Chapter 1868 Gathering
The autumn festival began, and the grasslands became lively. The chieftains arrived and even asked Emperor Kangxi for leave, but they still hadn't been able to see their primary wives. Emperor Kangxi's attitude was very firm, so the chieftains had no choice but to send their secondary wives to visit the Empress Dowager. Emperor Kangxi then ordered that the secondary wives be kept absolutely from seeing the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager is very soft-hearted; seeing her family pleading for her in this way, she would definitely soften her heart.
Qingyan sat inside the tent. The three wives of the First Prince, Ninth Prince, and Tenth Prince arrived. The Fifth Prince had already been left in the capital. Yinqi staying in the capital was considered a benefit granted by Emperor Kangxi.
"Fourth sister-in-law, how long do you think the Empress Dowager can hold out?" the First Princess Consort asked, puzzled.
Qingyan shook her head: "I don't know, but you've seen how much weight the Empress Dowager holds for her maternal family."
On the grasslands, Qingyan witnessed too many difficulties faced by the princesses sent to marry foreign rulers, so she preferred that the Empress Dowager be confined to her quarters by Emperor Kangxi.
While the sisters-in-law were chatting, Su Lan came out from the tent entrance and reported, "The concubines have arrived, saying they have come to pay their respects to the First Lady."
"I said I don't have time here." Qingyan refused decisively, determined not to see the other party. "Sisters-in-law, there's really no way to deal with these people. They're so arrogant on the grasslands, they don't take us seriously at all, and their words are always barbed. I find it extremely uncomfortable to listen to them. I admire my aunts for being able to stay in this kind of life for several years."
When Ingenjueluo heard this, she was very surprised. The noble ladies of Mongolia dared to treat the princess who was to be married off in this way. At first, she thought that the Mongolian concubines who entered the palace were the worst. It turned out that there were even worse ones here.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, is it really that bad?" the Tenth Princess asked.
“Sister-in-law, your tribe should be alright, but the tribes I’ve seen are really not good. Master said that when the children of the concubines grow up, the people who have been bribed around the primary wives might poison and kill them under the supervision of the chiefs.” Qingyan’s brief statement left the wives staring at her in astonishment.
The Tenth Princess's cheeks flushed instantly, and she felt quite guilty. After all, these were things that happened within the Mongolian tribe.
“Sister-in-law, these things have nothing to do with you,” Yin Genjue Luo Shi comforted her from the side.
The Tenth Prince's wife lowered her head, as if she were guilty.
"Sister-in-law, I do feel guilty. After all, my family is from a tribe in Mongolia." The Tenth Princess Consort had heard from Abu that the tribe would no longer be subject to arranged marriages, so she naturally tried her best to do so.
“Sister-in-law, it’s enough to say this kind of guilt once or twice. Saying it too often feels a bit excessive.” Ninth Princess patted her hand. “We all understand what you’re thinking.”
The wives nodded in agreement, and the Tenth Princess was finally relieved. Her tribe had come along this time, and hopefully, she wouldn't be criticized by Kangxi and the others.
"Sister-in-law, these next few days, tell your Abu and brothers not to be too reckless." Qingyan remembered that Yinzhen had mentioned this matter to the Tenth Prince's wife.
The Tenth Princess was only stunned for a moment before quickly nodding, wondering when she would go to see Abu and the others.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, why didn't Lady Ulanara come?" The Tenth Prince's wife noticed that the Fourth Prince's wife had been staying by Yinzhen's side the whole time and hadn't met with her family.
“Mother has arrived, but I haven’t had time to see her. Before, I was dragged to the grasslands to see Father and the others. Sister-in-law, may Songkelierha stay with me for the next few days?” Qingyan’s First Lady asked.
The First Princess nodded: "Of course."
At this time, the First Princess Consort trusted the Fourth Princess Consort very much. Her attempt to persuade Songkri Yierha to stay meant that something was definitely going on. Yinti was always busy outside and rarely had the opportunity to take care of them. Moreover, Duoxihun was a troublemaker. Although he had grown up, he still needed someone by his side.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, did you leave Hafeng with your mother?" Ninth Princess Consort had been observing for a long time and noticed that Hafeng hadn't come over to cling to Qingyan anymore.
“Yes,” Qingyan nodded, “It wouldn’t be good for us to take Hafeng with us when we go out.”
Ninth Princess said with some regret, "I was thinking of hugging Hafeng. I haven't seen him for several days, and Ah Hong misses him a bit."
"Suzhu, go to Mother's place and bring Hafeng back. Tell her the children want to see her." Qingyan had no choice but to use the twins and Songkelierha as an excuse.
Ninth Princess looked at Qingyan in surprise: "Fourth Sister-in-law, it's good that Hafeng didn't come, why are you..."
"Don't worry, the twins didn't go today. Father Emperor said that the two children should stay in the tent these few days." After watching Suzhu leave, Qingyan turned to the others and said, "Sister-in-law, you've probably gotten rid of the entanglements, right?"
The sisters-in-law nodded, and all their eyes were on the Tenth Prince's wife, making her tremble slightly.
"Sisters-in-law..." The Tenth Princess Consort was both amused and exasperated.
"Don't worry, when you get back, have Imperial Physician Yuan examine your pulse. I'll have someone tell him what to do." Qingyan was ready to help; otherwise, the Tenth Princess Consort would inevitably be harassed.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, thank you so much." The Tenth Princess Consort smiled, finally able to put her mind at ease.
Ninth Prince's wife quickly changed the subject, preventing her from continuing.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, when can we go out riding horses?" Ninth Princess Consort asked quickly.
After arriving at the grassland, the sisters-in-law all wanted to go horseback riding, as there were very few opportunities to ride horses in the capital.
"It should be a few days, sister-in-law. You should pay your respects to Consort Hui a few more times. She will surely be able to give you some news," Qingyan suggested.
As the sun set, Qingyan saw off her sisters-in-law and sat lazily in a chair. She noticed that when Hafeng saw Qingyan, his eyes instantly lit up.
“Mother…” Hafeng patted her cheeks with both hands. He was very happy. He hadn’t seen Qingyan for several days and had been thinking about her for a long time.
"Alright, Hafeng, how have you been these past few days?" Qingyan was very worried about Hafeng. Every time she wanted to bring him back, Yinzhen would say that it would be better for him to stay for the time being.
Ahhh!
Hafeng started yelling again, hoping Qingyan could understand his changed feelings.
"My lord, young master Hafeng is causing trouble in the Imperial Noble Consort's tent. He's even broken several of the vases he brought from the capital."
After hearing Su Zhu's complaint, Qing Yan patted Ha Feng's bottom, thinking that Consort Tong probably just wanted to share the spoils.
"Go find the master and tell him what Ha Feng did." Qingyan waved his hand, signaling Suzhu to go and complain first.
Hafon sat in her lap, his little mouth pursed, his face full of dissatisfaction.
"Haha, little guy, you're scared now. Wait until your father comes, then we'll see if he scolds you." Qingyan pinched Hafeng's cheek, which made the little guy very unhappy.
Yinzhen walked in from outside and heard the mother and son laughing, so he quickly picked up Hafeng.
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