Yinzhen was discussing his trip with his wife next month.
"Which sister will you be bringing this time, my lord?" the princess asked as usual.
Yinzhen frowned. He had originally wanted to take Changning with him, but she was pregnant and it was difficult for her to move around. Her birthday was coming up soon, but thankfully there was still time to celebrate it before leaving.
As for Lady Li, not only did he have to take care of his seriously ill son, but Yinzhen himself also disliked her.
None of the other princesses and concubines were of a likable caliber, and this trip was fraught with difficulties and inconvenient for them, so they simply left none of them behind.
"I won't bring them. We're not going sightseeing. I have a lot of important business to attend to this time, so it's not appropriate to bring women. I'll leave the affairs of the inner quarters to you, my lady. You can also visit Yonghe Palace to pay your respects to the Empress more often when you have time."
Upon hearing what Yinzhen said, the Fujin nodded and said, "Yes."
Yinzhen thought for a moment and then instructed, "This is Fucha's first child, so you have to take extra care of her. If she has any requests or if there is anything she hasn't done well enough, please give in to her first."
The princess forced a smile and said, "Of course, Sister Fucha is of noble birth and needs to be carefully taken care of. Don't worry, Your Highness."
"Hmm." Yinzhen nodded, thinking that the day after tomorrow was Changning's birthday and he should go see her, so he left the main courtyard.
When we arrived at Qingzhiyuan, we heard laughter and cheerful voices from inside, as if we had entered another world, which made us feel relaxed.
"What are you laughing at?"
Yinzhen stepped inside and saw that the girl named Xiayu had dark streaks all over her face, looking like a fire-starting maid. He figured she was laughing at her.
As soon as Changning saw Yinzhen approaching, she rushed forward and threw herself into his arms, acting coquettishly, "Your Highness, you've finally come!"
"Yes, I came to see you. How have you been feeling lately?"
"Ah, that feels so good, Chuixue. Quickly bring over the snow-covered red bean paste that Master Ma made today." Changning held Yinzhen's hand and affectionately pressed his cheek against his cheek. "Your Highness must be hungry since you came back from outside. This dessert is sweet, smooth, and soft. You'll definitely like it."
As they were talking, Fubuki brought over the dessert.
Yinzhen looked at the pastry and saw that it was plump and round, like clouds and snow. He picked up a piece and tasted it. It had a very light and delicate texture. Inside was fried red bean paste. The red bean paste was very smooth, sweet but not greasy. He ate several without feeling sick of it.
"Hmm, this dessert is good."
When she heard Yinzhen say it was good, Changning smiled so much that her eyes narrowed.
Yinzhen sighed. This silly girl, her heart is completely devoted to him.
"The master is going to the south on business next month, and it will take about three or four months to travel there and back. You should stay home as much as possible. I have already told the princess that you don't need to go to pay your respects. If you feel bored, you can have Chunni tell you some stories."
Seeing Changning pouting with dissatisfaction, Yinzhen smiled helplessly and said, "I'll leave Zhang Qilin here. If you're free, you can ask him to find an opera troupe or a female entertainer to keep you entertained. If you have anything to say, write it down and give it to Zhang Qilin. He will arrange for it to be delivered. I'll also send my letters to you through Zhang Qilin."
At this, Changning became happy and kissed Yinzhen's cheek with a grin, "That's good, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to contact you for three or four months!"
Speaking of Zhang Qilin, Changning knew him too. Like Su Peisheng, he was favored by Yinzhen. However, Zhang Qilin usually served in the study, unlike Su Peisheng, whose title of Consort Su was well-deserved.
After chatting for a while, the two prepared to have dinner.
Tonight's meal included spicy and sour lamb tripe, sweet and sour cherry pork, sliced pork with pickled cabbage, braised deer tendon with mushrooms, and steamed buns filled with beef and scallions. For cold dishes, we had wild pheasant and mixed arugula.
The taste made Yinzhen's mouth water. "So many sour things!"
Changning nodded. "I suddenly had a craving for something sour today, like a bowl of hot and sour noodles. I'll have it tomorrow morning."
Yinzhen laughed, "They say sour foods mean a boy and spicy foods mean a girl, so your baby is probably a prince."
Changning immediately rolled her eyes at him, "All you know is princes. Isn't a princess good enough?"
“A princess would be fine too. If she is a princess, I will teach her to ride horses and shoot arrows.”
"Wouldn't that make him a naughty boy?"
"That's how all Manchu ladies are. The little princess of the Crown Prince's family loves riding horses, and they even gave her a small riding whip for her birthday."
Changning thought to herself, she did like daughters, but while daughters from the Tang Dynasty were alright, daughters from the Qing Dynasty were destined to pacify Mongolia! She hoped to have a daughter, and that the Fourth Prince would ascend the throne before sending her to Mongolia.
After they finished eating, the two snuggled together and read storybooks.
Of course, it's the novel "The Domineering Prince Falls in Love with Me" written by Changning herself.
"Why does this prince talk so strangely? He sounds so irritating." Yinzhen finally couldn't help but start discussing the plot with her.
"This tone and attitude are quite similar to the Fourteenth Prince's." The more Yinzhen looked at it, the more he felt the resemblance.
Chang Ning suddenly felt a chill. What? The male protagonist in her own writing is her own brother-in-law? Anyone would feel awkward in that situation, right?
"Look at this line, 'Your eyes can only see me, everyone else is insignificant.' That's the attitude of the Fourteenth Prince, who thinks he's number one and everyone else is number two." Yinzhen couldn't help but start complaining.
"He just wants everyone to fawn over him and go along with him. If you don't go along with him, he'll go against you."
Changning nodded. "That's just a brat; he needs to be disciplined."
Yinzhen continued, "And this line, whether you like it or not, I will use every means to make you belong to me. It's exactly the same personality as the Fourteenth Prince. From childhood to adulthood, whatever he wanted, he either tormented his mother or me."
The complaints continue.
“Look at this sentence again: ‘Woman, I gave you a chance.’ Every time Fourteen plays a prank, he turns the tables and says that he clearly gave you a chance, but you didn’t seize it.”
When it comes to complaining about their younger brothers, it's true that all older brothers and sisters are the same.
Amidst Yinzhen's incessant complaining, Changning fell asleep.
Yinzhen was thirsty from talking when he turned around and saw her with her eyes closed, her breathing long and even, her face rosy. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief, his heart filled with boundless tenderness and affection.
This is a woman carrying his child, a devoted woman whose heart belongs only to him.
Yinzhen felt that the greatest surprise was that Consort Tongjia and his father had betrothed Fucha Changning to him. Thinking of this, he held Changning in his arms and slowly fell asleep.
When Changning woke up the next day, she was able to eat hot and sour noodles as she had wished.
Because of her strange cravings during pregnancy, this bowl of soup noodles was originally made with a base of chicken and pork bone broth, topped with sweet potato noodles. At this point, Changning added four or five spoonfuls of chili oil and seven or eight spoonfuls of vinegar.
The bright red chili oil looks incredibly spicy, and the tangy aroma of vinegar is irresistible, making your mouth water just by smelling it.
Changning picked up a mouthful of noodles and slurped it up. It was steaming hot, sour and spicy. He then drank a mouthful of soup full of red oil, and immediately sweat appeared on the tip of his nose.
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