The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

The birth of Ganjur completely dispelled the dark clouds hanging over the Thirteenth Prince's residence.

Ganjur was born late, and Qingwan only glanced at her briefly before having her wet nurse take her away. The next day, when she saw Ganjur again, she had already been washed and fed.

Qingwan held the baby. Because of her bad mood during her pregnancy, the baby did not grow well in the last few months. Ganzhuer looked smaller than his older sister and brother, and was wrinkled.

Qingwan bent down and slowly buried her face in Ganjur's swaddling clothes.

In order not to disturb Qingwan's rest, the only people in the room now besides Muxiang and Chenxiang are Ganjur's wet nurse.

Hearing Qingwan's occasional sobs, Muxiang and Chenxiang exchanged a glance but did not immediately try to comfort her.

Even Yinxiang didn't understand as well as the two of them that, although Qingwan seemed fine for the past three months, her subconscious actions showed that she still hadn't recovered from the pain of losing her son.

Only Ganjur's wet nurse, anxious, glanced at Qingwan, then at Muxiang and Chenxiang, and said, "You two aunts are really confused. At this time, whether the Fujin is happy or sad, this is the time to persuade her. Why are you two still standing there?"

Seeing that the two of them still didn't understand, the wet nurse simply said, "This servant is dull and doesn't know why the princess is crying, but now is the time when the princess is weak, and at this time, emotional ups and downs are most likely to cause trouble."

"I have seen women who suffered postpartum hemorrhage due to emotional breakdown."

These words were unpleasant and even ominous, but in the wet nurse's opinion, fright was more effective than persuasion. She had been inquiring about Qingwan's way of handling things since entering the mansion, and only dared to say so after thinking it over and concluding that nothing bad would happen.

Whether Qingwan was frightened or not, she didn't know, but Muxiang and Chenxiang were frightened. Their expressions changed drastically, and before they could even rush to the bedside, Qingwan raised her head.

Her face was no longer filled with sorrow. She handed Ganjur to the wet nurse and said, "You are very good. Take good care of the Seventh Prince. You will not be treated badly."

He then said to Chenxiang, "Take the Seventh Prince's wet nurse to pick out a couple of pieces of jewelry."

Chenxiang looked at Qingwan with surprise and doubt. Seeing that nothing was wrong, she felt a little relieved and winked at Muxiang.

As for Ganjur's wet nurse, she breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that there would be a reward before thanking him and leaving.

When Yinxiang returned, Qingwan still had her eyes closed. He tiptoed, intending to take a quick look and then leave, but Qingwan opened her eyes unexpectedly.

Seeing that her eyes were clear and she didn't look like she had just woken up, Yinxiang smiled and said, "I thought you were asleep and was just about to take a look and leave."

Muxiang stood guard outside the bedroom.

Qingwan smiled and said, "They won't let me do anything, so I can only close my eyes and rest. Has Master gone to see the children?"

"I've seen it," Prince Yinxiang said with a smile. "He's sleeping soundly, much better than you, my dear."

Qingwan nodded: "When will you leave, Master?"

"I'll be leaving the day after tomorrow."

Ten years later, Yinxiang's name appeared again on the list of attendants for Kangxi's tour. This time, Kangxi brought Yinzhi, Yinzhen, Yinqi, Yinsi, Yintang, Yinxiang, Yinwu, Yinlu, Yinyi, Yinxi, and Yinyou.

Regardless of age, Kangxi took most of his sons with him.

When Yinxiang received the imperial decree to accompany him again, he was filled with emotion. When Muxiang and the others were helping him pack his things, Yinxiang sighed, "It feels like a lifetime ago."

Qingwan also said, "When I first came to serve you, the thing I did most for you was to pack your luggage twice a year and then see you off."

Yinxiang shook his head and laughed, "This time, Father has brought so many people; I'm afraid there's going to be quite a show."

Little did he know that this first spectacle would be his own.

Before leaving to take his leave, Yinxiang said gently, "Your Highness probably already knows what I'm going to say, so I don't need to say it out loud."

Yinxiang pinched her earlobe: "Don't worry, it's been ten years, she should have learned her lesson by now."

After saying that, he sighed and lay down on Qingwan's lap: "If only it had been a month later, you could have come with me, and I would have been at ease."

Qingwan chuckled and cupped his face in her hands: "Why don't I drive after I finish my confinement and chase after you, so that my sisters-in-law can laugh at me for not being able to be without the Thirteenth Prince for even a day, and for having to keep a close eye on you? I'm just worried that when you come back, you'll bring me back a few more 'good sisters'."

Yinxiang tilted his head and bit her wrist, but it wasn't hard, let alone leaving a mark.

