The Imperial Household Department staff worked extremely quickly, with both the Emperor's decree and the Empress's imperial edict in hand, and they were all working with great enthusiasm. The playground was completed in no time.
When Changning learned of this, he even went to take a look.
The playground isn't particularly large, but the running track is about 400 meters long, with a lawn in the middle covered with flowers, creating a beautiful display.
Besides the running track, there are also some fitness equipment drawn by Changning, such as double treadmills, step machines, exercise bikes, double seated pedals, double waveboards, large rotating wheels, etc.
"Hmm, it has that vibe of old men and women exercising in the park." Changning nodded in satisfaction.
Now all that's missing are young people walking their dogs and middle-aged women dancing in the square.
However, there were no dogs, but there were eight cats.
The family, including Tuan Tuan and their six children, were overjoyed to see the fitness equipment, running around with great curiosity.
Zhuiyu had never seen so many novel things before, and hurriedly praised, "Your Majesty is truly ingenious. There are so many new things that this servant has never even heard of."
Changning also felt a bit nostalgic, as she hadn't played with it for decades. So she led the palace maids and began to demonstrate how to use it, which made them praise it repeatedly. It looked like it could exercise muscles and bones, and it was truly a good thing.
The other concubines in the harem, having heard that the "playground" the Empress had mentioned had been built and that the Empress was already playing there with the palace maids, all rushed over to watch the excitement.
Everyone watched as the dignified and beautiful Empress swung her arms and legs, which looked quite interesting, and they were all eager to join in.
Consort Shu was the boldest. Relying on her alignment with the Empress, she asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, may we concubines try these things?"
Changning turned around and saw that the concubines' eyes were filled with eagerness and desire. She couldn't help but smile. They really were getting old and their blood was awakening. So she nodded and said, "Alright, come on, everyone, give it a try and get some exercise."
So, these flower-like concubines, like a flock of little birds, chirped and chattered as they all started trying out the equipment.
Consort Qian, still maintaining her composure, said, "What kind of behavior is this? Talking and laughing like this, with so many palace maids and eunuchs around. It's so unbecoming of a mistress."
However, no one paid her any attention; everyone was having a great time. She was a little envious.
Consort Tang and Consort Qian had always had a good relationship, and Consort Qian had always treated her like a daughter. At this moment, Consort Tang pulled on Consort Qian's arm: "Sister Consort Qian, you should try it too, it's really fun. Look, even the Empress is playing it."
Only then did Consort Qian reluctantly and reluctantly join her in a stroll together.
The Imperial Garden was peaceful, but the atmosphere inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation was somewhat tense.
Yinzhen had been busy all along, and since he finally had some free time today, he wanted to call Honghui over to test his studies and, incidentally, talk about Bayan.
Unexpectedly, when Honghui entered, Yinzhen noticed that he looked strange. In order to ease the atmosphere between father and son, he ordered someone to set out a meal, hoping to have a heart-to-heart talk with Honghui during the meal.
Today, the Imperial Kitchen delivered wild rice stewed with sea cucumber, which Changning specifically requested.
After ascending the throne, Yinzhen lived up to his reputation as a workaholic, often reviewing memorials and meeting with ministers until midnight, and sometimes even forgetting to eat.
Changning was worried that he would get a stomach ailment, so she specially ordered the imperial kitchen to make a pot of this porridge every day, so that he could drink half a bowl before meals to replenish his energy.
Seeing that Honghui had been coughing recently, Yinzhen had someone serve him a bowl as well: "It's getting cold these days, you should wear more clothes and take good care of yourself. This wild rice stewed with sea cucumber is a medicinal dish, it nourishes the spleen and replenishes qi, you should have half a bowl every day from now on."
Honghui hurriedly stood up to express his gratitude: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
Yinzhen was taken aback, and slightly displeased: "Get up quickly. Where did you learn such manners? Why are we, father and son, still so distant?"
Honghui panicked even more after being reprimanded by the Emperor. He had originally wanted to perform well, but he didn't realize that his actions would only anger his father, so he was at a loss.
Seeing that his son was now behaving in a more formal manner, Yinzhen was somewhat saddened, but he did not want to cause his son any more fear or anxiety, so he did not say much, only saying, "Now it is just the two of us, father and son, there is no need for formalities."
Honghui nodded and sat back down awkwardly.
Seeing this, Yinzhen sighed. They had only just entered the palace, and the father and son were already so estranged. Was this the fate of the royal family?
Although he had no intention of making Honghui the crown prince, how could he not love his own son? He would give him the title of prince in the future, so that he could live a peaceful and prosperous life and live out his days in peace and wealth, which would be considered as fulfilling the entrustment of Ulanara.
Thinking of this, he softened his tone: "Honghui, you are the eldest prince, and you should also have the responsibility and duties of an older brother. The people around you also need to be properly disciplined and not be deceived by villains."
Honghui ate this meal with trepidation. He knew that his father was talking about Bayan, but he didn't know the details and didn't dare to ask. He could only nod in agreement.
Fearing he might overthink things, Yinzhen explained, "Bayan is a wicked man. He has planted spies around you and Yierha, and he also wants to take advantage of the princess. I know you and Yierha are close, but you should be careful about your interactions. In the future, you shouldn't bring other people to see your sisters."
Upon hearing this, Honghui was struck dumb. He had never imagined that Bayan would have such inappropriate feelings for his elder sister. Wasn't he partly responsible for this? He suddenly recalled their first meeting, which he had orchestrated. Recalling the hidden reproach in his father's words, he knew his father was definitely disappointed in him.
He opened his mouth as if to explain something. He wanted to say that he had never known about Bayan's schemes and had never intended to use his older sister, but the words wouldn't come out.
Now that things have come to this, what good can he do by explaining further?
Not to mention that Father Emperor was right; he really couldn't distinguish between loyalty and treachery.
Surely, in the Emperor's eyes, he was even less than Hongyan.
Yinzhen was also afraid that Honghui was being too sensitive, so he offered some words of comfort: "I know that you are honest and kind by nature, and your elder sister will not blame you. However, you will learn from this experience and need to learn from it in the future. You don't need to blame yourself too much."
Honghui forced himself to calm down and nodded, "Yes, Father Emperor. Your son knows his mistake."
Seeing Honghui's apologetic look again, Yinzhen said helplessly, "Honghui, you are my own son, what mistake do you have to admit? Does becoming the emperor mean you are no longer my son? You keep saying 'Your subject knows his mistake,' but do you know you are stabbing me in the heart?"
Honghui was touched by these words, and his eyes reddened slightly. Then, he heard his usually serious father sigh softly beside him.
"I absolutely do not wish for such a tragedy to happen again, as the princes of the late emperor were all wicked. Honghui, you must understand your father's heart. Even if it is for your mother's sake, and for my love for my son, you must take good care of yourself."
You are a prince of the Aisin Gioro clan, a member of the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty. Never lose your pride, and never lose yourself.
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