Chapter 7: The Wedding City, currently the only city outside the Great Wall that can be...
Guihua City is the only place in the grasslands outside the Great Wall that can be properly called a city. It is connected to the desert in the north and the capital in the south, and it happens to be a transportation fortress.
When Kangxi heard the name of the city, he smiled and said, "You are really good at choosing a place."
When he first arrived at Guihua City during his tour of Mongolia, he declared that this place was "the lock of the capital, the collar of the Jinyuan, the shield of the Ulanqab and Yikezhao leagues, and the gateway to the cities of Kulun, Kebudu and Uliyasutai." When he went to fight against Galdan, he also stayed in Guihua City several times.
After the arranged marriage, the fourth princess devoted herself to studying Mongolian customs, which he had heard about. However, he did not expect that his daughter, who had never been outstanding, could think of such a thing.
He asked with great interest: "Tell me why it is a good place to build a palace here."
Mu Xue said: "This city can be regarded as a key road to the grasslands outside the Great Wall. It is convenient for going to Khalkha or other places. Moreover, this place is the closest garrison to the northern desert. Using this as a corner, we can expand northward to the Khalkha royal court with the least effort."
"Since there are troops stationed here, there must be a way to transport supplies. The people and materials used to build the princess's mansion can all be transported here."
After thinking about it, these didn't seem to be enough to impress people, so he added: "If I have a princess's mansion here, all the dowry people will come to this city. More people means prosperity, and this city will definitely prosper. The more prosperous this city is, the more powerful our Qing will be in the desert."
There was nothing more to say, so she stopped talking and just looked at Kangxi with her eyes.
Kangxi smiled and said, "Not bad."
He thought for a moment and said, "It's just that building a princess's mansion involves a lot of things, so we have to think about it carefully."
After saying so much, was the only response "take the long view"? Mu Xue suddenly lost her temper and lowered her head.
It turned out to be too reckless. It’s better not to say anything.
"Introspecting again?"
The voice suddenly sounded very close. Mu Xue came back to her senses from her depression and found that Kangxi was standing in front of her.
"You children all have your own strengths and weaknesses. The Fourth Prince tends to get impatient when things happen, but you worry too much and dare not speak."
Kangxi asked again: "Are you regretting that you should not have told the truth just now?"
…
It’s true.
All I can say is that Kangxi is worthy of being ranked among the emperors, and his ability to see the big picture from the details is truly beyond reproach.
Mu Xue nodded hesitantly.
Kangxi said earnestly: "If you speak, there is still hope for success; if you don't speak, it will be impossible. You have made progress by coming to see me."
The unexpected affirmation made Mu Xue feel mixed emotions and speechless.
"You were terrified just now, weren't you? Not to mention the sound, your fingertips were shaking." Kangxi was angry and amused, "Am I that scary?"
Mu Xue nodded at first, but after hearing the second half of the sentence, she shook her head.
Kangxi laughed out loud: "You see, once you really say it out loud, you won't be so scared anymore. You, don't scare yourself all the time. Come with me."
After he finished speaking, he paced to the eastern end of the mountain, and Mu Xue followed closely behind him.
This room is used as a study, furnished with a large rosewood desk and all the four treasures of the study.
Seeing that Kangxi seemed to want to write, Muxue immediately stepped forward, spread out paper and ground ink.
The ink stick is ground in the inkstone, and clean water is used to dissolve the ink.
Kangxi pondered for a moment and said:
"I once gave the Fourth Prince four words: 'Be cautious and patient'. Today, I will also give you four words -"
He raised his pen and wrote four characters in large letters:
“Dare to think and dare to act.”
Putting down his pen, Kangxi said to Muxue:
"I have kept the matter of the Princess's Mansion in mind. Don't worry about it. I will be your bride happily."
Mu Xue's gaze shifted from Mo Hen to Kangxi.
For the first time in her life, she looked at him carefully, not as a subject looking at an emperor, but as a daughter looking at her father.
He was forty-four years old, with a broad forehead, dark eyes, and shallow acne scars on both cheeks.
She also had a faint pockmark on the right side of her face, which was a mark that they all survived smallpox.
He is both a king and a father, and he is also a father and a king.
There are many things in him that are worth learning from.
Mu Xue knelt down to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Father, for teaching me."
The calligraphy was carefully framed.
Under the south window, Muxue carefully unfolded the scroll of yellow silk cloth.
She stared at the handwriting in a trance for a long time, then took a blank piece of rice paper from the side and tried to imitate it.
However, I always try to draw a picture of a tiger while trying to imitate its appearance. This one is not good, and that one is not good either.
Instead of looking at the words, Mu Xue calmed down and wrote the four big words "Dare to think and dare to act" in the way she was good at.
The brush and ink are all poured out on the paper.
The writing is almost as unrestrained as cursive script.
Yes, why be so timid and complain. Everything is in our hands, so what if it doesn't work out?
At worst, he would be imprisoned like those disliked princes in the later years of Emperor Kangxi's reign.
Even if she died, what if she was lucky enough to travel back in time? Anyway, she had often thought about dying before, and it was the same end.
Mu Xue's mind changed, and her demeanor also changed.
I even have time to appreciate the princess's dress.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs sent many robes, made of mink, squirrel, and fox. Most of them were colorful yellow, but some were bright red and moon white. The most luxurious dress was the one worn on the wedding day.
