Emperor Kangxi remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he reached out and patted his son's head: "Go play."
Do you need to comfort me?
Let's wait another ten years, no! Twenty years!
Yinzhen blinked.
As he watched his father rush towards his mother and grandmother in a whirlwind, he belatedly realized that his own child was not even two years old. Did this comforting thought hurt his father's heart? Yinzhen subconsciously took two steps, but quickly stopped himself.
It seems like explaining won't help, right?
Yinzhen thought for a moment and decided to pretend he didn't know. He climbed onto the stool, held a crispy pumpkin pastry in both hands, and took a big bite.
The outer crust is crispy, and the inside is filled with soft and sweet pumpkin filling. Apart from honey, milk, glutinous rice, and pumpkin, there are no other additives. It is a snack that my mother specially made for me.
As Yinzhen took a bite, he felt the sweet taste seep into his heart. The peach smoothie was made for his maternal grandmother and Consort Xi, while the crispy pumpkin pastry was made for his son.
As for Khan Ama... hehe.
Just as Yinzhen was secretly pleased, a small, childlike voice suddenly rang out beside him: "Brother... Brother."
He looked down and saw that it was the Fourth Princess.
The little princess, just over a year old, yawned widely and rubbed her eyes, which were still a little wet with tears. Her gaze was fixed on the pumpkin pastry, and she swallowed, sucking on her finger.
Yinzhen moved the pumpkin pastry aside.
Although children shouldn't eat too much, a little bit of glutinous rice occasionally is fine. Yinzhen handed half a piece to the Fourth Princess: "You can only eat half a piece, you still have to eat rice later."
The wet nurse watched with a smile.
The sight of the two children, one big and one small, together was incredibly heartwarming. Consort Qi is truly fortunate to have such a clever and well-behaved child as the Fifth Prince!
On the other side.
Unaware that his son was secretly looking down on him, Emperor Kangxi rallied himself and walked over to the three of them, casually interjecting, "Mangoes? They've sent them two or three times a year before. They're supposedly something only found in Fujian, Guangdong, and even Taiwan. I find them sour and astringent, not very tasty."
Wan Anran shook her head: "That's because the Emperor wouldn't eat it."
If there were mangoes… Wan Anran’s mouth watered at the thought. From dried mango to mango pomelo sago, from mango cake to mango lemon tea, mango glutinous rice balls, mango ice cream, mango cake rolls… Wan Anran’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Kangxi and let out a long sigh.
Kangxi: ...?
The Empress Dowager nodded emphatically, glancing at the Emperor with displeasure: "Things that don't understand should be given to our Consort Qi."
Kangxi: ...?
Is this all my fault?
Kangxi felt very wronged.
Is Kangxi the kind of person who would let himself be wronged? Of course not! So he stared at Wan Anran with a forced smile: "When the mangoes arrive, remember to send me a portion of the pastries that Consort Qi made. I want to try them."
Now everyone finally realized that something was wrong with the emperor. The Empress Dowager quickly pulled the emperor to sit down, half out of curiosity and half to change the subject: "Why does Your Majesty have time to dine with me today?"
I couldn't see a soul for the past few days.
Kangxi's arrogance immediately subsided, and he replied with a smile, "It's all because your son is unfilial. From now on, your son will come to dine with Your Majesty every day."
The Empress Dowager replied instinctively, "That won't be necessary."
Kangxi: ...
Empress Dowager: …………
This is really awkward.
The Empress Dowager's gaze darted around, and she changed the subject somewhat guiltily: "His Majesty's arrival is just in time, let's have our meal now."
Emperor Kangxi stared blankly.
"That's unnecessary. What does that mean?" He, who prided himself on being filial, could only swallow his grievances and agree softly.
As for the suspects?
Hmph! He's sure it's all Consort Qi's fault!
Wan Anran sneezed.
Even though it was hot and there was an ice basin in the room, why was she sneezing? She was quite puzzled and moved a little further away from the ice basin—had she eaten too much shaved ice earlier?
The first dishes served were three small side dishes.
Spicy cucumber, honey-glazed lotus root slices, and cabbage with sesame sauce. Each of the three dishes had its own unique flavor: the refreshing cucumber, the sweet lotus root slices, and the savory and spicy cabbage. Kangxi took a few bites and his eyes lit up. His only regret was that the portions seemed a bit small. The beauty only got one chopstickful?
Emperor Kangxi looked at the Empress Dowager with concern: "Empress Mother, your appetite has been poor lately—"
The Empress Dowager saw through the Emperor's thoughts.
Her lips twitched, and she chose to interrupt Kangxi: "Usually I dine with Consort Qi, but today, with the Emperor and Consort Xi joining us, it's quite lively."
The problem lies with you!
With Consort Xi around, things were fine. With the Emperor's big mouth, he could finish the food on the table in just a couple of bites! It's just a pity that the Empress Dowager didn't understand. What Kangxi heard was that there was Consort Xi, which is why there was less food.
That Consort Xi! She has absolutely no sense of propriety.
"Seeing that I've come to dine with the Empress Dowager, you should have quickly left. What are you doing here?" Kangxi glanced at Consort Xi with slight displeasure.
Consort Xi trembled.
She inexplicably felt a weight on her head, as if a huge pot had been slammed down on it. Consort Xi glanced at the Emperor, her movements stiffening for a moment before she quickly regained her composure.
Next came the braised tofu with soy sauce, tiger-skin green peppers, squid and shrimp rings, spicy hot pot, and creamy tofu and meat soup.
Pan-fried to a crispy exterior and tender interior, tofu is drizzled with a rich sauce, perfectly combining the hot, crisp, and tender textures. The spiciness of the crisp green peppers is irresistible. The chewy squid and shrimp meat create a symphony of seafood flavors in your mouth.
