Visiting the Crown Prince at his camp
A flock of crows flew over Shujia's head. Oh, crows are lucky birds here, so I'd better change them to penguins...
Shujia had to admit that her mind was confused for a moment.] Then, she actually lost her focus.
Not only was I distracted, but I also had the following thoughts:
Baby (Lolita or Shota): Did Nai Basu say she would take me to fly a kite?
Parent (father or mother): Be good, it’s raining today.
Baby: Yes.
Parent: It’s raining, the kite can’t fly.
Baby: Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Parent: ...broken down.
Oh my god, what a sin I have committed! The reason why the Queen Mother is so cute is because she is a natural idiot! You can’t afford to hurt a child who is a natural idiot!
It's said that people think very quickly, and bioelectricity and all that, hence the saying "mind-electricity." Shujia guessed she'd been distracted for only a few seconds. When she came to, she noticed the gazes from the Qing Empire's most impressive grandparents and grandchildren were... strange!
Shujia swallowed hard, a headache coming on. You can't explain things to a child who only vaguely understands everything. For example, Chinese children are often told countless inspirational stories, one of which involves a child asking a strange question, a teacher who can't answer it, and then accuses the child of being disobedient, only to see the child ultimately achieve great success.
At first, Shujia believed it was real and even mocked the teacher, saying she was stupid and mean, and she was even trying to discourage her from studying. Then she thought, damn! A three-year-old asks you how humans are born. Can you really teach him about physiology and hygiene? Oh, from your mother's belly. How? Do you dare to tell me? If you don't want to fool him, you have to.
This large "little kid" in front of her really put Shujia in a dilemma. Even if he wanted to fool her, her superhero grandson was still right in front of her. Shujia didn't have the guts to fool his grandmother in front of Yinreng. As for suppressing him, even if Shujia had a hundred guts, she wouldn't dare to say a word!
Another second passed before Shujia heard herself say decisively, "It's definitely okay."
This statement was perfectly natural, like saying that a ball is round or that Kangxi was a man. It was the truth of the universe, ironclad and undeniable, and there was no need to doubt it. Kangxi had clearly defeated Galdan and lived for a long time afterwards! Shujia didn't think she had achieved anything serious.
Yinreng helped the Empress Dowager sit down and brought her tea. "Please calm down first." Hearing that his father was ill, so ill that he had asked him to see a doctor, of course he was worried. He was worried that something was wrong with his father, that the eldest brother was hiding bad news from the army and plotting something bad, and he was worried...
Even so, Yinreng had to maintain his status as the crown prince to calm everyone down. Even if he was panicking to the extreme, he had to appear as calm as a rock, not letting anyone see it. He was the crown prince, and at this moment, he couldn't lose his composure. Otherwise... there would be chaos. The capital couldn't be in chaos!
Before rushing over, he had discussed the situation with the officials in the Imperial Household Department and concluded that Kangxi's condition wasn't too serious. Suo'etu was still in the army, so if something serious happened, they wouldn't be completely defenseless. While they spoke and analyzed the situation, the worry in their eyes was undeniable. Yinreng's anxiety didn't ease. He only received Kangxi's decree from the camp, not a single word from Suo'etu.
Now hearing such a tone, he felt a little calmer - no matter what happens in the future, at this moment, he really doesn't want his father to get into any trouble.
He also wanted to hear that his Khan Ama was fine. But the Empress Dowager's tone made Yinreng unhappy: "Girl, didn't you say that my Khan Ama was fine? How did he get sick?"
If Shujia wasn't a girl, a girl with a high probability of becoming his wife, Yinreng would have resorted to the Foshan Shadowless Kick long ago. But... she was a girl, a young and beautiful girl at that. Yinreng, just bear with it!
Then, glare at her.
I didn't expect this girl to be so calm and composed, answering so straightforwardly. Yinreng hesitated. She could stand up to his gaze and still be so confident. Did she really look reliable? (Your Highness, she was just in a daze and didn't notice your little look.)
He waited for her next words with a gentle gaze. Yinreng had never stared at a girl's face for so long before. As soon as he saw her, he felt a sense of closeness to her - this girl had a face that looked very reliable, as if the four words "I am very reliable" were written on her face.
