As noon approached, the princes from the northern deserts, who had arrived earlier, set up camp around the imperial tent. These princes all brought their daughters with them. The noble ladies of Mongolia noticed Qingyan's shoulder...
The gyrfalcon on its wing stirred his heart.
Less than half an hour after the falconry was completed in the early morning, news that Qingyan had tamed the gyrfalcon spread throughout the camp.
The princes who had arrived on the grasslands ahead of time were full of admiration upon hearing of Qingyan's actions, with some saying that it was no wonder the royal family had taken a liking to her. Even if a Mongolian noblewoman had such abilities, her husband's family would be even more welcome.
For them, the fact that the primary wife had an excellent skill in training hawks was a blessing for the whole family.
"Mother..." As Qingyan entered the imperial tent, she found it already packed with people. Most of them were Mongolian relatives and friends who were very curious about Qingyan and wanted to see this extraordinary woman who could train an eagle in a single day.
She looked around and saw that apart from Consort Tong and herself, all the other women were wearing bright red Mongolian robes and bright red boots. The jewelry worn by the wives was mostly purchased from Linglong Pavilion.
"Your Majesty, the Fourth Princess Consort is quite beautiful and also has such abilities." Consort Tong couldn't help but sneer at the woman's charming words. This woman was none other than the late Emperor's daughter, chosen from among the daughters of high-ranking officials. After decades on the grasslands, she had become more and more like a grassland dweller, showing no thought whatsoever for her own family.
Qingyan glanced at the several wives and then set up a backdrop.
"Yes, Your Highness, the Crown Prince of Khorchin has mentioned the Fourth Princess Consort quite a bit since he returned!" These princess consorts are all from the Mongolian steppes of the north. Qingyan's half-sister, Qingya, married into a tribe that is quite close to theirs.
"Is the wife of Prince Garga the elder sister of the Fourth Prince's wife?" Prince Garga's wife quickly asked.
Among the several consorts, Qingya had the least seniority. Moreover, Kangxi dispatched many guards armed with new weapons, which greatly deterred the Mongols.
"Of course, but the Prince's wife is Qingyan's half-sister. There is a big difference between the legitimate and illegitimate positions." The Khorchin Prince's wife looked at the other wives. She should have been the most powerful among them. After the Empress Dowager passed away, they received more treatment from Kangxi.
They would arrive early, hoping to meet with the Empress Dowager and have her say some good things about Kangxi. According to their sources, Consort Tong and the Fourth Prince's wife could influence the decisions of Kangxi and others.
"You are..." Qingyan was annoyed as she listened to them relentlessly controlling Qingya. These people were truly baffling.
"Hehe, I am your half-sister's cousin-in-law!" Qingya was originally married to the heir of the Prince, but before the heir's wedding, the old Prince abdicated, and Qingya's status changed.
At this moment, the wives of the princes all looked at Qingyan. Among them, this prince was the most difficult to appease.
She sized up the man. The Garga Mongols were divided into several parts, with the largest leader being this Garga Prince. The remaining two or three tribes were roughly the same size as the tribe Qingya had married into.
The woman in front of him was probably in her thirties, and her eyes were full of provocation. Qingyan sighed, realizing that Qingya must not have said anything good about her in the past, otherwise these people wouldn't have started provoking her as soon as they arrived.
"Sister-in-law?!" Qingya's relationship with her was sometimes good and sometimes bad, and Quan decided to act based on Qingya's mood.
Qing Yanmin sensed the hostility emanating from this person, while both Consort Tong and she were completely baffled.
"Little darling, what about the rules!" Consort Tong scolded Qingyan.
A prince's wife actually called me "cousin-in-law." She was about to remind him how many wives he was referring to. Nowadays, the status of the various Mongol tribes was no longer as important as it had been during the previous emperor's reign. After Oshuo and Saito trained a new army, Kangxi's attitude towards the Mongols changed even more.
The authorities in the Garga Mongols dared not make things difficult for Qingya, fearing that he would write to Feiyanggu and his two sons.
"Yes, Mother, I know I was wrong!" Qingyan stood up and admitted her mistake to Consort Tong. "Qingya didn't come earlier!"
When Fei Yanggu was sending her off to her wedding, he told Qingya in advance that she had the Qing Dynasty as her backing, and that the Mongol rulers would not dare to make a move against her.
"The Prince's wife is newly married and hasn't yet settled things with the tribes, so she should arrive around the normal time!" The Prince's wife answered Qingyan's question with a smile, completely ignoring Consort Tong's meaning.
Qingyan looked at the several wives, their eyes filled with calculation. During the expedition, their direct descendants had caused her no shortage of trouble and schemed against her repeatedly, which had angered her quite a bit.
"Yes, Xiao Guai and Qing Ya are sisters born of the same father, so their relationship is better than most people's. However, once a woman gets married, even the best relationship will become distant. Didn't the Prince's wife's younger sister marry the heir of Prince Zheng?" Consort Tong knew that when this Prince's wife was at home, she competed with her younger sister for marriage. Prince Zheng had no real power, so she chose to marry into Mongolia, which suited her personality and she interfered in Mongolian politics quite a bit.
The Prince's wife gave an awkward smile. Consort Tong's words had left them speechless. The struggle between these sisters, who were blood relatives, had started from childhood when they competed for their parents' love and the best things. Now, they were competing for the support of their family.
Later, after all the wives had left, Consort Tong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Little darling, what are your thoughts after meeting the ladies?" Consort Tong looked at the little guy, intending to use these ladies as a test.
Qingyan tilted her head, thinking about the words of the several wives, each one of which spoke of their own interests.
“Mother, these wives have spent too much time in Mongolia and have little contact with the family anymore. They only hope that their offspring will get more, so they have to give up their former homes and completely integrate into the interests of Mongolia.” Qingyan lowered her head, somewhat confused between her true relatives on one side and her offspring on the other.
In the future, Qingya will probably look like this too.
Consort Tong sat upright on the throne, listening to Xiao Guai talk about the affairs of the Fujin (principals).
Analyzing the true meaning behind each of the wives' actions, Consort Tong recalled Kangxi's intentions, which were probably to let Qingyan learn some drawbacks from these wives.
“Little darling, Qingya will probably become like this too. Fei Yanggu and his two sons chose to support you and stand behind you, but Qingya will not be like that.” Consort Tong looked at Little darling. In the Ulanara family, Fei Yanggu used all his energy on Qingyan.
When Qingya went to Mongolia, she developed rebellious feelings towards Feiyanggu.
"Before her wedding, Qingya said that once she left the Ulanara mansion, it would be like spilled water—unrecoverable!" Qingyan thought back to that day when Fei Yanggu angrily smashed the teacup and even confined Qingya's aunt to her quarters. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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