The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

When Yinxiang returned in the evening, Yihuan hurriedly asked, "Did you hunt any deer today? There were too many people during the day, so I didn't see clearly."

Yinxiang rolled his eyes at Yihuan, not caring whether he was tired or injured, only concerned about Lu, and said irritably, "Yes, I've already asked the kitchen staff to prepare it."

Qingwan found it amusing and said to Yihuan, "Princess, go over with Zhang Chun and the others first, and let your brother change his clothes. Otherwise, if he sits next to you covered in dust, you might not have the appetite."

Yi Huan nodded in agreement. Yinxiang was quite helpless as they were making them sing and chant, but he wasn't really angry.

Seeing Yinxiang's appearance, Yihuan pretended to be helpful and asked him, "Brother, are you injured? You must have had a hard day."

Seeing that his sister finally remembered to care about him, even though it was just an act, Yinxiang was still pleased and nodded with feigned modesty: "It's just hunting. I've been doing it since I was a child, so how could I get hurt?"

Qingwan and Yihuan exchanged a smile, and Yihuan then went out first, leaving the two of them alone.

Seeing that the toiletries and change of clothes were ready, Yinxiang felt even more relieved. He simply asked Zhang Rui to help him wash up and change his clothes before the two of them headed to the place where the campfire was lit. When they were leaving, Yinxiang paused for a moment and asked Zhang Rui to take the bamboo flute that he always carried with him.

Seeing this, Qingwan felt a sense of anticipation. Kangxi himself was skilled at this, so the princes also learned it. Seeing that Yinxiang had brought a flute, Qingwan wondered if she could hear the prince play the flute tonight.

He then asked, "Are you skilled at playing the flute, sir?"

Yinxiang twirled the bamboo flute in his hand: "I can't really call myself good at it, I just learned it for a few years to please Father."

However, the princes had heavy studies. If they could do well, the Khan would be happy, but if they neglected their studies, they would not be able to explain it to the Khan. It would be a loss, so they did not continue studying.

Now I have plenty of time to learn, but if I do learn, other things will get mixed in, so it's better not to learn at all.

Qingwan understood his meaning and laughed, "Seeing that Master has been found by Zhang Rui, I thought I would be able to enjoy a good song from Master today, but it's a pity."

Yinxiang also laughed: "We'll see later. If the sixteenth brother finds his way here on his own, you'll really have a treat for your ears today. Although he's young, his talent in music far surpasses that of his brothers. What's more, he was personally taught by Father."

Hearing him say that, Qingwan also felt a little hopeful. The women in the palace came and went and spent their time doing the same things. Those who were good at playing the zither, chess, calligraphy and painting would occasionally have a competition.

Sometimes, the princes and their wives would be brought along, or if the princes and their wives happened to be paying their respects, the princes and their wives would show off their skills to entertain the family, which could be considered as the younger generation entertaining their elders in colorful clothes.

She had heard Yinlu's mother play the zither while she was in the palace, and it was like listening to celestial music. It seems that Yinlu inherited the best qualities of both his parents.

When the two arrived, the kitchen staff had already started grilling the venison. As they approached, they overheard Yi Huan talking to the eunuch grilling the meat: "Such fresh venison is rare. I thought the two ways your master prepared the venison tendon soup he served earlier were both quite good. Go back and ask your master to make them again and send them over."

"Yes, Your Highness. But what does the princess like? There's no need for special instructions. The Thirteenth Prince also hunted a deer when he went night hunting a couple of days ago. The meat has already been presented to His Majesty and the Crown Prince. My master has kept the deer tendons and started preparing them a couple of days ago. They will be presented to the princess tomorrow."

"Really? Your master is quite perceptive."

Qingwan had also eaten the soup made with deer tendons using the two methods that Yihuan mentioned. She had specifically asked about the recipe at the time. It wasn't difficult, but it was time-consuming, taking three or four days in total. No wonder the kitchen started preparing it a few days ago.

Because deer tendons are difficult to tenderize, they need to be slowly pounded and boiled three or four days in advance. Then, the grit is squeezed out several times to remove the fishy smell. After that, they are simmered slowly in meat broth, and then simmered again in chicken broth.

If you add soy sauce and wine, the soup will thicken slightly. If you add nothing else, it will be white. If you add ham, winter bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms and simmer them together, it will be red. The two have different flavors.

Qingwan glanced at it briefly and asked, "What's all there?"

Another person said, "We have prepared venison, muntjac meat, and civet cat meat."

While venison is not as delicate as deer meat, it is superior in terms of tenderness.

Qingwan took the venison, which had already been sliced ​​into small pieces, and said with some regret, "Venison and roe deer meat are delicious when roasted, but civet meat is better prepared by marinating it first, then soaking it in rice water for a day to remove the salt and impurities, then steaming it with honey wine and slicing it quickly. This way, it will be more tender and juicy than ham."

All of them were good eaters and ate well. Once they put aside their status, they started chatting and laughing non-stop. They didn't actually eat much, but it was all for the sake of having fun.

Yinxiang seemed to remember something, so he called Zhang Rui over, whispered a few words in his ear, and Zhang Rui responded softly before leaving.

A moment later, Yinwu and Yinlu arrived, drawn by the scent. Qingwan wondered if Yinxiang had just given this instruction to Zhang Rui.

Yinlu talked more, and leaned to sit on the other side of Yihuan.

"Thirteenth Brother, you guys have this fun and you didn't even invite us." He kept directing the little eunuch to slice meat for him.

He added, "Is there any wine? This must be eaten with wine to be proper."

Yinxiang asked someone to pour him a small cup and told him not to drink more. Although Yinlu muttered a few words, he didn't make a fuss about drinking more.

After a hearty meal and drinks, the group didn't bother with sitting on the ground. Qingwan sat beside Yinxiang, hugging her knees, listening to their conversation. Although she had only drunk a little, her face was slightly flushed from being near the fire. Yihuan leaned against Xunmei, lost in thought.

Yinwu slumped to the side, completely losing his composure. Yinlu was even worse, having collapsed to the ground. Yinxiang looked around and handed the bamboo flute he had brought with him when he left to Yinlu: "Sixteenth brother, are you still alright?"

Emperor Kangxi was a heavy drinker, but in the last two years he rarely drank much in order to maintain his health. If he saw others drinking a lot, he would say a few words about it.

But Yinlu is unlike Kangxi in this respect. Perhaps it's because he's younger, or perhaps it's because he's like him. He's still a little dizzy. He took the bamboo flute from Yinxiang, sat up, and shook his head: "Let me rest for a while."

He said he was going to take a break, but after a short while, Yinlu stood up, thought for a moment, and then played a country tune.

The flute music was melodious, and even Qingwan couldn't help but imagine herself in an endless field, following the mood of the flute's melody.

Then the flute music changed to a Manchu folk tune. Yinxiang was stunned and couldn't help but sing along with the flute music.

After listening to a couple of lines, Qingwan realized that it was something Malhan had taught her, and she softly sang along beside Yinxiang.

Although her voice wasn't loud, Yinxiang still heard it. He turned to look at Qingwan, his eyes shining brightly in the firelight.

Qingwan also saw herself reflected in Yinxiang's eyes in the firelight.

It's bound to be hard to sleep tonight.