This is exactly what Yinreng needs right now. They look much more reliable than those aides who kept saying, "The Emperor will be fine," even with their lips trembling! They're worse than a maid! What a disgrace! If Khan Ama is alright this time, I'll beat them to death when I get back! I'll make you tremble, make me tremble with fear!
It was so unfair. Shujia wasn't panicked because she knew the plot in advance. And, while she was afraid of Kangxi, she wasn't a scholar completely brainwashed by the idea of the emperor's death, believing that the mountains and mausoleums would collapse and the sky and the earth would fall apart. The court officials, however, who weren't time travelers, didn't have progressive democratic ideas, and didn't want to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming, were absolutely panicked when they heard the emperor was ill.
Yinreng was still waiting for her to say something to reassure them, but Shujia had already shut up, letting Yinreng's gaze linger on her face, still maintaining a mystical expression, even avoiding him politely. Yinreng's forehead was already a crossroads. He wanted to ask, but it would be embarrassing. If he didn't ask, it would be too aggrieved. He wanted to scold, but it would be rude. If he didn't scold, it would be too aggrieved. He wanted to hit her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. If he didn't hit her, it would be too aggrieved.
How can this be a girl? If it were a boy, he would have been strangled and thrown around.
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The Crown Prince was feeling aggrieved and the Second Young Lady was pretending to be a charlatan. It was only a dozen seconds before the Empress Dowager finished her tea and finally calmed down. She patted the kang beside her and said, "Come and sit down, Crown Prince." Yinreng reluctantly withdrew his gaze, aware of his own emotional fluctuations, took a deep breath, and sat down.
The Empress Dowager asked Shujia, "Then why is there bad news?" Pointing to the Crown Prince, she realized it was he who brought the news, so it couldn't be false. Shujia frowned, then offered a sincere analysis, as if writing a thesis: "Even if a person lives a peaceful life eating whole grains, they're bound to get sick. It's not like they won't recover." With Kangxi's longevity as a basis, Shujia enthusiastically presented various pieces of evidence to prove Kangxi was fine. At the same time, she also emphasized that getting sick was normal. "I didn't guarantee he was immune to all illnesses, did I?"
Shujia grew more confident as she spoke. The Crown Prince knew the Emperor was ill because he had sent her there. So why was there no further news from the capital? At least her Mafa hadn't heard anything. The Crown Prince's control was simply impossible to achieve. The Shi family's connections were all in the upper class. It was fine to keep this kind of news secret from the public, but how could they conceal it from those in the upper class?
How many dignitaries from the capital went with them on this expedition? Imperial family, relatives of the emperor, nobles... Back then, the price of rice in the capital had increased several times because of Galdan. Back then, news of his actions spread from Mongolia faster than the wind, and now there's no confirmed news!
Shujia was somewhat concerned about the war because her brother had gone with her, and Huashan would occasionally let slip a few words, such as that Mingzhu and Suo'etu had gone. These two had their own power, and even if they checked each other, each faction would send people back to the capital to inform their followers to prepare for the next move.
If Kangxi was truly doomed—and Shujia believed it was impossible, not to mention that he still had thirty years left to rule—the army would have revolted long ago. Yinreng would have received news of Soetu's ascension and prepared to ascend the throne. Yinzhi's followers might have already spread rumors in Beijing that the crown prince had Soetu assassinate Kangxi in order to ascend the throne. Judging from Yinreng's current behavior, it was clear that he didn't know the details, or perhaps had no chance to communicate this information to Soetu. Meanwhile, the capital remained calm.
Who was Suo Etu? How could he not send a single message when he was really about to fight Mingzhu?
Such control! Who else but Kangxi could have such power?
So, the conclusion is that Kangxi was ill, which is true. It's also possible that he didn't recover for a while, as illnesses can fade away like a thread. Perhaps Kangxi himself was a little worried, as the sick are psychologically fragile, and wanted his son to visit him. But to say he was permanently ill and the situation was out of control is absolutely misleading.
