Chapter 14, Chapter Fourteen: Old Ten's Heart-to-Heart Talk (A Lazy Person's Words)...

The Imperial Concubine noted down the four words "contentment brings happiness," and bowed her head deeply: "On behalf of Yin'e, I thank Your Majesty, and with Your Majesty's auspicious words, I hope that Yin'e will have everything he desires and all his wishes fulfilled in the future."

By saying this, the Imperial Concubine was subtly expressing her feelings to Emperor Kangxi: she and her son had no ambitions, and Yin'e would be content with what they had; she only wished that the Emperor would have mercy on him and let Yin'e have everything he wanted in the future.

With his narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes slightly lowered, Kangxi's gaze was as calm and deep as the ocean, fixed on the magnificent full-head ornament worn by Consort Niohuru.

Although today is not Yin'e's birthday, it is his first birthday celebration. To celebrate this joyous occasion and to show respect, the Imperial Concubine specially wore auspicious robes and a full headdress inlaid with jewels and jade.

At this moment, the Imperial Concubine lowered her head, and Kangxi could not see the expression on her face or discern the look in her eyes. Only the dazzling pearls and jade inlaid on her full headdress reflected in his complex gaze.

At this moment, the emperor and empress reached a tacit understanding without speaking.

This tacit understanding was the result of the Consort's bold adventure, but the Consort's adventure was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, nor was it without purpose.

On the contrary, the Imperial Concubine felt that this was a good time to be frank: the Emperor would soon set off south to personally visit the Yellow River and inspect the Jiangnan region, and it would take at least a month for him to return.

There was a buffer period in between, during which the emperor was angry with her, but by the time he returned from his southern tour, his anger had long since dissipated without a trace.

Things did not turn out as badly as the Consort had predicted. Emperor Kangxi was not narrow-minded. After a moment of silence, he suddenly burst into laughter, breaking the oppressive silence of the room.

In an instant, everyone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief, including Yin'e, who was sitting on the carpet with his short legs spread apart, still pretending to be silly and cute with his big, watery eyes. Everyone felt as if they had been reborn and had "learned" to breathe again.

He took the Consort's hand in his left and gently patted the back of her hand soothingly with his right. Kangxi turned his head slightly and called out in a soft voice, "Liang Jiugong."

Having overcome a major setback in his career, Liang Jiugong had long since regained his former prowess as the Grand Eunuch of the Qianqing Palace. He was exceptionally adept at understanding Emperor Kangxi's intentions, and possessed keen insight and keen perception.

As soon as Kangxi spoke, Liang Jiugong, who was standing respectfully against the palace wall with his back half-bowed, immediately understood Kangxi's meaning and stepped back to bring up the birthday gift that Kangxi had prepared for Yin'e.

This is a set of twelve zodiac animal figurines carved from jadeite of various colors. Each zodiac animal is made of jadeite of different colors, some are clear and colorless, some are deep red and gorgeous, some are emerald green and tender, some are deep purple and alluring, some are light green and cool, some are black and mysterious, some are dark green and profound, and some are bright yellow and grand.

Each of these twelve ornaments is exquisitely carved, brimming with life and spirit, and was handcrafted by the most skilled artisans of the Imperial Household Department over several months. Although this set of twelve zodiac animals was not a tribute item, its precious materials and top-notch craftsmanship make it a treasure worthy of being passed down through generations.

Regardless of what Yin'e picked up during his first birthday celebration or whether he made a fool of himself, the fact that Emperor Kangxi presented him with such a valuable birthday gift at this time already demonstrated his attitude and revealed his affection for Yin'e.

With Kangxi's support, no one in the palace dared to openly ridicule or belittle Consort Yin'e about the incident of Yin'e's "grasping the week" (a traditional Chinese custom).

As for what others might say behind her back, the Imperial Concubine didn't care at all.

She had already reached a tacit understanding with Kangxi, and having gained the substance, she didn't care about saving face. Even if she lost face, what did it matter? Getting practical benefits was the most important thing.

The eunuch under Liang Jiugong steadily held the tray with both hands and placed a complete set of twelve jade zodiac statues in front of Yin'e.

This birthday gift was specially selected by Emperor Kangxi according to Yin'e's preferences. Both the appearance of the gift itself and its associated value were very much to Yin'e's liking, making him extremely happy.

His large, dark eyes seemed to be filled with starlight, bright and sparkling. Excitement flushed his chubby cheeks like the sunset, and a radiant smile bloomed on his fair face. A small dimple appeared on his right cheek, his joy and happiness practically overflowing.

Overwhelmed with excitement and joy, Yin'e looked up at Kangxi and blurted out, "Thank you, Father!"

He loved the gift!

Yin'e was raised by the Imperial Concubine to be fair and chubby. Today, for his first birthday celebration, the Imperial Concubine dressed him up in a festive red python robe. A red dot was placed between his eyebrows on his full forehead, making him look even more like a lucky baby, so cute that it melts people's hearts.

At that moment, Yin'e suddenly called out for help. Kangxi was startled for a moment before he realized what was happening. Overjoyed, he laughed and strode forward, picking up Yin'e from the ground and saying, "Yin'e, call me 'Father' again!"

The chubby, round baby in his arms was quite heavy. Kangxi weighed him in his hands and found that his son was indeed solid and strong. Not only did he look a size bigger than other children his age, but he was also heavier.

However, even if a one-year-old baby is chubby, he won't weigh much. This weight is nothing to Emperor Kangxi, who was skilled in archery and horsemanship and practiced riding and archery diligently.