Qingwan patted him on the shoulder: "What kind of talk is this?"

He added, "Alright, it's getting late. Let's go quickly and not waste any more time. Tell Zhang Rui to take good care of you, and don't forget your medicine. Don't overexert yourself and risk aggravating your leg injury on the meadow."

Yinxiang squeezed her hand and solemnly said again, "Don't worry." Then he left.

Emperor Kangxi arrived at the Rehe Imperial Palace in April. Along the way, Kangxi not only sought refuge from the summer heat but also received Mongolian princes.

The fourteenth prince, Yinzhen, also went on expeditions this month without being granted a title. He was still a prince and this time he was not the only one who went, but also a large number of scions of prominent families in the capital, and even several of Kangxi's grandsons.

Yinzhen traveled at full speed and returned to Ganzhou in less than a month.

Two months later, Yinxiang, along with his entourage, set off from the imperial palace to the hunting grounds for the Mulan Autumn Hunt, Mulan being the Manchu word for deer hunting.

The Mulan Hunting Grounds are divided into seventy-two enclosures, each with a different landscape. They are guarded by Eight Banner soldiers on weekdays, and ordinary people are prohibited from entering or hunting within them.

During the journey, Kangxi sent several princes back, and in the end, he kept Yinzhi, Yinzhen, Yinqi, Yinxiang, Yinwu, Yinlu, and Yinyi by his side.

The minister in charge of the hunting would lead cavalry to gather the prey that was already present in the hunting area according to a pre-selected direction and range, in order to facilitate the hunt.

The imperial family members and high-ranking officials who accompanied the emperor were required to wear armor, carry belts, and have quivers for arrows.

Yinxiang donned his armor again after a long absence, barely able to contain his excitement. For several days in a row, he kept his bow and arrow close at hand, riding his horse through the hunting grounds.

Emperor Kangxi was getting on in years, and after only a few days he felt tired and stopped hunting to rest.

Yinzhen was already forty-five or forty-six years old, and he had become increasingly overweight in recent years. He was not good at riding or archery, so he was already complaining inwardly, but he couldn't show it.

Now that Kangxi has stopped hunting, he felt as if he had been granted a pardon and only requested to stay by Kangxi's side to serve him so that he could rest.

When Yinxiang was given such an opportunity again, he acted like a young boy, indulging in the pleasures of riding and archery, which made his guards suffer greatly. They were worried that his leg ailment would flare up again, but they could not persuade him otherwise.

After several days of this, Yinxiang realized that he could not continue in this manner, so he decided to stop hunting from that day onward.

On the way back, he first saw a white fox fly by. He remembered that he had once made a cloak for Qingwan from a white fox pelt of excellent quality. Now that he saw it again, he couldn't resist the urge to follow.

Although he has been plagued by leg ailments over the years, whenever his legs are better, he never gives up his riding and archery skills. With each swift movement, he catches another prey, and the guards around him can't help but cheer.

Before Yinxiang could even rejoice, he spotted another plump deer. His eyes lit up with excitement, and he rode off again to catch up. Along the way, in addition to the people who had been with him, more and more people followed. Yinxiang fired multiple arrows at once and finally overpowered the crowd, hunting down the deer once more.

Upon seeing this, the crowd cheered again. After years of silence, Yinxiang seemed to have returned to his former glory days in this peaceful scene. He laughed loudly on his horse and shouted, "Cut off the tail and present it!"

Cutting off the tail and presenting it as a tribute was an old Manchu custom, and according to custom, a reward should be given.

For many years, he and Emperor Kangxi had harbored resentment over the issue of the crown prince. Regarding the matter of presenting the tail, Yinxiang felt both uneasy and hopeful.

While waiting for his prey to be prepared, Yinxiang's excitement had not yet subsided, but when he saw the prey he had hunted, it was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.

The white fox pelt was stained with blood, the once majestic deer had its tail cut off and was now just a short piece placed on a tray, and even the camel carrying its prey looked thinner than the others.

These days, he always returned to camp after each hunt, and the next time he saw his prey was on his plate. He never imagined that he was being treated so coldly.

He laughed in a fit of rage, unable to tell whether it was embarrassment, anger, or hatred.

After kicking the man over, he said angrily, "Call the manager."

The man on the ground scrambled to his feet and knelt, still pleading, "Your servant..."

Yinxiang tightened his grip on the whip he hadn't yet put down, and said, "Do you want to die too?"

Yinxiang's face was gloomy. He hadn't even changed his clothes yet, and the person kneeling on him could almost smell the blood of a wild beast on him. His heart trembled: "This servant will go right away."