Kangxi only came to his senses after he said it.

Under the astonished gazes of the concubines and their children, he blushed, coughed forcefully, and calmly withdrew his hand: "Baocheng, why don't you give it a try?"

"Hehe, I just touched it!" Crown Prince Bao Cheng was also very happy.

Before his relationship with Wan Fu improved, the Crown Prince had no feelings for his younger siblings, let alone approach a pregnant concubine. This novel experience was also a first for him. Looking at Wan Fu's belly, the Crown Prince's eyes were shining. He tugged at the corner of Kangxi's robe and shouted, "When my younger siblings are born, I want to play with them too."

"It will be several more years before he grows up enough to play with you!" Kangxi laughed and reached out to rub his son's head.

Crown Prince Bao Cheng was somewhat disappointed.

He let out a sigh, resting his cheek on his hand and holding his breath.

Wan Fu ran over to the Crown Prince and patted his head with his little hand: "Little brother will stay with Crown Prince brother!"

The Crown Prince let out a loud yelp and hugged Wan Fu tightly. The two little ones immediately rolled around in a ball, their giggles softening Kangxi's expression considerably.

Looking at the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince, the Empress seemed lost in thought. She seized the opportunity to ask a question: "Your Majesty, speaking of the Fifth Prince and the Tenth Prince... shouldn't we let them return to the palace? Consort Hui and Consort Rong have mentioned it several times, and it pains me to see them like this. Besides, the Fifth Prince is about to start school, isn't he?"

Fifth Prince and Tenth Prince?

The timeframe is indeed about right.

Emperor Kangxi nodded: "What the Empress said is indeed reasonable."

Then he looked down at Bao Cheng and Wan Fu: "Didn't you just want your little brother to play with you? Soon your brother will be back to play with you, aren't you happy?"

The prince's eyes lit up: "Is it my new younger brother?"

Emperor Kangxi laughed heartily: "You also have a brother named Baocheng!"

The prince let out a loud cry.

Thinking himself the eldest, he opened his mouth slightly, his cheeks turning rosy: "Father is so amazing, he actually gave Brother Baocheng a gift!"

Kangxi: …………

That statement sounds quite ambiguous.

Looking at the innocent and romantic little prince, Emperor Kangxi was both amused and exasperated. He reached out and tapped the prince's head, saying, "Nonsense! That's your Consort Hui's child. He was born earlier than you, but he's just being raised outside the palace temporarily."

Crown Prince Bao Cheng then realized what was going on.

Then another question arose: "Why were the fifth and tenth brothers sent out of the palace?"

Of course, this is to avoid premature death.

But how could he say such a thing to the young Crown Prince? While Kangxi was still pondering this, the Crown Prince asked another crucial question: "Why wasn't Ninth Brother sent out of the palace to be raised?"

Prince Bao Cheng stared at the Khan with curiosity.

Just as Kangxi was breaking out in a cold sweat, Wan Fu jumped out and stopped Bao Cheng. He crossed his arms, his cheeks puffed out in anger: "Crown Prince, do you dislike Wan Fu?"

Where?

“Your Highness the Crown Prince clearly had an expression that said he wished Wan Fu would also be sent out of the palace!” Wan Fu’s eyes were bright, and he also took in all of the Crown Prince Bao Cheng’s guilty little movements of shifting his head.

Wan Fu was furious.

The prince quickly tried to appease his younger brother.

Seeing that Bao Cheng's attention had shifted to Wan Fu, Kangxi was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. He moved two steps to the side, away from his two sons, before he could finally talk to the Empress Dowager about the arrangements for the Fifth Prince and the Tenth Prince after their return to the palace.

For example, the residences and studies of the two young princes.

Not to mention the Tenth Prince, the Fifth Prince Baoqing, who is older, has reached the age where he needs to move into the princes' quarters. The Empress thought for a moment and said, "Consort Hui and the Fifth Prince, and Consort Rong and the Tenth Prince have been separated for a long time. Why don't they live together more often to spend more time together and deepen their relationship?"

"Let's do it the way the Empress wishes."

"Should the Prince's residence be renovated before he moves in? And should we also select one or two maids to accompany him? Should Consort Hui choose these candidates herself?"

"Alright, let her name a few candidates, and I'll take a look."

The Empress agreed. Speaking of education, Kangxi pondered that not only should the princes' quarters be repaired, but the Imperial Study should also be renovated. At this point, Kangxi sighed, "Since they're going to school, names like Baoqing are too straightforward and don't sound pleasant..."

"What does His Majesty mean...?"

“I already have ten sons and six daughters, and the child in Consort Wan’s belly is going to be the eleventh in line.”

What about the baby in Uya's belly?

Empress Niohuru inwardly complained, but on her face she showed no sign of it, pretending to listen attentively and waiting for the emperor to continue.

"I'm thinking of simply ranking the princes and princesses. For example, Baoqing will be the eldest prince, and Wanfu will be the third prince... We could even change their names?" Kangxi said slowly, increasingly pleased with his idea. However, renaming them was not something that could be decided immediately. Kangxi thought for a moment and said, "This matter is not urgent. I will consider it slowly."

As long as it's finalized before enrollment, it's fine.

With something on his mind, Kangxi did not linger. He turned around and set off to return to the palace. However, the moment he stepped into the Qianqing Palace, Kangxi suddenly realized that he seemed to have forgotten something.

What have I forgotten...?

Following behind, Liang Jiugong tremblingly reminded him, "Your Majesty, the herbal ointment."

Good heavens!

This is a complete forgetting of the important matters.

Emperor Kangxi's face suddenly darkened.

