On the day of the Double Ninth Festival, everyone waited early in front of the gate of Changchun Garden. Yin entered Changchun Garden through the side gate. Yuanmingyuan was the closest garden to Changchun Garden. While everyone waited at the gate, Yin was already in the courtyard of Kangxi and Consort Tong.
"Yiken'e, you take Hafeng and follow Father!" Qingyan saw Yiken'e standing in front of him, dressed in the everyday clothes of a prince.
Yiken raised her head and said, "Mother, don't worry, I will definitely bring my brother back healthy."
Qingyan watched as Yiken'e left with Hafeng, who was being held in the arms of the nanny, before turning back into the courtyard.
"Little darling, sit down first. Don't worry, His Majesty has already made arrangements," Consort Tong reassured Qingyan.
The children were all still young, and Hafeng was too small. Yin was to accompany Kangxi to entertain the ministers. The princes were all assigned tasks, and Yin was responsible for the ministers that Kangxi trusted most. This could be considered a kind of promise.
These ministers would gradually side with Yin, so Kangxi specifically wanted these loyal old ministers to witness Yin's abilities.
"Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen, you and Songkelierha will entertain your girls of marriageable age later. Tell Grandma, can you handle this matter well?" Consort Tong did not expect the two children to have any close friends, just enough to become acquainted with each other.
"Grandma, don't worry, Sister Songkelierha and I have already discussed it and we'll make sure you're well taken care of. There won't be the slightest problem!" Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen said, tilting her little head up.
While the grandmother and granddaughter were talking, Shu came in and informed Consort Tong that Lady Yin Genjue Luo had brought her daughter. After the mother and daughter entered the hall, they immediately bowed to Consort Tong.
"Granny Guima, my sister and I will go to the flower hall first." Songkri Yierha, dressed in a rose-red summer dress, bowed to Consort Tong and then presented her with a gift.
The news that the twins had sent gifts to Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong in advance spread throughout the capital. Everyone knew that of all the royal children, the twins were the closest to Emperor Kangxi.
Among the third generation of children, Hongxi was the most favored, but now he has gradually faded from everyone's sight.
"Sister-in-law, this time we'll be facing the Crown Prince!" Yin Genjue Luo Shi stood on Qing Yan's side. Even her own child was being schemed against; no mother could tolerate that. So, everyone was silently lamenting that the Crown Prince had gone too far.
"Sister-in-law, let's take a look." Qingyan's resentment hadn't been vented yet, and if the Crown Princess dared to provoke her, she wouldn't be so lenient.
Logically speaking, the Crown Prince should be the closest to Changchun Garden, as he resides near the back of the garden. Qingyan, however, was the first to arrive.
The princes' primary wives gradually arrived and appeared one after another in Consort Tong's palace. Lady Yin Genjue Luo and Qing Yan greeted their sisters-in-law with smiles on their faces.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, shall we sit together in a while?" Fifth Princess Consort walked over, followed by Seventh Princess Consort, Ninth Princess Consort, and Tenth Princess Consort.
Several wives gathered together, and Lady Yin Genjue Luo also walked over. Inside the hall, some officials' wives came over and tried to impress Consort Tong.
"We're going to watch a play in the garden later, and we can reserve our own seats. Your mother's idea is really good. If possible, I'd like to sit here too," said Lady Yingenjueluo in agreement.
"Look over there, isn't that Eighth Brother's wife?" Fifth Prince's wife saw Eighth Prince's wife appear at the door. Jue Luo Shi had lost a lot of weight recently, and her complexion was even worse.
Qingyan followed the gaze of the Fifth Prince's wife and saw that the Eighth Prince's wife indeed looked quite unpleasant.
"It should be Eighth Brother's wife, but she doesn't look too well." Qingyan nodded. "Alright, let's go to the garden first. Have the children gone over yet?"
The group deliberately passed by the flower hall and overheard the maids inside saying that Songkelierha and Hutulifengshengzhalafen had already taken the girls to the garden.
"Eldest sister-in-law, fourth sister-in-law, those two sisters are quite remarkable; they can keep the scene in check!" Ninth Princess Consort was greatly surprised upon hearing this.
At the age when the two princesses were still strolling around with their mother, the Ninth Prince's wife was already capable of handling things on her own.
"Yes, when I was that age, I still needed the guidance of adults to navigate the social circles of the women," the Seventh Princess Consort said with a sigh.
The sisters-in-law slowly walked towards the garden and saw that the Eighth Prince's wife's side was already crowded with people. It seemed that many people wanted to talk to her.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, what's so special about this one that so many people are drawn to her?" Ninth Princess Consort asked, leaning close to Qingyan's ear.
When some of the officials' wives saw that several of the princes' wives had come over together, they didn't approach. Instead, they muttered among themselves from the sidelines. These wives were known for being fierce. The Fourth Prince's wife had no concubines in her residence, and the Fourth Prince doted on her. The Tenth Prince's wife was a noblewoman from the Mongolian grasslands, and no one dared to offend her. The Fifth and Ninth Prince's wives were both daughters-in-law of Consort Yi, and they didn't approach her at all because they were worried that Consort Yi would cause trouble.
Therefore, this small group was completely ignored. The Crown Princess was always the last to arrive, so everyone gathered around the Eighth Prince's wife first.
"If the Crown Princess comes, there definitely won't be so many people around the Eighth Prince's wife," Qingyan sighed.
As soon as the words were spoken, a voice came from the crowd that the Crown Princess had arrived, and everyone turned around to pay their respects to her.
After the sisters-in-law bowed, they exchanged a few pleasantries with the Crown Princess. Qingyan remained silent, coldly observing the Crown Princess.
"Fourth sister-in-law, both children are very outstanding. Just now, I had Shulu go over as well!" The Crown Princess noticed that Qingyan had lost her previous enthusiasm, and even Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen was extremely polite when she saw Shulu.
"Shulu is much better than Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen. Logically, Shulu should be the one to entertain them. If Mother hadn't said that Shulu shouldn't arrive early to greet guests, she wouldn't have sent the two children." Qingyan's words completely shattered what the Crown Princess had said; Shulu's relationship with her sisters wasn't deep.
The Tenth Princess suppressed her smile, her face turning a deep purplish-red. Qingyan had no desire to have anything to do with Yuqing Palace; even the slightest connection could cause the children to suffer.
"Sister-in-law, you're joking!" The Crown Princess's face was very unpleasant, as if someone had deliberately targeted her.
After speaking, she turned and left. Qingyan coldly watched the Crown Princess's back and wondered to himself, "Among the officials' wives, there shouldn't be anyone who would want to bring them together again, right?"
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