They've both given birth, so why has she recovered so well, even looking more beautiful than when she first entered the palace?
"Mother, that lady is so beautiful."
The hall was quiet, except for a child's voice that could be clearly heard by the people above.
Harigana looked up and saw that it was a little boy.
The woman, somewhat frightened, covered her child's mouth and knelt on the ground behind her husband to apologize.
Harigana is an Imperial Noble Consort. If anyone talks about her privately, even if it's just to say she's beautiful, they will be punished if investigated.
"Get up, all of you, don't be afraid!"
Seeing Harigana speak so gently, the people kneeling below breathed a sigh of relief and immediately expressed their gratitude: "Thank you, Your Highness the Imperial Noble Consort!"
Zhang Ying, get up. It's a family dinner today, so there's no need to be so formal.
Harigana turned his head to look at Kangxi, making sure she hadn't misheard the name, and then his eyes darted around.
He beckoned: "Come here! Come to my side!"
The little boy was probably frightened by his mother's actions, and now that he saw Harigana waving at him, he was a little timid.
The woman was also somewhat worried, but since the Imperial Noble Consort had summoned her, she couldn't disobey.
He whispered a few words in the little boy's ear. The boy turned his head and glanced at the man beside him. Receiving an encouraging look, he followed the little eunuch forward.
He walked down to the foot of the platform and bowed respectfully to the people at the head of the table. You could tell he was nervous, but he didn't lose his manners.
Kangxi looked at Harigana with suspicion, wondering what she was up to.
"Li Dequan, bring him up here so I can take a look."
With Xiao Li Zi not by her side, she could only whisper instructions to Li Dequan, who readily agreed and went to lead the men, without even glancing at Kangxi.
Li Dequan was the emperor's personal eunuch, yet he obeyed the orders of a concubine. Their understanding of Harigana's favored status was once again refreshed.
"Jiaojiao, what's wrong?"
Before the person came up, he turned his head and asked quietly.
"If a child compliments me on my looks, shouldn't I see what he actually looks like and give him a reward?"
Harigana's tone was quite arrogant, and Kangxi's lips twitched, but he let her be.
However, he was a little unhappy. He had praised him countless times, so why hadn't he been rewarded?
He wanted to give the little boy a disapproving look, but instead heard, "Don't scare the child."
Kangxi felt a pang in his heart. He couldn't even frighten the child of a minister anymore. Did Harigana still remember that he was an emperor?
But since they had given him a heads-up, he couldn't go against them and could only fight against the food on the table.
"Don't be afraid, were you just talking about me?"
Seeing the little boy's nervous expression, she picked up the pastries from the table, placed them in his hand, and spoke in a very gentle tone.
"Your Majesty, I was referring to you."
After she finished speaking, her little face turned rosy, making her look incredibly cute.
What's your name?
"My name is Zhang Tingyu, and my father is Zhang Ying." He turned around and pointed to the man standing below the stage.
Harigana was overjoyed. This was Zhang Ying's son, Zhang Tingyu, a Han Chinese who, according to historical records, was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
I never expected him to be so adorable at this age. Not bad, not bad. If he were a few years younger, he could grow up with her son.
But it's not too late now. It's not bad to wait until the older one takes care of the younger one.
How old are you?
Kangxi felt a strange unease. He had never experienced such a tone before. How could someone be so gentle with the son of a subject?
Zhang Tingyu replied shyly, "Your Majesty, this servant is already six years old."
Only six years old? She thought he was seven or eight.
"Good boy!"
She felt a pang of resentment. How could such a small child call himself a slave? Damn feudal society!
He turned his head and glanced at Kangxi. He wanted to glare at him, but it wasn't just Kangxi who made the mistake, so he had no choice but to give up and helplessly look away.
"Li Dequan, I like this child very much. I will reward him with a set of writing implements."
Emperor Kangxi was surprised and took a closer look at Zhang Tingyu, but couldn't see anything special about him.
However, Harigana has already given the reward, and if he doesn't, it will give others grounds for criticism.
"Li Dequan, convey my imperial edict: Grand Secretary Zhang Ying has excelled in educating his son. He shall be awarded a thousand taels of silver, and his wife shall be granted the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady."
Li Dequan was startled and quickly responded.
Knowing that the Emperor favored the Empress, they never expected that she would be granted the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady simply because someone praised her.
Those below were also shocked that such a good thing had fallen into the hands of a Han official.
She glanced at her own child, then at Zhang Tingyu, and didn't see anything wrong with him, except that he hadn't praised that Imperial Noble Consort.
Zhang Ying and her husband immediately knelt on the ground to express their gratitude, their eyes filled with undisguised excitement.
"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your great favor! Long live the Emperor!"
Zhang Tingyu was led back to Zhang Ying's side by Li Dequan. As soon as they sat down, a young eunuch came over with a tray, and the three of them quickly knelt down to express their gratitude: "This servant thanks Your Highness the Imperial Noble Consort. May Your Highness live a thousand years!"
The people of the Upper Three Banners felt contempt for Harigana, who was so fond of a Han Chinese official's child.
Harigana doesn't care about their opinions; whoever has the last laugh is the winner.
Things are still undecided, so why show off now?
"Jiaojiao, are you happy?"
Her voice sounded a little sore, and she could tell.
"Happy, Xuan Ye is the best."
Harigana spoke very softly, but his smile and the shape of his mouth were clearly seen by Bumbutai.
Looking at the smiling woman, I always felt that she was provoking me and showing off her power in front of me.
Yinfu and Bayalige were carried up and stood on either side of Harigana behind him. The Empress Dowager, who was already unhappy, couldn't help but darken her face when she saw the two yellow swaddles.
After all the ceremonies were over, Emperor Kangxi personally hung two longevity locks around their necks, leaving everyone stunned.
"Your Highness, the little princess has woken up."
Su Rina held Bayalige up to show Harigana, and just as she finished speaking, Yin Fu woke up.
After a month, the two little ones have grown up and are now fair and tender, and even look very similar.
"Is she hungry? Let's take her downstairs to breastfeed her."
Their chubby little faces are so cute, I really wanted to touch them if I wasn't worried about getting my hands dirty.
Harigana did consider breastfeeding herself at first, but she knew that one person wouldn't be enough to feed two people, and one of them would definitely not be full.
Moreover, Emperor Kangxi absolutely refused, saying that it was his territory and that even if he were to feed it, it could only be given to Beibei, and absolutely not to Baobao.
She simply stopped breastfeeding altogether and drank the herbal medicine to suppress lactation.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Just as the two children were about to be taken away, a commotion was heard outside.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you have been deceived, Your Majesty!"
(The ages of Zhang Ying and Zhang Tingyu were changed to be younger for the sake of writing the book, please don't criticize.)
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