Tong Wanyan did not do as Yinreng wished. Instead, Hongzhao, like a little cannonball, crawled over from the blanket and bumped into Yinreng's thigh.
The impact was so great that Yinreng almost suspected that his son had been sent to Mount Wutai by Emperor Kangxi to train with martial monks for a while.
"So fat, it's a waste of fabric to make clothes. From afar, she looks like a ball, and up close, she still looks like a ball," Yinreng said mercilessly.
He was just about to steal a kiss from his sweetheart when this brat ruined it.
Hongzhao was picked up and lifted high, grinning foolishly, completely oblivious to what his father was saying, and even less aware of the resentment in Yinreng's eyes.
He parroted, "Fat ball."
Tana heard this and followed up with, "Fat ball."
Yinzhen came over carrying a box of milk cakes and overheard this conversation out of the blue.
“Who said Tana is a fat ball? Our Tana is so cute, chubby and blessed.” Yinzhen said protectively without saying a word.
Yinreng saw Yinzhen both during court sessions and after court sessions, which eventually became quite annoying.
Why do these people always disturb his and his wife's time together? They have no sense of propriety at all.
Knowing he needed a favor, Yinreng suppressed his impatience and put on the act of a good older brother: "You haven't seen Tana for almost half a month, have you? Look at yourself, your face is as round as a plate."
Yinzhen peeked out and saw Tana; his heart skipped a beat.
This person is excessively fat.
Tong Wanyan put Tana down and laughed, "Don't listen to what I'm saying. A child's weight gain doesn't last long. Once they're three or five years old and have grown taller, it'll be hard for them to gain weight."
"That's good. But even if Tana grows up to be chubby, I'll still love her just the same." Yinzhen was thinking far ahead.
When he thought about Tana getting married in the future, his eyes welled up with tears.
That sorrowful look in his eyes left Yinreng and Tong Wanyan completely bewildered.
What is it that makes the Fourth Prince so distressed? A man doesn't easily shed tears, unless he is truly heartbroken.
"Fourth brother, are your eyes red?" Yinreng asked with concern.
Yinzhen said in a muffled voice, "Second brother, what will happen when Tana gets married? It's rare for a princess of the Qing Dynasty to marry someone in the capital. If Tana goes to Mongolia, we won't see each other for three to five years. How heartbroken we'll be."
Yinreng looked down at his daughter, trying to see if there was a big, fluffy fox tail behind her.
For someone as calm and restrained as Yinzhen to frequently lose control of his emotions in front of Tana, it must be a debt he owed from a past life.
"Children will always have to separate. I have your second sister-in-law, so I'm not lonely." Yinreng subtly showed off his affection.
Yinzhen glared at him with a hint of temper, then tenderly took Tana away from the milk cakes he had brought.
"My dear niece, you can't eat anymore." Yinzhen felt the heavy weight in his hand and panicked.
Just as Tana's chubby little hands were about to lift the lid of the food box, she was suddenly taken away.
Even her fourth uncle, with whom she often played, couldn't make her forgive him.
"Eat." Tana pointed with her small hand, her double chin trembling.
Yinzhen shook his head, insisting on not giving it to him.
Tana was unhappy and snorted, "Fourth Uncle is bad."
"Fourth Uncle isn't bad, Fourth Uncle loves Tana. We can have the milk cake at noon, okay?" Yinzhen slowed down his speech, trying his best to make sure Tana could understand.
Tana didn't understand much; all she knew was that her fourth uncle wouldn't let her eat anything delicious.
The chubby little girl turned to Tong Wanyan and complained, "Mommy, it's delicious, eat it!"
Yinreng chuckled, "My daughter is so clever. Fourth brother, give her a piece of meat. Whether she eats more or less, she'll have the same amount of flesh. I am rich beyond measure, why would I worry about my daughter not being able to get married?"
Reassured, Yinzhen opened the lid with a tempting gesture and handed one to Tana.
Tana immediately beamed and praised, "Hello, Fourth Uncle."
The milk cake would leave crumbs, and as Tana ate, crumbs kept falling into her hands, landing all over Yinzhen.
Hongzhao sat down on the ground and started eating. His hands were clean, so it was fine for him to eat as he pleased.
With the two little ones gone, Yinreng got down to business: "Fourth brother, tomorrow I'm taking your second sister-in-law to Xiaotangshan for a rest. Tana will be sent to Ningshou Palace to be looked after by the Empress Dowager. Go and check on her when you have time."
Yinzhen's eyes lit up: "Wouldn't it be better to put it in the prince's quarters?"
"What do you think?" Yinreng glanced at him sideways.
Yinzhen said listlessly, "It will be better when I establish my own residence next year. Then I will be in charge and reserve the best courtyard for Tana."
"Then let's talk about it next year," Yinreng said coldly.
"How many days will Second Brother be gone?" Yinzhen asked.
"Three days. Father Emperor said he'd approve a maximum of three days; any more and we wouldn't be able to process all the memorials. Grow up well and help Father Emperor in the future, so I can spend more time with your second sister-in-law." Yinreng ordered his younger brother around with a sense of entitlement.
But Yinzhen was quite happy to oblige: "Second brother, don't worry, I will take good care of my eldest niece."
Recently, the eldest princess of Yinti's family has been frequently visiting the palace to accompany Consort Hui, and she also comes to Yuqing Palace from time to time.
Tong Wanyan suddenly remembered and asked, "What should the Fourth Prince call the First Prince's eldest daughter?"
In terms of the imperial grandchildren's ranking, Tana should be the third princess.
Yinzhen reacted a beat late: "I rarely see her. Even if I do, I'll just call her niece. I only have one niece, Tana."
He's not the kind of person who'll dote on his niece just because he sees her; he's very picky.
It's wonderful to have multiple people who love your daughter.
Knowing that Yinzhen was a man of principle, Tong Wanyan felt relieved.
However, this led to another incident.
Yinreng didn't usually pay much attention to what happened in other people's backyards, but after Tong Wanyan mentioned it, he thought, "My eldest brother's eldest princess doesn't have a name yet, does she?"
He's old enough to run and jump, but still doesn't have a name. His Tana, on the other hand, was given a name at birth, and they're quite different.
Having outperformed Yinti, Yinreng was filled with pride.
"My elder brother probably wants Father Emperor to bestow a name upon him." Yinzhen was younger and had spent more time in the harem than Yinreng, so he knew more.
"Heh, then I'm afraid we won't have a name for more than ten years. We'll just bestow a title later, and that'll be about it," Yinreng said proudly, raising his head.
Tong Wanyan doesn't meddle in other people's business.
She took the milk cake from Tana's hand and, looking at Yinzhen's aggrieved eyes, ate it with relish.
Yinzhen brought his face close to Tana's and said, "My dear niece, why don't you offer one to your fourth uncle?"
Tana turned her head away, ignoring him.
What a heartless little chubby child! He's broken my heart.
"This milk cake tastes good, and judging from the food box, it's not from the palace. Where did Fourth Prince go to bring back such a delicious treat?" Tong Wanyan glanced at the food box and asked knowingly.
Yinzhen's ears turned slightly red: "I went to the Grand Minister's house."
He went to see his future wife, whose apple-shaped face was even more beautiful, and he liked her quite a bit.
Moreover, the young mistress even knew to bring things for Tana, which shows how much she values him.
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