Chapter Nineteen

  This time, the brothers who accompanied me were Taizi Ye, Da A Ge, Four A Ge and Thirteen A Ge. They are all masters of horseback riding and archery. On this vast grassland with a boundless sky, they truly became the nomadic people of old. Watching their figures galloping freely on the grassland, I felt that this was their true home. In fact, each of them had a wild and uninhibited nature, but it was suppressed by the high walls of the Forbidden City in their daily lives.

  "Are you fond of horse riding, sister?" I still gazed at the distance and said, "Yes! I love it, feels like flying in the wind." After finishing, I sighed and said, "Unfortunately, I don't know how!" Yutan smiled and said, "I don't either! It's just a pity that although we can watch horses all day here, there is no chance to learn."

  I was thinking to myself 'it's up to us', and at the same time, I turned my head and smiled, asking: "Have all the things been collected?" She replied: "Don't worry! Everything has been counted and put away properly." I thought for a moment and asked again: "Has the ice that was prepared been sent over?" Yutan replied: "Just now, I had the little eunuch go and hurry them up again." I nodded my head, turned around and took another glance at the figures galloping in the distance under the blue sky and green grass, then turned and left.

  As I entered the tea house, the eunuchs who were working saw me and all hastened to pay their respects. I looked over the various fruits on the table while telling them to get up and continue with their work.

  Yu Dan saw the sour plum on the case and smiled: "Is it making iced sour plum soup?" I smiled with a smile at the corner of my mouth: "It is, but not."

  Two people rolled up their sleeves, washed their hands clean, and the ice arrived just in time. I had the eunuchs use a plane to shave the ice into thin slices, take out the utensils of various colors that had been prepared beforehand, put the ice slices in them, and place them on top of the ice to chill. Then they took out the juice of various fruits that had been squeezed out and wrapped in fine silk cloth beforehand, filled the utensils of various colors according to the color matching I had thought of beforehand, and then took out the dried flower petals of various colors that had been soaked in warm water beforehand, carefully arranging them in the utensils.

  I was busy with my head down when Wang Xi rushed in and said, "The Emperor and the princes are back!" I didn't lift my head and replied, "It's all over now!"

  When everything was ready, Yu Tan had just brewed tea on the other side and came over to take a look. "It's too exquisite and beautiful! Just looking at it makes me feel cool in my heart." I smiled and nodded, letting the eunuch hold the tray well, while Yu Tan held the tea and walked towards the main tent together.

  Before the person arrived, I heard bursts of laughter coming over, thinking that Kangxi's mood was indeed good today. Entering the large tent, Kangxi sat in the middle, with each of the princes sitting to one side. I first paid my respects to Kangxi, then offered tea, and smiled as I said: "Thinking that Your Majesty must be hot from riding horseback, I have prepared some iced fruit juice - would you like to try my handiwork?" Kangxi laughed and said: "Bring it over and let's take a look! If it's good there will be a reward, if not then there will be punishment." Li Dequan saw that the emperor was in high spirits, hastily stepped forward two paces, took the set of dishes from my hands and gently placed them on the table.

  The dish was a green chrysanthemum leaf, the bowl was just a bright yellow chrysanthemum in full bloom on top of the green leaves. The bowl contained half-transparent pear juice, with thin slices of ice floating inside, and a few petals of yellow chrysanthemum were dotted on the surface. Kangxi took a look and said: "This is thoughtful!" I handed two silver spoons to Li Dequan, and Li Dequan tasted it first before picking up the dish and presenting it to Kangxi. After Kangxi took a sip, he nodded and said: "I haven't had this kind of dish before." He then turned his head to Li Dequan and said: "This time you brought her out was indeed correct." Li Dequan hastily nodded in agreement.

  Seeing Kangxi's satisfaction, I turned around and served the dishes to my brothers. For the fourth brother, it was a set of celadon plates with white jasmine flowers, the plate had a transparent celadon wave pattern, and the bowl had a single white jasmine flower floating on top. The fruit juice in the middle was a pale green grape juice, with a few white jasmine petals placed on top. When he saw the dishes on the table, his face was calm, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes, he glanced at me and picked up the silver spoon.

  Kangxi saw that the dishes had already been served, each table was different. The crown prince's peony, the eldest brother's rose, and the fourth brother's magnolia couldn't help but pique his interest. He looked at the thirteen tables in front of him and smiled, saying: "Let's see what other tricks you have up your sleeve?" I bowed slightly and smiled, saying: "As long as Your Majesty is pleased, even if there are no more tricks, we'll think of something."

