Qian Shengyan's life in Rehe that year was peaceful and happy. She raised her two children, farming and raising chickens. However, compared to previous years, she had a new friend with whom she got along quite well: Lady Guarjia, the concubine of the Fifth Prince Heng.
In June, Consort Nian suffered a miscarriage due to her weak health and inability to conceive. Yinzhen was "heartbroken" and corresponded with Nian Gengyao more and more frequently.
At the end of July, the fields yielded a bumper harvest. This year, the yield of potatoes per mu was even higher than last year, and the yields of corn and sweet potatoes were also very promising. However, the corn had not yet fully grown. Qian Shengyan secretly picked a few tender ears of corn and cooked and ate them directly. The aroma attracted Yinzhen and Kangxi, who came to check the yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes. Most of the corn per mu was gone that day.
Qian Shengyan was heartbroken, but there was nothing she could do but smile and praise the Emperor's wisdom.
Furthermore, because the ways of cooking potatoes and corn provided by Qian Shengyan were novel yet simple and delicious, Emperor Kangxi stayed overnight and asked Qian Shengyan to prepare a feast using sweet potatoes.
Qian Shengyan: ...
Roasted and boiled sweet potatoes are the most basic. Sweet potato pancakes, sweet potato cakes, sweet potato balls, fried sweet potato strips, and candied sweet potatoes are desserts. As for savory ones...
In front of Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Yinzhen, Qian Shengyan had a basin of sweet potato starch made by hand, explaining that once it was dried, it would be like flour and could be used to make "noodles," as well as steamed buns, cornbread, and the like.
Although it may not be as soft as white flour, it has its own unique flavor.
Emperor Kangxi laughed with satisfaction and said that he would come again in two days when the sweet potato starch was dried and processed into powder.
Qian Shengyan: ...
Two days later, Emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng enjoyed hot and sour noodles...
What surprised Qian Shengyan was that she originally thought that only dogwood could be used to make a spicy flavor, but unexpectedly, she found a small box of dried chili peppers in Yinzhen's storeroom. After asking, she learned that it was a tribute from Jiangxi a few years ago, which was called "spicy eggplant" at the time. Because of its strange taste, it did not become popular in the palace or the capital.
However, when Qian Shengyan ate hot and sour noodles this time, she found that Kangxi really liked the spicy flavor. On the other hand, Yinzhen didn't seem to be able to eat much. His nose and eyes turned red after only a couple of bites, and he could only eat it with sweet sweet potato balls.
"Good, good!" Kangxi ate with satisfaction. "Although the food is simple, it tastes good and is filling. It's just that obtaining the sweet potato flour is troublesome, but it's worth it."
Yinzhen also said, "Fortunately, it can be eaten directly to fill one's stomach. If it is promoted among the people, it will surely be effective."
"Yes!" Kangxi laughed and clapped his hands, then praised, "It's really good."
Seeing that the two were talking about politics again, Qian Shengyan felt it was inappropriate to listen any longer, so she served some snacks and fruits and then left.
Perhaps because of this incident, and because he gained even more favor with Emperor Kangxi, and at the same time, the Third Prince Cheng was in some kind of crisis, a few days after Emperor Kangxi returned from the Lion Garden, he invited Emperor Kangxi to dine at his garden, which Emperor Kangxi gladly accepted.
Qian Shengyan was worried that Yinzhen would be upset about this, but to her surprise, he accepted it quite well. That evening, he even said to her, "Third Brother has been compiling the 'Origins of Laws and Calendars' for many years. If he has made some progress, it would be appropriate to invite Father Emperor to come and take a look."
Seeing that his expression didn't seem fake, Qian Shengyan felt relieved.
On the tenth day of the eighth month, the imperial entourage returned to the capital. However, instead of going directly into the city, Emperor Kangxi made a detour to the estate that he had bestowed upon Yinzhen the previous year to see all the crops that Qian Shengyan had planted there before going to Rehe.
For this reason, Yinzhen had Nian Shi moved to another estate two months ago, and rushed to demolish and rebuild the main courtyard to facilitate the reception of the emperor.
The temperature is higher in Beijing, and the crops are growing better. The corn is almost ripe. Taking advantage of the good weather, Qian Shengyan demonstrated how to dry and grind the corn kernels into flour, and made a lot of delicious food with the corn flour.
Emperor Kangxi ate heartily and became increasingly generous, bestowing a pile of gifts upon Qian Shengyan on the spot. If Yinzhen hadn't already been a prince with no further titles to bestow, he probably would have been promoted to another rank on the spot for his meritorious service in planting.
But whether they could go any further was a matter of debate among the group of people present.
In November of that year, the deposed Crown Prince Yinreng wrote a letter using alum water, instructing Puqi, the Manchu commander of the Plain Red Banner, to recommend him for the position of Grand General before the Kangxi Emperor. The matter was exposed. The issue of reinstating the Crown Prince was brought up again in the court, and the court officials were noisy and clamoring. However, the princes seemed to be indifferent to the matter and did not even attend court when there was nothing to do with it.
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve of the 55th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.
Qian Shengyan went to the palace for the second banquet, but this time she deliberately avoided the Fourteenth Prince's family. Fortunately, Yinzhen probably had other strategies and did not cause any more trouble for her. However, for some reason, the Fourteenth Princess Wanyan gave Qian Shengyan a hard time every time she saw her. Qian Shengyan had no choice but to pretend she didn't see her.
In February, after his two children turned three and five, Yinzhen received another piece of good news.
While it was good news, it wasn't entirely true. The thirteenth prince, Yinxiang, who had been confined to his residence for nearly eight years, developed a carbuncle on his leg last year that wouldn't heal. In desperation, he submitted a memorial to Emperor Kangxi. In mid-February of this year, Emperor Kangxi finally dispatched an imperial physician to the thirteenth prince's residence to treat him.
Although not explicitly stated, this action undoubtedly indicates that Yinxiang's past life of confinement has finally come to an end.
On the same day that the imperial physician came to visit, Yinzhen went to Yinxiang's residence. The two brothers were very excited to meet openly for the first time in many years, and Yinxiang even cried.
Qian Shengyan watched with a heavy heart. Yinxiang was a fine young man, originally a prince who would lead troops and a general in the army. However, because he was implicated in the matter of the deposed crown prince, he was silently imprisoned in the mansion for nearly eight years. Now, the once tall man was thin and bony. Although his leg was wrapped in gauze, it was still obvious that it was swollen and yellow water stains were seeping out of the gauze.
Zhao Jia stood to one side, unable to resist dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Qian Shengyan went over and patted her arm to comfort her. Looking at Yinzhen, she knew he must have something to say to Yinxiang. So Qian Shengyan went with Zhao Jia to the side hall to rest.
"Thank you so much for your help over the years, Fourth Brother. My husband and I will always remember it."
Upon entering the side hall, Wanyan Shi immediately bowed deeply to Qian Shengyan, who couldn't stop her and could only quickly help her up, asking, "What are you doing..."
“Every season, the Prince Yong’s mansion sends things over. I know that it’s all thanks to Fourth Sister-in-law Xiao Si who takes care of it.” Wanyan said with a face full of gratitude and a very sincere tone. Qian Shengyan pulled her hand and sat her down. She didn’t talk about this anymore, but changed the subject and talked about the children in the mansion.
When the conversation turned to the fact that Yinxiang was currently tutoring the children himself, Qian Shengyan recalled Yinzhen's earlier words and said with a smile, "If the Fourteenth Prince and my sister are at ease, we can send the children there when we visit the garden in a few days. His Highness plans to set up a school in the Yuanmingyuan Garden for the children of the household to study together."
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