Chapter 34: The Fifth Princess

Chapter 34: The Fifth Princess

Kangxi's sudden attack on the Crown Prince caused a tremendous uproar both in the imperial court and the harem. The Crown Prince was confined to the Yucheng Palace for self-reflection, while the ministers in the court faced Kangxi's icy demeanor with extreme caution, all of them shrinking their necks like quails, trying not to draw attention unless absolutely necessary, fearing they might be implicated.

In the harem as well, if previously the concubines had been racking their brains to vie for Kangxi's favor, now they were all avoiding him as much as possible, behaving exceptionally obediently. Even those who usually enjoyed jealousy and provocation had quieted down. Everyone seemed to have made an unspoken agreement to stay within their own quarters without stepping out.

The entire harem exuded an eerie calmness.

Fortunately, Kangxi had no interest in summoning any concubine to his bedchamber, allowing everyone to escape this ordeal indirectly.

Inside the Yucheng Palace, the Crown Prince had locked himself in his study for three whole days, revealing a state of despair tinged with obvious unease and anxiety.

"Still can't send the message out?" the Crown Prince asked his personal eunuch, Zhang Dehai.

Zhang Dehai shook his head. "Master, the Emperor's men are guarding the Yucheng Palace, so our people have no chance to slip past them."

After saying this, he couldn't help but advise, "Please try to remain calm. Minister Suoertu must be thinking of a way. Let's not panic ourselves. Perhaps we should wait for Minister Suoertu to contact you."

Actually, Zhang Dehai wanted to persuade the Crown Prince not to stir up trouble at this critical moment, but knowing the Crown Prince's temper, he knew his advice would fall on deaf ears. He could only try to stabilize him.

The Emperor's direct execution of three close attendants around the Crown Prince had indeed terrified those serving him. If the Crown Prince acted out again, the Emperor would surely blame it on his attendants, putting their lives at risk.

Hearing this, the Crown Prince staggered a few steps and slumped into a wicker chair nearby.

"Everyone leave. I want to be alone," he said weakly, waving his hand.

Zhang Dehai hurriedly complied, closing the study door behind him before leaving.

The study instantly fell silent. The Crown Prince looked at the empty room, feeling increasingly anxious and fearful.

Why? Why is this happening?

The Emperor not only publicly berated him and executed his close attendants but also confined him in the Yucheng Palace. He truly didn't know what to do anymore. All he wanted was to seek help from his uncle, but he couldn't even step out of the palace gates.

He still couldn't understand why the Emperor suddenly became so furious with him, especially when he had always emphasized how highly he regarded him as the heir.

Moreover, when he spoke with those attendants, the door was closed. How did the Emperor find out?

The Crown Prince was aware that there were spies around him, but knowing this still sent chills down his spine.

As the saying goes, where there is joy, there is sorrow, and vice versa.

At the residence of the Elder Brother Prince,

If it weren't for the need to keep a low profile, the Elder Brother Prince would have invited people over for a three-day drinking spree.

The Elder Brother Prince took another swig of strong liquor, his face radiating sheer joy, indicating how elated he was.

Ha ha ha ha, how refreshing! After more than twenty years, he finally found an outlet for his frustration.

He was the Emperor's eldest son and brother, yet since childhood, he had to pay respects to the Crown Prince, his younger brother. How could he be content with that?

Who among his brothers genuinely believed in the concept of primogeniture?

Not just his brothers, but even the royal relatives and Manchu officials in the court didn't fully accept it either. They viewed the idea of a legitimate heir inheriting the throne as a Han Chinese tradition, which they didn't genuinely endorse. Thus, they didn't recognize the Crown Prince as the rightful heir.

The Manchus revered bravery and military prowess, believing that the throne should go to the most capable individual.

He believed he was equally capable as the Crown Prince. As a horseback-riding nation, his archery skills far surpassed those of the Crown Prince since childhood.

In the 29th year of Kangxi's reign, at nineteen, he served as a deputy general under the Emperor during the campaign against Galdan, winning the first battle and earning high praise from the Emperor. No other brother could achieve such a feat.

Last year, during the Galdan campaign, he served as the commander of the vanguard and military advisor, leading the army to victory. Upon returning, the Emperor appointed him to represent him in rewarding the victorious troops and consoling the frontline heroes.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince stayed in the Imperial City, supposedly overseeing the country, but essentially reaping the benefits of others' efforts.

Why? This question had plagued him for years.

Previously, Mingzhu had held him back, saying the time wasn't right. The Elder Brother Prince never knew what that meant until Mingzhu sent a message saying it was time to act. Only then did he understand the meaning of "the right time."

Did the Crown Prince really think his position was unshakable?

It seemed that might not be the case.

The Elder Brother Prince opened the door and called in his personal eunuch. "Send this letter to Mingzhu's residence."

