LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 11 - The First Dream
He hadn’t intended for anyone to notice. The sudden wave of melancholy wasn’t something worth discussing.
Moreover, when he returned, even He Baozhong, who had been by his side since childhood, hadn’t noticed anything unusual. As always, he had hidden it well—he first went to the Chunben Hall study to take care of matters, changed his clothes, and even had a light meal.
The only thing that seemed off was when he sent Yang Gege away, his tone was a little stiff, almost revealing his true feelings.
Yang Gege left with red eyes, and to his surprise, Cheng Gege stared at him for a long time. He had planned to tease her, “What’s wrong, haven’t seen me for a few days and now you don’t recognize me?” But she furrowed her brows and said first, “Your Highness, how did you wear yourself out like this?”
Yinreng was genuinely stunned.
“Come in and rest for a while.” She tugged at his sleeve, leading him into her room. “You look completely drained, you must be exhausted. I’ve made some fresh tea…”
He Baozhong, who had been following behind, heard this and looked at the prince’s clothes in confusion. He muttered quietly, wondering where the gray was on his clothes—weren’t they clean? There wasn’t even a crease.
Yinreng passively allowed her to guide him across the threshold, hearing her words. “Gray?” How did she think to describe his mood as a color? It was odd, yet… fitting.
Suddenly, a light seemed to dawn before his eyes.
Cheng Gege’s room was very different from side concubine Li’s or Yang Gege’s.
She liked the wind, so there were no screens in her room. The windows were often wide open, making the space feel bright and airy. The wind, carrying the fragrance of tea, seemed to penetrate his entire being, and in an instant, he felt at ease.
On the four-legged bronze incense burner, there were dried orange peels and grapefruit rinds, an odd combination. The floor was covered with wicker mats, with a low table holding a large tea pot, gently releasing steam. He could smell the scents of mandarin, apple, grapefruit, and black tea.
The quiet of Qianqing Palace, the delicate furnishings of side concubine Li’s room, the grandeur of Yang Gege’s room. Since Chunben Hall was always filled with the scent of pine incense, both of their rooms also carried a cold, clean pine fragrance. But for him, Chunben Hall was just a place to work. He used it as the internal affairs office set it up for him, not wanting to make people gossip about his difficult temperament, so he never bothered to change it.
In truth, he didn’t even like the pine scent; it had a cold, bitter woodiness to it.
Cheng Gege’s place, however, was entirely to her own taste. If she had baked some treats today, it smelled sweet; if she had brewed tea, the room smelled of tea; and if she had picked some flowers on a whim, the fragrance of flowers filled the air.
He knew that people in Yuting Palace were speculating about why Cheng Gege had gained favor. Some said it was because of novelty, others because of her beauty, and some claimed it was simply good luck. But none of them got to the heart of it. The truth was, he liked the way she was so cheerful. The women in the palace seemed to carry a certain air of weariness, but she didn’t.
She had a way of living, a presence that didn’t twist every word and action to hidden intentions.
Cheng Gege happily showed him the new chair she had made, and he graciously sat in it.
It was quite nice.
He had no intention of sleeping, but unexpectedly, holding onto the soft cloth doll, with a blanket over him, the rocking chair gently swaying lulled him into a peaceful sleep.
Cheng Wanyun hadn’t expected that, just by turning around to brew some tea, she would find the Crown Prince deeply sunk into the sofa lounger, covered with her rabbit blanket, hugging her rabbit pillow, and sound asleep in an instant.
She couldn’t help but pout.
This was the room she had painstakingly arranged with great effort. The coverlet, made of brocade on one side and lamb wool on the other, had taken her three days to embroider! The long-legged rabbit pillow, which was as tall as her, had cost her an entire month’s worth of cotton from her allowance!
And the lounger—she had specially commissioned it from the workshop, spending not only ten taels of silver, but also having Qingxing and Bitao stay up for several nights just to finish the cotton cover. Lying on it felt like sinking into a fluffy cloud.
She had placed the lounger under the south-facing window, with half-rolled bamboo blinds. The afternoon wind brought warm sunlight, and it streamed in through the intricately carved window without any obstruction, slanting across the room and bathing the person in its glow. Lying there felt like being immersed in spring itself.
A pot of tea, the sound of the wind rustling through the treetops—ah, spring was so wonderful.
But now… she could only stand and watch.
Feeling envious, Cheng Wanyun reluctantly sat down on a nearby cushion, tending to the small stove as she brewed fruit tea.
She was very good at comforting herself—first, she brewed the tea. As Eunuch He had said, the Crown Prince would be leaving soon, the palace was busy, and the Crown Prince had a lot to do. Once he left, she would be able to lie down, sip her tea, and watch the sunset.
#
Yinreng was awakened by the scent of tea.
He opened his eyes, still a bit dazed and unsure of where he was. When he looked down and saw himself holding an oddly shaped pillow, he remembered, oh, this isn’t a pillow… Cheng Gege had said it was the rabbit plush toy she made.
Because she was born in the Year of the Rabbit.
He couldn’t help but chuckle. This rabbit was really ugly.
But in the next moment, he remembered the dream he had just had… How… could he have had such a dream?
In the dream, it was the 26th of April, 1689, the 28th year of Kangxi’s reign.
Kangxi had appointed the First-Class Duke, Suoetu, as the imperial envoy, along with General Tong Guogang, Bandar Shan, General Sabusu, and others as members of the delegation, along with the missionaries Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng as translators. They were sent to negotiate peace with the Russian Empire at the Niu Chu border.
