although her son and daughter had been brought into the palace before, the Princess Consort could visit them from time to time. Now that the Prince and the Emperor's relationship has become increasingly strained, although the people in the palace don't stop her from seeing her children, she has reduced her visits to the palace.
But what mother doesn't miss her child?
Prince Dun respected his wife the most, and seeing her listless appearance made him even more anxious. His fiery temper flared up, and he started pointing at the palace and cursing loudly in the room.
"Your Highness, please rest a bit," the Princess Consort said, rubbing her forehead and looking at her husband with a furrowed brow. "Princess Chaogui is still safely in the palace and hasn't married into the Dzungar Khanate yet. Our daughter has been granted the title of princess. If she stays with the Empress Dowager for another year and reaches marriageable age, then..."
As she said this, she clutched her chest, her usually calm and dignified tone becoming hurried.
Seeing his wife like this, Prince Dun hurriedly stepped forward to soothe her and softened his tone to coax her a few times. However, she was still old-fashioned and started cursing again after a couple of coaxing words. "It's all because of that Consort Wan in the palace who came up with such a bad idea. Her father was in the court, relentlessly impeaching me and General Nian, and she was trying to poison our minds behind the scenes."
"It's no use saying anything now. Hongxuan is at least by the Crown Prince's side. I'm not worried about him being granted the title of Beizi. I'm only worried about our daughter. What if..."
Prince Dun patted his wife's hand reassuringly, "It's alright, it's alright. The Emperor is currently favoring Consort Nian and Consort Yu. We can send a message to Consort Nian through Nian Gengyao. If Consort Wan can whisper in her ear, why can't Consort Nian?"
Seeing the hesitation in his wife's eyes, Prince Dun said with certainty, "Look, even the Imperial Noble Consort and the Crown Prince have been defeated by this Consort Yu. It is clear how much my elder brother listens to her now, let alone a mere Consort Wan."
"As for the feud with the Zhen family, I will definitely settle the score with them, father and daughter. I don't believe that Zhen Yuandao hasn't done a single wrong thing all these years."
...
At this moment, Yinzhen had no time to deal with their undercurrents of scheming; he was currently holding the imperial brush and writing something with a serious expression. If an uninformed person were to see this, they would surely think that the emperor was up early and working late, not resting even when the moon was high in the sky.
Su Peisheng was the closest, and he could see everything clearly from the side.
This is no matter of national importance; it's just an old father's longing for his child that he has nowhere to express.
"Father misses you very much." "My son, are you eating well?" "I hope you will write back soon so we can see each other again."
However, Yinzhen didn't think writing a letter home was a trivial matter. A mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles, and this sentiment still applies to any elder. On any other day, he would definitely have gone to the Imperial Noble Consort to share his thoughts at this time. But now he couldn't go, and the thought only made him feel more frustrated.
Hearing the Kunqu opera music that started right on time outside, as if it were even more punctual than the night watchman's watchman appearing at the entrance of Jiuzhou Qingyan, he felt a sense of helplessness and irritation.
"Tomorrow morning, take Hongjin to Baijun Garden. I will go see her after court."
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