Kangxi was away for two months, and when he returned, it was already the end of the year.
After returning to the palace, he was busy for a while. It was not until the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month that Kangxi lit incense in front of the Qianqing Gate and performed the ceremonies of "sealing the seal" and "sealing the pen" that he finally had some free time.
After no longer having to deal with state affairs, he had plenty of time and spent longer periods of time in the harem. The relationship between the Imperial Noble Consort and Kangxi was originally special, not to mention the presence of Yinzuo, the little happy guy, in Chengqian Palace, so Kangxi often stayed with the Imperial Noble Consort.
It was snowing outside again, and the north wind was howling. Kangxi held Yinzuo in his arms, and the father and son lay comfortably on the couch, one drinking hot tea and the other eating snacks. It was New Year's Day, and Yinzuo was finally allowed to eat more sweets.
Yinzuo was cracking melon seeds. There was a small porcelain plate in front of him to hold the peeled melon seeds. After accumulating a small pile, he would put them into his mouth in one bite. That was so satisfying, so Yinzuo was very patient and fought with the melon seed shells seriously.
I don't know why, but today I peeled the melon seeds particularly slowly. After a while, there was only a small handful left, not enough for one bite.
Kangxi was playing chess with the Imperial Noble Consort.
"Your Majesty, it's your turn." The Royal Concubine was confident of winning this round and was very imposing.
Kangxi, who had been distracted by teasing Yinzuo, said, "Ahem, Yinzuo."
"Huh? Father Emperor, you called me?" Yinzuo turned his head and looked at him in confusion.
"Go to your royal mother and feed her some snacks. Your royal mother is busy playing chess. She must be hungry."
The Imperial Concubine glanced at him with a smile, knowing that he was deliberately letting Yinzuo delay time.
Yinzuo stood up and ran over, throwing himself into the arms of the Imperial Noble Consort, then he picked up a piece of dessert from the plate on the table and handed it to her, saying with a smile, "Eat some dessert, Imperial Noble Consort~"
"Thank you, Xiaoliu, for the snacks." The imperial concubine opened her mouth after saying this.
Yinzuo noticed out of the corner of his eye that the emperor was picking up the small plate of melon seeds and pouring them into his own mouth!
"Emperor! A! Ma!" Yinzuo stood up quickly and shouted angrily.
The snack that Yinzuo had just fed her was too big, so the Imperial Concubine covered the lower half of her face with a handkerchief to avoid revealing an indecent posture. She only glanced at Kangxi opposite her with her eyes, but it was obvious that she was there to watch the show.
Kangxi quickly put the plate back, but that did not stop him from chewing the melon seeds in his mouth. The crispy fragrance in his mouth really made him feel happy.
"I just saw that you peeled the fruit for a long time but didn't eat it yourself, so I thought you were showing filial piety to me. I wanted to not let you down, Xiaoliu, for your filial piety. Could it be that I misunderstood?"
Kangxi was so shameless that even the imperial concubine sitting opposite him could hardly bear to watch him.
Yinzuo looked at the empty plate aggrievedly, then looked at his father.
The melon seeds are gone. If I tell the truth myself, the emperor might be sad. After all, Yinzuo is a kind and filial child.
He wiped his tears and said softly: "... There is no misunderstanding, it's... It's for the Emperor Father... Wow~"
Yinzuo became more and more sad as he spoke, and turned around and threw himself into the arms of his royal mother, with tears falling from his eyes.
The Imperial Concubine glanced unhappily at Kangxi who was snatching food from the child, and quickly patted Xiaoliu's back to coax him softly.
"Okay, okay, don't be sad anymore. Can you peel some melon seeds for Xiaoliu?"
Yinzuo sobbed and replied with a low "hmm".
After all, it was Kangxi himself who made the little guy cry. Seeing his aggrieved yet sensible look, he felt a little guilty. So he didn't care about playing chess anymore and started peeling melon seeds for the little guy with the imperial concubine.
Two adults concentrating on one thing will naturally be much faster than one child. In just a quarter of an hour, a handful of melon seeds had accumulated in the small plate.
"Look, Xiaoliu, I just ate your melon seeds. Now I'm returning them to you. Don't cry anymore." Kangxi took the initiative to pick up the small plate and placed it on the table closest to Yinzuo.
Upon hearing this, Yinzuo quietly turned his head to take a look, and sure enough, the number of melon seeds was about the same as the number he had just accumulated. He was finally no longer sad.
