Chapter 55 The elders and sons are far away in the Mulan Hunting Grounds. Yinreng has indeed taken...
Yinreng, who was far away at the Mulan Hunting Grounds, did indeed receive the letter. Not only was it written to him by Cheng Qianyue, but there was also a letter in the handwriting of the Crown Princess.
He first opened the letter sent by the Crown Princess. At the top was a plain greeting, in the middle was a report that everything in the Xiefang Palace was going well, and at the end were all words of advice. Although the words were respectful and quoted classical texts, they were all advising him to be loyal to the emperor, love the country, and act with moderation.
Yinreng took the Crown Princess's words as a warning and a set of rules, and silently recited them twice before putting them down. Then he reached out and took the letter that Cheng Qianyue had written to him, but as soon as he opened the seal, a piece of paper with messy little feet in it fell out.
Yinreng paused for a moment, then picked it up and burst into laughter. There were six or seven footprints on it. The middle pair had the darkest ink, with all ten little toes clearly visible, but the other footprints were rather messy, grayish-white. He guessed that these must be rubbings of the Third Prince's footprints.
After laughing, he put the paper aside and began to read the letter. The more he read, the more relaxed he felt. Although the things written were rather trivial, a cheerful feeling permeated the words, as if he could see Cheng Qianyue's smiling face through the letter.
After reading it, he simply picked up a pen and paper and began to write a reply. He first mentioned that his journey had been smooth, then talked about the beautiful scenery of the grasslands, and then promised that he would definitely bring Cheng Qianyue here someday so that she could see the vast grasslands and taste the plump sheep. He then said that everything was fine for him, and that he had used most of the things she had brought him, especially the peppermint oil and insect repellent sachets. He also mentioned that he had hunted some rabbits and deer while out hunting, and although he had eaten the meat, he had tanned and kept the pelts to make fur coats for her and the Third Prince when he returned.
Yinreng breathed a sigh of relief and continued writing, saying that he would be returning soon, and would set off after the Golden Banquet Festival, instructing her to wait for him peacefully in the Forbidden City.
He wrote a long and eloquent letter, then took out another sheet of paper before writing a reply to the Crown Princess. The reply consisted of only a few lines, the gist of which was that he understood and that they should encourage each other as husband and wife.
After the two letters were written and sealed, Yinreng said, "I will give them to the messenger to send back to the Forbidden City in a while."
Chen He took it with both hands and quickly replied, "Yes, sir."
Yinreng picked up the "messy footprints" picture again, finding it both amusing and exasperating. He flicked it and said, "What an unconventional mother!" He thought it would be much better to attach a portrait of the Third Prince; he'd never seen anything like this before. But then he thought, with Cheng Qianyue's rough drawing skills, she probably couldn't capture the Third Prince's spirit. He shook his head and smiled.
Seeing that the gentleman was in a good mood today, Chen He cleverly said, "Look at these scattered footprints, it's clear how lively you are, sir. You kick really well."
Yinreng stroked the little footprints with great affection and said, "Since you say they were good, let's frame them." He looked around at the furnishings in the tent and pointed to the spot by the bed, saying, "Hang them over there."
When Yinreng first arrived at the Mulan Hunting Grounds, he was quite busy, but things gradually became less hectic. Today, seeing that there was nothing major to do, he decided to go outside for a stroll to clear his head. He left his tent and walked about a hundred steps south to the nearby training ground.
In a corner of the training ground stood several weapon racks displaying swords, spears, and other weapons. Next to the training platform were numerous straw targets. There were quite a few people here; most of the princes who had accompanied the Mulan Hunting Grounds were present.
As soon as Yinreng arrived, the princes and nobles, led by the Fifth Prince, all knelt and bowed. Yinreng waved his hand at them and said, "Get up, what are you doing?"
Fifth Master replied, "We had nothing to do, so we arranged to have an archery competition."
Yinreng said "Oh", then asked with a smile, "Who won?" He looked around at the other brothers standing there and then said, "I guess it's either the seventh or the fourteenth."
Seventh Master had been in poor legs since birth, but it was precisely because of this that he worked hard at everything he did, especially riding and archery. As for Fourteenth, he had never paid much attention to the younger brothers before, but he seemed to have heard that Fourteenth was a mischievous boy, and that Fourteenth had openly mocked his own brother, Fourth Master, in the Imperial Study for not being as good at riding and archery as him.
Seventh Prince chuckled, but before he could speak, Fourteenth Prince interrupted, "Your Highness, Seventh Brother and I are currently competing, and we haven't finished yet."
"Then I'll join in the fun too," Yinreng said, then gestured to the servants attending him. The servants, who had been preparing since he arrived, quickly presented him with a bow.
The Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince exchanged a glance. These two were just bored and wanted to join in the fun since they saw people coming to play, but they didn't expect to run into the Crown Prince.
Ninth Prince glanced at the Crown Prince, who was surrounded by a throng of people like a star, and unconsciously curled his lip. He thought to himself: From the moment the Emperor arrived at the Mulan Hunting Grounds until now, none of the princes had ever seen the Crown Prince in private. This was because the Emperor took the Crown Prince with him no matter what he did, whether it was for court affairs, entertaining princes and taijis from various Mongol tribes, or even for imperial military exercises and hunting. Even during the Emperor's daily meals, the Crown Prince was almost always by his side.
