Originally, the eldest prince had not planned to talk about this matter, but she asked about it today. The eldest prince did not think it was a big deal, so he did not hide it from her.
When did this happen?
"It's been some time now, ever since last summer. What's wrong, Mother? Has something happened?"
When Consort Hui heard that it was last summer, she thought, "That can't be it."
Hearing her son's concern, Consort Hui naturally wouldn't mention that Kangxi wanted to dismiss the harem, only saying, "It's nothing, I was just asking casually."
Consort Hui then inquired about the First Prince's daily life as usual. Naturally, no one made things difficult for the First Prince in Muqing Garden, so everything was fine.
Consort Rong and Consort Yi were asked similar questions, so naturally they didn't get any information out of them.
For the next period of time, Youqing would occasionally accompany Kangxi to watch the musket drills and then offer some constructive suggestions. Then it was July.
It's that time of year again when it's the hottest.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty has sent someone over."
Upon hearing this, Consort Wenxi hurriedly invited the person in. The person who came was Eunuch Liu Jin, who served Emperor Kangxi.
"This servant greets Your Highness, the Noble Consort."
"You're too kind, Eunuch Liu. Please get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Consort Wenxi ordered someone to bring over a stool for him to sit down, and then asked, "Does His Majesty have any orders?"
"His Majesty said that the weather is hot this month, and there happens to be a manor in the suburbs that is a good place to escape the heat. He specially sent me to tell Your Majesty that we will go to the manor to escape the heat tomorrow."
Consort Wenxi didn't think much of what he said. The palace was unbearably hot in the summer, and if possible, she would naturally like to go to a cooler place.
"Your Majesty is very thoughtful. I saw that Eunuch Liu conveyed a message to me, thanking Your Majesty for your kindness."
"Your Majesty is too kind. This servant will certainly convey your message."
Liu Jin then gave some specific instructions before leaving.
After Liu Jin left, Consort Wenxi issued an order to inform all areas of the twelve palaces, except for those uninhabited, that they could escape the summer heat there. Naturally, no one wanted to stay in the palace.
So the concubines packed their things and happily went to the estate to escape the summer heat, completely unaware of what awaited them.
August arrived quickly, and Kangxi decided to make a trip to Mongolia, intending to take a thousand muskets with him to "pacify" the Mongols.
This time, Emperor Kangxi did not bring his son, but he did bring Mingshan.
The journey was quite bumpy, and we finally arrived in Mongolia at the end of August.
Along the way, Youqing rarely appeared in public and spent most of her time in the carriage. She rarely went out when they camped at night, and only Kangxi would occasionally go to see her.
Mongolia was more desolate than Youqing had imagined. As soon as she entered Mongolia, she went to the market. There were not many kinds of things sold in the market, but the prices were extremely expensive.
Even in the capital, a batch of ordinary cotton cloth would only cost fifty coins, but here it would cost at least two hundred coins. The prices are too high.
In Mongolia, beef and mutton are sold for much cheaper than pork, but even so, not many people buy them. In this weather, they can't be preserved, and they are also difficult to handle, so not many people buy them.
With little income and a lot of expenses, how can one live a stable life, let alone a wealthy one?
At the market, Youqing asked around and had people write down the prices of the goods, then compared them with the prices in the capital.
Just as Kangxi was resting in the tent where the Mongol prince was entertaining him, Youqing delivered the materials she had investigated to him.
"Take a look at these things. It's no wonder that people freeze to death here every year. With such a chaotic market, when winter comes, if you don't have money to get through the winter, you'll freeze or starve to death."
Emperor Kangxi was surprised that she had arrived so quickly and was already busy with her tasks.
He took the item handed to him by Youqing, examined it carefully, and then fell silent. Yes, the market was indeed too chaotic.
Such prices would be unbearable even in a prosperous place like Jiangnan, let alone in Mongolia.
"Thank you for your hard work, you went to look up these things without taking a break."
"It's not hard work at all, it's just a trip to the market."
"After I have met with the princes of Mongolia, I will accompany you on a tour of Mongolia."
Youqing said, "Whatever you want," and left.
Now that Youqing is no longer so resistant to Kangxi's occasional overtures, perhaps she should give herself a chance.
Seeing Youqing's somewhat awkward expression, Kangxi couldn't help but laugh as he watched her leave.
After a while, Liang Jiugong brought in tea and, seeing the situation, said, "His Majesty is in a very good mood today!"
"Your eyesight is getting better and better."
Liang Jiugong smiled and said nothing more.
Saying something like that once is enough; saying it more than that would be overstepping your bounds.
When Kangxi arrived, the Mongol princes had been waiting for a long time. There was nothing they could do; even if some had ulterior motives, they wouldn't openly show them this time.
No detail should be omitted in the proper greetings and salutations to Emperor Kangxi.
After several days of successive arrivals of Mongol princes, Kangxi felt that it was about time; once all the Mongol princes had arrived, things would be much easier.
During a banquet, Emperor Kangxi brought up the issue of trade. To be honest, the Mongol princes didn't mind the trade, but they were unwilling to have the markets for these trades controlled by the imperial court.
However, if the market is still controlled by the Mongols, it will be no different from the market today, which is not the result that Kangxi wants.
"Your Majesty, it was agreed back then that the court could not interfere in Mongolia's affairs." The prince who spoke was probably drunk, and his words were somewhat careless, causing the room to freeze.
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