After the third-day celebration, Qingyin looked at the expensive gifts from Xiao Fupei and his entourage, raising an eyebrow slightly. It seems that the Emperor's face is indeed very useful.
Unfortunately, the child was still too young, and some longevity locks and bracelets were not suitable for him to wear. So Qingyin had someone put all these things away in the child's storage room, and waited until he was older before letting him wear them for a while.
After playing with the energetic little Fu Pei for a while, Qingyin asked the nanny to take him back, and then she prepared to rest.
After finishing his son's third-day celebration and working overtime to organize official business, Yinzhen quietly climbed into Qingyin's bed. Holding Qingyin, who still smelled faintly of milk, he closed his eyes contentedly, his eyes slightly bluish around them, and slept soundly through the night.
In the palace, the emperor is undoubtedly the fastest to receive news, especially since many people attended Fupei's third-day celebration, which would spread the news even faster. Kangxi was somewhat surprised, "He looks like me?"
Liang Jiugong respectfully replied, "It is Your Majesty. The ministers who have met Prince Fupei are all astonished."
"It seems to be very similar. In that case, send my white jade pendant with the auspicious dragon pattern to Prince Fupei."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Liang Jiugong respectfully withdrew, feeling even more favorably disposed toward the Fourth Prince. He thought, "What a lucky guy! Some people can't even find a way to curry favor, while others can win without lifting a finger and still be remembered. The Fourth Prince is truly blessed."
The next day, Qingyin saw a familiar figure sweeping the courtyard and asked him curiously, "Where did this little eunuch come from?"
Songzhi assumed her mistress was just curious and said with a smile, "My mistress, this little eunuch was transferred to our courtyard by the prince because he thought he was clever. Thanks to him last time, you were able to enter the delivery room safely. Now the prince has transferred him to the inner courtyard, so you feel more at ease."
Qingyin didn't know what to say. She had personally moved her rival to her side. She thought to herself, "Is the prince just sending a wild man right to my doorstep? Should I cuckold him or should I cuckold him?"
Perhaps hearing Qingyin's inner voice, the man turned to look at Qingyin looking at him through the window, his smile unusually bright. The unsuspecting Songzhi thought it was because of his good attitude and secretly gave him a praising look.
However, Qingyin felt that it was too early to worry about anything. Right now, she just wanted to play with Fupei's baby and enjoy her single life for a while. She didn't want to get involved in too many troubles for the time being.
Unbeknownst to Qingyin, Yinzhen, residing in the imperial palace, had gone mad for her. Lately, he frequently dreamt of a woman shrouded in mist, in which he adorned her hair and drew her eyebrows… The two rode spirited horses, chasing and playing, their laughter in the dream making Yinzhen unable to resist a smile even in his sleep. However, upon waking, he found no one there. This stark contrast caused him to become depressed, his cheerful demeanor turning somber. Because of these sweet dreams, he began to resist falling asleep, and the lack of sleep cast a shadow of gloom and volatile energy over him, a fact that everyone noticed and dared not provoke the Fourteenth Prince.
However, they also discovered that the relationship between the Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince had deteriorated further, especially the way the Fourteenth Prince looked at the Fourth Prince, which sent chills down their spines.
Emperor Kangxi was a sensitive man, and since Yinzhen was not being discreet, he naturally noticed everything. He originally thought that Yinzhen only didn't get along with Yinzhen, but got along well with his other brothers, so he had a high opinion of this son. However, now he doubted Yinzhen's views and reprimanded him in court on some pretext.
Having been reprimanded, Yinzhen naturally understood his father's meaning. He slightly lowered his gaze, making sure no one could clearly perceive his malice towards Yinzhen.
Yinzhen knew that his hatred was outrageous, but whenever he saw his fourth brother, he always felt that the woman in his dream was the concubine Nian whom Yinzhen had married. This association made him feel as if his treasured and carefully guarded treasure had been taken away, and he felt as if his reason and soul were being violently torn apart.
This idea led him to an extreme thought.
The hunting feast has begun this year, and Yinzhen has brought Fupei and Qingyin along, at Kangxi's explicit instruction.
Now that the Emperor is getting older, the situation is becoming more tense. The Eighth Prince's faction is gradually gaining momentum, and although there is still a Crown Prince's faction in the open, the Crown Prince was deposed and reinstated, and his power is completely different from before. Everyone knows that the Crown Prince's chances of succeeding to the throne are slim. The situation of one side being powerful and the other side being dangerous makes the situation in the court even more complicated.
Amid this tense situation, the hunting banquet commenced. Yinzhen, avoiding any provocation, mingled among the crowd, carrying arrows on his back and riding calmly on horseback as if he hadn't noticed Yinzhen's provocation.
On the other side, Qingyin, who had been given instructions by Yinzhen beforehand, was laughing and playing with little Fupei in the carriage. The sound reached the ears of the nearby Fujin Yixiu. Her expression stiffened. If her Honghui were still alive, she would probably be the one having fun right now. Thinking of this, she hated the deceased Rouze even more, and she couldn't help but feel hatred for the carriage from which the laughter was coming. Jianqiu, who knew her well, couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "Fujin, you can't touch this prince."
Yi Xiu knew what Jian Qiu was saying, and the thought of being overtaken by Nian Shi despite having such great fortune made her so angry that her head started to ache.
On the main road of the capital, the carriages of various ministers and princes were heading towards Qingmeng Mountain. The hunting banquet was being held halfway up Qingmeng Mountain. As a prince, Yinzhen walked to the front of the procession and set off with the other princes.
The entire procession stopped temporarily at the foot of Qingmeng Mountain. The people in each carriage enjoyed some snacks and food they had brought to fill their stomachs before continuing their journey.
There was a dedicated road for horse-drawn carriages on Qingmeng Mountain, so the carriages could still move around even at the foot of the mountain. However, the caravan finally stopped in front of the restricted hunting grounds.
Although Qingyin hadn't suffered any physical hardship from sitting in the carriage all day, she was genuinely exhausted. So, once they arrived at Qingmeng Mountain, she couldn't help but take Xiao Fupei out for some fresh air. By then, the sky was gradually darkening, and unless one was in close combat or had special vision, it was impossible to see anyone.
Yinzhen, however, was the latter. Standing on high ground, he stared at Qingyin's figure in a daze. No one told him, but the fact that Qingyin's Fupei pendant was exactly the same as his father's was like a symbol reminding him that this was Nian Shilan, the woman who had haunted him in his dreams for so long.
Qingyin looked at the little dumpling in her arms, who was grinning foolishly at her. She smiled gently. Fupei was almost a year old and could already take a few wobbly steps. Moreover, the baby, who was not picky about food and ate well, was obviously well-fed. He was chubby and had a wonderful feel to his body. If Qingyin hadn't taken the Strength Pill, she really wouldn't have been able to hold this chubby little dumpling for so long.
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