Yinzhen returned in the evening. After riding a horse all day, his clothes and boots were covered in dust and mud. Fortunately, Changning had already arranged for hot water to be prepared.
Su Peisheng helped him bathe, and after he was cleaned, Yinzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
These past few days, the Emperor has become increasingly unpredictable. Hearing that the Crown Prince had arrived in the capital, he personally went to the Prime Minister's residence.
The brothers also sensed the subtle atmosphere, but they all managed to keep a calm facade.
As Yinzhen pondered this, he served food to Changning.
"You must be exhausted these past few days. We'll arrive around tomorrow, and I reckon we'll have to wait for the imperial summons at the front. I'll leave Zhang Qilin with you; contact him if you need anything."
Changning nodded, noticing his slightly tired expression and feeling a pang of sympathy. "You should eat more. You're putting in so much effort; how can you manage if you don't eat enough?"
After saying that, she served him another bowl of rice, scooped up a lot of the tender and savory braised mutton with a spoon, and put a piece of the thick broth on top of the rice. The crystal-clear rice grains mixed with the dark red mutton broth made people's mouths water.
Although Yinzhen was exhausted, he didn't want Changning to worry about him, so he ate the mutton rice bowl clean.
That evening, the two snuggled together and chatted.
"Shall we ask them to make you a bowl of noodle soup tomorrow morning?"
Although the weather was gradually warming up, Yinzhen still had to go to accompany the emperor at three or four in the morning every day. The wind was still howling at night, and he was riding a horse, which made it even colder. This made Changning curse Kangxi for making things so difficult for her.
After a long day, Yinzhen was now full and comfortable, lying in bed with the woman in his arms. He felt so relaxed that he didn't want to move at all.
"I'll do whatever you say. Everything you arrange is the best." Yinzhen tilted his head slightly and kissed Changning's forehead. "Did the Fourteenth Consort come to see you today?"
Changning nodded. "Yes, she came over to talk to me and even asked Chunni to tell stories."
Yinzhen grunted in response, then whispered a reminder, "Now that she's here, I'm afraid people from other households will be coming to visit you after tomorrow. If you're feeling alright, let them in to chat. If you're tired, have Granny Zhang turn them away."
Changning then realized that all the princes' families had brought princesses with them this time. The wives of the princes had to leave their stewards behind, so only she and Wanhe, the concubines, had come.
Logically speaking, I am the woman of the highest status here, and they should also pay their respects.
It's just that they're not familiar with each other and don't dare to visit rashly; they're all waiting for someone to step forward first.
Now that Wanhe has arrived at the Mulan Hunting Grounds, everyone else will probably be restless.
Changning sighed, "I thought it was because of my bad reputation that no one wanted to play with me anymore."
Yinzhen was slightly surprised. He thought Changning didn't like social interactions, but where did this "bad reputation" come from?
When Yinzhen asked the question, Changning rolled her eyes at him and said reproachfully, "What kind of memory do you have? Last time, I slapped the Eighth Prince's wife, Lady Guoluo."
Yinzhen remembered that the Eighth Prince hadn't left his house for a month, and the Eighth Prince had come to apologize to him. At the time, he thought to himself that Yao Xian's grip was quite strong.
However, he also looked down on the Eighth Prince's wife, who was arrogant and domineering, even more so than the Crown Princess.
After another day of travel, we finally arrived at our destination.
Changning was placed in a place called Wutong Garden within the imperial palace.
Springtime is in full bloom, and the place is bursting with flowers, creating a vibrant and thriving scene. Living there makes you feel cheerful and uplifted.
In the past few days, Emperor Kangxi led his princes in archery competitions and other ceremonies.
Changning didn't have any official business to attend to at the moment, so with nothing to do, she took a stroll around the neighborhood. She had heard that there was a deer park not far away, where some women would occasionally go to visit.
Led by a young eunuch, Changning approached the Deer Garden and saw two women in Manchu dress talking. They seemed to have noticed Changning as well, and came over with smiles to pay their respects.
"Is that Fourth Sister-in-law?"
Upon hearing this, Changning knew that this was a concubine from the Emperor's residence.
The two women knew that Changning didn't recognize them, but they didn't mind and introduced themselves with smiles.
One was Princess Tian from the Third Prince's residence. She was petite, charming, and had a beauty mark at the corner of her eye.
Changning had heard of her.
When Wanhe was gossiping with herself, she mentioned that Consort Tian was favored by the emperor, but she gave birth to a son who died. The Third Prince intended to make her a concubine, but the Third Consort, Lady Dong'e, blocked the way, which is why it hasn't happened yet.
According to Wanhe's speculation, Tian Gege treated the Third Prince's wife with utter contempt because the Third Prince's wife had harmed her son who died young.
However, since the Third Prince's wife had Hongqing and Hongsheng under her care, and the Third Prince was muddle-headed, they couldn't find any evidence against him.
If anyone most hoped for something to happen to the Third Princess Consort, it would be this Lady Tian.
Another one is Consort Chen from the Seventh Prince's residence. She stands to the side with a gentle smile, somewhat like Consort Song. She rarely speaks, and most of the time listens to Consort Tian talking animatedly.
Tian Gege was very outgoing and warmly invited Changning to go see the deer together.
"I was just talking to Sister Chen about that three-month-old fawn over there. Its antlers haven't grown in yet, and its eyes are all wet. It's so cute. Sister-in-law, why don't you come and take a look?"
Tian Gege's enthusiasm didn't make anyone feel uncomfortable; it was as if she were a natural-born ox. Changning originally wanted to see the deer, so she nodded and went with them.
Zhuiyu is a little worried, since her mistress is pregnant!
She was determined to hold her master tightly and absolutely not let him get close. The fawn seemed docile, but it was still an animal; what if it suddenly lost its temper and offended her master?
Changning didn't think too much about it, but she didn't get too close either. She just observed it from a distance. The little deer was really adorable, with smooth, fine fur like brocade, and its eyes were gentle yet lively.
"She's really cute."
Changning's heart almost melted at the sight; she has always been powerless against cute things.
Seeing that Changning liked it, Tian Gege smiled and joined in the fun.
"Sister-in-law Xiao Si is indeed a person of character. I heard that you also have a lion cat, with white fur and blue eyes, it's very clever."
Changning glanced at her and saw that Tian Gege was smiling sincerely, seemingly unaware that anything was amiss.
"Gege Tian is really well-informed."
Changning's voice was devoid of emotion, but Tian Gege seemed oblivious and continued, "We're all family, and there are no secrets in this family. But let me remind you, Fourth Sister-in-law, there are many empresses in the palace who don't like cats."
After saying that, Changning's gaze shot over like a cold arrow.
Tian Gege continued to smile gently, "Then, Fourth Sister-in-law, take your time looking around. I'll be going now."
Having said that, he bowed and took his leave with a bewildered Chen Gege.
In broad daylight, Changning was startled awake by her words and broke out in a cold sweat.
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