Chapter 42: Liliyuanshangcao In the next few days, Muxue enjoyed a...
In the next few days, Muxue enjoyed a period of time showing off her power as a Manchurian lady.
The Fourth Prince always strives for perfection in his work. Since he has decided to carry the sedan chair for his sister, he must do everything perfectly. He will pay great attention to every step from now on. Mu Xue has gained a "Kangxi experience card". With his statement, Dunduo Buduo Erji is even more attentive and considerate. As a result, the other Mongolian Taijis also become more respectful to her.
Wherever she went, she was surrounded by people.
It is natural to go deep into the northern desert and inspect the frontier.
When she was inspecting the Mobei garrison, she turned over to mount her horse, and the golden hairpin on her temples suddenly fell to the ground. Before she could bend over, four or five pairs of hands reached out to the golden hairpin at the same time, vying to pick it up.
She sat on the golden saddle and watched this scene with mixed feelings.
It turns out that what can make these men bow down is not necessarily beauty, but more likely power.
This suddenly reminded her of a scene she saw before she traveled through time. At a tourist attraction crowded with tourists, a lady who looked like a leader wanted to take a photo. The male subordinate who had just been complaining impatiently to his wife, "Men just don't know how to take photos. It's good enough that I can take a photo for you," noticed the leader's action out of the corner of his eye, and immediately took three or two steps over, smiling.
"Boss, the light is good here, please face this way and I will take a picture of you."
There were two or three subordinates beside me, some of them took the bag consciously, some gave instructions on how to take good photos, and some were dedicated to giving compliments. They all suddenly became sensible and careful, which was incredible.
Finally, there was someone who was closer. The little Taiji picked up the hairpin first, smiled widely, and presented it with both hands.
The Fourth Prince who was standing beside him said, "It fell on the ground. Be careful not to get the princess stained with dust. Get another one."
Eunuch Yanxi was smart. He moved his legs and ran to the big tent. Not long after, he came back panting with a red sandalwood box. When he opened it, the golden light was dazzling. The little Taiji holding the hairpin took a look inside and took a breath of cool air. Wow, eight or nine golden hairpins! They were all exquisite and exquisite. At first glance, it was obvious that only the imperial craftsmen could carve such a beautiful thing.
Mu Xue turned her head away, feeling a little amused. This Yan Xi had directly taken out the box of dowry given to her by Concubine Yi. Really...
She picked up a hairpin at random and put it on. Mu Xue rode a white horse, followed by more than a hundred riders.
The herdsmen who were far away saw this scene and quickly knelt down to pay their respects, and stole a glance at the leader. She must be an extraordinary woman to have so many Taijis following her.
The feeling of being the center of attention is strangely good.
Mu Xue was riding when suddenly an impulse struck her. She tightened the reins in her hands and the horse stopped. In an instant there was a sound of "whoops" and the people who were accompanying her also stopped urgently.
She couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth, but it was only for a moment.
This is a borrowed momentum, but she will always turn it into something unique to her, an unbreakable support.
After walking for half a day in the north of Kulun, I saw the snow in the evening and asked, "Where is Zhang Cheng?"
Missionary Zhang Cheng said loudly: "Here."
He steered the horse forward quickly with one hand and held a compass in the other, probably preparing to draw a map.
Mu Xue picked up the whip and pointed to the north: "Which way further do we go? Will we reach the Rakshasa Kingdom?"
Zhang Cheng changed the direction of the compass and said, "Yes, it is estimated that it will take ten days to get there. When we went there for negotiations a few years ago, we originally planned to go this way when we came back."
The Fourth Prince asked, "Which year was it? The Treaty of Nerchinsk?"
"It was that year," Zhang Cheng said, "We were almost here when we heard that the Dzungars were attacking Khalkha, so Lord Suo-etu led us to take a detour."
Mu Xue looked around at Erji behind her and said, "Rakshasa people shouldn't have crossed the border now, right?"
Duo Erji hesitated for a moment: "I haven't had time to go to the north to look, uncle, do you know?"
Chao Lu said: "I led some people to run around a few months ago, but I didn't see any people or smoke. There was no war in the past two years, maybe the people were scared away and they haven't reacted yet."
Mu Xue said nothing more and set off again.
I analyzed the relationship between these things in my mind. What was Khan Ama thinking at that time? When the war between Junggar and Khalkha broke out, he negotiated with Tsarist Russia. It was probably to stabilize this side so that he could concentrate on dealing with Junggar. At the same time, he could also show his attitude to Khalkha, hoping that they would surrender as soon as possible.
