While Wan Anran was experimenting with making various flavors of mooncakes, many joyous events also arrived from the previous dynasty. For example, news came that Zheng Jing from Taiwan, who had annoyed Emperor Kangxi, was seriously ill, and news also came from Shengjing that the Eight Banners were cultivating wasteland, which would allow for a significant increase in grain taxes…
In addition, the pregnancies of Consort Tong, Consort An, Lady Dai, and Consort Wei in the harem were stable. The series of good news brought a smile to Emperor Kangxi's face and made the atmosphere in the harem even better.
The Empress devoted herself to preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Since the beginning of August, the palace has been filled with non-stop entertainment.
In addition to the daily performances by theatrical troupes, the Empress also granted the palace maids a rare day to meet their relatives. Although they could only speak through the fence, it was enough to excite and delight the maids and eunuchs.
Wan Anran smiled and thanked him.
Later, she specially distributed a sum of money and silk fabrics to everyone in the Chuxiu Palace, so that they could give them to their relatives to ease their longing for their loved ones.
The Empress's actions made the atmosphere in the palace even more lively. After the palace servants finished their visits to their relatives, each palace began to prepare water lanterns and flower lanterns.
Since there were no ponds in the palace, it was impossible to light water lanterns like ordinary people. Therefore, the lanterns were the ones people played with during the Mid-Autumn Festival. As for the water lanterns, after they were made, they were presented to the emperor for his appreciation. Then, under the personal supervision of the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, they were handed over to the Imperial Observatory to be placed in the rivers for use in sacrificial rites to the river workers.
Is it to be read and appreciated by the Emperor?
This alone was enough to make the concubines rack their brains and try their best to figure it out. Wan Anran made it very simply, using only a frame and pink silk to make a few lotus-shaped water lanterns. When it was presented, even Consort Xuan couldn't help but complain: "Consort Qi... even the seven-year-old Second Princess made it better than you!"
Look at what everyone did. If they didn't embroider flowers on the water lanterns, they would all be eye-catching. But where can you find someone like Qi Pin who just collages and combines things and tries to muddy the waters?
The Empress glanced at Consort Xuan.
How dare you criticize Consort Qi? Look at what you've done; you're no better!
Wan Anran chuckled awkwardly.
She pretended not to hear and said with a smile, "I'm busy making lanterns!"
The Empress became interested.
She glanced at Consort Qi, unable to hide her curiosity: "What tricks have you come up with? Let me see."
Wan Anran smiled and said, "It was made for Yinzhen."
She sent someone back to Chuxiu Palace to retrieve it, and then proudly displayed it to the Empress and others.
This is a small hanging lamp.
Unlike ordinary square or hexagonal lanterns, this hanging lantern is actually drum-shaped? It seems to be made of two circles pieced together, with tassels hanging from the sides and bottom.
Not to mention his strange appearance.
Most importantly, Consort Qi gently clapped her hands twice, and the deep drumbeats resounded in her ears, instantly silencing the entire hall.
The Empress and Consort Xuan stared wide-eyed.
Granny Zhou, who was standing nearby, exclaimed in surprise, "This, how is this possible?"
How can a lantern make a sound when you tap it?
The Empress and Consort Xuan were also puzzled and pondered it together for a long time.
Wan Anran stood to the side with her hands behind her back.
She looked at the two of them smugly, her proud little eyes practically screaming, "Beg me, duck!"
The Empress and Consort Xuan exchanged a glance.
The two rushed forward to tickle him—to see who was begging whom? When Kangxi stepped into the Kunning Palace, he heard a series of sounds that sounded like crying and laughing.
Emperor Kangxi frowned deeply.
He walked inside with curiosity on his face, and when he lifted the curtain, he saw three people gathered around the soft couch.
The sounds of laughter and chatter.
They don't look like empresses and concubines at all; they look like five or six-year-old children—no! Even princesses wouldn't act like this.
Emperor Kangxi was shocked.
Granny Zhou made faces and coughed repeatedly before finally managing to get the Empress to look up at her.
Upon seeing this, the Empress's expression immediately changed.
She exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty!?"
When did the Emperor arrive?
