Days passed by in a state of utter idleness and complacency.
In the blink of an eye, the Forbidden City welcomed Lunar New Year's Eve.
Early this morning, the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, dressed in brand-new, festive clothes with the help of his maids, looking like a lucky doll.
Since taking in Duofu, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen's stomach has gotten better day by day. Perhaps it's because there's a foodie next to him, and seeing him eat so much makes him feel good about eating more too. Before he knew it, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen had grown into a chubby little boy, looking fair and plump, and very lucky.
Even recently, Consort Tong asked the servants around her why the Fourth Prince was eating so much, much more than usual, which worried her for a while, as she thought the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, had some kind of special illness.
An elderly woman nearby, who had given birth herself, responded with a smile, saying that it was because the baby had reached a certain age and her appetite had increased, so she ate more and grew faster.
When Consort Tong heard this, she was saddened for a while. Suddenly, the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, had grown from a little boy to an age where he could attend the Imperial Study.
Thinking that after this year, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen would be six years old in name only, and would have to leave Chengqian Palace and move to the Princes' Residence.
It was only through the gentle words and coaxing of her servants that Consort Tong's earlier melancholy was somewhat dispelled.
Fourth Prince Yinzhen prepared to lead his servants to pay their respects to Consort Tong in her main hall, looking at the pitiful Duofu huddled in his bed.
The Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, turned his eyes away and called to the servants beside him to dress Duofu in a festive red outfit. He also added two exquisite and bright gold bells, making the dog look exceptionally cheerful, like a red ball rolling on the ground, which made people unable to help but smile.
"Duoduo, I can't take you out today. You can stay in Chengqian Palace and play. It's New Year's Eve, and I'm very busy today, so I can't take you out."
"I'll play with you when I get back tonight."
Before the Fourth Prince Yinzhen could say anything more, the servants outside were already urging him to go and pay his respects to Consort Tong. Today's schedule was very tight, and the whole palace was busy; no one was idle.
Perhaps only the little puppy Duofu in Chengqian Palace is the one who steals a moment of leisure from his busy schedule.
Duofu looked at the Fourth Prince Yinzhen, who had already walked away, and his eyes seemed to have lost their light. The dog's fur drooped down, and he lay on the cushion, half-dead, staring blankly at the sky.
He had thought that on New Year's Day, he could also go and see how the Manchu emperors in the Forbidden City of the Qing Dynasty celebrated the New Year, whether it was as grand and lively as depicted in novels and TV dramas, with dancing girls and other entertainment activities.
Unexpectedly, he only found out last night that there was no chance at all.
On such a grand festival, no unauthorized people are allowed to attend. He is now just a little dog raised by the Fourth Prince Yinzhen, not the current Emperor Kangxi's pet dog. If he were Kangxi's very favored pet dog, he might have a tiny chance of participating in this grand festival.
Unfortunately, he wasn't.
Moreover, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen's current favor is due to Consort Tong's upbringing and attention. If Consort Tong were to pass away one day, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen might become a pitiful child who is neither loved by his father nor his mother.
Duofu's eyes drooped, and its little tail could no longer wag.
He really wanted to attend the Qing Dynasty's New Year celebrations. Since he transmigrated here, he hadn't met many people, only Emperor Kangxi, Consort Tong, and the cat owner, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen. He hadn't met any of the other favored concubines or princes.
I wonder how many princes have been born by now, and whether the legendary Eighth Prince, who was supposed to be the Fourth Prince Yinzhen's lifelong rival, has been born yet.
He was quite famous for his roles in Qing Dynasty palace dramas, which is why Duofu, who loves playing games, remembered him. His cousin, who's a bit crazy, would recommend all sorts of Qing Dynasty palace dramas to him every day, telling him how handsome each one was whenever she had a spare moment.
At that time, he was so engrossed in his game that he ignored his noisy little cousin next to him that he didn't pay any attention to her.
Now, Duofu is filled with regret; he feels that the villain in his heart is shedding tears of remorse.
———
It was already dark outside, but there was still no sign of the Fourth Prince Yinzhen and the others returning. The moon was high in the sky, without a single cloud obscuring it, and the stars were twinkling brightly, too many for Duofu to see.
The natural environment in ancient times was so good. There was no pollution, and there was no light pollution. Looking at the dazzling stars in the sky, he could see each one very clearly.
As he watched, Duofu also became interested. He really did have those black grape-like fox eyes. He decided that since he didn't have anything to do right now, and he didn't know when the Fourth Prince Yinzhen would be finished, he wanted to go find the legendary Big Dipper, the Cowherd and Weaver Girl stars, and that star that looked like a spoon and he didn't know what it was.
Duofu gazed intently at the starry sky outside, thinking to himself, "If Fourth Prince Yinzhen doesn't share half of my New Year's money with me later, I will definitely not forgive him easily."
He's not so easy to coax anymore.
At least two gold ingots are needed. Just thinking about gold ingots makes Duofu's lips curl into a wild smile.
Gold ingots, oh gold ingots.
What a huge gold ingot!
As Duofu gazed at the stars in the sky, he felt that each pattern, when put together, resembled a plump gold ingot.
Just then, the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen, walked in and saw Duofu looking up at the starry sky with his eyes wide open, and sensed an unusual kind of foolishness in him.
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