Chapter 12 After dinner, Wen Shan stayed with him again...
After the meal, Wen Shan played with Yinzhen and Yinsi for a while. Yinsi was still a baby, and soon he fell asleep. At 5 pm, a eunuch from the Hall of Mental Cultivation came to tell them that Kangxi was discussing state affairs with ministers such as Mingzhu and Ma Qi, and would come later.
Wenshan wished he wouldn't come any closer.
Kangxi arrived late, and Wenshan had time to accompany Yinzhen to sleep. Fuqi lay in its little nest, its black bean-like eyes staring at Yinzhen and Wenshan.
Pearl cautiously pushed the door open and came in: "Your Majesty, the Emperor is almost here."
"……knew."
Wen Shan looked at Yinzhen a few times with reluctance before closing the door. Because Kangxi was coming over that evening, the small kitchen was still busy at this hour. The dishes were prepared in advance and were to be heated up just in time for Kangxi's arrival.
Wenshan felt stuffy inside, so she sat down on the long corridor in the courtyard to pass the time.
The pomegranate trees in the courtyard have blossomed, their fiery red blossoms are particularly beautiful. Yinzhen usually likes to play with Fuqi under these pomegranate trees, and Baoquan even specially built a small swing under the trees.
The pomegranate flowers are blooming beautifully now. When the pomegranates ripen in autumn, we can pick them to eat and make some pomegranate jasmine tea and wine.
By then, Yinzhi will be a bit older and able to eat some complementary foods.
As Wen Shan was plotting how to devour these pomegranate trees, she heard footsteps at the door, followed by a group of palace servants escorting Kangxi into Xianfu Palace.
Wen Shan honestly greeted him, and Kangxi, in a good mood today, personally helped her up with a smile.
"Although it is now spring, the weather is still a bit cool, so there is no need to wait for me outside anymore."
"..."
Perhaps the most important thing for an emperor is confidence.
"It is my duty as a concubine. I should wait for Your Majesty when you come." Wen Shan quickly adjusted to her gentle and virtuous persona. Fortunately, she had been spending a lot of time with Consort Wei recently. She was pretending to be Consort Wei, but she was truly gentle and virtuous. So she learned a few things to put on an act.
Kangxi took her hand and led her into the house, smiling warmly like a spring breeze: "I will come often from now on, there's no need to wait."
"..."
Is it too late to retract the previous sentence?
Having been shut down twice by his two sentences, Wen Shan dared not chatter with Kangxi anymore, fearing that he might utter some more bad news.
"Where are Yinzhen and Yinsi?"
Wenshan: "They've already gone to sleep."
Kangxi hummed in agreement and didn't mention the child again. Wenshan dared not mention anything about Yinzhen in front of Kangxi now.
Fortunately, Emperor Kangxi was also hungry after being busy all this time. As soon as they entered the room, Pearl led the palace servants to set out the prepared dishes one by one. Kangxi was very hungry when he saw them. His grandmother was right. The dishes served by Consort Xuan were indeed different from those in the imperial kitchen.
Liang Jiugong served Emperor Kangxi a bowl of stewed duck with winter melon and barley. Emperor Kangxi took a bite and praised it highly.
"Consort Xuan's cooking skills are indeed excellent; this soup tastes wonderful."
Kangxi tacitly agreed that all the novel dishes on the table were prepared by Wen Shan herself, as the palace chefs could not make them. Moreover, the two old matriarchs of Cining Palace often praised Consort Xuan's excellent cooking skills in his ear. In addition, most importantly, he only visited Consort Xuan once every few months, so she naturally had to cook for him personally.
Wen Shan simply smiled and placed another chopstick of stir-fried vegetables on Kangxi's plate.
The dishes on this table today were prepared by the chef in the small kitchen of Xianfu Palace. He had been assisting Wenshan for a long time and had become somewhat similar to her in terms of cooking style and taste.
This duck soup was made from the leftover scraps from when Wenshan made salted duck for Yinzhen that afternoon. Since it would be a waste to throw them away, she simply used them to make soup.
Because of the complex and exhausting campaign to quell the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories, Emperor Kangxi hadn't had a proper meal in months. But today, at Wenshan's house, he had a hearty appetite and ate almost all the dishes on the table.
Seeing Liang Jiugong almost burst into tears, he thought to himself that even if he came to Xianfu Palace and cried while hugging Consort Xuan's leg, he would still have to ask Consort Xuan to send him some food to Yangxin Hall from time to time.
After the meal, Kangxi's smile became even more pronounced. He pulled Wenshan to the soft couch by the window to read for a while. This was Wenshan's area of ignorance; her current level of education was barely enough to tutor Yinzhen, let alone have a conversation with Kangxi.
After discovering that Consort Xuan was not well-versed in poetry and literature, Emperor Kangxi did not take it too seriously. It was quite common for consorts from Mongolia to have little understanding of Confucianism and history.
Wen Shan felt like she was back in high school, being called on by the teacher to answer a reading comprehension question, and felt incredibly awkward. She quickly slipped away while preparing tea.
