Seeing Harigana's frightened expression, Kangxi felt a pang of heartache. Had he not behaved well enough before? Why did Harigana think he was holding a knife to harm her?
"Jiaojiao!"
Kangxi wanted to explain, but Harigana's expression was too tense, so he had no choice but to put the knife aside, bend down and hug her, saying, "Jiaojiao, I just want a wisp of your hair, what are you afraid of?"
Harigana was taken aback. They wanted her hair? Remembering the line in the sketchbook: "We'll be husband and wife, bound by our hair, and our love will never waver," she felt a pang of guilt.
"What do you need the hair for?"
"Jiaojiao, you know that, right?"
Just now, when Kangxi looked at Harigana's black hair and the rose-pink Mongolian robe he was wearing, he suddenly remembered Harigana saying that he would never have the chance to wear bright red again. He wanted to reassure Harigana.
Harigana remained silent, unsure how to respond. It wasn't out of guilt or any psychological burden, but rather because she knew Kangxi to be a highly suspicious man. She had no idea whether his words were genuine or a test. After all, just a few days ago she had said she didn't ask for anything else, only Kangxi's love!
If he were to admit it now and accept Kangxi's arrangement, wouldn't he feel there was something wrong with him? Even the unborn child, whose gender is still unknown, would be affected.
Harigana suddenly felt very tired. She was really not suited to using her brain, but in just a short while, she had thought about more problems than she had in the previous decades.
This was still in Khorchin, with no one else around, just the two of them. If they returned to the palace, wouldn't they be thinking even more, perhaps spending every day scheming?
With this in mind, Harigana decided to win over Kangxi as soon as possible. As long as his heart and soul were with her, his future would be much easier.
"Xuan Ye!"
Harigana called his name softly, reached out and hugged Kangxi, snuggling into his arms and saying, "Whatever you want to do, I will support you without any doubt! I've said it before, I only want you, nothing else matters! If doing this makes you feel comfortable, then let's do it!"
I don't understand, I don't understand anything! So whether it's now or in the future, as long as you say it, I will definitely follow in your footsteps closely.
I know you bear a heavy burden as emperor. I won't force you to do anything. As long as you're by my side, that's my only request!
Emperor Kangxi was extremely pleased with Harigana's words.
His beloved is so kind; she only wants him and asks for nothing else! Even now, she has never asked him for anything and has always been compromising for him.
Thinking about it this way, Kangxi felt a little guilty towards Harigana. He knew he had to cherish and protect such a good Harigana and never let her be sad or upset.
"My dear girl! I will not let you down!"
The guards watched as Kangxi tied his hair and Harigana's hair together and put them into his purse. Startled, they forgot to be discreet and saw the whole process clearly.
After this incident, Kangxi's feelings for Harigana deepened, and even Dulan, a maid who disliked Kangxi, noticed the change.
On the tenth day of the ninth month of the twentieth year of the Kangxi reign (1681), the inspection tour of the border ended, and the army set off to return to the capital.
"Jiaojiao, do you want to take a nap?"
Kangxi was somewhat unhappy. It had been all morning, and Harigana had been staring out of the carriage window. At first, he would read a few books, study military strategy and maps, and didn't think anything of it!
Unexpectedly, Harigana spent the entire morning staring outside, and the number of words he spoke to her could be counted on one hand.
He sat down next to Harigana, glanced outside, and found that apart from crops and grasslands, there was nothing interesting to see! All he could see was lush greenery!
"Huh? I'm not sleepy!"
Harigana looked away and wanted to pour herself some water, but Kangxi poured her a cup first and even prepared to feed her himself.
"Drink it!"
Kangxi pressed down Harigana's hand and brought the water cup to her lips again. Harigana had no choice but to drink from Kangxi's hand.
"I'm not drinking anymore!"
Harigana leaned to one side, looking rather dejected.
Kangxi put down his water cup and pulled the girl into his arms. Only then did he realize that the little girl's emotions seemed very strange.
"Jiaojiao, what's wrong?"
Harigana let Kangxi hold him, but his hands were not at all well-behaved as he pinched his cheeks, saying in a self-righteously fierce tone, "I want to take a few more peeks at the grassland, because in a couple of days I won't be able to see it anymore! Who knows when I'll be able to see it again!"
Kangxi thought that Harigana was homesick and missed Saienjiya and Baoliri!
Looking at the little girl who was like a child, he lowered his head and kissed the tip of her nose, coaxing her, "Don't worry, Jiaojiao, I've already asked Li Dequan to send someone to inform your Abu and Eji that you're pregnant! When your belly gets bigger, I'll let your Eji come to the palace to keep you company, okay?"
Harigana's eyes lit up for a moment, but then he quickly shook his head.
"Xuan Ye, let's just forget about it!"
Kangxi knew that Harigana would explain it to him, so he didn't rush to ask further questions.
“Xuan Ye, I’m over a month pregnant now, and if I’m not mistaken, I should give birth in May next year! If Eji wants to come to the palace to be with me, she has to come a month earlier, which means she’ll have to set off for the capital in March! The grasslands will be very busy then, and Eji will have a lot to do! Besides, Abu and Eji have never been apart, so it’s best not to make Eji go through all that trouble!”
Kangxi felt a warmth in his heart; his beloved Jiaojiao was truly kind. Even though she desperately wanted to see Saienjia, she suppressed her longing and thought of them.
He was in a dilemma. If Harigana's Eqige and Eji weren't tribal leaders, he could arrange a sinecure for them and let them settle directly in the capital. But they were tribal leaders, and even if they retired, he couldn't allow Baoliri and Saienjiya to live permanently in the capital!
"Forget it, I don't want to think about this anymore!"
Harigana just wanted to throw a little tantrum at Kangxi, hoping that while they could spend every day together, he would lower his standards towards her. She was genuinely a little sad, but she hadn't reached the point where she had to torment everyone.
Although Kangxi didn't say much in agreement with Harigana's words, he was secretly calculating how to keep Baoliri and Saienjiya in the capital. There were many complexities involved, and he needed to carefully consider his options!
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