"Eat quickly." The imperial concubine adjusted his posture so that he faced the table to make it easier for him to eat.
Yinzuo put his two little arms on the kang table, holding the small plate of melon seeds, then lowered his whole little head, buried his whole face in the plate, and finally opened his little mouth to eat the melon seeds in the small plate.
When he raised his head, his cheeks were puffed out, like a little squirrel with winter food in his mouth.
Kangxi was relieved to see that he finally burst into laughter. If the little guy complained to the Empress Dowager or Concubine De and spread the matter, he would really be unable to keep a straight face. It was fun to do so in private, but it would be shameful if it was made public.
"In that case, Xiaoliu won't blame me for accidentally eating your melon seeds just now, right?"
Yinzuo was chewing the melon seeds in his mouth, but his two bright eyes were moving around as if he was thinking about something.
After a while, after he swallowed the melon seeds in his mouth, he said: "Half of the melon seeds were peeled by the Royal Mother for Xiao Liu, so Xiao Liu ate the half that the Royal Father returned. As for the other half that the Royal Father accidentally ate, Xiao Liu has nothing to worry about..."
Yinzuo blinked his eyes rapidly. Who could not feel distressed by his little look of pretending to be strong with tears in his eyes? The Imperial Noble Consort was the first one to feel distressed.
"Since Your Majesty has already paid back half, why not pay back the other half as well? It's New Year's Day, are you going to fight with a child for food? If Your Majesty wants to eat, I will peel it for you."
"Return it! Return it! Return it! How dare I not return it?"
Kangxi peeled a small handful for him patiently, half out of the last bit of shame he had, and half out of love for the little guy.
Yinzuo buried his little face in the melon seeds again, took a big bite, held his little face in his hands with satisfaction, and smiled happily.
"The way you eat it is very strange. This is the first time I see someone eating melon seeds like this. But it tastes good." After saying that, Kangxi continued to eat melon seeds. He planned to peel them for himself and put them into his mouth one bite at a time.
The father and son had exactly the same plan. They peeled the skin face to face with "crack, crack, crack" sounds. However, Kangxi was naturally much faster than Yinzuo. Although the Imperial Concubine also helped in peeling, she used her hands and was far slower than Kangxi.
Kangxi felt that it was almost done, so he cleared away all the melon seed shells in his hand, clapped his hands, and planned to put a handful of peeled melon seeds into his mouth in one bite.
"Your Majesty!" Yinzuo suddenly called out to him.
"Hmm?" Kangxi looked at him.
"Xiao Liu, can I borrow some melon seeds from you?"
"Borrow some?" What kind of weird idea was this? Even melon seeds could be borrowed? Kangxi chuckled and immediately became interested.
"I have only heard of borrowing money, borrowing people, and borrowing things. This is the first time I have heard of borrowing melon seeds. Tell me how you would like to borrow."
"Because I don't have enough melon seeds, but I really want to eat some, so I'll borrow some to eat first, and then return them later. It's just like borrowing money or borrowing things. If you borrow and return, it won't be difficult to borrow again, right~"
"Okay then, I'll lend you some." Kangxi peeled a small handful and handed it over.
"Father Emperor, I would like to borrow a small handful more, please~"
It has to be said that Yinzuo is really adorable when he acts like a spoiled child, and Kangxi enjoys it very much.
"Okay, okay, I'll lend you another small handful." So Kangxi peeled another small handful and gave it to him.
"Wait a moment, Father." Yinzuo poured all the melon seeds in the small plate into his mouth, leaving a clean empty plate.
Then he motioned to his father to put the second handful of melon seeds he had borrowed in there. Kangxi had no idea what he was saying, but he didn't bother with him. He pushed the second handful of melon seeds away and ate the rest.
It was New Year's Eve, a rare opportunity to relax and have plenty of time. After Kangxi finished eating, he continued to peel some for himself. After a while, there was more food on the plate. He glanced at Yinzuo's small plate and found that it was just enough to return the one he had just borrowed.
"Xiao Liu, can you return the melon seeds I lent you now?"
"Of course~" Yinzuo poured the second handful of melon seeds on the plate back to him.
"Father Emperor, I'm returning the melon seeds I just borrowed from you~"
"Why only half?" Kangxi asked him with a raised eyebrow.
