EBE Chapter 21 Time Flies, 5 Years
Chapter 21 Time Flies, 5 Years
Two days after the hunt ended, people from various Mongol tribes began to leave one after another. Soon after, Emperor Kangxi ordered everyone to pack their belongings and prepare to break camp and return to the capital.
On the day that Kangxi returned to Beijing, the Mongolian princes and nobles who remained there naturally came to see him off, including Yinzhuo's good friend Altai and his father.
Parting is always sad, but no matter how reluctant they are, they still have to leave, after all, their home is in the capital and their relatives are there.
"Sixth Prince, don't forget our promise. Next time you come to the grasslands, I will definitely take you to see our tribe."
Faced with his friends who were heartbroken at the impending separation, even Yinzhuo, a man with the soul of an adult, couldn't help but feel a little sad. He waved to Altai under the carriage.
"I remember. If you ever come to the capital, be sure to come find me. I'll take you to eat the city's delicacies and go boating on Houhai Lake..."
“Yes, now that you’ve come to the capital, we’ll show you around. I told you from my older brother that it’s very lively outside the palace, with lots of fun things to do…”
After a thousand miles of farewell, we must part ways. As the carriage slowly started moving, Yinzhuo and his entourage officially set off. Altai chased after Yinzhuo's carriage for a while, until he could no longer catch up and finally stopped, standing there waving to Yinzhuo and his group.
"Go back now, we'll definitely meet again someday."
Only when Altai's figure could no longer be seen did Yinzhuo lower the curtain, and then he visibly wilted.
"Dexi, do you think we'll ever meet again?"
Dexi did not answer Yinzhuo's question, but instead took a cup from the low table next to him, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Yinzhuo.
"Young master, you got up early today. You're busy traveling and don't have much to do right now. How about I make you a bed so you can sleep for a while?"
He didn't get an answer from Dexi, but fortunately, Yinzhuo didn't seem to need it. He had gotten up early today, and although he wasn't very sleepy, he thought that instead of overthinking, he should take a nap. After all, there's nothing a good night's sleep can't solve, right? If there is, then he'll just take another nap.
This was not a big deal. Sure enough, after waking up, Yinzhuo's slight melancholy had completely disappeared. The same was true for Yinzhi and the other brothers. They were already being led outside by the guards to ride horses.
When they arrived, everything seemed new and exciting. But when they returned, the same scenery didn't excite them as much as the first time. So the whole group traveled much faster than when they came. However, even though they rushed along the way, by the time they returned to the capital, the weather had already turned cool.
"Fourth Brother, you don't need to see me off. You've been away for so long, I'm sure the Imperial Noble Consort misses you very much. She's probably looking forward to your arrival right now. You should hurry back to Chengqian Palace. I know the way to Mother's place very well, and besides, Dexi is with you."
After a long and tiring journey, Emperor Kangxi, unusually kind, granted his sons a three-day leave. Since they were back, the first thing the sons naturally wanted to do was to visit their mothers. So, as soon as they got off the carriage, except for Crown Prince Yinreng who went back to Yuqing Palace, the others planned to go to their mothers' place first.
Seeing that Yinzhuo looked exhausted and was walking unsteadily, Yinzhen wanted to escort him to Yonghe Palace and then back to Chengqian Palace. However, Yinzhuo clearly did not want him to escort him. Firstly, he knew the nature of Consort De, who always treated Yinzhen with disdain. There was no reason for him to have to suffer at her hands as soon as he returned.
Secondly, he was also afraid that Yinzhen sending him to Yonghe Palace would displease the Imperial Noble Consort. After all, Yinzhen was currently being raised in Chengqian Palace. Although his jade tablet had not been changed, he was still nominally the Imperial Noble Consort's son. After being away for more than two months, he went to Yonghe Palace as soon as he returned. What would people think? Yinzu had seen the Imperial Noble Consort of Chengqian Palace and Yinzhen get along before. To be honest, compared to Consort De, she cared much more about her son Yinzhen.
If Yinzuo initially approached Yinzhen with the intention of currying favor, the two had spent almost every day together over the past two months, and some feelings had inevitably developed. Besides, Yinzhen had treated him well, and everyone has a heart, so Yinzuo would certainly have to think about his feelings as well.
"Mother, your son is back. I haven't seen you for a while. Did you miss me?"
Consort De had been eagerly anticipating Yinzhuo's return since she learned of his arrival today. Upon hearing Yinzhuo's voice outside, she immediately rose and went to greet him. As soon as she saw Yinzhuo, she pulled him close and embraced him.
"How could your mother not miss you? You are the apple of my eye. I have been longing for you ever since you left, and now I am so glad that you have come back."
While the mother and son were loving and filial in Yonghe Palace, the atmosphere in Chengqian Palace was also harmonious. Since Yinzhen had been away for so long, the Imperial Noble Consort naturally missed him. Knowing that her son was coming back today, she had the palace servants prepare Yinzhen's favorite dishes early in the morning. As evening approached, she even had her nanny help her to the palace gate to wait for him.
"Mother, why did you come out when you're not feeling well? It's so cold outside, you'll definitely catch a cold and start coughing again."
The Imperial Noble Consort was naturally pleased that her son cared about her health. She let go of the hand that the nanny had been supporting her and stepped forward to carefully examine Yinzhen. Seeing that her son hadn't lost much weight, she took Yinzhen's hand and led him into the house.
"It's alright, Mother's been feeling quite well lately, it's fine for me to go out for a walk now and then. Besides, you've been away for so long, Mother is eager to see you again..."
That evening, most of the inner palace was filled with such a harmonious scene of mothers being kind and children being filial. However, compared to their leisure, Kangxi, who had also traveled a long and arduous journey, was not so lucky.
After returning to the palace, he first went to Cining Palace to visit the Empress Dowager and chatted with her for a while. Then he made an appearance at Shou Kang Palace to see the Empress Dowager. After returning to Qianqing Palace, he was still busy. After being away for so long, he had a mountain of official documents waiting for him to review.
Of course, he wasn't the only one suffering. The Crown Prince, who was conscripted by Emperor Kangxi, was truly miserable. While other princes were enjoying maternal love in their mothers' palaces, he had to be dragged by his father to deal with the mountain of memorials. Although he didn't have a mother to let him experience maternal love, after such a tiring journey, being able to rest in Yuqing Palace was still better than being a laborer in Qianqing Palace.
Time flies, and summer comes and goes. It's summer again, and this year marks the fifth summer that Yinzhuo has spent in the Qing Dynasty.
A lot happened in those five years. First, our Sixth Prince, Yinzhuo, grew from a six-year-old child when he first came to the Qing Dynasty to a ten-year-old boy. Second, in the twenty-sixth year of Kangxi's reign, the legendary woman who lived through the reigns of Chongde, Shunzhi, and Kangxi, the outstanding politician, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, forever withdrew from the stage of history. In the twenty-seventh year of Kangxi's reign, the last dragon in the struggle for the throne, Yinzhuo's troublesome younger brother, the future Grand General Prince Yinzhen, was born. As for the name Fourteenth Prince, Yinzhuo was speechless. He really didn't know what his father, Kangxi, was thinking. If two sons had the same name, how could he still call them by their names when they were together? How could people tell them apart?
Now it was June of the 28th year of Kangxi's reign, and Yinzhu knew that a major event was about to happen in the palace in less than a month. Historically, Yinzhen's adoptive mother and Kangxi's last empress, Tongjia, had passed away in July of that year.