The afternoon sun bathed the earth, and the laughter of children echoed from the largest courtyard of the Yuelai Inn.
At this moment, four or five large round basins were placed in the courtyard, containing bunches of purple grapes. Some of these grapes were edible, and she had them picked and chilled on ice so that they could be served as dessert after dinner when everyone returned.
“These are all crushed like this,” Qingyan demonstrated in the round basin in front of her.
Soon, the twins, seeing what she was making, ran over with interest. After Suzhu helped them wash their hands with warm water, she also came over to help, pressing the edges of the basin with her four chubby little hands.
Pfft, pfft!
The two little ones were instantly delighted; the feeling of the grapes bursting in their hands was so much fun.
Yin waved to Su Lan, and several maids immediately came over to take over the work.
Soon, after the children had finished playing, Qingyan sat down in a chair and began wiping the two children.
"Father, Father, Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen is also helping to make wine." The little girl ran towards Yin, and with a thud, two murderers from that time were directly imprinted on his knees.
Qingyan led Yiken'e directly this way. Sulan had a list she had just written, each item written out in detailed proportions.
"Little darling, let your servants do these things. You just watch from the side and try not to do anything yourself." Yin picked up his daughter and turned to Qingyan to say.
Qingyan held her teacup and drank, her face full of confusion as she wondered why she had to say this at this moment.
“Little girl, you’re growing up. Things are different in the princess’s residence than in any other residence. The nannies in the Imperial Household Department aren’t so easy to control. Besides, we can’t bring all the servants with us as dowry. So, you have to do everything yourself and set a good example for Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen.” He looked at Qingyan and said seriously.
She cut a bunch of grapes from the chilled plate, peeled the skins for the two children, and fed them to them.
"So delicious!" Yiken'e laughed and reached out her little hand towards Qingyan.
She handed him a grape and squeezed it in her hand until it was almost crushed. Yiken'e then fed it to Yin.
"Ama~ Eat~" Yiken'e's actions attracted Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen. She jumped down, ran to Qingyan, took the grapes, and ran back to Yin. She stood in front of Yin and held the grapes above her head.
Qingyan sat down beside him with a smile, watching as he looked at the grapes in his son and daughter's hands. One grape was rotten, while the other was whole. The fastidious Yin Zhe didn't seem to mind at all and ate all the grapes from both children.
Su Peisheng, standing behind the two, was quite surprised to see Yin's actions, as Yin rarely ate food that didn't look good.
Now, the grapes that Yiken'e should have thrown away have instead been eaten by Yin.
Qingyan was also stunned. In her opinion, Yin was a bit of a germaphobe, so being able to eat Yiken'e's grapes was a big improvement.
She once saw a reply that said some people's obsessive-compulsive disorder and germaphobia were cured after becoming parents.
"Alright, you two are not allowed to eat anymore. You'll have a proper dinner later." Yin took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the two little ones' hands.
He beckoned to Suzhu, and the twins' nanny came over and took both children away.
Qingyan sat in a rattan chair supervising, while Yinze flipped through the Ministry of Revenue's memorials.
The tranquility was soon broken. Su Lan and Su Zhu had finished brewing the wine and were preparing to move it to an inconspicuous place when the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager Tong walked in through the door.
The two elderly men's robust gait made Qingyan nervous again, and the guards became somewhat flustered.
After Yin and Qingyan bowed, Yin noticed their nervousness and quickly asked, "What are you doing?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Qingyan is overseeing the winemaking process," Yin reported respectfully.
The Emperor Emeritus snorted, "Why would the imperial consorts need to be watched? They can simply delegate the task to the servants below. As the masters, why would they need to keep an eye on things?"
Qingyan became reserved. She had prepared the food herself so that it could be presented to Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong.
The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly became awkward, and even Empress Dowager Tong felt that the Emperor Emeritus had gone too far.
"Yes," Qingyan replied patiently.
Qingyan had a slight chance to explain herself in front of Emperor Kangxi, but she had no chance to explain herself in front of the Emperor Emeritus.
Yin quietly squeezed Qingyan's hand, gradually calming her down.
After the Emperor gave a few serious reprimands, Yin pulled Qingyan back to his room.
Upon arriving at the study, she sat down in the chair, her face extremely grim. The Emperor was always causing trouble, and even Lady Yin Genjueluo was not immune.
The day before yesterday, the Emperor Emeritus also made Lady Yin Genjue Luo cry. On the spot, Yin's face darkened as he obeyed the Emperor Emeritus's order.
"Fourth, there's still one day left, right?" Qingyan asked directly.
Yin nodded. The Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager Tong's carriages were ready, and they would travel directly from Shandong to the capital the morning after tomorrow.
"Mmm!" Yin pulled her into his arms. "My little darling, you've worked hard."
Qingyan sighed. If her father weren't in his current position, even Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong would probably be like the retired emperor and empress dowager.
The guards outside, having witnessed what had just happened, lost their relaxed demeanor from the afternoon and stood obediently guarding the courtyard.
As evening approached, Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong returned. While changing clothes in the inner chamber, Li Dequan recounted what had happened in the courtyard that afternoon. Instantly, Kangxi's expression turned extremely unpleasant, and the retired emperor's temper became even worse.
"Alright, let's see the Emperor Emeritus off and comfort the two children." Kangxi was also helpless. The Emperor Emeritus had probably not been in charge of anyone for a long time. Perhaps, in Jiangnan, the Emperor Emeritus had shown some resistance.
Consort Tong remained silent, for in front of the Emperor Emeritus, women were absolutely forbidden from any form of resistance.
"This time, Mother's health has improved a lot, and it's good that she's coming to the capital to recuperate." Kangxi took a sip of his tea. Yinzhi, who was supposed to be his teacher, hadn't gone out, which allowed the Emperor Emeritus to catch him.
"If you hadn't said anything, would the fourth prince have definitely taken Xiao Guai out? This..." Consort Tong felt very sorry for Qingyan's situation.
Even if Qingyan harbored a lot of resentment when the Emperor reprimanded her, she could not express it directly.
Qingyan's temper is just like Feiyanggu's, so the fourth brother has to coax him again.
"If you want to see your son's performance, just say so. Why beat around the bush?" Kangxi laughed. The imperial guards were keeping a close eye on Yin's study; the two children were sure to be nagging.
Xiao Guai will personally oversee the brewing process, definitely for the purpose of getting it approved.
"We have wine to drink," Consort Tong said happily.
Most of the wine in the palace was given away as rewards. The women of officials such as Suo'etu and Mingzhu submitted memorials pleading that the red wine that was offered as tribute was almost all given to the women of meritorious officials.
"Use Xiao Guai's wine, and in a few years, those wines can be kept!" Kangxi also felt sad, as the Ministry of Revenue did not have much silver, and the tributes were directly given as rewards.
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