Wearing pink deerskin boots, Qingyan stepped on the soft, decaying leaves as if walking on a soft carpet. She was no longer afraid of the darkness in the dense forest; instead, she felt a sense of novelty.
"Su Peisheng, have someone bring the inkstone!" Following behind the group on their warhorses, Su Peisheng led the inkstones of Qingyan and Yin.
Seeing that its two masters had finally remembered it, Mo Yan happily kicked its hoof and sneezed.
“Let’s go hunting in the dense forest. Haven’t you always wanted to go?” Yin looked at the little guy’s frustrated expression and felt a bit like a member of the tribe.
After helping Qingyan onto his horse, he then mounted himself, waved his hand, and led the group into the hunting woods.
"Fourth Brother, shall we go hunting?" Qingyan still had a pistol and bullets in his purse; using these to hunt would definitely alert other animals.
"Use this!" Yin took out a bow and arrow from the saddlebag beside the horse. Her face immediately fell, and she looked at Yin with a displeased expression.
She glanced at the people following her, all of whom were holding bows and arrows.
“Using fire could easily expose our position. We haven’t found the person behind it yet, so we should try to minimize the noise.” Seeing that Yin didn’t want to talk about Qingyan, Si Antuo had no choice but to explain it himself.
Saito's unyielding tone made Qingyan's little head droop.
"Yes, I understand!" Qingyan agreed, as Yin's safety was the most important thing.
In the capital, Qingyan didn't have the opportunity to spend the whole day outside, but at least she did have the chance to go hunting and barbecue, which was clearly arranged specifically for her.
Qingyan was very happy with Yin's thoughtfulness, but she didn't feel disgusted at all.
In the evening, Yin returned to the camp with Qingyan. The guards behind them dragged a lot of game. When Yin saw Qingyan dragging things in the camp, he couldn't help but laugh. He also noticed that Qingyan's little face was smiling, no longer filled with bitterness.
Yin was relieved. Yin Genjueluo had barely slept a wink last night, clearly terrified by the assassination attempt that afternoon.
"Brother, we've gone hunting. In a bit, let's have Sister-in-law and Songkeli Yierha come over for a barbecue!" Yin directly invited his whole family to join in.
Songkelierha was a girl, and she rarely had the opportunity to get close to Kangxi. Yin was grateful to Yin for giving her this opportunity. With Yinxiang in front of Kangxi, his granddaughter would at least not have to worry about going to bad places when the emperor bestowed a marriage upon her in the future.
"Alright, I'll call her over in a bit!" Yin nodded. "You all go and pay your respects to Father Emperor first. I'll go back and have your sister-in-law come and help out too."
Looking at Yin's strong and agile back, Yin felt a contrast with the last time he saw Yin in his previous life. He would not let Yin's four legitimate daughters die tragically, nor would he let the capable and brave Prince Zhi be confined to a square courtyard to spend the rest of his life.
"Fourth Prince, Princess Consort, His Majesty and Master Tong want you to come in!" Li Dequan appeared outside the tent at some point.
"Anda, let's go in right away!" Yin quickly replied.
As they entered the tent, they were greeted by Kangxi's slightly angry gaze. The two men exchanged a glance, wondering what they had done wrong!
"Fourth Prince, what time is it now?" Kangxi pointed to the grandfather clock. It was five o'clock in the afternoon, around dinnertime, and the sky had darkened further. "When do I want you to return?"
Kangxi's question made Qingyan shudder; she had never seen Kangxi get angry before.
"Father, I am not too late. This is the time when the palace locks are opened!" Yin looked up at Kangxi, determined that he had not violated the palace rules.
Consort Tong sat to the side, making no attempt to help.
"Your subject took Qingyan hunting. This time we didn't use fire arrows; Qingyan used bows and arrows, and the results were quite fruitful!" Yin explained.
Kangxi's eyes were filled with laughter, and Yin secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he was clearly playing a trick on the two of them.
Qingyan stood to one side, as obedient as a little quail, looking like she dared not say a word.
"Little darling, you're not allowed to come back at this time anymore. Once the sun goes down, you must return to the camp!" Consort Tong knew that Qingyan was playful, and there were always some bad animals that might appear in the old, dense forest. She couldn't let Qingyan get hurt.
Qingyan nodded obediently, which contrasted with Yin's rebuttal.
"Fourth Prince, look at Xiao Guai. He knows his mistake and corrects it. I see that Xiao Guai didn't come back on time because you were the one who took care of him!" Kangxi was very happy. Unlike the other princes, Yin did not just lower his head and wait for the reprimand when he scolded him.
"Yes, Father Emperor, it was my fault. When I came back just now, I ran into my elder brother and was going to ask him to bring his wife and Songkeli Yierha over for a barbecue." After entering the camp, Yin instructed Tulichen to set up the barbecue bonfire in front of the imperial tent.
Kangxi laughed. Yinzhi was somewhat overstepping his bounds, but it was also to allow the father and sons to have some interaction.
Moreover, he had considered Songkeri Yierha, the first girl among the princes.
"The little guy is here too?" Kangxi thought that Yinzhen would leave Songkeli Yierha in the camp.
"Yes, my sister-in-law said she wanted to take her to see the world!" Qingyan understood Kangxi's suspicion and said, pretending to be unaware.
As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong exchanged a glance and shook their heads. It was clear that Qingyan had been used by the First Princess Consort.
Qingyan clenched her little fists, mentally encouraging herself. When it was time to use Xiaobai's personality to possess him, she had to do it well and not let Kangxi have even the slightest suspicion. Otherwise, she would definitely lose this extra...favor.
"Little darling, go back and rest for a while. After you've washed and dressed, you can come over!" Consort Tong noticed that Qingyan had only a simple braid for her hunting trip, and she wasn't wearing any jewelry or headdress. This was a bit too dignified for a primary consort.
"Hehe, Mother, I understand!" Qingyan smiled and knelt to take his leave. Sulan and Suxin were already waiting outside the tent.
As soon as she got back to the tent, Qingyan sat down in the warm water. After a day of being jostled on horseback, her whole body was still a little sore.
At this moment, she missed modern modes of transportation terribly.
After bathing, Yinzao changed into a royal blue prince's everyday robe. His dark eyes were fixed on Qingyan's fair and delicate face. She looked like a lotus emerging from the water.
"Little darling, hurry up and get ready. Just now, my sister-in-law sent someone over to inform us that she has already arranged everything for the bonfire party."
All those who accompanied Emperor Kangxi were trusted men; not a single one was of Mongol descent. In fact, some harbored deep hatred for the Mongol leaders, some having lost family members in the campaign against Galdan, a hatred they could never forgive. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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