"Your Majesty," Qian Shengyan greeted with a smile, then went over and took Yinzhen's arm, "Have Hongli and the others returned?"
"Hmm." Yinzhen answered with a nasal tone, not waiting for Qian Shengyan to ask again, he simply lowered his eyes and looked at her quietly, "Who did you just run into?"
"Who?" Qian Shengyan was taken aback, tilting her head to think. "I didn't run into anyone?"
Her mind was filled with thoughts of the children returning from their hunting trip, wondering how well they had caught anything, whether they were injured, and whether they could have a roast meat that evening. She also wondered if Hongli had caught the live rabbit he had promised Hongshan…
"You didn't run into anyone?" Yinzhen's voice grew colder. "Are you going to hide this from me now?"
Qian Shengyan: "Huh?"
"So you knew you had to keep it from me?" Yinzhen said in a deep voice. "Imperial Noble Consort, do you still remember your place?"
Qian Shengyan: ? ? ?
She slowly released her grip on Yinzhen's arm, somewhat puzzled: "Your Majesty... what's wrong?"
What's wrong? Humph?
As Yinzhen watched her release his hand, his nameless anger flared even more. He smirked, "Quite valiant, huh? Robust and strong, huh? Skilled, huh?"
These three questions left Qian Shengyan completely bewildered. She instinctively asked, "Who?"
"Who? Who did you just run into? And..."
He still smiled and talked to people like that.
But Yinzhen didn't say these words out loud. He felt a little embarrassed and just turned his head away awkwardly, pretending that he hadn't said anything.
Qian Shengyan raised an eyebrow slightly, finally remembering who was both brave and powerful, and highly skilled, whom she had just encountered. But she couldn't believe it, and raised an eyebrow again: "Su De?"
Yinzhen turned his body a little further, so that he was now completely facing away from her.
Qian Shengyan: ...
Well, stroking a tiger's whiskers is pretty scary, but also... kind of exciting...
They've been married for twenty years, and now they're jealous again?
Moreover, her identity is not right. Not to mention that she is an Imperial Noble Consort, her age does not match that of Su De. Su De was the person that Ke Jing introduced to her daughter!
Qian Shengyan was both amused and exasperated. She stepped forward and poked Yinzhen in the lower back: "What's wrong, Your Majesty?"
"Hmph," Yinzhen said, "It's nothing."
Qian Shengyan suppressed a laugh, but couldn't help blurting out, "Su De is indeed quite good."
Yinzhen: !
He glanced back at her quickly, then turned his back again, this time so angry he couldn't even utter a sound.
Qian Shengyan suppressed a laugh and stepped forward, defusing the situation with a single sentence: "Kejing still wants Sude to be the consort of Fuerguochun. In my opinion, is that appropriate?"
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen turned around and looked at her with some surprise. After a pause, he composed himself and said coolly, "Folgochun... will not marry a Mongol."
“We can find a son-in-law, depending on what she likes,” Qian Shengyan said with a smile, even wanting to tease Yinzhen, “I think he’s quite good.”
In an instant, the emperor's face, which had just begun to ease, fell again.
He said, "Oh."
Qian Shengyan was laughing so hard she almost died. She coughed lightly, bit her lip, and lowered her head to hide the amusement in her eyes. It was the first time she had ever seen Yinzhen so amusing.
That makes sense, considering she's spent all these years either in the inner courtyard or the harem, she's rarely seen so many men, especially with the hormones raging in the wrestling ring. Well, she was probably a little excited.
Qian Shengyan composed herself and said, "But it still depends on Foergochun's own choice..."
"I intend to betroth her to E Rong'an, but as for this Su guy, forget it," Yinzhen said in a deep voice. After a moment, he added, "You don't need to see him again either."
"I see..." Qian Shengyan drawled, her regret evident, but she quickly smiled again, "Very well, I think that boy, E Rong'an, is quite good too."
Yinzhen glared at her again, his face clearly saying "Mind your manners," but he probably knew that his jealousy was unreasonable, so he paused for a moment before saying, "Hongli will be here later. We'll be having a banquet with the Mongols tonight."
"Good...Your Majesty wants to betroth Ferguchun to Errong'an?" Qian Shengyan belatedly realized what Yinzhen had said, and she was somewhat surprised, "It's already been arranged?"
“I favor Orong’an, and I’ve also consulted Ortai. Their family has a good reputation, so I can rest assured that Foerguochun will marry him,” Yinzhen explained.
Qian Shengyan was still somewhat surprised. She also knew Ortai, a famous minister who was on par with Zhang Tingyu. The two had been rivals during the Qianlong era, and their rivalry was quite intense.
How could such an important official agree to have any involvement with a rising prince?
Qian Shengyan was somewhat puzzled, but she did not know that at this time, Ortai was not the famous minister Ortai who would become later. According to the original trajectory, he should have made some political achievements in Guangxi before being transferred to the capital. However, because Yinzhen had the memories of the dream and knew that this person was useful, he kept him by his side early on.
At this time, Ortai was not yet the Ortai who could rival Zhang Tingyu, so it didn't matter if he was involved with Hongli's faction.
Most importantly, it was probably E Rong'an's attitude that led Yinzhen to favor his family.
Qian Shengyan was still pondering the matter of her son-in-law when she heard Yinzhen emphasize again: "The choice of the consort of Ferguchun has been almost finalized. There is no need to look at Su or De anymore."
"Okay, Your Majesty, I'll remember." Qian Shengyan chuckled again, genuinely finding Yinzhen incredibly adorable today.
Her smile was radiant, and after a moment, Yinzhen's gaze softened. He raised his hand and pinched Qian Shengyan's cheek, sighing inwardly.
She looked almost unchanged, but he... had aged.
Not wanting to think about it too much, Yinzhen pursed his lips, pulled his hand away from Qian Shengyan's embrace, and put his arm around her shoulder, changing the subject as they walked: "Are Xiaoqi and Xiaoba still obedient?"
"I didn't rest well in the carriage the other day, so I slept all morning. I woke up at noon and played for a while, then slept again in the afternoon. I had Imperial Physician Yu come and take my pulse. I'm fine, Your Majesty, so please don't worry."
"That's good. I'll have someone bring Hongshan here; didn't he want a rabbit?"
"Hongli has made a breakthrough?"
"...It was me who hit him."
"His Majesty is so wonderful!"
"...What's the big deal?" Yinzhen raised an eyebrow slightly, then suppressed the urge to curl his lips. "Just a rabbit."
Qian Shengyan continued to praise him, until Yinzhen couldn't stand it anymore. He simply raised his hand and pinched her lips: "Alright, alright, if you keep talking, I won't have to drink tonight."
Qian Shengyan laughed again, and the two talked about the children for a while. Since there was still time before the banquet, Yinzhen spread out the unfinished painting in the carriage and continued painting with Qian Shengyan.
The spot where the ink had dripped has now become a rock, thanks to Qian Shengyan's suggestion and ingenuity. It blends into the scenery without looking out of place. This time, Yinzhen wanted to add two figures to the scene. He didn't intend to draw them in detail; he just wanted to draw their backs.
Before he could finish sketching, Hongshan's childish voice rang out from outside the tent: "A rabbit! It really is a rabbit! Erong'an, look, Father Emperor gave me a rabbit!"
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