As lunchtime approached, Qingyan woke up. She turned her head and saw the sun shining brightly in the sky, and her mood immediately darkened.
Fei Yanggu had to attend the morning court session, and E Shuo and Sai Tuo were often away from the residence. To see the epiphyllum she had carefully cultivated, she could only ask for help from the Fourth Prince. Today, however, he hadn't even woken her up. Qing Yan sat on the bed, waving her little paws a couple of times. Humph! She'd teach the Fourth Prince a lesson later. What an emperor, huh? He's untrustworthy.
The proud and arrogant girl sullenly made Su Lan and the others change her clothes, and then appeared in front of Yin with heavy steps.
"Fourth Brother, you're lying!" Fatty pointed his right index finger at Yin. Fei Yanggu looked at Qingyan's angry face and felt a chill run down his spine.
Yin Ke smiled faintly. At this moment, the little girl looked at him with fury, like a cat with its fur standing on end. The flames of resentment burned in her eyes.
Fei Yanggu picked up his teacup and slowly sipped the tea. He and his two sons had been quite the handful of things Qingyan had given them. The little girl would be excited about anything good for a while. He'd heard from Akdun that the epiphyllum flowers in the greenhouse were in full bloom; Qingyan had probably had Yin wake them up.
Yin glanced at Fei Yanggu out of the corner of his eye. Sure enough, this man was shrewd and calculating. Anyone who could gain the Emperor's favor must have some skill. He absolutely could not let the three pillars of the Yue family die prematurely.
"Little darling, Fourth Uncle is checking on my studies. I just had breakfast and he called me over!" Yin Ke didn't want to face the irritated kitten directly; he wasn't sure if he could calm it down.
Qingyan's eyes widened. She patted her forehead with her chubby little paws. Her father was off today. He must have been instructed by Emperor Kangxi before asking about Yin's studies.
"Hmph!" Qingyan frowned, turned to look at her father, and swayed her little body as she walked towards Feiyanggu. "Father, you've done something wrong again. Today, I want to eat a completely vegetarian lunch!"
Saito and Eshuo's legs, which were about to step through the door, froze in mid-air. They were cursing inwardly, thinking that they had nothing to do with this matter, so why were they dragged into it?
"Qingyan, Father has his reasons!" Qingyan had many miscellaneous books bought to help people learn to read. Among them were many recipes for delicious food. After seeing them, she directed everyone to get busy. When Eshuo and Saito returned, there were often one or two delicious dishes to try. Today, not only were there none, but meat was also canceled.
Qingyan prefers dry-pot vegetarian dishes, while Feiyanggu and the others prefer Manchu cuisine, which is heavy on oil and spice! In the past, she thought it was bad for Feiyanggu's health, but since she learned to read, Feiyanggu's tastes have changed quite a bit.
“A light meal is good for you; this is my heartfelt filial piety.” Wan’er gazed at Fei Yanggu with starry eyes. Every time Fei Yanggu wanted to object, these starry eyes would silence him completely.
Yin chuckled inwardly. The arrogant and domineering Commander of the Nine Gates had crumbled in front of a young girl. His father would be very pleased to see this. In addition to his abilities, the minister also had a weakness that could reassure the emperor. Only by having this weakness firmly in his grasp could the emperor feel at ease using his capable ministers.
Qingyan was destined to marry into the royal family from birth. Emperor Kangxi valued Fei Yanggu and arranged for him to come over. The third brother was sent to the residence of Dong Eqishi, which was clearly the third sister-in-law's house!
Fei Yanggu and Qing Yan stared at each other for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but he still lost.
"Alright, a vegetarian feast will do. Saito and Eshuo have been eating lots of meat and fish in the camp, so it's not good for them to eat too much meat at home." Akdun was speechless; his master's ability to argue was getting better and better.
"That's more like it. Big brother, second brother, you two should stay home and eat your meals properly!" Qingyan patted the little chubby paws and pulled Yin towards the greenhouse. She wanted to see if the epiphyllum had bloomed yet!
As soon as they entered the greenhouse, Yin carefully pulled Qingyan along. He secretly glanced at the epiphyllum, which had already withered. Her large, watery eyes began to well up with tears. He felt extremely distressed and, tongue-tied, didn't know how to comfort her.
In both his lifetimes, Yin had never comforted a single woman. The little boy in front of him could cry at any moment, and there were three menacing protectors outside.
"Sisi, you didn't wake me up, so I couldn't see the epiphyllum flowers!" Qingyan's tears fell in large drops. These two pots of epiphyllum flowers were specially bought by Qing Feiyanggu. The system in the space also said that this variety of epiphyllum flower has become extinct in modern times.
She had carefully cultivated it for half a year, but due to a moment of oversleeping, she missed seeing the beautiful scenery.
A fleeting moment...
Was their relationship hinted at by this ominous flower? Qingyan's face fell, filled with frustration.
"Little darling, I was wrong!" Yin quickly admitted his mistake. When she cried, his heart felt like it was being squeezed, something he had never experienced in his previous life.
"Hmph!" Qingyan turned her head away, not letting Yin wipe his tears. She still remembered what her best friend had said in modern times: when you have your first argument with your husband, you must make him admit his mistake. In the future, he will develop a good habit of bowing his head first, no matter whether he is right or wrong.
She wanted to cultivate good habits in Si Si, and discipline him. Only a well-behaved little boy raised that way would be truly excellent.
Yin held Qingyan's face firmly with his right hand, slowly wiping away her tears. He had long understood Qingyan's meaning; the little girl simply wanted him to submit. A prince's pride was not something that could be easily challenged.
He thought of the grievances Qingyan had suffered, and couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted.
"Little darling, tomorrow, I'll wake you up to watch together, okay?" Su Peisheng bowed as he walked in, carrying a lotus-shaped pastry made by the imperial chef that Yin had brought. It was a pastry shaped like a lotus flower, filled with red bean paste.
This flavor is something that ordinary pastry shops and chefs can't make, and Qingyan fell in love with it at first bite.
"Don't cry, the lotus flower pastry is here!" Yin thought about Qingyan's young age and how her teeth needed to be well protected.
Yin discovered that she had a sweet tooth, and Fei Yanggu saw that Qingyan would agree to anything she wanted as soon as she acted cute. That's why he used lotus flower pastries and palace desserts to limit Qingyan's consumption of sweets.
"Wow, are all of these mine?" Qingyan's eyes lit up instantly. These pastries were incredibly delicious, with delicate red bean paste filling! Just thinking about them made her mouth water. Usually, she was only allowed to have two pieces.
She glanced at the pastries on the white porcelain plate out of the corner of her eye; there were as many as six.
"You have to promise me you won't throw tantrums anymore. This snack is yours." Yin considered that Qingyan would have finished losing her baby teeth after he left. Fei Yanggu was soft-hearted; if her white little teeth developed cavities, she would suffer the consequences.
Qingyan looked at the food with a troubled expression, then at Yin's resolute expression, and reluctantly nodded her noble head.
"Put it on the kang table." Qingyan disliked servants coming into the shed to serve her, so the mahogany furniture placed in the corner was designed according to the height of a ten-year-old child. She stretched out her chubby arms, and Yin lifted her onto the armchair. After wiping her hands with warm water, Qingyan held a lotus-shaped pastry to Yin's lips.
He resignedly took a bite. Su Peisheng, who was pretending to be a quail at the door, was very surprised. The Fourth Prince disliked sweets the most. Spending time with this older brother required changing one's habits.
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