"Father Emperor, what do you mean by half? This is a small handful. I have already returned a small handful to you just now~"
"But you borrowed from me twice, and now you have only paid back the first time. What about the second time? Where is it?"
"But this is from the second time! The second time, Xiaoliu didn't eat the food that Guan Dama borrowed from him. Didn't he just return it to Huang Dama~"
Yinzuo looked at him very innocently.
Kangxi was choked by his logic. At first glance, he couldn't say that Xiaoliu was wrong, but he always felt that something was not quite right.
"No...that's not right."
"What's wrong~" Yinzuo gave a sly smile.
Just now, the emperor secretly ate the melon seeds that Yinzuo was peeling. Yinzuo didn't know, but she saw it clearly, so she spoke up for Yinzuo.
"Your Majesty, it's just a handful of melon seeds, not a rare item. Why do you have to argue with a child like Xiaoliu? Eating too many melon seeds can easily cause internal heat. I asked the kitchen to make a longan, red dates, and barley soup. Your Majesty, why don't you have some?"
Since the Imperial Noble Consort said so, Kangxi naturally had to give her this face.
"Then give it a try."
Yinzuo smiled like a little fox who had done something bad and succeeded.
Kangxi grabbed him and started tickling his armpits.
"You clever little thing, are you trying to fool me on purpose?"
"No~"
Yinzuo would never admit it himself. It was all his fault that the emperor ate his melon seeds without saying hello first. His brother had said that this was "not reciprocating when someone does something for him."
"You still don't admit it, you little thing."
Yinzuo rolled around to avoid his father's attacks, laughing so hard that tears came out. The sounds of the father and son's laughter could be heard outside the palace.
"Emperor Father, can you tell Xiaoliu about the interesting things you encountered during the southern tour~" Yinzuo, who was tired of laughing, nestled in the Emperor Father's arms and looked at him and asked.
"That's a long story. I went along the Yongding River to Shuntian Prefecture and Hejian Prefecture, and then to Dezhou in Shandong Province, and then to Jinan Prefecture. There is a spring in Jinan called 'Baotu Spring', which is very unique. I also climbed to the top of Mount Tai, and it was really like 'standing on the top of the mountain, overlooking all the other mountains'."
"Father Emperor, why do you keep talking about mountains and rivers? There's no delicious food~" This is not what Yinzuo wanted to hear.
Kangxi chuckled and scratched his nose.
"Of course we have some. There is a sweet and sour carp, which is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sweet and sour. I think you will like it very much. The famous dish of Confucius Mansion, Yipin Tofu, is fresh and tender. The braised prawns are delicious and meaty. I think they are all good."
The more Yinzuo listened to this nonsense, the more he became upset.
"What else? Did the Emperor go somewhere else?"
"Of course, there is also Xuzhou Prefecture. I also visited the Yellow River. I still remember that when I first ascended the throne, the Yellow River had a flood, which submerged many villages and farmlands. Countless people were displaced. It was truly a tragedy."
"But now that our Qing Dynasty is under the rule of the Emperor, the people can live in peace. The Emperor has made everyone's life better and better~"
"You are just sweet-talking, but this time when I arrived in Suzhou Prefecture, I really saw the prosperity of Jiangnan. The courtyards and pavilions are quiet and unique, and the flowers, plants and trees are scattered in an orderly manner. It can be said that every step is a new scene."
"Is it better than the palace?" Yinzuo widened his eyes. The palace was already magnificent enough.
"The two have different styles and cannot be compared. I plan to build a garden that imitates the landscape of Jiangnan for summer vacation. It will be called Changchun Garden. From now on, I will take you to enjoy the scenery of Jiangnan together."
"Great! Xiaoliu hasn't been to Jiangnan yet!"
"Last time I said I would take you there, but you were reluctant to leave Qionghua and didn't want to go. Don't blame me."
"Qionghua is still young, she doesn't want me to leave."
When Yinzuo said this, he couldn't help but look out the window. It was snowing in winter and it was freezing cold outside. His royal mother didn't let him go out, and he hadn't seen his sister for several days.
"Why don't you stick to your brother anymore? Have you really forgotten about him now that you have a younger sister? What will you do if you have a younger brother in the future?" Kangxi asked him deliberately.
"No! I like my sister and my brother, and we are all Xiaoliu's relatives! Father Huang, when will my brother stop going to the study and spend some time with me? I haven't seen my brother for a long time."