  After finishing, he picked up a set of white snow and red plum from the tray held by the eunuch standing behind him and handed it to Thirteen Brother. The plate was in the shape of delicate white snowflakes, while the bowl was a red plum standing proudly against the frost and snow. In the middle was pear juice, with several petals of red plum flowers floating on top. Thirteen Brother nodded and smiled at me, then picked up his silver spoon.

  Kangxi smiled and asked, "How come we haven't seen these bowls before?" I glanced at Li Dequan, just about to answer, when Li Dequan bowed his head and replied, "The bowls were painted by Ruo Xue last year. I thought they looked fresh and interesting, so I had the eunuch in charge of procurement take them to the official kiln to be fired according to the design."

  Kangxi asked, "How many colors of flowers were made in total?" I replied, "There are 36 colors in total! However, this time we only brought a few sets." Kangxi smiled and said, "I'll take a look at the remaining ones to see what other flowers and grasses there are." He nodded slightly and said, "It's hard for you to have such a good intention. What do you want me to reward you with?" I quickly bowed my head and replied, "Although these things were my idea, others also contributed a lot of effort. I don't dare to take credit and receive rewards alone." Kangxi said, "Then everyone will be rewarded." I quickly knelt down to thank him, and Yutan and the eunuchs behind me also knelt on the ground with joyful faces to thank him.

  Kangxi asked, "Now you can say what reward you want!" I thought for a moment and replied, "I saw the Emperor's majestic appearance on horseback and admired it very much. So I also want to learn how to ride a horse. Although I don't dare to hope to catch up with the Emperor's skills, as long as I can learn to ride, I will be satisfied and not waste my life as a woman." After finishing speaking, I scorned myself in my heart. The princes sitting on both sides laughed, even the normally expressionless Fourth Prince smiled slightly. Kangxi laughed and said, "You've spoken so many nice words, I have no choice but to agree! Alright!" I quickly kowtowed to thank him. Then, led by the eunuchs holding jade tablets and trays, I retreated.

  The two of them walked along, constantly thanking me. "It's not about the silver, it's about saving face, this is a reward personally given by the Emperor." The eunuch smiled and said: "If they find out later, won't they all be overjoyed? I've been in the palace since I was young, this is the first time I've received a reward from the Emperor." After finishing speaking, he continued to thank me. I thought to myself, if you don't give them some benefits, how can they wholeheartedly do things for you? This logic I already understood when playing class struggle in the office, and it's even more necessary to continue developing it here. Although it can't guarantee everyone is a friend, at least reducing enemies is not wrong.

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  Sitting outside the account, watching Wang Xi and Yu Tan come with a happy face, I asked: "What reward did you get, so happy?" The two laughed and came to ask for peace. "No matter how much we are rewarded, we dare not be light in front of our sister." It is said that the king of Mongolia came to visit the emperor, presenting two precious horses to the emperor, and it is said that they were very famous. The emperor was delighted and ordered a banquet tonight! As soon as I heard this, I stood up and laughed: "It's worth being happy, the people outside the pass are the most generous and enthusiastic, and they are good at singing and dancing. Tonight will be fun!" Yu Tan clapped her hands and laughed: "I knew my sister would be happy."

  The bonfire was lit, the fine wine was served, and the sound of singing, laughter, and chatter filled the air. The aroma of roasted meat mixed with the fragrance of wine wafted through the starry night sky. Yu Tan and I were both beaming with joy. After all, this kind of banquet was far more enjoyable than the formal banquets held in the Forbidden City, where etiquette between ruler and subject was strictly observed.

  Tonight, the Emperor will be drinking, so he only allowed the little eunuch to watch the wind furnace and have water ready at any time. The tea set is also prepared, and when the Emperor wants to drink, it can be presented immediately. Other things are taken care of by Li Dequan, so I'm happy to relax.

  A beautiful woman wearing a magnificent ruby-red Mongolian robe was holding a bowl of wine, half-kneeling in front of the prince's table, singing " Toasting Song", couldn't understand what she was singing, only felt an indescribable warmth and passion. The prince was listening intently with a mixture of embarrassment and joy. As soon as the song ended, the prince took over the bowl, drank it in one gulp, and burst into laughter and applause from the surrounding people. Sitting on the upper seat, Kangxi smiled and said something to the Mongolian king sitting below him, who immediately held up his bowl, stood up, and performed a Mongolian salute to Kangxi, then tilted his head back and drained the wine in his bowl.

