Chapter 5 Old Ten's Salted Fish Gift for New Year's Day
The next morning, Yin'e woke up and finally saw the Consort, whom he had waited for all night but hadn't been able to see even when he fell asleep.
In the warm pavilion, as soon as the Imperial Concubine entered with Lan Zhi, Yin E's little hand stretched out from his swaddling clothes. He cried out "Ah ah" and tried to raise his white, tender little hand with chubby dimples in the direction of the Imperial Concubine, meaning that he wanted the Imperial Concubine to hold him.
The Imperial Concubine knew that her son had recognized people long ago, but he was so attached to her. A bright and radiant smile still bloomed on her serene and tranquil face, and her heart softened like spring water. Her heart felt as sweet as if it were filled with honey, and it was filled with joy and happiness.
Lan Zhi removed the nail guards from her fingers, and the Imperial Concubine smiled as she picked up Yin'e, who was struggling and stretching his arms out to her from the cradle: "Yin'e, be good, Mother is holding you."
He buried his head in the Consort's arms, whimpering pitifully in his mother's embrace. In his baby language, which only he could understand, he told the Consort about his grievances of spending New Year's Eve alone in Yongshou Palace.
Gently patting Yin'e's back, the Consort softly coaxed her son.
Seeing Yin'e's fair face scrunched up in distress, his lips drooping as if he were about to cry, the Imperial Concubine felt extremely sorry for him. She quickly comforted Yin'e, holding him tightly in her arms and rocking him back and forth, and kissing his drooping little face several times.
After being coaxed and kissed repeatedly by the Imperial Concubine, Yin'e finally felt his wounded heart soothed, and all his grievances flew away in the kisses.
With a sweet, bright smile, Yin'e raised his head and planted a wet, milky kiss on the Consort's cheek.
Amidst the crisp smacking sound, Yin'e's warm, soft little body suddenly froze.
After being coaxed by the Imperial Concubine and calming down, Yin'e recalled his incredibly childish behavior just now and felt utterly ashamed, feeling that he couldn't face anyone.
Feeling utterly ashamed, Yin'e buried his head in the Consort's arms. He was unwilling to face reality and couldn't believe that the spoiled child who had just thrown a tantrum in his mother's arms, demanding kisses and hugs to calm him down, was him.
His actions just now were definitely not intentional; his mind was affected by the development of his brain!
That's right, that must be it. He's been assimilated by a child's body and stimulated by hormones, which is why he's so childish. When he's calm and rational, he won't act like a spoiled little baby!
Just as Yin'e was cursing his childish behavior, the Imperial Concubine affectionately patted Yin'e's head and kissed his soft, white face: "After the New Year, Yin'e will be a year older, and he will be two years old from today."
Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, the beginning of the year, and also the first day of the 23rd year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.
As we bid farewell to Lunar New Year's Eve and welcome the New Year, yesterday marked the beginning of the 22nd year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, and Yin'e also grew a year older with the passing of the new year. As the Imperial Concubine said, according to the traditional Chinese age reckoning, he is indeed two years old starting today.
But this was like a bolt from the blue for Yin'e, and he was stunned on the spot.
His large, dark eyes widened in disbelief, and his rosy lips parted slightly. Yin'e stared blankly at the smiling Consort, unable to believe what he had just heard.
Yin'e did remember the saying that one is one year old at birth, and he also knew the tradition that one's age increases by one year after New Year's Eve.
But he's actually not even three months old yet, and he hasn't even learned to roll over. Please don't treat him like a two-year-old; he's just a baby who's still drinking milk!
In the Qing Dynasty, princes usually entered the Imperial Study at the age of six. Could this age of six be calculated according to the traditional Chinese age system?
If that's the case, then wouldn't he have to start school at the age of four or five?
His round, bright eyes, like black grapes, widened even more, and Yin'e's little heart was dealt another heavy blow: he didn't want to start school so early, he didn't want to be a baby so young, he wanted to always be a baby who was loved and pampered!
Hmm... Yin'e no longer feels that being a pampered baby is childish and embarrassing.
After entering school, under the threat of Sanqiqi, all thoughts of maturity and adult demeanor have been thrown to the back of his mind. Yin'e avoids all of these things like the plague. He is just a baby now, and no one can change him.
The sound of a curtain being lifted came from the entrance of the warm pavilion, and Greenery walked in, carrying a thick booklet.
Greenery curtsied to the Imperial Concubine, its clear and lively voice dispelling the dark clouds hanging over Yin'e's head.
Green Willow said with a smile and a light tone, "Your Majesty, all the gifts the young prince received yesterday have been put into the storeroom. I have also copied the entire list of yesterday's gifts. Here is the list of the young prince's storeroom. Would you like to take a look?"
Although Yin'e lived in Yongshou Palace with the Imperial Concubine, from birth, the rewards and gifts he received were stored and recorded separately.
Last year, before Yin'e was even born, Consort Niohuru specially set aside a storeroom for him in Yongshou Palace.
