The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

Yi Huan gently pushed Yinxiang, saying, "Brother, you're asking me to be an outsider."

Yinxiang was already squatting, so even though Yihuan moved very gently, Yinxiang still sat down on the cushion under Moyaqi.

Moyaqi is a very energetic child who likes to be lifted high in the air.

If you put her on the kang (heated brick bed) or bed, you could easily put yourself in danger if you weren't careful.

So whenever Moyaqi was around, Qingwan would always instruct someone to lay a blanket on the floor so she could do whatever she wanted, and this time was no different.

To be honest, Moyaqi's first birthday celebration was rather simple, but it just so happens to fall on the same day as Emperor Kangxi's birthday.

Since it's in the palace, it's not easy to invite a few familiar people to get together.

Moyaqi, of course, had no idea that her mother was feeling wronged on her behalf, and was looking around at the things around her.

After Yinxiang settled down, he reached out and poked the dimples on Moyaqi's little hands, making her giggle.

Seeing his daughter like this, Yinxiang couldn't help but smile as well. He stared at Moyaqi without looking up and said to Yihuan, "I am the outsider."

Yi Huan just pursed her lips when she heard him say that.

Yinxiang bent down and teased Moyaqi to grab something. Moyaqi grabbed a rhinoceros-shaped club and mumbled the words that had just caught Yinxiang's attention.

"Ma?" Yinxiang was a little surprised. In fact, he hadn't spent much time with the children, and he wondered if the child was speaking at this time.

But he also knew that children in the common folk sometimes call their mothers "Mom," so he asked Qingwan, "Is this calling you?"

Qingwan raised an eyebrow: "Master, have you forgotten? We called you 'E'ne."

"Then what is this..." Yinxiang thought for a moment and said, "Could it be calling me? But it shouldn't be called that."

Yinxiang was in a really good mood today. The "black face" that Qingwan and the others had imagined did not appear. He held Moyaqi on his lap and coaxed her to talk.

Moyaqi kept talking, but what she said was not what Yinxiang wanted to hear.

Aunt Yan smiled and said, "Gege is still young and can't speak yet. But she is learning to speak now. We have taught her a lot, and occasionally she can utter a word or two that sounds like words."

For example, "阿玛" is "玛", and "额捏" is "额".

"Really? It seems you've all heard it, except me."

Qingwan said, "Master, spend more time with Moyaqi in the future. Who knows, one day you might hear Moyaqi call you 'Father' properly."

I get excited just thinking about how Moya screamed "Eh-ne!"

"Excited?" Yinxiang thought back to the first time the eldest princess called him "Father," when he was reclining in a chair reading a book.

Mingxin seemed to be driven to desperation by her pinching, and cried out "Father!" but only once before refusing to utter another sound.

When Fuling pushed him too far, she even scared Mingxin to tears. He was happy then, but he wasn't excited at all.

He reached out and took the small stick from Moyaqi's hand: "Then I'll wait."

After Yinxiang put Moyaqi down and was about to get up, Songhua entered the room. She stared at Yinxiang, who was sitting on the blanket playing with Moyaqi, for a moment without saying a word.

It wasn't until Muxiang asked, "Is there something you need?"

Songhua suddenly woke up: "Reporting to my masters, the eldest princess and the eldest prince have arrived."

"Let them in."

Mingxin and Hongchang were brought by Fuling. After paying her respects, she said, "I thought it was Second Princess's birthday today, so I brought the two children to play with her."

Yinxiang instructed the wet nurse to place Hongchang next to him and Moyaqi.

Mingxin had just returned to the palace after being vaccinated against smallpox, and was still somewhat listless. After paying her respects, she leaned against Fuling's legs without moving.

Yinxiang beckoned: "Come over here, Father."

Mingxin slowly shuffled over and called out softly, "Father."

Seeing that Mingxin seemed unwell, Qingwan carefully inquired about Mingxin's wet nurse and Fuling's health before speaking:

"Vaccination is inherently dangerous, so why bring Mingxin out when she's still feeling unwell?"

Fu Ling smiled wryly: "The eldest princess has always liked her younger sister. These days, she's been staying in her room sleeping more than she's awake, so I thought I'd bring her out to play with the second princess."

Moyaqi also liked this older sister very much. She slowly crawled to Mingxin's side and handed the little stick in her hand to Mingxin.

Mingxi knelt down to take it, a smile appearing on her face: "Thank you, little sister."

After handing the items in her hand to Mingxin, Moyaqi continued searching for other things on the blanket.

At this moment, Hongchang also grabbed a pen. Moyaqi turned over and, like a small beast whose territory had been invaded, grabbed at Hongchang head-on.

Fortunately, she was small, with short arms and little strength. Despite her fierce appearance, Hongchang only had a red mark on his face, accompanied by Fuling's exclamation.

Yinxiang reached out and pulled Moyaqi in front of him: "I wonder who she got this temper from."

Qingwan was also startled and quickly got up to go to Hongchang. She was slightly relieved to see that there was only a little redness on his face.

"Bring me the medicine, the one I usually use." It was common for Yinxiang to get bumps and bruises.

Yinxiang smiled and said, "If you go any slower, the redness will fade."

"What are you saying, sir? Children's skin is the most delicate. It may look fine now, but it could be more than just this one red patch by tomorrow."

Yinxiang didn't care about the wound and said, "Hongchang is a prince. He will have to learn riding and archery in the future. How can one learn riding and archery without suffering and getting injured?"

Qingwan took the medicine and gently blew on it as she applied it to Hongchang: "That's something for when he grows up."

As for Hongchang, he only opened his mouth and howled twice when he was caught by Moyaqi, then closed his mouth without making a sound or shedding a tear.

Even when applying medicine, he only focused on the pen in his hand.

Before Qingwan got up, she reached out and gently stroked Hongchang's chubby little face: "What a well-behaved child."

After all that was over, it was Fuling's turn to squat down in front of Hongchang. Her eyes instantly reddened, and she looked at Yinxiang with a wronged expression.

Yinxiang sighed and said, "Alright, it's not a serious injury. How much strength can a child have when playing? Hongchang didn't even cry or make a fuss, so don't make a fuss about him."

Aunt Yan, who had been silent all along, interrupted with a laugh: "Master said the Second Princess resembles someone, and I think she resembles Master. When Master was young, he couldn't bear even the slightest grievance."

Yinxiang released Moyaqi, who was struggling beside him, got up and casually found a place to sit down: "That was all in my childhood."

Yi Huan, who had been sitting silently to the side, looked at Ming Xin, who had been squatting by the blanket and collecting Mo Yaqi's little stick without saying a word:

"Come to your aunt."

Mingxin put down what she was holding and went to Yihuan's side. Yihuan picked up the cup and offered her a sip of the dew in it: "Is it good?"

Children are always drawn to sweet things, especially those that smell like flowers, so they smiled and nodded.

Qingwan, who was already holding the restless Moyaqi in her arms, thought of something else upon hearing this.

Neither she nor Yinxiang liked this, so they only prepared some for Yihuan because she liked it, and only took it out to use when Yihuan came. So they didn't think of preparing a set for the children.

Seeing that Mingxin's face had become so thin recently, Qingwan, since she liked it, instructed someone to prepare to fetch it.

Yi Huan said, "I'll have someone send it over; you don't usually keep any on hand."