How much did the Emperor see? The Empress's face turned red to the roots of her ears, and she lowered her head, stammering and not daring to speak. Her girlish demeanor, so different from her usual self, made Kangxi take notice.
Consort Xuan lowered her head and composed herself.
As for Wan Anran, she stared blankly at the dome, and it took her a long time to finally stand up, her body weak from laughing. Her hair was disheveled, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were filled with tears, and her lips, bitten by her teeth, were especially red.
Her soft, alluring eyes are incredibly captivating.
Kangxi's breath hitched, but he quickly regained his composure: "What are you all doing?"
The Empress kept a straight face.
She curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Qi has made an interesting hanging lantern."
"Oh?" The Empress also said it was interesting, which immediately piqued Kangxi's interest. His gaze shifted to the hanging lamp on the table, and its slightly unusual appearance aroused Kangxi's curiosity. He picked it up and examined it carefully for a moment.
He reached out and patted it.
The muffled thud startled Kangxi and also brought Wan Anran back to her senses. Forgetting to tidy her hair, she rushed to Kangxi's side: "Your Majesty, you noticed?"
"You think you can fool me with such petty tricks?"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Wan Anran cheered, which drew the attention of the Empress and Consort Xuan, who were also curious, to listen attentively to Kangxi's explanation.
The method is actually very simple.
It's just that a small drumhead was added inside, so it doesn't affect the lighting of candles, and it can also produce a drum sound if you tap it in the right place.
Kangxi concluded: "It's a nice little gadget."
Wan Anran didn't seem to feel anything about it.
She happily picked up the small lantern to put it back on the tray, but unexpectedly, Kangxi said, "That's quite rare. I'll take it and admire it."
No? Grandpa Kang?
Wan Anran's eyes widened, and she subconsciously replied, "Your Majesty, this belongs to Yinzhen..." Isn't it inappropriate for you to snatch something from a two-year-old child?
Emperor Kangxi looked at Consort Qi with a blank expression.
Wan Anran looked at Kangxi innocently and helplessly, and even used a little force to carefully put the lantern back into her bag.
joke.
There are only a few days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival. What if we give the lanterns to the Emperor, Yinzhen?
Was Emperor Kangxi wronged? Or was Emperor Yinzhen wronged?
Needless to say, it was definitely a humiliation for Emperor Kangxi!
Wan Anran spoke with righteous indignation.
The Empress tried to suppress her laughter but couldn't hold it in any longer and secretly chuckled.
Emperor Kangxi's face darkened.
He couldn't bring himself to snatch the toy from his two-year-old son, and instead waved his hand, ordering Consort Qi and Consort Xuan to leave.
After the two left, Kangxi glanced at the water lamps on the table. He casually asked, "Which one is Consort Qi's? This one? Is it this one? It looks simple."
The empress looked in the direction the emperor pointed.
This is an octagonal water lantern, with a courtyard-like setting. At a glance, you can see pavilions, towers, bridges, and flowing water. It is exquisitely beautiful. Only the Emperor could describe it as simple. Consort Tong must have put a lot of thought into making it.
The Queen shook her head.
Kangxi raised an eyebrow. This wasn't made by Consort Qi? He carefully examined the remaining few, then hesitated slightly before pointing to the one next to him: "Is that the one? It looks barely acceptable."
This was made by Consort Yi.
Consort Yi and Consort Tong have a different style. The water lanterns they made resemble blooming peonies, with layers of petals surrounding a small figure in the center, giving them a charming and delicate feel.
The Empress shook her head again.
Now Kangxi was puzzled: "Which one is it?"
The Empress smiled and pointed.
Emperor Kangxi's eyes widened, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Look at this Consort Qi, she's becoming more and more perfunctory."
If you hadn't seen the hanging lantern made for Yinzhen, it would look quite nice. But when Kangxi recalled that exquisite hanging lantern and then looked at the water lantern that practically screamed "perfunctory," he was both annoyed and amused.
That's absolutely outrageous.
Emperor Kangxi casually set the water lantern aside and took the opportunity to talk to the Empress about official palace affairs.
Wan Anran returned to Chuxiu Palace.
She had the lanterns placed in place, waiting until the Mid-Autumn Festival to take them out to amuse Yinzhen. Then she began preparing the celebratory gifts to be presented for the Mid-Autumn Festival: mooncakes.