To be specific, he hadn't seen her since the beginning of winter. The weather was cold, and Chengqian Palace was far away from the Shangshufang and the Nansanso. Yinzhen had been studying for almost a year, and the homework assigned by the teachers was more difficult and more than in the previous months. He simply couldn't spare the time to visit the harem.
"He can take a day off on New Year's Eve."
"Only that day?" Yinzuo pouted and looked unhappy.
"You must study hard. You know that all the students in the world have to study hard for more than ten years, or even decades, before they can pass the imperial examinations and be employed by the court to become the pillars of our Qing Dynasty. Since you are my princes, you should set an example."
"Xiaoliu knows." My brother has said this many times before.
"You have grown up now. Why don't you go to the study room with me next year?" Kangxi calculated that the child would be five years old in February next year, which means he would be six years old in terms of age, and it would be time for him to go to the study room.
"Ah?" Yinzuo was now at his wit's end, he felt extremely resistant in his heart and could not accept this reality, but he did not dare to express his objection in front of his father.
"Your Majesty, Xiaoliu's vaccination was delayed this year due to illness. I thought it would be better to deal with this matter after the spring." The Imperial Concubine helped to change the subject.
"Well, let's not worry about it for now. The vaccination is the most important thing."
During this southern tour, he learned that countless people had died from smallpox, and there were even villages where only a few people survived due to the ravages of smallpox. Vaccination was of the utmost importance. He did not want Xiaoliu to be in danger, and even felt extremely uncomfortable at the thought that Xiaoliu might get the disease.
Unfortunately, after the new year arrived, another major event occurred, which once again prevented Kangxi from taking care of Yinzuo's affairs.
In the 24th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, Tsarist Russia took the opportunity to expand, and its influence extended to places such as Nerchinsk and Yaksa, posing a serious threat to the Qing Dynasty's capital "Shenyang". Emperor Kangxi issued an edict to select Eight Banners soldiers and ordered them to go north to Shengjing to wait and be ready to go to the battlefield at any time.
In May, Pengchun, deputy governor of the Manchuria under the Zhenghong Banner, led his troops in a fierce battle with Tsarist Russia in Yaxica. With the support of warships and red cannons, Tsarist Russia was finally defeated and sent envoys to seek peace.
Naturally, these national affairs had nothing to do with Yinzuo for the time being. He still went to Yonghe Palace every day to play with his sister. Qionghua had already learned to run, so Yinzuo accompanied her to play Eagle Catches Chicken in the yard, but he was the chicken caught by Qionghua.
Yinzuo was caught by her again on purpose.
"Qionghua is so powerful, she caught my brother again~" Yinzuo hugged her and kissed her.
Qionghua, who is now one and a half years old, can speak fluently. She frowned and said unhappily, "Brother! Be serious!"
Qionghua is bold and has a strong desire to win, so she takes the game very seriously and she doesn't like her brother to give in to her.
"Okay, okay, brother is serious!" Yinzuo could only start the game again and play with her seriously.
Although Qionghua didn't even touch the corner of her brother's clothes this time, she smiled even more happily.
"Sixth Prince is playing a game of eagle and chicken with the fifth princess!"
Defei Rouwan, who was sitting in the corridor, stood up with a smile and extended her hand.
"Why is my sister here? Didn't the doctor tell you to lie down and rest?"
"Greetings to sister Defei." Wan Liuha, who was just over two months pregnant, squatted down and saluted as if nothing had happened.
Concubine De quickly supported her and said with a smile, "Why should we be so polite to each other?"
"Yinzuo, Qionghua, come quickly and meet Lady Wan."
The brother and sister then noticed the commotion here, and Yinzuo walked over with his sister.
"Meet Mr. Wan~"
"Oh, I wish my child could be as cute as them brother and sister." Wan Liuha had wanted a child for a long time.
Concubine De smiled and said, "Go sit down and talk."
A few days ago, Concubine Yi gave birth to another prince, and the emperor named him Yinzhen. On the day of the delivery, Wan Liuha happened to go to Yiku Palace. When she smelled the blood, she felt a little nauseous. The imperial physician was there too, and after taking her pulse, he found out that she was more than two months pregnant. Concubine De happened to be present when this happened.
"I'm here to thank my sister and Sixth Prince for giving me the 'birth-promising' lucky bag."
