As night fell, the moon slowly rose into the sky, the stars twinkled, and the naval port was brightly lit with candles. The arrival of Emperor Kangxi and his entourage not only boosted the morale of the soldiers but also put the officials' families at ease.
Consort Tong kindly summoned them and reassured them to assist the men in serving the navy.
Inside the flower hall, Consort Tong sat looking slightly tired, while Consort Hui leaned against her. After resting for a while, they changed into their everyday clothes for the banquet.
"Have Hafenga and Duoxihui made the arrangements?" Consort Tong glanced at her two daughters-in-law. They had organized the banquet, and Kangxi was very satisfied with them. On the contrary, he was wary of the matter concerning Yinzhi and his wife.
"Everything has been arranged. Granny Shuzhu has gone to keep her company!" Shu Yun smiled.
Consort Hui took a sip of her teacup. It was her favorite jasmine tea, which was not available in Guangdong and Guangxi. The two of them had made quite a bit of preparation.
"The officials' wives look quite tanned, but you two haven't changed much?" Consort Hui looked at the two women curiously and found that they had not only not gotten darker, but had actually become even fairer.
Yin Genjue Luo Shi and Qing Yan exchanged a glance, a smile blooming on their lips. Women always like to hear others praise their appearance.
“Mother, Xiao Guai said that we have to apply a face mask every day here. It’s made with pearl powder and seasonal fruits and vegetables from here!” Madam Yin Genjue glanced at the grandfather clock and, seeing that it was still early, started talking.
Consort Tong listened attentively. Since the beginning of summer, Linglong Pavilion in Jiangnan had received a lot of face masks, which Consort Tong used every day without paying much attention to their effects.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty has sent Eunuch Li to inform them that he has gone to attend a banquet!" Shu walked in from outside, glanced at the situation inside, and quickly reported to Consort Tong.
"Let's go!" Consort Tong stood up first.
Four sedan chairs were parked in the courtyard. The four people entered one after another. Qingyan was accompanied by Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen.
"Mother, was Ah Hun taken away by Father?" Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen asked, tilting her little head.
“Yes, he is a boy,” Qingyan reassured Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen.
Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen sat obediently beside her, her little face bearing a smile. In Qingyan's view, her smile was not serious.
Royal families truly have no childhoods. She tried her best to protect the twins, but unbeknownst to her, they were both slowly growing up.
"You're still young, don't pay attention to what those people say. You don't need to follow the rules the nannies talk about yet!" Qingyan and Yin had discussed it and decided to let Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen live happily until she was six years old.
Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen cheered. She felt warm inside after hearing Qingyan's words. At the gathering, she saw that the daughters of the other princes were all well-behaved, but she was the only one who could live happily.
"Mother, are we going to take a boat out to sea again?" Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen loves sailing at sea, and sea fishing is one of her pleasures.
"Yes, Grandma and Grandma will definitely be going out for a day!" Yinhe made arrangements for a reporting exercise near the sea, and Kangxi and Consort Tong would definitely be there.
The little girl cheered instantly, she could go out and play again, how wonderful!
"Don't make a fuss, and behave properly in a moment!" Qingyan instructed.
The little girl nodded obediently, looking like she was being very well-behaved.
On the training ground, bonfires were lit, and the soldiers, dressed in brand-new uniforms, gathered around the bonfires, with their wives in full regalia beside them.
On each campfire was a lamb, ready to be roasted whole. Although the soldiers were not short of meat, anything bestowed by Emperor Kangxi was always exceptionally precious.
The four sedan chairs slowly landed, and the officials and their families all stood up to pay their respects to Consort Tong and her entourage.
Consort Tong smiled sweetly at Emperor Kangxi, then reached out and helped him to his left hand as he slowly rose to his feet. Consort Hui followed closely behind, holding Songkelierha in her arms and smiling.
"Sit down!" Kangxi's booming voice reached Qingyan's ears. "Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen, come to Mafa!"
Consort Hui carried Songkelierha in her sedan chair, while Consort Tong's sedan chair was not to be ridden by Hutulifengshengzhalafen.
The little girl skipped and hopped closer to Kangxi, and Consort Tong held her on her lap, while Yiken'e sat to Kangxi's right.
Yin stood up first to offer a toast, praising the increasingly smooth development of the naval port under Kangxi's leadership, and also mentioning that the Tenth Prince had gone on several expeditions and had achieved considerable success.
"Well done, you two older brothers have done a great job. Sending the teacher over will help keep him motivated. I am very pleased!" Kangxi nodded in satisfaction.
Yin and Yin quickly got up to express their gratitude, both of them very excited.
Emperor Kangxi rarely praised people in public, and the tenth prince awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"Father, your son should grow up!" The tenth prince knew that there had been many changes since he left the capital.
As the banquet began, the officials rose one after another and raised their glasses to Emperor Kangxi. Some generals were also praised by Kangxi, which made them very excited. Normally, military officers rarely received praise from Kangxi.
As the borders of the Qing Dynasty gradually became more peaceful, the number of generals who could lead expeditions decreased, and the promotion of military officers became less rapid than that of civil officials.
Since the establishment of the navy, these military officers were the first to join the navy, so they were also considered as test subjects. If the navy had not been established, these officers would have been useless.
"Feiyanggu, you handled it very well. The three of you will continue to stay here and help Yin and the Fourth Prince manage the navy!" Kangxi glanced at Feiyanggu, his dragon eyes filled with praise.
“!” Fei Yanggu nodded in response.
Fei Yanggu and his two sons knelt in the middle of the training ground, and the soldiers were extremely impressed by them.
"Li Dequan, bring up the sword for Fei Yanggu. This is a precious sword made in the palace and presented to the emperor. I bestow it upon you. When you go to war, kill many enemies." Kangxi waved his hand, and Li Dequan held up a sandalwood plate on which was placed a golden sword. The scabbard was inlaid with various jewels.
Qingyan looked at it and thought to himself, "Such a heavy sword, how cumbersome it would be to carry into battle!"
"Your subject thanks you!" Fei Yanggu kowtowed in gratitude.
For military generals, receiving a precious sword bestowed by Emperor Kangxi was a great honor. The generals present looked on with envy. Indeed, those whom Emperor Kangxi valued were different.
The banquet became lively, with the imperial chefs personally overseeing the roasting of the whole lamb. They sliced the lamb, placed it on a large blue-and-white porcelain platter, and presented it to the emperor. Qingyan smelled the roasted whole lamb in front of him and immediately took a liking to it. He dipped it in his own seasoning and ate it.
Sure enough, the whole roasted lamb was much tastier than what you get elsewhere. It uses the best lambs, which are really hard to find elsewhere.
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