At the same time, the Sixth Prince, Yinqi, also moved into the Prince's Residence.
Originally, he could have moved in another six months or even next spring, but Yinqi kept acting spoiled and unreasonable. As a result, Consort Yi, who had to take care of Yintang and was pregnant with her third child, couldn't control him at all. In addition, Consort Ning's health had not been very good. In the end, she could only agree to the little prince's request and let him move into the prince's residence ahead of schedule.
Therefore, when Wan Anran was leading Yinzhen, they happened to run into Consort Yi on the road. The two had re-established a good working relationship during the southern tour. Although they weren't close, they could still exchange a few words. Now that they had something in common, they chatted and laughed as they walked towards the prince's residence.
The access control at the brother's residence is very strict.
Apart from the prince's tutor, imperial physician, guards, and the palace servants who served him, no one else was allowed to enter or leave without permission. Even Consort Qi and Consort Yi had to obtain the emperor's permission to come, and it would be difficult for them to come again in the future.
After passing through the first palace gate, Wan Anran bid farewell to Consort Yi and led Yinzhen into the courtyard where he would reside in the future. As the residence for princes before they were granted the title of king, this place was quite spacious, with three courtyards.
Without Wan Anran giving any instructions, Aunt Lang led the palace servants inside. After communicating with the palace servants dispatched by the Imperial Household Department for a while, they began to send in various furniture, decorations, and utensils.
Wan Anran was also busy.
She kept going in and out, watching the palace servants prepare, determined to make everything in front of her perfect. She even squeezed and kneaded the bedding, fearing that the Imperial Household Department's preparations were not thick and comfortable enough, which made the palace servants serving in the courtyard a little uneasy.
While Yinzhen was both amused and exasperated, he also felt a warm glow in his heart.
In his previous life, he did not receive such treatment. His foster mother, Consort Tong, was bedridden and unable to care for him. The palace servants of Chengqian Palace were warm but cautious towards him after he learned about his origins. The things they moved into the prince's residence were neither conventional nor exquisite, and it looked rather desolate.
As for Consort De, she didn't even send him a congratulatory gift, let alone send him a personal gift. Originally, Yinzhen didn't feel anything, but when he saw the grand scene of his sixth brother moving, he realized that Consort De had disliked him from that moment on.
Not to mention fourteen.
Not only did Yinzhen have to watch Consort De carry large and small packages to escort the fourteenth prince to his residence, but he also had to hold his breath and help from both sides.
Looking back on the past and then at the present, seeing his mother constantly going in and out, taking care of everything, Yinzhen's heart felt as sweet as if it were soaking in a honey pot.
He couldn't help but step forward and hug Wan Anran's arm: "Mother, that's enough. You've been working so hard, please sit down and rest."
"Where have we even begun?"
Wan Anran waved her hand, instructing Aunt Lang to fetch tea and snacks, while also coaxing Yinzhen aside: "You go and sit down first, leave everything here to your mother."
Yinzhen wanted to say more.
Before he could even speak, Wan Anran pushed him aside: "Be good, listen to me!"
Yinzhen had no choice but to leave.
Just then, at the courtyard gate, he ran into Yinqi, who had also been kicked out. The two brothers exchanged a glance, sharing a similar sense of camaraderie. Yinqi smiled and said, "Fifth Brother, now that we're living in the Princes' quarters and studying in the Imperial Study, we're practically adults now, aren't we?"
"……what you up to?"
"Shall we go for a stroll in our elder brother's courtyard?" Yinqi chuckled.
However, Yinzhen stopped Yinqi's little scheme: "What if Mother and Consort Yi come looking for us after we've finished tidying up? Let's go after Mother and Consort Yi have left."
Yinqi thought about it and agreed: "...Okay."
By the time Wan Anran and Consort Yi finished preparing, the sun had already set. The two reluctantly held onto their son and talked for a long time before finally leaving reluctantly amidst the urging of the palace servants.
The two little rascals, however, after seeing their mothers off, excitedly went to visit their older brothers in their courtyard.
The eldest prince, Yinzhi, was indifferent and dismissed them with a few indifferent words. The third prince, Yinzuo, was much more polite, and even joked with Yinzhen, saying, "Consort Qi has always taken good care of Third Brother. If Fifth Brother has any problems, he can come to Third Brother for help."
Polite words, polite words.
Yinzhen knew perfectly well that his third brother could refuse to go even if Consort Xuan said she wouldn't go, and seemed to have his own ideas. Yinzhen smiled and agreed with his words, but didn't take them to heart.
Finally, they went to the Fourth Prince, Yinzhi.
He had a smile on his face, and seemed to be in a good mood. After all, Yinzhi wasn't the youngest among the princes, and thinking of this, he had endless things to say to his two younger brothers.
Yinzhen still felt a little nostalgic.
Yinzhi was still exactly the same; once he started talking, he never stopped. Look at how Yinqi was talking; even his eyes started rolling around.
Of course, before leaving, Yinzhi also reminded them: "By the way, you must be careful when studying in the Imperial Study—"
Yinqi asked anxiously, "Should we be careful?"
Yin Zhi's expression was solemn: "Father Khan comes back to test you almost every day. You must study hard, otherwise Father Khan will be furious if you can't recite the answers."
Yinqi swallowed hard.
Her beautiful wishes for the prince's residence and the monk's study gradually turned into something ferocious and terrifying under the intimidation of the fourth brother, and she even trembled at the thought of facing the life ahead alone.
As for Wan Anran, who sent her son to primary school... oh, to the Imperial Study, her days have been rather leisurely to the point of being boring lately.
Although Yinzhen wasn't the kind of child who would cause trouble, the Chuxiu Palace always seemed a bit more lively when he was around. Wan Anran tossed and turned, constantly worrying about whether Yinzhen was eating well, sleeping well, and getting along well with his brothers and study companions.
