Within a few days, the military port was in a state of panic. The soldiers were worried that they would be summoned and questioned by Tu Lichen's men. That evening, Qingyan was playing with the twins in the courtyard when a commotion came from outside.
Su Peisheng walked in quickly and happily from outside, and bowed to Qingyan.
"Madam, the Tenth Prince has returned, and he brought back quite a few things. His master asked me to inform you that he is going with the young prince and the young princess." Su Peisheng's excited tone infected Yiken'e.
"Mother, Mother, let's hurry over there!" Yiken put away the whip of the spinning top, ran to Qingyan's side, and grabbed Qingyan, trying to run outside.
"Go back and change your clothes first, your clothes are a bit dirty from playing!" Qingyan looked down and noticed that both children's clothes were covered in mud.
Yiken'e followed Qingyan's gaze and her face flushed red instantly. She felt so happy that she had forgotten the etiquette instructions given by the nanny.
He took Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen's little hand and ran straight to the room.
Now, the two children no longer sleep in the same room; they each have a separate room on either side, and because of their nearsightedness, they share a living room.
"Suzhu, go prepare a serving of Dongpo pork, a serving of sweet and sour pork, and a serving of stir-fried pork." Yinzhi is a meat lover, and these three dishes are always his must-orders when he comes here.
Su Zhu smiled and said, "Yes, this servant will go and prepare it right away!"
Qingyan helped Sulan walk towards the inner chamber, where she changed into a pale yellow cheongsam with a half-up collar and loose sleeves. The hem was trimmed with black brocade and embroidered with colorful gold auspicious clouds. The pale yellow cheongsam was also embroidered with butterflies playing among flowers.
"Use some simple headdresses, nothing too heavy!" Qingyan's body felt increasingly heavy, and her movements became much slower.
"Master, should we call a sedan chair over?" Su Lan asked, standing behind Qing Yan.
Since six months ago, Qingyan has been led by Yin to stroll in the corridor for every one of her three meals, hoping to exercise her body.
"Let's walk over there!" Qingyan patted her belly, and the little one inside was quite active.
Su Lan quickly styled Qing Yan's hair into two buns, and pinned a set of pink and green magnolia hair ornaments on it. The golden tassels under the magnolia hairpins hung down on her left cheek.
"Mother, are you all better?" Yiken asked from the doorway.
From the age of three, Yiken'e was required by Yin to signal at the door and wait for Yin or Qingyan's permission before entering the inner chamber.
"Come in." Qingyan found it amusing that Yiken'e was still a child, yet he was being so restrained by Yin.
Yiken'e wore a royal blue casual outfit, with a golden belt around his waist, and two lake-blue pouches and a jade pendant that represented his status.
Hutu Lifeng Shengzha Lafen chose a bright red cheongsam, with her hair styled in two buns, each adorned with a ruby and kingfisher feather lotus hairpin, and each earring adorned with a gold-threaded Ruyi earring.
"Mother, let's go quickly!" Yiken'e looked up at Qingyan with her little face and urged her to hurry up and leave.
The sedan chair stopped in the courtyard. Qingyan, holding the hands of the two children on either side, boarded the sedan chair together. She sat on the chair and watched as the twins looked out the window.
"Mother, are we going to have a banquet?" Hutulifengshengzhalafen liked crowded and lively places, so the little girl was always the happiest when there was a banquet.
"Yes, we're having a welcome dinner for your tenth uncle." Qingyan patted Yiken's little head. "It might be a bit late, so you don't need to go for your morning exercise tomorrow!"
Yiken nodded. Every time he stayed up very late at night, getting up in the morning was a real ordeal.
On the training ground, Lao Shi placed all the spoils of war on the platform, and the boxes below were opened, the gold and silver treasures inside were to be given to them as rewards.
"Alright, Erlu, distribute the supplies according to rank." Yin looked at the soldiers' excited faces.
Upon arriving at the military ports of Guangdong and Guangxi, Yin and Yin made a prior arrangement that 15% of the spoils of war obtained during the expedition would be distributed to the soldiers who were not on the expedition.
Since this reward was introduced, the soldiers at the naval port have stopped scheming against each other to prepare for battle.
"Fourth Brother, I've also captured quite a few black slaves, and they've all been sent to the capital!" the Tenth Brother said with emotion.
Upon arriving at the naval port, they heard that someone was dealing with Yiken'e. Upon hearing this, Lao Shi's heart was filled with rage.
"How are the twins? Were they frightened?" the tenth brother asked worriedly.
The two children are often together. If something happens to Yiken, Hutulifengshengzhalafen might be quite frightened.
"Fortunately, Hutulifengshengzhalafen was startled, but Yiken'e is in a good mood!" Yin said in a low voice.
Old Ten nodded, relieved that the two children were alright. Upon returning and hearing that Tu Lichen had come to investigate personally, Old Ten became even more worried.
Every time Tu Lichen steps in to investigate, it's usually a major incident.
"Brother, how's Songkri Yierha? I brought her some gems. When the time comes, have Fourth Sister-in-law design some headdresses for her!" Songkri Yierha can already wear her hair in two buns, so it's time to make some headdresses for the little girl. "Fourth Brother, I also prepared some for Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen; they're all suitable for making hairpins!"
Yin smiled. After the tenth prince came over, he gradually began to become more sociable and was no longer the childish person he used to be.
"Did you bring anything for your female relatives?" Yin asked, glancing at the tenth prince.
"Hehe, I brought it!" The tenth prince always remembered what Yin had said: that everyone should be treated equally when bringing things. "Fourth brother, we did as you said, and things are indeed more balanced in the backyard!"
"Listen to your fourth brother, there won't be any problems!" Yin admired Yin very much. He was able to navigate between officials and merchants and raised a lot of supplies for the military ports in Guangdong and Guangxi. In addition, with Qingyan as a powerful figure, he had accompanied Yin on several missions, and it was not as difficult as before.
Old Ten laughed heartily: "Both of my wives are quite far along in their pregnancies, so let's not keep the welcome dinner too late today!"
"This is the rule; we must let the soldiers below have a good time!" Yin shook his head. As long as Tulichen was still alive, they had to follow the rules.
The tenth prince scratched his head. Since both Yin and Yin had said so, he couldn't say anything more.
Inside the palace, the tenth prince was the worst at learning etiquette. After leaving, he stayed in the military camp and didn't participate in the intrigues and power struggles of the court, which is why he was relatively simple-minded.
"Why don't I step in and take care of it?!" The tenth prince thought that taking care of the health of the two wives was the best course of action.
"It's a welcome dinner for you!" Yin patted Lao Shi on the shoulder to reassure him, and then chatted with Yin for a few more minutes about the banquet.
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