After Yin'e was born, the rewards and gifts he received were separated from those of the Imperial Concubine and placed in his own private storeroom. When Yin'e grew up and moved out of Yongshou Palace, all these things would be moved with him; they were all Yin'e's private savings and family fortune.
Although Yin'e was not even three months old, he received quite a few gifts after his birth.
When Yin'e was born, Emperor Kangxi, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager bestowed many gifts upon him; he was also born at an opportune time, as the Golden Award Festival was just two days after his birthday, and he received a large number of rewards; in addition to the full moon celebration and New Year's gifts that followed, Yin'e has received four rounds of large-scale rewards to this day.
Moreover, it wasn't just the palace that bestowed rewards; the Niohuru family outside the palace also received gifts every time.
No matter how much Aling'a coveted the title of Duke of Guoyi, the one in charge of the Niohuru family now was Faka, the Consort's own brother. Faka was extremely close to the Consort and Yin'e, and naturally he was very generous, giving gifts as if he wanted to empty the Niohuru clan of its wealth.
Looking at the thick booklet in Luyi's hand, Yin'e burst into laughter through his tears, his low spirits vanishing instantly.
Yin'e admitted that he loved money and couldn't help but smile when he saw the money coming into his treasury—after all, who doesn't like gold and silver treasures? Moreover, the treasures bestowed by Emperor Kangxi, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager were rare and priceless, much rarer and more expensive than real gold and silver.
Yin'e looked plump and healthy. After holding Yin'e for only a short while, the Consort's right arm ached from the weight of her son, so she shifted her position, using her left arm to support Yin'e and give her right arm a rest.
The Imperial Concubine glanced at the booklet in Luyi's hand, but did not take it to examine it. She simply nodded casually and said, "Make sure the prince's storeroom is properly organized. Other things are fine, but not a single item bestowed by the emperor can be damaged."
The Niohuru clan is one of the eight major Manchu clans, a noble and powerful family.
Consort Gui's grandfather, Eyidu, was a founding meritorious official of the Qing Dynasty, one of the five founding ministers, and was awarded the title of First-Class Merit, posthumously honored with the title of Hongyi, and enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple; her father, Ebilun, inherited the title of First-Class Duke and was also one of the four regents during Kangxi's reign.
Consort Gui came from a distinguished family and held a high social status. She was not a shallow person and never cared much about the gold and silver treasures bestowed upon her by Emperor Kangxi, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager.
As long as it doesn't involve imperial gifts, even if there are missing or damaged items in the storeroom, the Imperial Concubine wouldn't bother to care about such trivial matters—imperial gifts are different after all, and if she were negligent, she would inevitably be suspected of disrespecting the emperor.
Green Willow's eyebrows furrowed slightly, a sharp glint flashing across her pretty face. She nodded emphatically and said with a serious expression, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will keep an eye on things. I guarantee no one will dare to do anything underhanded."
Holding Yin'e, who was still staring longingly at the booklet in Luyi's hand, tightly in her arms, the Consort sighed with a touch of melancholy, her voice lowering as she said, "Luyi, you will keep this storeroom inventory for Yin'e for the time being. Once Yin'e moves to the Prince's quarters, you can give the booklet to his wet nurse."
In the Qing Dynasty palace, each prince was assigned a wet nurse and a nanny. The duties of the wet nurse and the nanny were different. The wet nurse was responsible for feeding the prince and accompanying and watching over him at all times; the wet nurse was responsible for the prince's food, clothing, housing, social interactions, and managing various daily affairs, which was equivalent to the prince's steward before he got married.
As for Yin'e's private treasury, when Yin'e was still living with the Consort in Yongshou Palace, it was naturally managed by the Consort on his behalf.
But once Yin'e moves to the West Third Palace, his wet nurse will take over. The Consort will no longer be able to interfere in her son's daily life. At most, she can give Yin'e's wet nurse a few words of advice and show some concern when Yin'e comes to pay his respects.
The Imperial Concubine's mood suddenly turned somber because she thought that Yin'e would move out of Yongshou Palace sooner or later.
Although the Western Three Palaces were close to the Western Six Palaces and also near Yongshou Palace, the mother and son could no longer see each other every day as they did now. Once Yin'e entered the Imperial Study to study, he would only have a few days off a year, making it even more difficult for the mother and son to see each other.
"Ah~~ Eee ah ah..." (Don't worry, even if I move to the Prince's residence, I will still come back to Yongshou Palace to see you every day.)
Yin'e grasped the Consort's fingers with his small hand, puffed out his fair and delicate face, and solemnly promised with a serious expression: I will come back to see you often, and even if I skip class, I will come to Yongshou Palace to pay my respects every day.
The imperial concubine, whose fingers were being held, was taken aback, and inexplicably felt that Yin'e was comforting her.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Yin'e: I skipped class to come see you.
Imperial Concubine: Thank you.
Hahaha, luckily the Imperial Concubine couldn't understand what Yin'e was saying~ O(∩_∩)O
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
