In the rush, the attendant’s errand was barely passable.
Changning dawdled, grinding his teeth and stamping his feet…
Just as he finally braced himself to meet the Emperor, someone arrived at the palace.
It was Qi Sanfu from the Imperial Guard.
“Your Highness the Empress Dowager suddenly developed a high fever. The Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort have already rushed over. The Emperor requests that you and Prince Yu need not come for now.”
Changning suddenly exhaled in relief.
Though he believed “the sooner one dies, the sooner one is reborn,” every extra day counted!
He hurriedly asked, “Is the Empress Dowager’s illness severe? I… will accompany you to see her.”
He was secretly afraid that if he visited the Empress Dowager, Kangxi might summon him later to prostrate before the throne.
Visiting while prepared was suicide.
But this matter couldn’t be delayed.
After all, the Empress Dowager was their birth mother; filial piety came above all.
Even if a knife awaited him, he had to go.
Qi Sanfu, however, said, “The Emperor knows Prince Yu and Your Highness have great filial devotion, but the weather in Rehe is cold. The Empress Dowager has both Imperial Physicians and Imperial Doctors attending to her. The Emperor advises you both to take good care of yourselves and need not trouble yourselves with rushing here.”
This time, Changning fully let his guard down, suppressing the joy inside, putting on a stern face as he saw Qi Sanfu out, then hurried straight into the Imperial Study.
He had just returned from the Western Frontier and must inform his elder brother clearly about the Dzungar situation.
But with the Empress Dowager gravely ill and the Emperor still inspecting the Bannermen’s training, he might not get much time to speak.
Better to write a memorial and submit it so the Emperor could read it at leisure, and he wouldn’t have to prostrate before him.
Always disliking paperwork, Changning praised his own cleverness in his heart as he lit a lamp and began writing furiously.
***
Meanwhile, Fang He, along with Consort Rong, Consort Yi, Consort Hui, and the imperial princes and princesses, were all at Fangyuanju.
On this trip, Kangxi brought all his children except the very young Er Bao and the physically weak Sixth and Seventh Princesses.
With no time to attend to the children himself, he brought their mothers along.
Now, they all waited in the outer hall of Fangyuanju.
Inside the sleeping chamber, Kangxi watched Physician Zhang Yuyi and Lu Yuanpan take the pulse of the Empress Dowager, whose face was flushed and drowsy.
Oh, and Jiujiu and Yinqi were also there.
They should have waited outside with the other princes and princesses to avoid catching the fever.
But Yinqi was raised by the Empress Dowager, as was Jiujiu, and both children were deeply attached to her, unwilling to stay outside.
The siblings held back tears, clinging stubbornly to Fang He and Consort Yi, and Kangxi did not drive them away.
The two had red-rimmed eyes, silently watching the still figure of the Empress Dowager, only her heavy breathing breaking the silence, anxiously awaiting the joint consultation of the Imperial Physician and Imperial Doctor.
After a while, Zhang Ziqin and Lu Wuning both relaxed visibly.
Lu Wuning reported first: “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager’s illness isn’t as severe as it seems. All the ladies in the harem suffer from qi stagnation. The Empress Dowager had shown some signs before.”
“This trip may have stirred up old repressed feelings since she was near the grasslands. Her liver qi fluctuated greatly. She held onto her tension on the road, but after settling, the suppressed qi released as a fever.”
Zhang Ziqin added, “Lu Yuanpan’s diagnosis is sound. This condition worsens when the liver fails to soothe and qi stagnates, leading to hidden accumulation. Now that she has a fever, it actually helps regulate the liver and qi. With some warming tonic prescriptions, the fever should soon subside.”
Fang He, holding onto Jiujiu tightly, quietly exhaled.
She was the one who blamed herself the most.
She claimed to accompany the Empress Dowager and Jiujiu on the trip, but she had wasted much time learning horseback riding, while Consort Yi spent more time attending the Empress Dowager.
