Chapter 139: Undercurrents Surge, How Can a Good Child Grow Up and Become Less...
How come a good kid becomes less and less successful as he grows up?
He was clearly the prince whom he had personally brought up and was proud of. Even foreign missionaries would praise his good manners when they saw him. But now he was acting so infuriatingly.
Now that he is alive, the prince ignores his sick brother and acts so arrogantly. Then a hundred years later, once the prince takes the throne, how will he treat his brothers?
Emperor Kangxi pressed his chest and let out a long sigh, only to feel his chest was heavy and he could hardly breathe.
Although everyone shouted "Long Live the Lord", he knew very well that no one could live forever. This time he went on a tour of the grassland, and he felt more and more powerless. In the past, when he was in his prime, he could fight against Galdan in person, and he could stay up for several nights to chase Galdan's whereabouts, and he didn't think it was a big deal. But now, he just stayed up late at night to watch over the Eighteenth Prince, and he felt uncomfortable all day the next day.
He was unwilling to admit it, but time was unforgiving, and time was the same for the emperor and the common people. He was already over fifty years old. The prince was in his prime, and he should have taken on some responsibilities, but he was like this!
Mu Xue sat quietly beside him and noticed that Emperor Kangxi looked a little old. She took a closer look and saw, in the candlelight, that there were white hairs on the brim of Emperor Kangxi's hat. She was shocked.
Perhaps it was not just the sick Eighteenth Prince and the Crown Prince that bothered him. Mu Xue lowered her eyes. There were too many such examples in history books. Ambitious emperors became more sensitive and suspicious when they realized they were old, and even had a panic, worrying that their positions would be taken away by younger people.
It was a turbulent time, and Emperor Kangxi was staying in the grasslands outside the Great Wall, far away from the capital. Could it be that he was feeling a little nervous that he himself was barely aware of?
In such a situation, what can she do to add some weight to herself?
Mu Xue was thinking in her heart. She picked up the silver dragon-head milk teapot on the table, filled the gold-covered wooden bowl, and handed it to Emperor Kangxi with both hands: "Khan Ama, I see that you look a little haggard. Even if you are worried about your eighteenth brother's illness and your second brother, you must also consider yourself and the world, and take care of your health."
Emperor Kangxi took the Yamu bowl and took a bite. The warm milk tea had a sweet taste and was good for soothing the throat.
His anger subsided a little: "Look at your second brother, how can I not be worried."
"We have been staying outside the Great Wall for these days. It is cold and dry in autumn. It is easy to have a strong temper. And we have encountered many troubles. You are not happy, and my second brother may also feel uncomfortable."
Mu Xue's voice was soft and soothing to listen to.
"You are worried because you love your second brother so much. I still remember that when you were away on the battlefield alone, you wrote to your second brother and asked him to send you the clothes he often wore so that you could remember him. Now that he is by your side, there is no need to send clothes from far away."
"You little girl, now you dare to tease me." Emperor Kangxi sneered.
"I just hope Khan Ama won't worry too much. Everything has a process. Take it slow and everything will be fine."
Mu Xue smiled. Seeing that Emperor Kangxi was in a good mood, she tentatively asked, "Are there not enough people to serve you during the patrol? I didn't think it through. During these days, the livestock supply may not be very large. Otherwise, I will immediately send people to Guihua to drive some new cattle and sheep. There are some good hunters among the Guihua garrison and the prince consort's subordinates. Perhaps we can send some of them over to let them hunt for some fresh food, which can also be used for security, so that the prince won't have to worry about it."
After hearing this, Emperor Kangxi raised his eyebrows slightly and pondered for a moment.
Mu Xue just smiled and picked up the milk tea in front of her and drank it without saying much.
At this moment, someone outside was heard saying, "Your Majesty, the Thirteenth Prince is here to invite you in."
"Come in."
The Thirteenth Prince entered the tent, bowed and kowtowed: "My father, the prince has been found and is on his way back."
Emperor Kangxi snorted coldly: "When he comes back, let him stay in the tent quietly and don't run around."
As he said this, he did not even show the Thirteenth Prince a seat, but left him standing. The Thirteenth Prince was a minister favored by Emperor Kangxi to assist the Crown Prince, but he did not see that he had done a good job in assisting the Crown Prince, so he could not help but feel angry.
He didn't say anything, and the Thirteenth Prince didn't dare to move. He just stood there, very respectfully, and greeted Mu Xue, "Fourth sister is here."
"Yes, I just arrived."
Emperor Kangxi looked at Mu Xue and said, "Just now you mentioned calling some people from Guihua. That's fine. Let's do it."
Mu Xue agreed and caught a glimpse of the Thirteenth Prince from the corner of her eye. He happened to hear it. The Thirteenth Prince is now a typical princeling, I wonder if he will spread gossip?
But the Thirteenth Prince usually behaves very well, so it shouldn’t be possible.
She suppressed her worries and continued to concentrate on talking with Emperor Kangxi.
Emperor Kangxi had a lot of complaints in his heart, but he didn't know how to tell them to the eldest prince. Now that Muxue came, she was a quiet person who didn't cause trouble or spread messages. She was also a princess who married outside the country and had no other worries, so he let them out.
"…Xiao Shiba was so ill, but he went out hunting. How could he be so heartless? I once took him to war, and I was sick. I heard that his subordinates seemed very happy there, thinking that they would soon become the emperor's favorites from the East Palace. He didn't say anything. It was better for me to return to the palace after I got better, and then deal with these people…"
After a long series of complaints, Emperor Kangxi finally calmed down.
