With her two princess aunts around, Hutuli spent less time riding horses outside.
Wenke was gentle and talkative, always able to tell captivating stories about the scenery and interesting events on the grasslands, which made Hutuli particularly excited.
Yierha also enjoyed being with her aunts, something she had never experienced before.
"Aunt Dunke, the grassland is so much fun! I always thought the climate and soil here weren't good enough, but the scenery is so beautiful, and you can ride horses without any worries. I never imagined that herding could be so much fun!"
Seeing Hutu's enthusiastic expression, Wen Ke was afraid that she might also want to marry into the family, so he quickly stopped her, saying, "What Dun Ke is talking about is trivial. People who have lived in the capital for a long time may not be able to adapt to the local climate and environment. When I married into the family, I was sick for half a year before I recovered. Besides, the milk tea and pastries here have always been quite strong in flavor and are not as refined as those in our palace."
Hutuli retorted, "But there are rules everywhere in the palace. We can't study in the Imperial Study like Hongyan, nor can we go to the drill ground, or even leave the palace at will. There are no such rules on the grasslands."
Wen Ke smiled bitterly: "Hutuli, listen to your aunt's advice. The grassland is not just about the scenery on the surface, but also about the loneliness of being in a foreign land. The people here will not truly respect or love you. The people around you are all strangers who are united and waiting for you to fall. They are the ones who are on the same side. Life here is much harder."
When Dunke saw that his sister had spoken so bluntly, his expression changed: "Sister! Why are you saying this in front of the two children?"
Wen Ke shook his head: "They are not young anymore. When we were their age, we didn't know how many concubines we had to deal with. In the palace, even though our mother's rank was low and we were not favored, we had relatives by our side, so we had confidence in everything. Hutuli and Yierha are different. You have the Emperor's favor, so why did you have to go through this sea of suffering?"
The exhaustion and despair on Wen Ke's face were so intense that the two little girls couldn't bear to look at him anymore.
They couldn't describe the feeling; they only felt an unbearable sorrow in their hearts.
Time always flies when you're on the grasslands, and Yinzhen had already issued an edict to return to the capital the next day.
Before leaving, Hutuli went to visit her horse alone. The horse was chestnut brown with big, wet eyes and looked particularly gentle and cute. However, Hutuli knew that her temperament was a bit fiery, just like his own. He knew that if he let her run wild and have fun, she would never stop.
"Pearl, oh Pearl, once we return to the palace, I won't be able to ride you anymore, and you won't be able to run so freely like this."
Hutu muttered to himself as he brushed the horse.
In her view, pearls are another form of herself. Amma once said that horses are the best companions of the Manchus, and they should be treated with care.
So from a young age, when he could ride a horse, Hutuli brushed the horse and trimmed its hooves himself.
Chen Zhihuai was surprised when he saw her: "Why is the princess here all alone?"
Hutu turned around when she heard the voice, and when she saw it was him, she continued brushing the horse. Anyway, the two of them were quite familiar with each other, and she spoke to him quite familiarly.
"Come and see my horse."
"Is the princess brushing the horse herself? Otherwise, I'll do it." Chen Zhihuai wanted to help as soon as he saw it.
Hutu quickly refused, "No need, I'm used to doing it."
Seeing how diligently and skillfully she brushed the horse, Chen Zhihuai knew she was telling the truth and was even more surprised. He knew before that the Second Princess was approachable, kind, and had a personality unlike that of ordinary girls, but he never expected her to personally brush the horse and do such rough work.
The Manchus valued martial arts, so the princes trained in riding and archery, but very few of them could take care of their horses themselves. Not only were the horses sometimes dirty, but they also had a strong horse smell.
Hutuli, however, did not seem to mind at all: "My father has always taught us to take care of the horses ourselves since we were little. It is so rewarding to take care of them until they are plump, healthy, and shiny!"
"A sense of accomplishment?" Chen Zhihuai thought the princess's new word made a lot of sense.
Hutu nodded: "Yes, that's what my mother said. When you accomplish something, you feel happy and proud. That's a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes, this thing may not be meaningful or correct, but if it makes you feel accomplished, it's worth doing."
Chen Zhihuai couldn't help but praise, "The Emperor and Empress have lofty aspirations that are beyond the reach of ordinary people like us."
Hutu chuckled, "That sounds like you're flattering me!"
Chen Zhihuai blushed, a rare sight for him, and dared not say another word.
After a while, Hutuli tidied up the pearl beautifully. She looked extremely happy and patted the pearl affectionately: "Pearl is wonderful! I will come to see you often when I have time!"
After saying that, Pearl snorted and touched the hand in the picture to show her response.
"The princess is going back to the palace. Are you unhappy? Or are you having trouble adjusting to palace life?"
Hearing Chen Zhihuai's words, Hutuli turned her head and looked at him: "Where did you get the idea that I'm unhappy?"
"I can feel it."
Hutu sighed, “Before, we were always free in the manor. Although Father was busy, he would come back almost every day to test our studies. I could also visit Mother every day. But now that I’ve entered the palace, I always feel that the distance between us has become greater, and there are more rules. I always feel a sense of unease, and I can’t let Father and Mother down.”
Chen Zhihuai's eyes revealed a look of pity: "The princess has great ambitions and cannot be confined by the palace."
In the blink of an eye, Hutuli changed her thoughts again. She would never let herself be troubled for too long. She smiled and said, "If a princess is always lamenting the passing of spring and autumn, what will happen to the poor people?"
"In life, one must do everything by oneself; even a small step can reveal the vastness of the land." Chen Zhihuai pointed to the distant, expansive grassland with his right hand. "This world belongs to the people of the Qing Dynasty, and it also belongs to the princess alone."
Hutuli was deeply moved. Looking at the boundless grassland in front of her, at the clear blue sky, and feeling the breeze in her ears, she heard Chen Zhihuai's words from earlier: "The world also belongs to the princess."
After returning to the capital, it was almost the end of the year, and Yinzhen became busy again.
He has been busy setting up the Grand Council lately and urgently needs people, so he simply recalled Ortai and some of his trusted ministers, spending all his time in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Changhua acted quickly, and the matter was settled in a month in the south. However, the Cao and Li families had too much wealth, and Xi Hui also came along and helped him a lot.
This trip was also thanks to Duoxihui. The local area of Jiangnan had long been thoroughly infiltrated by these families. If it weren't for Duoxihui's cleverness in disguising himself and gathering information in advance, the trip might not have gone so smoothly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
