After Rouyin finished her makeup and tidied her clothes, she nodded with satisfaction at herself in the mirror. "Are the children dressed?"
Yinzhen gazed intently at Rouyin, who was dressed in magnificent clothes, and said solicitously, "I have already given instructions that the children are waiting in the carriage." He naturally took his young wife's hand and walked towards the prepared carriage.
They had many children, so they divided the carriages into two: one for the slightly older Honghui and Yilejia, and the other for the couple and their quadruplets.
Rouyin, adorned in her magnificent attire, entered the carriage. The excessively heavy headdress caused her neck to twist uncomfortably. Yinzhen, keenly aware of his wife's discomfort, gently covered her neck with his hand, lightly massaging it. Rouyin found a corner to lean against, resting her arms on her knees, and gave Yinzhen a faint smile. Yinzhen seemed oblivious to his wife's unladylike posture, sitting contentedly beside her, ignoring the several young princes sleeping soundly on the blankets.
On the other side, sitting in the sedan chair, Yilejia, dressed in a pink lotus-patterned cheongsam with two small buns in her hair, swung her short legs and talked to her brother Honghui, who was dressed in a black and gold robe. They were a bit older, and they weren't afraid to ride in a carriage by themselves, especially since they had Granny Wang with them.
Time flew by amidst the chatter, and we arrived at Yonghe Palace.
The old woman, Wu Gu, who had been waiting at the palace gate, smiled as she looked at the group. Her smile widened when she saw a familiar face among the children holding the young prince. After Wu Gu rose and bowed, she said to Yinzhen, "Your Highness, there is no need to announce us. The Empress has been waiting in the palace for a long time."
"Thank you for informing me, Granny Wugu." Granny Wugu was her mother's confidante. She had been with her mother since childhood, and when she reached the appropriate age, she volunteered to stay in the palace to serve her mother. Yinzhen also had great respect for this kind-faced nanny.
Holding the young prince Hongzhou, Granny Wumu looked at Granny Wugu with great surprise. They were cousins from the same clan and had always been close. However, due to a natural disaster, their families fell into ruin, and they were separated. One was sold into the De Consort's family; seeing her cleverness, she was chosen by De Consort's mother as a personal maid. The other entered the palace to beg for food, eventually settling into the Imperial Kitchen. Later, by a twist of fate, Granny Wugu also entered the palace with her mistress. While serving De Consort, who was still a Noble Consort, she suffered some hardships. The two recognized each other while getting food in the Imperial Kitchen. Thanks to Granny Wumu, news of the culinary wonders about food was passed on to De Consort through Granny Wugu. As a result, after De Consort rose to prominence, Granny Wugu reaped many benefits and was even able to learn medicine.
Later, thanks to Granny Wugu's blessing, she was transferred to the Fourth Prince's residence. She is now truly grateful to her sister for finding her such a good place. The Prince's wife is kind and intelligent, and she has several young princes with her. Life is wonderful no matter how you look at it. Now, looking at her lively and blessed young princes every day, she feels that her spirits are even better than when she was in the palace.
Each of the two women carried a young prince, while the nannies carried two more. The eldest prince and the eldest princess held hands, and their father led them across the palace gate into the main hall.
Consort De, who had already prepared chairs and pastries and was mentally prepared, couldn't stop smiling at the scene of such a grand gathering. The portrait of Sun Mantang made her extremely happy.
Under their father's prior instruction, the two children also greeted Consort De, saying, "Grandchildren greet Imperial Grandmother."
"Alright, alright, get up, all of you." Consort De smiled as she looked at the two chubby babies with their three-headed figures. They were truly worthy of being her grandchildren, and were among the most handsome of her generation. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the radiant Fourth Prince's wife, but with such a mother, she certainly couldn't be ugly!
In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Kangxi, upon receiving the memorial from his fourth son who had brought his wife and children to visit Consort De, stared at the memorial in his hand. He found it utterly useless; the lengthy document offered no practical solutions. He slammed the memorial down and said to Liang Jiugong, who was waiting nearby, "Have the winter plum blossoms in Consort De's palace bloomed yet? You've been busy with too many chores; go and see them." It must be said that the Aisin Gioro family was notoriously concerned with appearances. Even though they clearly wanted to visit their grandson, they insisted on making it a roundabout way of saying it. This characteristic was clearly evident in him and his son.
Liang Jiugong respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, the plum blossoms in Consort De's palace are in full bloom, it's the perfect time to admire them." He went along with His Majesty's words, but he didn't believe that His Majesty went there for the plum blossoms in Consort De's palace. Thinking of how the Fourth Prince had taken his wife and daughter to Yonghe Palace, he understood that His Majesty's purpose in going there was not what it seemed.
As soon as Kangxi arrived outside the Yonghe Palace, he heard the laughter of children inside. He raised his hand to stop the servants from announcing the arrival, and spoke first, "My dear consort, this palace is so lively! I'll come and see for myself."
Consort De was startled, but having managed to become the mistress of a palace with both children, she quickly calmed down and took the lead in rising to pay her respects. Rouyin, Yinzhen, and the others followed suit.
Emperor Kangxi glanced at his fourth wife, who looked like a fairy, and his gaze lingered for a moment, almost imperceptibly. His eyes then fell on the children with great interest. "Get up, all of you. This is a family banquet, so there's no need for such formalities."
He beckoned to Honghui and Yilejia, signaling them to come over. The two adorable, chibi-style children weren't shy at all and ran to the majestic Emperor Kangxi, who was dressed in a yellow robe. Each of them took one hand of the Emperor's hand. The whole thing happened in the blink of an eye, before Kangxi could even react. He truly hadn't expected that besides his young crown prince, there would be children who liked to be close to him. "Haha," he laughed, squeezing the two chubby, fair-skinned little ones in return. "Aren't Honghui and Yilejia afraid of Emperor Kangxi?"
“Huang Mafa is Ilja’s biological grandfather, the most powerful person Ilja has ever met, so Ilja is not afraid.”
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