He glanced at Mu Xue and the Thirteenth Prince and said, "Alright, just listen to these words and don't spread them to anyone else."
Mu Xue and the Thirteenth Prince quickly said, "I know."
"Everyone, go down. I'm a little tired."
Leaving the big tent, it was already dark, and the night wind was a bit cold. Mu Xue gathered her cloak and said to the Thirteenth Prince, "I plan to go see my Eighteenth Brother."
"We should definitely take a look. He... well, I can't say for sure." Thirteenth Prince said, "You come out now, where is Nuomin?"
"Dundubu Dorji is watching. I don't know what the situation is here, so I haven't asked him to come over yet." Mu Xue said, "You will..."
"Oh, I still have to go see my second brother and have a good talk with him. Khan Ama is really not very happy."
The Thirteenth Prince took a look at the place where the Prince's tent was, sighed, shook his head, and walked away with his hands behind his back, his steps heavy.
The position of an assistant minister is really difficult. Especially the kind of person you have to face is particularly important. Mu Xue thought as she looked at the back of the Thirteenth Prince. If she were tied to the interest group of a certain prince, it would definitely be difficult.
She made up her mind that it was better to be a loyal minister and not get involved in the battle for the throne of the Nine Dragons.
But some troubles will find themselves.
Mu Xue went to see the sick Eighteenth Prince, and his condition was indeed not good.
Qiuhua and Doctor Zhang were consulting with the imperial physicians. When they saw her coming, they asked about the Eighteenth Prince's condition. Qiuhua's tone was a little awkward: "Among the herbs we brought, there are a few Mongolian medicines that we can try. We are discussing how to prescribe a prescription, but the Eighteenth Prince is still young, and we can't say how long we need to take care of him."
After she said this, Mu Xue understood. It seemed that the Eighteenth Prince's illness was serious and it was definitely not a trivial matter.
The Eighteenth Prince was only a few years older than the little princess, which made her feel a little bit uncomfortable.
But when it comes to medicine, Mu Xue really knows nothing about it and has no idea what to do.
Coming out of Eighteenth Prince's tent, her steps were somewhat heavy, and she was slowly led by her followers to her tent.
The attendants of the princess's mansion were very skilled at setting up and dismantling tents. At this moment, they had already set up the big tent, as well as the tents for the kitchen and servants. After all, they came later to set up the tents, and the place where they set up the tents was outside the imperial army.
However, just as Muxue returned to the tent and took off her outer robe, she heard someone outside saying that Prince Zhi was coming to visit.
Mu Xue paused in the air as she held up the milk tea bowl. She had just returned to her tent and the Prince of Zhi was already here? Was it really a coincidence, or had someone been secretly watching her movements?
Mostly the latter.
She had no dealings with the eldest prince in the past, so coming here now was more of an attempt to win him over.
She put down the milk tea bowl and quickly thought of a countermeasure. Should she say that she had gone to bed? He must have come here because he saw the noise outside. It would be strange to refuse him so bluntly. So she should just meet him. No matter what he said, she had a soft nail ready.
"Please wait for a moment, Prince Zhi. I will come right after I change my clothes."
After waiting for a while, Mu Xue finally met the eldest prince.
The eldest prince spoke in a generous voice: "I heard that you rushed here and brought a doctor and medicine. It's really timely rain."
"I hope there will be some results." Mu Xue said, "I just went to see my eighteenth brother. No wonder Khan Ama was worried about his condition. I felt bad seeing that."
"Yes, the prince went out hunting at this critical moment, and Khan Ama was very angry. He was already very angry before you came."
"It is the duty of a father to teach his son. My eldest brother has several children now, but unfortunately I have not seen most of them. I heard that the eldest daughter in the mansion is very graceful. I wish my useless daughter could learn a little from her. By the way, I have some new leather, the material is very good. I will send someone to deliver it to you and ask my eldest sister-in-law to cut it into new clothes..."
The eldest prince came to test the fourth princess's attitude, and he intentionally led the topic to the prince's incompetence, to test his opinion. But the fourth princess always calmly brought the topic back to family matters, talking about fur coats, clothes, parenting and other trivial matters.
He secretly understood that not answering was an attitude in itself.
After talking some nonsense, the eldest prince got up and returned to his tent. He opened the felt curtain. The ninth prince was drinking lamb wine with a plate of deep-fried beef crisps. Hearing the noise, he looked up and said, "Look at your face. I'm afraid the deal didn't work out."
"Just like a piece of meat on a rolling pin, just play dumb in front of me."
The eldest prince sat down cross-legged, picked up the ninth prince's wine glass and started drinking: "If I didn't know that she had done so many things in Mobei and had the title of Princess Regent, I would have thought she was just an ordinary vulgar woman who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun. Is she really your mother's niece? It doesn't look like it at all."
The Ninth Prince laughed, "Yeah, their personalities are indeed different, but their intelligence is the same. Otherwise, forget it. After all, she is a princess who married into Mobei. Even if she chooses a side, it won't affect the overall situation."
The eldest prince thought about it and said, "Or I can try Tushetu Khan's attitude later."
"Tushetu Khan?" The Ninth Prince sneered, "Forget it. If the Fourth Sister tells him to go east, he will never dare to go west. It's no use talking to him."
The eldest prince thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, let's ignore them. During this period of time, you should pay more attention to the movements of the Crown Prince and Thirteen. I always feel that something bad is going to happen."
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