"Qiuci, bring up Niu Gege's gift to me so I can see it!" Consort De said with a kind smile.
After Qiu Ci received Lan Qin's gift, she presented it to Emperor Kangxi and Consort De. Consort De opened the lid herself, and upon seeing what was inside, her face lit up with surprise. Emperor Kangxi also saw the peaches inside and couldn't help but smile, saying with a grin, "Consort De, this gift is probably the most unique in the world. Even I have never seen one before. Today, I have truly broadened my horizons!"
Consort De looked at the peaches that Lanqin had processed, and even with her rigid and dignified personality, she couldn't help but laugh.
"Mother, what exactly did Princess Niu give you? Can I see it for myself?" The Fourteenth Prince couldn't sit still any longer. Upon hearing this, Lady Wanyan glared at him fiercely.
Seeing the reactions of Emperor Kangxi and Consort De, the Fujin was filled with disappointment. She had originally wanted to take this opportunity to ridicule Lanqin, but now it seemed that the old couple sitting at the head of the table were quite interested in Niu Shi's gift!
"You're the most impatient one! Qiu Ci, take the box and show it to them!" Consort De instructed.
When Qiu Ci came down with the brocade box, Kangxi said to Lan Qin, "How did you manage to do that? How could these peaches grow like this?"
Lanqin smiled slightly and immediately said, "Your Majesty, those peaches with patterns or words borrowed the power of the sun, while those peaches that grew into square shapes were forced to grow like that by using a small wooden box."
Kangxi raised his long eyebrows and said with a puzzled look, "Tell me in detail!"
At the same time, the Fourteenth Prince burst into laughter. Between laughs, he sobbed, "Mother, these peaches are so fun. Especially this one with a smiling face, I've never seen such a juicy peach before."
Wanyan initially disdained to look, but when Qiu Ci showed them the brocade boxes one by one, she couldn't help but glance at them and couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.
"If you like it, then your mother will give it to you!" Consort De was always the most loving towards this son. The Fourth Prince glanced at it, and although he smiled slightly, a bitter feeling welled up in his heart.
"Your Majesty," Lanqin said, "I first had people cut out the desired paper cutouts, and then used these paper cutouts to wrap the peaches. When the sun shines down, the wrapped parts will naturally appear darker than the parts that receive sunlight. This is actually the effect of light." Lanqin explained the principle of photosynthesis to an ancient person from three hundred years ago, believing that Emperor Kangxi would understand.
Emperor Kangxi pondered for a moment, then stood up, walked over to Qiu Ci, picked up a peach with the character for longevity on it, examined it closely, and said to Lan Qin, "Your method is indeed ingenious! I've been thinking about this principle, and I wonder if it can also be used to dye cloth, so that we can dye cloth in more colors!"
As expected of Emperor Kangxi! His ability to draw inferences from one instance to another is truly remarkable!
"I haven't tried it myself, but Your Majesty could have someone try it; it should be able to produce multiple shades," Lanqin replied.
When the peaches reached the Fujin (Prince's wife), she stared at the peaches with their various patterns, her heart sinking. The peaches bore patterns of longevity characters, flowers, smiley faces, animals, and even square shapes – a truly eye-opening sight. The Fourth Prince glanced at them, frowning slightly, but he wasn't at all surprised by the little princess's mischievousness.
"Alright, I've seen all the gifts. I think the most thoughtful gift is this unique peach. What do you think, Consort De?" Kangxi said with a smile.
"Yes, Your Majesty thinks so too. I also like their gifts very much, but Niu's gift is truly thoughtful, and I like it very much as well." No one knows what Consort De really thinks; she just says whatever Kangxi says.
"Your Majesty, we have finished looking at the gifts. Let's take our seats!" Consort De asked.
So, everyone followed Emperor Kangxi and Consort De to a side hall, where two tables of delicious food had already been prepared, and several young princes were also brought in.
Emperor Kangxi, Consort De, Noble Lady Hui, Noble Lady Lan, then the Fourth Prince, the Fourteenth Prince, and the Thirteenth Prince sat at one table according to their rank. The Fourth Prince's wife, the Fourteenth Prince's wife, Lady Li, Lanqin, and several other young princes sat at another table.
"Little sister, your gift today has truly broadened my horizons. Let me offer you a toast." Madam Li raised her wine cup and said to Lanqin.
The princess glanced at her, but felt extremely uncomfortable. From the moment she entered the palace, Lanqin seemed to be working against her at every turn, and it always seemed that she benefited while she suffered losses.
"Sister Li's gift was truly thoughtful, and the Fujin's gift was even more precious. Lanqin's was merely a token effort, and it's really not worth mentioning." Lanqin looked at the Fujin's expression and seemed to realize that she had stolen her thunder today.
What should I do if it was completely unintentional?
"My lady, I toast you with a cup of wine, wishing you and the eldest prince good health and all the best!" Lanqin couldn't think of any other words to comfort the lady, so she could only offer this toast.
"If my sister weren't drunk, why would you toast me today, it's Mother's birthday?" The princess put down her wine cup and said, her red lips parting slightly.
Lanqin was speechless for a moment and couldn't answer. Fortunately, Honghui suddenly walked up to the Fujin and whispered something in her ear. Then he pulled the Fujin away from the table. The gist of it was that he needed to go to the toilet or something else. Anyway, it relieved Lanqin's embarrassment.
Lanqin glanced at Kangxi and Consort De, thinking to herself: Consort De is still highly regarded by Kangxi. To have him accompany her on her birthday is quite a show of respect. Will the Fourth Prince treat me the same way someday? Lost in thought, Lanqin couldn't help but glance at the Fourth Prince again, but soon she met Holland's gaze.
Just then, Lanqin gave Holland a wink, stood up, and said to the palace maid serving her meal, "I'm feeling a little unwell and need to go to the toilet. Could you take me there?"
The palace maid agreed, and Lanqin followed her out. Meanwhile, the Dutch at the other table, not knowing that Lanqin was letting them go out alone, immediately told the palace maid beside them that they needed to relieve themselves, and stood up, letting the palace maid lead them out of the side hall.
Alright, our Comrade Lanqin and her dear second sister have finally reunited in the clean room of Yonghe Palace in the Forbidden City.
"Sister is here!" Lanqin gave Holland a slight bow and was about to greet her when Holland rushed forward and helped her up.
"Little sister, get up quickly! I've really missed you. I never expected to see you here today. Otherwise, I'll ask the Emperor for a favor later. Please come and sit in my room for a while!" Holland said.
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