EBE Chapter 14 Finally, it's time to go out and play!
Chapter 14 Finally, it's time to go out and play!
As the morning sun rose, the grand procession set off from the Forbidden City, marking the official start of Emperor Kangxi's tour of the northern frontier.
Because the princes accompanying the emperor, apart from the eldest prince Yinti and the crown prince Yinreng, were all under ten years old, and it was their first time leaving the palace, in order to prevent them from causing accidents due to excessive excitement, Kangxi simply pulled them out of his carriage and carried them into the imperial carriage before departure. Sure enough, these wild monkeys who had been peeking out of the carriage window before departure became much quieter with Kangxi, the Buddha, keeping them in check.
The eldest prince, Yinti, and the crown prince, Yinreng, were both skilled in riding and archery, so they did not ride in a carriage, but instead rode tall horses to accompany the emperor.
"Fourth Brother, look! It looks so lively! I'm so envious of Eldest Brother and Second Brother. I want to ride horses outside like them. This is the first time I've ever seen what the outside of the palace looks like!"
To demonstrate his approachability and willingness to share joy with the people, Emperor Kangxi did not arrange for the streets to be quiet. Instead, he ordered the Imperial Guards to keep the onlookers at a distance from the imperial procession to ensure its safety.
Unlike Yinzhi and the others who were reserved in front of Kangxi, Yinzuo was quite at ease. At first, he just knelt on a cushion not far from Kangxi out of curiosity, holding onto the curtain of the carriage window and cautiously peeking out. Seeing that Kangxi did not stop him, he became much bolder. Later, he almost leaned half his body out to look around. When he saw the lively scene outside, he even turned around and tried to pull Yinzhen next to him to join him.
Compared to Yinzhuo, who was a fake child, Yinzhen was genuinely experiencing the outside world for the first time outside the palace. Even though he was usually calm and composed, he was still an eight-year-old child. Upon receiving Yinzhuo's invitation, his heart couldn't help but stir. He turned his head to look at Kangxi and saw that his father seemed to be resting with his eyes closed and hadn't noticed their commotion. Finally, he couldn't help but move closer to Yinzhuo. Through the curtain that Yinzhuo had lifted, he saw the lively scene that Yinzhuo was talking about, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.
"Fourth brother, sixth brother, is it beautiful outside?"
Compared to where Yinzhen and Yinzuo sat, Yinzhi, Yinqi, and Yinyou sat further inside, naturally farther from the window. Yinzuo wasn't afraid of Kangxi, so he dared to directly lift the curtain. Yinzhen sat closer to the window, so he could easily get some light by moving slightly. The three of them, Yinzhi, Yinqi, and Yinyou, couldn't see anything outside even if they craned their necks.
“Of course it looks good. Third Brother, Fifth Brother, Seventh Brother, don’t just sit there. Since you’re curious, you have windows over there too. If you want to know how lively it is outside, just open the curtains and you’ll see.”
Upon hearing Yinzhuo's words, Yinzhi felt that if this wasn't in front of his father, he would have slapped him. Didn't he know that he could see the commotion outside just by lifting the curtain? He was afraid, wasn't he? Although they also had windows, his father was sitting with his eyes closed by the low table next to the window. If they went over there, what difference would it be from pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth?
After sitting there for a while, Yinzhi finally couldn't sit still any longer. He quietly got up and moved closer to Yinzuo and Yinzhen, pushing Yinzhen aside and squeezing in next to him, regardless of whether Yinzhen wanted to or not.
"Fourth brother, please squeeze in with third brother. I really don't have the courage to go to Khan's place and risk my life."
Once one comes, another follows. Soon, Yinqi and Yinyou also joined in, and the originally spacious window area suddenly became crowded. Yinzuo, who had initially occupied half of the window, was also squeezed to the edge of the window.
"Hmph, a bunch of cowards."
Unable to squeeze past his brothers, Yinzhu simply gave up his seat, got up and walked to the opposite side of Kangxi's seat. First, he raised his little paw and waved it in front of his father's eyes, and then, under the incredulous gazes of his brothers, he calmly lifted the curtain of the window.
Although Kangxi kept his eyes closed, he could still hear the movements inside the carriage. He had been through the same age as Yinzhi and the others, and he had naturally experienced the feeling of leaving the palace for the first time to see the outside world. Therefore, he did not stop the little brothers from doing anything. He knew that the children would be a little reserved when they were in his presence, and he even closed his eyes to rest in order to make them feel more at ease.
When Yinzhuo approached, Kangxi sensed it. When Yinzhuo lifted the curtain and peeked out, Kangxi quietly opened his eyes and watched the excitement with him through the curtain. For a moment, the atmosphere inside the large imperial carriage was warm, and even Liang Jiugong, who was serving the emperor, couldn't help but smile.
But even the most beautiful scenery can become tiresome. In the city, the streets were lined with shops, and although they were far apart, at least one could enjoy the lively atmosphere. Once outside the city, the roads were not as smooth, and the scenery became monotonous. Soon, Yinzhuo lost interest in it. In the end, he simply lowered the curtain, glanced at his brothers who were still peering intently through the window on the other side, and then simply followed Kangxi's example, sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes.
He had insomnia last night and got up early today, so he was already extremely tired. He hadn't felt it when he was excited about the novelty, but now that the novelty had worn off, he suddenly felt sleepy. So he closed his eyes to rest, but soon turned into taking a nap against the car wall.
Yinzhu slept well. When he woke up again, the caravan had stopped, and only Kangxi, himself, and Liang Jiugong remained in the imperial carriage.
"You slept soundly. Now that you're up, come and have dinner with me. We still have to travel in a bit."
Yinzhu didn't know how long he had slept. When he saw the carriage stop, he was still half asleep and thought that they had arrived at their resting place for the night. Only after hearing Kangxi's words did he realize that they had only stopped temporarily for lunch and that they would continue their journey after lunch.
There were only three people in the carriage, so the task of serving Yinzhuo fell to Liang Jiugong. However, this high-ranking and powerful chief steward of the Qianqing Palace did not seem to be unwilling at all. He smiled and carried water to Yinzhuo's bedside, wrung out a handkerchief, and served him to wash his face and hands.
Because they were on the road, even the food served to Emperor Kangxi was very simple. The father and son ate a little to fill their stomachs and then had the food removed. After eating and drinking to their hearts' content and sleeping all morning, Yinzhuo had recovered his energy when they set off again. Having been confined in the carriage all morning, he naturally did not want to be kept in that confinement any longer.
"Father, could you let my elder brother take me for a ride on a horse for a while?"
Yinzhuo did want to go horseback riding outside, but the conditions didn't allow it. Compared to his less familiar second brother, the Crown Prince, Yinti, his older brother who intimidated him, seemed to be more familiar with him.
Emperor Kangxi had always known that his son was not a peaceful person. The journey ahead was still long, and Emperor Kangxi did not want to restrain him too much. In addition, he had been in the carriage all morning and wanted to get off and stretch his muscles. So after thinking it over, he sent someone to the back to bring over his beloved horse, Zhuifeng.
"Although your elder brother is quite skilled in riding and archery, he is still young and cannot take you along. Since you want to experience riding a horse, I will take you."