At noon, Emperor Kangxi and his entourage emerged from the Fengxian Hall. The concubines and royal wives kneeling in front of them were all quite tired, and some of the younger wives relied on their own servants to slowly make their way out of the precarious doorway.

Qingyan felt her knees were a little numb. Fortunately, the nanny came in early and bribed the servants here to make her bedding thicker and surround her with a lot of copper coins. Even though she was kneeling on the ground for several hours, her legs did not get cold at all.

She had heard before that some concubines and wives needed to rest for a long time after returning home, and this was probably part of the reason.

"Little darling, is your leg alright?" During lunch, Consort Tong looked at the little one. The court officials and their wives were waiting in the Hall of Supreme Harmony until evening.

Qingyan's face had lost its morning rosy glow. Even inside the Risky Hall, with the windows and doors open, the charcoal fire in the Fengxian Hall could only keep Kangxi and Consort Tong and other high-ranking concubines warm, while Xiao Guai and the others were still exposed to the cold wind.

Because the Imperial Kitchen was preparing for a grand banquet at the Hall of Supreme Harmony that evening, they even summoned away the best cooks from the small kitchens of the high-ranking concubines. However, the small kitchen of Consort Tong was different. Emperor Kangxi directly kept the two best cooks so that they could have hot meals when they returned.

"Mother, I'm fine. I've had lunch. You should rest for a while too. You've been tired all morning!" Qingyan helped Consort Tong to the dining hall. Yin was taken by Kangxi to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which was considered a reunion of father and son in the new year. The wives and mothers-in-law dined in their respective palaces.

Consort Tong nodded. The lunch was not as Qingyan had expected. It consisted of stews, no different from usual. There were the same delicate stir-fries and the same rouge rice. Compared to last year, it was much better.

"My little darling, eat more. The food from dinner will definitely be cold by the time it reaches the table!" Consort Tong smiled. Last year, Emperor Kangxi did not expect that the imperial chefs from Chenggan Palace would be summoned, which ultimately caught him off guard.

After lunch, Qingyan helped Sulan head to the prince's residence. They would be staying in the palace for the next two days, and would be able to return to their new home on the second day of the new year.

She left Chenggan Palace and sat in the familiar sedan chair. Gradually, she relaxed, and everything that was once familiar became familiar.

As she stepped down from the sedan chair and looked into the courtyard of the prince's residence, nothing had changed.

"Little darling, you're back?" Hearing the sound of Qingyan's sedan chair from the study, Yin quickly came out. Seeing her bewildered expression, he couldn't help but chuckle. This girl...

After Yin returned, he changed into casual clothes, looking relaxed.

"Hurry up and wash up, you'll need to rest after reading for a while!" Yin bent down, picked Qingyan up, and said directly in her ear.

She stood straight in front of him, without the slightest expression, and he knew that Xiaoguai must be tired.

"Four...so many people are watching!" Qingyan was embarrassed; with so many people around, he simply picked her up.

Yin pursed his thin lips. All the servants in the prince's quarters had been replaced by servants from the mansion. Who would dare to cause trouble at this time?

"Whatever makes you happy. Those servants outside who dare to utter a word will be beaten to death," Yin said viciously.

With the New Year approaching, Yin was forced to give up on teaching those people a lesson. Anyone who dared to stare at Xiao Guai was considered to be opposing him.

"Fourth Prince... It's still the New Year!" Qingyan tugged at Yin's sleeve, letting him put her on the bed. Sulan took out some everyday clothes from the wardrobe. These were sent to the palace that morning, enough for two days of rest.

Yin placed her on the soft couch and then went out to instruct Su Peisheng to have her kept quiet.

She stretched out her arms, allowing Su Lan to remove her court hat and robes, and instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

"My lady, please rest." After Su Lan used warm water to remove Qing Yan's makeup, she noticed that Qing Yan looked haggard.

Every year during the Lunar New Year, Qingyan would lose a lot of weight, and the pressure on the royal primary wife was also considerable.

After removing her makeup, she wiped her face with a special face cream, then sat on the soft couch wearing embroidered shoes. Her legs were really tired; she had spent the whole morning either kneeling or walking.

Just as Su Shu was about to squat down to massage Qing Yan's legs, she was stopped by Yin, who was inside the room.

"Go wait outside!" Yin ordered directly.

After the servants left, Yin sat on the soft couch, placed her legs on his thighs, and gently massaged her with his large hands.

Last year, he saw Qingyan return with sore legs, and she gritted her teeth and endured it so that no one would touch her.

"Sisi, no need!" Qingyan doesn't like to interact with people outside her family. Even Sulan and Sushu had to go through a long period of adjustment before they could serve her properly.

Yinwei did not speak, but continued what he was doing. The flowerpot soles of his court robes were much higher than Xiaoguai usually wore. Today, they walked a much farther distance than the women usually would.

Xiao Guai was very careful about exercising and never rode in a sedan chair in the mansion. Otherwise, she would have been carried around by the servants like the other primary wives.

"Today, I had a nice lunch at my mother's, not stew!" Qingyan was tired of stew.

When the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, it still retained some customs from outside the Great Wall. When busy in the palace, stews became the main dish.

She looked up and was immediately captivated by the man before her.

The afternoon sunlight shone through the window onto Yin, and from her position, she could see his profile, with the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, making her heart flutter.

"Stunned?" Yin was in a good mood, relieved that Xiao Guai hadn't been wronged.

Qingyan's cheeks flushed pink instantly, and Yin smiled.

"You're silly!" Yin laughed. The little girl really wasn't that different from before. He felt very happy looking at the little girl's dazed expression.

Qingyan quickly shook her head. How could she say he was stupid?

In a little while, they will have to follow those people to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The flowerpot-shaped platform is so high, and they have to walk over it. Qingyan couldn't help but feel that her legs were useless today. No wonder, she must rest tomorrow so that she can walk better on the road ahead.

"Alright, don't worry, in a bit, I'll have Sulan change you to regular height shoes!" Yin had already had two pairs of flowerpot-shaped shoes prepared so that Xiaoguai could change into them.

"Huh?!" Qingyan was taken aback. "The length of this court robe is definitely too much for anyone without a platform shoe like this to support it!"

Actually, Qingyan was unhappy. Among the wives, she was still young and not the tallest. Without these shoes, she would probably be the shortest!

"If I say it's okay, then it's okay!" Yin looked at Qingyan's slightly swollen calves and felt a pang of heartache. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)