Yet none of them had realized the Empress Dowager’s latent ailment was triggered by proximity to the grassland, an old grievance long buried.
Consort Yi was full of guilt and quickly had someone bring Lu Wuning and Physician Zhang to finalize the prescriptions.
Once the hall was less crowded, Jiujiu and Yinqi were escorted out.
After all, a fever was contagious, and there were too many people inside.
Fang He only kept Consort Rong, Consort Yi, Consort Hui, and Consort Rong herself with her, taking turns attending to the Empress Dowager.
The princes, princesses, and other consorts could visit once a day outside to pay respects, but didn’t need to stay in Fangyuanju, to avoid falling ill.
When Fang He came out to arrange this, Liang Jiugong lingered hesitatingly at the entrance of the sleeping chamber, glancing several times at Kangxi.
Outside were the Rehe garrison officers and the Chahar Four Tribes’ commanders, all waiting.
Seeing this, Fang He quickly turned back into the sleeping chamber and looked at Kangxi, who was changing the Empress Dowager’s handkerchief.
“Your Majesty, I will attend to her here. You should return to the Wan He Songfeng Hall and not delay your important matters.”
Kangxi did not refuse.
When Jiujiu and Er Bao had fevers, Fang He was meticulous, so he trusted her entirely.
“Take good care of yourself too. I’ll have Zhang Ziqin prepare a safety prescription. You four attending her should all take it—don’t let one of you fall ill after the Empress Dowager recovers. That would be unlucky.”
Fang He: “…………”
‘Couldn’t he just say a caring word properly?’
She rolled her eyes secretly, smiling, “Your humble servant will obey Your Majesty’s orders and ensure the Empress Dowager and consorts are lively and well!”
Kangxi: “….”
Consorts were one thing, but the Empress Dowager lively and well?
He dared not imagine that scene.
He lightly poked the ungrateful one’s forehead and, in front of Consort Yi, said nothing further, then left with Liang Jiugong for Wan He Songfeng Hall.
***
Early the next morning, Kangxi hadn’t yet gone to Fangyuanju when he received a memorial from Changning.
Opening it, Kangxi found Changning strangely different from before.
In the past, making Changning write a memorial was like pulling teeth; this time, the document was thicker and more substantial than those pedantic ones from the Censorate.
“Where is he? Send him in.”
Li Dequan’s expression remained subtle, tinged with awkwardness.
“Your Majesty, Prince Changning said all his observations and thoughts from the Western Frontier are in the memorial. He hurried to check on the Empress Dowager’s condition, submitted the memorial… and ran off.”
Changning spoke without pausing for breath, making Li Dequan feel stifled for him.
This time, he ran off even faster than before, vanishing in a blink.
Kangxi suspected Changning had some new problem but was more curious about the Western Frontier.
He didn’t ask further, focusing on reading the memorial carefully, his expression growing more inscrutable by the minute.
Gualdan’s forces were no longer in the Western Frontier but had retreated north, to the Kobdo grasslands in the territory once belonging to the Zhassaktu Khanate of Khalkha.
That area was close to Yili, previously conquered by the Dzungars, and bordered Luosha to the northwest.
Kangxi frowned and sneered coldly.
Gualdan was trying to gather his old troops in the Tibetan region and seek Luosha’s aid to resume war against the Qing.
His rebellious intentions were blatantly clear!
After finishing the memorial, Kangxi rose and headed toward Fangyuanju, issuing orders as he walked—
“Summon Sabusu with troops from Yuanhuicheng to move toward Mulan. Also, have the Chahar Four Tribes strengthen patrols along the Luosha border. Any abnormalities must be reported immediately. Dispatch an imperial edict to Kobdo to urgently summon Gualdan to a conference.”
“Prince Bandi of Khalkha and the various Khalkha tribes are to be stationed on the grasslands in ten days, waiting in advance.”
Li Dequan and Qi Sanfu hurried off to carry out the orders, while Liang Jiugong attended Kangxi into Fangyuanju.
