The mornings on the grasslands are bright early. Qingyan huddled up, hiding her face in Yin's arms, not wanting to be disturbed from her sleep.
He was awakened by her fluffy hair. Last night, she had been restless until almost midnight before finally falling asleep; she had a habit of being selective about where she slept. Whenever she went out, she definitely wouldn't sleep well for the first two days.
At yesterday's banquet, Emperor Kangxi decreed a three-day rest period, during which the Mongol princes and their advisors discussed again the demands they were preparing to make.
Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen was definitely not a requirement. Kangxi valued this granddaughter highly and kept her by his side before she was even a year old. When the primary consorts went to pay their respects, the little girl was held in Consort Tong's arms, which made everyone understand that this child was valued by Kangxi.
Only by marrying a princess of noble birth to a Mongol prince could one gain greater glory and more benefits; therefore, the Mongol prince valued this relationship even more.
"Sisi, it's rare to be able to stay in bed!" Qingyan said lazily.
The two little ones went to bed late last night and are still fast asleep. She finally has some time to spend alone with Yin.
He closed his eyes, held her in his arms, and listened to her soft, sweet voice as she spoke.
“Little darling, the Mongols are all roughnecks, they don’t follow the rules of the palace.” Yin was worried that Little darling would feel uncomfortable.
After all, those native-born primary wives were raised by the Empress Dowager to be arrogant and haughty, believing that the Qing Dynasty was similar to the area outside the Great Wall, that Mongolia was the Qing Dynasty's only ally, that they had a close relationship, and that the status of Mongolian women was higher than that of the Manchu Eight Banners.
She gave a cold laugh. These primary wives were simply being slapped in the face by reality. After the Empress Dowager passed away, the Mongol power in the capital declined steadily. The Empress Dowager was a woman who didn't care about anything. When those primary wives went to the palace to plead for mercy, the Empress Dowager rejected them with just a few words.
The wives were all on edge, hoping to find a breakthrough through Consort Tong. The Empress Dowager's greetings were just ordinary, and the women all understood the power of pillow talk.
"Fourth Sister, every time we go to Mother's place, we have to meet with those Mongolian wives!" Qingyan couldn't help but feel a headache. These women were all restless, and every time they would subtly mention how much their families needed.
Yin felt a warm feeling in his heart as he listened to Qingyan's little complaints.
Consort Tong and Qingyan were probably having a hard time. With the Crown Prince under strict surveillance by Emperor Kangxi, the two of them were the perfect targets.
"Hmm, Mother is going to have you go to pay your respects at a different time!" Consort Tong was a veteran of many battles, but Qingyan was different.
The Mongolian wives used the Qing banquet as a breakthrough point; she was about to make a promise, and her mother couldn't refuse her daughter-in-law's opinion.
Even if Consort Tong thought this method was too despicable, if she were in her shoes, she would have done the same.
ah?!
Qingyan peeked out from his arms. Why did he ask her to change the time?
He pinched her little nose and told her about his mother's worries.
Instantly, her face darkened. The wives liked to talk to her, and Qingyan was always on guard to prevent being framed by them, but in the end, she still miscalculated.
"Sisi, I was wrong!" Qingyan quickly admitted her mistake.
When Qingyan arrived in Mongolia, he understood the meaning of "putting the overall situation first." From Emperor Kangxi to the princes, they were often angered by the Mongolian princes, but they had no choice but to swallow their anger and deal with them with a smile.
“It’s not that you’re wrong, we can’t touch Mongolia for the time being,” Yin said angrily.
He was once looked down upon by the princes of Mongolia. Back when Consort Tong was still alive, Yin was respected by the princes. The difference was like heaven and earth just because his mother was gone.
"Even if they can't be touched, we can't let them get away with it. It's one thing to disrespect Mother, but to actually talk behind her back like that!" Qingyan had been keeping her angry these past few days while accompanying her. After returning, she drank bitter herbs for several days before she finally managed to keep her temper in check.
He patted her back to help her relax; the tent had been filled with bitter melon water for days. Yin understood then that the little devil must have been mistreated.
After paying his respects to Consort Tong, Qingyan could no longer suppress his anger, but he couldn't easily lash out, so he could only silently endure it. Ultimately, he had to use Coptis chinensis water to calm his temper.
"Then let's not go anymore!" Yin felt sorry for Xiao Guai.
"No, if I'm with them, they'll have no reason to hold back. If Mother faces those people alone, they'll become even more presumptuous!" Qingyan pouted. She had come here in a cheerful mood, but on her very first day, the Mongolian wives wanted to give her a hard time.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a noise outside the tent, and Yin's nerves instantly tensed up.
"Eru!"
Soon, she heard a heavy thud outside, and she instantly snapped back to reality.
Has the Mongolian prince learned to eavesdrop?
The two exchanged a glance and then beckoned Su Peisheng and Su Lan to come in and serve them.
Inside the tent in the main hall, a man who looked like a Mongolian was kneeling. Qingyan helped Sulan out and followed Yin out. She glanced at the strong man out of the corner of her eye and felt a little strange.
“Four…” Qingyan whispered.
He turned to look at Qingyan, his eyes questioning.
She looked at the Mongolian man; he was tall and strong, with a full beard and a very serene look in his eyes.
"Sulan, have Erlu shave this man's beard!" Qingyan felt there was something wrong with this man. The face shape and appearance of Mongolians are different from those of Manchus and Han Chinese. Generally, when someone disguises themselves, they will use a beard to cover it up.
The tent immediately fell silent...
Yin sat in the main seat and began to carefully examine the person in front of him. Xiao Guai understood the Mongolian custom that one's beard should not be touched casually.
“Shave!” Yin trusted Xiao Guai’s intuition.
If this person is Mongolian, that's fine, but if it's someone in disguise, there could be serious trouble.
"!" Su Peisheng personally took charge and shaved his beard clean in just a few strokes.
The man's true appearance was revealed instantly, and Qingyan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was relieved. His intuition was right; this man was indeed not a Mongol.
She walked up to the man on her flowerpot-soled shoes and bent down to meet his gaze.
“Your pupils aren’t just plain brown, they’re… a little bluish…” Qingyan carefully examined the pupil color of the person in front of her.
Turning blue?!
Yin tensed up instantly. Could it be a Rakshasa?
"Little darling, this matter is a bit tricky. Get ready to go to Father and Mother immediately!" Yin looked at the man, gave Erlu a look, and a black cloth bag was put over his head.
The two men led their entourage to the imperial tent. Kangxi and Consort Tong had just gotten up and were wondering why Yin hadn't spent his day off with Xiao Guai, but instead had come to pay his respects.
Li Dequan bowed and whispered a few words to Kangxi, whose face darkened.
"Lanya, something's happened to Lao Si's tent. Li Dequan, immediately have Tu Lichen keep an eye on the surroundings." Yin felt he was being watched, so he first checked who it was.
Consort Tong hurriedly went out, and Shu Yingyin and Qingyan entered the tent before leaving directly.
Just as they were about to leave the tent, Li Dequan repeatedly instructed them to depart immediately after greeting the Fourth Prince and his wife. (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.)
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