He's no longer as unrestrained in front of his father as he was when he was a child. In fact, he wasn't unrestrained as a child either, just much more so than his younger brothers. Now, he thinks things through carefully before speaking to the Emperor.
Seeing that Yinzhi was about to rest, Hezhuo also put his arm around his daughter without saying a word, and they leisurely made it to night and set up camp.
He Zhuo wanted to sleep with his daughter, but it was the little treasure's first time away from home, and he wasn't sure if she would sleep soundly that night. Yin Zhi had no choice but to sleep alone.
Everyone was tired on the first day, so there was no visiting or entertainment, and everyone turned off the lights and went to rest early.
When Eunuch Liu went to deliver the ointment to the Seventh Prince, Yinzhi asked him to bring some for the Eighth Prince as well, since the Eighth Prince was raised by Consort Hui and there was some affection between them.
They broke camp early the next morning. November is the Empress Dowager's birthday, and this year marks her 55th birthday. Since the passing of the Grand Empress Dowager, Kangxi's relationship with his stepmother has deepened, and he naturally attaches great importance to her.
Because of the tight schedule, we've been traveling for the past few days. We've arrived in Chengde, where a temporary palace has been built. Finally, we don't have to stay in tents anymore, and everyone has had a good rest.
On the third day, Kangxi, along with the Crown Prince and other princes, met with the Mongol princes, while Khoja and his wives gathered together to have fun.
This time, the Crown Prince also brought his Crown Princess. The Crown Princess no longer put on airs; in the capital, she always maintained the airs of a Crown Princess, making it difficult for people to feel close to her.
"Sister-in-law, since the men aren't here today, let's have a good time," the Crown Princess suggested.
“Sure, what would you like to do, Your Highness?” He Zhuo was not at all constrained.
"Let's ride horses. The men are together, and we'll probably be going hunting on horseback soon. Let's take a ride too." The Third Princess Consort was eager to try. She came from a military family, and her riding skills were second to none.
The Fourth Prince's wife was also born into a military family, so she was naturally familiar with horseback riding and wanted to indulge herself.
The Fifth Prince's wife was not favored at all after marrying him, and she felt much better when she came to the Mulan Hunting Grounds than when she was in the prince's quarters.
He Zhuo agreed, and since everyone was in agreement, a consensus was reached. The Third Princess Consort, being quite shrewd, then proposed…
"Since we're out having fun, how about we have a game? Let's see who can ride a horse the fastest. Starting from here, whoever gets to the third tree first will be the winner. What do you think, Your Highness?"
As soon as she heard about the competition, Fifth Prince's wife backed down. At home, she could only ride a horse, but she was no match for a competition. If she lost and went back to see Fifth Prince's sour face, she would feel really disgusted.
These past few days, the princes have all been staying at their primary wives' homes. Fifth Prince had no choice but to stay at his primary wife's place as well, and he kept giving her a sour look.
When she first married into the family, Fifth Prince's wife still had illusions about him. But after all this time, she has seen through Fifth Prince and Consort Yi, so she has given up on those illusions. Go wherever you want, I'm too lazy to bother with you.
If he comes, fine; if he doesn't, ignore him. This way, Consort Yi can't do anything to Fifth Prince's wife for the time being. Once outside the capital, this Fifth Prince always wears a sour face. None of his brothers brought concubines or maids, so he can't be any different. His brothers stay at the First Prince's wife's place every day, while he can stay alone—wouldn't that attract attention?
So every day he would return to his tent with a long face, acting as if someone owed him money. The Fifth Prince's wife, seeing her husband like this these past few days, didn't show it on her face, but she was secretly amused. He deserved it; it was the Emperor who bestowed the marriage upon him, not her who shamelessly begged to marry into the family. This mother-son sullen face—she couldn't blame the Emperor, so she blamed herself.
Thinking of this, Fifth Princess Consort no longer backed down. So what if she lost? Could things get any worse? At worst, she could just close herself off and live her own life, which would be no different from what she was doing now.
He Zhuo could tell that the Third Princess Consort wanted to show off, so after thinking for a moment, he said 50 taels of silver. The Crown Princess was still thinking about what to use as a prize when she heard her sister-in-law say that, so she also said 50 taels, and then everyone said 50 taels.
They don't care about such a small amount of money, they just want to have some fun. But if they gamble big, it will be bad.
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