The Empress Dowager’s fever had subsided somewhat, and she had regained consciousness, though she was still weak.
When Kangxi entered, the Empress Dowager was behind a screen, chatting and laughing with Jiujiu, who was clinging to the screen, refusing to go out and play.
Seeing Kangxi, the Empress Dowager smiled, “It’s just a minor illness, yet it’s made you so restless. Even Fuquan and Changning, those two boys, found time to rush here amidst their busy schedules.”
“Tell them next time not to come; they’ll tire themselves out.”
Kangxi: “….”
Fuquan indeed had to lead the troops in training, but where was Changning’s busy schedule?
If this Emperor wanted to see him, that scoundrel would still make excuses.
Kangxi hadn’t even assigned Changning any duties yet.
Still, Kangxi didn’t want to trouble the Empress Dowager further.
He lifted Jiujiu, had someone take her out to play, smiling gently in reply.
Then, Kangxi and Fang He coaxed the Empress Dowager to take medicine and eat until she lay down before leaving.
Back at Wan He Songfeng Hall, Kangxi instructed Liang Jiugong, “Go fetch that scoundrel for an audience.”
Mid-sentence, Kangxi glanced at the water clock.
He had lingered long at Fangyuanju but should have taken the crown prince and princes to drill by now.
There was no time for Changning.
He waved his hand dismissively.
“Forget him for now.”
When he finished his current affairs, he would deal with the two scoundrels together.
The crown prince Yinreng, sullen after a conversation with Kangxi in Chunhui Hall, was so gloomy in the Imperial Study that even his brothers avoided him.
But upon returning to the palace, his gloom vanished because the nightmares with Yin Xi began again!
This time, even Third Prince, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, Seventh Prince, Eighth Prince, and even the ten-year-old Ninth and Tenth Princes were not spared.
Only Eleventh Prince Yinzi, though still weak, was better cared for by Fule, so Kangxi didn’t push him.
The Twelfth and Thirteenth Princes also escaped unscathed.
Normally, ten days would be nothing; no one would mind.
But these ten days saw nine princes lose layer after layer of skin.
When they saw the grassland tents, Yin Tang staggered into his own tent, ignoring the younger brothers entering behind him, and howled in tears.
The training was grueling, unbearably so!
He didn’t understand how the elder brothers and the crown prince endured without flinching.
He and Yin’e felt this was worse than death.
The wounds on the inner thighs never healed; the sunburnt skin stung painfully when soaked in sweat, until eventually the pain numbed.
Every day they rose with the silver moon and returned under the stars.
Yin Tang cried to Eleventh Prince Yinzi who entered behind him, “Ninth brother here has tasted a lifetime of suffering. Never again will I come to the Northern Patrol… wah…”
Yinzi, weak in body and calm in temperament, spoke softly, “Ninth brother, you jest. You’re only ten; your lifetime of hardship is still ahead.”
Yin Tang: “…..”
‘That stinky little brother makes sense. Next time I better not speak; it’s asking for a beating.’
“Also, whether we come on the Northern Patrol depends on what the Khan says.” Yinzi analyzed calmly, unaware of his elder brother’s resentment.
“If you dare resist an imperial order, perhaps your lifetime of suffering will indeed be too much—ugh!”
He was cut off by Yin Tang suddenly pouncing on him, tickling mercilessly.
“I told you to be careful what you say! Stinky little brother, if I don’t punish you, who will?”
Yinzi: “….”
‘Does Ninth brother dare to threaten me?’
But the words stuck in his throat as laughter overcame him.
Yin Tang wasn’t so carefree.
His layered wounds still raw, the soldiers didn’t hit too hard but followed the Emperor’s orders, using cunning to make him feel the pain.
Every big movement sent aches through his body; he grimaced perfectly portraying “wounded while fighting the enemy.”
After a while, Yin Tang weakly rolled over and lay on his bed, letting Yinzi apply medicine.