They brought along 3,000 soldiers. After over two months of travel, in June, Suoetu and the others arrived at Niu Chu ahead of the Russian envoy. The accompanying fleet anchored on the riverbank, and the troops set up camp.
On the 5th of July, Suoetu, having waited for over a month, was growing increasingly frustrated. The Russian envoy arrived late and, when sending a messenger to meet Suoetu, arrogantly and stubbornly made demands: “The location of the negotiations should be determined by the Russian side, and the number of personal guards for both sides should not exceed 300.”
If it hadn’t been for Tong Guogang and Bandar Shan desperately holding him back, Suoetu might have kicked that yellow-haired man out of the camp.
In the end, after being persuaded by Sabusu and others, Suoetu reluctantly agreed to the Russian envoy’s demands but ordered his personal guards to carry long knives and muskets, with ammunition loaded and bayonets drawn during the negotiations.
Even the 3,000 water soldiers camping on the riverbank remained in full armor every day, with their knives tightly gripped, standing ready.
The Russian envoy was named Golovin, an old fox in negotiations.
On the first day of negotiations, the Russian envoy immediately played the villain, accusing the Qing Empire of being the aggressor that started the conflict between the two nations and demanding significant concessions. Suoetu immediately slammed the table and cursed loudly: “Yakesa, Niu Chu, Lake Baikal, and even Mongolia—those are all Qing territory! What nonsense are you talking? You come to my house, steal my cattle and sheep, and then blame me for beating you too hard? I spit! If it weren’t for His Majesty’s mercy, I would’ve marched all the way to your… what’s it called… fortress today!”
He then turned to the translators, Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng, and yelled, “Translate this to him, and don’t miss a single word!”
Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng: ‘… You’re putting us in a tough spot, Fat Tiger.’
When Yinreng was dreaming, it felt as if he were standing right there in the negotiation tent, witnessing the scene. At that moment, he even thought about going over to pull on his uncle’s sleeve. While his uncle had a point, he should have controlled his temper a bit.
The spit was practically flying into Golovin’s face.
The first day of negotiations ended unhappily, with both sides probing each other through indirect statements and mutual testing.
The tense atmosphere continued into the second day.
At the long table, Suoetu sat firmly, slamming his dagger onto the table to make his point: “The Russians have forcibly occupied the land north of the Amur River. Not only should they return Niu Chu, Yakesa, and other territories, but the boundary should be drawn along the Lena River and Lake Baikal. From now on, the Russians and their cattle and sheep are not allowed to cross over into the Mongolian and Baikal regions to the east!”
Golovin strongly opposed this and suggested the boundary could only extend as far as the Niuman River.
Suoetu refused, and Golovin sneered, looking at Suoetu with contempt through his ice-blue eyes: “The Khalka Mongols have already been occupied by Galdan. Why are you asking us for them? You should be asking Galdan! Furthermore, the Tsar has already stationed three hundred archers in the city of Niu Chu, and as an imperial envoy, you should show more respect during negotiations.”
Suoetu was shocked upon hearing that the Khalka Mongols had been lost. There had been rumors about Galdan’s rebellion last year, and the Qing Empire had made preparations to send troops to the northern deserts. But Galdan had actually occupied the Khalka Mongols in less than half a year?
Even though he knew it was just a dream, Yinreng couldn’t help but feel heavy-hearted.
Galdan had been rebellious for a long time. As early as the fifteenth year of Kangxi’s reign, he had occupied the southern regions, expanding his influence across the Tianshan Mountains. The following year, he even captured the Dalai Lama, forcing him to grant him the title of “Boshokh Tü Khan.” He had already seized Yarkand, and now he had taken the Khalka Mongols. He would never stop here.
In his dream, Yinreng was somehow able to analyze the situation calmly. The twelve tribes of the Khalka Mongols had always been kept divided, as per Kangxi’s orders, to prevent them from uniting and breaking away from Qing control. If Galdan were to truly conquer all of the Khalka Mongols, the next target might very well be Inner Mongolia’s Ujumuqin, a move intended to threaten the capital!
A wolf’s ambition!
The Mongols were crucial to the Qing Empire’s rule. Mongolia served as both a barrier and a sharp sword, but this sword’s blade could not be turned inward. Otherwise, why did both of the late Emperor’s consorts come from the Khorchin steppe?
Meanwhile, Suoetu knew that he could not show weakness at this moment. So, he suppressed his astonishment, remained unfazed by the Russian envoy’s threats, and instead laughed: “Are you trying to scare me? Do you think a few hundred guns can make me submit? When I mounted my horse with a saber, you probably didn’t even know where you were, crawling in the mud! If you want to fight, come on! Soldiers, heed my command!”
“Yes!”
“Cross the river with the entire army!”
Golovin’s face changed immediately upon hearing the translation. He laughed and quickly explained that it was all a misunderstanding.
He then declared a recess.
Suoetu seized the opportunity to leave, sending urgent dispatches back to the capital, informing them that Galdan had already invaded the Khalka Mongols. His expression was extremely serious—he feared the capital might still be unaware of this development.
No one could have anticipated how quickly Galdan acted.
At this moment, when Golovin was leaving, he looked back and noticed that the Qing delegation’s translators were two foreigners. He considered bribing them, hoping they would tamper with the negotiation documents. However, to his surprise, Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng resolutely refused to accept any gifts from the Russians, repeatedly turning them down.
When one plan failed, Golovin quickly hatched another. They suddenly softened their previously tough stance and extended an olive branch to the Qing delegation, offering to apologize to Suoetu and inviting them to a banquet as a gesture of goodwill.
Yinreng watched helplessly as Suoetu walked right into the trap.