Chapter 35 Consort Hui's Snowball Fight
After standing under the corridor for a while, Consort An and Consort Jing still couldn't come up with a good solution.
After all, they weren't imperial physicians, and they couldn't guarantee that Consort Nara's pregnancy would be safe and smooth.
In the end, they could only remain silent and sigh, resigning themselves to fate.
As a deity in another sense, Emperor Kangxi also had his share of troubles, both big and small.
Under the leadership of Prince An Yue Le and Prince Jian Labu, the suppression of the Three Feudatories has achieved a phased victory. Wu Sangui also died of illness last August. The remaining rebels have no unified command and it is only a matter of time before they are wiped out.
The war has devastated the people in the areas previously controlled by the rebels, and how to govern them is a problem.
After discussing the matter with his senior officials for two more hours, Mingzhu proposed reducing or exempting some of the taxes owed in these areas, while also appointing new local officials, pacifying displaced people, and restoring agricultural production to stabilize public sentiment.
After all, many local officials were killed in the rebel-held areas. Now that the territory has been taken back, the priority is to send people to stabilize it as soon as possible.
As the Minister of Personnel, Mingzhu was responsible for the transfer and replacement of officials.
Emperor Kangxi adopted Mingzhu's suggestion and entrusted the task to Mingzhu without having to trouble him with another emperor.
Having resolved a major issue, Kangxi's mood improved, and he decided to first visit his crown prince before making a stroll through the Imperial Study.
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Seven- or eight-year-old children are full of energy, which is exactly the age when cats and dogs hate them.
It's that familiar lunch break time again.
It's no wonder that Baoqing and Yunrui like to cause trouble at this time; they just have no choice. They study in the morning and study in the afternoon, and the only free time they can spend together is during lunch break.
"Yunrui, look!" Baoqing put her hands on her hips and looked at the snowman in front of her with a smug look.
This snowman is made up of two snowballs, one large and one small. It has no eyes, no nose, and the only thing it has is the scarf that Baoqing took off from his own neck. It looks like a complete mess.
Yunrui didn't reply, but just squatted on the ground rubbing something, not caring that his fingertips were frozen red.
It has been snowing heavily for the past few days. The palace servants had just swept the bluestone floor tiles in the morning, and now a thick layer of snow has piled up again. They can't sweep it up as fast as the snow is falling.
What could the palace servants do? They could only sweep out the paths that were frequently used, and they could be a little lazy about cleaning the places that their masters didn't like to go, and they could clean them later after this period was over.
For example, the snow has piled up in the small open space behind the Imperial Study.
Baoqing looked at the snowman he had made by hand from left to right, and he was extremely satisfied. The only thing that needed adjustment was that the head seemed to be tilted a little, so Baoqing reached out and straightened it.
"Fifth Prince, look!"
Yunrui shouted, and Baoqing subconsciously looked up.
A snowball the size of a fist flew closer and closer, finally hitting Bao Qing squarely on the forehead.
Bang!
Yunrui's snowball was loosely shaped, and it broke into pieces as soon as it hit Baoqing's head. Some small snowflakes fell down Baoqing's head, making his neck shiver from the cold.
Baoqing:······
Baoqing:?
Baoqing:!
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Baoqing, filled with rage at being ambushed, grabbed the snowman's irregular head without thinking and hurled it at Yunrui.
However, Yunrui was prepared. When the snowball hit Baoqing, she had already happily moved to another corner and loudly taunted Baoqing, "Hey, you can't hit me!"
Baoqing became even angrier.
They rolled several small snowballs out of the snowman's body and chased after Yunrui, throwing them at him.
Yunrui laughed heartily while constantly making snowballs to retaliate.
In just a few exchanges, the other beaded players nearby were also affected.
I was just sitting quietly enjoying the snow when disaster struck and I got hit in the face with snowballs.
They were all young children, and soon they were making snowballs and throwing them at each other.
Emperor Kangxi, who had just seen the Crown Prince, was walking towards the Imperial Study with great satisfaction.
Emperor Kangxi had already begun to personally teach the Crown Prince how to hold a pen and write. Just now, when Emperor Kangxi visited, the Crown Prince had just written a page of large characters and obediently asked him to appreciate it.
Speaking of which, Baoqing's studies are also quite good.
Emperor Kangxi was very pleased with his two academically gifted sons, and felt that the fatigue from dealing with government affairs in recent days had lessened somewhat.
Then they were met with a crushing blow.
Emperor Kangxi's vision went black.
A snowball, seemingly out of nowhere, landed squarely on Kangxi's head with a thud.
Liang Jiugong, who was standing next to Kangxi, was so frightened that his soul almost flew out of his body. He hurriedly used a handkerchief to wipe the snow off Kangxi's head, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, are you alright?"
This is a precious dragon head.
Anyone who dares to disturb the dragon's head will be asking for trouble!
Feeling the slight coolness on his forehead, Kangxi's face instantly darkened, and his good mood vanished without a trace.
The veins on his forehead throbbed as he suppressed his anger. "I want to see what they're doing."
Who else could be so audacious in the Imperial Study besides his dutiful son, Baoqing?
Kangxi followed the commotion coming from behind the Imperial Study and crept over there.
The children were playing so carefree and noisy that they didn't notice the two adults had appeared.
Baoqing retreated to the edge of the open space while making snowballs.
It was a complete free-for-all; there were no factions, and enemies were everywhere they looked.
When Baoqing tried to back away, he bumped into something.
Still caught off guard by the sneak attack, Baoqing didn't even have time to turn around before the snowball in his hand was already thrown at him.
