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On the eve of the Golden Banquet, Consort Tong, dressed in casual clothes, accompanied Emperor Kangxi to the Nine Continents Banquet. The two sat or stood in their seats, chatting with Fei Yanggu and Lady Jue Luo with smiles on their faces.
Consort Tong noticed that Lady Jueluo's mood had softened considerably, a stark contrast to before.
"My little darling, how are you feeling?" When Consort Tong heard that Madam Tong Guowei had come to cause trouble, her heart immediately jumped.
"Mother, it's very good!" Qingyan has been in a very good mood lately.
Consort Tong was relieved: "Of course I'm relieved. Your mother is by your side and can take care of you."
Tomorrow is the Ban Jin Festival, and the women will all be going to Changchun Garden, so a banquet is definitely on the agenda.
"Xiao Guai, you'd better arrive at the banquet for the Golden Festival tomorrow early!" Consort Tong glanced at Qingyan and asked, "Are you ready?"
Qingyan nodded: "I've already made all the preparations, Mother, don't worry."
After having lunch, Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong left hand in hand. Lady Jueluo made arrangements for the things in the old house. During the Golden Festival, the concubines stayed in their rooms in a generally proper manner, and the group had dinner together.
"Is everything ready, Xiao Guai?!" Jue Luo asked again. Jue Luo had helped Qing Yan prepare quite a few things for this year's Golden Banquet.
Qingyan nodded and was helped by Sulan and Suzhu to the inner chamber to rest.
Amidst everyone's anticipation, the Banjin Festival slowly began. In the early morning, Yin was the first to get up, changed into his golden court robes, and went to the twins' room. Yiken'e and Hutulifengshengzhalafen both got up, and Yiken'e was wearing the same father-son outfit as him.
"Yiken'e, in a little while, you will go to the sacrificial ceremony with your father. Hutulifengshengzhalafen will accompany your mother at Changchun Garden. Don't cause any trouble, and don't cling to your father and mother, understand?" Yin specially instructed.
The twins nodded. Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen was dressed in a bright red palace dress, her hair styled in two buns, with a small red "Fu" character hairpin inserted in one bun, which swayed left and right as she moved.
“Ama, we all know!” Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen understood that there would be many strangers today.
A few days in advance, the head nanny began to explain the rules for the twins, even specifying what excuses to use to refuse if strangers tried to hold them.
"You've behaved well today, so tomorrow, your father will take you out to play!" Yin promised the twins.
Qingyan changed into the court dress of a Fujin (a high-ranking official), and wore a Fujin headdress with seven phoenixes and pearls. She walked over step by step with a proper smile on her face.
"Mother!" The twins were about to jump onto Qingyan's lap. "Alright, Mother will hold you tomorrow!"
Yin Ze picked up the two children, one on each side. Qing Yan rarely wore formal court attire, and seeing him in it today was a pleasant surprise.
"Father, I want Mother to hold me!" Yiken looked at Yin in confusion. Why wouldn't he let him ask for Mother?
Yin shook his head helplessly: "Your mother's headdress is very heavy. If you stumble, your mother will definitely fall backward."
Qingyan directly agrees. Such a heavy headdress is only worn in its entirety during sacrificial ceremonies. On ordinary days, it's already quite difficult for her to wear even a simple phoenix hairpin.
The family of four, dressed up, set off in two sedan chairs: Yin, with Yiken'e in his arms, and Qingyan, carrying Hutulifengshengzhalafen. They headed towards Changchun Garden.
Looking out of the sedan chair window, Yiken'e saw that both the Yuanmingyuan and Changchunyuan had been newly decorated.
"Father, this place is really beautiful!" For the sake of the twins, Emperor Kangxi specially had a life-size model of the twins made in Changchun Garden and placed it in his courtyard.
When the ministers entered with their families, the first thing they saw was the pair of twins. Some ministers felt a pang of sadness, realizing that their daughters hadn't been so fortunate.
After the sedan chair was lowered, Yin and Qingyan led the twins out of the sedan chair. Everyone's eyes were focused on the two children. Some people bowed respectfully, but their eyes kept drifting to the twins.
"Father, we're actually here!" Yiken'e stared wide-eyed at the two models in astonishment.
"Ah Hun, is this the surprise that Grandfather said he would give us?" Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen still remembered that Kangxi had said that he would give them a unique birthday gift this year.
Yin and Qingyan stood side by side in the courtyard, where two dragon and phoenix twins, carved from mutton-fat jade in a 1:1 ratio, were placed. This was the very place where Emperor Kangxi often played with the dragon and phoenix twins.
"What is Father going to do?" Qingyan asked, somewhat puzzled.
"He probably wanted to surprise the two little ones, and now I think it's great!" Yin wasn't afraid at all. It was only right that the twins were openly favored. If Kangxi didn't show them favor, it would only arouse the jealousy of outsiders.
The crown prince followed closely behind and entered. When he saw the statues of the twins, his pupils contracted slightly; the two children were too eye-catching.
"Fourth Prince, Yiken'e and Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen's birthdays are coming up, we must hold a grand banquet for them!" The Crown Prince spoke with a smile, but Qingyan felt a chill run through his body.
"Your Highness is exaggerating. For the children's birthdays, a simple family meal is enough. There's no need to make a big fuss about it." Although he said this, he still stood in front of the twins.
"Yes, it's good to have more children!" The crown prince said before leaving.
Qingyan narrowed his eyes; the Crown Prince was clearly threatening Yin.
"Fourth Prince, shouldn't we take precautions?" Qingyan was genuinely worried that the two children might be tricked by the Crown Prince.
Yin shook his head. If the Crown Prince dared to say it in public, he wouldn't have done it. Otherwise, everyone would think that the Crown Prince was the one who did it.
Qingyan led Hutulifengshengzhalafen into Consort Tong's palace. She had been diagnosed with pregnancy this year, and wearing thick-soled shoes, she walked carefully on the bluestone brick floor.
After walking a few steps, she noticed that the bluestone brick floor was a bit slippery. After examining it closely, she discovered that there were traces of oil that had been spilled on the ground.
If she stepped on the flowerpot soles, she would definitely fall.
Su Lan and Su Zhu exchanged a wary glance, both of them paying extra attention to the situation on the ground.
"Master, it seems someone is planning to make a move!" Su Lan whispered.
Qingyan still had a smile on her face, seemingly not caring at all, and followed them around. Two palace maids beside her glanced at each other.
"Don't worry about it!" Consort Tong must have already found spies. Every move these people make will be reported to the higher authorities after the Golden Festival.
Su Zhu, pulling Hu Tuli Fengsheng Zha Lafen along, carefully walked towards the main hall.
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