In this case, did Khalkha waver at that time? After being beaten so badly by the Dzungars, it was always a question whether to go north or south.
During the break, she secretly told the Fourth Prince her thoughts.
The Fourth Prince nodded and said, "You are right. They may have hesitated at the time, but it is better to submit to the Qing Dynasty than to that Rakshasas. Anyway, around the 30th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, the Grand Lama was already running around in the palace. You have never paid much attention to Buddhist affairs, so you didn't know."
At that time, his adoptive mother, Imperial Noble Consort Tonggiya, had just passed away. The Fourth Prince was very sad for a while. He burned incense and prayed to Buddha for his adoptive mother, and occasionally he could see the great lama.
Mu Xue seemed to be thinking: "Fourth brother talks too much, I should pay more attention to Buddhist affairs, I will set up a small Buddhist temple in the big tent later."
It seems that this great lama is really important to the situation in Mobei. He chose to go south to Beijing, and Khalkha also surrendered.
You should recite the sutras according to the temple you enter.
Since she wants to live a good life here, she must have an attitude.
The Fourth Prince looked at her and understood what she was thinking. He couldn't help but laugh: "You really are...thinking about these things. You don't think of yourself as a newlywed, you're just like a new governor here."
"Well? What's wrong with that?" Mu Xue also laughed, "Just think of it as me guarding the border for Khan Ama. Besides, the days on the grassland are long, I have to find something to do."
"Forget it. You're just pretending to obey me anyway," the Fourth Prince smiled and shook his head. "The emperor is far away, so you don't have to follow the rules. Just be careful."
Mu Xue nodded obediently: "I know."
The Fourth Prince looked at the sky and said, "We will leave tomorrow morning. Fourth sister, what can I do for you? It's only for a few days. You have to take good care of yourself from now on."
Mu Xue heard the sincerity in his tone, stood up, and performed the palace salute to the Fourth Prince.
"Thank you very much, Fourth Brother, for your tolerance during this journey. I will pray for you, Fifth Brother, Khan Ama and other relatives on the grassland."
At dawn, the grassland was shrouded in white mist.
The eight banners were dim and floating in the mist.
Before he left, the usually cheerful Fifth Prince frowned and told Duo Erji: "Dunduo Buduo Erji, you must take good care of my Fourth Sister. If she is not feeling well, I will cross the entire grassland to beat you up."
As he said this, he raised his hand and clenched his fist for Duo Erji to see.
Duo Erji said: "Don't worry, Fifth Prince, I will take good care of the princess."
The Fourth Prince on horseback reminded him, "Come on, Fifth Prince, you have threatened him many times."
The Fifth Prince finally raised his fist and said, "You have to remember this anyway."
Then he reluctantly said goodbye to Mu Xue: "Fourth sister, then? I'm leaving."
Mu Xue looked at him, and this particularly childish behavior made her laugh.
Ever since she decided to cheer up, her younger brother, the Fifth Prince, has always helped her with the most enthusiastic attitude.
Mu Xue suddenly opened her arms and hugged the Fifth Prince.
"Thank you, Fifth Brother. I will walk the future path well on my own."
The Fifth Prince tried hard to hold back his tears as he smelled the fragrance of his sister's hair oil, which was the same scent of magnolia as his mother's.
"Goodbye, sister."
The sound of horse hooves could be heard, and a group of people slowly set off.
On the hillside, several eunuchs and maids rubbed their eyes, their eyes blurred with tears.
The feeling wasn't that strong when I was accompanied by a group of people. I even had a vague feeling of going on a trip.
But at this moment, the Eight Banners were gradually moving away, disappearing from sight bit by bit. I had never felt so strongly that they were really going to stay on this grassland. Whether it was the Forbidden City or Beijing, the homeland where they had lived for decades, left them all behind, like a cicada shedding its skin.
"We can't go back." A younger maid murmured, two lines of tears sliding down her face and falling on the green grass, leaving no trace.
The grass is green and endless, filled with sadness. The prince has gone back, and the princess and them have nowhere to go.
Even mature people like Madam Zhao and Madam Wu couldn't help but be moved.
Nanny Wu was feeling sad, and at the same time she looked at the princess and the child she had nursed with worry.
