Yinzhi confidently led his wife out the door, walking with a swagger, his head held high, proud and arrogant, like a crowing rooster.
Dong E Hailan followed closely behind, her demeanor dignified, appearing to be a rather qualified royal consort.
Newlyweds are expected to get up early to pay their respects to their parents, but Tong Wanyan and Yinreng are exempt from this requirement.
The two of them, dressed in comfortable casual clothes, sat casually on the chaise longue, eating hot glutinous rice balls in their hands, looking relaxed and content.
Yinreng took a bite of the sesame-filled glutinous rice ball, enjoying the sweet sesame paste flowing into his mouth.
"Yesterday, my elder brother and I got Yinzhi completely drunk. Although we later had the imperial physician sober him up, it seems that our wedding night still didn't go smoothly," Yinreng said gloatingly.
Tong Wanyan glared at him and said, "Be careful, sir, your father will come and beat you up himself later."
"No, the imperial physician I invited is the one Father Emperor often uses. The wine at the wedding banquet wasn't strong liquor, and the number of wine jars was fixed, so there's no way anyone would really get drunk. If someone is truly drunk, there's probably some unknown inside story," Yinreng said meaningfully.
What's the inside story? It's either that Yinzhi is incompetent, or that he's too capable and switched the wine himself.
In short, the squabbles between Yinreng and Yinti were nothing more than among the brothers, and Kangxi would not take it out on them.
Yinreng smiled mischievously, and Tong Wanyan, seeing how happy he was to do something naughty, secretly scooped a sesame dumpling from his bowl.
Even though it's all food from the same pot, it always tastes better when you snatch it from someone else's bowl.
Caught off guard, Yinreng grinned mischievously and lowered his head to eat another glutinous rice ball, only to find the bowl empty.
He turned to look at Tong Wanyan, whose cheeks were puffed out.
"Where are my glutinous rice balls?" Yinreng asked.
Tong Wanyan stared with her round eyes and pointed to the place where Hongzhao and Tana were sleeping.
Their chubby little dumpling is sleeping; it's so early and it hasn't woken up yet.
"I'm talking about the kind that you can eat!" Yinreng put the bowl aside, stood up, and tried to pounce on Tong Wanyan.
Tong Wanyan looked at him innocently, chewing rapidly while shaking her head like a rattle drum.
Faced with such a childlike little darling, what could Yinreng do but spoil him?
"Eat slowly, eat slowly. Do you think I can snatch the glutinous rice ball out of your mouth? Spending so much time with Tana and Hongzhao has made you feel smaller too." Yinreng patted her head, his eyes filled with tenderness that could drown a person.
Tong Wanyan finished the glutinous rice balls while holding back her anger, and then leaned back contentedly in Yinreng's arms: "That's because you spoiled me."
"Of course, no one can bully my darling." Yinreng smiled happily, his eyes crinkling.
Yinti's situation was similar to Yinreng's; he was outside the palace and received the news later. However, this did not stop him from laughing heartily when he learned that Yinzhi's wedding night had been ruined.
Not only Yinti and Yinreng, but also Yinzhen, who was playing with the dog in the princes' quarters, had a dimple on his cheek from laughing so hard.
Yes, that was a dent, not a dimple. Yinzhen firmly refused to admit that he had such delicate dimples on his face, and that his smile was sweet.
Leaving aside the amusement of outsiders, Yinzhi and Dong'e Hailan, thinking nothing was amiss, arrived at Zhongcui Palace and swiftly served tea and bowed to Kangxi and Consort Rong.
Consort Rong was no longer alive, only terrified. She was afraid that Emperor Kangxi would smash the teacup in his hand on Yinzhi's face on the spot.
Getting hurt isn't a big deal; what I fear most is losing face.
Consort Rong sat there, her heart pounding with fear, forcing a stiff smile onto her face.
Yinzhi was so engrossed in the excitement of having a wife that he forgot about his mother and didn't notice Rongfei's little details at all.
Of those present, only Emperor Kangxi and Dong E Hailan were truly calm.
After drinking tea and exchanging red envelopes, the ceremony is considered complete.
Logically speaking, Emperor Kangxi should have been waiting alone in the Qianqing Palace for Yinzhi and Dong'e Hailan to come and pay their respects.
He condescended to come to Zhongcui Palace to accompany Consort Rong while waiting for the newlyweds to serve tea, all to make up for yesterday's farce.
"From this day forward, you are truly established in your family. From now on, you must shoulder the responsibilities of the head of the household, be accountable, and understand responsibility," Kangxi admonished.
Yinzhi respectfully replied, "Your son will follow Father's instructions."
Dong'e Hailan was his daughter-in-law, so Kangxi had nothing to say about it.
Consort Rong waited anxiously for Kangxi to lose his temper. Her heart was in turmoil for a long time, but seeing that Kangxi's face was serious but there was no sign of anger, she gradually calmed down.
"Dong'e, from now on you will be Yinzhi's consort. A wife is a good wife, so you must manage the household well for Yinzhi and share his burdens. You are both still living in the palace now. When Yinzhi is at court, if you have nothing to do, you can come to my place often." Consort Rong admonished her daughter-in-law.
Dong E Hailan obediently replied, "Your daughter-in-law will follow Mother's teachings and will pay her respects to you often from now on."
Dong'e Hailan was no longer as arrogant as she had been a year ago, which pleased Consort Rong considerably.
"Remember to make up for what happened yesterday when you get back today. This matter must not be spread, and you are not allowed to be so disrespectful in the future," Consort Rong then said cryptically to Dong E Hailan.
Dong E Hailan lowered her head in embarrassment and said in a voice barely audible, "Yes."
Yinzhi chuckled: "Mother, this is not Hailan's fault. Don't worry, we won't miss out on yesterday's expenses. I guarantee that you and Father will be able to hold your big, fat grandson soon."
"What nonsense are you talking about? You two haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you? Come and have some breakfast together, it's all easy to digest." Consort Rong couldn't put on airs as a mother-in-law when facing Yin Zhi, so she could only speak to him gently and affectionately.
Kangxi looked at the Western clock in the hall and calculated the time, saying, "After we finish eating, we can go and meet your brother."
“Son knows,” Yin Zhi said in a cheerful tone.
It is customary for the emperor's wife to meet his brothers and get to know them.
Having grown accustomed to the domineering presence of the eldest sister-in-law and the stunningly beautiful and talented Tong Wanyan, neither the older nor younger princes showed much affection for Dong E Hailan beyond a sense of curiosity and novelty.
Of course, nothing is absolute.
At least, the usually friendly and gentle Eighth Prince Yinzhi said several childish things to Dong E Hailan, positioning himself as a good younger brother welcoming his sister-in-law.
The new bride meets her brothers only to prevent her from not recognizing them in the future; there's no need to develop a deep relationship with them at this stage.
The people chatting and laughing were still these same group of grown men.
Dong E Hailan was content to be a well-behaved, decorative figure, simply offering a gentle smile when mentioned.
Besides meeting these princes, Yinzhi and Dong'e Hailan also had to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine.
The Empress Dowager was unwilling to meet members of the Dong E clan, especially since Dong E Hailan had done some foolish things, which made her even more disliked.
No one could make the Empress Dowager feel wronged, so when Yinzhi and Dong'e Hailan went to Ning Shou Palace, they were asked to leave after merely offering their respects.
The situation with the Imperial Concubine was alright; it was a polite affair. Everyone exchanged a few perfunctory, meaningless pleasantries, and that was it.
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