Yin Qingyi had no idea how difficult it was for Yinzhen. She was really sleepy at the moment, and seeing that Yinzhen didn't move after lying down, she closed her eyes and went to sleep with peace of mind.

As Yinzhen inhaled the fragrance, a fire seemed to burn within him. He turned to look at the woman beside him and saw that she was asleep! Asleep, and sleeping soundly.

At that moment, the fire in Yinzhen's heart seemed to be frozen by a sudden blast of ice, and the fiery feeling was gone.

"She really is heartless," Yinzhen said in a low voice with a hint of helplessness. Then he got up to cover Yin Qingyi with the quilt, lay down himself, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Granny Naqi stood at the door for a long time, and only went back to her room to rest after confirming that nothing would happen inside.

Nothing happened that night. The next day, Yinzhen got up early. He thought he would feel unwell after drinking so much the day before, but he didn't feel unwell at all. Instead, he felt refreshed. Even Yinzhen felt something was wrong. He always felt unwell the day after drinking too much, without exception.

"Your Majesty, it's time to get up." Su Peisheng's voice came softly, but it was enough for Yinzhen to hear.

"Hmm." Yinzhen quietly got up, covered Yin Qingyi with the quilt, and went out. A group of servants filed in and quietly dressed and washed Yinzhen without making a sound.

"Your Majesty, the soup is ready. Please have some." Su Peisheng brought over a bowl of soup. This was a must-have soup for Yinzhen every time he drank alcohol, the day afterward, to make him feel less unwell.

"No need." Yinzhen waved his hand and left Luoxue Pavilion after he was dressed.

Su Peisheng followed behind Yinzhen, shocked. His master did not look as listless as he usually did when drunk today. He seemed to be in good spirits, which puzzled Su Peisheng. How could this be? He knew his master's appearance best. He had never been this energetic before. He always felt better after drinking soup and then walking around in the wind.

Yinzhen didn't need to look to know Su Peisheng's expression behind him, but he himself hadn't figured out what was going on yet, so naturally he wouldn't say anything to Su Peisheng. Moreover, even if he did figure it out, he wouldn't need to say anything to Su Peisheng.

"Fourth Prince looks to be in good spirits! It's because of this happy occasion." At the palace gate, they met Prince Zhi, who came up to greet Yinzhen.

"Elder brother." Yinzhen nodded to Prince Zhi.

People started arriving one after another. Yinzhen and Prince Zhi didn't say much and walked towards the palace together.

－－－－－－

"Fourth Prince, go to Yonghe Palace to see your mother," Kangxi said, keeping Yinzhen behind after court.

"Yes." Yinzhen nodded and withdrew, walking towards Yonghe Palace. He didn't walk fast, at least not at his usual pace. He really didn't want to go. He didn't know how to get along with his birth mother. It seemed that no matter what he did, there was an invisible and intangible barrier between them that he couldn't overcome.

Yonghe Palace

"Your subject greets Mother." Yinzhen stood in the hall and bowed respectfully, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible distance.

"Get up, sit down. What brings you here to see your mother today?" Consort De looked at her eldest son from the seat of honor, a fleeting emotion passing through her eyes. She spoke with a gentle smile and a soft voice.

"Thank you, Mother." Yinzhen sat down as instructed, reaching for the teacup on the table. He paused slightly upon touching it, his fingers repeatedly rubbing the teacup. He glanced up at Consort De at the head of the table, only to see her also looking at him, her eyes filled with complex and unreadable emotions. However, upon seeing him look up, her expression immediately changed, her eyes softening.

Yinzhen lowered his head and took a small sip of tea. This time, the tea was at a perfect drinking temperature, not so hot that it was unpalatable. This was why Yinzhen looked at Consort De with surprise.

"How is Mother's health?" Yinzhen asked the usual questions.

"Your mother is well, so you don't need to worry. But you, running around outside every day, need to take care of yourself. You can leave the household affairs to Granny Naqi; you don't need to work so hard. Lady Yin is a good person, but her birth is a bit low. If you really like her, have Granny Naqi show her around the household affairs; she can help you then. After all, she's His Majesty's chosen concubine, so it's not against the rules." Consort De's voice was soft and gentle, a gentleness she had never shown to Yinzhen before, and her words were full of concern. She had originally wanted to say that the Prince Consort should manage things, but considering the Prince Consort's character, she changed her mind.

"Yes." Yinzhen's face was calm at this moment, but his heart was not. Every time his mother was nice to him, she had an ulterior motive. This time, she was probably planning something big. He just needed to wait and see.

It wasn't that Yinzhen didn't want to think positively of his mother, but rather that he had placed too much expectation on her over the years, which was why he was always so disappointed. After this happened so many times, he developed this mindset: if his mother was kind to him, something must be wrong.

"Mother!" The fourteenth prince's voice rang out from the doorway, followed by a series of cheerful footsteps. A moment later, the fourteenth prince appeared at the door.

Then, without even glancing at Yinzhen, she quickly ran towards Consort De.

"No manners! Why don't you greet your fourth brother when you see him?" Consort De did not greet the fourteenth prince with the doting look that Yinzhen had expected, but instead scolded him with a stern face.

"Mother?" Yinzhen looked at Consort De with a blank expression. He used to be like this too, but his mother never said such things to him before.

"Hurry up! You were so unruly when you were little, and now you're all grown up, almost old enough to marry a princess, and you still don't know any manners." Consort De scolded Yinzhen with a dark face.

Yinzhen watched from the side, unmoved. This wasn't the first time he'd acted this way, but never with such seriousness. It seemed his mother wanted him to do something significant this time. He wondered how much his mother valued him. He was just a prince; what could he possibly do?

"Fourth Brother!" Yinzhen glared at Yinzhen angrily and reluctantly bowed to him.

"Go back to your prince's quarters. You don't need to come see me until you've learned the proper etiquette." Consort De looked at Yinzhen's perfunctory attitude, and anger flashed in her eyes. But after all, he was her son whom she had doted on for so many years. She couldn't bear to punish him, so she decided to just ignore him.

"Mother!" Yinzhen looked at Consort De in disbelief. He didn't understand what was wrong with his mother, who usually doted on him. Why was something that was just a small matter in the past being made such a big fuss today?