The date for the southern tour was set, and Qingyin was preparing the items that the prince would take on the trip. Because she had a child, she had to prepare a lot of things. In fact, with Li Desong and several older nannies watching over her, Qingyin didn't have to worry too much. She only needed to take a look at the list of items at the end.
Li Desong and the others were experienced in this kind of work, but with four more young masters, the supplies needed to be more complete. Qingyin saw that there was nothing missing, so she added a few of the children's favorite little clothes. The children were energetic and liked to run around, so it wouldn't hurt to have a few extra little clothes.
After packing his things, Yinzhen, along with his four excited children, bid farewell to Qingyin and set off on his journey with Kangxi.
Along the way, other princes followed. The enthusiastic Fourteenth Prince clearly enjoyed interacting with the quadruplets and came to visit them frequently every day.
It's clear that the children, including Xiao Hongzheng, also really like their Uncle Fourteen, who often comes to visit them. They show their affection by changing their sweet address of "Uncle Fourteen" to "Uncle."
The childish "Uncle" kept calling out to Yinzhen, which softened his heart. Every day, he would diligently carry and hold the four little cubs, taking turns riding them. Everything he did had to be fair and the same for everyone. After a few days, Yinzhen went from liking it to feeling pain. But for that sweet "Uncle," Yinzhen persevered.
The sight of his son's arduous struggle impressed even Yinzhen. He knew how energetic his own sons were, and how a slight imbalance could easily lead to a major fight. It was truly remarkable that his fourteenth brother could manage to satisfy all four of his children.
Yinzhen looked at his fourteenth brother with some surprise, never expecting that his fourteenth brother, who was talented in fighting, would also be able to take care of children.
Kangxi knew about what was happening in the group, and he was somewhat surprised by Yinzhen's behavior with the child. His fourteenth son had always only interacted with the ninth and eighth princes, but he hadn't expected him to be so patient with the young child.
However, it could also be the sweet talk of those few clever little devils. Kangxi smiled slightly as he thought of those little glutinous rice balls.
In the forty-second year of his southern tour, Emperor Kangxi crossed the Zhonghe River at Wuhua Bridge in Suqian County to inspect the dike construction, then crossed the Yellow River in Suqian County and stayed at Shanggucheng in Taoyuan County. (Historical reference)
Taoyuan County is a place completely different from the capital. As you can tell from its name, the county has many peach trees. The most famous one is a green peach, which is named because it remains green until it ripens. The peaches are large with small pits, and they are sweet and juicy. Therefore, it is a tribute that must be presented to the emperor every year. When they came to Taoyuan County, Xiao Hongzheng and his friends had the opportunity to taste fresh green peaches.
(Aside: Green peaches are really delicious, the author highly recommends them (′?`) When I was a child, my family had a green peach tree. The fruit was very large, with small pits, crisp, and had a particularly strong peach aroma, unlike other peaches. It had a special fresh fragrance and was especially delicious, but it attracted insects.)
Looking at the lifelike drawings the children had brought and Yinzhen's translation, Qingyin's lips curled slightly. After reading the letter, she pondered for a while and then wrote a letter herself, which she had the servants send out.
Qingyin's pregnancy was particularly comfortable. Apart from nausea in the first month, it didn't affect her eating much. She just craved spicy food more. She guessed that the two babies in her belly were spicy food lovers, and gently touched her slightly undulating belly.
Because she had a greater craving for spicy food, Zeng Li made a spicy duck neck dish in the small kitchen based on the advice of the imperial physician and Qing Yin's words. Since it had little meat and was very spicy, Qing Yin liked to nibble on a few whenever she was craving it. The hot duck neck made her lips turn slightly red, giving it a more vibrant color.
This dish of duck neck, which should have been discarded, was transformed into a treasure in the Prince's mansion thanks to Qingyin's suggestion. It can be said that this spicy duck neck not only won over Qingyin's stomach, but also won over the tastes of all the palace maids, guards, and eunuchs in the mansion.
The word spread like wildfire, and before people knew it, it had become a hit, even sparking the small business of spicy duck neck stalls in Beijing.
Qingyin had no idea that her one secret indulgence in spicy duck neck would spark a craze for it throughout the capital.
Emperor Kangxi's southern tour has lasted for three months, and Qingyin's belly has slowly started to swell. Bichun and the others looked at Qingyin's belly, which was swollen abnormally, just like last time, and exchanged bewildered glances. "No way, could it be that the Princess Consort is pregnant with twins or triplets again like last time?"
Qingyin smiled and patted her belly: "I feel like this time will be the same as last time. Xiaoyue, go to the palace and send a letter to Consort Yi, asking her to invite an imperial physician to the palace to take a look."
Imperial Physician Lin, who rushed over from the palace and was the same physician who had been caught by Yinzhen last time, ignored the fine sweat beading on his face from running and worried that Ninth Prince Consort was ill. He said nervously, "Please extend your hand, Ninth Prince Consort, so that this old minister may take a look."
"Physician Lin, there's no need to be nervous. I'm not feeling unwell, but my belly seems unusually large this time."
Hearing Qingyin's words, Imperial Physician Lin relaxed slightly. As long as nothing happened to the beautiful Ninth Prince Consort, that would be fine. Otherwise, if something happened to the Ninth Prince Consort, he would probably be in trouble sooner or later.
Imperial Physician Lin took her pulse and remained silent for a while. Two minutes later, he raised his head with delight: "Ninth Princess Consort is carrying twins this time, which is why they are a bit larger. Both mother and fetuses are extremely healthy, so please rest assured, Ninth Princess Consort."
Imperial Physician Lin looked at Qingyin, who was pregnant again and had twins again, and clicked his tongue in amazement. The Ninth Prince's wife was truly blessed. Last time she had quadruplets, and this time she had twins. He was truly envious. He wondered how happy the Emperor and the Ninth Prince would be when they returned.
Zeng Li asked from the side, "Is there anything the Princess Consort should be careful about?"
Imperial Physician Lin shook his head. "Ninth Princess Consort is in good health and had a good postpartum period. Her vital energy has not been depleted. She can proceed with a normal pregnancy as usual."
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