Qixiang Palace

It's another day for paying respects.

Yin Yi's wife, Shumulu, brought her two children, while Yin Yi's wife, Borjigit, brought her twins. The two sisters-in-law and their four children came together to visit their mother-in-law, Xiuning.

Knowing that the children were coming, Xiuning had the kitchen prepare all the food well in advance.

After the group entered, the children were led to a side hall next door for their meal.

Mother

Shumulu felt a little embarrassed, as they always treated them like royalty whenever they came over.

Xiuning smiled and said, "It's alright. The child is just greedy. We'll get some more when we get back."

In any case, the small kitchen only serves her. Although Xiu Ning's rank has not been promoted over the years, her treatment has been improved. Now her monthly allowance is comparable to that of an Imperial Noble Consort, making her the undisputed number one in the harem.

Borjigit replied in a cheerful voice, "Thank you, Mother. My two children love the pastries from Qixiang Palace the most. They will be very happy to be able to take some back today."

Unlike the Shumulu clan, the Borjigit clan possessed the bold and magnanimous spirit of Mongolian women.

In his daily life, he was unconcerned with formalities and got along very well with Prince Yinlu, who valued enjoyment.

Over the years, both families have had a few more women in their backyards.

It wasn't that Yinyi and Yinlu didn't respect them, but rather that this was a custom of feudal society, and everyone did it this way. If you were to go against the grain, you would be considered a heretic.

However, even with more women, the backyard managed by the two men remained as quiet as ever.

Although Shumulu did not have any more children, she took good care of the several illegitimate sons and daughters in her household.

Borjigit did give Yinlu two more princesses, so even though no illegitimate children were born in the mansion, Kangxi had no reason to complain.

Yes, that's right.

As Emperor Kangxi grew older, he became increasingly prone to being a chatterbox.

When they came to Qixiang Palace, the things they talked about most with Xiuning were the daily affairs of the princes' harems.

Yinlu himself was not ambitious, which was understandable, but Yinyi suffered more. Eight out of ten of Kangxi's remarks were directed at Yinyi.

However, Xiu Ning couldn't always help make amends, otherwise she would displease Kangxi, and what if he didn't mention these things next time he came?

You should know that Kangxi would only talk about politics if he didn't talk about private matters. At such times, Xiuning was afraid of getting involved in politics, so she preferred to listen to Kangxi rambling on and on.

"It's only the beginning of spring, and it's still very cold. Fourth brother's wife, you need to take good care of the two little ones at home."

Babies' bodies are too fragile; even a minor cold or flu can be fatal.

The two little princesses born to Borjigit are only a few months old now.

They had been arranging to bring him to the palace for her to see, but Xiuning stopped them.

When Borjigit heard her mother-in-law mention her youngest daughter, she laughed even more heartily.

"Mother, don't worry, your daughter-in-law knows better. Those two are quite mischievous these days. They like to play all day long. Even the Prince says the children are too naughty."

However, being a little mischievous is good, as it means the child is healthy and easy to raise.

Xiuning then added a couple more words in response to Borjigit's words, which made Shumulu, who was sitting to the side, envious.

Sigh, why is my belly still not showing any signs of pregnancy, while those women in the backyard have already given birth to several illegitimate children.

Shumulu couldn't help but grit her teeth, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Humans are inherently greedy; once life gets better, they'll want it to get even better.

Compared to the other princes' wives, Lady Shumulu was definitely living a good life.

But compared to her sister-in-law Borjigit, who had no illegitimate children in the mansion, Shumulu couldn't help but feel a little envious; she wished she could be like that too.

That was her thought, but reason stopped her.

Shumulu understood that she and Borjigit were completely different; one wanted to fight for the throne while the other wanted to make a living, so she could not tolerate Shumulu's willfulness.

The complex emotions flashed through my mind in an instant.

Shumulu quickly recovered, perked up, and joined Jin Xiuning and Borjigit's conversation with a smile.

Xiuning had long noticed some unusual things about Shumulu.

However, as a mother-in-law, there are some things I can say and some things I can't say.

Xiuning firmly adhered to this bottom line to avoid future mother-in-law/daughter-in-law problems.

Fortunately, Shumulu was not a fool. If they all followed the example of the Eighth Prince's wife, Guoluo, not only would the young ladies of the Guoluo clan have difficulty getting married, but she herself would also end up with nothing to gain.

The time spent paying respects passed quickly.

There are still matters to attend to at the residences of the Shumulu and Borjigit clans.

Xiuning didn't linger any longer, only letting her two daughters-in-law lead the four children, who had eaten and drunk their fill, away.

A large group of people walked out of Qixiang Palace with a clatter, leaving the once bustling palace courtyard quiet and deserted.

Xiuning didn't stay in the room any longer, but went to the tree with Chunyu.

The newly sprouted green branches swayed in the wind, also blowing up the stray hairs that should have been hanging down on both sides of Xiu Ning's temples.

"Master, it's cold, let's go back inside."

Chunyu glanced around and whispered a word of advice.

Xiu Ning put her hand on her arm and her eyes narrowed involuntarily. "No rush. His Majesty plans to tour the border regions. This is the first time in many years that I have stayed in the palace."

Normally, Xiuning was a regular on Kangxi's list.

Unless Emperor Kangxi did not bring any concubines, Xiu Ning would never have been absent from the list.

This time was different; the Emperor chose to bring Tong Jia Rongyue along, while Xiu Ning was required to stay behind to manage the harem.

Tsk, although I expected this day to come, I'm still so annoyed.

Xiuning was in a bad mood, a fact that everyone tacitly agreed upon after Kangxi announced the list of people who would accompany him on this trip to the border.

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