Muxue was deep in thought when Mama Kang suddenly came over, looking as if she had something to say.
Muxue gave Gua'erjia Shi a gentle smile. "Thank you for telling me all this; I've learned a lot. Please, enjoy the food and drink. I'll have the kitchen bring out more refreshments, which should be quite nice as well."
After a few polite words, Muxue walked forward. Mama Kang hurried to keep up and whispered, "Over in the West courtyard, the Consort and the others have had a bit too much to drink and have started wrestling."
Wrestling? Muxue was utterly confused.
In the garden of the West courtyard, the men were gathered in a circle, erupting with cheers:
"Good job, little Junwang!"
"Celeng, not bad at all!"
Dorji exerted his strength, reaching out to pin Celeng's arm, but Celeng's reactions were lightning-fast. He ducked and twisted to the right, narrowly avoiding the grasp. The two went back and forth, and it truly seemed as though neither would emerge the victor.
During their standoff, Celeng happened to be facing the corridor. His gaze inadvertently fell upon the Fourth Princess in her formal finery, and he froze for a split second.
Dorji seized this opening immediately. He gave a violent shove, sending Celeng stumbling, and followed it up with a swift grapple and throw—
The match was decided.
The guests roared with laughter, shouting Dondob Dorji's name in celebration.
Dorji reached out a hand to the fallen Celeng and hauled him up. "It’s been years since we last met, but your skills haven't dulled one bit. Impressive!"
Celeng stood up and patted the dust off his clothes with a bitter smile. "I can't compare to you. You've been honing your skills directly on the battlefield."
Dorji shrugged. "I would rather there be no war at all."
Celeng gave another wry smile and reminded him, "The Princess is here."
Hearing this, the crowd followed Celeng's gaze. For a moment, everyone was busy bowing and paying their respects.
Dorji turned around and grinned. "The Fourth Princess has arrived at just the right time."
He strode toward Muxue with an air of reckless pride. "Did you see me win just now?"
Childish.
Muxue thought this to herself, yet the corners of her mouth curved upward for an instant.
The Dorji before her looked a bit like a proud rooster. For the sake of wrestling, he had removed his outer robe, leaving only his inner tunic. One could vaguely see the outline of his physique—broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His muscles were still taut from the fight, making him a standout among young men.
She cleared her throat. "Aren't you cold?"
Dorji laughed and held his palm out to her. "Feel for yourself."
Muxue's eyes darted playfully, and she raised her hand to slap his palm. She hit her mark, but his hand immediately tightened around hers.
"Didn't you say we should act like a devoted couple in front of others?" Dorji leaned close to her ear, his voice very soft and laced with mischief.
In front of so many people, Muxue couldn't easily pull her hand away. She simply shot him a glare and let him have his way.
Dorji led her around with a beaming smile before introducing the others. "This is Celeng, and that is his brother. They are both from our Khalkha. They came to the capital in the thirty-first year of the reign, and in the blink of an eye, five years have passed. We've finally met again."
The Celeng brothers dropped to their knees and cupped their hands. "This servant pays his respects to the Fourth Princess."
Muxue felt that Celeng looked somewhat familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before. She couldn't remember, so she let it go.
She said, "There is no need for such ceremony; we are all family here. Have you grown accustomed to living here after coming from Khalkha?"
"To answer the Fourth Princess, thanks to the Master's grace, everything is quite well," Celeng replied.
Celeng's brother, Gongge Labutan, was a man of candid spirit. He said with a laugh, "All is well. The Master bestowed a mansion and titles upon us. Our grandmother was a bit uneasy at first, but she’s completely at peace now. There's only one thing she worries about—my brother is at this age and still hasn't married. However—"
"Gongge Labutan, have you had a bit too much to drink?" Celeng stared at him.
"Uh… perhaps, it seems I am a bit drunk."
Dorji said, "You've only had a few cups; you need more practice. How can a man of our Khalkha have such a poor tolerance for alcohol? Oh, Celeng, I remember you are two or three years older than me. Are you really not married yet?"
Celeng smiled. "Soon."
The talkative Gongge Labutan added, "This time, my brother finally took a liking to the match Grandmother picked out. They plan to choose an auspicious day after the New Year to wed. If the Consort is free then, please grace us with your presence for a wedding drink."
"If I haven't left the capital yet, I will certainly go," Dorji said. "Though, perhaps when the spring flowers bloom, we will be returning to Khalkha."
