Chapter 47

  His mind was racing to think of a way out, and at this time he didn't even have time to be afraid! The 14th suddenly knelt down, knocked his head and called out: "Your Majesty!" Before the sound had faded away, Suwan Guwalgiya Wangye stood up, bowed solemnly to Kangxi, and said with a bow: "Your Majesty!" Kangxi was startled and hastily waved his hand for him to get up. Suwan Guwalgiya Wangye leaned forward and said: "This is all the fault of my little daughter, I have something to say privately to Your Majesty!"

  Kangxi listened and his eyes scanned over me and Minmin's face, then looked at Thirteen and Fourteen, finally instructing: "All of you go back first!"

  Everyone scrambled to their feet and bowed as they backed away, I was dazed and confused, and Mingming also retreated with me. The officials who followed the princes paid their respects and left one after another. The Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince were considerate of each other, and with the Crown Prince present, it wasn't convenient to ask questions, so they could only walk silently. We were all lost in our own thoughts, walking slowly, and gradually fell behind.

  The prince smiled and asked Minmin, "What's going on?" Minmin glanced at him sideways and said quickly and clearly, "What's going on? Didn't the prince see? Isn't it just a horse riding competition, she won and I lost?" The prince was met with a stubborn refusal from Minmin, and as he faced this beautiful woman of noble status, he had no reason to get angry, so he looked embarrassed for a moment. He smiled at the Fourth Prince and Eighth Prince, saying, "I still have some things to attend to, I'll take my leave first!" After finishing speaking, he nodded to the Fourth Prince, glanced at Thirteen again, and led his people away quickly.

  Jiu Gege watched the Crown Prince leave, and with a thumbs up, he smiled at Minmin: "The princess is indeed a daughter of the grasslands, even the Crown Prince can only eat his fill in silence!" Minmin's eyes widened as she looked at Jiu Gege. I quickly pulled on her sleeve and asked: "What will the king say to the emperor?" The several princes all listened intently.

  Minmin walked on, her head bowed in thought, her face gradually turning red. She glanced at Thirteen and pulled me away from them. The several brothers all had slightly stunned expressions, but then they smiled and looked at Thirteen again. The only difference was that Ninth Brother's mouth had a hint of cold smile.

  Min whispered in my ear, "I reckon that my mother misunderstood you and me as being jealous of each other over the thirteen winds! So she didn't dare let the emperor ask you again, fearing it would be embarrassing to reveal it in public!" I felt at ease, thinking that this misunderstanding was much better than the truth. I smiled and said, "Your mother wasn't mistaken! Isn't this the fact? Otherwise, why would you get so angry?"

  Before I could finish speaking, Minmin had already reached out to pinch me and scolded: "Why don't you dare to take a loss on your mouth?" I laughed and ran away, Minmin chased after me, I quickly hid behind Shisan's back, stuck out my head and smiled: "Good sister! If you haven't done anything wrong, why be afraid of what others say? This is even more suspicious!"

  Min was both angry and embarrassed, but she was stuck at thirteen, unable to do anything about it, so she just stomped her foot! "Hiding behind someone's back is what kind of heroism?" I chuckled: "I'm just a little girl, never thought of being a hero. But rather hiding behind the back of a hero."

  Thirteen smiled and stretched out her hand to pull me out, pushing me towards Minmin: "I don't care about your reputation! Do whatever you want! Don't be polite!" Minmin looked at Thirteen helping her, couldn't help but feel happy, and indeed didn't hesitate to rub her hands together, take a deep breath, and then reached into my armpits and started scratching wildly.

  I couldn't help but feel itchy all over, so I quickly dodged away. Meanwhile, I was already laughing to the point of being out of breath, and my mouth was just shouting: "Good sister! Stop messing around, I still have serious things to say!" Minmin didn't listen and continued chasing me.

  I laughed so hard my legs went weak, and I couldn't run anymore. I had to run back to Thirteen's side, walking with him while laughing and saying: "Don't just stand there watching the show! If you make me angry, I'll drag you along to perform too!" Thirteen quickly took a few steps to avoid me, jumping to Four Brother's side, and said with a smile: "You've wronged me greatly today. I'm not angry with you, but you still dare to provoke me?"

