The prince only allowed me to have a baby, so the pressure is a bit high!

Chapter 31 The Crown Princess is truly a treasure!

After the lively palace banquet, the Forbidden City once again returned to peace.

At the end of February, news came from the Qianqing Palace that the Emperor would go to Guihua City with the Empress Dowager in mid-April.

At that time, all the ice on the road had melted, and even in the cold weather it was not as cold as in winter. The empress dowager was not brought along this time, as she wanted to stay in the palace to take charge. Kangxi had left Fuquan as regent, and as for the eldest and third princes, they were also entrusted with important tasks this time by Kangxi, which was to assist his uncle in managing the government.

As for the Crown Prince, he would also go this time, along with the Crown Princess, who had just married into the Yuqing Palace the previous year. Kangxi did not intend to bring the Fourth Prince with him this time. Firstly, Yinzhen had just returned to the capital and needed to recuperate. Secondly, two women in his harem were pregnant, and a legitimate wife had not yet been chosen, requiring him to remain in the Southern Three Residences. Since Yinzhen stayed, the corresponding Consort De also stayed in the Forbidden City, and similarly, Consort Hui and Consort Rong also stayed.

This time, Kangxi only brought one high-ranking concubine, Concubine Yi. As for the Imperial Concubine Nianhulu, she had been in poor health since the beginning of the year and was not suitable for traveling, so she stayed in the palace to recuperate.

There was a reason why Kangxi brought Concubine Yi with him. This time, they were going to Guihua City, first to Shengjing, then to Datong Prefecture, and finally to Guihua. Concubine Yi's father, Sanguan Bao, was the chief steward of the Shengjing Imperial Household Department, so Kangxi wanted to let his favorite concubine go back to her parents' home to visit.

As soon as the news came out, Buerhe began to ask her personal maid to pack up.

This time, they were heading north. The north was different from the south. Going south, it got hotter, but going north, it was the opposite: it only got colder. It wasn't clear how long the emperor would stay on the grasslands. I heard it was difficult to get water for showers there. Even though he was a royal family member and had plenty of water, living in a yurt was different from living in a house.

I also heard that the temperature difference there was quite large, and that people had to wear light clothing at noon, but long robes in the morning and evening. However, these were all things Mama had told him when he was very young, and what he knew were only Mama's memories from before. As for the current environment, Mama thought about it and decided to talk to the Queen Mother.

In any case, apart from the Emperor, the only person in the Forbidden City who is familiar with the grassland is the Empress Dowager. Even the Grand Empress Dowager has not been there as often as the Empress Dowager.

This was normal. As the Empress Dowager grew older, Emperor Kangxi was hesitant to take her on long journeys. Firstly, the journey was exhausting, even for the young, let alone the elderly. Secondly, the medical care was substandard. If someone got sick on the road, such as a headache or fever, it would be difficult to find the right medicine.

Therefore, in recent years, whenever Kangxi went on a tour or even the Mulan Autumn Hunt, he basically brought the Empress Dowager with him. The Empress Dowager had a lot of contact with Mongolian women over the years, so she had a better understanding of the current situation in Mongolia.

When Buerhe arrived at Ciren Palace, he found that Concubine Yi had already arrived and was chatting enthusiastically with the Empress Dowager, with the Fifth Princess accompanying them.

Burhe paused for a moment, then without stopping for a moment, smiled and saluted the Queen Mother: "Granddaughter-in-law greets the Queen Mother, may the Queen Mother be blessed with good health."

The Empress Dowager's palace had never been so lively before. When she saw her favorite granddaughter-in-law coming, she quickly called her up and asked the servants to give Burhe a seat.

Bu Erhe stood up and exchanged greetings with Concubine Yi and the Fifth Princess before sitting down calmly.

Concubine Yi laughed and joked, "Empress Dowager, I've been saying that I'm not the only smart person in this palace. Look, the Crown Princess is coming over!"

The old lady nodded Concubine Yi's head and said lovingly, "You are such a mischievous person! You even tease my good grandson-in-law."

After saying this, he turned to Buerhe and said, "This morning, the emperor's decree was delivered to the harem, and Concubine Yi came over to ask me for advice on what to bring with me on this trip. I just praised her for being smart, and now you're here too. It seems like you two are really as clever as Concubine Yi said."

