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The Banquet for the Golden Festival was considered the second most important banquet of the year, and those who were invited to attend were especially important. Emperor Kangxi placed his most trusted ministers near the central seat, while the seats to his right were filled with princes and their families.
The Empress Dowager and Consort Tong were already seated to the left and right of Emperor Kangxi. The Empress Dowager was wearing her usual court dress, which was quite different from the bright and light palace attire worn by the concubines.
Qingyan glanced at the dishes on the table in front of her; each dish had been portioned out.
"Sisi, why is all the food cold?" Qingyan ate some and found that the food was icy cold, so the two children could only eat a couple of bites in silence.
"Su Peisheng, go to the small kitchen in Mother's Garden and prepare some bird's nest porridge for the twins and Songkelierha," Yin said, turning to Su Peisheng.
Upon hearing Yin's words, Yin Zhi immediately revealed a wicked smile.
"Fourth Prince, is the imperial meal not good? Why did you have Su Peisheng prepare extra food for you?" Yin Zhi's voice was loud, and everyone around heard it. The Empress Dowager frowned and looked at Yin with anger.
"Hehe, of course not. Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen had a hard time eating this meal because the food was a bit hard. So I had Su Peisheng make some porridge for the three children of the direct line!" Yin said without hesitation.
Kangxi listened to Yin's explanation and nodded in satisfaction.
"Fourth Prince, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but you can't raise children with such meticulous care. If Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen were to go to the grasslands, raising them with such meticulous care might not be suitable," the Empress Dowager said directly.
The Mongol tribes were losing more and more power, and the Empress Dowager wanted to take advantage of the Golden Festival to directly determine the future of Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen.
Qingyan immediately became alert. What was the Empress Dowager planning?
"Your Majesty, I have already said that I will handle the marriages of the princesses!" Kangxi refused directly.
The Mongolian wives frowned. The Emperor was clearly not giving anyone a chance to bring up the matter. They pinned their hopes on having their children meet with Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen more often.
Emperor Kangxi and Prince Yin doted on her so much that if the little girl herself took a liking to him, the adults would have given in.
The Empress Dowager slammed the cup she was holding onto the table, her anger rising. Kangxi was clearly on Yin's side and no longer took her seriously.
"Your Majesty, the matter of bestowing a marriage is decided by the people in the inner palace. You should focus on the affairs of the court." The Empress Dowager directly objected.
“Empress Mother, let’s talk about this later. Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen won’t be going there.” Kangxi changed the subject.
Hearing Kangxi's assurance, Qingyan was finally relieved, no longer worried about the next ten years or so.
This topic was always brought up after the birth of the twins. Kangxi made his meaning clear, and the leaders of the Mongol tribes and their wives turned grim, though their smiles remained unchanged.
"Fourth Prince, have someone prepare the food in the small kitchen in the garden, not at the Yuanmingyuan Garden," Kangxi said directly.
Because the twins were kept in Consort Tong's courtyard, the imperial kitchen staff had to wait for them 12 hours a day, and they were available at any time.
“Yes, Father, I have already sent Su Peisheng over!” Yin stood up and reported, “Third Brother has no legitimate son or daughter, so of course he is not saddened by these matters.”
Yin would never let anyone who mocked his children get away with it, and he would directly retaliate with his own sarcasm.
Lady Dong'e sat down next to Yinzhi, feeling very anxious. Consort Rong already harbored some resentment towards the Dong'e family, so her expression towards the Third Prince's wife grew increasingly unpleasant.
During the days leading up to the Golden Festival, the Third Princess Consort was frequently advised by her elders. In addition to Consort Rong, even Lady Dong'e subtly suggested that Princess Dong'e should have a child as soon as possible.
Dong Epengchun has three or four daughters who are of marriageable age. The jealousy of the Third Princess Consort and her lack of offspring have led many families to consider whether they need such a principal wife.
"What you're saying, Fourth Prince, is quite something. He mentioned the issue of having children to me, hoping to do more for Father Emperor while he's still young. So, the matter of having children has gradually been put on the back burner." Dong E Gege's words stunned the other women.
Yinzhi was very satisfied with his wife's remedial actions. Recently, his wife had handled matters very promptly, nipping some bad rumors in the bud.
"Fourth sister-in-law is pregnant, she should try to keep a cheerful mood. Fourth Master is always by her side, which is something to be envied." Third Princess Consort sneered.
The women pondered what the Third Prince's wife had said. They realized that the Fourth Prince was currently single, and since the Fourth Prince's wife was getting sick, she must be looking for someone.
“No one is as fortunate as Xiao Guai to have both a son and a daughter like Yin.” Consort Tong, sitting in front, directly spoke up in support of Qingyan.
The Third Prince's wife and the others looked at Consort Tong with surprise. Usually, the palace concubines would often remind the princes' wives to be magnanimous, but now, Consort Tong was trying to help.
Kangxi's lips curled up slightly. Consort Tong enjoyed Qingyan banquets, and the two seemed to have a mother-daughter relationship.
"Imperial Physician Yuan mentioned that I was almost poisoned. So, this time, with this pregnancy, I'll definitely be more careful!" Qingyan said directly.
Last time, out of hundreds of sisters-in-law, only the Third Prince's wife sent some tonics.
The sisters-in-law knew what was going on; Qingyan was clearly putting down the Third Prince's wife.
"Really? Sister-in-law, you'd better take good care of yourself. None of the other sisters-in-law have encountered anything similar!" the Third Princess replied.
While everyone seemed focused on enjoying the song and dance, they were actually all listening intently.
Yin Genjue Luo gave Qing Yan a wink, signaling her to be careful. If she went too far in this setting, the ladies of the court might have something to say about it.
Yin picked some green vegetables for Qingyan and told her to have something to eat first.
"Little darling, stop talking and take care of the two children. You haven't even had time to eat." Yin directly shut up the Third Princess Consort's mouth.
The Third Princess Consort snorted coldly. Qingyan was a pregnant woman who had to take care of two older children, and now there was a younger one. If the Third Princess Consort let her go home hungry...
Qingyan obediently lowered her head to eat, and fed the twins a little soup; the soup from the imperial kitchen was quite good.
"Mother, I don't like it!" Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen didn't like vegetables made with broth, so she only took two bites and stopped eating, waiting for the bird's nest porridge to come.
The officials' wives all carefully observed Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen. Although she was still young, she was dignified and definitely of royal lineage. However, she was quite picky about what she ate.
Qingyan tapped her little head: "Father has already prepared some things for you."
"Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen, come to Mafa!" Kangxi had been keeping an eye on the twins and noticed that the little girl was unhappy, so he quickly called out to her.
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