Tong Wanyan pinched Hongzhao's chubby buttocks out of jealousy; they felt quite nice.
No wonder he's raised on delicacies; he's much more fun than the children from ordinary families.
Hongzhao lay blankly on the bed, like a fat turtle.
Tana played with her toys, ignoring her poor little brother struggling in her mother's arms.
Hongzhao, unaware of the impending danger, sweetly replied, "It doesn't smell as good as Mother's."
Tana then caught up with her brother, holding a toy, and said sincerely with her big, dark eyes, "Mother is the most beautiful!"
Two sincere gazes turned to Tong Wanyan, and Tong Wanyan felt as beautiful as if a hundred flowers were blooming in her heart.
"You guys are so sweet-talking," Tong Wanyan said reproachfully, unable to hide her smile.
"Then why didn't you seem very happy sitting in your third aunt's arms, Mother?" Tong Wanyan asked deliberately.
Hongzhao, without any suspicion, said directly, "I want Mother to hold me, Mother to hold Sister."
Tong Wanyan looked down at herself, then at Tana, and fell silent.
Even though she's quite strong, she can't carry one in each arm for long.
They're no longer the little kids who weighed less than ten pounds; now they're all quite substantial, with very firm flesh.
"I'll make it up to you, okay? I'll lift you up high, okay?" Tong Wanyan coaxed her chubby son.
Hongzhao smiled and said, "Okay, I love my mother."
"Who taught you that?" Tong Wanyan thought the words sounded familiar.
Hongzhao said in a clear voice, "I heard it from Father! Father also said that Mother is his darling. Mother, my sister and I are your darlings. So, are you Father's darling?"
I love Xiao Yan the most; Xiao Yan is my darling.
Tong Wanyan blushed as she recalled the shameless things Yinreng often said.
"You're not allowed to imitate your father anymore." Tong Wanyan's earlobes were so red they looked like they could bleed.
Hongzhao asked, puzzled, "My mother used to say that Father is the best and that we should listen to Father."
"Listen to your father, not just imitate him. Be good, let your mother lift you up high." To prevent Hongzhao from asking too many questions, Tong Wanyan quickly got out of bed, picked him up, and lifted him up high.
Tana quickly put down her toy, ran to the middle of the bed and sat there, watching longingly as Hongzhao was lifted high into the air.
"I miss my fourth uncle," Tana murmured.
If her fourth uncle were here, he would definitely lift her up high.
Tong Wanyan was so surprised by Tana's words that she almost bent over.
She didn't want her two children to feel unfair favoritism from their parents, and even because of Tana's status as a woman, she and Yinreng would show some favoritism.
"Didn't Tana just see your fourth uncle yesterday?" Tong Wanyan put Hongzhao down and hugged him to her chest.
Hongzhao was very excited after playing for a while, his eyes shining. He didn't get angry when the piggyback ride suddenly stopped.
“Mother, lift Sister up high!” Hongzhao said.
Tana waved her chubby little hand: "No need, I have my fourth uncle, I'll give my mother to my younger brother for now."
The loving siblings made Tong Wanyan beam with happiness.
Tong Wanyan smiled happily, and Tana and Hongzhao looked at their beautiful mother and laughed along with her.
These two little babies will probably never be able to change their fondness for beautiful women.
When Yinreng returned, Tana and Hongzhao were still in Tong Wanyan's room.
As he approached the door, before he could even open it, he heard laughter and chatter coming from inside.
The fatigue from a day of dealing with government affairs vanished in the midst of this carefree laughter, leaving only boundless energy.
"I could hear you two making a fuss from far away. What's going on? Why are you so happy?" Yinreng pushed open the door and went straight to sit down next to Tong Wanyan.
The fragrance of her hair brought Yinreng peace of mind.
Tana collapsed into Yinreng's arms: "Father, ride a big horse!"
She couldn't bear to tire out her beautiful mother, but her father was tough and resilient, so there was no need to worry.
Yinreng couldn't read Tana's mind, so he didn't know what she was thinking.
He thought it was because his daughter was clingy, and he was very happy.
"Alright, Father, let Tana ride on a big horse." Yinreng lowered his head and let Tong Wanyan lift Tana onto his shoulders.
Tana sat on Yinreng's neck, her legs dangling in front of his chest.
Yinreng raised both hands, grabbed Tana's arms, and started running around the room.
"Father, get out."
After running around the room a few times, Tana pointed outside, dissatisfied.
Yinreng walked out of the house without stopping, and when he crossed the threshold, he deliberately bent over to prevent the lintel from hitting Tana.
Besides Deshun and Chunque, who were guarding the courtyard and waiting for their master's orders, there were two other servants who were sweeping and cleaning.
They avoided eye contact as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, retreating to a corner so as not to disturb the family bliss between Yinreng and his daughter Tana.
Tong Wanyan took Hongzhao's little hand and walked out of the house.
Hongzhao was not envious of Tana at all. He snuggled close to Tong Wanyan's legs, and after Tong Wanyan squatted down, he softly leaned in and kissed Tong Wanyan's face.
"Mother, Hongzhao wants to hear a story." Hongzhao prefers quiet to movement.
Tong Wanyan read all kinds of books, whether they were dry or interesting stories, she accepted them all.
"Alright, how about I tell you the story of Kunpeng? In the Northern Sea there is a fish, its name is Kun. Kun is so big that no one knows how many thousands of miles it is; it transforms into a bird, its name is Peng. The back of Peng is so big that no one knows how many thousands of miles it is. When it is angry and flies, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky." Tong Wanyan recited "Free and Easy Wandering".
Hongzhao leaned against Tong Wanyan and listened, shaking his head and asking, "Mother, have you ever seen a Kunpeng?"
“Mother has never seen one. A mythical beast like the Kunpeng should live on high mountains or in the deep sea. The capital city cannot contain it. Perhaps when Hongzhao grows up and can travel outside the capital, he will be able to see one.” Tong Wanyan did not casually brush off Hongzhao just because he was a child.
Hongzhao could not fully understand Tong Wanyan's words, but he knew that the world was vast, and there were many, many places outside of Yuqing Palace and the Forbidden City that he did not know about.
Yinreng could hear Tong Wanyan's patient guidance clearly from not far away.
His eyes were gentle as he looked at Tong Wanyan, as if he were seeing the most beautiful thing in the world.
When the lights were turned off at night and people were resting, Tong Wanyan casually mentioned a few things about Dong E Hailan.
Yinreng said, "Don't worry about Yinzhi. His backyard is a mess, and my third sister-in-law will have to get used to it."
"I reckon it won't be long before Third Sister-in-law goes to visit the Imperial Concubine. The Empress Dowager dislikes Consort Dong'e, and the only person she can find to put Consort Rong in her place is the Imperial Concubine," Tong Wanyan said.
"The Imperial Concubine doesn't like to get involved in these matters; in the end, she just tries to smooth things over. Next year, Yinzhi will probably leave the palace to establish his own residence, which will reduce the turmoil in the palace," Yinreng revealed, referring to Kangxi's arrangements for the princes.
Tong Wanyan breathed a sigh of relief: "That's perfect. She came over to talk to me so nicely, I couldn't just stop her from leaving. But listening to someone complain is also a painful thing to do."
"Does it hurt? Let me rub it for you." Yinreng chuckled and blew a breath into Tong Wanyan's ear.
Tong Wanyan spoiled the mood by saying, "Master, don't forget the doctor's orders."
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