Upon hearing this, Buerhe's face lit up with a huge smile. "That's because Concubine Yi and I are in perfect sync. Besides, if we didn't all know that you, the Imperial Madam, are the key to our success, we wouldn't have come straight to you without even thinking about anything! Please, seeing how anxious Concubine Yi and I are, please let us know a few words so we can broaden our horizons."

Concubine Yi was also acting coquettishly and flattering beside her, which made the Queen Mother blush with the flattery: "Alright, alright, you two are such annoying people, stop praising me in different ways, I will just say it."

After the Queen Mother finished speaking, Bu Erhe and Concubine Yi subconsciously restrained their expressions and turned to listen attentively to the Queen Mother's teachings.

The Queen Mother said: "In fact, I know that you only came here to make me happy. Don't worry, I already knew the news when I went back to Khorchin this time. It was just because the Empress Dowager had always wanted to go back to see her for many years, so I took the initiative to give up this opportunity. I still have a lot of time in the future, and I can always go back to Khorchin to visit."

The Queen Mother said, "Even if you don't come today, I will send someone to look for you. Mongolia is hot during the day and cool at night, so you'd better bring a few sets of warm clothes. You don't need to bring summer shirts. Even in Mongolia, it's still not hot enough at the end of May. Also, it's best to prepare a few sets of riding clothes. You will definitely need them for horse racing. You can also prepare a set of Mongolian robes. Just think of it as something new. In such an environment, wearing Mongolian clothes will make it easier to blend in and communicate more conveniently. As for jewelry, those in the styles of Beijing and Jiangnan can be left in the palace. Girls on the grassland prefer turquoise, agate, red coral and gold jewelry, especially those that are large and look very valuable. I have a lot here, and I asked Tuna to prepare them this time. Come with me before you leave."

After the Queen Mother finished speaking, Concubine Yi and Buerhe exchanged a glance and quickly stood up to express their gratitude. Seeing this, the Fifth Princess, who had been listening intently, also acted coquettishly to the Queen Mother, "Madam, you are biased. I don't agree. I don't have any of these things."

The Queen Mother's arm was grasped by the Fifth Princess, and she shook it, causing her body to sway slightly. After hearing the Fifth Princess's coquettish words, the Queen Mother smiled helplessly and said, "You don't need these things, so I don't need to give them to you. If you are really greedy, I will give you the ruby ​​bracelet I got some time ago."

When the Fifth Princess heard that it wasn't agate or turquoise, she became unhappy and kept complaining, "No, no, Royal Madam, I also like turquoise and agate like Second Sister-in-law. Since you love me so much, why don't you give me some too?"

The Queen Mother glanced at the Fifth Princess after hearing this and continued to persuade her, "Xiao Wu, that bracelet is also very beautiful."

The Fifth Princess: "But, Madam, I still like these. They look very interesting. I also want to have the same things as my Second Sister-in-law. Even if we wear them together, we will look like a pair of sisters, right?"

The Queen Mother stopped persuading her and just said, "As long as you don't regret it," and then Tutuina took out another identical set of turquoise and agate and gave it to the fifth princess.

Concubine Yi and Buerhe, who had been silent, looked at each other in bewilderment. The Fifth Princess was truly bold. The Queen Mother was clearly displeased, yet she still dared to make such a request. She truly deserved to be the most beloved princess in the palace. However, the Queen Mother seemed genuinely angry later on. It was unclear whether the Fifth Princess truly didn't know or just didn't care. However, this was none of their business. Seeing the Queen Mother's fatigue, Concubine Yi and Buerhe took their leave. The Fifth Princess happily returned to the side hall of Ciren Palace with her gift.

In the main hall, after everyone had left, the empress dowager asked Tuna, who had been serving her the entire time, "Tuna, don't you think I'm not very good at educating my children? Xiaowu, whom I've taught in the Shangshufang for several years, still speaks halting Chinese, and his Chinese isn't very good either. And this Xiaowu is so superficial. Does she think I've forgotten the last time she helped Concubine De to show off to Buerhe in the Cining Palace?"