This hard-won opportunity wouldn't be squandered easily. Since the opening had been created, it needed to be widened further.

If An Qing were here, she would have sighed heavily.

Indeed, compared to the Crown Prince's delayed reaction, the anti-Crown Prince forces were quick to sense Kangxi's change of heart.

Soon, secret letters accusing the Crown Prince would flood Kangxi's desk like snowflakes.

However, overall, the turmoil in the harem had little impact on An Qing. She had been staying in her courtyard anyway, and nothing had changed.

She tightened her control over the servants, even keeping Cui Liu, who loved visiting others, confined to the courtyard. In this sensitive period, caution was paramount.

Days passed slowly, but soon came an important seasonal event for her—the Cold Dew.

With the arrival of Cold Dew, it was time to sow winter wheat in her field!

"Little Xizi, have you prepared everything I asked for?" An Qing asked.

Little Xizi quickly replied, "Yes, Master. Everything is ready and stored in the rear room. I'll fetch it for you right away."

He turned and called two young eunuchs from the courtyard, and soon they carried something over.

This thing is quite cumbersome, mainly because it's so large. So with Little Xizi, it took four people to carry it over.

"Master, this is what the slave had someone bring in from outside the palace. Please see if it's the three-legged seed drill you mentioned." Little Xizi asked, slightly out of breath.

An Qing looked at the seed drill in front of her and lightly nodded. Yes, this was the three-legged seed drill she needed.

Seeing An Qing's reaction, Little Xizi knew he hadn't made a mistake and instantly felt relieved.

It was quite coincidental; this thing had only been delivered that morning. He had planned to find an opportunity to show it to the Lady in the afternoon, but she brought it up herself.

An Qing circled the three-legged seed drill once, then squatted down to personally inspect it. After confirming there were no issues, she announced they would go sow winter wheat that afternoon!

As for what a three-legged seed drill is, it’s essentially an ancient seed drill, a multi-tube sowing machine composed of a seed box, seed distributor, seed tubes, furrow opener, and traction device. It is one of the more advanced animal-powered farming tools in ancient China.

The invention of the seed drill is a significant achievement in ancient Chinese agricultural technology.

Using the seed drill for sowing has many advantages compared to broadcasting seeds. For example, it ensures consistent row spacing and plant distance during sowing and allows for row cultivation.

Row cultivation not only facilitates drainage and moisture retention but also aids in hoeing and weeding. Therefore, the use of the seed drill also provided conditions for the invention of animal-powered hoeing.

In fact, the current three-legged seed drill is already quite advanced. Even in modern times, the latest seed drills can only perform four consecutive operations: opening furrows, sowing seeds, covering them, and pressing them down. The three-legged seed drill can accomplish the first three steps, leaving only the final step of pressing down to be done manually.

So, the wisdom of ancient Chinese farmers is truly remarkable.

"Master, what does 'moisture retention' mean?" Little Xizi asked, puzzled.

Drainage and weeding are relatively easy to understand, but moisture retention was something he had never heard before.

An Qing paused, realizing she had used a modern agricultural term, and explained, "'Moisture' refers to soil water content and field humidity. Moisture retention means maintaining the appropriate humidity in the soil for seed germination and crop growth."

This is a major concern for farmers in arid regions.

For An Qing, agricultural matters are never trivial. With everything now prepared and the planting season upon them, there was no reason to delay.

She changed her listless demeanor of recent days and became energetic. After lunch, she didn’t even take a nap but immediately called everyone to start working.

Indeed, work (exercise) brings joy.

Yinqi's position in the Ministry of Works is a leisurely one. On most days, he would visit his fourth brother at the Ministry of Finance or go to the Ministry of War or the Ministry of Rites. Anyway, his father put them in these ministries for training, and learning more wouldn't hurt.

However, since the incident with the Crown Prince, everyone has been on high alert. Whether among officials or among the brothers, they have all been trying to minimize interactions to avoid suspicions of forming cliques.

So on this day, after Yinqi went to the Ministry of Works and found nothing to do, he returned to the palace.

Unexpectedly, just as he sat down in his study, Ma Xiang rushed in.

Yinqi glanced at him and asked, "What is it?"

Ma Xiang bowed and replied, "My lord, I saw Little Xizi from the Lady's courtyard. He said the Lady is preparing to sow seeds in the courtyard. Should I ask if you want to come and see?"

These days, the spirits of all the masters in the palace have been low, and their master is no exception. Ma Xiang has been worried seeing Yinqi frowning and looking dejected every day.

Previously, he noticed that their master seemed interested in the Lady's farming activities. Hearing that the Lady was going to work on the land again, he immediately thought of Yinqi.

Going to the fields might change his mood. It couldn't continue like this; otherwise, something worse might happen.

Yinqi, as Ma Xiang expected, was initially surprised but then showed interest, "Sowing?"