He pounded the bed in pain, still murmuring with tears, “Anyway, for now, I never want to see the Khan again! Otherwise, I’ll be filled with unfilial thoughts.”
Yinzi said nothing.
Though they were princes, they were not like the Fifteenth Prince.
Thanks to Imperial Noble Consort Zhen, they saw the Khan almost daily.
Even if they wished, they might not be able to see him.
Ninth brother’s wish was easy to fulfill.
But as expected, an unexpected event occurred.
The prior drills were to display Qing military might to the northern Mongol princes during the upcoming hunting.
The ten-day training was enough to rally the soldiers.
The hunt was about to start, and Kangxi did not want to exhaust them, so training paused.
On the grasslands, the main goal was to engage with the northern Mongol princes and noble ladies.
But since daytime was busy with meetings and the hunt hadn’t started, no bonfire parties were held, so Kangxi had time at night.
First on his mind were, naturally, that carefree mother and daughter.
Since arriving at Rehe, over ten days had passed; aside from the Empress Dowager, those two had seen no one.
Fang He still remembered there was an Emperor somewhere nearby who sent them broth twice.
Jiujiu and her three unsupervised brothers and several sisters played, completely forgetting they had a father.
Kangxi asked Liang Jiugong, “Where is the Imperial Noble Consort’s tent set up?”
Liang Jiugong knew well that the Emperor wasn’t truly asking about her accommodation but whether she intended to visit the imperial tent.
He sighed inwardly, ‘If His Majesty wanted her in the imperial tent, why not just arrange it directly?’
‘Why wait for the Imperial Noble Consort herself… What a hassle!’
He carefully bowed, “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has just recovered and will soon meet the northern Mongol princes and ladies. She is a bit weak, but the Imperial Noble Consort’s filial heart is commendable…”
“Enough!” Kangxi cut off his rambling with a dark face.
He already knew Fang He’s tent was set beside the Empress Dowager.
That spot was diagonally behind the imperial tent, nearer the stables.Chapter 129 (1/2): The Eunuch’s Shadow
In the rush, the attendant’s errand was barely passable.
Changning dawdled, grinding his teeth and stamping his feet…
Just as he finally braced himself to meet the Emperor, someone arrived at the palace.
It was Qi Sanfu from the Imperial Guard.
“Your Highness the Empress Dowager suddenly developed a high fever. The Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort have already rushed over. The Emperor requests that you and Prince Yu need not come for now.”
Changning suddenly exhaled in relief.
Though he believed “the sooner one dies, the sooner one is reborn,” every extra day counted!
He hurriedly asked, “Is the Empress Dowager’s illness severe? I… will accompany you to see her.”
He was secretly afraid that if he visited the Empress Dowager, Kangxi might summon him later to prostrate before the throne.
Visiting while prepared was suicide.
But this matter couldn’t be delayed.
After all, the Empress Dowager was their birth mother; filial piety came above all.
Even if a knife awaited him, he had to go.
Qi Sanfu, however, said, “The Emperor knows Prince Yu and Your Highness have great filial devotion, but the weather in Rehe is cold. The Empress Dowager has both Imperial Physicians and Imperial Doctors attending to her. The Emperor advises you both to take good care of yourselves and need not trouble yourselves with rushing here.”
This time, Changning fully let his guard down, suppressing the joy inside, putting on a stern face as he saw Qi Sanfu out, then hurried straight into the Imperial Study.
He had just returned from the Western Frontier and must inform his elder brother clearly about the Dzungar situation.
But with the Empress Dowager gravely ill and the Emperor still inspecting the Bannermen’s training, he might not get much time to speak.
Better to write a memorial and submit it so the Emperor could read it at leisure, and he wouldn’t have to prostrate before him.
Always disliking paperwork, Changning praised his own cleverness in his heart as he lit a lamp and began writing furiously.
***
Meanwhile, Fang He, along with Consort Rong, Consort Yi, Consort Hui, and the imperial princes and princesses, were all at Fangyuanju.