Had Kangxi been in the palace, a simple illness, he probably wouldn't have been so vulnerable. But simply because he was away from home, and on the battlefield, it was inevitable that people would overthink things. Of course, anyone who could make such an analysis absolutely lacked respect for imperial power—or rather, at a time when Kangxi was in his prime and his prestige among the court officials was steadily rising, no one dared to treat him as a "research subject" in this way... ahem.
She didn't dare to speak out her inference about the factional strife, but it was obvious that there was no chaos in the capital, and there was no mutiny in the camp. Otherwise, with the distance of hundreds of miles and the large number of cavalrymen in the Eight Banners, it would have been no problem for a few people to run back and report the news in the past two days, and the rumors would have spread by then.
Shujia confidently told the Empress Dowager, "He's definitely fine. Even if he hasn't recovered in a few days, it won't be a big deal. If you're really worried, just send someone to go with him and check on him. Don't panic, or else His Majesty will worry about you. The journey there is smooth, only two or three hundred miles away, and with so many people, if anything really happened, the news would have reached the capital long ago."
The Empress Dowager stopped staring at Shujia and asked Yinreng, "Where are the imperial physicians? Have they been sent? What did they say? What medicine do they need? Bring a few more imperial physicians with you!"
Shujia was sweating profusely. "You just thought of this?" "Shouldn't you have asked this question right away?" "If you had asked this right away, how much trouble would I have saved? I was so scared. Besides, the emperor has something to ask, why would you ask me? Can't I comfort you?"
The same words, spoken by different people, can have different meanings; the same expression, expressed by different people, can have different effects. Shujia, however, had cultivated a convincing demeanor, from her demeanor to her expression to her conversation. Yinreng turned his head away in dismay, convinced. To be able to speak so calmly at this moment, perhaps this was a sign of deep confidence in the Qing Dynasty.
Holding the old lady's hand, he softened his tone and said, "Don't worry. Khan Ama personally brought the imperial physician with him when he led the expedition. He also brought pulse records with him, and he has asked the Imperial Hospital to discuss the matter and bring along the medicinal materials. Your grandson will also bring the Imperial Hospital Director and the Left Court Judge."
Shujia breathed a sigh of relief. The two men before her had completely different styles. Either one was easy to deal with, but when they were together, it was a completely different story. As the saying goes, you speak to people in a human way and to ghosts in a ghost way. What if a human and a ghost stood together?
With Shujia's strong assurance and her grandson's well-organized arrangements, the Empress Dowager felt relieved.
"I was wondering if your brother went with you this time? You're not worried at all, so it seems you've figured it out. Why didn't I figure it out from the beginning?"
Is there any logical connection between what you said?
No matter how illogical her words were, Shujia had to answer. Otherwise—your brother is on the brink of death, and you're sitting back at home? It's too naive to believe that he'll be fine.
Shujia's face twitched. "There's a time to sigh in the wind and be sad under the moon. It's embarrassing to cry and wail like a big shot now. When they come back and see the mess, don't you think it's annoying? The next time I'm doing something serious, I'll be worried about whether something bad has happened at home again. What if I get distracted by this and make a mistake..." She shook her head. "It's like you. When you hear someone is sick, you ask about their medical care. When you know they're doing something serious, you clean up the mess. That's how you truly care for them."
The Empress Dowager thought this was reasonable. She repeated it several times in her mind and took note of it. Then she scolded Shujia, "You should have said it clearly earlier. You scared me."
Shujia was mad. Her expression was absolutely incomprehensible. Tell me, who would go to someone's house and, upon hearing that their son had gone to the battlefield, say "Your son is dead" instead of "Your son is fine"?
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Yinreng's frustrated mood suddenly improved a lot. The little girl's calm face from beginning to end was broken! It was so funny that his simple grandmother, the Empress Dowager, had extraordinary skills and could make such a little girl lose her composure.
Seeing a normally calm person's face twitch is definitely more effective than the agonizing expression of someone constantly worried about the country and its people. It's like your husband's smile isn't as satisfying as a (very handsome) passerby's smile on the street. That's good, fresh, that's the word that flashed through Yinreng's mind.
For some reason, the people he met every day always looked like clay sculptures or wooden carvings, which was really melancholy. When he was in a good mood, they seemed submissive, which was fine; but when he was in a bad mood, the more he looked at them, the angrier he got. Yinreng insisted that when he was in a bad mood, he wanted to hit someone because that person's miserable face deserved a beating!
