Qing Dynasty: The Imperial Concubine is Pregnant Again

The Eighth Concubine snorted fiercely and said nothing. The Eighth Prince beside her hurried to coax her. Kangxi had criticized the Eighth Concubine more than once for not wanting the Eighth Prince to marry a concubine. Now that someone said that to her in person, she was of course unhappy. Moreover, this person was not an ordinary palace maid or servant, so she could neither beat nor punish her.

The Ninth Prince rolled his eyes. He would not let his brother be mocked like this. He immediately brought up the banquet and said, "Little Fourth Sister-in-law, you are wrong. You organized the banquet and you know the people. But you pretended not to know and insulted the Eighth Lady. Isn't that inappropriate?"

The Ninth Prince Yinzhen was born handsome, with an androgynous appearance. He was the most beautiful among all the princes. Of course, no man liked to be told that he was beautiful, but his appearance was the kind that people would say was beautiful at first sight.

At this moment, he stared at Tong Nuanyan with a bit of evil and viciousness, which made her slightly startled. This man... is quite suitable for her to have children. If Yinzhen knew Tong Nuanyan's thoughts, the jealousy in his heart would overflow.

Tong Nuanyan smiled slightly and said innocently, "Could it be that speaking the truth has become an insult? I wonder if I am wrong to say that the Eighth Lady is virtuous, or if I am wrong to say that the Eighth Lady is good at managing the household?"

Very good, Yinzhen was almost bypassed by this question. He wanted to say something else, but was stopped by the Eighth Prince beside him: "Of course the little fourth sister-in-law is not wrong, fourth brother, I will remember it."

Yinzhen listened but didn't react. Yinsi and he didn't have a good relationship, and this conflict wouldn't change no matter how much. "Eighth brother, I've remembered this. I'll tell the Emperor that it's time for you to marry a concubine."

After Yinzhen said this, the Eighth Concubine felt even more uncomfortable, but he didn't care. As long as he felt happy, it was fine.

Tong Nuanyan saw that noon was approaching, so she asked Xia Xi to take Hong Zhao to feed him, and she signaled Qiu Yu, who was waiting on the side, to go to the kitchen to have the dishes served. "Noon is almost here, my lords, nobles, and wives, the full moon banquet will soon begin."

After watching such a big show, Prince Zhi and Prince Cheng were watching with great interest. They only spoke when Tong Nuanyan said that the banquet was about to start.

Prince Zhi: "Oh, it's been a long time since I saw my fourth and eighth brothers speaking like this. And, fourth brother, your concubine is really eloquent." As he said that, he gave Yinzhen a thumbs up and laughed.

After he finished speaking, Prince Cheng also said, "Yes, elder brother is right. Fourth brother, Concubine Tong is really extraordinary. This banquet is so innovative. It's not in vain!"

Yinzhen listened to them and raised the teacup beside him: "Big brother, Third brother, what you said is true. Let me offer you a cup of tea instead of wine."

"Hahaha, fourth brother, you still can't take a joke like this, it's boring." Although Prince Zhi said that Yinzhen was boring, he still picked up the teacup and took a sip, which regarded as letting the matter go.

Prince Cheng was more direct and drank the Biluochun in the teacup in one gulp: "We won't tease you, Fourth Brother, but you have such a new idea before the banquet. What's the special feature of this dish?"

Seeing that Prince Cheng was talking about the dishes to be prepared, Tong Nuanyan was watched by everyone, but she was not in a hurry: "Prince Cheng guessed right, this dish is the protagonist of today!"

At this time, the palace maids who were serving the dishes also came out, each holding a plate of food in their hands.

"The first dish is Jiangnan Hundred Flowers Chicken." After Tong Nuanyan finished speaking, the palace maids also served this dish, which looked like an ordinary steamed chicken.

“Don’t be fooled by its ordinary appearance. It is made by spreading shrimp paste on the inside of the muscle and steaming it. It is garnished with tuberose, which leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth and has a unique flavor.” These are recipes that are about to be lost. They were all bought from the Interstellar Mall. Even the ingredients were bought from the Interstellar Mall under the cover of sending things from the Tongjia Mansion.

Everyone listened and picked up their chopsticks to eat a piece. They were amazed by the taste in their mouths. The texture was chewy and smooth, and the flavors of chicken and shrimp were perfectly combined. It was in no way inferior to other delicacies from land and sea.

"What Fourth Sister-in-law said is indeed true. If the following dishes are all like this, then this banquet will be a great success." Tenth Beizi, who couldn't stop eating, said incoherently while chewing.

The other women were chewing slowly and savoring the food. The first wife was too busy to eat herself. Seeing Hongyu eating happily, she was more concerned about her son. The third and fifth wives were talking quietly together. They were far away, and Tong Nuanyan didn't want to use her special ability to listen.