The princess has always been sentimental. In this situation, they cannot cry in front of her. If they do, it will make the princess even sadder and it will affect her health, which would be a sin.
However, when Nanny Wu saw the princess's appearance clearly, she was slightly surprised.
There was no sadness on the princess's young face, but she looked unusually calm as she quietly stared at the end of the sky.
Sensing Madam Wu's worried gaze, Mu Xue turned around and said, "There's nothing to do today, let's go and have a rest later. It's always good to have some quiet and sad time."
"Yes." Nanny Wu advised, "If the princess is sad, she might as well cry it out. It's better to vent it out than to keep it in your heart, otherwise it will hurt your body."
Mu Xue lowered her eyes and thought for a while, then shook her head: "I'm fine, I probably cried too much in advance. Don't worry, Mammy."
She had been crying for so long. In the first few years after she traveled to the Forbidden City, the sky above her head had never been clear. She was soaked in the damp and gloomy rain all day long. This experience of being uprooted and thrown into the desert Gobi was not the first time for her, and it was not as painful as that time. Her parents who loved her wholeheartedly, her proud studies, and her bright future, all disappeared in an instant. She traveled to this era of feudal monarchy centralized to the extreme. Except for a few words of Chinese from Aunt Wu, she couldn't even understand a word! There were also a bunch of women's rings on their heads like a tight hoop, a colorless future, and she was imprisoned in a small room and lost her freedom. She was in so much pain that she wanted to die.
In comparison, being left behind on this grassland is not so heartbreaking.
She knew clearly that she could not go back home, and finally, after a painful struggle, she forged a new belief - she alone was her home.
Wherever she is, that's home.
The fog dissipated, and the sunlight broke through the clouds, shining on the grassland with golden light.
The thicker the fog, the more it foreshadows an extremely sunny day.
In the afternoon, Muxue went to the grass slope alone to wait for the sunset.
In such weather, there might be fiery clouds and you can see a magnificent sunset.
A soft goose yellow blanket was spread on the grass. Muxue sat quietly, and her followers sat at a certain distance.
She sat alone, the wind blowing across her skirt. The finer grass in the distance was bent by the waves, undulating like green waves.
She looked back inadvertently and saw Duo Erji standing at the foot of the hillside, looking at her from afar.
He seemed to have been standing there for a long time, Muxue thought.
She waved to him, and Dolji saw her and came towards her with a straw wreath in his hand.
"I made it when I was bored? It looks good, the princess can wear it for fun."
Muxue took the straw crown and her fingertips touched a small flower among them. The petals felt fluffy.
How long had he been there to be "bored" enough to weave an entire straw wreath?
She handed him the straw crown: "Put it on me."
Duo Erji raised his eyebrows: "It's an honor."
As he said this, he walked behind her.
"Why are you here?" Mu Xue asked.
"I'm afraid that the Fifth Prince will cross the entire grassland to fight me."
Mu Xue couldn't help but laugh: "Nonsense."
The edge of Dorji's palm lightly touched her hair, matching the position of the straw wreath.
"Well, I told the princess that firstly, I thought you looked too lonely, and secondly... maybe you would feel better if you saw me when you were sad."
"There's an idiom in Chinese called 'taking advantage of a void'. It's referring to your thoughts."
"Take advantage of the opportunity?" Dolji was not ashamed but proud. "Great! The princess taught me a new word."
After putting on the straw crown, he sat down beside her, bending his long legs slightly.
Mu Xue glanced at him and said, "Come closer."
"Um?"
Dorji was puzzled, but he moved quickly and moved closer to her. The setting sun cast long shadows on both of them, with their shadows interlaced.
"Aren't you going to take advantage of the opportunity?" Mu Xue turned slightly, "I'll give you this opportunity."
The next moment, Duo Erji felt his shoulder sink, and the princess actually leaned her head gently on his shoulder.
Dolji's breathing stopped for a moment, then he came to his senses and quickly held up the straw crown that was about to fall from the princess's head.
"Don't move." Mu Xue said while looking at the sunset.
"Yes, sir."
Dorji straightened the straw crown and let the princess lean on it, without moving, except for the upturned corners of her mouth.
She just leaned quietly on his shoulder, watching the sky gradually turn pink and purple.
The sun sets.
In the gentle warm breeze, Muxue complained softly.
"Your shoulders are really too stiff."
"My? fault."
After a while of silence, Duo Erji's voice sounded in his ears.
"Actually, my chest is softer."
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