"Grandmother Empress Dowager smiled," Yinreng said with a smile, "That's good. As for the concubines, please explain everything to them. Grandson, it's better to be modest. As for my younger brothers, I will go and tell them myself. Khan Ama wants my third brother to go with me, and I want to see him."
The Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "Go ahead. I'm fine with the maid here."
Shujia: I don’t feel comfortable here with you.
By the time Yinreng left Ningshou Palace, his mood had improved considerably. Although he was still worried about Kangxi, he wasn't as distressed. Returning to Yuqing Palace, he immediately ordered, "Tell the two princes where I'm studying that I'm leaving Beijing. Tell them to do whatever they need to do. The sky won't fall. Tell the third prince to pack up quickly. Don't worry about anything else. Just take everyone and leave."
Yinreng packed up his badge, water bag, horse, imperial physician, and medicinal materials, and took the pulse case with him. He learned that it was typhoid fever, but the pulse did not look serious. The medicine had arrived, and he just needed to rest. Yinreng felt relieved. When Yinzhi arrived, they said goodbye to the Empress Dowager together, and then rode off to the camp.
Needless to say, they had to endure hardships along the way. Both of them were spoiled and had been brought up in pampered conditions, so they could endure such hardships. Fortunately, the journey was not particularly far, and they arrived in two days.
As they approached the main camp, Yinreng observed the troops, who were neatly arranged and their banners raised in high spirits. Seeing the men standing at the camp gate, he felt completely reassured. He recognized one of them; he was from Soetu's side. Invigorated, Yinreng rode forward and joined the troops in front of the camp to greet them.
The military uniform was not suitable for full ceremony, and the emperor was ill. Yinreng did not care about these things. Wei Zhu greeted him at the gate: "Prince, Third Master, the master is waiting for you two."
Yinreng, educated by Kangxi himself since childhood, possessed a profound skill in cultivating his qi and possessed a dignified demeanor. He was deeply concerned that he must remain steady and avoid chaos. Maintaining stability would prevent any disruption to the Khan's father. He was not to worry; the Khan's father would be safe.
Yinzhi's face was wrinkled with anxiety, he was panting, and he didn't dare to go past Yinreng. He didn't even bother to wipe the sweat off his forehead and followed behind to Kangxi's tent.
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Outside the tent, everyone who should and shouldn't be there was there, everyone he wanted to see and everyone he didn't want to see was there. Although there was anxiety on his face, he didn't look panicked. Yinreng felt more at ease.
Even when on the march, the emperor's quarters were relatively good. The light was a little dim, but the air was still fresh. There was only a faint aroma of medicine wafting through the tent. Entering the tent, Yinreng squinted, adjusting to the brightness before taking a look around. Well, his Khan Ama's living conditions were acceptable, and wouldn't worsen his condition.
Everyone has moments of weakness, and the emperor is no exception. Sick people are often more emotional than usual and more prone to nitpicking.
Therefore, when Yinreng came to pay his respects to him in a very serious manner and Yinzhi's concern was evident in his words, Kangxi could not help but feel repulsed by the "prince's style".
Kangxi groaned for a long time, "I almost thought I'd never see you again." Yinzhi wept, and Yinreng frowned, feeling that he was too discouraged. His frown also displeased Kangxi, as Yinreng reported one by one: "Everything is fine in the capital, the news has been suppressed, the medicine has been brought, and the imperial physician has come. Let them take your pulse..." and so on and so forth.
Kangxi was extremely frustrated. I was sick and you weren't even worried! How much did I love you when you were sick?! You, you, you, you are so unlovable!
"I understand." The sick emperor said this although he was unhappy in his heart but had a calm expression on his face.
"Khan Father, please rest early. I'll take my leave." The prince said this because he felt very distressed to see his father sick, thinner and darker, but he tried not to show it on his face in order to reassure his father.
The next day, the emperor said, "You can go back."
Yinreng was puzzled and could sense his Khan's displeasure. Could it be because...something in the capital hadn't been handled properly? Yinreng immediately became serious. Oh, right, there was a war going on in the front, and he had to go back to watch over the rear.
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