Chapter 88: The Fifth Lady

Chapter 88: The Fifth Lady

"Bayar, what are you doing here?" An Qing walked over, holding Duo Lan's hand.

Bayar had been focused on weeding when she suddenly heard a voice behind her. She turned around nervously, and upon seeing An Qing, her defensive expression relaxed instantly.

She put down the dead grass in her hands and gracefully stood up to bow. "Greetings, Fifth Aunt."

An Qing reached out to help her up, smiling. "Our Bayar is such a good girl."

For such a young girl to remember her manners so well showed that Third Princess must have taught her diligently.

Duo Lan looked at the older girl in front of her, then turned to An Qing. "Auntie, who is this sister?"

An Qing smiled and gently patted the two little buns on her niece's head. "Duo Lan, this is Sister Bayar. Be nice and greet her."

Duo Lan, always outgoing and unafraid, immediately introduced herself to Bayar. "Hello, Sister. I'm Duo Lan, my auntie's niece."

After saying this, she proudly lifted her chin, as if being her aunt's niece was something to be very proud of.

Seeing her like this, An Qing couldn't help but laugh. Her mother was right; Duo Lan was indeed a mischievous little girl.

Bayar also liked the two little buns on Duo Lan's head. She smiled shyly and said, "Hello, little sister."

Duo Lan was a chatterbox and quickly became friends with Bayar. Soon, they were holding hands and playing on the grass.

An Qing chuckled and shook her head, then turned to instruct Perilla and the maidservants attending Duo Lan to follow closely.

Now that she had a moment to rest, she turned to the servant girl accompanying Bayar and asked casually, "Why are you the only one with the little princess?"

Logically, a princess from a noble family should have at least two attendants. Seeing only one with Bayar made An Qing curious.

The servant girl seemed taken aback, quickly lowering her head. "Fifth Lady, the little princess came out in a hurry, and the other attendant went back to fetch her clothes."

An Qing nodded lightly, recognizing the servant as the one who had been serving Third Princess closely since yesterday, a palace maid who accompanied her during her marriage. She didn't think much of it.

Pregnancy did make her more tired than usual, and she already felt a bit fatigued.

Fortunately, Perilla had prepared well, bringing along a small stool. An Qing sat down to rest while watching the two girls play nearby.

However, they didn't play for long before they returned, holding hands.

An Qing was a bit surprised. They hadn't played for very long. Could they already be tired?

That didn't seem likely, given how much energy Duo Lan usually had.

"Why did you come back? Are you tired or thirsty?" she asked.

Duo Lan shook her head and replied first, "Auntie, we're not tired or thirsty."

Then she turned to Bayar. "It's because Sister misses her mommy."

An Qing didn't think much of it. She could see that Bayar was very attached to Third Princess. "Bayar misses her mommy, huh? Do you know where your mommy is? I'll take you to her."

Bayar hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly. "Mommy is in the tent. She and Daddy are arguing, and Daddy pushed Mommy. Mommy cried."

The little girl spoke with a mix of confusion and worry.

An Qing paused, her brows furrowing. Third Princess and her husband were arguing!

And according to Bayar, there was even physical contact involved?

Still, An Qing didn't rush to judgment. She wasn't doubting Bayar's honesty.

In her previous life, though she hadn't had children, she often read online that children, while not intentionally lying, sometimes mixed unrelated information, leading adults to misunderstand.

She turned to the servant girl and asked seriously, "Is what the little princess said true?"

The servant girl panicked at An Qing's words. "Fifth Lady, the princess and her husband only argued a bit, nothing..."

Before she could finish, Bayar suddenly pointed behind them. "Fifth Aunt, Mommy is coming!"

They all turned to look and saw Third Princess approaching with a servant girl.

An Qing quickly stood up and led Duo Lan and Bayar to meet her. When Third Princess drew near, An Qing observed her carefully but found no signs of distress.

Third Princess was surprised to see An Qing and Bayar together.

An Qing explained, "What a coincidence! I was taking my niece out to play and ran into Bayar. They got along quite well."

Third Princess smiled at Duo Lan, who was holding Bayar's hand. "Thank you, Fifth Sister-in-Law, for looking after Bayar."