Hey, just look at how clingy the Emperor is to the Crown Prince. Anyone who didn't know better would think that only the Crown Prince is the Emperor's biological son, and all the other princes were picked up off the street.
Yinreng stood in front of the straw target, first testing the bowstring, then drawing the bow and shooting an arrow in one smooth motion, hitting the bullseye with a single shot. Seventh Prince and Fourteenth Prince followed suit, but Seventh Prince missed an arrow in the middle and simply withdrew, leaving only Fourteenth Prince and Yinreng to compete in shooting.
Thirteen watched anxiously from the sidelines. Hadn't he noticed that even Seventh Master was being very perceptive and avoiding him? Why was Fourteen going against the Crown Prince? He remembered Fourth Master's instructions before they came to the hunting grounds. Fourth Master had repeatedly told him to keep a close eye on Fourteen and not let him cause trouble. Thinking of this, Thirteen clenched his fist, put it to his mouth, and coughed heavily.
Fourteenth Prince ignored Thirteenth Prince's reminders, his mind solely focused on archery. It was Yinreng who first put down his bow and asked with concern, "Thirteenth Prince, what's wrong? Have you caught a cold?"
Thirteen chuckled twice and said, "Perhaps I caught a chill last night, which is why my throat felt a little uncomfortable this morning."
Yinreng smiled when he thought of Cheng Qianyue's detailed instructions to him before he left, and the repeated concern in her letter. "Even a minor illness should not be ignored, and one should not avoid seeking medical treatment. I will have someone bring you some throat-soothing pills in a while."
Thirteen quickly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Yinreng hummed in agreement, then looked at the Fourteenth Prince and said, "It seems that what others said is true; the Fourteenth Prince's skills are much better than the Fourth Prince's."
That's right, in this respect his brother is inferior to him. Fourteen proudly raised his head. If it weren't for the fact that the Crown Prince was of a higher status than him, he would have definitely dragged the Crown Prince down to compete with him.
Ninth Master felt that the sky had truly risen in the west; even the Crown Prince was praising people now! He chuckled and asked, "The Crown Prince seems to be in a good mood. Is there some joyous occasion?"
Yinreng handed the bow aside and said casually, "It's nothing serious, just that a letter came from the palace saying that the Third Prince is 100 days old."
Oh, so that's what I'm saying. So the Crown Prince is just looking for an opportunity to show off his son. Ninth Prince felt he had figured it out. The other princes also offered their congratulations, saying they would definitely send gifts when they returned.
Yinreng said contentedly, "Archery is no fun. Let's go ride horses while the weather is nice." With that, he called for people to go outside.
It would be foolish not to stick close at this point; everyone was following behind Yinreng. Taking advantage of being at the back of the line, Thirteenth Brother decisively kicked Fourteenth Brother in the calf. Fourteenth Brother hissed from the kick and turned his head unhappily, whispering, "Thirteenth Brother, why did you kick me?"
Thirteen:......
I'm really giving a flirtatious look to a blind man!
The princes arrived at the horse farm in a grand procession, each choosing a horse, mounting it, and spurring it on. Yinreng took the lead and charged off, with the rest following one after another.
The wind blew in his face as he galloped across the endless grassland. Yinreng held the reins of his horse, feeling extremely exhilarated.
At this moment, Emperor Kangxi arrived with his entourage. He unconsciously narrowed his eyes as he watched his sons galloping across the grasslands. Liang Jiugong, standing nearby, quickly gestured to the people behind him, then took a box containing reading glasses from a tray carried by a young eunuch and presented it to them.
Kangxi put on his reading glasses and looked into the distance. He saw Yinreng riding a horse and leaving the others far behind, with several princes chasing after him. He said, "Hmm, the Crown Prince's horsemanship has improved again."
Liang Jiugong laughed and said, "That's right, the Crown Prince's riding and archery skills were all taught by you personally."
Kangxi smiled, but the smile quickly faded, and he said in a deep voice, "My sons are all grown up." Unlike him, who was getting older day by day, in the past two years, he had been sleeping later and earlier, but his spirits seemed to be getting worse.
Liang Jiugong knew what Kangxi was thinking and said softly, "Your Majesty's spirit remains as strong as ever. Not long ago, the Crown Prince went hunting with you, but he didn't even hunt as many animals as you did."
Thinking of the scene of everyone shouting "Long live the Emperor!", Kangxi chuckled softly, but his eyes narrowed even more as he gazed into the distance. He knew his own body well; the Crown Prince had been letting him win during the hunt. At that time, he mainly thought the Crown Prince was filial and unwilling to overstep his father's authority, but now he felt that the Crown Prince might be hiding his talents and avoiding his own sharpness.
But no matter how much the Crown Prince yielded to him, the Crown Prince was still the Crown Prince, and no one dared to challenge him. Given time, this old and frail man would eventually abdicate and be replaced by the rising sun.
The Crown Prince...
That evening, Kangxi received news that when the Fourth Prince delivered the memorials on state affairs, he also brought two family letters for the Crown Prince. The contents of the letters were very simple, all about trivial matters in the Xiefang Palace, and there was nothing suspicious about them.
Kangxi slowly closed his eyes, exhaled slowly, and after a long while said in a deep voice, "Summon Dai Jiahaiqing, Grand Minister of the Eastern Palace Guard."
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