"Your Majesty, don't you think the Emperor is infuriating?" Wan Anran pouted and kept complaining to Empress Niohuru.
The Empress covered her mouth and chuckled.
She stared at Consort Qi with barely suppressed a smile, then reached out and poked her forehead: "Is this your excuse for cooking mushroom soup and tofu soup for the Emperor for five days in a row?"
"That's all for losing weight! I specially prepared bean curd and mushroom soup, as well as kelp and tofu soup, all of which are light and low in fat." Wan Anran stood up proudly and twirled in front of the Empress: "Look, haven't I lost a lot of weight?"
The Empress scrutinized her closely.
She nodded: "You do look a little bit thinner, don't you think?"
"Not just a little bit."
Wan Anran stepped forward and placed the Empress's hands on her waist: "Feel it? Do you have dimples on your back?"
The Empress hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back, yet still wanting to speak.
Where else could a palace concubine let you touch her? Wan Anran didn't hesitate at all, and even urged, "Your Majesty, please touch her!"
Beautiful girls, sticking together!
Who doesn't flirt with their deskmate while studying? Wan Anran didn't feel anything was wrong at all. Seeing that the Empress didn't make any move, she quickly urged her again.
The Empress thought for a moment, then casually pinched it.
It must be said that Heaven truly favored Consort Qi; in just half a month, all the extra weight she had gained over the New Year had vanished from her body. The Empress couldn't help but feel a pang of envy, and sighed, "It really is... quite fast."
I wish I could be like that...
Thinking about the new spring clothes she had made yesterday, the empress secretly sighed when she discovered that her size was a size too big.
"Right, right?"
Wan Anran said indignantly, "I gave Your Majesty such a good prescription, but Your Majesty was scared away after drinking it for only five days."
I think it's quite impressive that His Majesty can last for five days!
The Empress, having nothing better to say, tried to cover for the Emperor: "Your Majesty has been very busy lately; perhaps you've been dining with your court officials?"
Wan Anran: ... (each one)
She rolled her eyes: "Heh, then who was that woman enjoying the moonlit night with Consort Tong yesterday? And who was that woman playing the zither and laughing with Consort Zhang the day before yesterday? And who was that woman with Consort Wei the day before yesterday..."
They can rattle off a whole string of names without even trying.
The Emperor is clearly having a great time in the harem!
The empress was extremely embarrassed.
She tried to find an excuse for the emperor, but couldn't come up with one. In the end, the empress gave up on herself. What was the point?
What excuse could we give the emperor?
What does it matter to him, that philandering playboy! The Empress decided to agree with Consort Qi, nodding emphatically: "Your Majesty, you have absolutely no willpower!"
Yinqi and the Fourth Princess, peering through the crack in the door, seemed to understand but not quite.
Yinzhen stared at the two of them expressionlessly, then kicked Yinqi in the butt with his foot: "Don't you have any manners? Why aren't you leaving yet?"
Yinqi let out a howl.
He covered his buttocks and looked at the Fourth Princess: "Fifth Brother, you're being unfair!"
"...?"
"You kicked me but not my fourth sister, even though she was eavesdropping too."
Yinzhen looked at Yinqi with utter speechlessness.
Yinqi, however, was still unconvinced: "Fifth Brother is biased!! He always favors Fourth Sister."
Yinzhen nodded: "That's right."
Yinqi was shocked: "You, you, you, you, you—"
Yinzhen was cold and ruthless, cruelly pinching Yinqi's cheek: "If you were as troublesome as your fourth sister, would I kick you?"
"But she also made a mistake."
She's a girl—
"Why can't girls kick?"
"You—" Seeing that his sixth brother was still going to make trouble, Yinzhen was also a little unhappy.
However, the fourth princess interrupted their struggle.
She sighed deeply, pointed to herself, and said, "Fifth Brother, hit me."
"Huh?" Yinzhen was startled.
"If we don't fight, Yinqi definitely won't give up, right?" The Fourth Princess remained calm.
"so……"
“Rather than letting Sixth Brother cry and make a scene, it’s better for me to suffer a little myself. Besides, Sixth Brother is right about one thing.” The Fourth Princess answered frankly, “I was also eavesdropping. It wouldn’t be fair to only educate Yinqi, would it?”
Yinzhen was slightly taken aback.
He looked at the Fourth Princess intently, then gently placed his hand on her forehead.
The sound was very loud.
The Fourth Princess frowned, then looked at the silent Yinqi and said, "Now we're on equal footing."
Yinqi felt a little embarrassed.
The noise outside the palace had already reached inside. The Empress and Wan Anran watched in surprise as the three of them returned to harmony after their quarrel, happily holding hands and walking out.
Wan Anran couldn't help but laugh: "The Fourth Princess is really amazing."
The Empress was also convinced: "This child is indeed outstanding."
When the eldest princess was this age, she was introverted and lacked confidence; the second princess was willful and spoiled; and the third princess was reserved and quiet. Only the fourth princess was raised to be outstanding and poised, already having her own ideas at such a young age. In the Empress's opinion, she might just be the most promising princess in the future!
Wan Anran was unaware of the Empress's thoughts.
If they had known, they might have praised the Empress for her keen insight. After all, among all the princesses of the Qing Dynasty, and even princesses of various dynasties, the Fourth Princess, who would later be known as the Clam Princess, was an unmissable gem.