Kangxi felt a chill on his waist.
Sensing something was amiss, Baoqing turned around, looked up, and shouted, "Your Majesty, Father Emperor!"
The voice was split.
It was a completely unexpected and shocking experience!
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Where? Where?
"Greetings to His Majesty!"
The name of Emperor Kangxi was greater than anything else and was the most intimidating thing for these children. Before they even had a chance to see Kangxi, they had already subconsciously begun to pay their respects.
Only Yunrui was still foolishly searching for Kangxi's figure.
The entire Imperial Study room was filled with kneeling figures.
Emperor Kangxi sat at the head of the table, his jawline taut and his face expressionless.
The five children below knelt obediently with their heads down, looking as if they were reflecting on their actions.
Because of his status, Bao Qing led the way by kneeling at the very front.
He was also the first to be challenged by Kangxi: "Baoqing, you are a prince and have been studying in the Imperial Study for almost a year. You should know that this is not a place for you to play around."
Baoqing lowered his head even further, and Kangxi could even see the lingering snowflakes on his head. His voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's hum, "Father, I know I was wrong."
Although he felt that his biggest mistake was throwing that snowball at his father.
As for other reasons, what else could have made Father Emperor angry?
They were playing during their break, without neglecting their studies or daydreaming in class. Their biggest mistake was not sending a eunuch to keep an eye on them beforehand, which allowed the Emperor to catch them red-handed.
To save face, Kangxi did not reveal the incident of having snowballs thrown at his face in the first place.
Moreover, it's pointless to question the culprit at this point.
Even they didn't know who threw the snowball that hit the emperor.
Therefore, Emperor Kangxi treated them all equally and punished them all.
After the punishment, Kangxi's anger subsided slightly, and he noticed Baoqing's bright red fingers. "Alright, it's cold, don't kneel anymore."
Seeing that the Emperor's tone had softened, Liang Jiugong tried to smooth things over, saying, "Your Majesty is kind and considerate; you are just worried about us. In my opinion, the prince is just a child and has forgotten the rules for a moment. He will be more careful in the future."
"Besides, after playing for so long, be careful not to catch a cold. Your Highness's hands are all red from the cold."
As he spoke, Liang Jiugong turned to the door and called out, "Quickly, go and get some frostbite cream, and bring a few bowls of hot ginger tea. Look at how frostbitten Brother's hands are, don't let them leave any lasting damage."
Reminded of this, Baoqing also felt that her fingers were cold.
After getting up, Baoqing rubbed her fingers together, hesitated for a moment, then remembered what happened last time. She leaned close to Kangxi, tilted her little face up, and asked in a slightly ingratiating tone, "Father, could you please not tell Mother this time?"
In his mother's heart, he has always been a sensible and obedient child.
Kangxi's expression softened. He glanced at him meaningfully, "What, you don't want to anger your mother, so you think you can just anger your father?"
He really is a good son.
Noticing that her father wasn't angry, Baoqing spoke her mind, "Father has already punished her, but if Mother finds out, she'll worry."
Kangxi glanced at him again and snorted, "I know."
“Father Emperor,” Baoqing leaned closer, with a hint of stubbornness, “you should say that I agree.”
He still remembered the language trap he had fallen for last time.
Emperor Kangxi had no intention of telling Consort Hui about this matter.
The kids were just playing around, and it didn't interfere with their studies, so it's not a big deal.
However, in Baoqing's mind, the image of Kangxi had already been formed.
You must get a genuine answer from your father, the Emperor.
Emperor Kangxi appeared surprisingly good-natured at this moment, agreeing with Baoqing's words, "I agree."
However, once they arrived at the Qianqing Palace, the Imperial Study had a few more rules.
First, even during rest periods, the supervising eunuchs must not slack off and must pay attention to the princes' movements.
Secondly, for the safety of the prince and his master, the snow in the Imperial Study needs to be cleared every day to prevent any potential hazards.
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This time, Kangxi kept his word and did not reveal the matter of the Imperial Study to Consort Hui.
However, Yunyun already had spies in the Imperial Study. The little eunuch had witnessed the Fifth Prince and Haha Zhuzi having a snowball fight, and he also knew that the Emperor had come to the Imperial Study and that the Fifth Prince had probably been punished.
But Yunyun maintained the same attitude.
As long as Kangxi doesn't tell her explicitly, she'll pretend she doesn't know. Let the child be naughty and let Kangxi have a headache.
She simply became a loving mother.
Later, a few more pairs of gloves and boots were sent to the Third East Detention Center. A message was also sent to Xiao Dezi, telling him to make sure his brother kept warm and didn't get cold.
Baoqing took this as a sign of her mother's concern for her, and felt very happy.
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In February, Consort Nara gave birth prematurely to a prince under the watchful eyes of the palace.
Ultimately, it was because of the previous incident that his body was injured. The prince weighed only three pounds, and his cries were soft and small, like a cat's.
While Consort Nara was still unconscious, Emperor Kangxi's rewards arrived.
Perhaps out of pity for Noble Lady Nara, who had recently lost a child, the reward this time was three times more than usual.
The emperor was the weathervane of the harem, and the rewards from Cining Palace and Chengqian Palace followed closely behind, each one more significant than the last.
Consort An and Consort Jing were now unsure of the Emperor's intentions.
If the intention is to allow Noble Lady Nara to raise the child herself, then the reward should be a decree of promotion.
If the emperor didn't value it, then the reward was even more generous.
The two stood outside the delivery room, looking at each other in bewilderment. So what exactly did the Emperor mean by this?
Where exactly is this child being raised?
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