Chapter 72: The Fifth Princess Consort

Chapter 72: The Fifth Princess Consort

Going to the outskirts to observe the local peasants' spring plowing?

The Fourth Prince's first reaction was naturally one of interest. Today, he happened to be free and thought that going would help him better understand the local conditions in Jiangnan.

However, just as he was about to agree, he suddenly looked up and saw An Qing and Yinqi. The words that were already on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

This... might not be convenient.

Seeing this, An Qing immediately understood the Fourth Prince's concern and said, "Fourth Brother, why don't you send someone to ask the Fourth Princess Consort to see if she is free today and willing to go out for a stroll?"

Hearing this, the Fourth Prince's eyes lit up, and he turned to the eunuch beside him, saying, "Supeisheng, go and ask the Princess Consort. Hurry back."

An Qing had not paid much attention to the eunuch beside the Fourth Prince before, but when she heard the name 'Supeisheng,' she was instantly drawn to him.

Ah~ So he is the famous 'Sufei' who served Emperor Yongzheng in later dramas.

Supeisheng, confused by the Fifth Princess Consort's sudden intense gaze, felt a bit uneasy. He did not recall having offended her before.

However, he knew this was not the time to dwell on it and hurriedly left to deliver the message.

When Supeisheng arrived at the Fourth Princess Consort's residence, she was idly embroidering.

"The servant greets the Princess Consort," Supeisheng bowed.

The Fourth Princess Consort raised her hand, signaling him to rise, "Why have you come? Is there something the master needs?"

Supeisheng nodded and briefly explained the situation.

"The master sent me to ask if you want to go out for a stroll."

The Fourth Princess Consort had no reason to refuse. Firstly, she had nothing else to do, and going out for a walk sounded good. Secondly, she understood her husband well; sending Supeisheng specially meant he wanted her to join them.

On An Qing's side, after Supeisheng left, the three of them standing at the garden gate seemed awkward. So, Yinqi invited the Fourth Prince inside, suggesting they wait in the house.

The Fourth Princess Consort did not delay either. After quickly preparing herself, she joined them, and the four set off together.

An Qing and the Fourth Princess Consort sat in the carriage, while Yinqi and the Fourth Prince rode horses outside.

Coincidentally, as soon as they left the palace, they ran into the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince, who were out for fun. Upon hearing that they were heading to the outskirts, they immediately asked to join them.

Thus, what was originally a trip for two became a group of six, plus their attendants, making a total of nearly twenty people. It was quite an impressive sight.

Soon, they left the city, and the carriage slowly transitioned from the main road to the countryside paths. The scenery changed from the bustling city of Su Zhou to the fresh air of the fields, filled with the scent of earth and grass.

Today happened to be the Spring Equinox.

There is a folk saying: "Spring Equinox, Spring Equinox, plows and hoes everywhere." This indicates that it is the busiest time for spring plowing.

In Su Zhou, there are both dry fields and paddy fields. Dry fields grow winter wheat, which is entering its rapid growth phase in spring, hence the saying, "At the Spring Equinox, wheat grows fast, every moment is worth a thousand gold."

Paddy fields plant rice, and now is the time for transplanting early rice seedlings. The fields were bustling with busy peasants.

In the carriage, An Qing and the Fourth Princess Consort lifted the curtain to look outside.

For An Qing, this scene was familiar, but for the Fourth Princess Consort, it was novel.

"Five Sister-in-Law, are they transplanting rice?" The Fourth Princess Consort observed the farmers wearing straw hats, rolling up their pants, and bending over in the waterlogged fields.

An Qing smiled and replied, "Yes, they are transplanting rice."

The Fourth Princess Consort nodded slightly but then suddenly exclaimed, "Why are they walking backwards?"

Aren't they afraid of falling? And wouldn't it be inconvenient to walk in the muddy fields?

An Qing chuckled and then said mysteriously, "Have you heard of the Tang Dynasty monk Po Tsang's poem 'Transplanting Rice'?"

The Fourth Princess Consort shook her head.

An Qing recited the poem: "With hands full of young rice plants, I fill the field; looking down, I see the sky reflected in the water. A pure heart is the path; stepping backwards is moving forward."