With one arm around Yin'e with ease, Kangxi, after his initial surprise, turned to the Consort and asked with a hint of reproach, "Yin'e can talk and greet people now, why didn't you mention it to me before?"

Before the first birthday ceremony, Consort Gui did not mention Yin'e's speech at all, which made Kangxi a little dissatisfied: if Consort Gui had mentioned it in advance, wouldn't he have heard Yin'e call him "Father Khan" much sooner?

But what Kangxi didn't expect was that while he was only slightly dissatisfied, the Imperial Concubine was extremely dissatisfied.

With her red lips slightly pursed, the Imperial Concubine, who could no longer smile, glanced at Kangxi with a hint of resentment in her eyes and said in a tone that was not at all like a child: "Your Majesty, I have never heard Yin'e speak before."

After a pause, the Imperial Concubine's tone became increasingly mournful, subtly revealing a hint of jealousy towards Kangxi: "This is the first time Yin'e has addressed someone. He has never called me 'Mother' before, and the first time he has spoken is when he calls you 'Father'."

Ah... Yin'e, who was in Kangxi's arms, lowered his head somewhat guiltily and subconsciously burrowed into Kangxi's arms, as if he was avoiding something, or perhaps escaping reality.

The smile on Yin'e's round, chubby face froze. His expression was no longer bright and cheerful, but instead became somewhat unfocused, with timid eyes, as if he had done something wrong.

In fact, Yin'e has been practicing speaking in private recently. After his efforts, he can now clearly pronounce words like "Mother" and "Father," which are only two or three words long.

Yin'e had been keeping his intentions hidden from the Consort, but he revealed this matter so that he could surprise her on her birthday.

But plans can't keep up with changes, and who could have imagined that Kangxi would give him a big surprise first.

Overjoyed to receive the delightful gift, Yin'e forgot all his original plans and, in a moment of ecstasy, couldn't help but speak up.

Upon hearing the Imperial Concubine's words, a smile appeared in Kangxi's phoenix eyes, filled with delight: "Is this the first time Yin'e has addressed someone as 'I'?"

Kangxi stretched out his arm and lifted Yin'e up. After playing with him for a while, he smiled and coaxed, "Come on, Yin'e, call me 'Father' again."

With his large, dark, and watery eyes blinking, Yin'e looked down at the gifts he had just received. Deciding to give Kangxi face for the sake of the birthday present, he grinned sweetly and called out in a soft tone, "Father."

Clutching her handkerchief tightly, the Imperial Concubine felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She couldn't help but glare at Yin'e and tap the little red dot between his eyebrows with her index finger: "You ungrateful little thing, all you know is how to please your father, you've completely forgotten your mother."

The Imperial Concubine was genuinely jealous. Throughout Yin'e's life, she had been the one to lovingly care for and meticulously look after him. She was the one who accompanied Yin'e every day; the Emperor had only visited occasionally and had never personally cared for him. So why was it that the first person Yin'e addressed was Kangxi, the Emperor, instead of her, his mother?

Yin'e felt a little guilty, but he didn't believe the Consort had "forgotten her mother"... He was just too happy and a little carried away, and he really didn't mean to call out to Kangxi first.

With his large, dark eyes darting around, Yin'e, nestled in Kangxi's arms, secretly glanced at the Imperial Concubine.

Seeing her angry expression and the genuine displeasure between her brows, Yin'e felt a pang of panic. He quickly reached out his little hands and rushed towards the Imperial Concubine, saying in a childish voice, "Mother, hug me."

Yin'e's sweet, childlike voice melted the Consort's heart like spring water. A joyful smile bloomed on her beautiful face, and she instinctively opened her arms to welcome Yin'e, who was rushing towards her from mid-air.

Kangxi used both hands to pull hard, finally managing to hold Yin'e, who was almost suspended in the air with his upper body leaning out of his arms.

He looked at the excited mother and son with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, and said to the Consort with a helpless tone, "Your health is weak, how can you withstand Yin'e rushing over like this?"

Yin'e was plump and fair-skinned, looking even rounder than Yin'tang, who was a month older than him. The force with which Yin'e leaped into his arms was considerable; the Imperial Concubine might not have been able to catch him.

Because Yin'e suddenly called out to them, the Emperor and Consort temporarily forgot about his performance during the first birthday ceremony. They both teased Yin'e, wanting him to call them a few more times.

Emperor Kangxi was overjoyed and generously bestowed many gifts upon the emperor. Remembering Yin'e's preferences, he specifically instructed Liang Jiugong to select the finest and most ornate items and send many pearls and gems to Yongshou Palace.

Of course, it wasn't that Yin'e received two gifts on his birthday. Kangxi simply bestowed the rewards for the Golden Festival ahead of schedule, further enriching Yin'e's already generous gifts.

Emperor Kangxi was about to embark on his southern tour and did not linger at Yongshou Palace. After Kangxi left, the Consort ordered the palace servants to clean up the mess and restore the main hall of Yongshou Palace, where the baby's first birthday ceremony had been held, to its original state.

Carried into the inner room by the Imperial Concubine, Yin'e buried himself in her arms and murmured in a childish voice, "Mother, Mother..."

Yin'e's voice was very soft, and only the concubine who was holding him could hear it.

Gently patting Yin'e's back, the Consort hugged her son, who was constantly acting spoiled, and replied softly, "Mother is here, Mother is here."

Yin'e's vocal cords are not fully developed yet, so he cannot speak long sentences at a time; he can only speak a few words at a time, intermittently.

He buried his head in the concubine's arms, his little voice low and childlike: "Mother, I just grabbed...those things. Are you disappointed? Are you very sad?"