Having tested it several times over the course of two weeks, Wan Anran has now become quite skilled at making it. Although the taste may not be as good as what's made in the imperial kitchen, Wan Anran's ingenuity is undeniable.
She not only put a lot of thought into the mooncakes, but Wan Anran also carefully designed and prepared the packaging boxes.
Even Haitao couldn't hide her pride.
She chuckled to herself and Zisu and the others, "This time, what our master has prepared will surely surprise the masters in the palace!"
Everyone nodded in unison.
It's remarkable that they showed no guilt or worry, but rather were full of anticipation!
The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated in the palace was not as lively as it was outside.
Aside from the performances mentioned earlier, there are only the same three things left: eating mooncakes, admiring the moon, and watching fireworks.
After the meal was over, the imperial concubines began to present their gifts. For example, the Empress presented hand-woven gloves and shoes, Consort Tong presented copied Buddhist scriptures, and Consort An presented embroidered Buddha images... Every year the gifts were the same, from the Emperor's birthday to the New Year, and everyone was already tired of seeing them.
The two empress dowagers also had a neutral attitude.
When it was Wan Anran's turn, things were a bit more unusual. First, a whole series of palace servants came.
Wan Anran prepared something quite different, which was rare for her.
The first item opened was a red lacquered, gold-painted peach-shaped food box presented to the Empress Dowager. The exterior was shaped like a red peach, and inside were various small boxes also shaped like peaches. The various mooncakes made by Wan Anran could be placed inside one by one, making it look particularly festive.
The other concubines could only wish they could call her vulgar and obsequious.
But even if it's vulgar and flattering, the Empress Dowager couldn't resist her delight! She was beaming from ear to ear, her voice unusually gentle: "Consort Qi has put in a lot of effort, reward her!"
The concubine who was presenting the gift changed her expression.
They forced smiles, their gazes fixed on the other palace maids. Unlike the increasingly frail and elderly Empress Dowager, who, like any ordinary old lady, enjoyed celebrations, offering her longevity peach mooncakes would likely result in receiving no reward and instead being met with indifference.
Who knows, the next one might crash and burn.
The concubines secretly prayed for her, and soon a second palace maid stepped forward.
The Empress Dowager was full of anticipation.
The moment the red cloth was lifted, her breath caught in her throat: this was a completely different style from the longevity peach mooncake box. The bottom was shaped like a cloud pattern, with three galloping horses carved on it. It was unique and exquisite, but it was slightly different from the Empress Dowager's expectations.
The imperial concubines breathed a sigh of relief.
But the next second their hearts were in their throats again, as the palace servant carrying the tray smiled and said, "Empress Dowager, please take a look with a magnifying glass."
The Empress Dowager was taken aback: "...A magnifying glass?"
She took the magnifying glass handed to her by a palace maid and looked at the galloping horses through the lens.
The Empress Dowager stood there, stunned.
Her reaction was so strange that it attracted the attention of the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
Looking through a magnifying glass, one can see that there are riders on the galloping horse, the leader of whom resembles the Empress Dowager. In the direction the horse is heading, a mansion is faintly visible.
The Empress Dowager's eyes were slightly red.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunions, and the Empress Dowager had never forgotten her loved ones far away on the grasslands. She nearly lost control of her tears, and after a long pause, she choked out, "That child, Consort Qi..."
The Empress Dowager was deeply moved.
No matter how exquisite the longevity peaches were, they seemed quite ordinary compared to the ones the Empress Dowager received. The Empress Dowager felt no jealousy whatsoever; instead, she felt a deep sense of relief.
I'm getting old.
However, her niece was still young, and after many years of getting along, she and the Empress Dowager had become as close as mother and daughter, and she occasionally worried about the Empress Dowager's future. But now, looking at the cleverly designed gift box, the Empress Dowager could finally put her mind at ease.
The concubines were completely bewildered.
They could see nothing, so they could only stand there staring blankly, straining their ears in the hope of gleaning some information from the conversation.
Anyway, they don't know anything else.
The concubines only knew one thing: this time, the gift made Consort Qi shine.
The problem is only just beginning; it's not over yet!
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