"The second dish is black carp lung. The third dish is squirrel fish. These two dishes are seafood. You know how delicious they are without saying much. The most important thing is that they are fresh." Looking at the two dishes served on the table, Tong Nuanyan introduced them again.

At this time, no one paid attention to what she said. They had been here for quite a while and everyone was trying hard to eat.

The palace maids serving the dishes came out one after another again, and soon, eight dishes and a soup were served. Seeing that everyone was no longer interested in listening to her introduction of the dishes, Tong Nuanyan sat down and prepared to eat.

Everyone at their table was familiar face, including the late Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes, and the Fifteenth Prince Yinyou, who was only eight years old and had little presence, also came with the two princes.

Tong Nuanyan sat next to Yinzhen, and next to her was an empty seat, which was reserved for her to see Hongzhao. Although it was Hongzhao's full moon ceremony, the focus today was on the banquet, and few people paid attention to Hongzhao.

"Fourth sister-in-law, does Hongzhao look like fourth brother or like you?" The Fourteenth Prince was not interested in eating at all. He wanted to poke fun at his fourth brother Yinzhen whenever he got the chance. The Thirteenth Prince wanted to stop him from saying anything.

"What do you think, Fourteenth Prince?" Tong Nuanyan stopped picking up the dishes and asked. Even she, the one who prepared today's dishes, had only eaten them once, so she had to taste them carefully.

"Well, I think he looks like Fourth Sister-in-law. Wouldn't it be scary if Hongzhao looked like Fourth Brother?" After Fourteenth Prince finished speaking quickly, Yinzhen glared at him fiercely, as if he wanted to eat him. He didn't listen to what Tong Nuanyan had to say, and pulled the other two princes to the seat of Eighth Beile.

"Fourth Master, you should listen to him. You are obviously handsome, and Hongzhao will be more handsome if he looks like you." Tong Nuanyan looked at Yinzhen who was not eating, held his hand under the table, and said softly.

"Be careful not to be seen." Although Yinzhen scolded in a low voice, he did not wave away Tong Nuanyan's hand at all. The smile on the corner of his mouth could not be suppressed, and he could not tell how happy he was in his heart.

"Eat. The guests will bring gifts later." Tong Nuanyan patted his hands gently and concentrated on eating. As for Hongzhao, he was a baby and was sleeping at the moment.

Soon, lunch was over and it was time to give gifts.

The Prince of Zhi and his wife presented a precious Hetian jade ruyi. Seeing the looks on everyone's faces that showed he was very powerful, the Prince of Zhi felt satisfied. He could still afford the Hetian jade ruyi without feeling any pain.

"Thank you for your kindness, brother." Yinzhen bowed to Prince Zhi.

"Hey, it's nothing. After all, Hongzhao is my nephew. This is what I should do, what I should do." Prince Zhi waved his hand. He didn't care much about these things.

"It's getting late, fourth brother. Your sister-in-law and I will take Hongyu back." After saying this, Prince Zhi left without looking back.

Prince Cheng and his wife gave each of them a red gold crouching tiger necklace and a red coral bracelet, which are also relatively valuable items. They can only be considered ordinary gifts, not outstanding.

"Hongzhao will be as strong as a tiger when he grows up. This gift can be considered as a blessing for him." Prince Cheng, who was always eloquent, didn't know what to say at this moment. He was always stingy.

"Thank you, Prince Cheng, for your kind words." Seeing that Yinzhen didn't say anything, Tong Nuanyan had no choice but to thank him. Perhaps it was because the gift was a bit shabby that Yinzhen was a little dissatisfied and didn't even want to thank him verbally.

Prince Cheng also knew that his gift was a bit embarrassing, so he smiled awkwardly and left.

The Fifth Prince and the Fifth Lady both gave Hongzhao a jade pendant with black jade and cloud patterns inlaid with beads. The whole thing was small and exquisite, and he could wear it when he was two or three years old. It was a very thoughtful gift.

"This jade pendant is so delicate and beautiful. The Fifth Prince and his wife are so thoughtful. Hongzhao will be able to use it when he grows up." Tong Nuanyan said to Yinzhen beside her with a smile, and Yinzhen was quite satisfied with the gift.

"It's nothing. It's Hongzhao's full moon banquet, so naturally it should be given to Hongzhao. Fourth brother, it's getting late. I'll leave first." After the Fifth Prince said this, he signaled to Yinzhen and turned around and left without waiting for the Fifth Lady, who followed behind him.

The Eighth Prince's family also sent a jade pendant, a white jade tiger-shaped auspicious cloud jade pendant. After putting the gift into the gift box, the Eighth Prince said, "I didn't expect my gift to collide with the Fifth Brother's. I hope the Fourth Brother won't mind. I'm leaving first."

Watching the Eighth Prince and the Eighth Wife leave, the princes who were born put the gifts into the boxes and ran away without saying a word.