As Yinreng approached, he saw a very exquisite little wooden figure, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Ah, Sun Wukong!"
That's right, what's placed in front of Mingxiu is a wooden carving of the four characters from Journey to the West, plus a white dragon horse.
Moreover, they were all painted, and each one looked lifelike. Yinreng held them in his hands, looking at them with great affection.
Mingxiu looked at his happy expression and asked, "So? Do you like it?"
Yinreng raised his head and nodded quickly. He really liked it, especially Sun Wukong, who could perform seventy-two transformations and ride the clouds.
"If you like it, I'll give it to you."
"Really? Thank you, Mother Ming, I love it!" Yinreng looked up happily and thanked Mingxiu sweetly.
With her mouth wide open and her eyes narrowed into slits, she looked incredibly cute.
Mingxiu smiled, patted his little bald head, pinched his cheek, and told him to put him in the box so she could take him away later.
After carefully putting everything into the box and placing it beside him, Yinreng began to eat the snacks on the table.
This is a dessert that Mingxiu had been craving yesterday: steamed egg with orange. The orange is hollowed out, and the pulp, eggs, and cream are mixed together. It tastes sweet and sour and is very refreshing.
They finished the whole thing in no time.
Mingxiu watched him finish eating with amusement, then picked up a handkerchief to wipe his mouth before saying, "I heard from your father that you've been working on public toilets lately, and you also have a set of blueprints that can flush away toilet waste directly. How's that going?"
Yinreng blushed slightly as he had Mingxiu wipe his mouth before speaking, "Father told you, things have already started here, but Father won't give anyone else the help. Right now, we can only ask my maternal uncle for help with everything. My maternal uncle is too busy, so the progress will be a bit slow." Yinreng pouted, looking a little aggrieved.
Uncle-in-law? Mingxiu thought for a moment, probably referring to Suo'etu.
Nodding, he agreed that, putting everything else aside, Suo'etu was indeed wholeheartedly devoted to Yinreng. As long as he didn't teach Yinreng anything else, it was still acceptable to ask him to do some things.
"Why won't you give him the person?" Mingxiu asked curiously.
Yinreng shook his head. "Father said it was to cultivate me, but I actually think Father is stingy. I was doing good for the Qing Dynasty, but Father is so stingy that he won't even give me a person." He complained to Mingxiu while eating dessert.
Mingxiu chuckled and rubbed her head. "How dare you say such a thing? Alright, maybe your father wants to test your abilities. If you really have no one to help you, then you can go to my brother Jia Hui. He's your elder, so you can ask him to help you."
Yinreng's eyes lit up and he nodded. The main reason was that his uncle Jia Hui was currently assigned to the Hanlin Academy, and they weren't familiar with each other, so he was a little embarrassed to ask him for help. But now that his mother had spoken up, he could ask for help with a clear conscience.
Thinking of this, Yinreng's eyes became even more pleased.
Great, I've got my free little donkey!
The two sat at the table, complaining about various things, while a gentle breeze blew in from outside, bringing a cool feeling that made them feel relaxed.
After a while, Ming Xiuxiu had lunch with one person, and Yinreng rested there for a while before returning to his palace.
He's grown up now and no longer lives with Emperor Kangxi. He has his own small courtyard, so there's no need for him to go back and report.
Yinreng didn't know much about what was happening in the inner palace, so he was unaware that his mother, Consort Ming, had been reprimanded that morning and had happily returned home with her gifts.
Poor Emperor Kangxi, after a long day of work, finally finished reviewing the thick stack of memorials on his desk. He thought he could relax at Mingxiu's place, but he was met with a closed door.
Kangxi looked at the servants outside with a bewildered expression. They knelt on the ground trembling, but wouldn't open the door for him. He had no idea what he had done to offend Mingxiu.
Just then, Liang Jiugong, having already learned from the eunuch what had happened at Taoyuan Study that day, recounted the events to Kangxi.
Kangxi's face grew increasingly grim. He looked at the tightly closed door, ignored the person kneeling on the ground, and strode in. Pushing the door open, he saw Mingxiu on the couch looking at his writing tablet.
Mingxiu glanced up and saw it was Kangxi, but ignored him and sat on the couch reading her storybook.
After Kangxi entered, he closed the door behind him, clenched his fist, placed it next to his lips, coughed lightly, and looked at Mingxiu's figure without even raising her head, feeling somewhat annoyed.
But then she thought about the grievances she had suffered in the Empress Dowager's palace today, so she had no choice but to put aside her pride and sit on the couch next to her.
Mingxiu glanced at Kangxi, then shifted slightly. "Your Majesty, what brings you to my humble abode? Perhaps you should visit some of the other concubines instead. I cannot bear Your Majesty's presence here."
Kangxi looked helplessly at Mingxiu's back as she turned away, then reached out and forcefully turned her body back to him. "Alright, I already know what happened today. How can you not handle this? I'm willing to come here. I'll talk to the Empress Dowager. Don't be angry."
Mingxiu snorted coldly and sat on Kangxi's lap. "Your Majesty, please speak properly. I don't want to be burdened with a bad reputation for no reason. I haven't done anything wrong. Empress Dowager, your words today make it sound like I'm a wicked concubine who clings to Your Majesty every day."
Kangxi chuckled silently, then reached out and gently stroked her nose with his finger. "You're not some kind of vixen, you're clearly my favorite concubine. I truly miss you terribly if I don't see you for a day."
Mingxiu trembled slightly in Kangxi's arms, raised her hand to touch her arm, shook off the goosebumps, and glared at Kangxi, wondering how he could say such mushy things.
In the end, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
She wasn't angry to begin with; she was just a little uncomfortable after hearing the Empress Dowager's words. Now that Kangxi had said those words, that discomfort disappeared.
The Empress Dowager had disliked her for a long time, and she disliked the Empress Dowager in return, so the Empress Dowager's words had no effect on her.
Mingxiu rested her head in Kangxi's arms, drawing circles on his chest with her fingers. "Then Your Majesty will have to go to the Empress Dowager to explain yourself. I don't want the Empress Dowager to publicly berate me again for not knowing the truth."
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