Furthermore, Prince Darhan was a Mongol, and his son must have lived in Mongolia for many years. Su Yushan certainly didn't want her daughter to marry far away to Mongolia.
She felt a strong aversion to it, but she couldn't say such things in front of the prince. She could only bring it up with Hongli at night, when they were about to go to bed.
"From what I heard from Prince Darhan, it seems he wants Rong Yu to be his daughter-in-law?"
This matter was related to court politics, but Hongli had never hidden anything from her, so he told her the truth.
"His young prince is about the same age as Rong Yu. He met Rong Yu today and was very impressed by her dashing spirit on the grassland. That's why he had that idea and proposed marriage to us."
These royal relatives and nobles have always only cared about status and position when it comes to marriage alliances. Su Yushan could see through it at a glance. "He doesn't admire Rong Yu at all. He's clearly after Rong Yu's status as a princess."
While this was true, Hongli still had to correct one point: Rongyu's advantages were not limited to her status. "Our daughter's status is indeed noble, but she is also a dazzling pearl. I reckon that in the future, the men who want to marry her will line up outside the city gates."
Su Yushan certainly hopes that her daughter's future husband will appreciate her inner beauty. "Let's wait until she grows up. She's only seven years old this year, still very young! There's no need to rush the marriage."
"Seven years old is not young. Most royal children are engaged at the age of thirteen or fourteen, but it is different for princesses and noblewomen. They have to arrange engagements as soon as they turn two."
Su Yushan was stunned, feeling that this rule was too terrifying. "Isn't this too early? A two-year-old is still a baby and doesn't understand anything!"
Closing the book in his hands, Hongli sighed, "Royal children don't need to know anything; they just need to follow orders."
"Being in the palace means you have no say in many things. I know that as a princess, Rongyu can't choose her husband as she pleases, but as her parents, we should at least help her vet him and see what kind of person he is before making any plans."
In fact, Hongli thought so too, "That's natural. This consort must have an excellent family background and appearance to be worthy of our precious daughter."
The young prince didn't come this year. King Darhan said the prince's grandmother was seriously ill, and the boy wanted to stay with her and didn't want to come. "I certainly can't agree to come without seeing him."
That does make her a filial child, but since her daughter is still young, Su Yushan really doesn't want to arrange a marriage for her too early. She'd rather wait until she's older before considering it.
Since the two were on the same page, the matter was temporarily dropped.
In the days that followed, Hongli led a group of princes and ministers on a hunting trip. Yongzhang was still young and was left behind, while Yonghuang was taken by Hongli's side. Rongyu also wanted to go along and experience the feeling of hunting, so Hongli ordered someone to prepare a set of military attire for her to change into before taking her hunting.
Su Yushan was not good at horseback riding, so she dared not ride a horse and could only wait in the distance to admire the magnificent scenery around her.
Looking out into the distance, one sees a clear blue sky and white clouds, with a vast expanse of green grassland stretching as far as the eye can see. Wildflowers and grass sway leisurely in the wind, and the neighing of horses and the chirping of birds are a delightful sight.
Every scene was a breathtaking painting, and Su Yushan silently memorized them, thinking that she should paint them when she got back.
An hour and a half later, the group returned laden with their spoils: deer, tigers, wolves, roe deer, pheasants, rabbits, and all sorts of other prey—a very bountiful harvest.
Rong Yu excitedly boasted to her mother that she had hunted a rabbit that day.
The moment Su Yushan saw the prey, she couldn't help but think of a saying: Protecting wild animals is everyone's responsibility!
However, this was during the Qing Dynasty. Hunting was a way to train soldiers and pacify the border regions. This practice not only helped control Mongolia and deter Tsarist Russia, but also strengthened border defenses and promoted national unity. It had significant and far-reaching political implications, and hunting was unavoidable.
Su Yushan understood this principle, so she didn't say anything.
The onlookers were proud and excited to see the prey, but Su Yushan felt uncomfortable as soon as she saw the arrows stuck in the animals and the bloodstains on them. She dared not look directly at them and looked away.
Noticing her unusual expression, Hongli stepped closer and asked, "Do you find the hunt too cruel?"
Suppressing the churning in her stomach, Su Yushan forced a smile and said, "It's alright, it's just that it's my first time seeing such a scene, so I'm a little uncomfortable."
She had never seen such a bloody scene before, and it was only natural that she was uncomfortable. To avoid any misunderstanding, Hongli specifically explained:
"In fact, we have principles when we hunt. We don't hunt just anything. If we encounter a mother deer or fawn, we release them. When we set up the enclosure, we leave gaps to give young and strong prey a chance to escape. The hunting grounds are divided into sixty enclosures, and we only hunt about ten enclosures each year. We never hunt indiscriminately, leaving them room to reproduce and thrive."
They had their own plans, so Su Yushan didn't interfere much and nodded in understanding. "Watching you ride horses across the grassland while I can only watch from here is so boring! I need to learn how to ride a horse too."
Before she entered the palace, Hongli had taught her once, but she hadn't practiced for many years and had completely forgotten it. Hongli laughed and replied:
"There's a hunt tomorrow, but nothing much the day after. I'll teach you how to ride a horse then."
"Okay!" Su Yushan replied happily, and couldn't help but look forward to the day after tomorrow.
When the appointed day arrived, Hongli took some time to come to the horse farm to select a white steed for her and personally taught her the essentials of riding.
The two rode together on a horse, enjoying the scenery of Mulan Hunting Ground. After wandering around for a while, she discovered that the place not only had grasslands, but also canyons and hills, with various beautiful landscapes.
The scenery here was beautiful, and Rong Yu liked it very much. She told her mother more than once that she wanted to live here forever and didn't want to go back to the palace. But Su Yushan still preferred the garden scenery of the Summer Palace.
The hunting season lasts about half a month, during which there are also equestrian, archery, and wrestling competitions. All three ethnic groups—Manchu, Mongol, and Han—can participate. The winners will not only receive generous rewards but may even have the opportunity to be promoted. Therefore, everyone tries their best to show their prowess on the field!
Hongli was originally scheduled to return to the palace on the sixth day of the ninth month. On the second day, news suddenly came from the palace that the Second Prince's illness had improved but worsened again after a few days. This happened three times, and this time it was particularly serious.
The guard's voice trembled as he reported this, "The imperial physician said... said that the Second Prince might not make it. Please, Your Majesty, return to the palace as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Hongli was shocked and horrified, finding it hard to believe. "What do you mean you can't make it through? Wasn't it just a cold? How could it have worsened to such a serious degree?"
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