He actually wanted to ask Celeng if he wished to return to their homeland, but when his eyes met Celeng's, the latter gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head.
Dorji understood.
With so many high officials of the Qing court present, it was inconvenient to say much. He simply patted Celeng’s shoulder in silence.
Gongge Labutan, however, looked a bit wistful. "By then, the grass in Khalkha will be green for another year."
But they could not go back. Before coming to the banquet, his brother had warned him very sternly.
"If the Consort mentions anything about returning to Khalkha, you must not say you want to go back."
"Why? Isn't Galdan defeated now?"
Celeng had cautioned him, "Why? Because the Imperial grace is vast. We have received the Master's kindness. Where the Master is, that is where we, his servants, must be."
Gongge Labutan was still somewhat confused, but he understood one thing: he could never go back to his homeland.
The sound of the pipa suddenly rose. The opera troupe, seeing that the wrestling had ended, began playing again. An actor dressed as Wu Song took the stage in full makeup to perform "Wu Song Fights the Tiger."
The crowd's attention was drawn away.
Seeing that no major trouble had occurred, it wasn't appropriate for Muxue to stay there indefinitely. She gave a few instructions about not drinking too much and said some polite words about enjoying the festivities before turning to leave.
Beile Haishan from Prince Gong's Mansion patted Dorji’s shoulder and sighed with emotion. "You and the Fourth Princess really do have a good relationship."
"Of course," Dorji said, his face glowing with delight. "She loves me deeply; she's just too thin-skinned to say it out loud."
"For such a match made in heaven, you must have a few more drinks."
"Fine, let's drink until we drop!"
"Cheers!"
The banquet was a success, leaving both host and guests happy. Everyone remarked on how affectionate the Fourth Princess and her Consort were. A few days later, when Muxue went into the palace for a feast, Yi Fei said to her with a smile, "That Consort of yours is quite bold and sincere. In front of so many people, he still wouldn't let go of your hand."
Muxue felt her face burning with embarrassment. "He's just a bit… eccentric."
"You mustn't speak of your Consort that way; save him some face," Yi Fei said. "I feel much more at ease now that you've managed this banquet so properly."
"Was Aunt not at ease before?"
"Of course not." Yi Fei pushed a plate of milk pastry on the heated k'ang table toward her. "You used to be so quiet and reserved. I was truly worried that after you set up your own mansion, your life would be a mess."
Muxue laughed. "It wouldn't have come to that."
She took a milk pastry, broke it in half, and handed a piece to Yi Fei. "It's just that one doesn't know the price of rice and oil until one runs a household. I understand that now."
This single banquet, counting the food, wine, and the cost of the opera troupe, had cost a hundred and ten taels of silver—basically equivalent to her entire monthly stipend. And that was with Nanny Wu hovering over the expenses like a mother hen with an abacus.
At this rate of spending far more than she earned, her ten thousand taels of dowry silver would be gone in three to five years.
Yi Fei looked toward the outer room. "You didn't bring your nanny today."
"Today is the Preliminary New Year; I let her go home for the festival."
Yi Fei said, "That nanny of yours is good in every other way, but there's one thing—she is perhaps a bit too frugal. When you were little, she once got into an argument with someone over a single tael of silver for tea and snacks."
"That happened?"
"Yes," Yi Fei recalled the scene and felt like laughing. "It was brought before me. She was crying her eyes out, snot and all, yet she was still full of arguments. She said that while Guo Guiren was gone, our princess couldn't be bullied. Not even for a single tael, or a string of cash, or a copper coin—what belonged to our princess could not be swindled away."
Listening to Yi Fei perfectly mimic Nanny Wu's tone, Muxue couldn't help but laugh.
After they had laughed for a while, Yi Fei said, "But still, you are a princess. You cannot learn to be that stingy. The necessary appearances must be maintained."
She added with concern, "I heard your mansion still has the original staff assigned to it. You should add more people; otherwise, when you truly go to Khalkha, you'll lose your sense of grandeur."
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind," Muxue promised.
Yi Fei looked at her and asked, "Is there any good news yet?"
"Uh, it hasn't been that long," Muxue said awkwardly.
Yi Fei sighed. "True."
She looked out the window, where the red walls reflected the white snow. "Well, once this New Year passes, you will be leaving me to go to Khalkha."