The soldiers ate the blessed meat that the emperor had given them last time with gusto, their smiles growing even wider. They were unable to reunite with their families, but Kangxi celebrated the New Year with them.
Many soldiers felt that this expedition was of great significance, not only because they had defeated Galdan, but also because it was their closest opportunity to get to Kangxi.
Some people may never see the Emperor Kangxi's face in their entire lives. Yin looked down at the soldiers below, who were joyfully sharing the pig-slaughtering feast, while some were reminiscing about celebrating the New Year in their hometowns.
Emperor Kangxi was very satisfied with what Yinzhi and Qingyan had prepared. Consort Tong patted his hand, and the couple exchanged a glance. They felt that their fourth son had truly grown up.
"Little Fourth, you did a good job." Kangxi's praise made Yinzhi particularly happy.
Throughout his two generations, Emperor Kangxi was stingy with praise for his sons. Often, when his sons made mistakes, Kangxi would unleash his sharp tongue.
Qingyan, standing beside Yin, sensed his excitement and couldn't help but complain inwardly, "It was just a lighthearted compliment, without even a tangible reward!"
"There's no reward, what's there to be excited about?" Qingyan muttered softly.
Yin glared at Qingyan, but fortunately, the singing and dancing inside the imperial tent drowned out Qingyan's little complaints. The ministers below drank with their father, and he looked around and found that no one had noticed Qingyan's dissatisfaction.
"Eat your food." Yin placed the barbecue that Qingyan liked in front of her. Little Guai was too young to understand that a single sentence from the emperor could benefit someone.
A single word of praise from Emperor Kangxi was worth more than any reward, which was usually kept as a precious possession. Yet, this single word could provide Yinzhi with considerable assistance during the crucial moment of the struggle for the throne among the nine princes.
"Hmph!" Qingyan's temper flared up. She thought Yin was too fixated on certain things, and that living like that was exhausting.
Watching the two little ones' antics, Fuquan couldn't help but smile. Yin and Qingyan really had a good relationship. Perhaps he should find his own daughter a childhood sweetheart as a husband.
Before the banquet, Fuquan used his military merits to obtain an imperial edict for his daughter that exempted her from the task of appeasing the Mongols. Many people thought Fuquan was foolish, but he felt it was worth it.
His position had no room for further advancement, and Kangxi would not allow his brothers to hold real power.
His achievements overshadowed those of his master!
These four words were absolutely a nightmare for the ministers. Before the late emperor died, his words determined the gap between Kangxi and his brothers. For many years, Fuquan believed that he had made the right choice. If he had switched places with Kangxi, he would probably have collapsed when he eliminated the Three Feudatories.
Fuquan and Yinzhi shared some similarities in temperament with the young Kangxi, being both patient and stubborn. By establishing the crown prince too early, Kangxi no longer paid attention to the middle princes, who inevitably resorted to their own methods to gain Kangxi's attention.
After the banquet, the drowsy Qingyan was carried back to the tent by Yin. The pig-slaughtering feast was really lively, and Kangxi made it clear that he would take Yin and Qingyan to the real pig-slaughtering feast.
Outside the pass, after the most important royal sacrificial ceremony, a pig-slaughtering feast would be held. However, since entering the pass, the pig-slaughtering feast has become increasingly illegitimate.
In this remote border town, the Lunar New Year was particularly lively this year. Many families received the purchase funds from the army and had a prosperous New Year. On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, Yin got up early and changed Qingyan's clothes while he was sleeping. Today, Kangxi, Consort Tong, and Fei Yanggu and his son were going to take the two of them to the market.
Last night, the camp was unusually lively. While they slept, the bonfire party continued, with the soldiers who had won battles crying or laughing and venting their emotions with their comrades.
In just a few months, those new recruits bravely overcame their psychological trauma.
Qingyan leaned on Yin's shoulder as he lifted her into the carriage. Consort Tong lifted the curtain and watched Yin's careful movements. The little figure in his arms, draped in a pink cloak, did not seem to feel any relief from the cold air. She couldn't help but sigh at how much her son had grown up.
After the carriage slowly began to move, Yin paused for a long time before finally removing Qingyan's cloak. He bent down and kissed Qingyan's rosy cheeks, and she waved her little paws, trying to shoo away the person disturbing her sleep.
Yin couldn't help but chuckle at her little antics. She found a comfortable position in his arms and fell into a deep sleep.
Before leaving the camp, Kangxi and Feiyanggu planned their route. They intended to sneak into the village, which was the liveliest place at this time of year, and the two children rarely had the opportunity to experience the life of ordinary people.
"Little darling..." Yin whispered to wake Qingyan. Before leaving, Su Peisheng quietly told Yin about the day's itinerary.
Hearing the alarm clock from the Yin version, Qingyan slightly opened her eyes, rubbing her dazed eyes with her little right paw.
In a daze, she found herself moved onto a carriage, not inside their tent.
"Fourth Prince, why did you carry me out again? We agreed that you would wake me up before we came out." Qingyan thought she was all grown up and should pay more attention to her image, but who would have thought that Yin would always disobey her.
Yin pursed his lips helplessly, but continued to wipe her face with a warm towel, knowing that waking her up was an extremely time-consuming task. Each time, it took Su Lan a long time to wake Qing Yan, and Kangxi certainly wouldn't allow them to delay their departure.
"Can you stay in bed while going out with Father Emperor?" Yin put the towel in the basin and casually moved the small table full of breakfast to Qingyan's front.
Qingyan's eyes lit up when she saw the breakfast on the table. She immediately put aside her argument with Yin and decided to have a good breakfast. The small mahogany table was filled with food, from bird's nest porridge to pan-fried buns. Each one was Qingyan's favorite food. The imperial physician had only said that bird's nest porridge was very good for Qingyan's health, so Yin had been watching over Qingyan to eat it every day.
Before setting off on the expedition, he specially ordered the imperial physicians to prepare a large amount of bird's nest. Every morning, he would have the imperial kitchen staff prepare bird's nest porridge for Consort Tong and Qingyan. Even during the war, neither of them ever missed a day without it.
Her health gradually improved, and her hands and feet were no longer icy cold when it was cold. Yin believed that this was all thanks to the bird's nest porridge. Even though she felt like she was taking bitter Chinese medicine when she ate the bird's nest porridge, Yin still insisted that she continue to take it.
"It's bird's nest porridge again. Can't you use something else?" Qingyan was getting annoyed; she was almost sick of eating bird's nest porridge.
The Fourth Prince is such a blockhead, he doesn't know how to be flexible at all! The Imperial Hospital didn't say that bird's nest porridge must be consumed every day.
"Little darling, this is good for your health." Yin Jue refused to compromise, and Qingyan's little face was puffed up with anger, but she still held the bird's nest porridge in her hand and slowly drank it.
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