An Qing waved her hand. "No need to thank me, Third Sister."

Bayar clung to her mother, hesitating to speak. "Mommy, Daddy..."

But before she could finish, Third Princess interrupted her. "Are you tired from playing? Mommy will take you back to rest."

She then looked at An Qing and said hurriedly, "Sorry, Fifth Sister-in-Law, we need to go back now. We can talk another time."

An Qing noticed the panic in Third Princess's eyes and sensed an attempt to cover something up.

She cautiously asked, "Third Sister, is everything alright?"

Third Princess hesitated, then shook her head. "Thank you for your concern, Fifth Sister-in-Law, but everything is fine. I'll take Bayar back now."

An Qing understood that she shouldn't pry further and nodded. She watched as Third Princess and Bayar left.

After all, it was their marital issue, and she shouldn't interfere.

As for what Bayar said about "her father pushing her mother," An Qing didn't take it too seriously, assuming it was just an accident during a marital dispute.

After all, who would dare to hit a princess? That consort must be out of his mind.

An Qing didn't think much of it at the time, but after she returned, something felt off.

Wait, she remembered reading in some obscure historical account that Kangxi had a princess who married into Mongolia and was supposedly kicked to death by her consort.

So, someone really did have the nerve!

Could this person be the Third Princess?

An Qing instinctively shook her head, repeatedly reminding herself that obscure historical accounts were often unreliable. Many such accounts were absurd and clearly unbelievable.

But a voice inside her also whispered that sometimes these accounts might be true, as some royal secrets were not recorded in official histories due to their sensitive nature.

Though An Qing wasn't one to meddle, she could never tolerate domestic violence.

If she encountered such a situation, even with a stranger, she wouldn't stand idly by, let alone if it involved the Third Princess.

However, An Qing knew little about the Third Princess's consort and couldn't make any judgments right away.

The third princess's spouse was named Galzang, who was the second son of Du Ling, the Prince of the Karas tribe, belonging to the Ulamgheri clan. However, as the Horqin Left-wing Rear Banner had no familial connections with the Karas tribe and seldom had dealings with them, An Qing had no recollection of Galzang.

But this matter lingered in her mind. So when Yinqi came back that evening, An Qing couldn't help but ask him about the Third Princess's consort.

Though Yinqi was puzzled by An Qing's sudden interest in Galzang, he didn't hide anything: "I don't know much about my Third Brother-in-law, but..."

He hesitated.

Seeing his hesitation, An Qing knew there was more to it and pressed, "But what?"

Yinqi shook his head and replied, "Nothing much, I just don't like him."

An Qing couldn't help but exclaim, "Really?" She rarely heard Yinqi express dislike so openly. He was usually mild-mannered, so anyone he disliked must have a good reason.

"Can you be more specific?" she asked curiously. "Did Galzang do something to upset you?"

In recent days, Yinqi and the other princes accompanying Kangxi had been around several consorts as well.

Could it be that Galzang looked down on Yinqi, the prince?

This wasn't baseless speculation. Since last year's ennoblement, the princes had started to build their own factions, including among the Mongolian tribes.

Of course, this was mutual. While the princes chose their supporters, they were also being evaluated and ranked privately.

Last year, at the Mulan hunting grounds, An Qing heard her Third Elder Brother mention that Yinqi's reputation among the ennobled princes wasn't very high. At the time, she didn't care much; they avoided drawing attention anyway.

But this didn't mean others could look down on them.

Seeing her protective stance, Yinqi chuckled, "Don't worry, he didn't upset me. I'm not that easy to bully."

Relieved, An Qing asked, "Then why don't you like him?"

There must be a reason for his dislike.

Yinqi didn't beat around the bush and replied, "I just find him temperamental and prone to losing control."

Temperamental and uncontrollable?

An Qing's heart sank. This made her suspect Galzang even more as a potential abuser.

Unaware of her thoughts, Yinqi recounted an incident from earlier that day to support his claim.

Today, they accompanied their father on a hunt. Afterward, he, his eighth brother, and Galzang happened to meet and walked back together. Passing by a wrestling arena, they stopped to watch a match.