  Just then, Minmin was already close to me, and Thirteen was urging her on from the side. Minmin's energy increased, and I really didn't have the strength to run anymore. I glanced at Fourth Brother, who had a smile in his eyes, and subconsciously didn't want to get close to him. I hastily pulled Fourteenth Brother over and blocked Minmin with him. I ran past Eighth Brother and dodged to Ninth Brother's side to hide. Looking at Minmin, I said, "I still have serious things to discuss! Stop causing trouble!" Seeing that Minmin seemed unbothered, Fourteenth Brother laughed and tried to block her a few times but couldn't stop her from coming over. I pouted and said again, "Besides, look at the masters here. If you keep this up, you'll be the one who's laughed at!" Ninth Brother chuckled and said, "Who wants to laugh? I won't laugh. On the contrary, I think the princess has a straightforward personality, quite refreshing!" As he spoke, he gave way to Minmin.

  Minmin has always been worried that these brothers, who are deeply influenced by Han culture, would think she is impolite. Although she heard the ninth brother say so, she still slowed down her pace. The thirteenth smiled and wanted to speak again, I shouted "Thirteen Brother!" and glared at him straight in the eye. Thirteen made a gesture of sparing you and shut his mouth.

  I beckoned to Minmin and walked with her to the side, I asked in a low voice: "Will your Ama tell the Emperor?" She thought for a moment and said: "I don't know! I can't guess what Ama will say to the Emperor. But anyway, you won't be in trouble!"

  I walked while lowering my head, thinking carefully. Would her mother directly tell the Emperor that Minmin likes the 13th prince? Probably not, otherwise if the Emperor were to give Minmin to the 13th prince as a "favor to an adult", it would not be what her mother wanted to see. But if she didn't speak the truth, how could her mother make Kangxi stop pursuing the matter of me and Minmin racing horses? After repeated consideration, I was still at a loss, so I had to give up! Let the old foxes fight among themselves!

  My heart began to worry about this matter again. If Fourth Brother finds out, what will happen? But can Thirteen not tell Fourth Brother? After Fourth Brother knows, how will he consider it? Will he tell the Crown Prince? The more I think about it, the bigger my headache becomes, and I couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.

  Minmin asked with a pout, "Why did you sigh?" I shook my head and gazed forward in silence. Minmin also let out a long sigh, I turned to look at her and asked, "And why did you sigh?" She looked ahead and shook her head saying, "If only we could always be like just now, how great that would be!"

  I glanced sideways at the several brothers walking beside me, not knowing what they were saying, all with smiles on their faces. I thought to myself, how great it would be if things could always be like this! But that's impossible, these brothers walking alongside us will one day fight each other to the death!

  "...Ruo Xi... leaning against fourteen... just laughing..." I quickly pulled Minmin over to listen. "...She saw the guard's hairpin in his hand, her face turned white, and she didn't dare look at it again, twisting her neck and saying 'Throw it away! Throw it away!'". Ninth Brother and Fourteenth Brother both turned their heads to smile at me, Fourth Brother had a hint of a smile on his lips as he stared at me for a few moments, while Eighth Brother just smiled faintly, looked ahead, and walked slowly. I glanced over at the side of his face, helplessly shaking my head at thirteen, unable to stop him from speaking.

  Shisan smiled and said, "It's better to ask her herself how she dared to stab so fiercely!" I nodded my head without answering. He continued to ask, "However, compared to two years ago, your horsemanship is really not bad now! It seems that last year's master taught you with great care. Who did you learn from?"

  My heart tightened, and I subconsciously looked at the Fourth Prince. Before I could speak, Minmin said, "It's me...and..." I tightly pinched Minmin's hand and hastily said, "Minmin Gege taught!" covering up her 'and' sound, while turning my head to stare at Minmin. Minmin turned her head to look at me, but didn't say another word.

  "Good heavens! If you, Ru Xi, I'm impressed! You've only just started learning and yet today you're already challenging Master!" I glanced at the unchanged expression of Eight A'ge, who was still smiling lightly, and smiled back at Thirteen before falling silent.

  After everyone dispersed, I walked a short distance towards my own tent and then turned in the direction of the thirteenth tent. As I was walking with my head down, Fourteen's voice asked from behind me, "Are you going to find Thirteen?" He had already caught up to my side as he spoke.

