After the banquet began, Qingyan returned to sit behind the Fourth Prince, deliberately moving the table back a bit to get closer to Yin. Near the door, she felt several intense gazes and tried to avoid them.
On Qingyan's table was a specially prepared meal for pregnant women. Although Qingyan had already given birth, her body still needed nourishment, as the twins had taken a lot of her energy.
"Fourth sister-in-law, have you seen that young lady playing the zither now?" the Third Princess Consort asked, tilting her head and lowering her voice.
Looking ahead, Qingyan saw Yinzheng engrossed in his meal, seemingly oblivious to the singing and dancing.
"See that?" Qingyan looked into the main hall and saw that the girls waiting to be selected were basically showcasing what they were best at.
"Look at Yu Ying's attire this year, doesn't it remind you a bit of her?" The Third Princess Consort sneered, wanting to see the Fourth Princess Consort make a fool of herself.
Nian Yuying's clothes were somewhat similar to Qingyan's attire when she first married into the Fourth Prince's courtyard. Since having children, Qingyan changed her style to make it easier to take care of them, and her accessories became more exquisite, while the fabric of her clothes became more comfortable.
In Yin's eyes, he preferred Qingyan as she was now. Before, Qingyan was too young and couldn't control the presence of so many dignitaries, which might have made Qingyan's appearance pale.
After having a child, she gained a more charming appearance. The pale yellow palace dress not only made Qingyan look younger, but also made her complexion look better.
"I haven't worn turquoise in a long time. It seems like Yiken doesn't like it very much. Every time I wear turquoise, I get marked with a map!" Qingyan shrugged helplessly. If her son hadn't been so abnormal, she wouldn't have given up that color.
After hearing what Qingyan said behind him, Yin looked towards Nian Yuying, then turned around and glanced at Qingyan.
Sure enough, it was a case of imitating someone else poorly!
He believed that Yiken'e had better taste than Qingyan, and neither he nor his son liked Qingyan's use of the bright green palace dress.
"It's even better now." Yin's deep voice reached Qingyan's ears, and her face instantly turned red.
Fei Yanggu brought his wife and children to receive the banquet. The brothers Saito and Eshuo kept a close eye on Qingyan and noticed that Yin was looking at Nian Yuying. The whole family glanced at him out of the corner of their eyes.
"She really put a lot of effort into it, just like when my sister first entered the palace!" E'shuo sneered.
"Shut up! Where is this place? Can't other people wear this too?" Fei Yanggu held a grudge against the Nian family for resorting to such despicable means.
Qingyan was provoked by Yin's words, and the slight displeasure in her heart had long since disappeared.
Hearing Yin's words, the Third Princess Consort grew even more displeased. Back then, Qingyan mostly wore blue palace attire, similar to the palace maids, and she always had a sense of superiority.
As the Qing Dynasty gradually expanded, people rarely wore clothes of this color anymore, making it impossible for the Third Princess Consort to find any sense of superiority in her palace attire.
"I must say, you really do have a bit of your old self in you." The Third Princess Consort said this as if she were bewitched.
"Hmph!" Fourth Master snorted coldly, "Third Sister-in-law, before Xiao Guai married into the palace, she could wear any color as she pleased. But after marrying me, she has not lowered her status."
Emperor Kangxi was watching closely as Yinzhi confronted the Third Prince's wife. He noticed Fei Yanggu glancing in the direction of the old man's house, but didn't say anything more.
During the banquet, Kangxi took a close look at Nian Yuying and found that she had none of Qingyan's beauty. Back then, Qingyan's light green palace dress had shocked the Empress Dowager and Kangxi. Although her color was similar to that of the palace maids, she exuded an air of nobility that made people unable to look away.
After the young ladies finished their performances, many princes stared at the women awaiting selection, some trying to figure out their backgrounds.
“Too young.” Kangxi’s deep voice rang out, and the princes all pricked up their ears. Yinxiang, however, seemed relaxed and didn’t pay much attention at all.
"Your servant is here!" The young man, who had been bedridden with illness, had no choice but to attend the banquet after learning of Madam Nian's actions.
At this point, the young boy only hoped that the Emperor would not hold a grudge; as for anything else, he no longer had any great expectations.
"The Crown Prince came to me a few days ago to request permission to let your daughter enter Yuqing Palace as a secondary consort. What do you think?" Kangxi was very dissatisfied with the Nian family's selection process, believing that the princes were not candidates for the Nian family to choose.
A cold sweat broke out on the young girl's back; Madam Nian and Nian Xiyao had indeed led Nian Yuying into a trap.
"Your Majesty, this servant will listen to your decision!" the young man quickly replied.
Qingyan relaxed as she ate the side dishes in front of her. After a whole day of commotion, she was really hungry.
Su Zhu made a point of checking all the dishes and utensils before serving them to make sure there were no problems before Qing Yan dared to use them with peace of mind.
Inside the hall, everyone's attention was focused on Emperor Kangxi, but Qingyan did not pay much attention to him.
"I will bestow your daughter upon the Crown Prince as a secondary consort. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, let the Imperial Astronomical Bureau choose a date." Kangxi had completely lost patience with the Nian family. Since they were already planning to rely on the Crown Prince, he might as well grant the Nian family's wish.
When the young ladies selected for the imperial concubines heard about Nian Yuying's fate, many of them became gloating. If she were in the Fourth Prince's mansion, they might even have felt envious.
In recent years, the Crown Prince's position has become increasingly precarious. Emperor Kangxi has expressed considerable dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince, yet the Nian family has placed all their hopes on him.
Upon hearing this, the young boy had no choice but to kneel on the ground to express his gratitude.
At this moment, Nian Yuying felt a chill in her heart. Her outfit today was entirely for the Fourth Prince's benefit; she never imagined she would end up in the Crown Prince's courtyard.
"Thank you, Father Emperor!" The Crown Prince smiled. He had seen Qingyan's face at first glance. Who would have thought that Kangxi would give her to the Fourth Prince? In the past few years, among the women the Crown Prince had been looking for, there was more or less a trace of Qingyan.
Qingyan felt a little awkward; every time the Crown Prince looked at her, she felt extremely disgusted.
After Emperor Kangxi publicly bestowed marriages, the young women who had not yet been granted marriages were free to marry as they pleased.
After leaving the courtyard, Qingyan sat in the carriage, with the twins beside her. She pondered Nian Yuying's actions and couldn't help but feel resentful.
If Nian Yuying hadn't done that, Yin probably wouldn't have been angry.
"Master, the master said that after you return, you should go directly to Qingyan's study in Jiuzhou." Suzhu whispered to Qingyan.
Ugh!
Qingyan smiled wryly; Yin was indeed jealous.
"When you get back, you personally take care of the two young masters so they can rest. Don't wait for me to come back; just lock the door and go to sleep!" Qingyan said helplessly.
Su Zhu nodded in agreement after hearing her master's instructions, and then listened to Qing Yan explain in detail some of the two young masters' habits.
After giving his instructions, Qingyan silently looked out the window.
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