  At this time, the beautiful Mongolian woman had already walked to the table of the fourth brother, singing a pleasant song, and at the same time, she was lightly swaying her waist and dancing simple dance steps in front of the fourth brother's table. I found it particularly amusing, wanting to see how this person who always had a cold expression would resist such fiery passion. While paying attention, I whispered to Yutan: "Go ask who this girl is?"

  I didn't expect the fourth brother's facial expression to be as calm and serene as the snow-capped mountains of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, unchanged for eternity. He listened to the song for a while with an air of indifference, then stood up, took the bowl, and drank the wine in it cleanly amidst the singing. Not a single unusual expression?! I shook my head, thinking, "I'm convinced by you!"

  As he handed the bowl back to the woman, he happened to see me looking at him, shaking my head with a smile. A few threads of laughter flashed in his eyes, and he glanced at me before sitting down.

  She turned to the thirteenth table again, still singing a song, holding her wine glass steadily, with three parts smile and three parts arrogance on her face. Yutan hurried back and whispered in my ear: "It's Su Wanguarjia, the daughter of the Mongolian king, Mergen Gagajin. She is a famous beauty on the grassland." I thought to myself, no wonder! She can go around offering wine to each of the brothers one by one. Just as I was thinking this, I saw the thirteenth brother stand up, with a smile on his face, and finish his wine in one gulp.

  After drinking, he didn't return the wine bowl to Minmin Gege like other brothers, but instead beckoned the servant beside him to refill the bowl with wine. Then, he surprisingly held the bowl of wine level and sang a toast song loudly towards Minmin Gege with a hint of a smile on his face. This unexpected move immediately caught everyone's attention, and the whole room fell silent. I don't know whether Thirteen was using Mongolian or Manchu, anyway, I couldn't understand it. But it didn't affect the charm of his singing voice at all.

  Thirteen's figure was tall and straight, with a heroic brow and eyes. His smile was warm and enthusiastic, but also slightly scattered. His singing voice was deep and resonant, echoing far away in the quiet night sky, as if it were the only sound that had ever existed on the grasslands. He was like the legendary heavenly horse of the steppes, appearing suddenly and briefly, yet shocking everyone with just two light leaps. Everyone had been watching Mergen's toast with great interest, but now they all stared in amazement, their ears perked up. I too listened with a smile spreading across my face, feeling elated, thinking to myself: "Thirteen, well done!" Only Mergen's face was slightly flushed, looking surprised for a moment, but soon she just smiled and listened to the song, then smiled again and took the bowl from him, raising her head and drinking it all in one gulp. Thirteen laughed loudly and clapped his hands several times.

  With the thirteen girls' laughter and applause, everyone in the room burst out laughing, accompanied by clapping and cheers. I also clapped my hands, laughing and sighing: "Indeed, she is a daughter of the vast grasslands!"

  She finished her wine and handed the bowl to a servant standing beside her. She turned around, faced Kangxi, knelt down on the ground and said loudly: "Please allow Minmin to offer a dance." Kangxi smiled and agreed.

  She slowly stood up from the ground, slightly bent her body, and posed as if she was riding a horse, motionless. The whole room was quietly watching her. Then she clapped her hands, and with several crisp slapping sounds, an exciting and lively prairie dance tune immediately started playing. She also immediately changed from stillness to movement. Leaning forward, looking up, turning sideways, spinning around, kicking legs, and stretching her waist, she showed off the unique charm of the prairie girls with her enthusiastic and comfortable dance moves. They were eagles, they were fine horses, they were the children of this land. The Mongolians in the room started clapping along with the rhythm, some people began humming a song along with the tune, slowly the applause and singing grew louder, all the Mongolians were excited by the red flame dancing in the center of the room. When she spun past the prince's table, the prince couldn't help but pause for a moment, then he also started clapping along with the rhythm. She spun around one table and ignited a fire. Except for the fourth brother, when she spun past his table, although he also clapped several times, his face remained faintly calm.

  The dance ended, and the audience erupted in applause. Minmin Gege smiled as she scanned the room, her eyes lingering on Shisan before focusing on Kangxi's right hand on his chest, and then bowed to him. Kangxi gestured for her to rise with one hand while nodding and smiling at something he was saying to the Mongolian king. I let out a deep sigh in my heart as I watched this scene, and instructed Yutan, "I'm feeling a bit tired, so I'll head back first. Although Yunxiang is waiting on us ahead, you also be careful." Yutan hastily smiled and replied, "Don't worry, sister! Everything will be fine." I nodded and squeezed out of the crowd.

