Chapter 73 Chapter 72

In May of the 60th year of Kangxi, the 14th moved to Ganzhou in an attempt to take advantage of the victory and go straight to Ili, the lair of Cewang Arabutan.However, due to the long distance and difficult transportation, it was difficult to keep up with the supply of food and grass, and no progress was made for a while.In October, Brother Fourteen was ordered to return to Beijing to report on his duties. The news that the Fourteenth Elder Brother was coming back instantly spread inside and outside the palace, and all the civil and military officials in the court were excited, wondering whether Kangxi's greatest reward for the Fourteenth Elder Brother was the dragon chair; People look forward to being lucky enough to have a glimpse of heroes who only appear in midnight dreams.

On November 14th, my brother returned to the Forbidden City after three years of absence, full of great reputation. All elder brothers, civil and military officials all went out of the city to meet them.I imagined the glory of the fourteenth elder brother when he returned, and a few smiles escaped from the corners of his mouth, but when he thought of the fourth elder brother standing in the crowd and witnessing the dazzling light, his smile became bitter.Does he have fear in his heart?Are you afraid that the glory of this moment will cover you forever? As soon as Zhang Qianying came in, the chattering girls scattered and squatted down to wash their clothes.Zhang Qianying reprimanded: "A bunch of bastards! They are lazy when they are picking up kung fu!" Everyone remained silent and let him yell at them.He scolded for a long time before stopping, walked to me and wanted to say something, but I ignored him, he stood silent for a long time, then turned and left.

On the second day, a few little girls rubbed their clothes listlessly and said, "I thought the Fourteenth Master would see you after he returned to Beijing! Only now do we know if we are lucky enough to bump into each other occasionally." He was talking and laughing. , Zhang Qianying walked into the courtyard, we greeted him, but he ignored him, just stood sideways respectfully.Everyone looked at each other wonderingly, my heart skipped a beat, and I was a little nervous for a moment. A strange voice said indifferently: "Order them all to go down first!" After speaking, the fourteenth elder brother walked into the yard with a bit of laziness in casual clothes. His handsomeness, on the contrary, added a bit of bewilderment, his lips were tightly closed, and his loose eyes looked at me with hidden inquiry and confusion.Zhang Qianying whispered to the crowd: "Have you not asked the Fourteenth Master to leave?"

The little girl in the courtyard was stunned and didn't respond at all. I lowered my head and smiled, and said, "Good luck, Lord Fourteen!" Then everyone woke up in a fright, and hurriedly greeted each other one after another.Fourteen ignored it and just stared at me.I became uneasy, looked at his complexion carefully, there was no trace of anger or emotion, and suddenly realized that he is really not the Fourteenth Elder Brother back then! Zhang Qianying reprimanded in a low voice: "Everyone back down!" Saying this, she left the yard first. Fourteen looked around, looked at the basin in front of me, and said slowly: "You have been in the Huanyi Bureau for more than six years, and I have proposed to Huang Ama three times, once in fifty-five years. Once every fifty-six years, Huang Ama did not agree. Today I proposed to Huang Ama again. I begged him to count it as a reward for me. I begged him to read it for the sake of your years of service. Forgive you, no matter how big your mistake is. , All these years of suffering are enough. Guess what Huang Ama told me?"

I was in a state of shock, he actually proposed marriage?At the time, I didn't know why I angered Kangxi?He smiled and asked: "Why? I made you look down on me so much? You would rather wash clothes for the eunuch here than follow me!" I was in a state of shock, he actually proposed marriage?At that time, you begged for me three times without knowing why I angered Kangxi?He smiled and asked: "Why? I made you look down on me so much? You would rather wash clothes for the eunuch here than follow me!" I was speechless, no, this has nothing to do with you.Things have come to this point, it is no longer a question of whether you are good or you are bad.

He walked up to me, stretched out his hand to lift my chin, and said with a slight smile: "It's okay to not talk today, or to change the topic, I have enough patience to wait for the answer!" I turned my head away from his cocoon With densely knotted and rough hands, I don't know where to start. He smiled lightly, withdrew his hand, walked to the side and randomly picked up a small bench, straightened his robe and sat down, with his arms on his knees, tilting his head and looking at me quietly.I thought for a while, walked up to Fourteen, knelt down and said, "It's not your problem, you're fine, very good! It's my fault." He raised his eyebrows slightly, motioning for me to continue.

