Chapter 20: Getting Closer to Old Ten's Lazy Partner...

His baby teeth, not fully grown in, couldn't bite through the beef jerky. Yin'e tried for a long time but couldn't tear off even a single strand of meat. His teeth weren't sharp or strong enough; he was still a bit lacking.

Yin'e, who had only tasted it once, reluctantly spat out the beef jerky. His large, round almond-shaped eyes filled with tears, and his expression was extremely sad: "Thank you, Fifth Brother. The beef jerky is really delicious. I like it very much."

The maidservant wrapped the beef jerky in a handkerchief and retreated. Yin'e glanced at the bulging purse in his hand. Although he was still very tempted and reluctant to part with the beef jerky he really wanted to eat, he still fastened the purse and handed it back to Yinqi: "But my brother can't chew it yet, so let's not waste it."

Yinqi subconsciously took the purse that Yin'e handed back, and for a moment he was at a loss. He opened his phoenix eyes, which were bulging out of their sockets, and looked at Yin'e. He asked in a flustered whisper, "Tenth Brother, don't you like it?"

Watching Yin'e and Yinqi interact, the Empress Dowager found her two great-grandsons extremely adorable and couldn't help but smile as she instructed, "Bring up some milk skin, milk tofu, and cheese balls that Little Ten can chew. They'll be perfect to eat with beef jerky and milk tea."

"Xiao Shi is old enough to start eating solid foods, so he should drink more milk to grow tall and strong." The Empress Dowager said to the Consort with a smile, "It's already mid-morning, and children get hungry quickly, so let the two brothers sit together and have a snack."

Yin'e turned his head and looked at Consort Niohuru expectantly. His upturned face was full of longing. His big, bright almond-shaped eyes stared straight at people, as cute and innocent as a puppy, which melted people's hearts.

What could the Imperial Concubine do when gazed at with such expectant and dependent eyes? She couldn't bring herself to refuse! Besides, the Imperial Concubine had no intention of going against the Empress Dowager's good intentions.

Kneeling down, the Imperial Concubine carefully straightened the collar of Yin'e's robe, which had become somewhat disheveled from taking off his outer cloak. With an encouraging smile, she asked, "Yin'e, what should you say when Granny Wukuma invites you to eat?"

Blinking his eyes, Yin'e immediately turned around, raised his little face, smiled brightly at the Empress Dowager, and said loudly in his childish voice, "Thank you, Grandma Ukuma!"

While the Imperial Concubine was speaking with Yin'e, the Empress Dowager also explained to Yinqi in Mongolian.

Upon learning that Yin'e did not dislike beef jerky, but rather particularly liked it, Yinqi breathed a sigh of relief. He tied his purse back to his waist, grinned sheepishly at Yin'e, and offered his hand, saying, "Tenth Brother, let's go get some snacks. The snacks at the Ukuma Temple are delicious too."

Yin'e still couldn't understand Yinqi's words, but he had understood what the Empress Dowager had said earlier, so he could now roughly understand what Yinqi meant.

He could sense the friendly goodwill and heartfelt sentiment in Yinqi's actions, so he smiled sweetly at him, took Yinqi's hand, and softly replied, "Okay."

Yin'e genuinely felt that Yinqi was friendly and easy to get along with.

Judging from Yinqi's physique, you can tell he's a foodie who loves good food; otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten so fat.

When he met his younger brother for the first time, without anyone reminding him or asking him for anything, Yinqi generously and voluntarily shared his favorite snacks. This shows that he was very kind and friendly, and had been well taken care of by the Empress Dowager.

Yin'e also quite liked Yinqi, and not just because Yinqi shared beef jerky with him, allowing him to taste delicious food for the first time in his life. He wanted to become friends with Yinqi, not just childhood playmates, but also like-minded good friends and brothers as adults.

However, if he wants to be friends with Yinqi, he needs to learn Mongolian first, otherwise the language barrier between them will be a big problem.