  They walked far away, the sound of laughter gradually disappeared behind me. On the way, I met patrolling soldiers who stepped aside to let me pass. My heart was turbulent, but I didn't care and just kept walking silently.

  I also had an experience of dancing to the whole audience. Growing up in Xinjiang, I was good at Uyghur dance and could jump as well as those Uyghur girls who were best at singing and dancing. In Xinjiang, many people knew how to dance, so it wasn't anything special. When I went to high school, my father got a teaching job in Beijing, so our whole family moved there. When I wore Uyghur clothes and danced with all my heart at the grade's camping evening party, I also received applause from the whole audience. He probably really noticed me then, although before that he would occasionally glance at me when we passed by each other because I sometimes took his place as first in our year. Our teachers and parents were angry about our puppy love, not understanding why two excellent students would behave so improperly, openly holding hands while walking around the school, still holding hands during meals, and he quickly learned to eat with his left hand for this reason. How brightly it burned, but what happened? He eventually went abroad and left me! And I could only choose to leave Beijing to forget!

  I lay on the grassy slope, gazing up at the starry sky, and found that I still remembered. When I thought everything was already a past life, tonight it all came flooding back because of a single dance. My hands clutched tightly onto the wild grass on the ground, but tears slowly rolled down from both sides. If I had known things would be like this, I absolutely wouldn't have left my parents far behind; if I could have accompanied them for those three years, perhaps my current regrets would be fewer. For my own slight wound, I went and severely hurt the people who deeply loved me.

  After crying for a while, my heart slowly calmed down. I took a long deep breath, got up and knelt on the ground, silently praying in my heart: God, no matter how you treat me, please be sure to take good care of my parents. Brother and sister-in-law, everything is now all up to you! After finishing my silent prayer, I kowtowed three times on the ground. Then, still kneeling, I remained stunned for a while before slowly getting up.

  I had just turned around, but saw the Fourth Brother and Thirteen quietly standing in a corner. Under the cover of night, I couldn't see their expressions, and I felt a bit awkward. After bowing to them, all three of us stood there quietly for a moment.

  Thirteen quickened his pace and walked a few steps forward, then asked in a soft voice, "Is there something troubling you?" Fourth Brother also slowed down his pace and stood beside Thirteen. I forced a smile and said, "I just thought of my parents and feel a bit stifled in my heart!" After hearing me out, Thirteen's expression also turned gloomy and he fell silent. Fourth Brother glanced at him and patted Thirteen's back lightly with his hand.

  I hastily changed the subject and asked, "How did you guys get out?" Thirteen adjusted his expression and replied, "We drank a bit too much wine, so we came out to take a walk and sober up." I let out a sound of surprise and said, "Those Mongolian wine jars were willing to let you go?" Thirteen smiled and said, "People have three urgencies, they can't stop us even if they want to!" I smiled with pursed lips and didn't say anything.

  After a while, I said: "It's been a long time since we came out, and it's time to go back." Thirteen looked at Fourth Brother and said: "We should also go back." Then the three of us walked towards the camp together.

  As we walked on the road, Thirteen suddenly asked: "Why did you choose red plum for me that day?" I thought to myself, because you will be imprisoned for ten years in the future, but afterwards you can enjoy honor and wealth, isn't it just like the plum blossom that comes from bitter cold? But my mouth replied: "Plum is one of the four gentlemen among flowers, don't you like it?" Thirteen smiled and said: "It's just that I saw you gave Fourth Brother his favorite magnolia, so I asked casually."

  He didn't say anything, but as soon as he did, I felt a surge of anger and blurted out: "When I asked you before, you didn't even respond, now you suddenly know everything." After finishing speaking, I muttered under my breath: "You're not reliable at all when it comes to getting things done." He looked at me awkwardly, then glanced at Fourth Brother, forcing a smile as he said: "I was just trying too hard to help you investigate, that's why Fourth Brother noticed." I let out a cold snort and didn't say anything. His face still had a smile plastered on it as he said: "Today, in front of Fourth Brother, you should explain why you were investigating these...these..." He thought for half a day, seemingly unable to find the right words, so he just stopped talking and instead gave me a sideways glance with his eyes. I looked around at the surrounding tents and said: "Alright, I'm going back to my tent to rest, you hurry up and continue drinking! I'll take my leave!" After finishing speaking, I didn't even wait for him to respond, only bowed to Fourth Brother before quickly turning right and walking away. All I could hear was him laughing quietly behind me as he spoke with Fourth Brother about something.