Inside Qingzhi Courtyard, Granny Zhang was leading Tingfeng, Wangyue, and Pinhua in packing their trunks.
This trip will involve receiving guests, including not only the concubines and princesses from various mansions, but also the wives of princes and dukes from various Mongol tribes. There's even a chance to meet Emperor Kangxi and Princess Rongxian.
So the group quickly packed about ten large boxes of clothes, including two boxes specifically for riding gear.
The two little ones were also packing their things to take to the palace, with Yulan and Yuqiu in charge of directing the packing.
Because everything was being packed up and there was a lot of noise and people around, Changning brought the two little ones to her inner room, and Tuantuan followed closely behind.
"Tuantuan, Fengsheng'e and Hutuli are going to the palace. The Prince and I are going to the Mulan Hunting Ground. Be good at home by yourself. Yuzhu and Xiaokangzi will take good care of you."
Changning placed the two children on the bed and picked up the now round and chubby Tuantuan.
Tuantuan has been eating well and sleeping well lately, and is waited on hand and foot everywhere. When she's bored, she can pick flowers, step on leaves, and chase butterflies in the small garden. Occasionally, she plays with Honghui and Yierha, but most of the time she spends time with the two little ones.
Although the two little ones are just beginning to learn to speak and are not yet fluent, they are full of energy. Every time they see Tuantuan, they shout "Ah! Ah! Ah!" and get extremely excited.
Tuantuan also likes to stick close to the two little ones, and even when she goes to sleep, she jumps to the two children's side and curls up in a ball to keep them company.
At first, the wet nurse was worried that Tuantuan might have bugs on her and catch a disease from the little master. Later, Changning spoke up and said that it was enough to just wipe Tuantuan's paws and bottom before going to bed each time.
Tuan Tuan is a very clean cat, especially fond of her flowing white fur, which she licks very diligently every day. Now, the two little ones sometimes join Tuan Tuan in licking her fur together.
When the wet nurse saw the young master's mouth covered in cat hair, she was terrified, but Changning laughed so hard that she told Yinzhen about it as a joke.
Yinzhen wasn't angry; he simply instructed Yuzhu to remember to brush Tuantuan's fur every day so her hair wouldn't fly everywhere. Last time, he felt an itch on his face and scratched for a while before realizing it was a cat hair.
The two little ones are the ones who are most attached to Tuantuan, especially Hutuli. If Tuantuan isn't around, he doesn't enjoy nursing.
So Changning was quite worried. If she and Yinzhen were suddenly gone, and Tuantuan wasn't there to keep them company, would the two little ones be scared in Yonghe Palace?
Just as Changning was thinking about it, the three little ones suddenly pounced on each other.
First, Hutu grabbed Tuantuan's fur. Tuantuan felt some pain and tried to get away, but ended up jumping next to Fengsheng'e. Fengsheng'e then stumbled and climbed onto Tuantuan.
Hutuli got upset and rushed over with a series of loud 'ah ah ah' sounds. She wasn't very good at walking yet, so she crawled very fast, and then the three of them pounced on each other.
Changning reluctantly separated the three of them. Looking at Tuantuan's already ruffled fur, he couldn't help but laugh. He quickly patted her head and smoothed her fur.
Tuantuan loves beauty the most, and these two made her furious. In a fit of anger, she broke free from Changning and ran away.
Seeing Tuantuan run away, Hutuli burst into tears again.
Just then, Yinzhen came to see her and felt a pang of heartache upon hearing his daughter's cries. "What's wrong, Father's daughter? Who upset you? Did your brother bully you again?"
Feng Sheng'e "..."
Feng Sheng'e was sitting there, hugging his feet, trying hard to reach them into his mouth, intending to gnaw on his toes.
Under Yinzhen's watchful gaze, he finally managed to gnaw on his own toes with great relish.
"Hahahaha!" Changning burst into laughter, laughing until her stomach hurt.
Yinzhen said that none of these three women were easy to deal with!
After quickly settling the two children in, Yinzhen held Changning in his arms and slapped her pert bottom twice, making Changning blush.
"Look at you, you're such a grown man, still arguing with a child."
Changning felt very wronged and couldn't help but retort, "Where did I make a fuss? They just wanted to play with Tuantuan."
At this point, Changning continued to express her concerns, "Since we've both gone to the Mulan Hunting Grounds, isn't it a good idea for Tuantuan to stay in the manor? Fengsheng'e and Hutuli are inseparable from Tuantuan. They're still young, and they'll definitely be scared if they suddenly go to an unfamiliar environment, won't they?"
Yinzhen nodded, and after thinking about it, he realized that was indeed the case.
Don't say they love their children. Nowadays, too many children don't even make it to adulthood, and many don't even live to be three years old. Even the Second Prince Hongfen died when he was only two.
Although according to convention, children under the age of three are not required to be ranked in order of age, Feng Sheng'e should be the second prince.
However, Hongfen had already been given a name, and besides, Yinzhen wasn't so heartless as to erase his son's existence, nor would Changning be willing to do so.
Therefore, Feng Sheng'e was still the Third Prince.
The Second Prince will always be Hongfen.
Therefore, there are many taboos before a child reaches the age of three, and you can never be too careful.
Yinzhen said, "If that's the case, then let Yuzhu and Xiaokangzi pack up, and send Tuantuan to Yonghe Palace as well. I'll go to the palace to send them off tomorrow, and I'll personally talk to Mother."
Yinzhen thought about it. He had never seen his mother keep any pets. Even Consort Yi had two cats. He wondered if his mother could accept it.
The very next day, Yinzhen and his wife entered the palace with their two children and a group of servants.
The princess was somewhat surprised to see a maidservant holding a pure white lion cat behind her.
She knew the cat; its name was Tuan Tuan. It was personally trained by the Prince for his concubine.
Honghui and Yierha liked it very much. They would often go to Qingzhi Courtyard to find Tuantuan, and then play with Hongyan and Jiayuan before coming back.
When they came back, they were chattering away, saying how cute Tuantuan was and how her younger siblings could crawl and walk now.
The princess always listened with a smile.
She didn't object to her two children being close to Qingzhiyuan. Perhaps because the two children's health was getting better and better, Honghui rarely fell ill now.
I still cough a bit when the seasons change, but I haven't coughed up blood since.
The princess's heart was becoming more and more at ease. As long as Honghui was alright, there was hope for everything.
If there is a future, Honghui will be the heir apparent, and having brothers and sisters to help him would be a good thing.
Even if adults have some disagreements, they won't involve the children.
However, looking at the white cat elegantly licking its fur in the arms of a maid, the Princess Consort wondered if the Prince wanted to send this cat into the palace as well.
I've never seen Consort De with any pets. Would the Consort possibly agree to this?
Consort De... Consort De quite likes her.
When they arrived at Yonghe Palace, Consort De first gave the two little ones a warm welcome, hugged Fengsheng'e, kissed Hutuli, and doted on them for a while. Then she saw the cat.
Yinzhen spoke quite respectfully, but he was worried that the child would not be able to adapt without Tuantuan's company. For the sake of the child, Consort De would naturally agree.
So Tuantuan proudly took a stroll around Yonghe Palace, inspecting her temporary new territory.
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