  I busily bowed and asked: "Yes! And you?"

  He walked silently for a while and said, "Thank you!" I smiled sideways, "It's thirteen brothers who should be thanked! I don't have to! I'm just self-rescuing." He accompanied me all the way in silence, without saying another word.

  The thirteen tents were waiting for me to arrive, and the thirteen of them looked at me with a strange gaze. One of them smiled and said: "I knew you'd come! But I especially asked Fourth Brother to return and wait for you."

  I smiled and didn't speak, taking a soft cushion to sit on the carpet. Fourteen greeted Thirteen, who hastily laughed and said, "No need! No need!" Fourteen hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself, his face momentarily embarrassed. I shook my head, thinking it was really hard for him to thank Thirteen!

  Thirteen smiled and let him sit down. I fetched a soft cushion for him. Fourteen sat down by himself. Thirteen smiled at me and said, "Speak! What's going on?"

  I glanced at fourteen, seeing that he had no reaction, so I told the truth about why fourteen came and how I coincidentally asked Minmin. While speaking, I paid attention to fourteen's expression, and he didn't seem to object.

  Thirteen listened and looked at Fourteen, smiled and nodded: "No wonder you were sick and hiding at home for that period of time! We wanted to visit you, but we were all blocked!"

  I hesitated for a moment and asked, "Will you tell the Fourth Prince?" Thirteen turned his head to look at me and asked, "You don't want Four Brother to know about this matter?" I nodded slightly.

  He gazed at Fourteen and said slowly, "Four Brother's face may be cold, but sometimes he acts too rigidly. However, no matter what, he won't do anything to his own brother." Fourteen's expression turned solemn, and Thirteen quickly smiled at me and said, "Don't worry! The matter will stop here!"

  I curled my lip, thinking that you probably wouldn't deceive the Fourth Prince, but I still couldn't help trying. "What about the Crown Prince?" Thirteen smiled and said: "He's really a muddle-headed person! Since he can't let the Emperor know, of course the Crown Prince won't let him know either!"

  I think you guys are all thinking crookedly. If I consider one less turn, I'm afraid it will be completely wrong. To be on the safe side, it's best to ask clearly!

  I pointed to the teapot on the table next to him, and he quickly turned around to pour a cup of tea for me. I took it and drank it all in one gulp, then handed it back to him. He smiled and asked, "Do you want more?" I waved my hand, and he put the cup back on the table.

  One side of the head, saw fourteen looking at me and thirteen with surprise, thirteen and I exchanged a smile, both laughing at fourteen. Fourteen pointed at me and asked thirteen: "Is she always like this in front of you?"

  Thirteen glanced at me and said: "She's always been like that, there are even more unscrupulous things than this!" Fourteen's gaze swept across our faces, then lowered her head.

  I smiled at Thirteen and said, "Su Wangualjia King knows Mianmian's thoughts, you'd better be careful or he'll make you his son-in-law!" Thirteen let out a deeply frustrated sigh and said, "Let him do as he pleases! If he doesn't mind taking Mianmian as a concubine, then I have no choice but to marry her!"

  My heart was shaken, I thought that since thirteen didn't like Minmin, he would definitely not marry her no matter what. But I forgot that the views of ancient men on marriage are completely different from mine. Having three wives or four wives makes little difference. It's just a matter of finding another courtyard to live in and having a few more maidservants to serve you. If you like someone, you'll marry them; if you don't like them, it doesn't matter if you marry them - at worst, you just won't go to their courtyard at night! It has little impact on him!

  Thinking of Minmin's deep affection for Thirteen, I glared at Thirteen and shouted: "If you don't like Minmin, then don't marry her! She's not a piece of furniture that you can just put in your home after marrying her!"

  Thirteen gazed at me blankly and said helplessly: "Of course, I don't want to deceive her, but if the Emperor orders an imperial marriage, should I still disobey the edict?"

  I sprang up suddenly, opened my mouth to speak, but had no words. Finally, I said: "Never mind! If you don't like Minmin, then you're not allowed to marry her!" After finishing speaking, I hastily flung open the curtain and walked out. I heard behind me that the fourteenth one hurriedly bowed and took his leave, quickly chasing after me and following me.

