Chapter 184 Second Expedition
This was their last night in Changchun Garden. They would have to return to the palace early tomorrow morning. Logically, they would have to get up early tomorrow to travel, so they should rest early tonight.
But Kangxi didn't know what was wrong with him, he had to torture Yuying tonight. Yuying was so tired that she couldn't even open her eyes, but Kangxi still did what he wanted, pinning Yuying under him tightly, no matter how Yuying bowed her head and begged for mercy, it was useless.
Kangxi's eyes were red and full of paranoia.
He refused to let go.
That night, Kangxi didn't stop until Yuying fell asleep.
He lifted the hair that was stuck to Yuying's face and saw that her eyes, which were usually lively, were now closed.
To be fair, it wasn't really pretty, but Kangxi still stared at her for a long time. Until the end, he leaned over and kissed Yuying's forehead lovingly.
Yuying was tired last night.
It was time to leave for the palace early this morning, but he didn't wake up. After Qingtao called out a few times tentatively, Kangxi stopped her.
Kangxi signaled Qingtao and Qingdai to carefully change Yuying's clothes, and then Kangxi himself carried Yuying to the carriage back to the palace.
Only after the convoy drove into the Forbidden City unimpeded did Yuying slowly wake up.
Seeing the familiar yet unfamiliar palace wall, Yuying was still a little dazed as to where she was.
"Is Aying awake?"
It was Kangxi who spoke up before Yuying came to her senses.
"We...are we already back to the palace?"
Kangxi nodded. "Are you hungry, Ah Ying? It's past breakfast time. Do you want to have some snacks to fill your stomach?"
It would have been better if Kangxi didn't say anything. As soon as he said it, Yuying felt empty in her stomach and she unconsciously touched her belly.
She came over, picked up a piece of dessert, and ate it slowly with tea.
Kangxi suddenly asked, "Aying, do you want to live in the Palace of Heavenly Purity? Or go back to the Palace of Eternal Longevity?"
Yuying thought of her miserable state last night and shuddered subconsciously, "I'd better go back to Yongshou Palace. It's almost the New Year, and there are so many people coming and going in the Qianqing Palace. I'd better avoid suspicion."
Kangxi knew that Yuying didn't care about these things, but she was probably scared last night, so she didn't want to live in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. But Kangxi didn't say much and agreed to Yuying's request.
"Then I can go to Yongshou Palace to see Aying every day."
Yuying waved her hand and said, "It's okay, Your Majesty. Just go do your own thing. You don't have to come every day!" She couldn't stand it.
Yuying's expression was so easy to understand that Kangxi burst into laughter. "What is Ah Ying thinking? I don't have to do that every day. I just want to be with Ah Ying. In Ah Ying's words, this is called - recharging?"
Yuying looked at Kangxi in surprise. She didn't expect that she only told Kangxi once and Kangxi remembered it and was even able to put it into practice.
The two separated on the palace road.
Yuying couldn't wait to take her people back to Yongshou Palace where she had been away for a long time.
Lu Chen was already leading the servants of Yongshou Palace and waiting at the palace gate.
Seeing Yuying getting off the carriage with a sleepy face, Lu Chen came up with his men to greet her, "Your Highness, please return to the palace. Would you like to take a bath? The hot water is ready."
Yuying nodded, "Okay, I'll take a shower first. Qingtao, come and give me a massage. Leave the luggage to Qingdai and Luchen to pack."
"Yes, madam."
By the time Yuying had relaxed from the fatigue of the journey and finished showering and changing her clothes, half an hour had passed.
Yuying was sitting in front of the dressing mirror, and Qingtao was combing her hair with a comb in her hand.
"Your Highness, just now the queens of each palace have sent gifts over. Would you like to take a look?"
Qingdai walked in from outside and stood aside to report.
Yuying signaled Qingtao to stop. She took the gift list from Qingdai and slowly flipped through it. "Does it say why?"
Why did they suddenly send her gifts when it wasn't a festival? And it wasn't just one person, almost everyone in the palace sent her a gift.
"Yes." Qingdai nodded, "It's a thank you gift for taking care of the brothers in the garden."
Yuying felt a little embarrassed. In fact, she hadn't really taken care of him much, so it was really difficult for her to accept this gift.
"Have all the people from the palace left?"
“They’ve all left.”
Yuying lowered her head and thought for a while, "Forget it, just keep them for now, and when the opportunity arises, I'll return them double the amount."
"Yes, Madam. Then I will register all these into the warehouse first."
"Well, go ahead."
Yuying nonchalantly turned back to the dressing mirror. Without Yuying saying anything, Qingtao continued what she had been doing.