(The first Xiaowu is the Fifth Prince Yinqi, and the second is the Fifth Princess)

Tuna: "How can you blame me, Master? The Fifth Prince is simply not passionate about Chinese studies. Look how well he speaks Mongolian. Furthermore, his riding and archery skills are among the best among the other princes. The Emperor was even praising him a while ago. How can you say you didn't educate him well?"

After a pause, Tuna continued, "As for the Fifth Princess, I'm saying that this daughter might be imitating her mother. Look at Concubine De. She's been known in the palace for her gentleness over the years, but didn't you see her last time in the Cining Palace, losing her temper without a care? If you hadn't been there last time, and the Grand Empress Dowager hadn't given you a favor, Concubine De wouldn't have been able to leave the Cining Palace so easily. Later, not only did the Fifth Princess not go to Yuqing Palace to apologize to the Crown Princess, she even distanced herself from her. Let me tell you, the Crown Princess is such a good child, filial, considerate, steady, and kind. If the Fifth Princess doesn't want to associate with a girl like that, what else does she want?"

The Queen Mother sighed, "Who says it's not true? Before Buerhe came along, I always thought that Xiaowu, whom I raised, had a good personality and a good temper. But as soon as Buerhe showed up, Xiaowu was outshined. I had originally thought of marrying Xiaowu off in the capital, so that we could have a chance to accompany her for all these years. But now it seems that with Xiaowu's temper, she'd probably cause trouble even if she stayed in the capital. It would be better to follow the Emperor's wishes and let her raise her. Then I'll give her a larger dowry, which would be my best wish as a nanny."

Seeing her master, who had been with her for many years, feeling lost, Tuna suddenly became angry at the Fifth Princess, whom she had watched grow up. The Fifth Princess was really an ungrateful person who hurt the heart of her grandmother who raised her just because of a little jealousy.

However, she couldn't let her master continue to feel lost like this. Tuna helped the Queen Mother up and said, "Master, you haven't gone out for a walk today. I heard that the peach blossoms in our small garden are already blooming. Would you like to go and take a look?"

When the Queen Mother heard this, she also knew that Tuna was trying to make her happy, so she did not refuse her kindness. She let Tuna help her and stood up and went to the small garden of Ciren Palace together.

On the second day of the fourth month of the 31st year of the Kangxi reign, Kangxi accompanied the Empress Dowager to Guihua and toured the frontier. Passing through Shengjing, Kangxi and Crown Prince Yinreng paid homage to the Shengjing Imperial Ancestral Temple, bowing before the jade seals and jade tablets in the main hall. They then rested for two days at Guo Luoluo's home before continuing north.

This time, because the only high-ranking female member of Kangxi's harem was Concubine Yi, and the only princes were the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince, and the Fifth Prince had not yet married, Bu Erhe asked Concubine Yi to accompany the Empress Dowager in her sedan chair.

Although the imperial physician said that there was nothing wrong with the Empress Dowager's health this time, the journey was long and the roads in ancient times were paved with loess. So even if the driver was very skilled, the ride would still be bumpy. It would be uncomfortable for a young girl like her to sit for a long time, let alone the Empress Dowager, who was over seventy years old.

Helpless, his heart aching for the old lady got the better of him, so Burhe donated the cotton balls he had been planning to use for a quilt to make a large pillow for the Empress Dowager. The new pillow was softer and fluffier than the original ones made of cloth or fur, and the Empress Dowager felt her aching waist instantly relieved when she leaned on it.

The Empress Dowager looked at Buerhe with an unnaturally gentle look: "Buerhe, you are such a smart and filial child. How did you come up with the idea of ​​using cotton to make a pillow? And why doesn't the cotton pillow you made curl up or move around?"

After seeing that the Empress Dowager looked much better than she had a few days ago, Buerhe smiled and replied, "Ukuma Ma, this cotton was originally intended to be used for a quilt, but because it was running low, the maids prepared to make a thin quilt for when the grasslands got cold. But a few days ago, my great-grandson's wife noticed that your complexion wasn't looking well, a little yellow. I asked the imperial physician, and he said there was nothing wrong with you, just tired. So my great-grandson's wife thought of making you a pillow. The pillows in the palace are either made of cloth or fur, and they're hard and uncomfortable after a long time. When I saw the cotton, I thought of making you something different, so that you can lean on it and rest for a while when you're tired during the day."