On this trip, Kangxi brought all his children except the very young Er Bao and the physically weak Sixth and Seventh Princesses.
With no time to attend to the children himself, he brought their mothers along.
Now, they all waited in the outer hall of Fangyuanju.
Inside the sleeping chamber, Kangxi watched Physician Zhang Yuyi and Lu Yuanpan take the pulse of the Empress Dowager, whose face was flushed and drowsy.
Oh, and Jiujiu and Yinqi were also there.
They should have waited outside with the other princes and princesses to avoid catching the fever.
But Yinqi was raised by the Empress Dowager, as was Jiujiu, and both children were deeply attached to her, unwilling to stay outside.
The siblings held back tears, clinging stubbornly to Fang He and Consort Yi, and Kangxi did not drive them away.
The two had red-rimmed eyes, silently watching the still figure of the Empress Dowager, only her heavy breathing breaking the silence, anxiously awaiting the joint consultation of the Imperial Physician and Imperial Doctor.
After a while, Zhang Ziqin and Lu Wuning both relaxed visibly.
Lu Wuning reported first: “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager’s illness isn’t as severe as it seems. All the ladies in the harem suffer from qi stagnation. The Empress Dowager had shown some signs before.”
“This trip may have stirred up old repressed feelings since she was near the grasslands. Her liver qi fluctuated greatly. She held onto her tension on the road, but after settling, the suppressed qi released as a fever.”
Zhang Ziqin added, “Lu Yuanpan’s diagnosis is sound. This condition worsens when the liver fails to soothe and qi stagnates, leading to hidden accumulation. Now that she has a fever, it actually helps regulate the liver and qi. With some warming tonic prescriptions, the fever should soon subside.”
Fang He, holding onto Jiujiu tightly, quietly exhaled.
She was the one who blamed herself the most.
She claimed to accompany the Empress Dowager and Jiujiu on the trip, but she had wasted much time learning horseback riding, while Consort Yi spent more time attending the Empress Dowager.
Yet none of them had realized the Empress Dowager’s latent ailment was triggered by proximity to the grassland, an old grievance long buried.
Consort Yi was full of guilt and quickly had someone bring Lu Wuning and Physician Zhang to finalize the prescriptions.
Once the hall was less crowded, Jiujiu and Yinqi were escorted out.
After all, a fever was contagious, and there were too many people inside.
Fang He only kept Consort Rong, Consort Yi, Consort Hui, and Consort Rong herself with her, taking turns attending to the Empress Dowager.
The princes, princesses, and other consorts could visit once a day outside to pay respects, but didn’t need to stay in Fangyuanju, to avoid falling ill.
When Fang He came out to arrange this, Liang Jiugong lingered hesitatingly at the entrance of the sleeping chamber, glancing several times at Kangxi.
Outside were the Rehe garrison officers and the Chahar Four Tribes’ commanders, all waiting.
Seeing this, Fang He quickly turned back into the sleeping chamber and looked at Kangxi, who was changing the Empress Dowager’s handkerchief.
“Your Majesty, I will attend to her here. You should return to the Wan He Songfeng Hall and not delay your important matters.”
Kangxi did not refuse.
When Jiujiu and Er Bao had fevers, Fang He was meticulous, so he trusted her entirely.
“Take good care of yourself too. I’ll have Zhang Ziqin prepare a safety prescription. You four attending her should all take it—don’t let one of you fall ill after the Empress Dowager recovers. That would be unlucky.”
Fang He: “…………”
‘Couldn’t he just say a caring word properly?’
She rolled her eyes secretly, smiling, “Your humble servant will obey Your Majesty’s orders and ensure the Empress Dowager and consorts are lively and well!”
Kangxi: “….”
Consorts were one thing, but the Empress Dowager lively and well?
He dared not imagine that scene.
He lightly poked the ungrateful one’s forehead and, in front of Consort Yi, said nothing further, then left with Liang Jiugong for Wan He Songfeng Hall.