  My anger gradually subsided, and I realized that I was being unreasonable. The whole thing started because of me and Fourteen, but I had unjustly scolded Thirteen, who had done nothing wrong from today's perspective. I couldn't expect him to conform to the standards of three hundred years later. A sense of sorrow arose in my heart again. I turned to Fourteen and said, "Fourteen Brother, please go back! I want to go find Minmin Gege."

  Fourteenth: "Are you going to persuade Minmin not to marry Thirteen?" He waited for a while, seeing that I was only walking and didn't respond, then said: "I also don't hope Minmin marries Thirteen!"

  I turned my head to look at him, he glanced around and said in a low voice: "The prince is not on good terms with the Mongolians now. Two years ago, Emperor Ama convened a meeting of Manchu and Mongolian nobles to discuss the matter of the crown prince, and the eight major Mongolian tribes led by Suwan Gualjia were dissatisfied with the crown prince. Minmin is the treasure of Prince Suwan Gualjia, if she marries Thirteen Brother, I'm afraid it will be unfavorable for Eighth Brother!"

  I let out a deep breath, shook my head helplessly at him, and quickly walked away while saying: "Fourteenth Master, hurry back! There's no need to tell me about these things!"

  Fourteen suddenly blocked my way, saying urgently: "I treated you with sincerity, why are you like this? At first, I saw how you got along with Thirteen and thought that all these years I had underestimated you. Now I'm willing to interact with you sincerely, but you're being like this - what's the difference between me and Thirteen? Don't forget, you came from Eighth Brother's residence."

  I walked past him and continued on my way, saying: "Thirteen would never say what he said before, nor would he ever say something like that, that's the difference!"

  Before the person reached the front of Min's account, they had already heard a faint cry and slowed down their footsteps. They were puzzled when someone suddenly lifted the curtain and rushed out, jumping a few steps before barely avoiding a flying flower vase, which shattered on the ground with a loud crash.

  I hastily greeted the man who came out, who was Minmin's brother, Su Wanguarjia. He looked at me with a puzzled expression and awkwardly said: "Miss, please get up!" I asked: "Is Gege here?" He dryly laughed and said: "Miss, please go back! At this time seeing her can only bring trouble!" Before he finished speaking, Minmin had already lifted the curtain and rushed out, crying and angrily saying: "You all hate me so much that you want to drive me away, now you won't even let me see anyone!"

  Her brother didn't dare say more and hastily lowered his head to leave. I quickly pulled Minmin into the tent, which was in a mess, with everything that could be smashed having been smashed and everything that could be overturned having been overturned. Thinking of finding a handkerchief for her to wipe her face, it's probably hopeless too, so I lifted the curtain and instructed the maid standing guard outside: "Go fetch a basin of water and bring some handkerchiefs!"

  She turned back, sat down on the mat and just cried. I sat beside her quietly accompanying her, until the maid called softly outside the house: "The water is ready!" I quickly got up, carried the basin in, wrung out a towel, handed it to Minmin and said: "Wipe your face, speak properly, what's the use of just crying?"

  She wiped her face clean with a handkerchief, still sniffling. I saw that she had calmed down a bit and asked, "What's wrong?" But before she could answer, tears started flowing again. After crying for a little while, she spoke in a stuttering tone, "My mother has asked the Emperor to arrange a marriage for me in a few days!" I asked, "Who is it?" She sobbed as she replied, "It's a younger prince from the Ilagin tribe! They will come to pay their respects to the Emperor in a few days." I was at a loss, only knowing that they were one of the eight prominent Mongolian tribes, but nothing more.

  Ming Ming finished speaking and cried even more sorrowfully, saying: "Anyway, I won't get married. I'd rather strangle myself with a rope than get married!"

  I remained silent for a while, then sat close to her and whispered: "Princess, I'll tell you a secret!" Minmin didn't pay attention, still crying with her head down. I slowly whispered: "Actually, last year on the grassland, the one who was good to me was Eighth Prince Ah!" Minmin let out an "ah" and looked up at me.