Should he go back and cause trouble for Consort Wan again? Kangxi felt extremely frustrated, especially since the soft touch seemed to still linger in his hand. What if he lost his temper with Consort Wan and the young prince inside was frightened? What if he scared him? But if he didn't lose his temper, Consort Wan wouldn't have learned her lesson!

Emperor Kangxi stood frozen in place.

He was unhappy whether he went in or went out again; a fire burned in his chest with nowhere to go.

Just then, Granny Xia from Kunning Palace rushed over, bringing with her the herbal ointment that Kangxi had been longing for. Looking at the ointment presented to him by Granny Xia, Kangxi was surprised but couldn't hide the doubt in his eyes. He asked calmly, "This wouldn't have been given to me by the Empress, would it?"

Granny Xia was startled.

She knelt straight on the ground and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the three mistresses of Xianfu Palace are all cautious people. Firstly, everything Your Majesty uses must be carefully checked. Secondly, Qianqing Palace is not a place that concubines can enter. The fact that the three mistresses sent someone to Kunning Palace explains the matter. How could Your Majesty dare to keep anything or substitute something else?"

What Granny Xia said made perfect sense and was well-founded.

Kangxi's suspicions dissipated considerably. After gesturing for Granny Xia to leave, he examined the herbal ointment for a moment, turning it over and over: "Someone, go to Xianfu Palace and tell Consort Wan... no, tell her that in the future, she should present anything she has to the Empress. Why send it here first and then send it to the Empress?"

The young eunuch stepped forward and said yes.

Before he could leave, Kangxi called out again, "Wait."

He looked up at Liang Jiugong and said, "You should go and make the trip. I think Consort Wan is stupid. If she doesn't explain things clearly, who knows what strange things she might do next time."

Liang Jiugong let out a soft "Ah."

He hurriedly retreated, unable to resist shaking his head once more.

This is really strange!

...Huh? Doesn't this thought seem familiar?

Liang Jiugong delivered his words to Xianfu Palace.

Wan Anran didn't take it to heart; all her attention was focused on catching and eliminating mosquitoes.

Many of the tricks are useless.

Various methods were used to eliminate a batch of mosquitoes, only to drive away another batch... what a joke! Wan Anran discovered that as a pregnant woman, she was the only one in the entire palace who couldn't use any medicine. The mosquitoes, who had previously been equally fond of her, were now all flocking to her room, making her even more attractive to them than before.

This was a crushing defeat, a ridiculous defeat.

Wan Anran wept bitterly, but in the end, the most effective method turned out to be using mosquito nets.

At the same time, she made up her mind.

Even through the mosquito net, Wan Anran remained indomitable. Staring at the swarm of mosquitoes, she said in a deep voice, "I've lost this year. Let's fight again next year! Since that's the case, why don't you let me go this year? We'll come back next year!"

Mosquitoes: Buzz buzz buzz?

Wan Anran's attempt to make peace was not accepted by the mosquitoes, and the mosquito plague continued until autumn, when it finally subsided after the weather turned cold.

Wan Anran, however, did not fare well either.

After autumn arrived, she gained weight, making it impossible for her to go out. She kept reminiscing about the swing at Jingyang Palace, the persimmons that had been delivered to her door but she hadn't been able to eat, and the plump hairy crabs...

Wan Anran's heart was filled with sorrow.

As the saying goes, autumn is the season of appetite and harvest. It is supposed to be the season with the most food to eat, but she could only stare helplessly at it.

Consort Xuan and Noble Lady Nara were already used to it.

Bathed in the mournful gaze of Consort Wan, they felt no heartache whatsoever and even ate with increasing merriment.

Mmm! It smells so good!

Wan Anran's cheeks were puffed up with anger. She picked up a bowl of bird's nest soup and drank it without any taste. She then reached out and stroked her round belly: "Your mother has sacrificed so much for you."

Haitao couldn't help but laugh: "Master, you can eat as much as you want next year. Just bear with it for now."

"Okay, okay..." Wan Anran rested her chin on her hand, her eyes fixed on the hairy crab, admiring its plump claws, its snow-white and tender meat, and its golden crab roe...

Wan Anran slurped his saliva.

Zisu entered from outside carrying a tray, and placed the pastries in front of Wan Anran with a smile: "Master, look? These were specially made for you by the kitchen!"

Round and plump crab buns!

Wan Anran excitedly looked up, then fell into deep thought: Apart from... wait a minute! It doesn't even look like a crab!? She was utterly disappointed; Wan Anran declared that she had absolutely no interest in a fake crab.

Zisu didn't give up. She smiled and said, "How can it not look like one? Master, look at the golden-red outer skin, and look at the golden filling inside after you take it apart. It's exactly the same as a crab!"

Who are you kidding?

Wan Anran opened one and took a look: "This is clearly a custard bun!"

"As long as the taste is similar..."

"Custard buns are clearly sweet, while crab is a standard savory dish!"

Using custard buns to represent crabs?

Wan Anran simply replied with two words: "Hehe!"

Zisu still didn't give up.

She said confidently, "My lady, this custard bun is savory."

"Savory? Like a custard bun?"

Wan Anran was skeptical, but couldn't resist her curiosity and picked one up. Taking a bite, the soft, chewy outer layer and golden filling filled her mouth, the sweet and savory flavors blending perfectly. The taste was indeed different from custard buns... It was quite delicious, and she finished it in a few bites.

The problem is... Wan Anran couldn't help but complain: "No matter how much quicksand it is, no matter how salty it is, salted egg yolk and crab are two completely different things, right?!"