"That's good. Is Honghui alright? Come here and let Granny Ma take a look. Oh dear, his little hands are so cold! Granny Zhang, quickly get that hot water bottle to warm Honghui's hands. You, Fujin, why didn't you make sure Honghui had enough shoes and clothes? And why didn't you prepare a hot water bottle? You're just letting Honghui come here in this cold wind!" Consort De still gave Fujin face. After asking about Consort Yin and the three children, she didn't forget to check on Honghui. But when she touched Honghui's icy little hands, Consort De's face darkened. She glared at Fujin and told Granny Zhang to quickly bring a hot water bottle. Consort De didn't know the reason why Honghui died at the age of eight in her previous life; she hadn't cared about the Fourth Prince's household at that time. But judging from today's situation, Honghui's death was undoubtedly caused by Fujin's negligence. Look at Consort Yin; all her children are wrapped up tightly. This comparison shows how much she cares about her children versus how little she cares.
"Mother is right." The Fujin saw that Consort De, who had just praised Consort Yin, was now scolding her. Even though she was magnanimous, her expression was not good at this moment, and she could only say a dry sentence.
Consort De frowned deeply upon seeing this, shaking her head inwardly. Where was the slightest resemblance to a principal wife in this state? She couldn't help but sigh again, truly having chosen the wrong person for the Fourth Prince! She then looked at the quiet Consort Yin beside her. Originally, she had intended to reprimand this concubine on behalf of the First Prince, but now it seemed best to let it go. There was a reason the Fourth Prince liked her; with the First Prince's personality, no man could tolerate it.
"Grandma, I'm not cold. It's just that my hands are cold because they've been exposed to the wind. Please don't blame me, Mother," Honghui said softly to his mother.
"Good boy, Honghui." Consort De looked at Honghui with pity, wondering if the child's fate could be changed in this life. Consort De did not want to interfere with Honghui's fate, because she knew that changing one thing could have far-reaching consequences. She didn't know if changing Honghui's fate would change things, so she could only apologize to the child in her heart.
As Yin Qingyi watched, she saw the tenderness and pity in Consort De's eyes for Honghui. Her eyes flickered slightly, wondering if Consort De wanted to change Honghui's fate.
The atmosphere at Yonghe Palace was fairly good; at least everyone except the Princess Consort seemed to be in a good mood.
In the Qianqing Palace
Yinzhen and the other princes paid their respects to Kangxi. Then came Kangxi's time for fatherly concern. He first showed concern for his favorite crown prince, Yinreng, then his eldest and third sons, and finally Yinzhen.
"Fourth Prince, why didn't you bring the twins today?" Kangxi's first question was not about Yinzhen, but about the three babies.
"Father, we've arrived. We went to Mother's Yonghe Palace. She's still too young and needs to be carried by her wet nurse. There were too many people, so I didn't bring her along," Yinzhen replied respectfully.
"Hmm, you've thought of everything. I'll go see them myself later. It's been months since I've seen these three little ones, and I really miss them. Hahaha." Kangxi nodded and then laughed.
"It's their good fortune to be remembered by Father Emperor." Yinzhen was also happy. It was a good thing that his children were valued by Father Emperor. Most importantly, it was also beneficial to that little woman. If Father Emperor remembered the three little ones, he would naturally remember Consort Yin, the mother of three children. This was a good impression, so Yinzhen was naturally happy.
"The three children haven't been named yet, have they?" Kangxi suddenly remembered this.
"They've only given them nicknames, not official names yet." Yinzhen shook his head, his heart pounding. Was Father Emperor going to name the three little ones? This was a privilege usually reserved for the children of his second brother, the Crown Prince!
"Hmm, I just thought of something. The eldest of the triplets will be named Hongxi, the second will be named Hongyou, and the youngest, being a girl, will be named Shujue." Kangxi decided on the names of the three children after only a moment's thought.
"Your subject will thank Your Majesty for bestowing names upon your three children!" Yinzhen knelt down to express his gratitude, his heart filled with emotion.
However, while Yinzhen was excited, his brothers around him had different thoughts. Leaving aside the Crown Prince, Yinti was not happy. None of his children had received names personally bestowed by their father, but his fourth son had received three at once, even surpassing his second son.
The Crown Prince looked at Yinzhen kneeling on the ground, a flicker of unreadable emotion in his eyes. Normally, Yinzhen was on his side, and it seemed like a good thing that Yinzhen had gained the Emperor's favor, but Yinreng felt uneasy. It was as if he felt resentful that the Fourth Prince, who had always been inferior to him in everything, had suddenly surpassed him.
Yinzhen was in a good mood at the moment, and he didn't care what his brothers were thinking. Whatever they were thinking, they didn't want to delay him from making his children proud.
"Hahaha, get up. Look how happy you are. It's just a name." Kangxi was also pleased to see Yinzhen like this. It was just a name, yet he was so happy. This fourth prince was really honest.
"The name bestowed by Father Emperor is naturally different." Yinzhen praised Kangxi without any shame, doing whatever pleased Kangxi.
Time flew by, and soon it was time for the sacrificial ceremony. Kangxi led a group of his sons out of the Qianqing Palace, where the area was already filled with ministers.
Leading this large group of people, Kangxi arrived at the place of ancestral worship. He knelt down first, and the people behind him immediately followed suit, all of them kneeling down by half a head.
It was at this moment that Yin Qingyi arrived at this place. The children were looked after by their wet nurses and nannies, as these women of the inner court were all to kneel and pay their respects. Yin Qingyi followed the Fujin (the Empress Dowager) to her seat and knelt down. She listened silently to Emperor Kangxi's speech, but the wind was rather strong today, and she was far away, so she couldn't hear anything without using her superhuman hearing. In fact, Yin Qingyi didn't really want to listen; it was nothing more than reporting the great achievements of the past year to the ancestors and then praying for their blessing for the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty.
This kneeling lasted for most of the day, and Yin Qingyi caught several swaying figures out of the corner of her eye. The morning's kneeling didn't end until noon. But it wasn't over yet; Yin Qingyi knew that this kneeling had to continue from the first to the fifteenth of the lunar month! Fifteen days of kneeling—even with her cultivation protecting her, Yin Qingyi's legs were starting to feel weak! It was hard to imagine how these people managed to endure it every year; Yin Qingyi felt that without her cultivation, she probably wouldn't have been able to last a single day.
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