Hmm... It seems the Imperial Concubine was speaking to the Empress Dowager in Mongolian just now. Although she didn't say much, it at least proves she understands Mongolian. I'll ask the Imperial Concubine for some simple, everyday Mongolian phrases later.

Yinqi led Yin'e to a spacious couch, where the nanny carried them onto the couch and placed a small mahogany table between them.

Soon, several palace maids brought over several plates of Mongolian-style dairy pastries. They placed the pastries on a small table and then quietly withdrew, displaying extremely high manners and making not a sound with their every move.

Having been raised by the Empress Dowager since childhood, Yinqi was very familiar with these Mongolian-style snacks. He took it upon himself to act as the host and greeted Yin'e: "Tenth Brother, have some. This is not hard, it's very soft and sweet, and it's delicious."

Considering Yin'e's age, the palace servants served him milk pastries that were easy on his teeth and had a very soft texture. These were also the Empress Dowager's usual favorites; as she got older, her teeth weren't as strong as they used to be, and she now preferred softer foods.

Nodding his head up and down, Yin'e took a pastry called "Lao Danzi" and stuffed it into his mouth, following Yinqi's instructions.

In an instant, the rich aroma of milk melted in Yin'e's mouth.

The dessert, called "Cheese Egg," melts in your mouth with a soft and smooth texture. It tastes somewhat like cheese, but it's richer, sweeter, and has a stronger milky flavor. Just as Yinqi said, it's very soft and sweet, and absolutely delicious.

Chao Yinqi gave a thumbs up, and Yin'e exclaimed loudly, "Delicious!"

Yinqi, who could not understand the words but could understand the gestures, grinned and invited Yin'e to try some other snacks.

Of course, Yinqi himself ate quite a bit. He had a good appetite and a large appetite. He was very focused when eating snacks, and his expression was both satisfied and happy, which was very infectious. If he were in later generations, he could practically start a mukbang (eating broadcast).

Sipping on salty milk tea and eating sweet milk pastries, Yin'e felt incredibly happy, finding the combination of sweet and salty flavors not at all cloying. He was completely satisfied. He secretly resolved to come to Cining Palace often in the future. Whether or not he ate pastries was not important; what mattered was that his good friend Yinqi was there.

Yinqi was unaware of Yin'e's little thoughts. He only felt that his younger brother's eyes were sparkling when he looked at him. His almond-shaped eyes seemed to be filled with stars, and his eyes were bright and full of affection and admiration. It made him feel a little shy, and he also felt lightheaded and lightheaded.

With a silly grin, Yinqi scratched his head shyly. He felt uncomfortable under Yin'e's gaze and couldn't handle it. He hurriedly pushed the plate of food towards Yin'e, saying, "Tenth Brother, eat more if you like. There's still plenty left."

The Empress Dowager watched the two of them eating happily and smiled as well: "Little Ten has a good appetite, just like Yinqi. That's good, the more you eat, the faster and stronger you'll grow."

Both she and the Empress Dowager believed that it was a blessing for children to eat well, and they looked down on the imperial physicians' advice to diet and avoid wind. They also believed that the princes and princesses who died young in the palace were harmed by excessive dieting, and none of them were as healthy as Yinqi, who was raised by the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager smiled and praised in Mongolian, "The Tenth Prince is very strong. If he eats more beef and drinks more milk, he will grow as strong as Yinqi."

The Empress Dowager was very proud that she had raised Yinqi to be so robust, unlike the other princes who were thin and weak. In her common sense, children should be like this to be considered healthy and able to survive.

The Imperial Concubine covered her mouth and laughed, "I saw that Yin'e was enjoying his meal very much. I'm afraid we'll have to bother you two quite a bit in the future. Please don't think we're coming too often and kick us out."

This was, of course, just a playful joke. Not to mention the Consort's allowance, the allowances under the princes' names alone would not have made Yin'e go hungry.

The Imperial Concubine's words were merely an expression of closeness to the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager. Given Kangxi's repeated suppression of the Mongols, the closer Yin'e was to them, the less likely he was to arouse Kangxi's suspicion.

A note from the author:

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