Everyone in the palace is shrewd; seeing Yinzhen's expression, Tong Wanyan and Yinreng immediately knew what was going on.
To be honest, Yinzhen was truly pitiful.
He was such a fine prince; all the concubines in the harem wished he were their own son. But it was his birth mother who couldn't stand him. Even though he was filial and respectful, she would find a million faults with him. It was as if casting him into the dust would erase the memory of her sleeping with the Imperial Noble Consort.
As far as Yinreng is concerned, if he had a golden opportunity and didn't try to curry favor with her, then Consort Wuya would be a fool.
The caring looks in his elder brother and sister-in-law's eyes warmed Yinzhen's heart.
Seeing Yinzhen's silly appearance, Yinreng's heart was filled with excitement.
He puffed out his chest and said cheerfully, "No matter what, we must get along well with the Grand Minister. This is the family Father Emperor chose for you; they are quite capable and won't hold you back. Even if we can't be a perfect couple, treating each other with respect is still good enough."
He paused, then suddenly said smugly, "After all, not everyone can have such a good wife like your second brother."
Yinreng held Tong Wanyan's hand, looking very affectionate.
So what if she's a concubine? The person he's chosen is the one he'll spend his life with.
Yinzhen turned his face away, not wanting to see his second elder brother, the Crown Prince, showing off recklessly.
That's enough! The Crown Prince, who acts like an emperor outside, is now acting like a complete idiot.
With his worries gone, Yinzhen instantly lost all his troubles and started playing with Tana on the ground.
He even willingly lay on the ground to let his niece ride him like a horse.
But such an unseemly thing to do is not appropriate even in front of one's brother and sister-in-law.
So, Yinzhen carried Tana to the back room of the South Courtyard.
When Hongzhao saw that her older sister had been led away, her delicate face turned red, and she burst into tears.
The girl was crying so loudly that Yinreng almost fell off his seat in fright.
"My little darling, why are you crying like this!" Yinreng quickly got up and hugged his son. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the boy was all bark and no bite. Despite how loudly he was wailing, he didn't shed a single tear.
"You've got guts! A man sheds blood but not tears, just like your father!" Yinreng praised.
Tong Wanyan rolled her eyes: "Hurry up and call the Fourth Prince. Hongzhao and Tana are inseparable."
Yinreng belatedly realized that even if his eldest son didn't shed tears, his throat still hurt from howling.
"Fourth brother, don't run away, take my eldest brother with you too!" Yinreng chased after Yinzhen while carrying Hongzhao.
Startled by Hongzhao, Yinzhen quickly turned back. Tana, nestled in Yinzhen's arms, turned to look at her younger brother and cried.
For some reason, she suddenly burst into tears.
Look at the deep affection between these siblings, how touching and heart-wrenching!
Yinreng quickly handed Hongzhao to the wet nurse so that the two little ones could be paired up.
Hongzhao, sobbing, held Tana's hand, his voice gradually fading.
Yinzhen breathed a sigh of relief: "Second brother, shall I take my niece to play?"
In an instant, Yinreng seemed to have aged considerably; only by raising children did he truly understand the hearts of parents. Twins, though auspicious, were also a source of much worry.
"Go away, go away." Yinreng waved his hand dismissively, as if he were shooing away trash, and sent the person away.
After watching Yinzhen and the others disappear from sight, Yinreng returned to his room with a smile as warm as a spring breeze.
"Xiao Yan, it's all thanks to Fourth Prince. Otherwise, our daughter's temper would be too difficult to manage," Yinreng said with a sigh.
Tong Wanyan nestled beside him: "Oh, so who was the one who was jealous just now? The way you glared at the Fourth Prince, anyone who didn't know better would think that he and I had actually had something going on!"
Yinreng chuckled awkwardly, not daring to reply, but Tong Wanyan was not about to let him off the hook.
Her fair and delicate hands mercilessly pinched Yinreng's waist, then twisted and turned him around.
The waking pain made Yinreng quickly feign pitifulness and beg for mercy.
"Good Xiaoyan, good wife, I know I was wrong. I love you to the core, and I see everyone else as a rival. I know you admire me, I know that." Yinreng shamelessly begged for forgiveness in a gentle voice.
When Yinzhen returned carrying Tana, he was astonished to see his esteemed second elder brother, the Crown Prince, bowing and scraping before Tong Wanyan.
The eyes of the Aisin Gioro clan were all small. Their narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes, though noble and beautiful, were not wide-open almond-shaped eyes. But Yinzhen, startled, forced his phoenix eyes to widen into almond-shaped ones.
Tong Wanyan and Yinreng were also dumbfounded. Their intimate moments were best kept to themselves; it was really embarrassing to have others see them.
"Fourth Prince?" Yinreng slowly straightened up. Tong Wanyan turned her head away to avoid suspicion, her face still flushed.
Yinzhen lowered his head stiffly and coughed twice: "I'm here to find a wood carving. The one for Tana."
Yinreng took a few steps forward, when suddenly his foot was bumped by something hard.
He lifted his foot and saw that it was a cute little dog wood carving.
"Fourth Prince, you've gone to so much trouble." Yinreng picked up the wooden carving; it was smooth to the touch, perfect for a young child to play with.
Yinzhen smiled shyly: "If my niece is happy, then I am happy."
Yinzhen swiftly took the wooden carving from Yinreng's hand, turned around, closed the door, and left. He feared that if he hesitated even a moment, his life would be in danger.
Yinreng, still worried, summoned Deshun and instructed him to guard the door properly and prevent anyone from getting in his way.
Even a younger brother isn't as important as a wife.
After carefully closing the door, Yinreng impatiently pulled the person into his arms, doing nothing but enjoying the feeling of having a beauty in his arms.
Tong Wanyan nestled in his arms, bored, and played with his glossy black pigtails.
“In a few months, your two older brothers should be able to return to the capital. Judging from Father’s words, Tong Qinian and Tong Ruita have made many contributions and are now quite influential in the army. Father has always favored the Tong family, and your family has always had a good relationship with the direct line. Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei accompanied Galdan on this expedition and helped a lot in various ways, which shows that he genuinely hopes that Tong Qinian and Tong Ruita can rise to prominence,” Yinreng said.
Tong Wanyan's eyes flashed; she always felt that Yinreng was doing something behind her back.
But since Yinreng didn't say anything, she had no way of knowing. Anyway, Yinreng wouldn't harm her, and she would find out someday.
“If Jia Rong knew this news, he would definitely be very happy,” Tong Wanyan said with a smile.
Yinreng pinched her cheek: "I went to great lengths to find out military secrets for you, and instead of thanking me, you're thinking about other women."
Tong Wanyan chuckled: "What kind of secret is that? Come on, let me give you a kiss, I won't be jealous!"
Tong Wanyan coaxed Yinreng like a child, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
With a stern face, Yinreng silently turned away, presenting her with the other side of his face: "Hmm!"
Tong Wanyan understood, stepped forward, and stamped his seal again.
Instantly, Yinreng beamed: "Does this count as returning all the rouge I bought for you?"
With a bright red lipstick mark on each cheek, Yinreng looked up, beaming with pride.
Tong Wanyan beamed, "My husband is truly the most handsome man in the world."
Yinreng was immensely pleased with Tong Wanyan's sweet words: "Flattery!"
Tong Wanyan blinked: "Okay, then I won't say anymore."
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