As evening approached, Emperor Kangxi ordered the start of the banquet. A bonfire was lit in the center of the garden, a tradition that was indispensable whenever a banquet was held in the garden.
Qingyan gazed at the campfire as the servants began distributing food one by one. Yin sat to Qingyan's right, with Yinqi to Qingyan's left. Qingyan occasionally exchanged a few words with the Fifth Prince's wife before speaking with Yin.
"Master, why are those girls waiting to be chosen for the imperial concubines preparing to perform in the corridor next door?" Qingyan asked curiously.
Before the Qingyan selection process, the girls had already been chosen as the fourth prince's consorts, so there was no normal selection process. These girls needed to seize every opportunity to leave a good impression on Kangxi. Whether they were to become someone else's primary consort or eventually be brought into the harem, they had to perform exceptionally well in front of Kangxi.
“There’s always a banquet like this before the selection of concubines. Back then, you were already confirmed to be my wife, so of course you didn’t need to show your face here!” Yin whispered in Qingyan’s ear.
Qingyan chuckled. Yin's words made sense. The princes valued their primary consorts very much. If their titles hadn't been decided, everyone would be helpless. Once their titles were decided, no one would show their faces in public.
Beside the campfire, a special matron was arranging the performances of the girls to be selected for the imperial concubine selection. Some people were looking at the high platform built by Emperor Kangxi, with a hint of longing on their faces.
Qingyan looked at the young women and saw that many of them were dressed somewhat like Consort Tong. These women were only teenagers and did not have the charm of Consort Tong.
“Master, look, quite a few people are imitating Mother!” Qingyan said to Yin.
Yin hummed in agreement, not paying too much attention.
Previously, some people had been secretly trying to find out what Mother liked; they probably really wanted someone to replace her.
Within the palace, Consort Tong enjoyed Kangxi's favor for 20 years. Naturally, many people wanted to interfere. However, Kangxi was a man who bestowed his favor equally upon everyone, and unless necessary, he would never allow anyone to sit on Consort Tong's head.
"Actually, Mother knows that she can't have all the favoritism. Father is different from me. Back then, the Empress Dowager often brought up this matter with Qi Ning."
Upon hearing this, Qingyan felt a pang of emotion; Consort Tong had truly had a difficult life.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore," Yin said directly.
Qingyan tilted her head and looked at Yin: "Master, have you made up the list for the Golden Festival? We need to prepare some things recently, and there might be some things we need to buy for the mixer!"
Yin shook his head directly. The list wasn't fully completed yet, and there couldn't be too many identical items each year. So, everyone was a little anxious. Before Kangxi, they didn't know how many things would actually catch his eye.
"When you came here today, did any of the women approach you and say anything ambiguous?" Yin asked Qingyan.
Qingyan shook her head directly: "Of course not, Fourth Brother, has something happened?"
Yin recounted what had happened earlier. Apparently, some officials from the south, after arriving in the capital, heard about what had happened at the Yuelai Inn and even denounced Qingyan for being too ruthless.
Qingyan didn't take that incident to heart, so she didn't pay too much attention to the rumors. In the capital, some people sympathized with the weak and said that Qingyan was too domineering. They even spread the news that there were no female relatives in the Fourth Prince's residence.
"No way? Many of the officials' wives want to come, right? Judging from their expressions, they must be quite nervous!" Qingyan was stunned. What exactly did these women want to do?
Just now, Yin Genjue Luo Shi and the others must have known about the rumors, which is why they said it was because Qing Yan's aura had increased.
"What did Father Emperor say?" Qingyan was very worried. Kangxi would directly allow Yinzhi to take a concubine.
"Of course, we flatly refused, and Father Emperor won't say anything more," Yin said directly.
Seeing Yin's eager expression for praise, Qingyan felt a warmth in her heart. In Yin's eyes, Qingyan always needed to be cherished.
"Master, did Yiken'e and Hafeng cause any trouble?" Qingyan was worried that Hafeng was too young to understand some of the things happening during the Double Ninth Festival.
"Our son is the best, Hafeng is really great. When the ministers paid their respects, he was so loud, but he didn't cry. Instead, he kept imitating the gesture of paying respects. Even Father Emperor laughed!" Yin remembered his son's appearance, so the smile on Kangxi's face was entirely directed at his son.
Upon hearing Hafeng's actions, Qingyan wore a faint smile, thinking, "That's good."
The sound of a guzheng rang out in the garden. A girl of about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a light blue summer uniform, sat on a chair and began to play the instrument.
As Qingyan listened to the guzheng music, she was surprised to find that the melody carried a hint of shyness and anticipation.
“Little darling, two-thirds of the women performing are from the successful Emperor!” Yin said directly.
Looking towards the main stage, Qingyan saw that Kangxi wasn't paying any attention to the performers; he was simply teasing Hafeng and making him eat.
Tonight, Hafeng showed great respect to Kangxi, always keeping a cautious and respectful smile. If Kangxi gave him anything, he would happily eat it.
"Hafeng is in good spirits and should be able to hold on until the end of the banquet!" Yin was watching his youngest son. If possible, Yin did not want Hafeng to be watched by Kangxi.
When Qingyan saw Hafeng's appearance, she felt that something was wrong.
"Master, are you sure Hafeng can hold out until the end of the banquet?" Qingyan asked.
This afternoon, Emperor Kangxi specially instructed the head nanny to take Hafeng to take a nap, so that he would not wake up until close to evening, so that he would be in good spirits to deal with the banquet tonight.
"In the afternoon, Father Emperor let Da Momo take a nap next to Hafeng, and the twins did the same. The ministers didn't pay attention to these things, so many people felt that the three children were having such a good time, which was a blessing from heaven." Yin chuckled.
Emperor Kangxi had planned this well in advance, hoping that the children would attend the banquet in high spirits.
"Master, did you also tell the head nanny to pay attention to Hafeng's emotions?" Qingyan looked at Yin. The head nanny basically listened to Yin, and even his orders were followed with a certain degree of discretion.
Now, when Kangxi issues a major order, it's probably the same; if it weren't for Yin's own willingness, the head nanny certainly wouldn't have come out of retirement.
"Of course, our son is definitely the best!" Yin smiled and said directly to Qingyan.
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