Qingyan opened her eyes and looked at the golden bed curtains. Yin was sitting on the edge of the bed, calling her softly.
"Sisi, I still want to sleep..." Qingyan looked at the gray sky outside and knew it wasn't time to get up yet.
Yin shook his head; the little guy had to go and pay his respects.
Consort Tong didn't care about these things, but the other concubines were watching Qingyan closely. Any slight misbehavior would be magnified by them.
"No, little darling, we need to go to Chenggan Palace to pay our respects later, and then go to Cining Palace to attend to the sick." After getting up, Yin summoned Su Peisheng to the main kitchen to get breakfast. The head of the main kitchen was also clever. Knowing that Qingyan had come to the Prince's residence, he put a lot of effort into preparing breakfast.
Back then, the general manager went on the expedition with the army and had high hopes for Qingyan.
"You all need to be more vigilant. Princess Ulanara is an expert. Show us your true skills!" After the general returned, he talked a lot about the expedition and often lamented that if it weren't for the Qingyan feast, the army would probably have gone hungry.
The deputy manager nodded and quickly instructed his subordinates to prepare properly, even serving some common household foods.
"Send this over there!" The head steward instructed Xiao Sula to deliver a pot of tofu pudding to Qingyan, a rare occurrence in the palace.
Su Peisheng looked at the food on the table and couldn't help but twitch his lips. Even the Fourth Prince didn't have such a good breakfast in the Imperial Kitchen.
"Sisi, this is really great!" Qingyan looked at the tofu pudding in the small blue and white porcelain bowl. The tender tofu was topped with condiments such as fermented bean curd and char siu pork. It was clear that it had been prepared with care.
Yin's eye twitched; even the people in the imperial kitchen treated people differently based on their status.
"Su Peisheng, give a gold coin to the person delivering breakfast!" Yin was pleased to see Qingyan's satisfaction; that was good.
"Yes, this servant will go right away!" Su Peisheng waved his hand, signaling the servants to wait outside the door.
Qingyan ate the tofu pudding in her bowl with a small porcelain spoon. It was quite different from the tofu pudding in the capital, and tasted more like that of the Jiangnan region.
After breakfast, Yin took Qingyan to Chenggan Palace. Kangxi had just finished breakfast and was sitting in the seat of honor, waiting for the two little boys to respectfully pay their respects.
With a kind smile on her face, Consort Tong took a sip of the tea offered at the banquet.
"Father, I will go to Cining Palace with Qingyan to attend to your sick father later." Of all the princes, only Yin was driven out by the Empress Dowager, and people outside must have been gossiping about him a lot.
Emperor Kangxi was very satisfied. Qingyan secretly glanced at Consort Tong, whose eyes revealed a look of satisfaction.
"Little darling, what do you think?" Kangxi thought that Qingyan was still a child, and he would feel a bit aggrieved when he encountered someone as unreasonable as the Empress Dowager.
"I think what the Fourth Prince said makes sense. The Empress Dowager is an elder, and as a junior, one should at least show filial piety," Qingyan said directly.
Emperor Kangxi nodded in satisfaction. Fei Yanggu's family education was excellent, but Dong Eshi's behavior was giving him a major headache.
Yin knelt to the side, listening to Qingyan's words, and couldn't help but give her a thumbs up in his heart; this girl still had a sweet tongue.
"Alright, it's good that Xiao Guai thinks this way, so I have nothing more to say." Kangxi smiled. "Lanya, I'll go to Cining Palace first. The concubines will return to pay their respects later, then you can go over there!"
Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong had agreed that Consort Tong should first talk to the two children about caring for them while they were ill, so that the Empress Dowager wouldn't have any leverage against them later.
"Respectfully seeing off Father Emperor/Your Majesty!" Yin and Qingyan rose and bowed.
Only after Kangxi left did the two of them dare to sit down.
"Fourth Prince, Xiao'ai will be staying at the Prince's residence for the next few days. If Dong E's family goes to cause trouble, you should have someone block them." The Dong E sisters have become a laughing stock in the royal family, and Consort Rong is very troubled by this matter.
A few days ago, Consort Rong focused her attention on Qingyan. The princess of Khorchin was not giving up, which made Consort Rong feel as if she had a handle on her, and she often came to her to test her.
"Mother, the Empress Dowager has a misunderstanding about Qingyan. If Qingyan is allowed to serve the sick along with Dong Eshi and others, he will definitely be bullied." Yin was very troubled. The little guy's status was the lowest, and Dong Eshi was good at putting on a show.
She certainly wouldn't let go of the opportunity to order Qingyan around. Even if Lady Yingenjueluo and Lady Guarjia were to help her, they couldn't openly do so.
In the presence of the Empress Dowager, one must still prioritize her imperial decrees.
"Fourth brother, when you and Xiao Guai go to Cining Palace, you must restrain your temper. The concubines will have their own selfish motives. Consort Xin has been bothered by the Mongolian wives for a long time. She has probably been bribed by the gold and silver sent by the Mongols long ago."
"Your Majesty..." Qingyan carefully observed Consort Tong, wondering if she would think of him as a source of trouble.
"Little darling, don't be alone in Cining Palace. Make sure you follow Xiao Si. Those people are nothing but clowns." Consort Tong disliked those Mongolian wives and concubines.
Back then, Consort Tong was taken into the palace by Empress Dowager Tong and raised for several years. In the palace, she was often bullied by the Mongolian princesses brought by the Empress Dowager.
If Emperor Kangxi hadn't been so unstable in his ascension to the throne that he needed the assistance of his close advisors, the high positions in the harem would probably still have been given to the Mongol concubines.
"Your Majesty, don't worry, I understand!" Yin had given Qingyan a lot of instructions on the details to pay attention to.
Half an hour later, Qingyan stepped into Cining Palace again. Su Mo'er stood beside the Empress Dowager, looking Qingyan up and down. Princess Ulanara was outstanding. No wonder Kangxi was determined to bring her into the royal family.
"Today, let the eldest and fourth princes attend to the sick man first." Kangxi tried his best to exclude Consort Dong'e, as Consort Guarjia was of higher status than her, and Consort Dong'e dared not cause any trouble.
"Emperor, it should be Yin and Yin together." The Empress Dowager did not want to let Qingyan off the hook. She understood that Dong Eshi and Qingyan did not get along. If the two of them got together, she would definitely be able to find something to use against them.
"Grandma, Yinzhi and Yin are both still young. It would be excellent if Yinzhi and Yin took turns caring for their younger brother." Kangxi directly stopped the old lady's idea.
Upon hearing the final conclusion, Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Lady Yingenjueluo was a kind and generous person. Even though the Empress Dowager was making things difficult, Lady Yingenjueluo was still able to offer some guidance from the sidelines.
If it had been Lady Dong'e, the outcome would have been different; there probably wouldn't have been any guidance or advice.
"Alright, make the arrangements. Consort Tong and Consort Rong, stay here!" The Empress Dowager still had a backup plan, as Consort Tong and Consort Niohuru were the highest-ranking consorts.
The two imperial concubines would definitely have to bring the other concubines to attend to the emperor. From a young age, the Empress Dowager had disliked Consort Tong. In addition, the Empress Dowager Tong was vying for Kangxi's attention with the Empress Dowager, which also implicated the Tong family.
Seeing that the chosen attendants for the ailing emperor had been decided, the concubines all made excuses to leave. Dong'e glared angrily at Qingyan. She had already received an offer from Cining Palace; if she could ruin Qingyan's reputation while attending to him and force him to marry a Mongol prince, she could gain the Empress Dowager's forgiveness. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)
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