Seeing Yuying staring at herself in the mirror, Qingtao couldn't help but say, "Your Highness hasn't changed at all."
Yuying was stunned, "Nothing has changed?"
She could hardly remember what she was like before.
Qing Tao nodded affirmatively, "Yes, the queen hasn't changed at all."
The dim twilight shines through the windowsill onto Yuying and Qingtao, and the room is silent.
Yuying was silent for a long time before she spoke: "That's good."
The winter snow of that year fell half a month after Yuying returned to the palace. Kangxi's plan to see Yuying in Yongshou Palace every day had to be shelved due to the busy government affairs of the previous dynasty.
Because the winter snow came so quickly, the situation on the grassland was not optimistic, and after two years of hiding, Junggar could not help but show its head again.
Because of these things, Kangxi even had less time to rest, not to mention going to Yongshou Palace to look for Yuying. He could only send Liang Jiugong to Yongshou Palace to deliver things a few times during his spare time.
Since Kangxi was not coming, Yuying was happy to have some free time and hid in Yongshou Palace during the winter.
It was not until the New Year's Eve palace banquet that Kangxi sent someone to bring Yuying, who had already dressed up, into the Qianqing Palace.
"Aying, take a rest first. I'll be there soon." Kangxi was sitting in front of the imperial desk, so busy that he didn't even have time to raise his head, but he did not forget to greet Yuying.
"Okay, the palace banquet hasn't started yet, Your Majesty, take your time and don't worry about me."
Yuying felt as comfortable in the Qianqing Palace as she did in the Yongshou Palace. She casually picked up a book from Kangxi's bookshelf and sat on the couch to read.
After an unknown amount of time, a hand snatched the book from Yuying's hand, and Yuying came back to her senses from the book.
Kangxi put the book aside and held out his hand to Yuying again, "Aying, let's go."
Yuying looked around blankly and realized that candles had been lit in the Qianqing Palace without her realizing it.
"The palace banquet is about to begin."
Kangxi reminded Yuying.
Yuying put her hand in Kangxi's, and Kangxi immediately held it and pulled Yuying up from the couch.
Kangxi held Yuying's hand and walked to the palace banquet. The concubines who were already sitting at the palace banquet looked at the two figures walking together with complicated expressions.
Whether it was Kangxi or Yuying, they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Our current emperor ignored all the concubines in the palace and focused on living his life with Concubine Jin.
Look at Concubine Jin's dress, which can be described as simple. But even so, she still outshines the concubines in the palace who are dressed up so carefully.
Seeing that Kangxi's eyes were filled with the people around him, the concubines felt sad that the emperor could no longer tolerate others in his eyes.
Kangxi sent Yuying to her seat before turning around and sitting down himself.
Having attended so many palace banquets, the procedures were all similar. Yuying ignored the glances from all around and picked up the edible things on the table and put them in her mouth.
The palace had never been so peaceful. In the past, concubines would use palace banquets to compete for favor. But now they have given up the idea, and the palace banquet ended peacefully.
Yuying stayed in the Qianqing Palace with Kangxi tonight.
After they washed up, they lay down on the bed.
"Aying, I have planned to lead the second expedition to Dzungar personally." Kangxi looked at Yuying anxiously. In his heart, he still hoped that he could get Yuying's approval.
Kangxi had already mentioned this matter in the court, but as soon as it was raised, it was opposed by all the ministers.
Both Manchu and Han officials stood against him, and even Crown Prince Yinreng did not agree with his ideas.
Unfortunately, Kangxi had made up his mind.
When he mentioned this to Yuying, he was hoping that Yuying would stand on his side.
Yuying turned sideways from her flat body, "Why don't you just not go?"
"Aying doesn't agree with me going either?"
Yuying did not directly answer Kangxi's question, but brought up the prince's marriage, "The prince's wedding is coming soon. If the emperor decides to lead the army in person at this time, I'm afraid he won't be able to make it in time for the prince's wedding."
"Your Majesty, don't you want to see the prince's wedding with your own eyes?"
After the selection was over, when Shi Miaowan left the palace, Yuying gave her a nanny who was proficient in pharmacology and sent her back to the Shi Mansion.
Later, because of the timely discovery of Shi Miaowan's father's hidden illness and timely rescue, Shi Miaowan's father saved his life. Shi Miaowan was unable to enter the palace, so she specially entrusted the prince to convey her gratitude to her.
In the original timeline, Shi Miaowan's father and grandfather passed away one after another. Due to mourning, her wedding date with the prince was postponed year after year.
