As the year draws to a close, things are bustling at the manor. Affairs at court are also coming to an end, and the seals of office will soon be revoked. Yinzhen has been leaving early and returning late these past few days.
Although Emperor Kangxi was wary of his sons and did not allow them to lead a department on their own, he could not simply leave these excellent sons unused.
Yinzhen still held some official positions, but as a trusted confidant of the Crown Prince, Kangxi was unwilling to give him important responsibilities, and the tasks assigned to him were mostly relatively unimportant.
Changning stayed indoors and didn't go out. It often snowed outside, the weather was cold, and it was easy to slip and fall, so she simply decided to focus on her pregnancy.
At this point, she couldn't help but sigh, saying that her belly was always bulging, and she had wanted to go outside and have a snowball fight several times in winter, but she was too pregnant to enjoy the joy of the snow.
However, it's quite satisfying to roast some sweet potatoes and warm yourself by the charcoal fire indoors.
She recalled spending the winter on the estate last year, and occasionally, when she thought about it, she still felt that those days were quite enjoyable.
When Yinzhen heard her say that, he thought the same thing and planned to stay at the estate for a while longer after Yaoxian gave birth to this child.
After a long day of work and feeling quite chilly, he finally breathed a sigh of relief when he arrived at the brightly lit Qingzhi Courtyard.
He rarely goes to the front yard now, and when he does rest alone, he just feels lonely and can't sleep.
Qingzhi Courtyard was brightly lit, filled with fairy maidens and children, a stark contrast to the increasingly turbulent imperial court outside.
Yinzhen grew increasingly fond of this warmth.
He walked into the courtyard, and as soon as he reached the door, he heard children giggling inside.
He recognized him immediately.
This is Hongchen smiling.
His laughter was like that of a goose in the house.
Although Hongmin also loves to laugh, he is more reserved and always smiles sweetly, unlike him who laughs heartily.
As soon as he entered, he felt the heat emanating from the room.
It's really warm.
There's definitely enough charcoal to burn.
Inside the house, Changning was teasing Hongchen with a cat toy, just like she used to tease Tuantuan. She was swinging the cat toy around, and Hongchen was giggling and pouncing, sometimes pouncing here, sometimes standing up and pouncing there, just like a big cat.
The mother and son were having a great time playing together.
Hongmin quietly moved a little further away from the two of them and started playing with his nine-linked rings.
"What's going on now?" Yinzhen stood by the charcoal brazier to warm himself, trying to ward off the chill from his body, afraid that Changning and the children would get cold.
When Changning saw him come in, her smile hadn't even faded yet, but her hands paused for a moment, which allowed Hongchen to pounce on her, pulling on the bell at the top and yelling "Ah ah ah!"
"I was just playing with the kids. You're back early today. Have you eaten? Would you like me to have some with you?"
Yinzhen looked at his youngest son, who was sweating profusely from shouting, his face and neck red and thick with laughter in his eyes: "Use it later. You play with him. Look how you've teased your father's Hongchen. Wipe his sweat with a warm handkerchief later."
Changning turned around and saw Hongchen frantically tugging at the bell, trying to attract her attention so that his mother would continue playing with him.
While working, Changning chatted with Yinzhen: "Hongchen is such an impatient person. I don't know who he took after. If he wants something, he can't wait even a moment. He has to get it right away, or he'll cry and make a fuss. He has such a temper."
Yinzhen watched the mother and son playing as if it were something rare, and couldn't help but laugh, "Look at you, you're not coaxing a child, you're teasing a cat."
“They’re all my children, including Tuantuan. They’re the same.”
Yinzhen was somewhat surprised to see Hongmin playing with the Nine Linked Rings without being disturbed at all: "Hongmin is a bit like Hongyan. You guys are making so much noise, but you can't bother him. He has a bit of my style."
Changning rolled her eyes at him: "I thought you were praising the child, but it turns out you were praising yourself."
"I'm the child's father, praising him is definitely praising me!"
The longer Changning spent with Yinzhen, the clearer it became that he was actually a repressed and brooding man. His stern demeanor and unpredictable moods were all a facade. In reality, he was quite capable of sweet talk and rather narcissistic.
Changning stood and played for a while before getting tired. She put away the cat toy and sat down in a chair to drink fruit tea.
Hongchen was having a great time when he saw that his mother had stopped playing and was ignoring him. He got very anxious and started howling at the top of his lungs.
That sound was simply a demonic whisper.
That's terrifying.
Changning was truly impressed by him; how could someone so young have so much energy?
At the same time, she was secretly relieved that this wasn't modern times. If she had taken Hongchen on a high-speed train, she probably would have been complained about and the video would have been posted on a video platform, which would have made her famous.
Of course, it's not the kind of fire that's popular.
Yinzhen also exclaimed, "Hongchen is truly extraordinary! I've never heard any child cry so loudly."
Changning was speechless. How could this be praised?
Seeing that his father and mother were ignoring him, Hongchen got anxious, stopped wailing, and even uttered a word.
"Father!"
? ? ?
Changning suspected she was hallucinating.
Her son can talk now?
Although Hongchen is already over eight months old and can talk, which isn't a big deal, but...
Son, have you forgotten that it was your mother who played with you?
Why are you calling for your father?
Compared to Changning's disbelief and indignation, Yinzhen was obviously much happier. He quickly went over and picked up his youngest son, grinning from ear to ear: "Hongchen, call me Father again."
The kid was quite obliging, calling out "Father!" in a clear and crisp voice.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