Initially, everything seemed fine, but suddenly, Galzang wanted to join the match. This wasn't unusual, as Mongolians loved wrestling, so they let him participate.

Galzang performed well and won his first match, earning cheers from the crowd. However, he lost the next match to a young Mongolian.

Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but Galzang became enraged and threatened to use his consort status to have the winner arrested. If not for Yinqi and his brothers intervening, something serious might have happened.

Hearing this, An Qing frowned. Losing gracefully is one thing, but losing one's temper is another.

Someone with poor skills and worse character, who is also temperamental, truly has all the negative traits.

If the obscure historical account is true, Galzang could indeed be the abusive consort who kicked the princess to death!

"If Galzang really upset me, what would you do?" Yinqi asked with a smile.

He genuinely enjoyed seeing An Qing's protective side, proving that he was among those she cared about.

Without hesitation, An Qing replied, "What else? Find a chance to fight back. We can't let him bully us."

If they couldn't even stand up to someone like Galzang, what was the point of their efforts?

An Qing had confidence. As long as they didn't challenge Lao Kang's throne, given her recent accomplishments, Lao Kang would likely overlook any trouble they caused.

"Don't worry, Father needs me to work hard for him. Even if we cause trouble, he'll still favor us."

Yinqi found this amusing yet touching. The idea of working hard for Lao Kang was exaggerated, but he appreciated her loyalty.

Realizing her exaggeration, An Qing clarified, "Sorry, it was just a figure of speech. I didn't mean it literally. Don't take it personally."

Yinqi smiled and shook his head. "No need to apologize. I understand and don't mind."

An Qing smiled but didn't say anything more.

Yinqi seemed to remember something and suddenly laughed.

"What's wrong?" An Qing asked, puzzled.

Why is he laughing like that?

"Nothing, just thought of something funny," Yinqi replied. "Do you know what Elder Brother Prince and the others said about me when we were drinking?"

An Qing shook her head. "What did they say about you?"

Yinqi cleared his throat and said, "They all said I have a good life. When I was young, Empress Dowager protected me, and after marriage, I can still hide behind my own princess and enjoy myself."

An Qing was taken aback by this.

Are Elder Brother Prince and the others doing this on purpose? Asking such questions—what's the difference between saying Yinqi relies on his wife and directly calling him a freeloader!

The key point is that they're openly trying to sow discord between her and Yinqi. What have they got against her? Did she burn down their family graves?

"Aren't you angry?" An Qing asked cautiously.

Although she trusted Yinqi's character, she knew how severe male chauvinism could be under feudal systems. If he really cared...

Seeing her reaction, Yinqi pulled her closer into his arms. "They're just envious and jealous. Why should I be angry?"

An Qing immediately agreed. "Exactly! They're just like those who say grapes are sour because they can't eat them. It's just that they don't have as good a life as you do, being able to marry such an amazing princess like me."

Phew~ Good thing Yinqi isn't a chauvinist, or it would have been quite tricky.

Yinqi nodded with a smile. "I feel the same way."

Being able to marry her as his princess truly is his good fortune.

Regarding Princess Galzang, An Qing took it seriously, especially after talking with Yinqi. Her impression of Galzang became even worse.

But to be cautious, she decided to confirm things first, so she didn't mention it to Yinqi yet.

The next day, when Princess came to visit, An Qing started probing her about Princess Galzang.

However, Princess knew nothing about it. She had married into Northern Desert Mongolia and wasn't very familiar with Southern Desert. In the past two years, she had focused mainly on her new home.

Besides, the princesses rarely communicated with each other, only occasionally exchanging letters that mostly contained formal greetings, rarely discussing personal matters.

"Fifth Sister-in-law, what exactly happened to Third Sister? Stop beating around the bush," Princess urged.

An Qing pursed her lips. "Actually, I'm not entirely sure. I just have some suspicions, which may not be true."

Princess nodded lightly and stared at her, signaling her to continue.

An Qing took a deep breath and no longer hid anything. She recounted what Bayar had said and shared her speculations.

"What?" Princess stood up abruptly, looking incredulous. "Has Galzang gone mad? How dare he lay a hand on a princess!"

Where does he put the dignity of our royal family? Does he think there's no one in our Aisin Gioro clan?

