March of the 41st year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign

The spring sunshine was bright, and traces of melting snow still remained on the ground. Occasionally, a gentle breeze would blow by, making a slight sound.

In the small kitchen of the main courtyard of the Prince's mansion, Granny Chen anxiously advised, "Madam, you are already more than eight months pregnant. You really can't stay in a place like the kitchen. If you have any instructions, just say them outside. This old servant will make sure everything is arranged perfectly."

“That won’t do.” Yi Hua said earnestly, “This is longevity noodles prepared for Hong Hui, and I, as his mother, must make it myself.”

Granny Chen hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself. Today was Prince Honghui's birthday, and the princess consort had been behaving strangely since early this morning.

First, he asked the prince to kneel in the small Buddhist hall for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, and he was specifically instructed to tell the Buddha statue about any interesting or interesting things that happened during this time.

Although his wife never believed in gods or Buddhas and only went through the motions of offering sacrifices during festivals, she took the small Buddhist shrine in her courtyard very seriously and often made the eldest prince go to burn incense, while she herself never went in.

That was fine, but after seeing off Prince Honghui and Prince Beile, the Fujin, heavily pregnant, went straight to the small kitchen, saying she wanted to make longevity noodles herself. No matter how they tried to dissuade her, it was no use; the Fujin excitedly got to work, starting from scratch with the chef's explanation, and then busied herself from morning till night.

Granny Chen glanced at the sky and calculated the time it would take for Prince Honghui to return from the palace. She felt that the eldest prince was very likely not going to be able to eat this bowl of noodles today.

In front of the noodle-making table was a place for storing miscellaneous items, which was now piled up with noodles that the Fujin had made that day. The noodles were as thick as a thumb, and the thin ones were broken into pieces. There were also various kinds of doughy noodles mixed in. Even Aunt Qian in the kitchen wanted to say: Fujin, let me do it.

Seeing the Fujin's patient and peaceful expression, Chen Mama stopped trying to persuade her. She knew that the eldest prince would be moving to the front courtyard after today, and that was why she was so concerned about the eldest prince's sixth birthday.

Over the years, she has witnessed how the Fujin's stubborn nature has become gentler, more humane, and more approachable after giving birth to Prince Honghui.

She understood Yihua's feelings and therefore felt sorry for her.

"Madam, how about this? You knead the dough yourself, and Aunt Qian will roll it into noodles. Then you can put them into the pot yourself. This way, you can make them yourself." Granny Chen suggested. Longevity noodles are supposed to be one noodle per bowl, and even experienced chefs need to practice to master it, let alone Madam, who has never been to a small kitchen before.

"Please have pity on us too. Madam had to go back to the manor today. When she returns tomorrow and finds out, she will definitely punish us." Chen Mama and Yu Xiao took turns trying to persuade Yi Hua to give up her idea of ​​making noodles.

She felt a little regretful. She remembered that in her previous life, her mother would always cook a table full of delicious dishes for her birthday, making it as lively as the New Year. Now that she was a mother herself, she was not so competent.

Seeing that Yi Hua had finally decided to leave the noodle-making station, everyone in the small kitchen breathed a sigh of relief. Aunt Qian quickly and efficiently prepared the noodles, afraid that her mistress might change her mind and cause them more trouble.

Honghui received birthday gifts from the Emperor, Consort De, and his uncles and brothers in the palace today. Normally, as a junior, his birthday would have passed quietly, but since the Emperor had already bestowed gifts, everyone had to take this grandson's birthday seriously and send gifts in a grand manner.

When he returned to the Prince's residence, the carriage was almost overflowing. Yinzhen ordered the servants to carry everything to the main courtyard, where Yihua sorted and registered them into categories and gave them to Honghui for safekeeping.

Because it was Honghui's birthday, a banquet was held in the flower hall. The flower hall was surrounded by curtains, and there were plenty of braziers inside, making it as warm as the house, and you could also smell the fragrance of red plum blossoms outside.

Since six months had passed, Yi Hua had exempted her concubines from paying their respects. Today's occasion was a rare meeting for them in the past few months.

The Geng family, the Wu family, and the Niohuru family all prepared clothes, shoes, socks, and other needlework for Honghui, which were the most common gifts they had given him in recent years.

The Li family gifted Honghui a set of writing implements, wishing him success in his studies at the Imperial Study, a rare and auspicious gesture.

The eldest princess gave her a handmade sachet filled with mosquito repellent powder, which was extremely practical.

Hongyun also prepared a "longevity" character for Honghui. The handwriting looked crooked, but it was the most upright one he had ever written after practicing for a long time.

Yinzhen knew that Yihua wanted to spend more time alone with Honghui on such days, so the family banquet was quickly canceled. The concubine watched with reluctance as Yinzhen helped Yihua walk away, her handkerchief almost breaking from being wrung out, but she couldn't say anything.

Li had always looked down on her sisters who were childless and out of favor, and walked ahead with her head held high, surrounded by her two children.

Geng and Wu lived close by, and to everyone else, they always seemed to be together.

Only Niohuru was left walking at the back. She had been confined to her quarters for some time and was not free to come and go. If it weren't for special days, she couldn't even go far from the courtyard gate.

The things she had been dreaming about these days were her leverage. Niohuru secretly made up her mind that she hadn't lost yet!

******

Back in the main courtyard, under Honghui's expectant gaze, Yihua brought in a food box, opened it herself, and placed the bowl of longevity noodles in front of Honghui.

"Your mother's cooking isn't very good, so this is something I made for you myself, and I even added two eggs," Yi Hua said with a smile to Hong Hui. "I noticed you hadn't eaten much at the table, so this is a good way to fill your stomach."

"Remember, you have to finish one noodle in one go," Yi Hua instructed.

Honghui took the bowl and chopsticks, looking at Yihua's prominent belly with some concern: "Mother, you can arrange for the kitchen to cook. Your son understands your intentions."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!