When the Princess Consort returned to the Yong Prince's residence, Yinzhen had already gone back ahead of time and was waiting for her in her courtyard.
"Has the stuff been delivered?"
"Your Highness, it has been delivered."
"What did Mother say?"
"Your Highness, Mother says she likes it."
Yinzhen nodded, unsure how much of his mother's affection was genuine.
But a gift cannot be left unsent.
The Empress Dowager's attitude toward her two sons also reached Emperor Kangxi's ears.
"Your Majesty, this servant believes that Consort De still cares about the Fourth Prince."
Kangxi sighed.
"I bear responsibility for the current state of affairs between the fourth prince and his mother."
"Your Majesty, you had no choice at the time."
Back then, Consort Tong was bedridden because of her child. In order to help Consort Tong recover, Emperor Kangxi entrusted Yinzhen to Consort Tong's care.
However, later, Consort Tong became pregnant again and was no longer suitable to raise the Fourth Prince, so Emperor Kangxi simply let Yinzhen return to Lady Wuya's side.
Not long after, the sixth prince of the Uya clan died.
So she blamed all the sins on Yinzhen.
"Liang Jiugong, according to the Fourth Prince's preferences, go to my private treasury and select a few items as a reward for his hard work during this period."
"Your servant obeys the decree."
Not long after, Liang Jiugong arrived at Prince Yong's residence with the Emperor's gifts.
"Your Highness, this was specially selected by His Majesty from his private treasury."
"Please trouble you, sir, to convey my gratitude to Father Emperor."
"This servant has woken up."
Seeing the painting and inkstone on the table, Yinzhen, being a clever man, naturally understood the meaning behind his father's actions.
"Gao Wuyong, put these two things away for now, and give them to Hongli and Hongzhou when they celebrate their birthdays."
"Yes, sir."
Yinzhen was busy until late at night before he went to sleep.
Because the large-scale imperial concubine conferment ceremony was held on the same day as the Lunar New Year, the palace was exceptionally lively this year.
In addition, as Emperor Kangxi's health improved, the Third Prince, Yinzhi, even specially invited an opera troupe to perform for Emperor Kangxi and the empresses.
"I really like the gift from the third prince this year. He put a lot of thought into it."
"Father, you flatter me. I have only put in some effort."
The Third Prince, Yinzhi, has always been fond of cultural things. In his early years, he also coveted the throne, but as he grew older and experienced more, he gradually withdrew from the stage of vying for the throne.
Perhaps for this reason, Emperor Kangxi also valued him highly.
This year, the Prince Yong's Mansion was also very lively.
To showcase her virtue and competence, Ulanara, in addition to the usual rewards for each courtyard, specially made an extra new garment for everyone in each courtyard, whether master or servant.
"Consort, are you unhappy?"
"Hmph, the Princess Consort is using her private treasury to make clothes for the people in the Prince's mansion, clearly pretending to be a good person in front of the Prince. I don't know what the Prince has heard lately, but he hasn't come here for many days."
When this matter was mentioned, Qingyan's expression began to change.
"Consort, have you noticed that the imperial physicians seem to be coming to our manor more often lately? I've seen them come three times myself."
"You mean, our affair has been discovered?"
Nian Yunrong was startled, thinking that the prince was ignoring her because of this matter.
"But if the prince finds out, he should immediately question us."
Qingyan was also puzzled:
“Consort, I asked around, and after we gave our things to Consort Yun, she never used them at all.”
Nian Yunrong's eyes darkened:
"She is indeed meticulous, but we are not the only ones in this mansion who want to make a move."
She guessed correctly, but that's a story for another time.
In the first month of the lunar calendar, just as Emperor Kangxi resumed attending court, a memorial was presented regarding the snow disaster that had struck Jiading, Taihu, Qianshan and other places.
"Father, according to my investigation, the farmland in Jiading and other areas has been severely damaged by the heavy snow. Farmers in these areas may face reduced or even no harvest this year, so we should take preventative measures in advance. In addition, the snow has made the transportation of our supplies extremely difficult. I suggest that the local government open the granaries to release grain, firstly to stabilize local grain prices, and secondly to ensure that the people do not go hungry during the New Year."
“Father, I think what Fourth Brother said makes sense. I volunteer to personally supervise this matter.”
The Thirteenth Prince spoke first, seconding the Fourth Prince's proposal.
Emperor Kangxi nodded, quite pleased with his sons' maturity.
"In that case, Yinxiang, I'll leave this matter to you."
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen looked at Yinxiang with concern.
After the court session, Yinzhen specially invited Yinxiang to the Yongqin Prince's Mansion.
“Thirteenth brother, it’s freezing cold outside. You haven’t been feeling well lately, so why take on this troublesome task?”
Yinxiang took the hot tea from Gao Wuyong and drank several sips to calm his cough.
"Fourth Brother, this is a critical moment. If I hadn't acted first, this task would have fallen into Ninth Brother's hands. In that case, who knows how many people would have gone hungry."
In Yinxiang's memory, his ninth brother always liked to do business, and he did all kinds of business, especially letting his staff do business with the merchants below, and making huge profits from it.
Behind such interests often lies the loss of legitimate interests by ordinary people.
Although he had not yet recovered, Yinxiang still wanted to do this.
Yinzhen had known Yinxiang for many years and naturally understood Yinxiang's personality. Besides this reason, Yinxiang was also using this opportunity to gain a good reputation for him.
"Last time I visited your home, my sister-in-law told my husband to take good care of you. Look at you now. Sigh."
"Don't worry, Fourth Brother, she'll understand."
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. I'll have Gao Wuyong tell Geng Gege in advance that it's almost noon, so let's go get something to eat."
"Then my brother won't stand on ceremony."
So Geng Youran got busy very early on.
"Qianxue, call a few people in and have them wash all of this. We'll be making some things for the Thirteenth Prince to take with him later, so we won't make anything too complicated like the dishes."
When Yinzhen and Yinxiang arrived, Geng Youran had already prepared all the dishes.
"My lord, thirteenth prince, these dishes are 'Stir-fried bamboo shoots with wolfberries,' 'Stir-fried pork slices with poria and yam,' 'Stir-fried carp with osmanthus,' and 'Stewed chicken with astragalus and wolfberries.' The soup is 'Angelica and ginger mutton soup.' In addition, I have also prepared 'Eight Treasure Rice.' Please try them and see if they suit your tastes."
It's easy to tell from the names of these dishes that they are all recipes for food therapy.
"Gege Geng, you are quite knowledgeable."
"Your Highness is too kind. These were all instructions given by the Fourth Prince. I was just doing my job."
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