As for Mala Xiang Guo (Spicy Stir-fry Pot).
The perfect combination of fresh, fragrant, spicy, and numbing flavors was so delicious that Emperor Kangxi could eat three large bowls of it all by himself.
Emperor Kangxi, with a hearty appetite, devoured the food at the table.
Wan Anran sighed and placed the milk-flavored tofu and meat soup in front of Yinzhen, fearing that the emperor might even snatch his son's food if he got too strong.
As for the three of them...
Fortunately, Wan Anran had prepared a potato and sausage stew with rice. She exchanged glances with the Empress Dowager and Consort Xi, all hoping that the Emperor wouldn't actually come tomorrow.
Is this possible?
Impossible! Tired of Consort Yi and Consort Wei, Emperor Kangxi rediscovered his love of food, spending several days in a row dining with the Empress Dowager, taking Consort Qi for walks, and occasionally defeating Consort Xi in a chess game. In just a few days, Kangxi had stirred up a great deal of public resentment.
Wan Anran: ...So annoying!
Empress Dowager: ...So annoying!
Consort Xi: ...So annoying!!!
They were annoyed, and Consort Yi and Consort Wei were equally frustrated. The two racked their brains trying to win the Emperor back, failing repeatedly, yet persisting on their attempt.
Just as everyone was looking at the Emperor with increasingly strange eyes, the arrival of the eldest and second princesses diverted everyone's attention.
The Empress Dowager was overjoyed by the sudden appearance of the two princesses. She put her arm around one of them with her left arm and the other with her right, and said with a hint of regret, "Why didn't the Third Princess come with us? If she had come, all of you sisters would be here."
The fourth princess lived with the Empress Dowager.
If the Third Princess also comes, then all four princesses in the palace will be present.
"My third sister originally wanted to come too."
The eldest princess explained, "She just happened to catch a cold yesterday, so she couldn't come."
"I see."
The Empress Dowager smiled and pinched the eldest princess's cheek: "Why did you two suddenly decide to come here?"
That's because the palace is in complete chaos.
The eldest princess muttered to herself—it was so chaotic that even the Empress Dowager was having a headache, fearing she couldn't take care of them all, so she simply packed herself and her second younger sister up and sent them to the West Garden.
If it weren't for the fact that matters concerning the princes required the Emperor's permission, the Empress Dowager would probably have sent the Crown Prince and the others over as well.
Of course, the eldest princess didn't intend to tell her grandmother, who didn't concern herself with palace affairs. Her eyes darted around, and she smiled as she took Wan Anran's arm: "Because I miss Consort Qi."
The Empress Dowager casually replied, "The delicious food you made."
The eldest princess's cheeks flushed instantly, and she stamped her foot: "Grandma!"
"What I'm saying is the truth."
"...But we can't just say it out loud." The eldest princess blushed from her cheeks to the roots of her ears, muttering shyly, "If word gets out, won't my granddaughter, granddaughter, granddaughter become a glutton?"
"Huh? Aren't you one?"
"Grandma!" the eldest princess exclaimed angrily.
The Empress Dowager laughed so hard she almost fell over.
She winked at the crowd below the stage: "Yes, yes, yes, how could our eldest princess be a glutton? It's all my fault, our eldest princess is at most a glutton!"
The dragon has nine sons, each different from the other.
Taotie is also famous for one thing: gluttony.
The concubines in the audience struggled to suppress their laughter.
Wan Anran pursed her lips and couldn't stop smiling, but unfortunately, her arm was being held by the eldest princess. No matter how much Wan Anran tried to restrain herself, the eldest princess noticed the subtle tremor in her chest.
The eldest princess's cheeks were puffed up with anger.
She let out a soft groan, released her grip, and turned to the side, as if to say that she wanted Consort Qi to come and coax her.
The youngest daughter's adorable antics made everyone burst into laughter. Seeing that the eldest princess was blushing and her neck was red from the laughter, Wan Anran stepped forward and took the eldest princess's arm: "Alright, alright, don't be angry. Let's make glutinous rice balls together later."
"Glutinous rice balls?"
"Yes, it's so delicious when it's ice-cold!" Wan Anran said confidently.
The eldest princess was immediately delighted.
She happily took her leave and, pulling the Second Princess and her entourage, chattered away as they walked toward the courtyard where Wan Anran lived.
Last year, the second princess was still a soft and adorable little dumpling, but now she looks much more mature. The seven-year-old already looks like an adult, kneading the dough meticulously. Only when she secretly kneads the dough into other shapes and laughs can you see the mischievousness hidden beneath her dignified appearance.
The glutinous rice balls were made very quickly.
The soft glutinous rice skin is chewy and bouncy, and inside is a filling made of taro and cream cheese, plus milk jelly, making it delicate, sweet and unique in taste.
If you add peach juice to the glutinous rice flour, the light pink glutinous rice dumplings will absolutely capture the hearts of all girls. The eldest and second princesses each had a serving of glutinous rice dumplings, a serving of peach smoothie, and then picked up various animal-shaped cookies from the plate.
That was pure joy!
Before Wan Anran, the Empress Dowager, and others realized that something might have happened in the palace, they came to their senses after Kangxi suddenly rushed back to the palace.
The only thing that could summon the Emperor back was Consort Miao's pregnancy. Since it concerned the imperial heir, even if the Empress Dowager wanted to stay in the Western Garden, she was very uneasy and frequently sent letters back to the palace to inquire about the situation.
The summer heat is getting increasingly oppressive.
Wan Anran leaned against the window frame, gazing at the gloomy sky, and inexplicably felt a storm brewing.
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