Yinti felt his heart bleed whenever he thought that Yinreng had not only the full assistance of the Hesheli clan, but also the support of the Tong family.
Having endured the grueling court assembly, Yinqi returned home and, pulling his primary wife along, prepared to have a son.
Even if Yinreng had an eldest son, so what? He was still born out of wedlock. If his wife could give him a healthy baby boy, that would be a legitimate prince, and he would be another eldest grandson.
Yinti was secretly pleased with himself, but outwardly he was living a happy life.
Yinzhi lacked his elder brother's abilities, and his gloomy mood persisted for several months, which made Kangxi increasingly angry.
Yinzhen followed behind, occasionally stirring up trouble and making Yinzhi look humiliated.
Emperor Kangxi naturally knew about this, but he never said anything about it even though he had seen it.
He felt guilty towards the Imperial Noble Consort, and since Yinzhen didn't have a biological mother who loved him, it was only right for him, as a father, to show some favoritism.
Having bullied his nemesis, Yinzhen was in a great mood. Even his usually cold face was now as radiant as a sunflower.
Yinreng was busy reminiscing with Kangxi about their long-separated father-son relationship, and by the time he returned to Yuqing Palace, it was often dark.
"Wah wah..." Tana, who was nibbling on her toes, suddenly looked up and saw her father, and excitedly cried out.
When Yinreng, who rarely returned home early, saw his eldest daughter greeting him warmly, his refined smile turned into a silly one.
"My dear niece!" Yinzhen, standing behind Yinreng, shouted, breaking Yinreng's heart, which was filled with fatherly love.
Tana was calling him her fourth uncle, not her father!
Tana hugged Yinzhen affectionately, humming and cooing.
That intimate gesture made Yinreng extremely jealous.
The eldest son is steady and devoted to spoiling his younger sister. The eldest daughter is a little tyrant, and her heart belongs entirely to her fourth uncle.
Yinreng looked at Tong Wanyan with expectant eyes, and thankfully Tong Wanyan was also smiling at him, which made him very happy.
Children are all debts, only a wife is true love!
His little Yan is his true love!
Tong Wanyan was fully aware of Yinreng's little scheme.
She smiled and tapped Tana's chubby face: "Forgive me, fourth brother, Tana is hungry."
Yinzhen was puzzled as to why Tong Wanyan would suddenly say such a thing, but when he looked down at her, he saw Tana tugging at his clothes, her chubby face flushed red.
Yinreng chuckled gleefully, "Oh dear, Fourth Brother, my eldest princess has mistaken you for her wet nurse!"
How much can a seven-month-old baby understand?
Tana looked up at Yinreng in confusion, but when she heard the words "nanny," she clapped her chubby hands happily.
As expected of her father, he understands what she means.
"Whoever feeds me is my mother," Tana immediately turned to Yinreng, wanting him to hold her.
Yinreng glanced at Yinzhen triumphantly and took the chubby girl from his arms.
It wasn't that Yinreng was badmouthing his daughter, but she was just too heavy; her arms felt heavy when he held her.
Tana cried loudly in Yinreng's arms, ordering her own father to find her a wet nurse.
The Crown Prince's eldest daughter wants milk, where have all the servants gone!
Tana was furious, while Tong Wanyan remained calm.
Hearing Tana's anxious little voice, Yinzhen felt a pang of heartache: "Sister-in-law, are there not enough wet nurses in Yuqing Palace? My niece is so hungry, if it really comes down to it, we could go to another palace and call two wet nurses over to help out!"
Tong Wanyan frowned: "She's so clever! She's not really hungry, she's just craving something. Look at the fat on her arms and face, you can't even feel her bones. If you put her on the ground and touched her lightly, she'd probably roll a long way. Even the Empress Dowager has a headache seeing her like this now."
Yinreng nodded repeatedly. He had been reviewing memorials for most of the day, and now, holding his chubby daughter, his arms were sore and trembling.
Yinzhen showed unconditional favoritism in everything involving Tana.
He looked at Yinreng with a hint of disdain: "Second brother, you've been slacking off in your martial arts lately. My niece is so light, I could carry her all day without any problem. Hey, second brother, hold her tight, don't drop her."
Yinreng's forehead veins throbbed; he probably knew why Yinzhi was so fixated on Yinzhen.
This kid sometimes says things that can really drive you crazy.
"Here you go. When you have your own children, you'll know how hard it is to be a parent." Yinreng threw away his chubby daughter, but didn't forget to make excuses to save face.
Yinzhen curled his lips in disdain: "Second brother, we are royal princes, with mountains of silver and servants. How could we be as burdened as poor families in the common world raising children?"
The closer you are to someone, the more unrestrained they are in their speech.
A year ago, Yinzhen was still distant and polite to Yinreng, but now there is nothing he dares not say.
Tong Wanyan smiled quietly to the side. No matter what, it was always good for Yinreng to have a caring brother by his side.
A pack of wolves and tigers, with their eyes on the position of crown prince, would expose even the most powerful man.
This is what it means to be outnumbered.
Now that the meticulous Yinzhen is around, Yinreng's journey will surely be smoother.
Yinreng and Yinzhen laughed and joked around, while Tong Wanyan sat gently beside them, occasionally making teasing remarks. Tana howled for a while, but seeing that her beautiful mother was unmoved, she turned around and went to play with Hongzhao.
As Kangxi listened to the description from the spy, a comforting smile appeared on his face, like that of a loving father.
Even emperors, living in the highest echelons of power, sometimes feel the loneliness of being alone and envy the kindness of fathers and sons, and the harmony between brothers in ordinary families.
In high spirits, Emperor Kangxi decided to go to Yuqing Palace to enjoy family time.
However, before he could take a single step, the Empress Dowager invited him to the Ning Shou Palace.
The Empress Dowager has not yet told Emperor Kangxi about Consort Tong's matter.
When Emperor Kangxi met the Empress Dowager, he showed her great concern.
After returning to the capital from the front lines, he made a few hasty visits to the Empress Dowager, and spent the rest of his time dealing with the backlog of memorials.
No matter how good Yinreng was, he still couldn't compare to a true emperor.
Now that he had some free time, he genuinely chatted with the Empress Dowager about everyday matters.
Ask the Empress Dowager how she is feeling, whether she is unwell due to the summer heat, and whether any of the concubines in the harem have offended her.
The Empress Dowager answered all the questions well until the topic of the concubines in the harem came up, at which point her face darkened.
"Your Majesty, are you saddened by the matter of Consort Wang?" Kangxi knew that the Empress Dowager valued his offspring very much.
However, Tong Wanle was dead, and the matter was already settled. He couldn't possibly harbor any resentment towards Yinzhen over an unborn child. Besides, Yinzhen was completely innocent in this matter, and Tong Wanle wasn't someone he wanted to take as a concubine.
The Empress Dowager shook her head: "It's easy to lose one's offspring in the harem. We've both seen it all before, and we've gradually hardened our hearts. The reason we invited the Emperor here today is because Consort Tong has behaved improperly."
Emperor Kangxi was just happy that the Tong family had a successor when Consort Tong suddenly caused trouble, making him frown.
"When my cousin was alive, she hoped that I would treat Consort Tong well. Therefore, although I do not like her, I will not mistreat her," Kangxi said.
"I know the Emperor's thoughts, so her status in the harem has never been inferior to that of the four concubines. But this time she went too far. She actually spoke rudely to the Emperor when he was away on a campaign." Whenever she thought of what Consort Tong said that day, the Empress Dowager felt a pain in her chest from anger.
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