Seeing Princess ready to tear Galzang apart, An Qing quickly stopped her. "Don't rush. These are just my speculations. We need to confirm them first."

Princess understood the logic but couldn't help feeling angry. "Fifth Sister-in-law, how do we confirm it?"

This was also a headache for An Qing. Last night, she thought about it for a long time. If Galzang really dared to harm Princess, the entire Karasahr Mongolian tribe would keep it secret. No one would dare speak out, knowing it could bring disaster to the whole tribe.

The only breakthrough would be Princess herself.

"How about we go visit Princess?" An Qing suggested.

Princess immediately understood her sister-in-law's intention. "Good idea. I have some things I want to ask Third Sister."

Meanwhile, at Princess's camp, she had just put Bayar to sleep and stepped outside with her maid.

*

Princess looked exhausted. Bayar hadn't slept well last night and woke up early. Finally, she managed to get him back to sleep, giving her a moment of relief.

"Princess, your husband is too audacious. He dared to lay a hand on you here in Mulan. Doesn't he fear the Emperor's wrath?" the maid said indignantly.

Princess waved her hand, not wanting to discuss it further.

Yesterday, she and Galzang had a dispute in the tent, and he pushed her. She didn't think much of it, as it wasn't the first time. Her mother always told her to endure everything, and she had grown accustomed to it. But yesterday, Bayar saw it, causing her nightmares all night.

"Princess, why didn't you seek help from Fifth Princess yesterday? She seems kind-hearted and treats our little princess well. Maybe she could..." the maid couldn't help suggesting.

Princess shook her head, looking desolate. "It's useless. The Manchu-Mongol alliance is a big deal. Even if it escalates, the Emperor might scold or punish him, but he won't kill him. What will we do when we return?"

Their Great Qing princesses are born with the mission to pacify Mongolia. Even her beloved elder sister, who was once doted upon by the Emperor, was sent to marry in Mongolia.

Of course, as his favorite daughter, the Emperor had planned for her sister, at least marrying her to her childhood sweetheart in Horqin.

But she couldn't. She was never favored in the palace, neither was her mother, and she had no siblings to support her. As Galzang said, even if she complained, no one would stand up for her.

That's her fate, born into the royal family and unfavored.

Hearing this, the maid lowered her head dejectedly. "Princess, maybe you shouldn't interfere with your husband anymore. Let him do as he pleases, and you won't argue."

Then perhaps he wouldn't lay a hand on her again.

A hint of desolation flashed in the Third Princess's eyes. She had long given up on him and didn't want to bother with him anymore.

Sometimes, when she looked back, she found it all rather ironic. When they first got married, she and Galzang had a period of warmth. At that time, she thought her luck wasn't bad, having married a satisfactory husband.

She even believed it was heaven compensating her for her unhappy early life. But gradually, for some unknown reason, Galzang changed. The warmth disappeared, and he became increasingly impatient with her, frequently staying overnight with his concubines, and bringing more and more of them into their home.

At first, the Third Princess couldn't understand why, despite her compliance with Galzang, he would treat her this way. Eventually, she realized he was simply a lecherous man.

She acknowledged her blindness and gradually accepted this reality, no longer demanding anything. It was just like being in the palace—she could endure it, which wasn't difficult for her.

But who knew that Galzang would become even more outrageous? He was no longer satisfied with taking concubines normally; instead, he relied on his status as the consort of the Third Princess of Great Qing to forcibly take other men's wives and daughters.

Seeing those innocent women and families torn apart, she could no longer turn a blind eye.

He could marry as many as he wanted, but he shouldn't forcibly take other people's wives and daughters, doing such despicable acts under the name of the Third Princess's consort, which made her feel utterly disgusted.

She was a princess of Great Qing. Though she had little power, she couldn't tolerate someone tarnishing the royal family's reputation using her title.

Thus, she began to have frequent arguments with Galzang.

Galzang had always been temperamental, and it was common for him to lash out at her in anger. She just didn't expect him to be so bold, not even restraining himself in Mulan.

However, just as the two were secretly grieving, the tent's curtain was suddenly violently pulled aside from outside, and Galzang walked in with clear ill intent.