After discussing the Fourth Princess, the two couldn't help but turn their conversation to the Sixth Prince, Yinqi. Since the child had lost his former arrogance and domineering attitude, he had become increasingly adorable, making it all the more apparent that the problem lay with Consort Yi.
"As the saying goes, behind every bratty kid is a bratty parent, and that's exactly the case," Wan Anran sighed.
"Yes, I hope Consort Yi will learn her lesson this time," the Empress said calmly. She didn't want to talk about Consort Yi anymore, so she quickly changed the subject and talked with Consort Qi for more than half an hour before reluctantly letting her leave.
Wan Anran encountered the three children again on her way back.
Yinqi and the Fourth Princess clung to the First and Second Princesses, refusing to let go. The two princesses were both annoyed and amused. As for the Third Princess, who was standing to the side, she could only exchange a smile with Yinzhen, both of them with a hint of helplessness on their faces.
It looks pretty fun.
Wan Anran approached with great interest: "What are you doing?"
The group quickly paid their respects to Consort Qi.
Ultimately, it all boils down to being bored and wanting to play. Wan Anran thought for a moment and said, "How about we go to Chuxiu Palace with Consort Qi to make cookies?"
"Cookies?"
"These are sweet little snacks, and they can be made into all sorts of shapes."
Wan Anran described it in detail.
Without much thought or hesitation, everyone happily headed towards Chuxiu Palace.
Chuxiu Palace was bustling with activity.
Wan Anran had a long table set up in the courtyard, with a large pile of flour on it. Eggs and milk were added and kneaded carefully. A piece of flour got on your face, and your fingers became sticky. Laughter immediately filled the Chuxiu Palace.
Press the prepared dough into a single piece, then use the prepared molds to cut out various shapes, and then send them into the oven.
Of course, the oven was also built in the kitchen of Chuxiu Palace.
It has a shape somewhat similar to a modern pizza oven. The chefs rely on their experience to adjust the position of the cookies. Even so, the cookies that are taken out are all golden yellow, fragrant, and crispy when you bite into them.
Yinqi secretly ate several pieces.
But before he could continue sneaking food, Wan Anran pulled out her last trick: "Come on, let's draw expressions on them!"
"……expression?"
"That's right!" With smiling faces, crying faces, or heart-shaped eyes, the strange and quirky Q-version expressions made everyone laugh. The Third Princess was so reluctant to eat that she held the food in her hands, saying she would show it to her mothers later.
Yinqi's heart stirred.
He suddenly stopped eating happily, and then, just like the Third Princess, carefully wrapped the cookies in oil paper, tied them with a bow, wrote a few crooked words on them, and happily skipped towards Yikun Palace.
Wan Anran watched as everyone left.
Her gaze lingered on Yinqi for a long time, and she couldn't help but smile softly: "Yinqi has grown up, hasn't he?"
Yinzhen nodded.
Wan Anran took his hand and walked back: "Hmm... Next, Mother will tell you a story and teach you to recognize words, okay?"
Yinzhen: …………
He stiffened, and while slightly slouching, he still managed a wry smile as he replied, "...Okay."
Wan Anran selected a section from the Three Character Classic and woven it into an interesting little story to tell Yinzhen.
Yinzhen found it a bit boring, but also quite interesting.
I have to say that if I were an ordinary child, perhaps with my mother's persistent explanations every day, I would have been able to clearly explain the meaning of it by the time I entered school?
It's just a bit tough for me.
Yinzhen pondered his early education in his previous life... Hmm, he couldn't remember.
I think my progress is alright, right?
Yinzhen subtly pretended to understand, trying to speed things up.
After listening to the story, the next activities were character recognition, puzzles, and arithmetic. Wan Anran turned these into small games, striving to keep Yinzhen motivated to learn.
The only regret is...
Wan Anran thought to herself, "I really gave birth to a genius." Yinzhen could recite almost everything after hearing it only once, and recognizing characters, doing puzzles, and arithmetic were no challenge for him at all.
Even the building block toys that Wan Anran had specially arranged for the Imperial Household Department to tinker with only piqued Yinzhen's curiosity for a short while before he quickly assembled them.
Terrifying...
Wan Anran was both relieved and worried. Instead of speeding up the pace as Yinzhen had hoped, she slowed down even more.
I hope that Yinzhen could have a happier childhood.
Wan Anran smiled slightly, her gaze towards Yinzhen exceptionally gentle.
Yinzhen lowered his head and stared at the book.
He was so restless that he wished he could jump up and run away immediately.
What should we do in the days to come?
Yinzhen, who was struggling to get through the days, and Wan Anran, who was struggling to prepare lesson plans, couldn't help but sigh at the same time.
Especially Yinzhen.
He now feels he desperately needs a younger brother or sister to distract his mother.
After finishing her lessons, Wan Anran stood up.
Then, the last thing was to say. She smiled slightly and said, "Yinzhen, shall we go to the courtyard to exercise?"
Historically, Yinzhen was a martial arts failure.
Of course, now that he has a new mother—himself, who is in excellent health—and Yinzhen is also a genius in his studies, Wan Anran believes that Yinzhen will definitely not be like the one in history.
Who knows, he might be a martial arts prodigy!
Wan Anran was in high spirits, but she didn't notice that Yinzhen's expression was not very good.
He reluctantly walked into the courtyard.
Wan Anran did not choose the horse stance commonly used in the palace today, but rather the most popular exercise in later generations—radio gymnastics.
Just thinking about it brought to mind a tune etched into her soul: "National Middle School Radio Gymnastics—The Times Are Calling!"
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