Perhaps due to breastfeeding, or perhaps due to the excellent care in the palace, the petite sixth princess, Wenxian, has grown up healthily and is now no different from a normal one-month-old baby.

Wen Xian and Yin Tang are different.

She doesn't cry easily. Her eyes, like black grapes, blink constantly, and she's incredibly curious about anything placed in front of her. If you point a finger at her, she'll definitely grab it tightly.

They are so incredibly cute.

While Yinzhen, Yinqi, and the Fourth Princess lingered around Wen Xian, Wan Anran focused most of her attention on the Empress, scrutinizing her closely.

After giving birth, imperial concubines were traditionally expected to drink some herbal soups during their postpartum confinement period to help them recover their figures as soon as possible. However, the Empress, who had not been drinking any of these soups, appeared much fuller, and her chin, which had become pointed during her pregnancy, had become rounder. In fact, she looked much more energetic than before.

The Empress allowed Consort Qi to scrutinize her.

After a long while, she smiled and looked at Wan Anran with sparkling eyes: "Is Consort Qi satisfied?"

Wan Anran coughed.

She adopted a serious expression and slowly nodded: "Of course I'm satisfied."

The two looked at each other and then burst out laughing at the same time.

Seeing that the Empress was healthy, Wan Anran finally felt relieved. In a good mood, she started talking about recent events, such as the bamboo bear kept in Zhaoxiang Garden giving birth to a baby bamboo bear, which was only the size of a palm and was too big to touch. Another example was the pair of male and female lions sent from Greater Luzon, which were large and majestic and were quite favored by the Emperor.

The Empress smiled gently.

She reached out and gently patted Wan Anran's hand: "Don't think about those things, I'm here."

Wan Anran's smile faded, and after a long pause, she finally responded with a "Yes."

Even the young Yinzhen couldn't help but worry about this matter, let alone Wan Anran herself. These days she tossed and turned, being extremely cautious, fearing that something might go wrong.

The Empress held Consort Qi's hand.

The two didn't speak; simply sitting together in silence was enough to comfort them.

It wasn't until Wan Anran returned to her own courtyard that she learned that something had happened to Consort Yi and Consort Ning again.

Consort Ning went into labor early.

Wan Anran turned and hurried over there, but before she even reached the palace gate, she learned even worse news from a pale-faced eunuch who was walking hurriedly.

Consort Ning gave birth to a baby prince.

Its voice was like a cat's meow, weak and feeble, and it didn't look very healthy.

Wan Anran stopped in her tracks.

Everyone in the palace said so, I'm afraid... She remained silent for a long time, and finally turned around and went back to her own courtyard. Sure enough, the next afternoon, news came that the little prince had died young.

Wan Anran lost her appetite.

At the same time, the atmosphere in the entire West Garden plummeted. Originally, Wan Anran came to the West Garden to relax, but she felt that the Emperor probably had no intention of coming back.

Emperor Kangxi was even impatient.

As soon as the Empress finished her postpartum confinement, he set off to return to the palace, leaving even Consort Ning, who was in confinement at the time, behind.

Consort Ning did not return to the palace for more than a month.

Not only did she have to go through postpartum confinement, she also fell seriously ill, and looked much more haggard.

The atmosphere in the palace wasn't good either.

Fortunately, on the day the first heavy snow of winter fell, Consort Xuan also gave birth to a healthy little prince. The loud cry pierced the sky, and laughter finally broke the silence of the long-silent palace.

After the baby was a month old, Emperor Kangxi named him Yin'e.

Even so, Wan Anran felt that the New Year of the 23rd year of Kangxi's reign was not as lively and joyful as in the past.

Just as 30-40% of the palace servants in the Forbidden City had disappeared, everyone acted as if nothing had happened. Only the occasional snippets of conversation revealed the severity of the situation outside the palace.

The most important thing is to do it openly.

At least the emperor did not punish any of the concubines. The empress seemed to know the reason, but when Wan Anran asked, she shook her head and said nothing, only that she knew what was going on.

Everything seemed unchanged.

Everything seemed very different. Wan Anran was in low spirits, and even the acrobatic performance at the end of the year couldn't cheer her up.

The Empress felt sorry for her.

Upon hearing that the Emperor intended to take the two Empress Dowagers to the hot springs, she also asked the Emperor to bring Consort Qi along: "Consort Qi is a troublesome person; let her relax and have some peace of mind."

Emperor Kangxi was also aware of this matter.

He smiled and agreed, then, accompanied by the two empress dowagers, Consort Qi, and all the princes and princesses, he left the palace in a grand procession.

Unlike the journey from the Forbidden City to the West Garden, which takes only a blink of an eye, the carriage to the hot springs is a slow ride that takes a whole day, swaying and rocking so much that it can make you dizzy.

Wan Anran, who thought she was used to carriages, felt dizzy and lightheaded after less than an hour: …………

Wan Anran decided to think of something else to pass the time.

Seeing Yinzhen, Yinqi, and the Fourth Princess huddled by the window, chattering incessantly while gazing at the scene outside, Wan Anran's eyes lit up. She simply called the three of them over and asked, "Do you know the origin of the chariot?"

Yinqi and the Fourth Princess shook their heads.

Yinzhen knew, but he didn't say anything. He just looked at his mother with curiosity.

Wan Anran enthusiastically began to introduce the origin of the chariot: "At the beginning of the Xia Dynasty, the rivers and valleys were intertwined, and the customs were not yet interconnected. The nine provinces were isolated, and there was no use of boats or carriages. It was not until Xi Zhong was born that he made the wheels by turning the curved beams and the shafts by turning the straight beams, and used horses and oxen to pull the chariots, relying on human labor." [Note 1]

"Xia Dynasty?"