"Sowing what?"

Since the watermelons in An Qing's plot were harvested, he hadn't paid much attention to the plot. He didn't know what was going to be planted next.

Moreover, it was autumn, leading into winter. Could anything grow in such conditions?

In Yinqi's mind, sowing should be done in spring.

This question stumped Ma Xiang, who scratched his head and said, "I didn't ask earlier. Should I go check and report back?"

Yinqi waved his hand and said, "No need for that trouble. I'll go and see for myself."

With that, he got up and headed outside.

Ma Xiang saw his master's eager look and knew his plan worked.

When Yinqi arrived, An Qing was instructing Perilla to bring the prepared wheat seeds.

The three-legged seed drill had already been moved to the edge of the field.

Yinqi wasn't seeing a seed drill for the first time. He had seen one in the manufacturing warehouse at the Ministry of Works and heard that it was used for sowing.

"You're really sowing?" he exclaimed.

An Qing, without thinking much, casually replied, "Yes, it's already Cold Dew, so I thought I'd sow the wheat seeds."

Yinqi first caught the information about "wheat seeds," but then... Cold Dew?

"What does Cold Dew have to do with it?"

An Qing, still fiddling with the seed drill, said, "Of course it does. After Cold Dew, you can sow. Haven't you heard the saying, 'From Cold Dew to Frost Descent, don't rush to sow wheat.'"

Yinqi frowned. He had heard An Qing mention sayings before.

Sayings are the 'trade language' among farmers, guiding their agricultural practices. But the one she mentioned wasn't this one; she seems to know many sayings.

Finally, An Qing finished setting up the seed drill and waited for Perilla to bring the seeds. She could then move it into the field.

Lifting her head, she saw Yinqi, confused, and was momentarily stunned.

She had been so focused on the seed drill that she forgot to ask why he was there.

"Sir, shouldn't you be at the Ministry of Works? Why have you come back now?"

Yinqi finally came to his senses and waved his hand. "There was nothing today, so I came back early."

An Qing responded with an "Oh." Seeing the perplexed look on his face, she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Is something not right?"

Yinqi hesitated for a moment but then raised his previous question. "When I accompanied His Majesty on a tour before, I saw someone sowing wheat, but it seemed to be spring."

Hearing this, An Qing waved her hand and said, "What you saw was spring wheat; this is winter wheat. They're different."

"What's the difference?" Yinqi asked again.

An Qing blinked, seeing the serious look on his face. She suddenly felt like she had been transported back to her days at the agricultural college.

Back then, groups of primary school children from the city would often visit their agricultural college for educational field trips. The college would arrange for them to explain and identify crops and other plants in the fields to the children.

Those children were adorable, always asking questions like they were from a book of ten thousand whys. For example, the difference between winter wheat and spring wheat had once been asked by a child.

Since coming here, she usually decided what to plant and how to plant it. Her family would sometimes ask how she knew these things, and she would simply say she read about it in a book or heard about it from someone else, and that would be the end of it.

It had been a long time since she experienced this feeling.

Hmm... What kind of feeling was it? Probably the pure joy of imparting knowledge and solving puzzles.

Thus, An Qing became enthusiastic and patiently explained the differences between winter wheat and spring wheat to Yinqi, covering aspects such as planting and harvesting times, growth cycles, and resistance to adverse conditions.

After listening, Yinqi still seemed somewhat confused, but he at least understood that these were two different types of wheat.

"Where did you see the spring wheat before?" An Qing asked.

Yinqi replied, "It was during one of the northern tours with His Majesty, somewhere north of Shengjing."

He didn't remember the exact place.

An Qing nodded, thinking that made sense. "Spring wheat is generally grown in regions north of Shengjing, where the winters are colder and crops can't survive the cold."

Hearing this, Yinqi finally understood—it was due to regional differences.

"Milady, the seeds are here," Perilla said, holding a small cloth bag.

An Qing nodded and hurriedly had people carry the three-legged seed drill into the field. Then she took the seeds from Perilla and poured them into the seed box.

Yinqi watched curiously. When he saw the wheat seeds, he couldn't help but ask, "Did you bring these seeds from Horqin too?"

An Qing nodded without much thought and casually replied, "Yes, I brought them together."

Unexpectedly, Yinqi's eyes lit up. "So these seeds are..."

An Qing was taken aback and quickly explained, "No, these are just ordinary wheat seeds, different from the watermelon seeds."

The watermelons were specially cultivated new varieties, but these were just ordinary wheat seeds.

Of course, her wheat seeds might yield more than ordinary seeds and be better at resisting pests and lodging, but that wasn't entirely due to the seeds themselves; it was also because of her scientific planting methods.

Yinqi responded with an "Oh," a hint of disappointment crossing his face.

For some reason, he felt that anything An Qing grew should be different from others'.

