The two princesses' processions arrived soon after. Changning heard that Prince Yi had been waiting by his side for a long time. He hadn't seen his two younger sisters for a long time and almost burst into tears in public. She couldn't help but feel a little sad.
Recalling the time when Consort Min had just passed away, Prince Yi was not given important positions, and his two younger sisters were sent to the palaces of different consorts. Later, he was sent to serve as a tutor to the Mongols. Prince Yi was anxious and frustrated, and even Yinzhen was busy with this for a long time.
But now, one of them holds a high position, becoming a prince and being highly valued by the emperor. The other two princesses did not die young as history has written. Instead, they listened to advice, learned from the clam princess, and took on their responsibilities. They wield extraordinary power in the Mongol tribes, providing a solid foundation for Yinzhen to further control Mongolia.
Changning could roughly guess what Yinzhen, Prince Yi, and the two princesses talked about. First, they reminisced about the past, then they probably learned about the situation in Mongolia, and next they planned to station Qing officials and troops in the region to further strengthen control.
After we finished discussing business, we could talk about family matters.
Changning thought that they must all want to sit down as a family and have a good chat, and it would be inconvenient to have a campfire outside.
So it was decided that the banquet would be held inside the yurt.
Knowing that the two princesses had been living in Mongolia for a long time and had not returned to the capital, Changning specially ordered someone to make some of the princesses' favorite snacks.
When everyone took their seats that evening, Wen Ke and Princess Dun Ke were both stunned when they saw the familiar yet unfamiliar pastries, and then a wave of bitterness washed over them.
Changning smiled and comforted her, "Knowing that the two princesses probably like sweet things, I specially ordered people to make chestnut cake, which is popular in the capital, as well as lotus root starch and osmanthus sugar cake. They are sweet but not greasy. Princesses, please try them and see if they suit your taste?"
These two snacks are common in Qing Dynasty dramas, and Changning thought that they might be used to eating them.
Princess Wenke, being older, spoke first, her face filled with gratitude: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have long heard of Your Majesty's wisdom and kindness, and your tolerance towards your subordinates. Today I have finally witnessed it firsthand. Your Majesty's heart towards my younger sister is truly sincere."
Seeing that Princess Wenke was gentle and kind, Changning imagined that she must have been obedient and respectful in the palace. Mongolia was a bit harsh and cold, which must have been tough on her. She was young, but there were many fine lines around her eyes and she looked tired. It seemed that her life in Mongolia was not as good as she had imagined.
She also wanted to try her best to put the princess's mind at ease, so she replied, "The princess's arrival in Mongolia is a matter of status and face for our Great Qing. Now, I have come from the capital with many local specialties, which can be given to my two younger sisters as a small consolation."
Dunke was younger and more lively. Seeing that Changning was gentle and easy to talk to, his defenses gradually lowered, and he smiled and chimed in, "That's wonderful, thank you for thinking of us, Your Majesty. Mongolia is wonderful everywhere, except that the sandstorms are quite strong. If Your Majesty goes out, please remember to protect your skin."
Prince Yi and Yinzhen were more familiar with each other, and at this moment they were also very grateful: "Your Majesty's sister-in-law has always been as close as my brother and sister-in-law, and has always cared for our younger brothers and sisters. This makes us ashamed. I will never forget the kindness of my brother and sister-in-law. Even if I repay them with my own efforts, it will be difficult to repay them."
Seeing his beloved thirteenth brother speak like this, Yinzhen could no longer sit still: "Hey! Thirteenth brother! What are you saying? The late emperor always admonished us brothers to be friendly and respectful to each other, and to be united and loving. How could we sit idly by and do nothing? I treat you as my own brothers and sisters, which is why I take care of you. Don't say such distant things in the future, or you will only alienate us."
With Yinzhen's words, the three below could only nod in gratitude.
Seeing that the atmosphere at the banquet was about right, Yinzhen was the first to pick up his chopsticks: "Alright, enough talk, let's start eating. Today's menu was personally prepared by the Empress. You are all very fortunate; I usually don't get to eat dishes prepared by the Empress."
Yinzhen was in a rare good mood today, and even cracked a joke.
Changning just smiled and didn't say anything. Yinzhen was really afraid that she would get angry, so he specially picked up a piece of braised mutton for her: "Eat more, Your Majesty. Riding a horse consumes a lot of energy."
The Emperor and Empress, seated on the throne, were a loving couple. The three people below could see this clearly and thought to themselves that the Empress was truly favored. Since she entered the palace, the Emperor had hardly ever shown any interest in anyone else. They thought that ordinary couples in the common world must be like this too.
Prince Yi is doing well. Nowadays, his relationship with the Thirteenth Prince's wife, Zhao Jiayunchun, is getting sweeter and sweeter. The two have had several children together, and he can probably understand his elder brother's deep affection for the Empress.
Princess Wenke has been quite troubled lately. Since marrying her husband, she has always wanted a child, but has not been able to conceive. She felt somewhat sorry for her husband, and at the same time, she put a lot of pressure on herself, which is why her face is covered with wrinkles at such a young age.
But seeing her brother's gentle and considerate manner towards the Empress, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Why couldn't she meet such a good man? Was the Aisin Gioro family really just full of lovelorn fools?
Princess Dunke was slightly younger and more lively, but she had very little affection for her husband. She thought that all couples were the same, and there was no real affection between them, only an exchange of benefits.
But seeing her brother and sister-in-law now really touched her heart, and she said enviously, "Your brother and sister-in-law have such a good relationship."
Yinzhen and Changning exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
Princess Dunke realized she had spoken out of turn and dared not say anything more. She simply lowered her head and ate her food. The delicacies on the table reminded her of her days in the palace.
Recalling her conversation with her elder brother, she realized that as long as she could help him firmly control Mongolia, there would be no need for princesses from the capital to come and pacify Mongolia in the future.
Although Dunke felt that the Mongolian grasslands offered more freedom and more power, she would naturally prefer to stay in the capital if given the opportunity. She was willing to do her utmost so that the girls in the future would no longer have to serve the Mongols.
The meeting with the two princesses went very smoothly.
The next day, Changning specially brought Hutuli and Yierha to meet with Wenke and Dunke.
Yierha had never met these two princess aunts before; in other words, he had never met any princesses other than himself and his sisters, so he was filled with curiosity.
Although Hutuli was ordered to go and meet them, he only met the two princesses briefly and did not have a conversation with them.
Wen Ke and Dun Ke both prepared special gifts for their first meeting. Dun Ke, in particular, was very fond of Hu Tu Li's personality and her fearless spirit. She felt that this was how a royal daughter should be, and her eyes revealed deep envy. Hu Tu Li was the kind of person she most wanted to be.
Full of love, full of courage, full of fearlessness.
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