This poem vividly depicts the lively scene of rural farming during the transplanting season.

"A pure heart is the path; stepping backwards is moving forward."

The Fourth Princess Consort murmured these lines, feeling a vague understanding but still unsure.

Do the peasants need to contemplate while planting?

Seeing the Fourth Princess Consort struggling to understand, An Qing couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore, Fourth Sister-in-Law."

Actually, the peasants walk backwards to prevent stepping on the newly planted rice seedlings and to ensure they plant in straight rows. Additionally, walking backwards helps flatten their footprints, preventing unevenness in the paddy fields, which could affect the rice roots and water retention.

The Fourth Princess Consort gave her a playful glare but then felt enlightened upon hearing the explanation.

Just then, a voice came from outside the carriage, "Oh~ That's why!"

An Qing was taken aback and instinctively peeked outside. She saw Yinqi, the Fourth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the Tenth Prince riding alongside their carriage.

Wait, weren't they leading the way earlier? When did they come over?

The reactions of the group varied when they noticed An Qing looking their way. Yinqi smiled at her quite naturally, as if he had no guilt about eavesdropping. The Fourth Prince, on the other hand, looked slightly embarrassed and shifted his gaze away.

As for the Ninth Prince and Tenth Prince, those two unlucky brothers didn't even notice An Qing; they were too busy bickering.

"Ninth Brother, you're just making things up. You told everyone that the villagers did this on purpose because they were happy," said the Tenth Prince, looking disapprovingly at his ninth brother.

The Ninth Prince, however, was not flustered at all and replied shamelessly, "Why are you looking at me like that? So what if I made it up? You don't know either!"

After saying that, he pointed to Yinqi and the Fourth Prince nearby. "What's the big deal? Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother probably don't know either." The Tenth Prince seemed to agree, nodding seriously. "That's true; otherwise, why would they be eavesdropping?"

Yinqi: "..."

Fourth Prince: "..."

Then, in a remarkably synchronized move, they both glared at the two unlucky brothers and promptly rode away on their horses, their backs suggesting a hasty retreat.

Seeing their older brothers leave, the Ninth Prince and Tenth Prince hurriedly followed on their horses, completely oblivious to the trouble they had caused.

Inside the carriage, An Qing and the Fourth Princess Consort exchanged glances and couldn't help but laugh.

How old were they now, acting so childish? If they wanted to know something, they could have just asked openly instead of sneaking around. This wasn't some major secret.

The Fourth Princess Consort turned to look at An Qing and sincerely said, "Fifth Sister-in-law, you're really amazing. How do you know everything?"

An Qing quickly waved her hands, modestly replying, "No, Fourth Sister-in-law, your words are embarrassing me. I only know a bit about farming."

The Fourth Princess Consort smiled. "Knowing about farming is already impressive."

Especially someone who knows as much as she does. Last year's rice blight and the recent ghost wheat incident—both were significant issues. Particularly with the ghost wheat, back in Dayangliu, they had heard about the ancient and mysterious event, which she managed to solve.

But what impressed her most was not the method An Qing used to solve the problem, but her courage to investigate it when everyone else avoided it. That was not something an ordinary woman could do.

Her husband rarely praised people behind their backs, but he had mentioned to her that Fifth Sister-in-law was a woman of great virtue.

An Qing had no idea that she had such a grand image in the future Yongzheng Emperor's eyes.

However, it was all a coincidence. She knew her limits and genuinely wasn't as capable as they thought. At best, she had a golden finger cheat.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, do you like planting?" An Qing asked casually.

The Fourth Princess Consort shook her head, somewhat embarrassed.

She truly wasn't skilled at it. As a child, she had tried to grow flowers, but they never lasted long. During their time at Changchun Garden, when An Qing found a solution to the rice blight, everyone followed suit and started planting. The Fourth Princess Consort was quite troubled because she knew how unskilled she was.

Fortunately, her husband later said that Fifth Sister-in-law's talent was extraordinary and advised her not to follow the trend.

It turned out that he was right. Those who had tried to emulate Fifth Sister-in-law, including the Crown Princess and Third Princess Consort, as well as the concubines and palace maids in the palace, eventually gave up quietly.

