Around noon, Qingyan woke up. The little one sat on the rocking couch, watching the scenery flash by outside the window, leaning back against the cushions. Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, and she was leaning against the couch without tidying it up at all.
Akimi, who should have been happy, was completely ruined.
When she got up, Yin was not by her side, and she knew that there must have been a lot of casualties yesterday, and that Kangxi wanted all the princes to gather in the imperial carriage.
Hearing a noise from inside the carriage, Su Lan quickly came in. In the corner was a copper basin, and the hot water inside was changed every half hour, waiting for Qing Yan to wake up.
"Madam, you're finally awake." Su Lan had been on tenterhooks all night. She and Su Lan sat outside the carriage and witnessed the wolves rushing towards it. None of the guards around them flinched.
Qingyan nodded and, with Sulan's help, washed and dressed.
Behind the screen, people changed into casual clothes and moved to the front. On the table was Qingyan's breakfast: a small longan bun, a spring roll, a plate of onions and wood ear mushrooms, a plate of eight-treasure pickles made by the imperial kitchen, a dish of mushroom sauce, and a bowl of chicken soup noodles.
A simple breakfast made Qingyan feel at ease, while Sulan sighed helplessly as she looked at the simple dishes.
"Your Highness, we haven't stopped yet, so we can only have a simple breakfast first." Su Lan looked at Qing Yan without any disgust, recalling what the Third Princess's maids had mentioned: the Third Princess had thrown her breakfast out of the carriage.
Qingyan couldn't help but sneer as he listened to Sulan's words.
It was thrown out?!
Upon encountering the wolf pack, the guards were extremely vigilant at the slightest disturbance. The Third Princess's actions, as everyone witnessed, were a disgrace to the royal family.
"Where's the chili sauce I asked you to bring!" Qingyan didn't care much about other people's gossip; as long as she didn't cause trouble for Yin, that was enough.
"Master, the Fourth Prince said you can use these, but you are not allowed to take any food from outside the Imperial Kitchen." Su Lan whispered in Qing Yan's ear.
Since the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), when Yin left the carriage, people were dispatched to monitor each carriage, and the actions of the palace concubines and several wives were under their watchful eyes.
What!?
As soon as she finished speaking, Su Lan's suggestive look gave her a bad feeling. Last night, Yin was worried that Qingyan would be frightened at the banquet, and even more worried that she would disrupt Kangxi's plans, so he forcibly made her rest.
Is someone monitoring us?
After having breakfast, she held a cup of eight-treasure tea and stared blankly out the window. At first, the atmosphere during the march was exceptionally relaxed, and the guards were chatting and laughing.
The atmosphere has become extremely oppressive. It will take at least another ten days to reach the grasslands. The princes have already gathered at the edge of the hunting grounds, so Kangxi will have to be extra careful when he goes there.
While Qingyan was still in a daze, Yin returned from the imperial carriage. From this day forward, all the princes would be confined to the carriages until they reached the grasslands, at which point the confinement would be lifted. All of these princes would also be monitored by Kangxi's spies.
Yin was glad that Xiao Guai wasn't picky about food; he would have had a headache if he had encountered someone like the Third Prince's wife.
"Sisi, you're back?" Qingyan snapped out of her daze and saw Sisi standing at the door, looking at her with tender affection.
He nodded slightly, while Su Peisheng stood outside the door with his head bowed.
Just now, Li Dequan gathered all the servants who served the prince closely together and repeatedly emphasized that no matter what danger there was, they must not leave the prince's vicinity.
The guards grew increasingly nervous, and many were discussing in private whether Kangxi would be able to return safely after his autumn visit.
"I have time to spend with you now!" With Qingyan's help, Yin changed his clothes and comfortably hugged her. The two sat on the cushions and looked at the storybooks Qingyan had prepared. She had printed "Dream of the Red Chamber" in traditional Chinese characters, so even the great scholars of the Hanlin Academy could not detect anything unusual about these books.
"Fourth Brother, are you really not going out?" Qingyan was dumbfounded.
Yin nodded. Kangxi was somewhat suspicious of them, but more than that, he was worried about their safety.
For several days in a row, Yin calmly accompanied Qingyan in the carriage, reading storybooks and listening to the arguing coming from the carriage in front.
Qingyan found this kind of life quite comfortable. Except for the evenings when the guards and servants would take turns resting, the speed of their journey did not slow down at all, let alone stop.
On the morning of the thirteenth day, Qingyan watched as the scenery outside the car changed from a stretch of yellow sand to a lush grassland, and she knew that they were about to reach their destination.
"Si Si, how long will it take to set up camp?" Ever since the wolf incident, Qing Yan has been completely confined to the carriage and has not had any chance to get off.
Yin took out Qiu Mi's route map from the hidden compartment under the small table. After looking at the scenery outside, she pointed to the location on the map. She looked down and saw that it was still some distance from Qiu Mi's hunting grounds.
"Our pace has slowed considerably; it will definitely take another seven days." Yin chuckled and pinched her nose; the little one couldn't sit still any longer.
"Fourth Prince, His Majesty has decreed that we set up camp again!" Qingyan found it strange when he heard Su Peisheng say this. Why were we resting so early?
"It's so early!"
"Those princes should have already come to greet us!" Yin calculated the time; some of the princes who wanted to make requests of their father would be waiting for him.
On the grasslands, these people were not comparable to the princes of Khorchin. In order for their tribes to receive benefits from the Qing Dynasty, they all came to pay their respects in advance.
After getting off the carriage, Qingyan stamped her little feet, stretched, and looked at the beautiful scenery of the grassland, feeling quite pleased.
As the sun set, Yin led Qingyan on a stroll through the camp. Guards patrolled back and forth. The sound of horses' hooves came from the camp gate. She looked back and saw a troop of Mongol cavalry galloping from afar. The guards immediately stopped the Mongol cavalry outside the camp.
"Si Si, why not let those people in?" Qing Yan asked suspiciously.
The leader of that Mongol cavalry was clearly a prince from the grasslands, yet he was not summoned by Emperor Kangxi.
“He’s the leader of a small tribe, a prince from the northern desert.” Yin led the little guy back to the tent. Those people originally followed Galdan. After Kangxi learned about it, he rewarded several princes. Those who were close to him not only did not receive any rewards, but their territories were even swallowed up by other tribes.
"Shall we go outside and let the horses roam freely?"
"It's almost time for dinner, let's go to the imperial tent first!"
Looking at Qingyan's listless face, Kangxi couldn't help but chuckle. This child...
Li Dequan heard from the guards that a prince from the northern desert had requested an audience, and since Qingyan was here, he would probably be troubled by those people.
"Little darling, come with your mother to the inner chambers in a bit!" Kangxi was in a good mood. The princes of the northern deserts had been neglected for several years, and it was time to give them a chance to advance.
Qingyan rose and walked inside. As the princes of the Northern Desert entered, they were drawn to a figure in light blue. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
