In April, Emperor Kangxi decided to tour the northern frontier and selected eleven princes to accompany him.
"mother!"
"Good heavens, doesn't this kid have classes? Why is he here again?"
As Qianxue packed her luggage, she replied with a smile:
"Princess, how can you talk about your own son like that? I guess the young prince is on leave and just came over."
"Come on, I've never seen a teacher take so many days off. I bet this kid had Hongli cover for him while he sneaked out."
"Mother, you're mistaken. It was Grandfather who gave us the leave, so we came back together."
"Is it because of the imperial tour to the border regions? Did your father agree to let you go?"
When this was mentioned, Hongzhou was so excited he almost jumped up.
"Yes, I thought Father wouldn't agree. But Gao Wuyong came to the Prince's residence today and said that Father asked the Emperor for permission to take us on a tour beyond the Great Wall."
"It's good to go out and see the world, so you don't get confined to this one place and become a frog in a well."
"That's what my fourth brother said too. He said that our Qing Dynasty has a vast territory, and we always need to go out and see it to better understand the people's conditions and govern the country."
Geng Youran nodded, thinking to himself that he was indeed Emperor Qianlong, and that he had such insight at such a young age.
"Now that you've been allowed to go to the borderlands, why aren't you packing your things at the prince's residence? What are you doing here?"
After his mother spoke to him, Hongzhou remembered the real purpose of his visit.
"Oh, my son has come to bring you some ointment. On his tour of the frontier, he traveled a long way, whether by carriage or horse, which caused chafing on his thighs and other areas. This ointment can relieve the pain and is very effective."
Geng Youran looked at Hongzhou with satisfaction; at least he had made some progress.
"Alright, stop lingering here. Hurry up and go back to the prince's quarters to pack your things. We'll have plenty of time to talk on the way."
During this imperial tour to the border regions, the emperor brought a total of 11 princes with him, including the youngest princes, the 21st prince Yinxi and the 22nd prince Yinhu. These two were not much younger than Hongli and Hongzhou, so the children were able to play together along the way.
The final destination of this tour was the Summer Palace, which Geng Youran had visited before, so everything was familiar to her.
However, this time, in addition to Geng Youran, Yinzhen also brought Nian Yunrong and Niohuru Wanru with him.
Because of their rank, Nian Yunrong had her own courtyard, while Geng Youran shared one with Niohuru Wanru. Both of them were quite content with this arrangement.
"Sister, look what this is!"
"Riding outfit? Did you make that?"
Wanru proudly raised her head:
"Of course, my sister made this for a long time. This fabric was a gift from Hongli to my sister after he received a reward last year. At the time, he thought he could take it to the estate when it got warm, but he didn't expect to wear it in the frontier. It's quite suitable."
"Did you make this for me?"
"Yes, sister, go and try it on to see if it fits."
"Isn't this color a bit too delicate? I already have a child, and this tender color looks better on you."
"Sister, you're not old at all, you're still young. Go ahead, it really suits you."
Geng Youran couldn't refuse her, so she reluctantly went inside to change her clothes.
Fortunately, Geng Youran has persisted in exercising over the past few years, so her figure hasn't changed much, and this riding outfit fits her perfectly.
She awkwardly walked out of the inner room.
"Doesn't this look a little awkward? Maybe I should change it back."
He was about to go inside when he said that.
"No, sister, you look so beautiful in that."
Geng Youran had never ridden a horse before. After transmigrating, she spent even more time learning etiquette, so this outfit was quite novel to her.
Qianxue and Huangli were also praising her from the side, making Geng Youran a little embarrassed.
Just as everyone was chatting happily, Hongli and Hongzhou came to pay their respects to Geng Youran and Wanru.
"The sons greet their mother."
"Huh? What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be with the Emperor right now?"
"Grandpa was a little tired and has already rested. Father sent us to come and check on him."
"Mom, why are you wearing riding clothes? You look quite good in them."
Hearing her own son say this, Geng Youran was even more satisfied:
"Of course it looks good if your godmother made it."
The term "godmother" was first coined by Geng Youran a few years ago, when her two children had just learned to speak, in a joking remark.
Unexpectedly, both children remembered it, and that's how they became each other's godmothers.
"Since you're wearing riding attire, you don't have to ride a horse, do you? Mother, would you like your son to take you out for a ride and let you experience it?"
Geng Youran was somewhat tempted, but also conflicted:
"Wouldn't this be against the rules?"
"It's nothing, just a little ride, I'll be back in a bit."
No sooner said than done, Wanru changed her clothes and went to the horse racing area with the two children.
"Mother, this horse is the most docile one here. Please give it a try. Don't be afraid, your son will lead it for you."
"Alright, with Hongzhou here, Mother is not afraid."
And so, Geng Youran was helped onto the horse.
At first, Geng Youran was a little nervous because she was quite high off the ground and sat very upright. She gradually relaxed after Hong Zhou kept reassuring her.
On the other hand, Wanru had learned before getting married, so she picked it up faster than Geng Youran.
"Mom, would you like to run a few laps like your godmother?"
"I'd better not, I'm already too nervous even like this."
Hongzhou turned around, covered his mouth, and chuckled. It was the first time he had ever seen his mother so frightened.
Sitting on her horse, Geng Youran naturally saw Hongzhou's smirking expression, but she couldn't be bothered to care.
The group stayed at the racecourse for about an hour. Hongli and Hongzhou were in a hurry to go to class, so they had someone send their two mothers back.
Back inside, Geng Youran quickly changed out of her clothes. Her hands were still trembling slightly as she drank her tea.
"Princess, aren't you always afraid of high places? Why did you agree to go horseback riding with the young prince?"
"Wanru kindly gave me a set of clothes, so of course I had to try them on. Although I was scared, it was alright with Hongzhou by my side."
"Will you go again next time?"
Geng Youran quickly shook her head:
"Then forget it, I feel more secure standing on the ground."
The group stayed in the border region for less than a month before returning to the capital. A few days later, news of Zhu Yigui's uprising arrived.
"How dare he! Taiwan has been our territory since ancient times. How dare he, a mere duck farmer, rebel! And I only received the news so late. Are those officials all useless?"
"Father, please calm down. The best course of action now is to send troops to suppress the rebellion. I have heard that Zhu Yigui's rebel army has already occupied Gangshan and other places. We cannot allow them to continue to expand."
"Hmph, a mere rebel army, I don't even consider it a threat. Guards, convey my decree, ordering General Ouyang Kai and others to lead troops to suppress the rebels, and to achieve a swift victory."
"Yes, sir."
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