Now that Shi Miaowan's father and grandfather are still alive, her wedding to the prince can naturally go on as scheduled.
What Yuying mentioned was indeed the thing that Kangxi was most concerned about. Kangxi hesitated a little, but the desire to annihilate the Dzungars in one fell swoop was too strong. Kangxi hesitated for a moment and said, "Aying, please watch over Baocheng for me. I have decided to personally kill Galdan."
Kangxi spoke with great vigor and enthusiasm, as if he could already imagine himself slaughtering everyone on the battlefield.
On the other hand, Yuying fell into deep thought.
She is organizing her words.
How should she tactfully tell Kangxi that not only did he fail to kill Galdan this time, he might not even have the chance to get on the horse.
In the 32nd year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty led his second expedition to Dzungar. During the journey, he contracted malaria. The accompanying doctors were all helpless and Kangxi nearly lost his life. In the end, he had to use quinine he got from the missionaries to save his life.
This incident also created a rift between the prince and Kangxi.
If possible, Yuying thinks it would be better for Kangxi not to go anywhere.
"Aying? Aying?"
Seeing that Yuying had wandered off again, Kangxi called her back.
"What is Ah Ying thinking about? Why did you suddenly stop talking?"
Forget it. There was no point in being tactful. Yuying spoke out loud and told Kangxi the original history, hoping that after listening to it, Kangxi would give up the idea of leading the army in person.
But after hearing this, Kangxi disagreed.
"Since you already know everything, I will ask someone to prepare some quinine cream for you. Will Ying feel at ease then?"
No matter how much Kangxi was persuaded, he insisted on going. Yuying was so angry that she turned over and ignored Kangxi.
"It's up to you. If you want to suffer, then go ahead."
Kangxi climbed onto Yuying's shoulders and brought her into his arms. "I know that Aying loves me and cannot bear to see me suffer this, but I am not the kind of person who retreats when faced with difficulties. Moreover, Aying has changed many things, and there has been no rift between Baocheng and me. Aying should believe in herself and in me."
Kangxi gently combed Yuying's hair with his hands, again and again, to soothe Yuying's emotions.
"I won't feel sorry for you."
Yuying buried her face in Kangxi's arms and spoke sullenly.
But Kangxi understood that Yuying had compromised.
No one could defeat Kangxi.
After haggling with the court officials for more than half a month, Kangxi finally issued an edict and decided to lead the army in person.
The night before leaving Beijing, Kangxi and Crown Prince Yinreng stayed alone in the Qianqing Palace for a long time. Kangxi did not return to his bedroom until Yuying was about to fall asleep.
Seeing that Yuying was obviously so sleepy that she couldn't even open her eyes, but still insisted on sitting on the bed waiting for him to come back, Kangxi was filled with reluctance and wished he could put Yuying in his pocket and take her away with him.
At dawn the next day, the prince led his ministers to see him off at the Daqing Gate.
The colorful flags symbolizing the Eight Banners fluttered in the wind, making sounds in front of the battle formation, and beneath the colorful flags were the troops ready to go.
Kangxi was wearing armor and explaining what to do after he left the palace.
Seeing that the time was almost up, he mounted his horse and led the army out. Prince Yu Fuquan and the eldest son Yinzhi followed on both sides of Kangxi respectively.
Kangxi looked back at the solemn and majestic Daqing Gate, and an idea flashed through his mind, but now was not a good time to think about it.
…………
After Kangxi left the palace, the top priority in the palace was naturally the upcoming wedding of the crown prince.
During this year, the relationship between Yinreng and his future Crown Princess Shi Miaowan was slowly heating up. On Shi Wenbing's birthday, Yinreng even personally visited the Shi residence and presented a gift, which was a great honor for the Shi family.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was the day of the prince's wedding.
On this day, the whole palace was filled with joy, and princes such as Yinzhen and Yinsi went to Yuqing Palace early.
Before this, Kangxi had already sent someone to deliver a letter back to the palace, and the greetings that were originally scheduled for the second day of the wedding were postponed.
Kangxi also mentioned in the letter that he did contract malaria before and after arriving at the battlefield, but fortunately he took medicine in time and was not seriously ill, so Yuying did not need to worry. He even mentioned in the letter that the imperial doctors were helpless and thought he was going to lose his head.
But the next second, after Kangxi asked someone to take out quinine and took it, the condition was under control. A group of imperial doctors whose hair was almost completely white knelt on the ground, shouting "Long live the Qing Dynasty, God bless the Qing Dynasty."
At that time, Yuying was lying on the newly built swing in Yongshou Palace, enjoying herself to the fullest.
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