I shook my head and said, "I really don't know what to say." He said, "Then let me ask, and you can answer." I nodded helplessly. He asked: "Do you have someone in your heart?" I hesitated, and told him, would it be bad for the fourth elder brother?He waited quietly for a while, then smiled and said, "Don't be embarrassed, you have already given me the answer! Is it the starling or the fourth brother?" I sighed and stood up and said, "Is it interesting to explore these?" Fourteen said: "It seems to be the fourth brother!" He sat silently with a smile on his head, and stood up after a while and asked: "He is a 'rich and idle person' in the mansion, but you are suffering here. You entrust your heart to me. Is he worth it?" I looked at him and asked, "Is it worth it for you to treat me like this?" He narrowed his eyes and looked out of the high wall, and his mind seemed to fly out of the high wall with his sight, to the point I couldn't guess place, and slowly said: "When you went to the horse race for me that day, I decided to treat you like Brother Thirteen in the future, treat you as a friend, treat each other sincerely, and try my best to protect you. Now I have tried my best, at least my heart No shame!"

I felt a lot more relaxed. It turned out to be like this. I said: "You don't have to do this. I was doing it for myself that day, and you didn't owe me anything." You can completely push all the responsibilities to me, so why take the risk of horse racing?" He withdrew his gaze and landed on my face, sighed softly and said, "You look haggard a lot!" I smiled and said, "You've become a lot more handsome!" He stared at me for a long time and asked, "Are you still unwilling to marry me?" ?” I nodded slightly.He smiled slightly and said, "You can do whatever you want! But if you don't want to stay here anymore, you can come to me anytime." I said, "Thank you!"

He nodded slightly and turned to leave. I called out, "Master Fourteen!" He stood still and turned to look at me.I asked: "Is there someone guarding outside?" He said: "If you have something to say, you can speak directly." I approached him, hesitated, and said: "You don't want to go back to the northwest." He said: "It depends on the emperor. Ama means." I said: "Now that the Junggar tribe is gone, you don't have to fight again. Besides, the emperor has favored you now, if you are firm and express your intentions, the emperor will listen."

He smiled and said: "Let's see again! Marching troops and fighting wars is not what you think, and changing the head coach is even more involved. Although the Junggar tribe suffered a heavy setback, it is too early to say that the situation is over. Back then, Huang Ama led the army twice. It took six years for Junggar to defeat Junggar, and the Great Khan Galdan committed suicide by taking poison. But in less than 20 years, Galdan’s nephew, Tsewang Anabutan, came again and made the Qing Dynasty suffer. The unprecedented shame of annihilating the entire army! It is not an exaggeration to say that they are the confidants of the Qing Dynasty! The sooner they are eliminated, the less troubles will be in the future."

