In the early morning, Qingyan, carrying the twins, prepared to go to the imperial tent to pay her respects to Consort Tong, while Yin was holding court in the front tent.
As soon as she entered the inner tent, Consort Tong had prepared a table full of breakfast, almost all of which were Xiao Guai's favorite dishes, as well as complementary foods for the two children.
"Little darling, come here quickly!" Consort Tong beckoned to them. "Yiken'e, come to Grandma's side."
When the two children were alive, Emperor Kangxi rarely stayed up late reviewing memorials. When it was time for Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen to go to sleep, he would put down his memorials and coax the little one to sleep. Last night, Emperor Kangxi finished his work ahead of schedule for the first time. He tossed and turned in bed, feeling a little empty beside him.
"Mother, did you sleep well last night?" Kangxi handed the matter over to the Crown Prince and went back to rest.
Consort Tong smiled, reached out and picked up Yiken'e, taking off the swaddling clothes. The chubby, fair-skinned little face rubbed against Consort Tong's hand. To take care of the two children, Consort Tong had trimmed her nails and even put away the nail guards that the concubines usually wore.
"Alright, your imperial father isn't used to Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen not being here. He told me he feels too empty around him." Consort Tong's lips curled up slightly. "Fourth Prince has cultivated a good habit. When it's time, he should coax his daughter to sleep."
Consort Tong recalled that period when Emperor Kangxi carried a little maid around the tents, and Li Dequan had to kick out all the servants, fearing that someone would leak the news.
“Mother…” Qingyan was still worried that Kangxi would bring the little girl into the palace, but after hearing Consort Tong’s hint, she just felt that it would be best for Yin to have such a child by his side.
"Please sit down quickly. Let's have breakfast first. Shu, you and Sulan feed the two children and check their complementary foods first." Shu's family was originally a family of imperial physicians, but because Empress Xiaoxian was convicted, the whole family was banished to the bondservant banner.
Upon learning of this, Emperor Kangxi immediately sent Shu to Consort Tong's side. Over the years, Shu protected Consort Tong and Yin through her own abilities.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, Shuzhu and I have been keeping watch." Shu whispered back.
After breakfast, Consort Tong leaned back in her armchair and watched Qingyan feed the two children. When she was around, the two children would not eat food fed by outsiders.
"These two children are clever; they know their mother is here." Consort Tong was very envious of Xiao Guai, who was able to take care of her children at the same time.
Suddenly, the sound of a teacup being smashed came from outside, followed by the Crown Prince and his princes apologizing.
Qingyan's lips curled slightly upward. The Crown Prince was doomed this time. The mysterious appearance and disappearance of the man in black last night must be related. No matter how the Crown Prince explained himself today, it would leave a shadow in Kangxi's heart.
"Go back and tell the fourth prince to behave himself and rest as soon as we return to the capital," Consort Tong whispered to Xiao Guai.
Qingyan nodded obediently and said, "Mother, don't worry. Fourth Prince also said that after returning to the capital, he plans to take the three of us to a villa in the suburbs."
Consort Tong breathed a sigh of relief. The situation in the palace was also unstable. Emperor Kangxi told her to temporarily suspend paying her respects.
After the morning court session, Kangxi and Yinzhen entered the inner tent. Seeing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law playing with the two little ones, Kangxi waved his hand, telling them not to get up to pay their respects, and directly took Yiken'e into his arms from the banquet area.
"Yiken'e, you've come to see your grandfather?" Kangxi looked at his grandson with a smile. The little guy was very strong and seemed quite clever.
The chubby boy revealed a toothless smile, drool dripping down the corner of his mouth.
"Ahhh!" Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen saw Kangxi holding Yiken'e and immediately opened his arms, making Kangxi insist on holding him.
In the past, Emperor Kangxi would often coax Hutulifeng to give birth to Zhalafen, and rarely held Yiken'e in his arms.
"Alright, Mafa, hold the little girl." Kangxi placed Yiken'e next to Consort Tong, picked up the little girl, and began to walk around inside the tent.
Yin and Qingyan looked on in surprise. Both of them wanted to take the little girl from Kangxi's arms, but Kangxi shook his head and refused.
"Let your father hold her. He hasn't held the little girl these past few days and has been nagging her a lot." Consort Tong pointed directly to the seats, urging the young couple to sit down quickly. Kangxi took a silk handkerchief from his purse and wiped the little girl's drool.
Qingyan opened her mouth slightly, looking at Kangxi with surprise as he held his beloved grandchildren like an ordinary grandfather, with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.
"Who said that? Our Hutuli Fengsheng Zhalafen loves being with Mafa the most, doesn't he?" Kangxi loved having his grandchildren around. In the palace, apart from the crown prince's children, the rest were rarely seen.
When Yin was away on official business, Kangxi was able to stay with the twins. When Consort Tong couldn't get the little maid to sleep, he had to put down his memorials and come to hold and soothe the little maid.
Each time, after the little girl fell asleep, Emperor Kangxi felt a great sense of accomplishment.
"Don't look at me like that. You're putting the little girl to sleep and you're showing off to me!" Consort Tong complained to the two of them. "It's not bad that you two sent the child here."
Qingyan quickly said gratefully, "Mother, the two children have disturbed you."
Consort Tong waved her hand and said, "It's good that we have two children by our side. We've had to go through a lot of children with two little ones. Your father can finally rest. Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen is here. As long as it's time to rest, your father will coax them to sleep."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yin was very surprised. When had Kangxi ever had such leisure time? Every day, the emperor had to review many memorials and had no time to rest. With Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen around, Kangxi indulged those little temper tantrums even more.
"Don't listen to your mother's nonsense, Fourth Prince. You need to rest when it's time to rest." With Hutulifeng and Zhalafen around, Kangxi also realized that sufficient rest was essential for him to work better.
Yin nodded in understanding. He understood the principle. Back then, the affairs of the Qing Dynasty forced him to immerse himself in a sea of memorials. Now, he longed to spend time with his family.
"Fourth Prince, what are your plans after returning to the capital?" Kangxi asked Yin.
The Crown Prince's actions disheartened Emperor Kangxi, but Yinzhi's filial piety helped to heal his wounds.
"Father, I hope to have some time to rest and take Xiao Guai and the children to the suburbs for a trip." Yin Dao was not one to lie; he spoke the truth in front of Kangxi.
"Yes, it's time to take the children out to play." Kangxi nodded. As the children grow up, they should go out more often.
When Yin heard that Kangxi had agreed, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled down.
"Yes, when you take the children out, pay close attention to the people around you," Kangxi quickly instructed.
Listening to Kangxi's complaints, Yin realized that the matter of the Crown Prince had dealt a significant blow to Kangxi.
"Father, the medicines at the local pharmacy are basically ineffective." Yin had been wanting to discuss this with Kangxi for a while, and now he spoke up. (To be continued. If you like 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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