***
Early the next morning, Kangxi hadn’t yet gone to Fangyuanju when he received a memorial from Changning.
Opening it, Kangxi found Changning strangely different from before.
In the past, making Changning write a memorial was like pulling teeth; this time, the document was thicker and more substantial than those pedantic ones from the Censorate.
“Where is he? Send him in.”
Li Dequan’s expression remained subtle, tinged with awkwardness.
“Your Majesty, Prince Changning said all his observations and thoughts from the Western Frontier are in the memorial. He hurried to check on the Empress Dowager’s condition, submitted the memorial… and ran off.”
Changning spoke without pausing for breath, making Li Dequan feel stifled for him.
This time, he ran off even faster than before, vanishing in a blink.
Kangxi suspected Changning had some new problem but was more curious about the Western Frontier.
He didn’t ask further, focusing on reading the memorial carefully, his expression growing more inscrutable by the minute.
Gualdan’s forces were no longer in the Western Frontier but had retreated north, to the Kobdo grasslands in the territory once belonging to the Zhassaktu Khanate of Khalkha.
That area was close to Yili, previously conquered by the Dzungars, and bordered Luosha to the northwest.
Kangxi frowned and sneered coldly.
Gualdan was trying to gather his old troops in the Tibetan region and seek Luosha’s aid to resume war against the Qing.
His rebellious intentions were blatantly clear!
After finishing the memorial, Kangxi rose and headed toward Fangyuanju, issuing orders as he walked—
“Summon Sabusu with troops from Yuanhuicheng to move toward Mulan. Also, have the Chahar Four Tribes strengthen patrols along the Luosha border. Any abnormalities must be reported immediately. Dispatch an imperial edict to Kobdo to urgently summon Gualdan to a conference.”
“Prince Bandi of Khalkha and the various Khalkha tribes are to be stationed on the grasslands in ten days, waiting in advance.”
Li Dequan and Qi Sanfu hurried off to carry out the orders, while Liang Jiugong attended Kangxi into Fangyuanju.
The Empress Dowager’s fever had subsided somewhat, and she had regained consciousness, though she was still weak.
When Kangxi entered, the Empress Dowager was behind a screen, chatting and laughing with Jiujiu, who was clinging to the screen, refusing to go out and play.
Seeing Kangxi, the Empress Dowager smiled, “It’s just a minor illness, yet it’s made you so restless. Even Fuquan and Changning, those two boys, found time to rush here amidst their busy schedules.”
“Tell them next time not to come; they’ll tire themselves out.”
Kangxi: “….”
Fuquan indeed had to lead the troops in training, but where was Changning’s busy schedule?
If this Emperor wanted to see him, that scoundrel would still make excuses.
Kangxi hadn’t even assigned Changning any duties yet.
Still, Kangxi didn’t want to trouble the Empress Dowager further.
He lifted Jiujiu, had someone take her out to play, smiling gently in reply.
Then, Kangxi and Fang He coaxed the Empress Dowager to take medicine and eat until she lay down before leaving.
Back at Wan He Songfeng Hall, Kangxi instructed Liang Jiugong, “Go fetch that scoundrel for an audience.”
Mid-sentence, Kangxi glanced at the water clock.
He had lingered long at Fangyuanju but should have taken the crown prince and princes to drill by now.
There was no time for Changning.
He waved his hand dismissively.
“Forget him for now.”
When he finished his current affairs, he would deal with the two scoundrels together.
The crown prince Yinreng, sullen after a conversation with Kangxi in Chunhui Hall, was so gloomy in the Imperial Study that even his brothers avoided him.
But upon returning to the palace, his gloom vanished because the nightmares with Yin Xi began again!
This time, even Third Prince, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, Seventh Prince, Eighth Prince, and even the ten-year-old Ninth and Tenth Princes were not spared.
Only Eleventh Prince Yinzi, though still weak, was better cared for by Fule, so Kangxi didn’t push him.