Yinzhen was both amused and worried.
When he went to Cining Palace to pay his respects, he told the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and others about the matter: "Mother is overthinking things, and her appetite has been poor lately. Grandmother, Empress Dowager, and all the other consorts can try to persuade her..."
The Empress Dowager couldn't help but pull Yinzhen into her arms.
She kissed Yinzhen's cheek: "Alright, alright, leave this to Grandma!"
Even Consort Yi was somewhat envious of Consort Qi.
She also glared at Yinqi with a hint of disappointment, and couldn't help but complain after leaving Cining Palace: "We're both moving to the princes' quarters, but you're not thoughtful at all!"
Yinqi: ...?
Completely bewildered by the unexpected attack, he mumbled aggrievedly, "When I returned to Yikun Palace to pay my respects, I didn't even have as much time to talk to you as I did to talk to my aunt..."
Now, she's complaining that she's not considerate enough?
Regardless of the awkwardness between Consort Yi and the Sixth Prince, the Empress and Consort Xuan took turns sending messages, either inviting Wan Anran to visit Wen Xian or inviting Wan Anran to visit Yin E. Of course, the Empress Dowager did the same, and specially sent someone to summon Consort Qi to Cining Palace to talk.
Compared to the Empress and Consort Xuan's roundabout tactics, the Empress Dowager was much more direct. She smiled and said, "Consort Qi, now that Yinzhen is grown up, it's time for you to give him a younger brother or sister!"
You see, Consort Yi next door is about to give birth to her third child, while Consort Qi's belly hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy for several years. The Empress Dowager thinks of the clever, sensible, and intelligent Fifth Prince Yinzhen, and wishes she could have more of them. Just thinking about it makes her grin from ear to ear: "I heard that Yinzhen is also looking forward to it?"
"Yinzhen?" Wan Anran was still wondering about the Empress and Consort Xuan's strange attitudes lately when she heard this, and couldn't help but raise her eyebrows: "Empress Dowager, did Yinzhen say something?"
"What could he say... Sigh, Yinzhen was just worried about you."
"That brat!" Wan Anran gritted her teeth. "He should worry about his studies instead."
The Empress Dowager found it quite unusual.
She glanced at Wan Anran: "Didn't Yinzhen tell you? Just two days ago, the Emperor mentioned to me that Yinzhen's calligraphy is excellent, just like his own, and he even specially rewarded him with the Four Treasures of the Study."
Wan Anran was stunned.
Yinzhen hadn't actually mentioned it to her. Most importantly, Wan Anran's gaze sharpened: "Your Majesty, are you going to bring up old grievances again? My handwriting is much better now."
It's very difficult to write calligraphy with a brush.
It is especially difficult to write a beautiful small regular script. After Wan Anran got a pencil, she felt that her handwriting was unbelievably beautiful. Especially after getting used to it, she felt very uncomfortable using a brush.
While others could slack off, the "Fu" character for the New Year had to be written by oneself. Having not caught Consort Qi in a bad way for a long time, Emperor Kangxi saw the "Fu" character, which had a style reminiscent of the past and resembled an earthworm crawling, and while waving his hand, he personally bestowed a "Fu" character upon her, but at the same time, he did not forget to mock her.
Wan Anran was so angry she jumped up and down, then went back to practice diligently for a while. Her cheeks were puffed up with anger, and she was itching to retaliate against Kangxi for bringing up old grievances.
The Empress Dowager laughed so hard she almost fell over.
Wan Anran pouted and grumbled unhappily. Of course, she later told the Empress Dowager, "Your Majesty, don't worry, I actually had the same idea in mind."
It's about time for Little Twelve to come.
After Wan Anran made up her mind, the person who was most delighted was probably Kangxi, while the other concubines were the most shocked.
Spring has arrived, all things are reviving, and it's time for animals to reproduce... Ugh! Due to the pregnancies of two imperial concubines, coupled with the efforts of the newly promoted concubines, the competition in the palace has been exceptionally fierce recently, but no one has taken Consort Qi seriously.
After all, Consort Qi was known for being indifferent to worldly affairs...
Not at all! Wan Anran didn't care about the concubines' gossip and enthusiastically launched her flirting method, which was basically: "Your Majesty, today Chuxiu Palace is planning to make teriyaki chicken/takoyaki/spicy crab/three-sauce stew/ice cream...would you like to try some?"
The emperor happily went over there.
The other concubines immediately became dissatisfied: "What? Only you, Consort Qi, can seduce the Emperor to dine with him, but we can't?"
Suddenly, all kinds of flowers bloomed in the palace.
The problem was that changing the person in charge didn't solve the problem—anyway, Kangxi ate and slept in the Chuxiu Palace, spending more than ten days a month there.
We also have to deduct the days the Emperor slept in the Qianqing Palace. The concubines were truly miserable and wretched. It was no use complaining to the Kunning Palace/Cining Palace. The Empress Dowager and the Empress's favoritism was simply outrageous!
As for the Empress Dowager...
Seeing the attitudes of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, and considering Consort Qi's character all along, she turned a blind eye and simply pretended not to know.
Qi Fei's behavior did not last long.
She recovered as usual just one month later, and three months later, news of her pregnancy broke, causing an uproar in the palace.
In fact, there were rumors in the palace that Consort Qi had a secret formula that was the only one that could help her and her close friends, the Empress and Consort Xuan, to conceive.
With Consort Qi's pregnancy revealed, many concubines in the palace also made connections to this. Of course, Wan Anran responded to the rumors of a secret formula with a smile: "Then you might as well ask Consort Yi and Consort Ning! How many of them are pregnant already!"
That's true too.
Thinking of Consort Yi who was about to give birth, all the other concubines were speechless.
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