On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the princes and their wives gathered at Changchun Garden. The imperial kitchen prepared various kinds of pastries. Before the banquet began, Emperor Kangxi said a few words of encouragement, and then everyone began to eat.

On the small table where the food is served, there is a large plate with more than a dozen steamed buns, each filled with one of six different kinds of fillings. Around the buns are a number of side dishes, which are specially prepared to accompany the buns.

"Father, although a timely snowfall is said to bring a good harvest, such heavy snow may cause disaster for the people in the suburbs." The Crown Prince was the first to raise a question.

After he finished speaking, the princes all turned to look at him. It was very unusual for the crown prince to care about the common people.

Yin's hand stiffened slightly. The people had not suffered any disaster. On New Year's Eve, Kangxi had already sent Tulichen to inspect the outskirts of Beijing. Since Kangxi was spending the New Year at Changchun Garden, the prefects in the surrounding areas handled the matter strictly according to the rules, which allowed the people to have a comfortable Spring Festival.

"Hmm." Kangxi didn't respond.

The Crown Prince's gaze turned towards Yin. Previously, Yin was considered one of the most core members of the Crown Prince's faction, always working for the Crown Prince and Empress Dowager. But since Yin arrived, everything has changed. Compared to Yin and the others, Yin trusts her more.

He lowered his head, looking at the steamed buns on the small table, as if studying something, completely ignoring the scorching gaze above him.

"Your Highness, is there anything else?" Kangxi's mood immediately improved, but the Crown Prince seemed somewhat unable to see reality.

Upon hearing Kangxi's words, the Crown Prince immediately deflated.

If all the princes had sided with Yinzhen and paid attention to the people in the suburbs, Emperor Kangxi might have shortened the Spring Festival holiday.

"Your Highness, Father has already dispatched Tulichen to inspect the outskirts of the city." Yinzhi cast a mocking glance at the Crown Prince.

The crown prince froze, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Kangxi's expression was not good.

Qingyan didn't care. Linglong Pavilion and Yuelai Inn had already prepared food supplies and were ready to open soup kitchens for the victims as soon as the snow disaster occurred.

She twirled her handkerchief, picked up the ivory hairpin beside her, and ate the steamed buns. The steamed buns in the palace were indeed delicious, but at a banquet like this, the buns would have gone cold by the time they were placed on the table.

Mackerel?!

Qingyan ate a dumpling and discovered that the filling was mackerel. It turns out that this delicious seafood filling already existed during the Qing Dynasty.

"Father, it was my oversight that led me to this," the Crown Prince said, rising to admit his mistake.

Kangxi nodded slightly, deciding not to argue with Yinzhi during the New Year.

"Your Majesty, the young prince has woken up," Li Dequan reported to Emperor Kangxi as he entered the hall.

Previously, Li Dequan had been assigned to look after the twins in the inner chamber. After Yiken woke up, Li Dequan had to come over and report back immediately.

"Bring the two little ones over here!" Hongxi sat in the seat below the Crown Prince, his face darkening.

Soon, Yiken'e and Hutulifengshengzhalafen were brought over. Yiken'e was wearing a bright red onesie with arrow-sleeved python patterns, while Hutulifengshengzhalafen was wearing a bright red onesie with golden phoenix patterns. The two little ones had just woken up, their big, dark eyes looking at Yin and Qingyan.

"Yiken'e." Kangxi looked at the children and then at their parents, his smile deepening. "Go find your father and mother."

Consort Tong smiled slightly. Whenever Yin and Qingyan were around, the two children preferred to stay close to their parents, which was the norm.

Yin quickly took Yiken'e, and holding the chubby, milky-smelling little bundle of flesh, his cold face softened.

Hongxi stared coldly at Yiken'e, having made up his mind that Yiken'e absolutely could not be allowed to enter the Imperial Study alive.

With Kangxi's high-profile protection, the imperial family and court officials became hesitant and dared not confront Yiken'e head-on.

Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen ate her steamed buns, a sweet smile always on her little face.

The sisters-in-law, seeing the well-behaved Songkelierha and Hutulifengshengzhalafen, all wanted to be chosen as princesses.

People still have some reservations about the Crown Princess's legitimate daughter. The Crown Princess is always busy with the affairs of Yuqing Palace, and the child's face is always sallow and lacks any healthy charm.

Of the three girls, the Crown Prince's legitimate daughter, Shulu, had the worst complexion.

Shulu was already 3 years old, but the Crown Prince still hadn't named her. Emperor Kangxi couldn't stand it anymore, so during the New Year, he named the little girl Shulu, which means coral in Chinese.

Today, she was dressed in a golden princess outfit and, with the help of her wet nurse, sat properly beside the Crown Princess.

Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen was held in Qingyan's arms, and Shulu cast an envious glance at her, but the Crown Princess did not see her daughter's eyes.

Seeing Shulu's appearance from her position of power, Consort Tong felt a pang of sadness. The Crown Princess was busy vying for fame and fortune, and her relationship with her daughter was becoming increasingly distant.

"Shulu, come here to Grandma Guima." Consort Tong beckoned to the little maid. Shulu glanced in the direction of the nanny, and only after seeing the nanny nod did she get up and walk towards Consort Tong.

Consort Tong held Shulu on her lap, lovingly stroking Shulu's slightly yellow hair. The little girl was in poor health and could easily fall ill if she wasn't careful.

Compared to Shulu, Songkelierha did an excellent job, focusing all her attention on the child, and Songkelierha's health improved more and more.

"Shulu, would you like some steamed buns?" Shu brought out steamed buns specially for the children. The buns were noticeably smaller, and the fillings were easy for children to digest.

Shulu nodded and let Consort Tong feed him a bite.

After swallowing the steamed bun, the little girl's eyes lit up; it tasted much better than the steamed buns she had eaten before.

Qingyan kept a close eye on Shulu's expression, and these subtle changes in her expression made Qingyan feel a little heartbroken.

He took Qingyan's hand and told her not to meddle in the affairs of Yuqing Palace.

Even if the child is innocent, under the tutelage of such a father and mother, Shulu will never be close to Qingyan in the future.

"Do you like it?" Consort Tong tilted her head, glanced at Shu Lu, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction, feeling slightly relieved.

"Grandma Guima, it's delicious!" Shulu said happily.

At Yuqing Palace, Shulu ate the same meals as the adults, unlike Hutulifengshengzhalafen and Songkelierha, who had their own chefs.

Looking at Shulu's appearance, Kangxi felt sad. They were both granddaughters, yet there was such a difference between them.

"Li Dequan, have the Imperial Kitchen send someone to the Eastern Palace to prepare meals specifically for Shulu." Kangxi felt this was the best decision.

"..." Li Dequan bowed and went out to announce the imperial decree.

The Crown Prince rose to thank Shulu in place of the Crown Princess, which caused her to lose face.

"Don't just worry about the backyard, you also need to take care of your offspring." Kangxi said to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince blushed instantly. His daughter had never paid attention to this before, though Hongxi did have a personal chef to prepare his meals. (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.)