Having received Yinreng's approval, Jiarong and Princess Shuo returned to Prince Su's residence with satisfaction.

Yinreng, feeling jealous, held Tong Wanyan's hand until they entered the South Courtyard. Then, he picked her up and carried her into the house.

“You and Jia Rong are leaning against each other,” Yinreng said.

Tong Wanyan looked at him, puzzled: "Hmm?"

"I have never done this to you in public!" Yinreng said, feeling somewhat aggrieved.

Tong Wanyan chuckled and pinched Yinreng's cheek: "Oh dear, is my lord jealous? The smell of vinegar is so strong, it's making my bones melt."

Yinreng glared at her, annoyed, but his face was already distorted from being pinched, so glaring at her only made him laugh more.

"You little rascal, how dare you laugh at me? It seems I don't need to send the gift I specially prepared for you," Yinreng said, raising a slight brow with his phoenix eyes.

Tong Wanyan immediately released her grip on his face. It wasn't that she was blinded by love, but Yinreng's face did indeed feel very nice to touch.

"You're so kind, how could I possibly let you down! Just thinking about how you traveled all that way to choose a gift for me, I can't help but be moved. Look, your eyes are brimming with tears, you can't help it." Tong Wanyan shamelessly flattered.

Yinreng ripped her face open with his backhand, instantly turning her oval face into a flattened egg.

"Are you sleepy?" Yinreng revealed the truth.

Tong Wanyan bristled and pounced on him, whining, "I don't care! The gifts Master prepared for me aren't being given to me, and now he wants to give them to some little vixen? I'll tear them apart!"

Yinreng loved watching her act up: "I'll stay with you for a while, and you'll see it when you wake up."

A gentleman's word is as good as gold, and Tong Wanyan trusted Yinreng, so she naturally fell asleep comfortably, her head resting on his arm.

A gentle smile appeared on Yinreng's face: "I will protect you and make sure you are always happy and carefree."

His voice was soft, like a mosquito's hum to Tong Wanyan, who was half asleep.

Tong Wanyan turned over impatiently and muttered, "Stop messing around."

"Meow."

The soft meows of a kitten rang in Tong Wanyan's ears.

Tong Wanyan frowned slightly, her eyes still dazed from sleep, and opened them.

A short-legged white kitten with a round face stood on a footstool, meowing softly at Tong Wanyan.

Seeing its pitiful and delicate appearance, Tong Wanyan quickly hugged it in her arms.

"Little darling, what's wrong? Didn't you eat?" Tong Wanyan skillfully scratched the little fat cat's chin.

Yinreng walked over from the next room: "I knew you would like it. My maternal uncle bought it from a foreigner, I think it's called a Munchkin cat. I knew you liked these silly little things, so I asked for it."

What he didn't say was that Suo'etu also gave him a woman, which he then gave to his cousin.

Unaware of the situation, Tong Wanyan and her cat simultaneously turned to stare at Yinreng, their large, watery eyes making Yinreng so happy he couldn't move.

Yinreng's expression was unfocused, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but curl up before he suppressed it.

"Grandpa, the hydrangea is so beautiful." Tong Wanyan stroked the little fat cat, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Yinreng was taken aback at first, then belatedly realized which one the "embroidered ball" was referring to.

"Hmm," Yinreng said, "Not as good-looking as you."

Tong Wanyan's cheeks immediately flushed red, making her look incredibly beautiful.

“The hydrangea is also very beautiful.” Tong Wanyan did not refute Yinreng’s words.

Of course, she was the best in Yinreng's eyes and heart; no one could compare to her.

After laughing for a while, Tong Wanyan started to worry again.

"Tana and Hongzhao are still too young to raise hydrangeas!" Tong Wanyan looked at the hydrangea with regret, unconsciously touching it a couple more times.

She loves short-legged, chubby cats the most, and that's how she's always been.

Yinreng keenly observed her hand movements and said with a gentle expression, "There are servants in the cat and dog shed to take care of them, so it won't be a problem. You can play with them occasionally, but you don't need to worry about anything else."

Tong Wanyan looked up happily: "That would be perfect."

Tana and Hongzhao are only four months old and can't be carried around too much. The two little ones are sleepy and love to eat, keeping each other company, and sometimes they even complain that their parents are a nuisance.

As the days went by, Yuqing Palace became even more relaxed and comfortable after losing a concubine.

Li Jia, Tang, and Fan seemed to have resigned themselves to their fate, closing themselves off to live their own lives and refusing to cause any trouble.

Yinreng treated them well, providing them with the finest food, drink, and clothing. Their brothers and parents, favored by the Crown Prince, thrived in the court, their official positions rising steadily.

In this way, even if one lives a life of widowhood, it's not too bad. It's better than losing one's life for nothing.

The 29th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign was destined to be a turbulent year. Even with the comforting words of the monk Zhenhuan, Galdan still caused trouble.

Galdan ignored Emperor Kangxi's advice and led 20,000 elite cavalry south from Hulun Lake, marching into Inner Mongolia. His vanguard reached the Ujuchin tribe, less than a thousand miles from the capital. Such wolfish ambition and blatant provocation were intolerable to Emperor Kangxi.

Emperor Kangxi personally issued an edict ordering Galdan to cease hostilities and return the former territory of Khalkha Mongols.

The capital city also quickly reinforced its military forces, ready to send out a large army at any time to quell the rebellion.

Because of this incident, Yinreng stayed in the side hall of Qianqing Palace for three consecutive nights, with Yinti also present.

If Galdan is not eliminated, Emperor Kangxi will be resentful and feel ashamed.

Inside the side hall, the candlelight crackled and popped.

Yinzhi, who had come to join the fun, whispered as he watched Kangxi and Yinti advocating for war: "Father is kind. He can reward Galdan with a title and silver to persuade him to surrender. War will only bring suffering to the people, making their lives miserable and the national treasury empty."

If Emperor Kangxi had been a mild-mannered person, Yinzhi's words would have been exactly what he wanted.

But Kangxi was different. He was an ambitious ruler, and the blood of the Manchus, who loved conquest, flowed in his veins.

"Third Brother is short-sighted. Galdan has enormous ambitions. In just a few years, he has slaughtered and annexed the Mongol tribes, and his power has become immense. The people of the capital are the people, but are the people of the northwestern frontier, who have suffered from the ravages of war, not subjects of the Qing Dynasty?" Yinzhen retorted angrily.

Emperor Kangxi, who was almost bursting into a tirade of anger, softened his expression upon hearing his words.

This was the first time Kangxi had truly looked at his fourth prince six months after the death of the Imperial Noble Consort.

"The fourth prince is right. Baocheng, what do you think?" Kangxi asked.

"Fourth brother is right. Furthermore, I believe that Galdan's defection to Tsarist Russia is an act of inviting a wolf into the house, which will also bring disaster to the Qing Dynasty. In short, if Galdan is not completely eliminated, the Qing Dynasty will never have peace. Galdan must die, and this battle can only be a great victory!"

Such a domineering move, such foresight, perfectly suited Emperor Kangxi's mind.

Emperor Kangxi said with satisfaction, "What Bao Cheng said is exactly what I was thinking. Therefore, I will personally lead the expedition!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall knelt down.

"Father, you are the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. There are no mercy on the battlefield, how can you risk your life!" Yinti said with tears in his eyes.