The little ones caught grasshoppers and excitedly showed them to Yinzhen, earning praise from their father and acting like little heroes.

Especially Fei Yang, although he didn't catch many himself, his brother was amazing. He puffed out his chest, looking smug, and swaggered around.

The group rested at a pavilion halfway up the mountain.

Freshly scooped spring water was boiling on the stove, and the tea leaves were from Yunwu, brought from the manor. The aroma of the tea filled the air, and a cool breeze was blowing. Most of the sweat on their bodies had evaporated. Looking at the endless mountains in front of them, they felt so comfortable that they didn't want to move.

It's autumn now, and the mountain winds are quite strong; the sun hats worn by Changning, Hutuli, and Yierha are almost blown off.

"Are you hungry?" Changning asked the children.

The youngest, Fiyana, nodded quickly: "I'm hungry! I'm hungry! Mother, what shall we eat?"

Changning asked Chuixue to bring out a food box containing four plates: almond rolls, osmanthus cake, jujube paste pastry, and a cream cake that Changning watched Master Ma make.

The children's eyes widened at the sight of the last plate of white, sweet pastries.

Hutu blinked her big eyes and asked cutely, "Mommy, what's this?"

"This is called a cream cake. It's made with eggs and milk. It melts in your mouth and is sweet but not greasy. But you can't eat too much, or you'll get rotten teeth. Just one piece each."

The children were a little embarrassed, especially Hutu, who was losing her baby teeth and didn't dare to lick them, for fear of losing her front teeth and having a lisp.

However, no child could resist the temptation of the cake, and they all ate it happily. Even Yinzhen ate several pieces.

This stuff is illusory and won't fill you up, so the kitchen staff and guards started a fire to prepare a barbecue.

The ingredients were all brought from the government office, and there were also several pheasants that were traded for in the village at the foot of the mountain. Changning said that these were called free-range chickens, and that the meat was the most fragrant.

The children seemed to understand but not quite, but they showed great interest in the free-roaming chicken because Changning said he wanted to make beggar's chicken.

Feng Sheng'e, Hu Tuli, and Fei Yang'a had only heard of this dish from their mothers, while Hong Hui and Yi Erha had never heard of it before.

Changning explained to them: "This dish originated from a beggar who stole a chicken. He had no pot or seasonings, so he had to make do with what he had on hand. He wrapped the chicken in lotus leaves, covered it with mud, and then roasted it over a fire. He found that the chicken was tender, juicy, and fragrant, so it became popular."

The children nodded, but they weren't very interested in how it was done; they did have a question, though.

What is a beggar?

Well, it was only then that Changning realized that these children seemed to be thinking, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"

However, we can't blame them. They are still young and have rarely left the mansion or strolled through the streets. Given their status, it's almost impossible for them to come into contact with beggars in their entire lives.

Changning decided not to miss this educational opportunity and to reason with them properly.

"Let me ask you the first question: what are your surnames?"

"Aisin Gioro!" Fei Yang'a answered quickly.

Changning nodded in agreement, patted his little head, and continued.

"That's right. The second question is, do you know how to make money?"

Hutuli didn't understand: "It's just gold and silver coins, right? Mother and Father will give them to us."

Changning nodded: "Yes. But have you ever thought about where Mother and Father got their money?"

The children couldn't answer the question and looked at each other blankly.

Yes, where did Mother and Father get their money from?

It's as if they were born rich, as if they were born with money.

"The Qing Dynasty belongs to the Aisin Gioro clan. You are all the emperor's grandsons, the sons of phoenixes and dragons. Therefore, the food, clothing and other necessities you consume are the best in the world, and all resources are available for you to choose and enjoy."

At this point, Changning paused, her gaze falling on the maids and guards beside her: "However, there are many people in the world who do not bear the surname Aisin Gioro, such as Granny Zhang, Chuixue, and these guards."

"If they want money, they can only earn it by working with their own hands and doing manual labor. But there are also some people who are unable to work, so they cannot survive and can only beg and ask others for alms. These people are beggars."

None of the children spoke. They were all intelligent and precocious, a fact that sometimes alarmed Changning.

In her time, when she was 5 years old, she was thinking about watching cartoons and eating snacks every day.

However, Hutuli already knows how to solve the Nine Linked Rings puzzle, can recite the Book of Songs and the Records of the Grand Historian, and understands the subtle connection between them and the principal wife.

Even three-year-old Fei Yang'a was closer to Feng Sheng'e, who shared the same mother, and was just an ordinary playmate with Hong Hui.

Royal children are always more sensitive than ordinary people.

Even if they have never been in contact with people at the bottom of society, these words can still make them think.

Changning is a modern person. Although she can find some peace and stability in the Qing Dynasty, which has a clear hierarchy, she cannot change the rules of the entire dynasty and can only keep adapting to them.

She couldn't use modern thinking to restrain the children, as that would harm them, after all, this was a real feudal dynasty.

However, she also didn't want her child to always be high above others; she wanted him to keep his feet on the ground and not stay in the clouds forever.

Yinzhen watched the entire process of Changning teaching her son and secretly agreed in his heart that she was a woman with a great vision!

Yinzhen patted Honghui and Fengsheng's little heads and said meaningfully, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Although we have been able to hold onto this country because of the Qing Dynasty's iron cavalry, we cannot ignore the people at the bottom of society. They are the cornerstone of the entire country's operation."

Chang Ning twitched the corner of his mouth. Good heavens, is this the mindset of the future emperor?

It instantly elevated to the principles of being a ruler.

Changning wasn't sure if the children had thought of this, but the beggar's chicken at Eunuch Ma's place was already ready.

After the yellow mud is broken open and the lotus leaf is torn, the aroma of chicken inside immediately spreads out, whetting one's appetite.

Changning urged the children to eat chicken, giving each of them a chicken leg. Luckily, there were plenty of chickens, otherwise there wouldn't have been enough legs to go around.

She felt a little ashamed; with so many children in the family, her biggest fear was not being able to treat them all equally.

Hutuli ate a chicken leg and some roasted vegetables and was full. He then grabbed Yierha's hand and ran away.

When they returned, both girls were clutching large bunches of wildflowers.

There are also hosta flowers here. Hu Tu picked the most. She recognizes this flower. There are many in her mother's yard!