Mu Xue was wearing a fragrant colored auspicious robe and a stone blue auspicious jacket. The satin was embroidered with a five-clawed dragon and an extra circle of pearls. She wore coral court beads around her neck, which swayed slightly when she walked.
After bidding farewell to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, he made a circle and finally returned to the Yiku Palace.
After saying the auspicious words that should have been said, Concubine Yi held her hand tightly and said, "Take good care of yourself. If you have any troubles, just write to me. Mother and your brothers are all here."
As she said this, Concubine Yi's eyes had already turned red.
This made Mu Xue want to cry. A layer of mist appeared in front of her eyes, and she choked up and said, "Thank you, mother, for your tolerance and care over the years. Don't worry, I will definitely live a very good life."
As he said this, he knelt down and kowtowed sincerely.
The ladies beside him all advised: "It's time to go, don't miss the auspicious time."
After a long ceremony of kneeling and bowing, the female officials were guided to walk from one level of the palace to the next.
According to the customs of the Bannermen, weddings are held at night. It was completely dark, and the palaces and people were everywhere. The palace lanterns dyed the night into crimson, and the light and shadows swayed. If you ignore the weight of this luxurious outfit, Mu Xue really suspected that she was dreaming, and it was really like a dream.
She didn't know how long it took, but it must have been an hour or two, when she was finally led to the first palace gate.
Mu Xue raised her eyes and caught a glimpse of a corner of a star outside the palace wall. She couldn't help but get excited.
Finally, we reach the end of the Forbidden City.
The strong wind blew through the strands of hair on her forehead. The moment she really walked out of the palace, the whole world suddenly became bright, like glass that had been covered with dust for a long time and was suddenly washed clean.
Even the yellow satin curtains of the sedan chair looked warm and lovely. Mu Xue sat in the sedan chair, gently swinging her palace shoes and smiling quietly.
Finally left the palace.
When Princess Heshuo Kejing descended, martial law was imposed from the palace gate to her residence on the south side of the Forbidden City. Water was poured on the streets and yellow earth was used as the pavement. The entire route was guarded by the commander of the infantry.
People living along the streets were also notified early and were not allowed to go out.
But who could miss the excitement of the princess's arrival? They were not allowed to open the doors or windows, so they poked a hole in the window in advance, and the whole family, young and old, crowded in front of the door to watch.
The sound of ceremonial music was getting closer and the procession was about to arrive. The child was so anxious that he jumped up and down, asking the adults to hold him.
The child was finally carried to the window, and stared at it without blinking.
So many people, so many horses, so many boxes and cages!
Ah, what a magnificent yellow sedan chair! There were so many bearers on both sides, at least sixteen of them were carrying it!
People outside were watching the fun, while Muxue, sitting alone in the colorful sedan chair, temporarily put aside the burden of her princess image.
She pulled a small embroidered bag from her sleeve and opened it, revealing nougat.
In order for the ceremony to go smoothly, the bride usually cannot eat or drink anything for the whole day.
After hearing this, Mu Xue also agreed not to eat it, but insisted on preparing nougat.
"If he's too hungry and passes out, that would delay things even more."
She looked confident, but she was still a little nervous, worried about being rejected.
However, seeing that she insisted, the maids did not say anything in the end, just acquiescing. They just ordered the palace maid to tie the small embroidered bag tightly around her arm and make sure it did not fall out.
Holding the candy in her mouth, she felt the taste even sweeter as she thought of this small victory.
It was already midnight and the bumpy bridal sedan was making people sleepy.
In a daze, she actually fell asleep.
Until the voice of the palace maid Rong'er came from outside the sedan chair: "Princess—Princess!"
With a sudden start, Mu Xue sat up straight.
"What's wrong?"
"Princess, we're almost there." The implication is that you should pack up quickly.
Mu Xue took out a small bronze mirror, combed her hair, put on the red veil, held an apple in her left hand and a jade ruyi in her right hand.
Not long after, the colorful sedan chair came to a steady stop, and the female official leading it said in a loud voice, "Princess, please get off the sedan chair."
There were already two "general practitioners" ladies waiting beside the colorful carriage. One of them took the apple from Muxue and handed her the vase.
With someone supporting her elbows, Muxue stepped over the brazier and entered the front hall, then stepped over the saddle and entered the back hall.
"The newlyweds sit down - Fu -"
Amid the chanting, Mu Xue finally sat down cross-legged on the right side of the dragon and phoenix wedding bed.
Through the red veil, everything is shrouded in the ambiguous warm red and cannot be seen clearly.
She lowered her eyes and glanced to the left, and could only catch a glimpse of the corner of her husband Dorji's royal blue ceremonial robe.
The newlyweds sit in a ceremony of blessing, also known as sitting in a tent, which involves sitting side by side for an hour or so, waiting for an auspicious time, then changing their clothes and performing the wedding ceremony.
After waking up, Muxue felt a little hungry again. She quietly pinched some candy from her sleeves and suddenly thought of the guy next to her. The wedding ceremony had lasted a whole day and it was almost dawn now. He must be very tired.
She wanted to do him a favor, so she quietly asked him in Mongolian: "Do you want candy?"
The man chuckled softly, "Eating candy? Are you a child?"
Mu Xuetang was pinched in her palm and passed out. After hearing this, she immediately took it back: "Eat it if you want."
But before she could move back, her hand was grabbed. The boy's hand was large, completely holding her hand, her palm was burning, and her fingertips had slightly hard calluses.
"Give it to me, it's mine."
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