Chapter 13: The Fifth Princess Consort

Chapter 13: The Fifth Princess Consort

The next day, Concubine Yi did not get to see An Qing as she had hoped, because early in the morning, Ma Xiang, Yinqi’s trusted eunuch, came to An Qing's courtyard.

"Princess Consort, His Highness sent me to inform you that your brothers will be visiting today. He said you should wait for them in the study in the front yard," Ma Xiang said.

An Qing did not seem too surprised, but the joy on her face was genuine. "Please thank His Highness for his arrangement. I'll prepare myself and be there shortly."

With that, she gave a subtle nod to Perilla beside her.

Perilla immediately understood and handed an embroidered pouch to Ma Xiang, exchanging pleasantries before politely escorting him out of the courtyard.

As soon as Ma Xiang left, An Qing turned and headed toward the study in the west warm pavilion.

Her brothers were coming over today, which meant they must be preparing to return to Horqin. They had come to see her before leaving, and she had some things to give them.

An Qing tidied up the study and then brought a wooden box to the front yard.

Grandmother Feng, the caretaker of the front yard, greeted her. "Greetings, Princess Consort. May you have good fortune."

An Qing smiled and helped Grandmother Feng up. "Please rise, Grandmother Feng."

Grandmother Feng was Yinqi’s wet nurse, and everyone in the household treated her with respect, including An Qing herself.

An Qing knew that Grandmother Feng’s husband and son were highly regarded by Yinqi, and she managed the affairs of the front yard, indicating her significant status.

"Princess Consort, this is the list of gifts for the third-day return visit that His Highness asked me to prepare. Please review it, and if anything needs to be changed, I will do so immediately," Grandmother Feng said respectfully, handing over the list.

An Qing was taken aback, not expecting this.

Horqin was too far from the Imperial City, so the third-day return visit had to be canceled. She hadn't expected Yinqi to remember and prepare the gifts.

Although she couldn’t go back, her brothers could take the gifts with them.

An Qing couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at Yinqi’s thoughtfulness. She felt he would make an excellent boss or colleague.

Smiling, she said, "I trust Grandmother Feng’s work. Thank you for your efforts."

Perilla took the list, sparing Grandmother Feng the need to hold it.

An Qing’s three brothers were still in the Palace of Heavenly Purity meeting with the Emperor. After their audience, they would come over. Under Grandmother Feng’s guidance, An Qing went to Yinqi’s study.

After serving tea, Grandmother Feng and the palace maids withdrew, leaving Perilla standing guard outside the door.

Alone in the room, An Qing looked around. This was her first time in the front yard and Yinqi’s study.

She was surprised to find that most of the furniture was made of huanghuali wood, except for a large zitan desk.

In the Qing dynasty, zitan was favored by the imperial family, symbolizing nobility and grandeur, while huanghuali represented simplicity and elegance.

As a prince, Yinqi could use huanghuali furniture, but it was unusual to see it so extensively used. One might think the servants were neglecting their duties.

Of course, An Qing knew this was impossible. As an adult prince, Yinqi wouldn’t let himself be bullied by servants.

Moreover, with his mother being a favored concubine and the Empress Dowager’s support, even Emperor Kangxi wouldn’t neglect him, let alone the servants who were adept at reading the wind.

Clearly, this was Yinqi’s own choice.

An Qing nodded thoughtfully. It suited his character—gentle and unassuming. She approached the carved dragon huanghuali bookshelf and touched it.

The craftsmanship was exquisite and unique.

Her gaze swept across the books on the shelf—*The Book of Songs*, *The Book of Documents*, *The Book of Changes*, *The Spring and Autumn Annals*, *The Rites of Zai*, and works by Song scholars. There were also *The Outline of General History*, *Records of the Grand Historian*, *The History of the Han Dynasty*, and other classics.

Impressive. Emperor Kangxi truly was a top-notch educator. Being his son must be exhausting.

She glanced at a row of books on hydraulic engineering and architecture. He actually read these too.

But then again, Yinqi was currently working in the Ministry of Works, so it made sense.

She didn’t wait long in the study. About the time it took to drink a cup of tea, she heard movement in the courtyard.

The door opened, and Yinqi entered first, followed by her three brothers.

An Qing hurried forward, curtsied to Yinqi, and then rushed to greet her brothers. "Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, you finally came to see me."

"Sister," they all said together.

Yinqi watched the four of them standing at the door, staring at each other, and chuckled. He led them to a side room.

After the palace maids served tea and snacks, Yinqi chatted briefly with An Qing’s brothers and then excused himself, leaving them alone.

They relaxed and spoke freely.

"Sister, are you comfortable here? Are you eating well? Sleeping well?"

"Sister, how is the Fifth Prince treating you?"

"Sister, has anyone been bullying you? Don’t hide any troubles from us..."

Their voices overlapped, and their expressions were identical. An Qing paused, then burst into laughter.

"If Father were here, he’d scold you for being so fussy."

Her father was a true Mongolian man, fond of hearty meals and drinks, and he was always carefree. If he saw his sons being so nagging, he’d surely explode in anger.

Yideri huffed indignantly. "If Father were here, he’d be even fussier than we are."

He knew that on the day of her wedding, his father had secretly wiped away tears.

An Qing helplessly shook her head and then looked at her eldest brother Abulatang and her second brother Robzang Lash. "Eldest Brother, what did the Emperor summon you for today?"