An Qing had no idea that Yinqi already had such a deep impression of her. At the moment, she was busy instructing Little Xizi to find someone to pull the seed drill.

Actually, operating the seed drill only required one person and one ox—the ox pulling in front and the person pressing behind. But there were no oxen available in the palace, so An Qing told Little Xizi to find a young eunuch to pull the cart in front.

Little Xizi wanted to take on the task himself, but An Qing thought he was too weak. So, he had to go find someone else in the courtyard.

"I'll do it, I'll do it, Supervisor Xizi. Look at my build, strong as an ox, full of energy."

"Forget it, you couldn't even lift a jar last time. Don't mess up Lady's work. Supervisor Xizi, let me do it."

"In terms of strength, I dare say I'm second to none in this courtyard. Let me..."

As soon as Little Xizi mentioned that Lady needed someone to pull the seed drill, the eunuchs in the courtyard burst into excitement, all vying for the opportunity.

Working for Lady was a good assignment they didn't want to miss. Though it was natural for servants to serve their masters, their Lady was generous. Every time they worked in the fields, she rewarded them extra.

Everyone instinctively glanced at the bread oven, where Lady's pastries were always delicious and unique to the palace.

Of course, they weren't just after the rewards; getting noticed by their master was the real goal.

Ma Xiang happened to pass by and, hearing this, his eyes lit up. "Stop arguing, let me do it."

Everyone was stunned, turning to look at Ma Xiang in disbelief, as if to say, "You, a trusted eunuch close to Sir, need to compete with us?"

Ma Xiang cleared his throat. Indeed, he did need to.

Though he was Yinqi's confidant, he also wanted to impress Lady. Besides, he hadn't missed that Chunxiao had started the bread oven earlier.

In the end, Ma Xiang insisted, and the matter was settled.

When Little Xizi brought Ma Xiang to An Qing, she was surprised and looked at Little Xizi in confirmation.

No, he should find someone more capable. Getting Yinqi's chief eunuch to do hard labor for her isn't quite right.

Little Xizi sighed silently and replied, "My lady, Chief Eunuch Ma said he wants to give it a try."

It wasn't that he found him; it was that the other party insisted on coming.

"Ma Xiang wants to try what?" Yinqi walked over, puzzled.

An Qing shrugged and pointed to the seed drill, explaining the situation. Then she turned to Ma Xiang and said, "This job is quite heavy. Let's get another young eunuch instead."

But Ma Xiang waved his hand and insisted, "Lady Fu, don't worry. Your servant has plenty of strength and will definitely finish this task well for you."

Seeing his persistence, An Qing didn't want to say anything more.

Fine, let him try. If he can't handle it, we'll switch people. Besides, the plot of land isn't large; a few trips back and forth should be enough, and it shouldn't be too tiring.

So, she led him to the seed drill and patiently explained the precautions for pulling it, such as how to control the direction and speed.

As for the person steering the seed drill, naturally, she would do it herself. After all, steering while sowing seeds requires some skill.

Ma Xiang confidently said, "No problem, Lady Fu. Your servant understands. Let's start."

With that, he went to the seed drill, ready to begin.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Yinqi suddenly said, "I'll pull the seed drill."

Ma Xiang was taken aback and looked at Yinqi in surprise, as if he couldn't believe he was being replaced at the last minute!

"My lord, this absolutely won't do. What's your status? How could you do such work? Let your servant do it."

Yinqi frowned. "What's wrong with doing it?"

Seeing how detailed An Qing was when explaining earlier, he knew she must have done it before. If An Qing could do it, why couldn't he?

Ma Xiang's face fell, but he still tried to persuade, "My lord, your clothes aren't suitable for this. If they get dirty or torn, it would be a waste."

Yinqi glanced at him and said calmly, "Do you think I can't afford new clothes?"

Then he turned to An Qing and asked seriously, "You decide, who should do it, him or me?"

An Qing: "..."

In the end, Yinqi got his wish and started pulling the seed drill, while An Qing steered it from behind.

Surprisingly, he had a natural talent for it. He quickly mastered controlling the speed and direction, and the two worked together smoothly.

One pulled the seed drill, and one steered it, slowly moving forward in the field.

The seeds were placed in the seed hopper, which was connected to hollow seed legs. The seed legs opened furrows in the prepared soil for row planting, sowing three rows at once, evenly spaced and uniformly distributed.

After the seeds were sown, the other two seed legs covered the soil back into place.

Both working in the field were in high spirits.

Especially Yinqi. Seeing the sown rows behind him, the gloom of recent days vanished, and he felt instantly lighter.

Perhaps it was the simplicity and freedom of farm life that brought peace of mind, reducing worries and making one more open-minded.

And while farming, the body also gets exercised, leading to better health.

He thought, this must be the joy of farming.