Yinzuo tilted his head with a bewildered look on his face. He couldn't remember what he had given to Concubine Wan, so he asked in confusion, "What?"
Concubine De remembered it clearly. After all, the ginkgo leaves had been said to be miraculous. Everyone said that she and Concubine Yi were able to give birth to children in succession thanks to the ginkgo leaves that Yinzuo had given them before.
"It was just a joke, but you took it seriously."
Wan Liuha took out the lucky bag that was preserved as good as new from her bosom, held Concubine De's hand and put it back into her palm.
"It must be so. You were pregnant with Qionghua and Concubine Yi was pregnant with the Ninth Prince in the same year. Now she has given birth to another child, surpassing you. It must be because of your lucky bag that Rouwan gave me that I have this child. I will return this lucky bag to you today. You should get pregnant with another child as soon as possible. Don't let me make you inferior to Concubine Yi for no reason!"
It seemed that Wan Liuha was even more indignant than Concubine De herself. She could only smile and shake her head.
"Are you really going to pay me back?"
"Really! Just one like this is enough for me!" Wan Liuha was not such a greedy person.
"Then I'll keep it for now. If you change your mind in the future and want another one, tell me again."
"How can I be polite to you!" Wan Liuha smiled cheerfully.
"Let's not talk about this for now, Sixth Prince. I heard from your mother that your predictions are very accurate. When your mother was pregnant with Qionghua, you could tell at first glance that it was a sister. Can you help me see if I am carrying a prince or a princess?"
Defei was about to stop her and explain to her that it was just a coincidence, but Yinzuo had already blurted it out.
"Yes, a younger brother!" Yinzuo was talking nonsense. He just wanted a younger brother because he already had a younger sister.
Wan Liuha smiled and touched her belly and said, "Then I feel relieved. In the future, I will rely on this baby in my belly to take me out of the palace to live in old age."
"How old are you? You're already thinking about retirement." Defei herself had never thought about this.
"Sister, you don't have to worry. You have two sons, the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince. You can go to whichever son's house you want!"
"Mother, you should come to my place. My brother will definitely be very busy in the future." Yinzuo joined in the fun.
"Qionghua! I want to go too!" Qionghua hugged her dear brother's arm and said.
"Qionghua, it's time for you to get married. You will have your own husband and your own home. How can you go to the Sixth Prince's house?" Wan Liuha teased her with a smile.
De Fei couldn't help but rolled her eyes at her, and said helplessly: "You are really something, how old is she now, what's the point of marrying or not."
"No problem. You are always welcome to live with me, Qionghua. Even if you get married, you are still my sister~" Yinzuo picked up Qionghua and tried to make her happy.
"Brother!" Qionghua smiled and smeared her saliva on her brother's face.
Qionghua and Yinzuo look nothing alike, but they are very similar in one aspect: they both love their family.
Concubine De and Wan Liuha watched the intimate interaction between the brother and sister with a smile.
"No! Yinzhen!" Qionghua said shockingly.
"What?" Yinzuo was stunned. Qionghua must have remembered her brother's name because she heard her mother calling him. But why did she hate her brother?
"It seems that Qionghua and the Fourth Prince don't get along well? I saw that the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince are in harmony with each other, and the Sixth Prince has a deep brotherly love with Qionghua, so I thought the three of them get along very well!" Wan Liuha was surprised.
"Yinzhen studies in the upper study and lives in the prince's residence. He rarely meets Qionghua. Maybe they are not familiar with each other." When Defei made this guess, she couldn't even convince herself.
Thinking about it carefully, it seems that since Qionghua was a child, she would cry every time she saw Yinzhen. At first, she thought it was because Qionghua was not familiar with Yinzhen, but after seeing them more often, she thought that it was not the case. It seemed that their auras were naturally incompatible. Xiaoliu, on the other hand, was gentle in nature and could get along well with these two siblings with unique personalities.
"Qionghua, my brother is very good, why don't you like him?"
"Brother!" Qionghua pointed at Yinzuo, "Yinzhen...is not him!"
"Fourth brother is also your brother! I am your sixth brother, we are the same, Fourth brother is a very good person, I like him very much."
Yinzuo didn't want his sister and brother to have any discord in their relationship. They were all his mother's children, and he hoped that everyone could love each other.
"No! Brother...likes it..." Qionghua patted his chest.
"No...Yinzhen!" Qionghua's tone and eyes were firm.
Yinzuo began to have a headache.
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