Lanqin and the others stood up, awaiting Emperor Kangxi. A moment later, a somewhat thin figure in bright yellow robes entered. Kangxi looked thinner and less than well. His golden dragon robe was embroidered with a ferocious golden dragon in seven-colored gold thread. A pair of bright red court beads hung from his chest. Liang Jiugong followed behind Kangxi, followed by several of his newest and most favored young concubines.

The four consorts had arrived long ago, as had Consort Liang; they all sat with Kangxi on the viewing platform. The princes arrived one by one as well. Lanqin watched as the Fourth Prince and his brothers sat to Kangxi's right, the Fourth Prince naturally sitting closer to him due to his age. The Crown Prince was not present; the Prince of Zhi was naturally the prince closest to Kangxi.

Lanqin felt a surge of excitement. It was a pity the imperial guard was missing the Tenth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Princes; otherwise, it would have been almost complete. Even the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Princes, all just thirteen or fourteen years old, were present. Lanqin couldn't help but glance at the Seventeenth Prince, the young prince in "Empresses in the Palace" who was portrayed as having an affair with Zhen Huan. Now, he was just an eleven-year-old boy. He was born to Consort Shu, with striking features, remarkably similar to his mother. He would later be the only brother besides the Thirteenth Prince to live the longest during the Yongzheng era and be highly regarded by the Fourth Prince—Prince Guo!

Once everyone had arrived, the palace banquet began. One by one, palace maids dressed in red cotton robes with blue shoulder straps, their hair styled in a single bun, and each with a small red silk flower pinned to either side of their head, began to carry the imperial dishes to the Imperial Garden like a flowing stream.

Lanqin then realized that tables had been set up in every available space around the Imperial Garden, and everyone who could attend had already arrived. Lanqin saw many unfamiliar faces flash by, but she didn't recognize a single one of them.

Emperor Kangxi sat on the throne in the middle of the Rain-Watching Pavilion, surrounded by beautifully dressed women in palace attire on both sides, creating a magnificent and luxurious royal atmosphere.

Once the lids of the dishes were opened, it was clear that while the imperial cuisine looked appealing, it didn't taste very good. In the dead of winter, by the time it was served, it was already half-cold, and even the most delicious dishes wouldn't taste as good.

"Consort Niu, come, let me toast you!" Consort Ma was clearly adept at social interaction among consorts. "These dishes are getting cold, let's have some wine to warm up."

Lanqin nodded, then picked up the wine glass in front of her and clinked glasses with Consort Ma in mid-air. Consort Chu, sitting to her right, seemed to be in a bad mood and didn't pay much attention to Lanqin and Consort Ma.

Suddenly, a classical flute melody rang out, followed by seven or eight women dressed in grassland attire appearing out of nowhere in the open space in the middle of the Imperial Garden. The Manchus were a minority group, so their court dances were mostly grassland-style.

After watching the dance for a few moments, Lanqin turned her gaze to the side where the princes were seated. Coincidentally, the Fourth Prince also seemed to be looking at Lanqin. Their eyes met, and they exchanged a silent exchange of affection in mid-air before giving each other a sweet smile.

"Hehehe, Consort Niu and the Fourth Prince's relationship is just right!" Madam Ma noticed and teased.

After Lanqin withdrew her gaze, she blushed and said, "Consort Ma, do you think this dance is quite good?"

Lanqin didn't dislike this Ma woman; she seemed straightforward and cute, without any deep-seated scheming.

Madam Ma knew that Lanqin was changing the subject, but she didn't call her out on it. Instead, she genuinely followed Lanqin's instructions and glanced at the dance a few more times, saying, "Isn't it the same every year? Besides, I think the dances of women from Jiangnan are still the most graceful. It's said that Emperor Shunzhi's concubine, Consort Dong'e, came from Jiangnan!"

Upon hearing this secret from the previous dynasty, Lanqin's heart stirred. She had watched many TV dramas that romanticized the legendary love story between Emperor Shunzhi and Consort Dong'e, but most of them were far-fetched. In fact, Consort Dong'e's surname alone indicated that she was definitely not a Han woman. Clearly, Madam Ma's words showed a lack of understanding of that secret from the previous dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Madam Chu couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh a few times, as if mocking Madam Ma's ignorance.

"What are you laughing at?" Madam Ma couldn't stand Chu's icy expression.

"Dong Eshi is the daughter of Grand Minister E Shuo. What connection does she have with Jiangnan?" said Madam Chu.

When Ms. Ma was interrupted like that, she immediately lost face and angrily burped to the side.

"This fish soup is quite good, want to try it?" Lanqin picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of fish. The two of them were arguing, and she was caught in the middle—it was really awkward.

Just then, the dance ended, and a series of loud drumbeats suddenly rang out in the arena.

It turned out that Prince Zhi was standing in front of a large drum that had been set up, raising his arms to beat it, and then a group of men dressed in armor and wearing masks ran into the dance floor. To the beat of Prince Zhi's drum, the dancers performed a dance full of power and discipline.

Lanqin was immediately captivated by the masculine dance; she never imagined that men could dance so beautifully. Madam Ma and Madam Chu, standing nearby, were also drawn in by the dance and stopped their bickering.

The officials and their wives, who had been toasting each other, fell silent, watching the magnificent dance with quiet admiration. Even Emperor Kangxi's gaze was drawn to the drumbeats of Prince Zhi.

The princes present exchanged glances, thinking to themselves: Prince Zhi is too good at showing off; he even has to make a scene at this kind of opportunity.

Then, Consort Hui took the initiative to pick up the white porcelain wine cup in front of her and said to Emperor Kangxi, "Your Majesty, I toast you! I wish you good health and the Qing Dynasty a long and prosperous future!"

A smile appeared on Kangxi's face as he raised his cup and clinked it against Consort Hui's from a distance. Consort Hui was overjoyed and immediately drank the wine in her cup in one gulp.

Seeing this, Consort Yi's lips curled into a mocking smile, and she then gave a wink to a minor concubine beside Emperor Kangxi. This concubine, sent to the palace by the Guo Luoluo family, was naturally there to support Consort Yi.

"Your Majesty, it's cold, and this wine has gone cold. Let me warm it up for you before you drink it," said Consort Shu. Kangxi didn't refuse and handed the wine cup to Consort Shu, asking her to place it on his hand warmer.

"Your method is quite good; it can be drunk anytime and warmed up at any time," Kangxi praised upon seeing this.

"Your Majesty, it was Consort Yi who taught me this," Consort Shu said sweetly.

Kangxi naturally turned his gaze to Consort Yi and nodded to her. Consort Hui, standing to the side, could only watch helplessly as Consort Yi stole Kangxi's attention.