At the full moon banquet, several of the older princes, except for the Crown Prince, were present. Yinzhi, though unwilling, still approached with a cold smile. The Third Princess Consort, seeing Qingyan's happy smile, felt uncomfortable all over.
As Qingyan watched the ladies-in-waiting compliment the twins, her smile deepened. Every mother loves to hear praise for her children.
The crowd gathered around the twins, and the two little ones smiled toothlessly, much to the delight of many imperial wives and noblewomen who wished the two children were their own.
Fifth Prince Consort watched the children from afar. Yinqi nudged her, wanting her to come over and share in the joy. He hoped they could have a legitimate son, or even just a legitimate daughter like their eldest brother.
"Sister-in-law, why are you standing so far away?" Seeing the Fifth Princess's appearance, Yin Genjue Luo couldn't help but step forward and pull her towards Qingyan's side. "If you spend more time with the twins, you'll definitely give birth to a big, healthy boy next year."
Qingyan noticed the Fifth Prince's wife's shyness. It was probably because her family's status was too low and she was hurt by the looks from the Crown Princess and the Third Prince's wife.
"Fifth sister-in-law, come and see! You and the Fifth Prince have just gotten married. Take care of your health first, and you'll be able to have a child!" Qingyan said, seeing the envy in the Fifth Princess's eyes.
At this moment, Dong Eshi's expression grew increasingly grim. Among her sisters-in-law, the Crown Princess would not lower herself to attend the twins' full-month celebration, leaving her to fight alone.
"Fourth sister-in-law, look at what you're saying. Do you have some secret formula for having a child? Why don't you share it?" The Third Princess's words immediately put Qingyan in the spotlight.
Lady Jue Luo frowned. The Third Princess Consort's words seemed somewhat deliberate. Could it be that Xiao Guai could still be hiding a secret recipe?
The ladies-in-waiting present all pricked up their ears, ready to hear Qingyan's reply.
"Secret recipe? What is that? Third sister-in-law, you're really joking. Having a child is a matter of fate. If the parents aren't healthy, how can the child come? Didn't the imperial physician remind you when he took your pulse?" Qingyan retorted.
Dong Eshi's face darkened. Qingyan was no longer as easy to bully as before; it seemed as if he had finally seen the light.
"You..." Dong Eshi was about to reply when Su Peisheng walked over from a distance.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty is here! He requests that you carry the young prince over!" Qingyan was somewhat surprised. Su Peisheng bowed and stepped back, while the court officials and their families prepared to receive the emperor.
"Sulan, prepare extra food for Father Emperor to take away. Remember, you prepare it yourself, and no one is allowed to interfere!" Qingyan didn't want to do something wrong with good intentions.
Su Lan quietly withdrew, and Qing Yan stood beside Yin, holding the child. The two little ones were awake, their dark eyes wide open, looking around.
The sound of whips could be heard in the distance. As a member of the imperial family, the Third Prince felt even more resentful. The twins, Yinlong and Fenghuang, were celebrating their one-month birthday, and the Emperor himself had come to pay his respects—a privilege usually reserved for the Crown Prince's legitimate sons.
The Crown Princess was useless, not even having a legitimate daughter, so this privilege was reserved for Yin.
"Greetings to His Majesty/Father Emperor!" Yin, Yinzhi, and the Yin family knelt in front, while Yinqi and his wife knelt behind, paying their respects to His Majesty.
"Begin the kowtow!" Upon learning that the twins had reached their one-month milestone, Emperor Kangxi specially brought Consort Tong out of the palace. Looking at the bustling hall, he couldn't help but smile.
Emperor Kangxi was dressed in a royal blue casual robe, with a black melon-shaped hat on his head inlaid with a piece of warm jade in the middle, clearly indicating that he was a noblewoman. Consort Tong, on the other hand, was dressed in a fuchsia casual robe, the wife of an official, with a ruby pomegranate flower hairpin in her hair, a pomegranate flower in full bloom on her head, and three pearl earrings on her ears.
"Bring the child here so I can see him!" Emperor Kangxi suppressed his curiosity and only came to see the children when they were a month old, fearing that he might bring disaster upon them.
"Yes!" Yin and Qingyan stepped forward and handed the two children to Kangxi and Consort Tong. "Father, aren't my daughters beautiful?"
Yin placed the little princess in Kangxi's arms as if presenting a treasure. Kangxi looked up at him and saw that the child was rarely so relaxed.
"I am looking at the prince!" Kangxi said.
Yin's face darkened instantly, but Kangxi became happy. When Yin was young, he had ruined many of his plans. Even if the little prince wanted revenge, Kangxi would definitely support him.
"Father, this is the prince!" Qingyan took the child and held him in his arms. Kangxi couldn't help but sigh, "They are father and son after all. This child looks a lot like Yin."
"Your Highness, look, this child looks exactly like Yinzhi when he was a child!" Kangxi whispered to Kangxi.
Consort Tong turned her head and saw the little prince wrapped in swaddling clothes, just like when she brought him to Chenggan Palace, making her feel as if she had returned to more than ten years ago.
"Yes, this little princess must look like Xiao Guai, otherwise, Yin wouldn't like her so much!" Consort Tong thought the little princess was very beautiful. The ministers and their wives stood respectfully on both sides, watching Kangxi and Consort Tong talk.
Yin smiled. The little princess and Xiao Guai looked very similar when they were young, but their temperaments were different. Xiao Guai was very well-behaved from a young age, while the little princess was quite mischievous.
At this moment, Qingyan needed to understand what Yin was thinking, and she absolutely had to stand up for her daughter.
"Alright, let's begin the full moon banquet." Kangxi had timed it perfectly. Xiao Guai must have prepared a lot of food. Consort Tong led the women to the back, while Kangxi sat in the main seat. Qingyan saw that the ladies of the court had become well-behaved, exchanged a glance with Lady Yingenjueluo, and couldn't help but feel relieved.
Consort Tong handed the child over to Qingyan, and Sulan stepped forward to take the little prince, preparing to send him back to the inner chambers to be looked after.
"My darling, you've raised the children well. The children of the third and fifth sons are now up for grabs!" Consort Tong said directly, calling out their names.
"Yes, Your Highness!" The Third and Fifth Princess Consorts quickly bowed and replied.
"Gui Ma Ma!" Songkelierha was brought from the inner chamber and ran directly to Consort Tong.
"Your Highness, are you awake?" Consort Tong picked her up.
Today, when she came out to see Qingyan's twins, she deliberately didn't wear finger cots, so she didn't have to worry too much about holding Songkelierha.
"You're awake, Grandma! Your little brother and sister are so cute!" Songkriyirha was overjoyed; finally, she could have her little brother and sister to play with.
In the mansion, all the concubine's daughters kept their distance from her, and her mother also instructed her not to play with those people.
"Yes, you'll have your own younger brothers and sisters in the future, when the eldest princess grows up a bit more!" Yin had mentioned to Kangxi that Songkri Yierha was still young, and if someone shared her father and mother's affection with her, she would definitely feel uncomfortable.
Therefore, they decided to have children in a few years. The birth of Yin's twins undoubtedly relieved his pressure. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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