After dinner, the bustling Yuanmingyuan finally returned to peace. Qingyan changed into a light blue Hanfu and sat on a soft couch with Yin, staring at the black and white chess pieces on the chessboard.
"Hmph, this is not going to end!" Qingyan messed up the black and white pieces on the chessboard. From Go to Gomoku, she couldn't beat Yin in any of them.
He smiled, watching her relaxed act of being spoiled, and felt a mix of emotions.
In the afternoon, Qing Yan graciously entertained the ladies of the household. The dinner was also well-prepared and received praise from Emperor Kangxi. Among the princes' primary wives, only the Crown Princess received this honor.
"I'm not planning to hold a flower-viewing banquet next time. Too many people show up uninvited!" Qingyan muttered.
Yin moved the kang table that was between the two of them down, and Qingyan leaned against him, her little face puffing out.
At the flower-viewing banquet, at least twenty or thirty people came uninvited. Including the servants they brought, there were almost a hundred more people eating. Fortunately, the banquet was prepared well in advance, otherwise it would have been a real disaster.
The vegetables stored in the Yuanmingyuan Garden were almost all used up, and the women left satisfied. Qingyan, however, felt sorry for her own supplies.
Well!
Yin was exasperated; her focus was never on the right track.
"Didn't Father Emperor praise you?!" Yin tapped Xiaoguai's nose, telling her not to feel bad about those things.
"It can't be eaten..." Qingyan was more concerned with practical benefits. Could these empty titles be exchanged for food when hungry, or for silver when poor?
The Crown Princess appeared dignified, but her life was still quite difficult. She only wanted to live a happy life, and the outside conflicts were none of her concern.
He sighed. Xiao Guai's ideas were different from those of the women. She didn't care about reputation, and this mindset made her more likely to receive praise.
"Little darling, shall I take you for a stroll around the area tomorrow? The scenery in the western suburbs is exquisite." Yin had already made arrangements, having asked Kangxi for leave, and was preparing to take Qingyan to Fragrant Hills in the western suburbs.
In autumn, Yin would take Qingyan to see the red leaves. In the past, they could only wander around the mansion's wives, but now they could come to the suburbs to see the red leaves.
The autumn leaves of Xishan are said to be the most vibrant, and many high-ranking officials and nobles would bring their families here for a visit during their autumn vacation.
Her eyes lit up instantly; the place Yin was referring to must be Fragrant Hills.
In modern times, Qingyan also visited Fragrant Hills a few times. During the Red Leaf Festival, Fragrant Hills was always crowded with people, so many that there was nowhere to even stand.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Qingyan woke up and climbed over Yin to get out of bed.
Hearing the sounds from the inner chamber, Su Lan quickly came in to serve.
"Keep your voice down, are the children alright?" Yin moved the twins to the opposite room, having already made it clear that the twins were old enough to live independently.
Su Lan quickly reported to the Fujin that the twins had not yet woken up. The wet nurse on duty last night reported how many times the twins had been fed and how long they had slept.
"Arrange the carriage; we're taking the twins with us." Qingyan considered that taking the children with her would allow her to visit Xinshang Hongye with peace of mind. "Prepare all the baby food and bring it with us."
Yin had mentioned that they would need to stay overnight in the western suburbs, and the twins would need quite a bit of food.
"Yes!" Su Lan replied, and quickened her pace in doing her makeup.
Later, Yin turned around and hugged her, only to find the spot next to him empty. He opened his eyes and listened for a while, discovering that Qingyan was awake. He lifted the bed curtains and found that Qingyan had changed into her everyday clothes and was sitting in front of the mahogany dressing table doing her makeup.
"Little darling, you woke up early today!" Yin's lips curled up slightly. Little darling's daily routine was very regular. Apart from paying respects, Little darling was one of the earliest to get up today.
She rolled her eyes at him twice. Would it hurt to be so upset if Sisi didn't nitpick?
After quickly finishing their breakfast, Yin accompanied Qingyan in the carriage. The twins were awake, staring at the baby food in their parents' hands with their bright phoenix eyes.
Today they were wearing comfortable light blue onesies, their pink little mouths eating mashed potatoes, and their little hands were frantically grabbing at the small bowl.
Qingyan held the little ones' hands while feeding Yiken'e. She had a long silk handkerchief tucked into her clothes, afraid of getting her light blue casual clothes dirty, as it was not convenient to change clothes in the carriage when traveling.
Yin watched with a smile as his wife and son battled wits. Yiken'e had grown up quite a bit and was talking more and more. Sometimes, the brat would leave Yin speechless.
"Mother, eat, eat, eat!" Yiken'e complained that Xiaoguai was feeding her too slowly, so she grabbed her hand and stuffed it into her mouth.
Qingyan discovered that the mashed potatoes in the small wooden bowl disappeared at the speed of light. Yiken'e's daily meals and complementary foods were strictly rationed, and Yin and Qingyan could not increase the amount. The experience of the nannies in raising children was also something that needed to be learned.
She put down the empty little wooden bowl, took out a silk handkerchief to wipe Yiken'e's mouth, and then took a new bib from the small cabinet next to her to replace the dirty one.
After the little one finished eating, he started making "ah ah ah" noises. The little girl in Yin's arms got anxious and even sped up her eating.
"Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen, eat slower!" Yin looked down at the little girl's eating speed and said worriedly.
Hutu Lifengsheng Zhalafen ate mashed potatoes, looked up at Yin with his little face, then glanced at Yiken'e. His little face scrunched up for a moment, and then he slowed down his eating.
Qingyan laughed. The twins were now together, which was a clear contrast to Songkelierha's lonely upbringing.
The children of legitimate and illegitimate children are not born to the same mother, and their conflicting interests prevent them from playing together without any resentment.
Yin was very satisfied with his two children, and the legitimate children needed to be taken extra care of.
The streets outside the carriage gradually became lively. People set up small stalls along the way, selling odds and ends to supplement their household income. Whenever the maple leaves turned red, many people would appear on the road to Xishan. Those carriages with maple leaves were from the homes of high-ranking officials and nobles. They would look at the things from these common people's homes and also take a look.
"Fourth Brother, look at those little clay figures, don't they look like those two?" Qingyan pointed to a stall that the car had passed by. There was a pair of chubby little clay figures. They were adorable and wore red clothes, which made them look remarkably similar to the figures that Kangxi usually saw.
"Su Peisheng, stop the car!" Yin smiled, the little girl must have taken a fancy to the clay figure.
The couple, carrying their two children, stepped off the carriage and came to the stall. The twins immediately spotted the two little babies.
The stall owner was an elderly man in his sixties. Looking up, he saw that the family of four in front of him came from an extraordinary background, and the quality of their clothes was something he had never seen before.
"Old man, how much are these clay figurines?" Qingyan's clear voice rang out, and the old man was taken aback.
"Sir, these clay figurines are worth eight copper coins!" the old man replied hastily, regaining his composure. (To be continued. If you enjoy 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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