After lunch, Qingyan changed into a light green casual outfit, her hair styled in two small buns, with a pomegranate-shaped hairpin made of rubies and gold wire on one side of her bun. The bright yellow hairpin swayed gently as her head moved.
Upon arriving at the main hall where Emperor Kangxi was staying, the couple bowed respectfully. Emperor Kangxi glanced at Qingyan and nodded in satisfaction.
Qingyan dislikes the heat and often wears Hanfu in the courtyard, which is indeed very cool; even Consort Tong would secretly wear it. In public, however, she would never make such a basic mistake to stand out.
"Get up, my little darling, isn't this headdress too plain?" Since the other princes and their primary wives hadn't arrived yet, Consort Tong could still have a few words to say to the couple.
"Mother, it's too hot to wear too much!" Qingyan explained helplessly.
This year, the autumn heatwave is incredibly intense; even now, it's still so hot I feel like crying.
Ugh!
Emperor Kangxi stared in astonishment at Consort Tong and her mother-in-law. As the saying goes, "Birds of a feather flock together," and this was certainly true. Consort Tong was only wearing a plum blossom hairpin made of pink jade today. The stamen was inlaid with golden pearls, and the leaves were made of emerald green old mine jade. The hairpin was no bigger than the palm of his hand, and it looked even more luxurious.
"Never mind, even your mother says so!" Kangxi was in the mood to tease the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Qingyan lowered his head and smiled. It should be that the plum blossom headdress of Consort Tong was designed by Emperor Kangxi himself. Looking at the headdress, it looks somewhat like the plum blossom shape painted by Emperor Kangxi in his fine brushwork.
Later that evening, the six princes ranked in the top seven arrived. The seventh prince, Yinzhen, had not yet been betrothed, and as for his concubine and two princesses, he had no suitable female relatives to accompany him, so he came alone.
Qingyan was very curious about this seventh prince. According to the Qing history, the seventh prince was born with a disability in his right leg. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that Yin's appearance was similar to that of Emperor Kangxi. When he walked, he was just a little lame and there was not much difference.
"Don't look!" Yin used spatial telepathy to tell Qingyan not to be too curious about Yin's feet.
Qingyan turned her head and glanced at Yin, whose angry glare made her pout.
After everyone paid their respects, the Crown Princess and Consort Dong'e's eyes would often drift towards Yin.
At this moment, Kangxi's expression was not good; his son had been mocked in this way.
Yin didn't care. From a young age, he lived under all sorts of gazes. Even his own mother, Lady Daijia, felt that she had committed a sin by giving birth to such a prince.
"Crown Princess, Third Prince's wife!" Consort Tong was protective of her own, and she had practically watched Yinzhi grow up. Seeing the Crown Princess and Third Prince's wife's mocking looks, Consort Tong's mood became even more unpleasant.
"Yes!" The Crown Princess and Lady Dong'e knelt on the ground, their hearts sinking.
Except for important occasions, Yin rarely attended any events, and the Crown Princess and Consort Dong'e rarely met him. They had heard many rumors about him.
Their excessive curiosity displeased Consort Tong.
The Crown Princess knelt on the ground, feeling that Yin Genjueluo and Qing Yan were looking down on her, which made her even more upset.
"Get up. You don't even know the rules after just entering the door?" Consort Tong said sarcastically.
"Your Highness, I know I was wrong!" The Crown Princess and Consort Dong'e had just shown a curious look on their faces when Consort Tong caught them red-handed.
In ordinary families, such offspring would be disposed of immediately after birth; otherwise, it would be a significant blow to the child's parents.
“Noble Mother…” Yin felt a little guilty seeing that the Crown Princess and the Third Prince’s wife had been punished because of his leg.
His older brothers took good care of him. When he first entered the Imperial Study, they even had a brawl because the imperial clan had some complaints about Yin.
Emperor Kangxi punished several princes, but they will always remember this heartwarming moment.
"Alright, you may all rise." Kangxi glanced at Yin and noticed his son gazing at him with pleading eyes.
The Crown Prince glared at the Crown Princess; no one could ignore the Emperor.
"Crown Princess, remember your place!" Consort Tong's mood worsened as she looked at the Crown Princess's disdainful expression.
Emperor Kangxi was very disappointed with the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. Yin Jitai and other capable military generals personally submitted a memorial to Emperor Kangxi, believing that the Crown Prince was spying on them.
"Lanya, take your daughters-in-law to the inner hall!" Kangxi was about to discipline his sons. The Crown Prince was too self-serving and might give the other princes a bad impression.
Consort Tong bowed slightly to Emperor Kangxi, then led several wives inside. Qingyan and Yin exchanged a glance and obediently followed them in.
As soon as they sat down, Consort Tong's face immediately fell.
"Your Highness, you represent the women of the Eastern Palace. Even if you are very curious about certain things, you must restrain yourself." Consort Tong looked at the Crown Princess, knowing that she couldn't say too much, but she could still subtly probe.
Qingyan lowered her head, as if nothing concerned her.
“Listen up, all four of you. The primary wife is not only responsible for managing the inner quarters, but also for bringing honor to the men.” Consort Tong looked at the Crown Princess. “If the men do anything wrong, you should do your best to advise them.”
Qingyan noticed that the Crown Princess's expression wasn't good, and he knew that the Crown Prince was sending people to the ministers' homes. However, since the Crown Prince hadn't harmed his own interests, he probably wouldn't think much of it.
"Yes!" The Crown Princess and the others could only agree.
“The words and actions of the royal wife are all subject to restraint.” Consort Tong said, while looking at the Crown Princess, who was very annoyed.
Consort Tong is not the Empress, so she has no right to lecture her.
"Don't just agree superficially; keep these words in your hearts," Consort Tong instructed. Seeing that the Crown Princess and Consort Dong'e didn't take it seriously at all, she didn't say anything more.
"Your Highness, I have other matters to attend to. May I take my leave?" The Crown Princess's displeasure with Consort Tong was also influenced by the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince believed that Consort Tong's status was merely that of a concubine, and since even the Emperor didn't discipline him, Consort Tong had even less right to do so.
"Go!" Consort Tong was angry; the Crown Princess had been disrespecting her for quite some time.
In front of Emperor Kangxi, the Crown Princess behaved extremely well; in private, however, it was all just a facade.
After the Crown Princess took her leave, Lady Dong'e also made an excuse to leave, and Consort Tong's face became even more gloomy.
Qingyan pondered for a moment and said, "Mother, the fruit trees in the garden are all bearing fruit. Let's go and pick some. Yiken'e and Hutulifengshengzhalafen really like jam."
In winter, although the palace receives supplies, nothing is as reliable as what one makes oneself. In autumn, Qingyan prepared a considerable amount of supplies for the winter.
"Alright," Consort Tong nodded.
Consort Tong quickly instructed Shu to prepare a considerable amount of supplies. The three royal mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, along with a large number of maids, went to the orchard behind Changchun Garden. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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