  I smiled faintly and leaned in close to her, speaking softly about how we met at the Beile Mansion, telling her about his years of care for me, my gratitude, the scenes from last year on the grasslands, his desire to become the crown prince, my reluctance to get entangled in the struggle for the throne, begging him to give up, mentioning the Eighth Imperial Concubine, his son, and our current estrangement. Mianmian listened intently, having long forgotten her tears.

  I smiled faintly as I wrung out the towel, helping her wipe away the tears on her face. In a soft voice, I asked: "Are you really prepared to marry Thirteen? To be a secondary wife, living in a small courtyard, waiting every day for him to remember you after he finishes his official duties and come visit you? Let me put it bluntly, you're not the woman Thirteen loves. With your strong personality, you'll inevitably clash with the other wives. Have you thought about whether Thirteen will help you? Can you really give up the blue skies and green grass here to live in a small courtyard, from then on only able to gaze up at the narrow, four-sided sky? I know this is harsh, but think carefully about the lives of your mother's consorts. Except for one or two who are favored, what kind of days do the rest of them have? Have you ever thought that one day you'll be just like them?"

  I sighed and said, "Your Ama is like this now, not really wanting you to marry that prince, but just wanting to cut off your thoughts of the 13th. Actually, Mimi, you are a lucky woman, you have an Ama who truly cares about you! In the future, the Khan of the Suwan Gualejia tribe will be your biological older brother, and he will also take good care of you. If you stay on the grasslands, no one will dare to bully you! Many beautiful women do not have this blessing, their fathers and brothers will use these women's marriages to gain political benefits for themselves."

  "The prince is also moved by your beauty, but your mother just pretends to be unaware. Perhaps if it were another father, he would think that the prince will become the future emperor and maybe his own grandson will be the next emperor, then he would eagerly marry off his daughter! Minmin, you come from a noble family, so you must have heard of and seen such things!"

  As I thought of my sister's heartbreaking fate, I slowly said with a heavy heart: "Compared to those who have the heart to love their daughters but are unable to decide their daughter's fate, or those who have the ability to protect their daughters completely but refuse to do so for personal reasons, you are so lucky! Your Ama has the ability to protect you and is willing to take good care of you. Minmin, you are noble in status, outstanding in appearance, and compared to those truly unfortunate women drifting with the wind, you are so uniquely blessed. You should strive to smile, tears don't belong to you!"

  "One cry, two fusses, three hangings - these tactics of women only work on those who deeply love them. Only they will soften their hearts and feel pain to the extreme. Those who don't love you, seeing your dead body, at most will shed a tear of sympathy, say 'what a pity!' and then continue with life as usual. Minmin, is your stubbornness meant to hurt your mother?"

  I shook my head vaguely, with a faint smile at the corner of my mouth: "However, if you don't want to marry that what's-his-name prince, it's possible to pretend to be desperate and threaten your Ama! As long as you give up on the idea of thirteen, I think it'll still work."

  She stared blankly, lost in thought. I quietly accompanied her by her side. Everything that needed to be said had been said. If she could understand, it would be for the best. If she couldn't understand, there was nothing more I could do. After all, it's her decision to make.

  After a long while, she said faintly: "Then I won't be able to be with Thirteen Brother again!" I replied softly: "Yes!"

  "Will I meet someone like Thirteen Prince again in the future?"

  I said softly, "Minmin, it's hard to say which is better between the moon and the stars. If you don't just lower your head and cry for missing the moon, maybe you'll see a sky full of stars! That's also a beautiful view that's not inferior to the moon!"

  Min Min gazed at me and asked: "And what about you? Will you forget Eighth Brother, forget the moon, and go find the stars?"

  I nodded firmly and said: "Will! I will open my eyes wide to find it, as long as that star belongs to me, I won't miss it."

  Mianmian looked at me for a long time, her eyes filled with tears, and said: "But I still want to cry!" I softly said: "Then go ahead and cry! Just don't cry for too long, okay? Remember, after you're done crying, quickly wipe away your tears and look up at the sky. Don't miss out on the stars that belong to you!"

  Before the words were out, Minmin had already thrown herself into my arms and burst into loud sobs. I held her, subconsciously patting her back gently, with tears welling up in my own eyes. I stared wide-eyed, tilting my head back, not letting them fall.