I didn't know what to say, I was stunned for a while and said: "But the emperor is old, you..." He said: "Huang Ama and I know it well." I have finished what I can say, and after a moment of silence, I said, "I've finished my words." Fourteen shook his head and said, "You've been thinking about these things all day? Don't forget what Doctor Li told you back then, don't worry about it, and stop worrying." " I quickly put on a big smile and said, "I remember it!" He said solemnly, "It's not just 'remembering', but really letting go. We will worry about our affairs, and the most important thing for you is to Take care of yourself." I nodded, and Shisi said helplessly, "Why don't you learn more from him? He is practicing Zen and reciting scriptures, joking with Huang Ama." I bowed my head and said nothing, he sighed softly, turned and left. On April 15th in the sixty-first year of Kangxi, the fourteenth elder brother returned to the army under the order of Kangxi.When the news came, I heaved a long sigh. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. Should I be happy that the day when the fourth elder brother was not far away from the realization of his wish, or should I be sad because the ending that I didn’t want to witness was also approaching? I don't remember the exact day when Kangxi passed away. The only thing I can be sure of is that Kangxi will pass away this year.I have been by his side for ten years. I have admiration, admiration, fear, resentment, and sympathy for him.I am waiting for the last day between knowing and not knowing. On November 7th of the sixty-first year of Kangxi, Kangxi went to Nanyuan, the royal hunting ground, for a walk. On November 7th, he returned to Changchun Garden from Nanyuan due to illness.After being recuperated by the imperial physician, her condition began to improve, and countless hanging hearts inside and outside the palace came back to reality.But my heart is sad: it is already November, everything should not be far away. On the 11th, I was washing clothes at the Laundry Bureau. Wang Xi brought two maids in a hurry and said to Zhang Qianying, "Eunuch Li wants to see Ruoxi." Wang Xi came out. As soon as they went out, Wang Xi hurriedly saluted and said, "Sister, go wash up with them quickly and tidy up. I'll wait in the carriage." I saw that he looked anxious, and felt a little flustered, so he nodded hurriedly. The carriage drove towards the Changchun Garden, and I asked, "What's the matter?" Wang Xi said, "The emperor has been wanting to eat soft food for the past few days. I’m afraid I’m reminded of the crystal-clear pastries that melt in the mouth that my sister made many years ago. It’s too late for someone to learn, so I simply asked me to pick up my sister.” I asked in a low voice, "How is Long Live?" Wang Xi said, "It's much better! It's okay to review the memorials and meet the ministers, but it's easy to get tired." I nodded without saying a word. As soon as I got off the carriage, Yutan, who had been waiting for a long time, came up to meet me. I looked around the garden in the future for seven years, and was a little dazed for a while.Yutan smiled and took my hand, led me into the house and said: "Everything is ready, just wait for my sister to come." I nodded, and two maids I didn't know waited for me to wash my hands with my sleeves. Seeing my hands, they all showed surprise. I am doing every link extremely meticulously and strictly. This should be the last time I make something for Kangxi. I hope everything is perfect.Transparent glass bowls and dishes, green and clear mint lotus root pudding, embedded with small yellow chrysanthemums.Yutan picked it up carefully and left.Instruct someone to take me to her room to rest first, and then send me back after asking Li Wenda. I sat quietly in the room, seeming to think a lot, but also seemed to think about nothing.A strange little eunuch knocked on the door and came in and said, "Long Live Lord wants to see aunt." I froze for a moment, and he shouted: "Auntie!" When they got to the house, they didn't dare to take a step. Although they were both in the Forbidden City, they hadn't seen Kangxi for seven years, and now they felt a little scared. Wang Xi came out in a hurry, saw my complexion, and hurriedly said: "It's okay, Lord Long Live was silent for a while after eating what my sister made, and finally said lightly, 'This is not made by Yutan, bring her to see me!', I wondered if I was angry, and the master's expression was normal." Wang Xi came out in a hurry, saw my expression, and hurriedly said: "It's okay, after eating the things made by my sister, the Lord Long Live didn't speak for a long time, and finally said lightly, 'This is not made by Yutan, bring her to see me!' , I wondered if I was angry, and the master's expression was normal." I nodded and followed him.After entering, he didn't dare to lift his head, so he quickly knelt down to pay his respects.After kneeling quietly for a long time, I heard a tired voice say: "Get up!" I stood up, still standing still with my head still on. "Come here and let me see you." I lowered my head, walked over to stand on the kang, and Kangxi, who was sitting on a soft cushion, looked at me for a while and asked, "Why is your face so bad? Have you been ill?" I hurriedly bowed and said, "I'm fine .” Kangxi pointed to the footrest under the kang and said, "Sit down and talk!" After