Heartbroken by his eldest niece, Yinzhen went to the Ministry of Revenue to bully others.

He was naturally meticulous and stubbornly miserly, and despite his status as a royal prince, he caused endless trouble for everyone else in the Ministry of Revenue.

Unlike Yinzhi, who was placed in the Ministry of Rites and whose chair was practically covered in mold from sitting there.

The matter of recovering the owed silver was suppressed by Emperor Kangxi. He felt extremely resentful that he had only harmed the Tong family and Lady Dong'e. He was determined to find other ways to squeeze more money out of these wealthy officials.

A few days later, Kangxi looked at the aggrieved looks on his ministers' faces and felt helpless, but he was secretly overjoyed.

Sometimes, seeing others having a hard time makes you happier.

He devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Qing Dynasty, rising early and retiring late, so his ministers naturally couldn't live comfortably. They shared the hardships together; none of them could escape.

Time passed by, and before we knew it, it was Mid-Autumn Festival.

The weather has really cooled down; it's no longer cold in the mornings and evenings and hot at noon, making it hard to know what to wear.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, families reunite for celebration. Not only in the Forbidden City, but throughout the entire Qing Dynasty, even in remote areas unsuitable for planting osmanthus trees, the fragrance of osmanthus permeates everywhere.

On this day, everyone, from laborers and vendors to powerful officials and courtiers, returned home early to reunite with their families.

The same applies to the palace; the Imperial Household Department has been preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival royal banquet for a month now.

From the ingredients for making mooncakes to the arrangements for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, even with past traditions to follow, it still keeps people extremely busy.

Tong Wanyan was the only mistress of Yuqing Palace, and even with the help of Granny Ling, she still suffered a great deal of exhaustion.

The weather was beautiful on Mid-Autumn Festival. In the evening, the moon was bright and the stars were few, making it especially beautiful under the illumination of the palace lanterns.

Royal banquets are not open to just anyone from the Aisin Gioro clan.

Within the imperial clan, only princes of the second rank and princes of the first rank were allowed to attend the banquet.

Moreover, they attended the earlier banquet; Kangxi's actual family banquet was to be held later.

Osmanthus blossoms fall in the moonlight, their heavenly fragrance drifting beyond the clouds.

When the full moon was high in the sky, Emperor Kangxi, the Empress Dowager, the concubines of the harem, the princes and their wives and concubines all took their seats at the banquet.

Not all the imperial concubines came. The banquet hall was only so big, and dancers and musicians had to occupy the space in the middle. Those who came included consorts of the rank of concubine or above, as well as Consort Wang, who had recently become quite favored.

Of Kangxi's children, only Yinti and Yinreng were married; the others were all alone.

Even so, the main hall was still packed with people.

Consort Hui and Consort Yi sat in the highest position among the concubines, looking radiant, one on each side, their status equal.

The Empress Dowager smiled like a Bodhisattva, sitting kindly in the middle. Emperor Kangxi, dressed in ordinary clothes, sat beside the Empress Dowager.

In front of each person's seat were dishes carefully prepared by the imperial kitchen, not steaming hot, but beautifully presented.

After a round of toasts and blessings, the Empress Dowager started eating first, and the others began to taste the food in front of them.

Yinreng quickly glanced at the table and said to Tong Wanyan, "These meat dishes are too oily and will get cold, so don't eat them. The fruit platter and pastries are quite nice. I wonder what kind of filling these mooncakes have. You like lotus seed paste, so there should be some."

Yinti and the First Princess Consort, listening nearby, felt a pang of jealousy. They knew the two of them had a good relationship, so there was no need to show it so openly.

Yinti's gaze was too intense, so Yinreng turned his head and smiled at him: "Brother, sister-in-law is pregnant, so you need to take good care of her."

"Oh? So the concubine is also pregnant?" Yinti couldn't help but tease Yinreng.

Their positions were very close to Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager, so they couldn't hide it from them.

Kangxi's eyes lit up, and the Empress Dowager immediately asked in Mongolian, "Has the Crown Prince already taken a concubine?"

Yinreng shook his head: "It's still early. Hongzhao and Tana haven't even turned one yet. But we need to take care of our health in advance, don't you think, Grandmother? If we're going to have a baby, we want the best one!"

Yinti grew up outside the palace and spoke Manchu fluently, but his Chinese and Mongolian were both terrible.

Yinreng and the Empress Dowager were speaking Mongolian. Yinti could understand them, albeit haltingly, but his replies were not fluent.

Kangxi glared at Yinreng, but it had little effect.

Yinreng smiled ingratiatingly, which amused Kangxi and the Empress Dowager.

It's so nice when kids play and roughhouse with each other; that's what makes it lively.

Sometimes, when the Empress Dowager was too lazy to listen to opera, she liked to find someone to tell her amusing stories about how Yinreng and Yinti would bicker whenever they met. These stories were vivid and fresh, much better than the opera excerpts she had listened to dozens of times without understanding them.

Yinreng, pretending to be entertaining his parents, turned around and chatted and laughed with Tong Wanyan in a good mood.

The twins were left in Yuqing Palace; they were too young to be taken out and exposed to the wind at night.

Among the imperial grandsons, the most attention was given to the eldest princess, the eldest daughter of the Grand Consort, Yinti.

The eldest princess was born in the 27th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, and is now less than two years old.

The little girl's appearance resembled that of the First Princess Consort, with a kind, round face and an endearingly naive charm. Her personality, however, was like that of Yinqi—lively, active, cheerful, and generous.

"Mother, my aunt is so beautiful." The eldest princess sat next to the eldest princess, close to Tong Wanyan.

She whispered to the First Princess Consort, and Tong Wanyan overheard her.

“The eldest princess is also very cute,” Tong Wanyan said softly with a smile, looking down.

Tong Wanyan smiled, and it was as if a layer of soft light was applied to the surroundings, making the beautiful princess feel dizzy.

The eldest princess was surprised that Tong Wanyan had heard her words. She widened her round eyes adorably and covered her mouth with her chubby little hands.

"Auntie, can I have a hug?" The eldest princess asked, feigning courage as she moved closer to Tong Wanyan.

She blushed shyly, and lowered her head in fear that Tong Wanyan would reject her.

Tong Wanyan adored the child; what a lovely child!

"Be careful when you hold the child, Consort. I've raised him to be quite sturdy; he looks fleshy, but he's even heavier when you hold him." From the moment she entered the palace, the First Consort was captivated by Tong Wanyan's radiant beauty, which was even more striking than before.

The First Princess Consort didn't mind letting her hold her, so Tong Wanyan immediately reached out and picked up the eldest princess, placing her on her lap.

Her relaxed, effortless demeanor seemed completely at odds with her slender wrists.

The First Princess Consort was astonished. She was half a head smaller than Tong Wanyan and occasionally practiced martial arts. Even so, she had to take a deep breath when holding her eldest daughter.

"Doesn't the concubine find it heavy?" the primary consort couldn't help but ask.

Tong Wanyan placed a piece of milk cake on the eldest princess's plate. It melted in her mouth and was more suitable than mooncakes.

She smiled gently and said, "I'm used to carrying Hongzhao and Tana. The two of them together aren't much lighter than the eldest princess. I wouldn't have thought of that before."

"That's true. Since getting married, she's completely different from when she was a young lady. Motherhood makes one strong!" The First Lady nodded in agreement.

The Grand Consort and Tong Wanyan found themselves getting along very well, and Emperor Kangxi was pleased with the outcome.

It's better to have a harmonious relationship with your sons, even if they're always arguing.