As the sound of the sheepskin drum mingled with the melodious sound of the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle), it slowly rose from the boundless horizon, gradually drawing closer. The rhythm gradually quickened, like a thousand troops suddenly descending to earth, or like the roar of a galloping horse echoing through the sky.
Harigana was captivated by the breathtaking scene.
Suddenly, a girl walked over from not far away, accompanied by the sound of a morin khuur (horsehead fiddle), and a beautiful long song entered everyone's ears.
In an instant, heaven, earth, and humanity merge into one. Close your eyes, and the blue sky, white clouds, and green grass, without any further description, paint a breathtaking picture in your mind.
After Harigana became familiar with this era, she did consider learning it, but she simply couldn't. The treasures of our nation cannot be learned through training alone! Those trembling notes are a testament to her love for the grasslands and for nature.
As the first piece ended, Harigana seemed reluctant to leave, but the following performances were equally captivating. A dozen or so girls, dressed identically, entered the venue, each carrying two pairs of chopsticks tied together at the ends with red ribbons. As they danced back and forth, the ribbons swayed in the wind, creating a unique and charming scene.
Andai dance, bowl-balancing dance, one after another—the scenes that were missed in Harigana last time were made up for this time.
But what Harigana likes most is throat singing!
The simultaneous production of several voices created a remarkably clear distinction between high, mid, and low frequencies. The whistle tone, in particular, was truly magical. Harigana was no stranger to throat singing; the original owner's father, Baoliri, loved it and would sometimes hum a few lines.
But every time Harigana hears the sound of throat singing, she is involuntarily drawn to it.
Kangxi was having a good chat with the people from Khorchin, but every time he looked at Harigana, his face would darken, which frightened Wenduer and the others into hastily taking their leave.
"Your Highness, Consort Chen, do I look beautiful?"
Harigana was engrossed in watching the show when she heard someone ask her if it was good. She nodded subconsciously and said, "It's beautiful!" Only after saying that did she realize that the voice was familiar. She turned around and saw that it was actually Emperor Kangxi.
Kangxi initially thought it was good that there was something he liked to watch in Harigana, so he wouldn't be bored. But he didn't understand how the Khorchin people had made the arrangements, or why there were so many men performing. The morin khuur players were one thing, but what was the meaning of these men singing throat singing?
Especially when he saw Harigana staring at them without blinking, Kangxi almost felt a pang of jealousy.
"Xuan Ye! You scared me to death!"
Harigana nearly collapsed to the ground as he stared at Kangxi's magnified face. He muttered a quiet complaint, then secretly pinched the large hand that had reached out to him.
"Jiaojiao! Are you alright?"
Kangxi was just jealous and didn't mean to scare Harigana. When he saw that her face was already red, he quickly asked her what was wrong, fearing that something might have happened to her.
Harigana didn't dare to go too far, after all, it was in public. She wasn't afraid of enemies, but she couldn't just recruit them!
So he quickly replied in a low voice, "I'm fine! You sit down!"
Emperor Kangxi saw that Harigana's complexion had improved and that there was nothing seriously wrong, so he was relieved!
By this time, the performance below had ended, night had fallen, and the bonfire was burning brightly, with most of the people crowding around it.
Harigana didn't want to go, not only because she was pregnant, but also because she really disliked crowded places. She was fine with watching the excitement, but she wouldn't let others watch her.
Kangxi had expected Harigana to be eager to go up, but to his surprise, the little girl sat there calmly, showing no sign of wanting to go up. Just as he was about to praise her for being well-behaved, he heard, "Consort Chen, won't you go down and play?"
Harigana was speechless; that was a really thoughtless question.
"Tongjia clan, if you want to go, then go. Don't talk nonsense!"
Before Harigana could speak, Kangxi retorted directly, his voice not loud enough for just a few people around him to hear.
Harigana didn't think anything of it; it was just that Lady Tongjia had a sharp tongue and insisted on dragging her into this. But Lady Tongjia's face had turned deathly pale. She had only asked a question; she hadn't expected Kangxi to treat her like this.
The title "Tongjia" sounds so unfamiliar. She could have accepted even being called Consort Tong. But the choice of "Tongjia" carries a clear warning.
Emperor Kangxi was indeed warning Tongjia. He had just wanted to praise Harigana for being well-behaved, but she had unexpectedly encouraged his young lady to go down and dance. Although she didn't know that Harigana was pregnant, she should have known that the first thing a palace concubine should do was to be dignified.
Although Harigana is a child of the grasslands, if she were to actually go down and dance now, he would definitely feel disgusted!
"cousin!"
Tongjia's voice trembled as she called him "cousin," trying to remind Kangxi that she was the one closest to him.
But what Lady Tongjia didn't know was that Emperor Kangxi already harbored extreme disgust for her. From the numerous reports from his secret guards to the unspoken understanding between her and Harigana, what Kangxi couldn't stand and couldn't bear to hear most was the term "cousin."
"Xuan Ye!"
Kangxi wanted to say something, but the Empress Dowager, who had been observing the situation, stopped him.
"Royal Grandmother!"
Emperor Kangxi glanced at Lady Tongjia, his eyes showing no emotion.
The Empress Dowager had drunk some wine and had just chatted with her relatives for a while, so she was in a good mood! Although she couldn't hear what the three of them were saying, she could tell something from Tongjia's pale face.
"I see you haven't eaten much. Should I have someone bring over something light?"
Kangxi understood perfectly. He figured the Empress Dowager had noticed something amiss and had interrupted him. But it was for the best; he was afraid that his anger might frighten Harigana.
"Grandmother, please rest assured, I ate very well. I am sorry to have worried you!"
Harigana didn't even look at them as they spoke. Even when Tongjia was talking to her, she didn't glance at her. Now that it was just the two of them chatting, she wasn't going to join in!
"Okay, okay!"
Harigana didn't hear what was said next; she was getting sleepy.
She didn't know what Wendor had done to the table; the height was completely out of place. She wanted to rest her chin on her hand for a while, but looking at the table's height, she gave up!
Looking at the leisurely Harigana, Lady Tongjia's hatred for her reached its peak. If it hadn't been for the Empress Dowager stopping the Emperor in time, the entire Tongjia clan would have utterly lost face tonight!
First, Tong Guowei was reprimanded by the Emperor and then sent back to the capital on a mission. Now, if a member of the Tongjia clan is reprimanded, what will become of their reputation?
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