I saluted, I half-kneeled on the footrest.Kangxi asked me a few questions about my daily life and ordered me to leave. Standing outside the house, feeling at a loss, not knowing what to do?No one said to send me back, and there were mostly unfamiliar faces around me, where would I go?This garden is new to me. Wang Xi and Yu Tan came out in a hurry, saw that I was standing in a daze in the open space, and rushed forward to salute.Wang Xidao: "The master said to let my sister stay first." Yu Tan said: "It's not comfortable to live in the house that has been tidied up in a hurry, so my sister will come with me!" I asked, "Did Long Live Lord not let me go back?" Wang Xi said, "Long Live Lord didn't say anything, it was my master's own idea. But sister doesn't know? My master's meaning is probably what Long Live Lord meant. " Yutan said: "Li Wenda has stopped serving the Lord Long Live, I will accompany my sister back to the house first." Wang Xi said: "I can't leave now, I will go to see my sister later, I haven't talked properly for so many years, I But I'm holding back my stomach and want to say something." I smiled slightly and led Yutan to leave. Sleeping on the same bed with Yutan at night, the two of them babbled and babbled for most of the night, I have been sleeping less these years, I missed sleepiness, and I didn't feel sleepy at all. I asked: "Didn't the emperor mention that you would be released from the palace?" Yu Tan said: "The emperor probably doesn't know how old I am. There have been wars in the northwest for the past few years, the treasury has been strained, and disasters have continued. It's not because of drought in the north. It's the flood in the south, the emperor's heart is all on it, and he doesn't pay attention to us at all." "How could Li Wenda not pay attention? All the people in Qianqing Palace are under his control." Yu Tan said with a smile: "Li Wenda wished that I would stay! I have asked me twice, but I don't want to leave the palace. He didn't mention it anymore. Li Wenda is old, and his spirit is not as good as in previous years, so he can't pay attention to everything. But the emperor needs our attention even more. My father-in-law and I have served the emperor since we were young, and we are familiar with all the emperor's hobbies. They are all people who can stand on the stage. It will take three to five years to train another person who is pleasing to the eye. Now, Li Wenda has let us do everything that the prince and I can do." I deliberately asked her, do you really plan to marry in this life?But think about it, why make her sad?How could an ancient woman not want to find a lover to entrust her for life?It's just that the world is helpless, and the sky doesn't obey people's wishes! Yu Tan said with a smile: "Seeing that the emperor feels sorry for his sister, I reckon that my sister will come back to serve the emperor! But sister, you look really pale and thin. You need to take care of yourself when you come back." As a personal attendant, she also thought that Kangxi's illness was not a serious problem, so it seemed that everyone in the court took it lightly. Kangxi's illness... was shocked suddenly, and she sat up from the bed suddenly. Yu Tan hurriedly sat up and asked, "Sister, what's the matter?" No!Will not!But... what if it is true?Some people in later generations indeed suspected that Kangxi's sudden death was the result of the joint efforts of Yongzheng and Longkodo. I felt chills all over my body, Yutan asked in surprise: "Sister, what's the matter?" I took her hand and asked: "These few days, how often has the Fourth Prince come?" Yutan said: "Come every morning and evening. Sometimes even come three or four times. Sometimes the emperor is not in good spirits, and when the other elder brothers don’t want to see him, he will also meet the fourth prince. The day before yesterday, he sent the fourth prince to the Temple of Heaven to fast on behalf of the emperor, so that he can perform a great ceremony on behalf of the emperor on the 15th.” "Where is Long Kedo?" Yu Tan said: "Now he is being favored by the emperor. The emperor trusts him very much and often summons him." I rested my head and sighed, and lay down again.Yu Tan also lay back and asked, "Sister, how do you do this?" "You have been serving the emperor all the time, which elder brother do you think the emperor likes the most?" Yu Tan said in a low voice: "It should be the fourteenth master. The emperor has been hesitating these days whether to call the fourteenth master back to Beijing I'm afraid the Fourteenth Lord is coming back soon." My heart was cold, and I murmured: "But the emperor is also very kind to the Fourth Lord." Yu Tan said: "Yes! Now the fourteenth master and the Fourth Lord are the most favored among the elder brothers. Lord, because of this, the emperor often looks at the brand of Defei Empress, which is very rare among empresses of similar age, which shows that the grace is extraordinary." Tossing and turning, over and over again, I didn't close my eyes all night, thinking about it, and then I suddenly asked myself, don't be influenced by those historical knowledge that may not be correct, and only look at the fourth elder brother who I perceive and know, will he be like this?The answer that came to mind was that he would not!Think again carefully, still not!My heart gradually settled down, he won't!