What the children love most is their mother's vibrant and cheerful energy.
They had witnessed the life of the Fujin (principal wife) and the lives of other noble ladies in various households; all were busy with household management, chanting scriptures, eating vegetarian food, and collecting rice for needlework. It seemed that they would live the same way for the next few decades.
It's chilling to look at.
But my mother doesn't. She knows how to enjoy life better than I do!
Many of the children's play and entertainment were thought up by their mother. Not to mention, the slides, seesaws, basketball hoops, and the like in the Qingzhi Courtyard were already famous throughout the capital.
Many people her age are envious!
Yinzhen was exhausted before the New Year, and even though he finally had a New Year's holiday, he spent most of the day in the palace, which was rather dull. Now that he saw Changning and the children were all in high spirits, he decided to join in the fun.
Changning didn't play dice with them, and instead brought a deck of cards.
These playing cards were something she had commissioned Zhao Fuhai on a whim one year before the New Year. They were made of hard cardboard with hand-drawn illustrations, making them look quite exquisite.
Yinzhen and the children had never seen this novel thing before, and they all listened attentively to her explanation.
"The numbers on this correspond to the points. J, Q, and K are all counted as 10 points, and A can be counted as 1 or 11 points."
"The game we're going to play now is called Jack, or guessing points. Each person gets two cards, and the total points are calculated together. The higher the points, the closer to 21, the better. If you think your two cards are too low, you can ask the dealer for more cards, up to five. If you exceed 21 points, it's called a bomb, and the dealer reveals the cards, meaning you lose."
The children are very smart; they understood immediately.
Hutu understood and was eager to try. It was just a matter of counting points, easy.
Yinzhen, however, saw through the essence of the game at a glance. Calculating the points was not difficult; the difficulty lay in the game against the dealer.
If your hand is low enough, or exceeds 21 points, but the dealer doesn't reveal your hand and you explode during the process of drawing your own cards, then you still win.
It all depends on your performance, or whether you can stay calm and convince the dealer that you have a strong hand.
First, Changning became the dealer, and sure enough, she won the first few rounds.
Hongzhao wailed, "Heavens! Mother, your score is so low! I shouldn't have taken those two extra cards!"
After a while, Hongzhao wailed again, "Heavens! I should have asked for another card! Why did you flip mine over?!"
Changning chuckled: "Hongzhao, you need to use your brain! This game isn't just about luck; you need to be bold, careful, and make accurate judgments."
After several rounds, Hongyan and Hutuli gradually grasped the rules and became more and more accustomed to them, playing the game with increasing ease.
Only Hongzhao, with his impatient nature and constant desire for grandeur, often ended up in disaster.
However, the children's resilience training was quite effective. Even though they lost every game, they didn't show any signs of sadness or anger. Instead, they became more determined and enthusiastic.
Everyone played until late into the night, and Changning kept yawning. Later, when Yinzhen became the dealer, the room erupted in cheers.
"Alright, alright, stop playing around. It's almost dawn, and we still have to go to the palace. Go and get some rest."
Hongzhao had just learned a new game and was very addicted to it, but he didn't dare to show too much greed, otherwise his mother and father would not let him play anymore, so he had to obediently back down.
Changning and Yinzhen tidied up a bit and then prepared to go to sleep.
Yinzhen recalled the card game that had just taken place.
If you are not the dealer, then the most important thing is to protect your cards and not let others know them easily, otherwise you may fail at the last minute.
Once you become the dealer, you need to carefully observe everyone's expressions, guess their thoughts, and expose their pretense.
Yinzhen closed his eyes, but his mind was racing.
When facing the Emperor, one is a player, and one's own calculations and ambitions are one's trump cards. What is revealed must be one's image as a loyal and courageous person who is dedicated to the country and its people.
Facing a court full of officials and other princes, one must act as the mastermind, discerning their intentions and choosing those who are advantageous to oneself. One must first expose the schemes of those with malicious intentions, those who are disruptive, and those who are trying to deceive the emperor, and then kick them out of the game.
The next morning, everyone hurriedly entered the palace again.
After kneeling and kowtowing outside for half a day, Changning and the Fujin took the children to Yonghe Palace.
As soon as she entered Yonghe Palace, Hutuli rushed over and said, "Grandma, Hutuli missed you so much! Wishing you a happy new year and all the best!"
Consort De opened her arms and hugged Hutuli, smiling like a flower: "Good, good, good, I wish Hutuli a happy new year too."
On one side, Yinzhen and his wife, along with Changning, hurriedly led the children to pay their respects to Consort De. The Fourteenth Prince and his family followed them in.
Seeing so many grandchildren, Consort De was even happier and quickly instructed the maids around her to bring up the gifts for the children.
"Thank you, Grandma." Hutu smiled sweetly, her voice becoming even clearer. "Grandma is the most generous of all."
"Haha, you have the sweetest tongue, child. You've been going to the estate with your father all year, and you haven't been to Yonghe Palace much." Consort De complained, half-jokingly, and then took off a pair of bracelets from her wrist.
"These bracelets were a gift from the Emperor when you were made imperial concubines. Now that Yierha and Hutuli are older, Grandma Huang gave each of you one of these bracelets."
Hutuli happily expressed his gratitude and took the bracelet to examine it closely.
Changning and his wife had sharp eyes; this bracelet was no ordinary one. It was a high-grade icy red jade bracelet, which was much rarer than ordinary jadeite bracelets.
The entire garment was a vibrant, bright red, so striking that even a fleeting glimpse was captivating. Hu Tuli, without any hesitation, slipped it onto her wrist. Her slender, fair wrist, reflecting the red, looked both elegant and playful.
Yierha naturally saw the value of the bracelet and wanted to refuse it, but Hutuli put it on directly. She was stunned for a moment, then accepted it and bowed to express her gratitude.
The fourteenth son exclaimed, "Mother, these bracelets are truly treasures. When will you give your son a pair too?"
Consort De rolled her eyes at him: "How old are you? Still fighting with your nieces for things."
The relationship between the Fourteenth Prince's wife, Lady Wanyan, and the Fourteenth Prince had gradually improved over the past two years. She chimed in, "Mother, please don't pay any attention to him. He's so old, yet he acts like a child. The other day, he even went sledding with Hongchun and Hongming."
The group chatted and laughed together again.
The fourteenth princess, Wanyan, glanced at Yierha and Hutuli without leaving a trace. The Empress Dowager's generous reward was probably not just because she doted on her grandchildren.
There should be another wedding planned.
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