Ever since her two sons went to the Imperial Study, Changning has rarely bathed them. However, these two little ones are only four years old, so today she was overcome with maternal love and specially gave them a bath, using a bath towel made of loofah sponge.
Changning's hands were weak, and she would get tired before she could scrub off too much dirt. To make matters worse, the two kids were restless during bath time. They would look at each other and start a water fight, which made Changning so angry that she wanted to slap each of them on the bottom.
However, after thinking about it, she still didn't call. She got up and went outside to call Yinzhen over.
"What's wrong? Aren't you supposed to be giving Hongmin and Hongchen a bath?" Yinzhen had nothing to do today and spent the whole day at Changning. The two of them played music together and enjoyed a sweet time.
Changning complained to him for a while: "Go and give those two rascals a bath, and make sure they're clean!"
Yinzhen had no choice but to accept his fate, but he was quite happy about it. He had never bathed with his sons before, so he asked for a bathtub and planned to soak with them to strengthen their father-son bond, and then give them a scrub.
After washing up, Changning lay down on the bed and started looking through the book that Yinzhen had brought back. The book was specifically about how to refine elixirs.
She was initially shocked when she saw it, instinctively thinking it was a scam. So many emperors in ancient times pursued immortality, consuming countless elixirs, some containing cinnabar—all deadly substances. Those who sought immortality all died young.
She almost immediately wanted to have the book burned, and then summon Yinzhen back to ask him if he had taken any pills.
However, she also felt that Yinzhen was actually a very stubborn person, and it would be better to persuade him with reason and evidence.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
So she started by flipping through the book, trying to find any loopholes in it.
But as she looked at it, she became engrossed in it.
I found some of the statements and ideas in this book to be quite reasonable. After all, it should belong to Taoist doctrines. As an indigenous Chinese religion, Taoism has been able to continue for thousands of years, so it must have its own foundation.
However, Changning felt that even if this golden elixir was truly excellent, she shouldn't consume it. Better safe than sorry. She couldn't take that risk.
Meanwhile, Yinzhen was having a great time playing with his two sons. Hongmin and Hongchen rarely had time to interact with their father alone. Yinzhen spent more time with Hongyan and Hongzhao and devoted more attention to them.
Hongmin and Hongchen could only see their father in the Imperial Study and at their mother's place, which made them feel that their father was a strict father who was meticulous about his studies and never showed any disdain.
But today, it was a rare occasion for Yinzhen to spend time alone with them, and he even took a bath naked, just like him, which made the two little devils very excited, shouting, laughing and making a ruckus.
When the father and his two sons finally came out after washing up, Changning looked at his watch and realized it was almost ten o'clock.
"Why did it take you so long to wash?"
Changning ordered someone to quickly send the two of them to rest. Hongmin and Hongchen were still reluctantly holding onto Yinzhen's clothes.
"Father, Father, will you take us deer hunting tomorrow?"
"Father, you still need to take me to find books tomorrow!"
It was rare for Yinzhen to be so close to his two sons, so he was particularly kind and spoke gently: "I promised you, and I will never break my promise. Get some rest."
"Oh, oh, oh! That's wonderful! Long live Father!"
"Long live the Father!"
Changning watched them circling around Yinzhen with jealousy, and finally managed to persuade them to go back and rest.
As soon as Yinzhen lay down, he heard Changning's sour voice: "She just accompanied me to take a bath, and she's more affectionate than her own mother. You two little ingrates."
Yinzhen chuckled, "The children are still young. Mother has always been with them. As they grow up, Father will naturally be there to guide their studies. What's wrong? Are you jealous?"
"Who wants to be jealous of the children?" Changning snorted reluctantly, but she knew very well that the closer Yinzhen was to the children, the better, so she stopped talking about it and took out the book "The Complete Book of Golden Elixir".
When Yinzhen saw that she had turned to this book, he smiled and said, "You've read it too? What do you think? These Taoist sayings are quite interesting."
Changning nodded: "Indeed, but you still can't take this pill."
When Yinzhen saw that she mentioned elixirs, he knew what she was worried about. He reached out and pulled the woman into his arms: "I know what you mean, don't worry. I am not obsessed with immortality, nor do I pray for more mercy from Heaven. I just want to do more for the people of the Qing Dynasty during my reign."
Changning suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Yinzhen must be under a lot of pressure too... He had become the emperor above all others, and the fate of the entire Qing Dynasty rested on his shoulders. It's lonely at the top. He was afraid that if he made a mistake, it would not affect him, but it would be the common people who would suffer.
Yinzhen also had a kind heart, and Hongyan was very much like him in this respect.
Changning reached out and wrapped her arms around Yinzhen's waist: "You have done very well. Take good care of yourself. Not only do the people of the world need you, but my children and I need you too."
"Of course, we want to grow old together and be together for life."
A few days later, Hongyan and Hutuli led the way, bringing back a large and impressive entourage.
Yinzhen and Changning rushed out to see what was happening. They saw a son and a daughter riding on horseback, looking heroic and dashing, with banners fluttering behind them, like generals who had won a battle. They were filled with boundless pride.
My son has grown up.
"Father! Mother!"
Hongyan and Hutuli dismounted and ran all the way back to Yinzhen and Changning's side.
Hutuli beamed with a wide smile, brighter than the sun in the sky: "Mother, I've finished my errand! Aunt Thirteen and Aunt Fifteen are right behind me! It went very smoothly!"
Changning couldn't help but give her a thumbs up. The child had accomplished something, so she had to be praised!
"Hutuli, you're doing great! You're becoming more and more like a female general. I think in two years you'll be able to stand on your own."
Hutuli was delighted and turned her gaze to Yinzhen. Yinzhen nodded in satisfaction, but he didn't say anything more. Instead, he prepared to summon the two princesses.
Yinzhen originally wanted Changning to join him, but Changning felt that she didn't understand the important matters between the Qing Dynasty and the Mongols and couldn't be of much help, so she simply refused and decided to prepare for the welcoming banquet tonight. Fortunately, Hutuli had returned, so she had help.
As for Hongyan, he naturally followed behind Yinzhen.
Now Yinzhen has also realized that it is more important to keep children by one's side and teach them, so that they can be influenced by what they see and hear. This is more important than any academic studies.
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