Kangxi rarely saw her so flustered and fleeing in such a panic, and he found it rather amusing.
This resulted in Wen Shan's legs feeling weak when she got up to help Kangxi get dressed the next morning.
What normal person would ask her for her opinion on "The Two Capitals Rhapsody" while in bed?
Emperor Kangxi even solemnly said something about teaching one's son in the hall and one's wife in bed.
You're kidding me!
Before leaving, Kangxi also took away the two plates of pastries that she had prepared for Yinzhen to take with her, which caused Wen Shan's blood pressure to spike.
"Empress Xuan, why do you look unwell?" Yinzhen had dressed up early to pay his respects to her and Emperor Kangxi. After Emperor Kangxi left, he had breakfast with Wenshan.
"It's nothing, I'm just a little unaccustomed to waking up early today," Wen Shan said with a smile.
Yinzhen nodded seriously: "Then let Mother sleep a little longer."
Several eunuchs were already waiting at the door with packed items. Wen Shan knew she couldn't delay any longer, so she had Pearl bring out another package from the inner room.
"These are some pastries that your mother made for you, as well as a few pieces of clothing and toys that she made for Fuqi." Wenshan squatted down and instructed him, "If you run out, just let someone know and your mother will make you some more."
Yinzhen nodded and looked out the door. The little eunuch at the door was still holding the eagle kite that he had made by hand.
"I haven't flown a kite with Xuan'e-niang yet."
Since the beginning of spring, the weather has been bad and there has been little wind, so Wen Shan has not had a chance to take Yin Zhen to fly kites.
"When the weather gets better, your mother will come to Chengqian Palace to pick you up to fly kites." Wen Shan said with a smile, "We'll pinky swear, you definitely won't lie to our Yinzhen."
She would definitely go even if it meant facing the cold stares of the Imperial Concubine.
Yinzhen, being precocious, had never really liked playing these childish games, but this time he seriously pursed his lips and made a pinky promise with Wenshan.
"I'm going to check on my younger brother again." Before leaving, Yinzhen glanced in the direction of the west side hall where Yinsi lived.
Yinzhi usually doesn't wake up at this time. Wenshan and Yinzhen went in together. Yinzhi was sleeping soundly in his cradle, with the puppy toy that Yinzhen gave him yesterday placed next to his pillow.
Yinzhen poked his younger brother's cheek, watched him smack his lips in satisfaction, then withdrew his hand. Finally, he and Wenshan walked to the gate of Xianfu Palace, where he gave Wenshan a deep bow before leaving.
Wen Shan stood at the palace gate until Yinzhen's figure disappeared around the corner.
"Your Majesty, why don't you send the Fourth Prince to Chengqian Palace?" Amber couldn't help but ask.
Wen Shan withdrew her gaze and slowly walked back: "Now that the Imperial Concubine sees me as a thorn in her side, why should I put on a show of motherly affection in front of her?"
This will only make Yinzhen feel more miserable in Chengqian Palace.
At this moment, Consort Tongjia was also waiting for Yinzhen in the courtyard. As soon as Yinzhen stepped into the gate of Chengqian Palace, Consort Tongjia greeted him with a smile.
"Yinzhen, let your mother take a look."
Consort Tongjia looked Yinzhen up and down and said, "You've grown taller and a bit fatter."
Yinzhen respectfully bowed to Consort Tongjia and inquired, "I wonder if your mother is feeling much better now?"
The moment the topic of miscarriage was mentioned, Consort Tongjia's smile froze instantly. She withdrew her hand and said faintly that she was much better.
Yinzhen was already used to Consort Tongjia's hot-and-cold attitude and didn't find anything wrong with it.
Consort Tongjia felt that during the months they had been apart, her already strained mother-son relationship with Yinzhen seemed to have grown even more distant.
She didn't know what to say to Yinzhen, and when she looked up, she saw Yinzhen's personal eunuch holding a dog in his arms.
"Where did this dog come from?" Consort Tongjia frowned, her face showing disgust.
She has never liked cats and dogs, finding them noisy and dirty.
"This is the one I raised, named Fuqi," Yinzhen said quickly when he saw that Consort Tongjia's expression was off, fearing that Consort Tongjia would not allow him to raise it.
Consort Tongjia originally wanted to say to throw the dog out, but seeing Yinzhen's somewhat anxious expression, and remembering that today was Yinzhen's first day back, she couldn't be too disrespectful to him, so she could only say, "Then keep it in your palace, and don't let it run out."
Yinzhen breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Just as Consort Tongjia was about to tell Yinzhen to go back and settle in, she caught a glimpse of a little eunuch holding a kite. Her brow twitched, and she said sternly, "Yinzhen, how come you've been staying at Xianfu Palace for months and all you've brought back are these frivolous and decadent things? Is this how Consort Xuan taught you?"
Yinzhen hurriedly said, "Your Majesty's Mother..."
"You don't need to say anything more." Consort Tongjia interrupted him, looking at the little eunuch who was trembling while holding the kite, and said, "Open the package and let me see what's inside."
