After breakfast, Su Peisheng walked in from outside and stood respectfully beside Yin, whispering a few words in his ear.
"Little darling, change into your riding and archery uniform. Autumn training begins today." Yin frowned, feeling somewhat puzzled.
Every autumn, Emperor Kangxi would give advance notice so that the Mongol leaders and princes could prepare. Today, however, everything is not going well.
The imperial decree was announced an hour in advance, leaving insufficient time for everyone to prepare.
"Fourth Brother, do I still have to go?!" Qingyan's archery skills are not good. If he could use a fire arrow, he would be better off.
“You stayed with your mother in the movie, and Erlu stayed by your side the whole time.” Yin Zong felt that something was wrong.
This autumn, the Mongol leaders were present at their largest gathering yet, and many were likely plotting against Kangxi. Furthermore, Yinzhen's relationship with the Mongol leaders in the northern deserts had improved significantly, leading them to directly target Kangxi for their own interests.
The top five princes all accompanied Emperor Kangxi on his autumn mourning, making this the highest-level autumn mourning in the Qing Dynasty.
Qingyan's small hands were a little cold. When she heard Yin mention Qiu Mi, she felt uneasy.
"Sisi, are you going too?" Qingyan didn't want him to go. Once they entered Qiumi's dense forest, they would be at the mercy of others at any time. This was the domain of the Mongol leaders.
"No!" Yin refused directly, seeing Qingyan's expectant gaze. "Father Emperor has personally issued the decree, so the princes cannot leave without permission."
Yin coaxed Xiao Guai into changing into a bright red riding and archery uniform. She took out two pistols from her purse and handed one to Yin. She felt more at ease with the weapon on Yin's person.
"Fourth Prince, I won't advise you. Take this!" Qingyan handed the pistol to Yin, telling him to put it in his purse for self-defense. "It can be used in dangerous situations. Father and His Majesty mentioned that Linglong Pavilion brought five pistols from the West. Two were presented to Kangxi, two were given to Qingyan, and she plans to give one to Yin."
Even if Emperor Kangxi saw it, he wouldn't say anything.
"Alright!" Yin put the things in his purse. "Little darling, you must sit next to your mother. The two children cannot be separated from you!"
"And you're bringing the children?!" Qingyan's voice rose eight octaves. Why were the children coming along too?
Yin nodded. Kangxi would have Qingyan take the children there, probably because it wasn't safe inside the tent.
He couldn't bear to say more to Qingyan, fearing she would be startled and unable to maintain a flawless expression, thus giving the Mongol leaders an opening.
"Yes, Mother will take you with her. The children are all awake now, so it would be good for them to broaden their horizons," Yin said.
Ugh!
Qingyan was stunned. How could Yinzhen say something like that when a child under one year old was having his eyes opened?
“Four... that’s going a bit too far!” Qingyan protested.
"Sulan, dress the children warmly!" Yin didn't give her a chance to object and directly ordered Sulan and Sushu to dress the twins. "Little darling, get everything ready, we'll go over together right away!"
Qingyan sighed, nodded to Sushu who had asked for her opinion, and agreed with Yin's suggestion.
After calming down, Qingyan realized something was wrong. Yin had been trying to persuade her to take the child away, so it must have been something the Emperor had said.
There should be Mongol spies near their tents.
Later, the family of four left the tent and set up a platform in the center of the camp. Kangxi and Consort Tong were already seated at the head of the table. To their left, at the lower head of the table, sat the Crown Prince in military attire. To their right, at the lower head of the table, sat Yinzhi and his family. Songkelierha sat to the side, waiting for the twins to arrive.
"Fourth Prince, sit down quickly. Lanya, the twins are now in your care!" Kangxi glanced at the two swaddled babies behind Qingyan and breathed a sigh of relief.
The tents were now empty. As they prepared for the autumn festival, the Dragon Guards would inspect each tent one by one, checking all the servants except for their personal attendants.
"Yes, Your Majesty, you may go to Qiu Mi." Consort Tong nodded. The two little ones both liked to make a ruckus outside. Every day, Qing Yan would take the two little ones out for some fresh air, and often bring them into the imperial tent.
As Qiu Mi's long horn sounded, Yiken'e was awakened by the sound. He opened his phoenix eyes and looked at Kangxi and the others as they set off for the expedition. His little face couldn't help but tighten.
"You look just like the fourth prince now!" Kangxi was about to get off his seat to ride a horse when he turned his head and saw Yiken'e's amusing little expression, and couldn't help but laugh.
Consort Tong quickly looked down and smiled.
Qingyan sat to the side, watching the first couple joking around. Out of the corner of her eye, she kept observing the Mongolian leaders. Some of their expressions seemed a little off. She took a closer look at the princes' appearances, and with just one glance, she couldn't help but frown. How come these people all looked so similar?
After seeing the men off, the Crown Princess and Consort Dong'e led the women on a hunting trip. Consort Tong summoned her two favorite princes' wives to her side, and kept her three children close by.
Apart from Shu and Shuzhu, all the other maids around her were replaced by those who came from the Phoenix Guard.
It appeared that Kangxi was going hunting with all his main guards, but in reality, the Dragon Guards disguised themselves as imperial guards, directly deceiving the Mongol leaders and making them believe that Kangxi trusted them.
"Little darlings, you all need to relax a bit. It will take three hours for them to return!" Consort Tong coldly watched as the Mongolian wives were all eager to try. They surrounded the Crown Princess, their faces full of Chen Mei's smiles.
Seeing the Crown Princess's demeanor, Qingyan felt that the Crown Princess was getting a little cocky. She secretly glanced at Consort Tong, who didn't seem to take the Crown Princess's provocation seriously at all. She couldn't help but feel very strange. What was going on?
Inside the palace, Consort Tong frequently suppressed the Crown Princess. Since there could only be one master in the harem, Consort Tong held the Phoenix Seal. The Crown Princess followed Consort Tong to learn how to handle palace affairs and always wanted to take the Phoenix Seal from Consort Tong.
Once they arrived at the grasslands, Consort Tong no longer cared.
"Does it seem strange?!" Consort Tong watched as the Crown Princess and the others left, and she couldn't help but laugh. Little Guai's face couldn't hide her thoughts at all.
Qingyan nodded. Wasn't the Crown Princess provoking Consort Tong?
“On the grasslands, those primary consorts are short-sighted. The more high-profile the Crown Princess is, the more annoyed His Majesty will become!” Consort Tong and Consort Hui have a good relationship and are always ready to help out Consort Yin Genjue Luo.
When conflicts arose between the sisters-in-law, Yin Genjue Luo Shi helped Qing Yan quite a bit. Every word she said saved Yin Genjue Luo Shi and Qing Yan from taking a detour.
"Mother, is the Crown Princess alright? She must have heard the Crown Prince's advice to be so close to those primary consorts!" Qingyan disliked those Mongolian consorts; every time she interacted with them, she got a headache. They spoke too directly, making her uncomfortable. (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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