After sending off the wedding party that day, they didn't rush to leave the Imperial City because the Emperor had summoned them. They just didn't expect it to take nearly half a month.

However, seeing the sudden downturn in her second brother Robzang Lash and Third Brother Yideri's expressions, she felt a momentary pause in her heart. "What's wrong? Is there something bad?"

Abulatang, however, smiled mysteriously. "Little Sister, you're so smart; why don't you guess?"

Seeing her eldest brother still in the mood to play around with her, An Qing instantly relaxed. It must not be anything serious.

"Eldest Brother, stop keeping us in suspense. What is it?"

Abulatang saw how anxious An Qing was and became even more delighted but didn't continue teasing her.

"The Emperor has assigned your Second Brother and Third Brother, along with former Grand Secretary Huang Mao and others, to go to Aohan, Naiman, and Baling tribes in Mongolia next spring to teach farming techniques."

"Really?" An Qing's eyes lit up as she turned to look at Robzang Lash and Yideri. "That's great news. Why do you look like that?"

Yideri's face turned red, and he hesitantly said, "But this is all because our tribe's farming efforts have been excellent, which caught the Emperor's attention. However, this is all due to your hard work, Little Sister. You've been doing all of this, while Second Brother and I..."

An Qing smiled, immediately understanding the reason behind their behavior.

They felt they were taking credit for her achievements.

Back in Horqin, their family had been wondering about Emperor Kangxi's intentions in suddenly arranging her marriage to Yinqi. If it was to use her father on the battlefield this year, they were not sent to the front lines, leaving everyone puzzled.

After the victory over Dzungaria, her father met the Emperor in Ningxia and finally guessed the reason from his words.

At that time, Emperor Kangxi praised their Horqin Left-wing Rear Banner's farming efforts in front of the Mongolian nobles.

An Qing realized that both the arranged marriage and the public praise were merely Emperor Kangxi's way of showing support to the Mongolian tribes, encouraging them to focus on farming.

It was similar to setting an example for future generations.

She thought the matter was settled, but unexpectedly, Emperor Kangxi assigned this task to her second and third brothers, a pleasant surprise indeed.

If they succeed, it would greatly benefit their future careers, much to An Qing's delight.

Over the years, Emperor Kangxi had indeed been courting Mongolian forces, but he also balanced the power among the tribes, preventing any one from becoming too powerful. Therefore, the glory of each tribe could only come from the Great Qing court.

Since the Great Qing entered the pass, their Horqin Left-wing Rear Banner had never received as much favor as the Horqin Left-wing Central Banner. The latter could have multiple princes and dukes, while their banner only had one Zha Saikhan Doroi Duke title.

Her eldest brother was the heir to the tribe and would inherit their father's Zha Saikhan Doroi Duke title, but her second and third brothers could not inherit any official titles.

For example, her second uncle was only granted the title of Zhenguogong after their tribe achieved some minor victories against Dzungaria in 1690, but he lost a leg in battle.

Last year's campaign against Dzungaria was better; her father and clan members went to the front lines and earned some merit, though not enough for a title. So, her father planned to earn another Zhenguogong title for her second or third brother by achieving more victories this year.

However, plans didn't keep up with changes. Emperor Kangxi placed their tribe in charge of logistics, denying them the chance to earn titles through military service. This left her father and others disheartened.

As for future opportunities, An Qing knew that after 1697, there would be no major battles in Dzungaria for a long time. The next significant conflict would be near the end of Emperor Kangxi's reign, over twenty years later, when her second and third brothers might not even be able to fight anymore.

"At the time, Father didn't understand the Emperor's intentions. If he had known the Emperor cared so much, he should have given you credit," Robzang Lash said with a frown.

When Emperor Kangxi suddenly mentioned their tribe's farming efforts, Deb couldn't gauge his intentions and simply said it was the work of his sons. This was probably why Emperor Kangxi summoned the three brothers today.

By then, An Qing had already been granted a marriage, and they thought the noble ladies in the Forbidden City would disdain such earthy activities, considering them uncouth. They feared it might bring trouble to An Qing.

After all, the imperial family didn't mind their daughter/sister working in the fields, but others might judge her differently.

But they never expected Emperor Kangxi to value this so highly. If they had known, they would have clearly credited An Qing's efforts, giving her more support in the Forbidden City.

However, An Qing didn't see it that way. Even if they had credited her, Emperor Kangxi wouldn't grant her any titles. At most, he would give her more rewards and praise, which paled in comparison to securing a good future for her brothers.

Given the policies of the Qing court over the years, Emperor Kangxi genuinely wanted to encourage farming in Mongolia. If her second and third brothers gain his trust, their futures would be secured.

"Third Brother, what you said isn't fair. How can you say I did everything? Without your support these years, I couldn't have accomplished this," An Qing said.

Farming in a tribe is a massive undertaking. Without her family's full support, she couldn't have done it.

Mongolians traditionally focused on nomadic life and didn't prioritize farming, even with the Qing court's encouragement. Other Mongolian tribes didn't take it seriously either.

But when she expressed her desire to farm, they supported her unconditionally. Her brothers worked tirelessly alongside her, running errands without complaint, investing countless resources and effort.

Through years of hard work, they gradually transformed their tribe into a semi-agricultural community.

At least the elderly and children in the tribe now had stability and didn't have to endure the hardships of nomadic life.

Suddenly thinking of something, An Qing said, "Brothers, wait a moment. I have something to give you."