The Twelfth and Thirteenth Princes also escaped unscathed.
Normally, ten days would be nothing; no one would mind.
But these ten days saw nine princes lose layer after layer of skin.
When they saw the grassland tents, Yin Tang staggered into his own tent, ignoring the younger brothers entering behind him, and howled in tears.
The training was grueling, unbearably so!
He didn’t understand how the elder brothers and the crown prince endured without flinching.
He and Yin’e felt this was worse than death.
The wounds on the inner thighs never healed; the sunburnt skin stung painfully when soaked in sweat, until eventually the pain numbed.
Every day they rose with the silver moon and returned under the stars.
Yin Tang cried to Eleventh Prince Yinzi who entered behind him, “Ninth brother here has tasted a lifetime of suffering. Never again will I come to the Northern Patrol… wah…”
Yinzi, weak in body and calm in temperament, spoke softly, “Ninth brother, you jest. You’re only ten; your lifetime of hardship is still ahead.”
Yin Tang: “…..”
‘That stinky little brother makes sense. Next time I better not speak; it’s asking for a beating.’
“Also, whether we come on the Northern Patrol depends on what the Khan says.” Yinzi analyzed calmly, unaware of his elder brother’s resentment.
“If you dare resist an imperial order, perhaps your lifetime of suffering will indeed be too much—ugh!”
He was cut off by Yin Tang suddenly pouncing on him, tickling mercilessly.
“I told you to be careful what you say! Stinky little brother, if I don’t punish you, who will?”
Yinzi: “….”
‘Does Ninth brother dare to threaten me?’
But the words stuck in his throat as laughter overcame him.
Yin Tang wasn’t so carefree.
His layered wounds still raw, the soldiers didn’t hit too hard but followed the Emperor’s orders, using cunning to make him feel the pain.
Every big movement sent aches through his body; he grimaced perfectly portraying “wounded while fighting the enemy.”
After a while, Yin Tang weakly rolled over and lay on his bed, letting Yinzi apply medicine.
He pounded the bed in pain, still murmuring with tears, “Anyway, for now, I never want to see the Khan again! Otherwise, I’ll be filled with unfilial thoughts.”
Yinzi said nothing.
Though they were princes, they were not like the Fifteenth Prince.
Thanks to Imperial Noble Consort Zhen, they saw the Khan almost daily.
Even if they wished, they might not be able to see him.
Ninth brother’s wish was easy to fulfill.
But as expected, an unexpected event occurred.
The prior drills were to display Qing military might to the northern Mongol princes during the upcoming hunting.
The ten-day training was enough to rally the soldiers.
The hunt was about to start, and Kangxi did not want to exhaust them, so training paused.
On the grasslands, the main goal was to engage with the northern Mongol princes and noble ladies.
But since daytime was busy with meetings and the hunt hadn’t started, no bonfire parties were held, so Kangxi had time at night.
First on his mind were, naturally, that carefree mother and daughter.
Since arriving at Rehe, over ten days had passed; aside from the Empress Dowager, those two had seen no one.
Fang He still remembered there was an Emperor somewhere nearby who sent them broth twice.
Jiujiu and her three unsupervised brothers and several sisters played, completely forgetting they had a father.
Kangxi asked Liang Jiugong, “Where is the Imperial Noble Consort’s tent set up?”
Liang Jiugong knew well that the Emperor wasn’t truly asking about her accommodation but whether she intended to visit the imperial tent.
He sighed inwardly, ‘If His Majesty wanted her in the imperial tent, why not just arrange it directly?’
‘Why wait for the Imperial Noble Consort herself… What a hassle!’
He carefully bowed, “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has just recovered and will soon meet the northern Mongol princes and ladies. She is a bit weak, but the Imperial Noble Consort’s filial heart is commendable…”
“Enough!” Kangxi cut off his rambling with a dark face.
He already knew Fang He’s tent was set beside the Empress Dowager.
That spot was diagonally behind the imperial tent, nearer the stables.
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