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Inside the Fengxian Hall, all the sacrificial offerings were prepared. Kangxi exchanged pleasantries with the princes from beyond the Great Wall for a while, then had Su Peisheng bring Yiken'e to Yinzhen's side.
"Little darling, you stay by your sister-in-law's side. Your mother is going to preside over the sacrificial ceremony, and Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen will be by your side." After watching Su Peisheng bring Yiken'e back, Yin directly took his little hand.
“Father, the Crown Prince’s second uncle has arrived!” Yiken’e said directly.
Qingyan nodded and placed a piece of warm jade in Yin's hand, instructing him to use it during the ancestral worship ceremony. The main hall was quite cold, with the braziers placed on either side. Only in front of the emperor's futon were there two floor heating elements.
While others had their prayer cushions surrounded by a layer of copper coins for warmth, some princes of lower status might catch a cold for several days after returning home.
After the ancestral worship ceremony, a banquet will be held in the Taihe Hall for the royal family and relatives who participated in the ceremony. The sacrificial meat will be distributed as a reward. Yin specifically reminded Qingyan to have the twins eat some easily digestible foods beforehand, so that they would definitely receive some sacrificial meat at lunchtime.
"Yiken'e, you must try your best to observe your father's actions and imitate the proper way, understand?" Yin squatted down to look Yiken'e at eye level, and asked in a consultative tone.
Yin's actions shocked all the princes. In their view, their son was meant to be disciplined, and looking down on his son was the most common occurrence.
“Okay, Father!” Yiken’e nodded calmly.
Yin walked over, saw Yin standing up with a troubled expression, and asked with some curiosity.
"Why is he squatting on the ground?" Yin asked, voicing the thoughts of the princes present, who found Yin's behavior very strange.
"Put the children on an equal footing with us, so that they can think better!" Yin had his own ideas. These words moved Yin. Perhaps outsiders only saw Yin's many abilities and thought he was unruly. Yin knew that he was clearly doing as he said and really putting Yiken'e on an equal footing with him.
Compared to the other third-generation princes, Yiken'e was definitely outstanding. In front of Emperor Kangxi, he spoke with composure and reason, showing no signs of stage fright.
Even the young princes in the palace were somewhat afraid of Emperor Kangxi.
"Fourth Prince, you spoil your children too much. If Yiken'e enters the Imperial Study, the teachers there will all look up to him. Yiken'e is used to being treated as an equal. Will he be able to adapt?" Yinzhi directly mocked Yin, saying that he had lowered his posture too much, which would make Yiken'e lose all sense of hierarchy.
"No, Yiken'e will distinguish between master and servant," Yin retorted to Yinzhi. "In the imperial family, which prince isn't born a master?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the princes echoed that what Yin said was absolutely right. If Kangxi could do as Yin did, they would have no fear at all.
The Crown Prince smiled. After having twins, Yinzhi had become even less ambitious and instead spent his time talking about parenting.
"Alright, we're going in now. Eunuch Li is here!" The Crown Prince noticed that Kangxi's attitude had changed, so he quickly changed his attitude towards You Di Quan as well, directly changing it from Li De Quan to Eunuch Li.
The princes, along with their children, headed towards the gathering place, while Qingyan, with her daughter, walked towards the procession of the Fujin (principals). Several Fujin looked at Qingyan.
"Princess Consort of Prince Zhi, and Fourth Princess Consort, you two should take it easy, as the child in your belly is a legitimate heir." Princess Consort of Prince Yu looked at Lady Yin Genjueluo and Qingyan walking side by side, their gait as usual.
Following the advice of Consort Tong, the wife of Prince Yu must take good care of the wife of Prince Zhi and Qingyan, and there must be absolutely no mistakes during the New Year this year.
"Yes!" Qingyan nodded obediently in agreement.
Dong E looked at them with disdain. Neither of them was pregnant for the first time, yet Consort Tong and the wife of Prince Zhi still had to be so careful, which made her very jealous.
"What, Third Princess Consort, are you envious?" Princess Consort An asked, glancing at Lady Dong'e. "This honor is probably only given to pregnant princess consorts, not to you!"
Dong E's face showed embarrassment, and the wife of Prince An directly refuted the Third Prince's wife.
"Alright, stop chatting. Straighten your court robes; we're about to enter the palace." Consort Tong came over, glanced at them, and interrupted their conversation.
"Yes!" the wives all replied respectfully.
Because of the sacrificial ceremony, the servants were left outside the second gate, and only the masters entered. This year, Emperor Kangxi issued an edict requiring the young princesses to also enter the hall with their mothers to perform the rites.
Inside the hall, the memorial tablets of several emperors and empresses of the Qing Dynasty are enshrined. Kangxi leads the princes to kneel in front, while Consort Tong leads the concubines and the primary wives of the princes to kneel behind them. The rest of the royal family and members of the imperial clan kneel on the stone steps outside the hall. In the courtyard, there are their female relatives.
As the eunuchs loudly announced the rites, the women knelt repeatedly on the prayer mats. Emperor Kangxi stood at the front, loudly proclaiming his New Year's declaration. The women, and even the children, knelt dignifiedly on the prayer mats.
Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen knelt on the prayer mat, and after only a quarter of an hour, her small body began to sway.
"Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen, don't move!" Qingyan whispered a reminder.
The prayer cushion for Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen was much thicker than that of ordinary people, as specially instructed by Consort Tong. Her small body was not very conspicuous as it was sandwiched among the figures of adults.
However, if she were to sway even slightly and try to lean on Qingyan, she would end up lying across the neatly arranged open space.
"Mother, is it almost done?" Hutulifengshengzhalafen asked softly.
A few days ago, the head nanny specifically told the two children that they must not make a loud noise when bowing.
"Yes!" Qingyan followed ahead and bowed, answering her daughter's question as she did so.
Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen was overjoyed, her little body seemingly filled with energy in an instant. The Third Princess watched from behind, feeling a little envious, but even more jealous.
If Emperor Kangxi hadn't issued an edict forbidding concubines' daughters from entering the palace with the primary consort, Dong E's daughter would definitely have been brought along. Even her own family had instructed Lady Dong E to raise Dong E's children as their own.
After the ceremony, Qingyan stood up and picked up her daughter. The little girl was already tired and leaned on her mother's shoulder.
"Fourth sister-in-law, you spoil your daughter too much. Do you have to carry her for such a short distance?" Dong Eshi stepped out of the shop and was the first to question.
Qingyan gave a cold laugh: "The Third Princess Consort has never been a mother, so of course she won't feel sorry for the child!"
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