They realized that while anyone could plant, not everyone could do it well.

An Qing knew about this, thanks to Cui Liu, who was always well-informed.

At the time, Cui Liu was unhappy that others were imitating her mistress, so she kept track of the situation. For a long time, Cui Liu's daily routine involved reporting who had killed what plant and which palace had wasted its efforts.

"Not really interested, and I'm not good at it. I feel ashamed; I'm far inferior to Fifth Sister-in-law," the Fourth Princess Consort admitted.

An Qing disagreed. "Fourth Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? There's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has their strengths. Like embroidery, I can't do it."

She knew that the Fourth Princess Consort was skilled at embroidery, earning praise from Concubine Yi and the Empress Dowager. She had even seen it once, and it was truly lifelike.

Saying this, An Qing extended her hands. "These hands are good with a hoe, but not with a needle. I can't even embroider my husband's purse properly."

Thinking about the purse, she sighed. One day, Yinqi suddenly asked her to embroider a purse for him, saying that all the other brothers had purses embroidered by their wives, and he didn't.

An Qing felt that it was unfair that he was the only one without one, so she agreed. She thought that since she had learned embroidery before, it shouldn't be too difficult, especially since a purse was one of the easier items to embroider.

However, when she picked up the needle the next day, she was proven wrong. Memories of being forced to learn embroidery by her mother flooded back, and she realized it had been six or seven years since she last held a needle. All the skills she had learned were long forgotten.

Cui Liu sarcastically remarked that even her dowry was embroidered by the family's seamstress, wondering where she got her confidence from.

An Qing was speechless, thinking that perhaps her confidence came from birth. Otherwise, how could she have taken on such a task?

But she also valued her dignity. If she had refused initially, it wouldn't have mattered, but since she had already agreed, she couldn't back down. So, she persevered with Perilla for several days, pricking all ten fingers, but still ended up with a mess of tangled bamboo.

Finally, when Yinqi asked about the purse again, she turned the tables, criticizing his competitive attitude, and the matter was settled.

Of course, An Qing suspected that Yinqi might have figured out the reason, but it didn't matter as long as he didn't ask her to embroider again.

She could grow flowers for him, any kind, but embroidery was truly beyond her.

Hearing her self-deprecating remarks, the Fourth Princess Consort couldn't help but laugh. However, she wasn't ungrateful and understood that An Qing was giving her a way out.

Everyone has their strengths, but what An Qing excelled in was beneficial to the country and its people. In the Fourth Princess Consort's view, An Qing was truly capable.

As they traveled, they sometimes stopped to chat with the local villagers and inquire about their spring plowing progress.

This was mainly handled by An Qing, as the others lacked her familiarity with farmers. When they spoke, they often disrupted the villagers' work rather than understanding their situation.

An Qing and the others continued walking and stopping throughout the morning, gaining considerable insights into the local conditions.

Finally, they found a flat grassy area by the river to set up camp for an outdoor picnic.

An Qing had planned this the night before. Since they were going to the outskirts, a spring outing and picnic sounded perfect.

So, she had instructed Perilla and Maidong to prepare everything early in the morning. This was something she often did in Horqin, and they were experienced in organizing such outings.

Snacks, fruits, drinks, meals, and ingredients—all were prepared. They even brought a barbecue grill to enhance the camping atmosphere.

An Qing hadn't anticipated so many people, but it didn't matter. Perilla and Maidong had prepared plenty, enough for six people. For the others, Yinqi sent Ma Xiang to buy chickens, ducks, and food from nearby farms. Thus, everyone was busy preparing lunch.

An Qing and Si Fujin laid a colorful cloth on the grass and placed the snacks and fruits on it one by one. The barbecue grill was set up by the river. Yinqi and Fourth Prince often went hunting with Kangxi, so they were familiar with roasting meat and got busy right away.

Tenth Prince ran around helping An Qing, but Ninth Prince was alone, happily throwing stones into the river.

Seeing his behavior, An Qing shouted, "Xiao Jiu, what are you doing? Don't think you can just sit back and eat. Go to the carriage and get me the blue bundle."

Ninth Prince replied unwillingly, "There are so many servants here. Why do you have to order me around?"