“Yes, that happened thousands of years ago,” Wan Anran said with a smile.

Thousands of years ago?

Yinqi opened his eyes wide and then asked, "How did Consort Qi know?"

Wan Anran almost doubled over with laughter.

She rubbed Yinqi's head and couldn't help but chuckle: "Of course, I heard it from a book. This matter is mentioned in 'Xinyu·Daoji' written by Lu Jia of the Han Dynasty."

"The Han Dynasty?"

"That was a long, long time ago."

"Then how did he know?"

“It’s mentioned in the *Lüshi Chunqiu* and the *Zuo Zhuan*.” Seeing that Yinqi was about to ask another question, Wan Anran, who was sweating profusely, quickly stopped him and changed the subject: “Do you know the importance of carriages?”

“…If there’s no carriage, we’ll have to walk or ride horses, and we won’t be able to travel far.” Yinqi thought for a moment.

Wan Anran dipped her fingertip in water and wrote a character on the small table. She explained with a smile, "This character is the small seal script for 'military,' with 'chariot' at its core and soldiers surrounding it. This shows the importance of chariots in war."

Even Yinzhen (the Yongzheng Emperor) perked up his ears.

After introducing the small seal script character for "army," Wan Anran drew several different shapes of war chariots. She recounted the origins of the chariots, their past achievements, and various anecdotes. Even after the carriage stopped, Yinqi and the Fourth Princess were still reluctant to leave.

The two men stared at the carriage with ill intent.

The Empress Dowager noticed this scene at a glance and immediately laughed: "What's wrong with these two children?"

"Your Majesty, I told you some stories about carriages on the way here, and the two children seem quite interested." Wan Anran covered her mouth and smiled, then stepped forward with the eldest princess to support the Empress Dowager on either side. She then turned around and called out, "Why aren't you two coming over here?"

The Empress Dowager's eyes were filled with a smile.

She shook her head: "Let them be. They're too young to think. When I was little, I even secretly went to feed the cows and sheep with peppercorns, and I got gored by a cow's horn and rolled down the hillside..."

Wan Anran opened her eyes wide.

Before she could speak, the sharp-eared Yinqi and the Fourth Princess had already abandoned their carriage and run over, chattering incessantly around the Empress Dowager with questions.

The Empress Dowager smiled.

She spoke slowly and deliberately as she strolled into the hot spring resort.

This is the world-famous Tangshan Hot Spring.

The first thing Wan Anran did upon arriving at the hot spring was, of course, to soak in the pool; this was Wan Anran's first time ever.

The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager were soaking in a medicinal hot spring. Originally, Wan Anran should have accompanied them, but the Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "Consort Qi can relax occasionally, so she doesn't need to come and serve you today."

Wan Anran did not refuse.

She smiled and agreed, then turned and called upon the eldest, second, third, and fourth princesses to set off together for the so-called secret hot spring.

Hot spring resorts are quite different from other places.

Thanks to the geothermal activity, even in winter, this place is filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, with winding paths leading to secluded spots. Following the trickling spring water upstream, you will find an extremely quiet pavilion.

A misty haze hung in the distance, and the heat wafted towards us.

The palace maids, who had been waiting for a long time, curtsied gracefully and stepped forward to help their mistresses change clothes and wash up. Soap made with rose water and more than a dozen kinds of medicinal herbs was to be rubbed on a towel and then used to wash each person. Wan Anran found it troublesome and was about to dismiss the maids, but they were so frightened that they knelt down and trembled.

Perhaps it's due to the differences within the imperial palace.

Wan Anran sighed and instructed the group to continue. After washing themselves clean, the group walked to the edge of the pool. They saw that the hot spring was filled with flower petals, and the steam carried a rich floral fragrance. The misty white vapor enveloped the surroundings, making them feel as if they were in a fairyland.

Wan Anran sat down in the hot spring. As the warm water submerged her shoulders, she couldn't help but sigh. The hot water seemed to seep into her entire body, and a blush rose on Wan Anran's cheeks. Soon after, the four princesses also stepped down into the hot spring.

The fatigue from the carriage ride quickly dissipated under the hot water. Wan Anran moved her body and lay down by the pool, surprised to find that she was actually halfway up the mountain, and could look down at most of the hot spring resort.

The princesses also gathered around.

The eldest princess clicked her tongue in amazement: "If we had known that the hot spring resort was so beautiful, we should have asked our Khan to come here every winter."

Although the fourth princess is young, she knows a lot.

She shook her head: "It's too close to the houses down here, Khan wouldn't agree."

The second princess nodded as well.

She pointed into the distance: "You can even see it faintly from here."

Such a place is too unsafe.

The eldest princess sighed, resting her chin on her hand: "If only my mother could come along."

you do not say?

Speaking of this, they couldn't help but miss their mothers who were still in the palace. Wan Anran chuckled and leaned against the pond, laughing at the princesses' puzzled looks. "You all really are still breastfeeding," she said. "You've only been out for a day and you're already missing your mothers."

The princesses fell silent.

Then their cheeks gradually turned red, and most importantly, Wan Anran continued to say, "Don't worry, I will definitely tell the Empress, Sister Rong, Consort Zhaojia, and Consort Ning how much you miss them."

When Wan Anran mentioned a person, the corresponding princess trembled.

After she finished speaking, the princesses were completely enraged and embarrassed. They leaped forward.

Aside from the splashing water, the palace maids outside could also hear the princesses crying out, "Mother Consort Qi, you're so mean!"