The package contained snacks and treats that Wen Shan had prepared for Yinzhen, as well as lucky clothes and toys, and the few pieces of clothing that Consort Wei had made for Yinzhen.
"Yinzhen, how can you become a pillar of the Qing Dynasty and share your father's burdens if you indulge in pleasure all day long?"
Faced with Consort Tongjia's stern rebuke, Yinzhen could only kneel down and admit his mistake.
Consort Tongjia breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright, now that you're back in Chengqian Palace, get rid of those bad habits and go back to your room."
"Granny Chen, burn all of these things."
Yinzhen suddenly looked up, crawled a few steps on his knees, and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, all these things were prepared for me by Your Majesty..."
"Yinzhen, I raised you from childhood." Consort Tongjia looked at him and said, word by word, "Only your mother is wholeheartedly devoted to your well-being, understand?"
Yinzhen slowly loosened his grip on Consort Tongjia's dress.
Consort Tongjia waved her hand, and a young eunuch bowed and stepped forward to take the package and leave.
Consort Tongjia felt a tightness in her chest and shortness of breath as she watched Yinzhen leave. Chen Mama quickly supported her and advised, "Your Highness, the Fourth Prince is still young. We can teach him slowly. Now that we have brought him back, he is still the prince of our Chengqian Palace."
"Granny, it's not that I'm heartless, but Yinzhen is already disliked by the Emperor. If he doesn't work harder, how will he amount to anything in the future?"
Chen Mama helped Consort Tongjia back to her room. Juyue brought up some bird's nest and advised, "I suppose Consort Xuan always follows the Fourth Prince's lead, that's why she's like this. Your Highness, don't worry, the Fourth Prince listens to you the most, he'll be fine in a few days."
"Ha, Consort Xuan." Consort Tongjia sneered, "Yesterday she even lured the Emperor to her palace, using Yinzhen to exchange for favor, and Yinzhen still misses her sir."
Chen Mama's eyes darted around and she whispered, "Your Highness, Consort Niohuru and Consort Rong have just been released from confinement, and they're probably still quite irritable."
Especially the Niohuru clan, Manchu noblewomen were never intimidated by Consort Xuan's background.
"We can simply sit back and watch the tigers fight."
After Yinzhen returned to Chengqian Palace, Consort Tongjia used the same trick again, saying that she was unwell and that Yinzhen needed to stay by her side. So, except for going to the Imperial Study, Yinzhen was almost always confined to Chengqian Palace, and Wenshan could not see him even if she wanted to.
After Yinzhen left for several days, Xianfu Palace was deserted. Even Yinsi, who was usually playful and mischievous, stopped making a fuss about learning to turn over.
Wen Shan held Yin Si as they looked at the flowers under the eaves. Yin Si nestled against Wen Shan's neck, thinking casually that Yin Zhen was still the same cold and ruthless fourth prince. He hadn't come back to see his mother even once since he left, and yet his mother still cared about him so much.
Next time I see him, I'm going to kick him twice.
That night, when Yinzhi was falling asleep, he was shocked to find that the woven rattan puppy that Yinzhen had left for him was gone.
The wet nurse rushed to Wenshan in a panic, saying that the Eighth Prince had started crying inexplicably and she couldn't soothe him no matter what she did.
Wen Shan rushed over and saw Yin Si crying uncontrollably, looking extremely aggrieved. Wen Shan quickly picked him up.
"What's wrong with our Prince Yinzhi? Is he hungry?"
The wet nurse replied, "We fed him milk, but the Eighth Prince wouldn't drink it. We checked and found nothing else wrong."
Yinzhi originally just wanted to make some noise to get their help in finding the toys, but none of the wet nurses understood what he meant. In his anxiety, he could only resort to crying to attract Wenshan's attention.
Sure enough, the only thing he can intimidate in his current state is crying.
Mother is so smart, she must understand what he means.
Wen Shan watched as Yin Si waved his little hand, pointing towards the pillow while sobbing, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Is Yin Si looking for the puppy his brother gave you?"
Wenshan always thought that her little Ba was very smart and could understand what people were saying. For example, right now he stopped crying in a second and just looked at her with tears in his eyes.
Wenshan was both amused and exasperated: "The toys were washed and are drying outside. I'll bring them back to you tomorrow when they're dry."
Wen Shan touched his little face: "When your brother gave it to you, you kicked it away. Now you treasure it like this. Did you miss your brother?"
Yinzhi turned his face away in embarrassment and annoyance. Who would want the fourth prince!
There's been another strange thing happening these past few days: ever since Emperor Kangxi had a meal at Xianfu Palace, he's been coming over from time to time to freeload a few meals. But whenever he's about to stay overnight, Empress Dowager Niohuru always finds various excuses to invite him to her palace.
Pearl and Amber were so angry that they shed tears, and Yinzhi gritted his teeth in anger. Only Wenshan was happy, like a little bird, holding Yinzhi's hand and saying that Niohuru was a really good person who sacrificed herself to save others from dire straits.
Yinzhi gazed at the sky speechlessly.
His mother's thought process really seems to be quite different from that of the other concubines.
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