Wanru covered her mouth and smiled:
"Cuiyu, who serves Princess Bai, was originally a second-class maid in my courtyard. She was always arrogant and incompetent. I replaced her a while ago because she was lazy. Later, when Princess Bai entered the manor, she secretly gave all her personal savings to the steward, who then made her Princess Bai's head maid. Unfortunately, Princess Bai was forgotten by the prince as soon as she entered the manor, so she came to my courtyard every day to gossip. That's how I found out."
Geng Youran sighed.
"Sister, why are you sighing?"
“This Granny Qian is known for her strictness. We all witnessed it when we first entered the manor. Now that the Princess Consort has put her in charge of teaching Princess Bai manners, I reckon that Princess Bai will probably be ‘submerged’ again after a while.”
Wanru didn't understand what Geng Youran said, but what Geng Youran said was the truth.
Under Qian Mama's guidance, the charm that attracted Yinzhen to Bai Gege will gradually disappear, and she will eventually be assimilated into the same boring people as most of the unfavored people in the mansion.
And so, without making a sound, Ulanara made Bai Gege disappear from Yinzhen's sight and from his side.
In July of the 56th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, another major event occurred in Tibet.
Tsewang Arabtan, the leader of the Dzungar Khanate of the Oirat Mongols, sent troops to invade Tibet, killed Lhazang Khan, and imprisoned the Dalai Lama he had installed.
"Smack!"
Emperor Kangxi threw the memorial in his hand away.
Liang Jiugong, who had been standing nearby, quickly picked up the memorial and put it back.
"Your Majesty, why are you so angry? Please take care of your health."
"Hmph. The Dzungar Khanate has gone too far! I did not want to harm innocent people, nor did I want them to be displaced because of the war. But Tsewang Arabtan has repeatedly challenged my bottom line. Liang Jiugong, summon the Fourth Prince to the palace."
"Your servant obeys the decree."
The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, hurriedly entered the palace upon receiving his father's decree. Upon arriving at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, before he could even pay his respects, a memorial was presented to him.
"Father, what is this?"
"This was sent by the fourteenth prince. Take a look."
Only after receiving permission from his father, the Emperor, did Yinzhen open the memorial, and the more he read, the angrier he became.
"Father, I believe we can no longer allow the Dzungar Khanate to continue. We should immediately send troops to drive them out of Tibet."
Kangxi nodded:
"That's what I think too. But this matter must be considered carefully. I have already issued an edict ordering the Fourteenth Prince and Nian Gengyao to strengthen military deployments in the areas surrounding Tibet. As for sending troops to aid Tibet, do you have any suitable candidates?"
After careful consideration, Yinzhen finally chose a name:
"Your Majesty, I believe that Governor-General Erlunte of Huguang is a good candidate."
“Tell me your reasons.”
“Father, Erlend’s father, Fonil, was originally the General of Xi’an, and this son succeeded him. After that, Erlend became the Governor-General of Huguang. He was an honest and upright official with a high reputation among the people. In addition, he once accompanied you on a campaign against Galdan. Therefore, I believe he is the best candidate to aid Tibet.”
Upon hearing this, Kangxi remembered.
In the thirty-fifth year, this Erlunte was awarded the hereditary title of Yunqiwei for his military achievements and was promoted to Xi'an Assistant Commander.
"Very well, I will draft an edict immediately. In addition, I will order my guard Sereng to lead troops to suppress Tibet."
Seeing that his father had agreed to his recommendation, Yinzhen secretly twitched the corner of his mouth.
Just as he explained the real reason for recommending Erlend to his father, he concealed a detail. That is, when Erlend accompanied his father on his campaign, he belonged to the army of his father-in-law, Fiyanggu.
In other words, this Erlend is actually one of his men.
The reason why Yinzhen made this arrangement was because Nian Gengyao's secret letters had become increasingly rare recently.
He was somewhat uneasy. This was a good opportunity for Erlend to keep an eye on the Fourteenth Prince and Nian Gengyao's every move.
After that, Kangxi transferred 2,000 Manchu soldiers from Jingzhou to Chengdu for garrison duty, and 500 Manchu soldiers from Taiyuan to Xi'an for garrison duty.
"Fourth Brother, something terrible has happened!"
"Thirteenth brother, what happened that made you so anxious?"
"Something has happened in Sichuan! Father Emperor wants us to go to the palace immediately!"
Yinzhen rubbed his furrowed brows.
He hadn't had a proper rest in a long time because of the situation in Tibet. He had just started to relax when this happened in Sichuan.
What happened?
"A mutiny has broken out among the Green Standard Army under the command of Sichuan Governor Kang Tai!"
"Quickly! Get to the palace!"
Sichuan is the main passage for the army to enter Tibet. This mutiny by the Green Standard Army will definitely have a great impact on the Emperor's plan to quell the rebellion.
"Yinzhen and Yinxiang, you should already know what happened, right?"
"Your subject has already heard about it."
"Kang Tai has some nerve! He actually dared to embezzle military pay. Doesn't he understand the importance of the Sichuan soldiers to suppressing the rebellion in Tibet? Now is a crucial moment for entering Tibet, and the Green Standard Army has actually mutinied. How are we supposed to proceed with the plan now?!"
"Father, please calm your anger!"
"Calm down?"
Kangxi threw a memorial directly in front of Yinzhen and Yinxiang, who were kneeling below:
"Open your eyes wide and take a good look! Most of the soldiers have already fled back to Sichuan. This mission to quell the rebellion has been a complete failure!"
"Father, for now, the only option may be to transfer Nian Gengyao back to Sichuan."
Liang Jiugong received a signal from Yinzhen and quickly served ginseng tea to appease Kangxi's anger.
"Do you think simply recalling Nian Gengyao will resolve this mutiny?"
"Your Majesty, Nian Gengyao has been in charge of Sichuan for many years. If we recall him, we will be able to restore the morale of the soldiers in the shortest possible time."
"What if he can't do it?"
"Your subject is willing to accept punishment!"
"Alright, then so be it."
Afterwards, Kangxi issued an edict ordering Nian Gengyao to return to Sichuan as quickly as possible. After returning to Sichuan, Nian Gengyao first sent his adjutant Yang Jinxin to pacify the remaining troops, while secretly reporting to Kangtai that he had lost the morale of his troops and could no longer serve as commander.
In addition, he also made suggestions to Emperor Kangxi on military affairs, including increasing the number of garrison troops and strengthening military training.
He then petitioned Emperor Kangxi to grant him the honorary title of Governor-General, so as to better coordinate military and civil affairs in the Sichuan region.
After reorganization, the military situation in Sichuan gradually stabilized.
With Emperor Kangxi's tacit approval, Nian Gengyao led his troops to Tibet to continue the mission of suppressing the rebellion.
Because of Nian Gengyao, Yinzhen's visits to Yunrong Courtyard increased significantly last year.
"Sister, have you noticed that Consort Nian seems to be in a very good mood lately? Yesterday, she even sent someone to deliver some of the finest Biluochun tea to me, saying it was a gift from the Prince. Knowing that I love to drink it, she specially sent me some."
Geng Youran kept stuffing snacks into her mouth, and her mouth never stopped moving:
“Not only you, but a few days ago she also sent me some Dongting oranges. Those were always tribute items, and even our prince didn't get many, yet she gave them all to her.”
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