An Qing huffed, "I only see you idling around. If you don't work, don't eat later!"

Ninth Prince turned angrily and glared at her. An Qing glared right back.

Ninth Prince dared not speak up and reluctantly went to fetch the items from the carriage.

Ever since An Qing had gotten him beaten by his mother and embarrassed in front of his brothers, he harbored resentment but didn’t dare to provoke Fifth Sister-in-law anymore.

He had no choice; no one stood up for him, and he couldn’t afford to lose face again.

Especially when Ninth Prince glanced at Yinqi near the barbecue grill. He noticed that his Fifth Elder Brother had been watching them closely.

He didn’t want to be scolded by his Fifth Elder Brother.

The simple yet sumptuous picnic began soon. Amidst green mountains and clear waters, birds singing and flowers blooming, everyone sat on the grass, eating and chatting.

This kind of scene truly relaxed everyone. Even the usually quiet Fourth Prince spoke more than usual, let alone the talkative Ninth Prince and Tenth Prince.

Suddenly, Tenth Prince turned to An Qing, "Fifth Sister-in-law, this morning I noticed many people here greet each other by asking if they've eaten. Is this their local custom?"

An Qing shook her head, "It's not a local custom. Many places use this greeting."

Tenth Prince responded with an "Oh" but still scratched his head, "Is there any particular reason behind it?"

Everyone looked over curiously.

An Qing explained, "There’s no special reason. It’s a sign of respect for food."

"Respect for food?" Tenth Prince murmured.

An Qing nodded, "Because too many people go hungry. Asking if someone has eaten is a way of showing care, which gradually became a common greeting among the common folk."

Or perhaps it could be said that people care about what they lack.

Over time, this form of greeting, showing concern for others, persisted even after the basic needs were met.

Everyone nodded thoughtfully, understanding the reason.

Ninth Prince frowned, "I often heard in the Imperial City that Jiangnan is very prosperous. But today, why do these people not seem wealthy?"

Their clothes were full of patches, and they didn’t look well-fed.

An Qing glanced at him irritably, "Do you know anything? They are ordinary people, not wealthy landlords."

Hearing this, Ninth Prince was taken aback. What were wealthy landlords?

But then he realized his focus should be on…

"Fifth Elder Brother, she keeps insulting me! She talks fine with others, but always picks on me!" Ninth Prince turned to his Fifth Elder Brother, feeling wronged.

She clearly had something against him. She answered Tenth Prince nicely but always picked on him.

Yinqi gave An Qing a helpless look but defended her, "You’re overthinking it. Your Fifth Sister-in-law doesn’t mean it like that."

Ninth Prince: "..."

An Qing subconsciously touched her nose. Okay, she admitted she had lost patience with Xiao Jiu.

Since the willow-beating incident, they had developed a rivalry. Though An Qing never lost, she had formed a habit of picking on him.

But objectively, she had reacted too strongly this time.

"I apologize for my tone earlier," An Qing admitted without hesitation.

Seeing An Qing actually apologize, Ninth Prince immediately felt smug. But before he could say anything, his Fifth Elder Brother gave him a stern look.

An Qing ignored him and continued, "Most wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few..."

So, the prosperity of Jiangnan lies with the officials and wealthy merchants. They had seen this firsthand in Su Zhou. How rich could the commoners be?

In this era, commoners often sought not great wealth but enough food.

Without basic survival, everything else was irrelevant.

Besides, poverty exists everywhere. Compared to other places, the people here were already better off.

Look at them; despite their patched clothes, they wore happy faces, filled with hope for spring and the harvest to come.

Jiangnan’s fertile land, abundant water, and mild climate made it suitable for farming, so life was relatively better here.

After the picnic, they stayed a while longer, rested, and then decided to explore nearby before heading back to the city.

An Qing and Si Fujin walked instead of taking the carriage, as post-meal strolls were good for health.

As they walked together, Yinqi and Fourth Prince led the horses beside them. Passing through a village, they saw a crowd gathered ahead, making a commotion.

Listening closely, they heard a baby crying.

Yinqi sent Ma Xiang to check. He ran over and returned shortly, looking uneasy and hesitant.