Chapter 30 Chapter 30 As soon as Kangxi recovered from his cold

, he took back Taiwan.

As early as the 20th year of Kangxi's reign, after Zheng Jing, who was stationed in Taiwan, died, Kangxi had already drawn up a plan to attack Taiwan by force. However, after the navy went to the front, the opinions of the generals on the front were not unified, and the specific strategy of how to take back Taiwan was delayed again and again. It was not until the 22nd year of Kangxi's reign that the court finally discussed a plan to attack Taiwan, and the action to take back Taiwan began immediately.

The Three Feudatories Rebellion had just been quelled, and soon after, the war with Taiwan broke out. There were voices of opposition in the court. Kangxi pushed forward this matter with all his might, and was so busy that he was exhausted and worked day and night. On weekdays, apart from attending court, he would review memorials and meet with ministers in the Yangxin Palace to discuss frontline affairs.

When Kangxi was busy, he had no time to enter the harem, and most of the eyes of the harem were now focused on the belly of Concubine De who was about to give birth, so Wen Shan thought that this was a good opportunity to vaccinate Yinzhen and Yinsi.

Yinzhen naturally didn't know about this. Yinsi had discussed cowpox with Wenshan before and knew about it, but Wenshan didn't tell Yinsi that she was going to vaccinate them recently, worried that Yinsi would be nervous and react strongly after knowing it.

So one night Wenshan quietly entered the side hall of Yinzhen and Yinsi and gently blew cowpox powder into their noses.

Wenshan didn't sleep all night and took turns to watch over the two of them in the east and west side halls. In the second half of the night, Yinsi began to have a fever and frowned constantly.

Fortunately, it was not a high fever. Wenshan and Zhenzhu applied a cold towel to him, and Yinsi fell asleep again after a while.

Yinzhen was stronger than Yinsi, and he didn't start to have a fever until dawn, but the situation was not serious.

As soon as it was daybreak, Wen Shan sent someone to the Shangshufang to ask for leave from Yinzhen and Yinsi, saying that they had caught a cold yesterday and were currently ill, and asked for three days off.

If a prince was ill and could not study, he would always have to go to Kangxi for a review, and only when he nodded would it count. Fortunately, Kangxi was too busy with Taiwan affairs to take care of these things. Yinzhen and Yinsi were raised in the same palace and were at an age where they loved to play, so it was okay for the two of them to catch a cold together. Kangxi took a quick look and approved it.

Yinzhen and Yinsi slept drowsily for the whole morning. In the afternoon, Yinzhen was the first to wake up.

Wen Shan brought the cooked porridge over. Yinzhen was leaning against the head of the bed in his pajamas, his face was ruddy, and he looked like he should be fine.

"Yinzhen, how do you feel? Are you feeling any discomfort?"

Wen Shan asked after testing his forehead for safety.

Yinzhen obediently allowed Wen Shan to examine him: "I'm fine, mother."

"But... why did Yinsi and I suddenly catch a cold?"

Yinzhen had just woken up and was told that he and Yinsi had both caught a cold the previous night and had been unconscious all morning, but fortunately, nothing serious was wrong.

Dizziness, body aches, and a feeling of lightness and weakness—it certainly felt like a cold.

But he and Yinsi had been just like normal last night. After dinner with Mother, the three of them chatted happily as usual before returning to their respective bedrooms to rest.

How did he catch a cold?

And with Yinsi again? "The wind started blowing yesterday afternoon. Maybe the cold blew in when you went to the Shangshufang, and it flared up this evening," Wen Shan said calmly. "Yinsi is young and weaker. I guess he caught a cold and passed it on to you."

Thus, Wen Shan took the blame for Yinsi, who was still unconscious.

"How's my brother?" Yinzhen didn't doubt him, and turned around to worry about Yinsi again.

"Yinsi is fine, his fever has subsided and he is sleeping."

Yinzhen wanted to force himself to go and see Yinsi, but Wenshan didn't let him go for fear of cross infection.

Yinsi woke up more than an hour later after Yinzhen woke up.

Wenshan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Yinzhen and Yinsi were both very strong because of her care, and they didn't suffer too much from the vaccination this time.

As soon as Yinsi woke up, he knew what happened.

Wenshan also brought him food. Yinsi slept longer than Yinzhen, but he was more energetic after waking up.

"Mother, did you vaccinate me and my fourth brother yesterday?"

Yinsi asked impatiently after sending away all the palace people.

Wen Shan nodded and asked, "How are you? Are you still feeling unwell?"

Yinsi had experienced smallpox vaccination before, and while he had survived, his reaction was much more severe than this time. His discomfort was particularly severe, with a high fever for three or four days and vomiting and diarrhea. After the fever finally subsided, he was bedridden for half a month before recovering.

This time, however, Mother said they had just caught a cold and could easily get by.

The cowpox vaccination method was indeed much more sophisticated than the smallpox vaccination.

By the evening, the two brothers were almost fully recovered, even their appetites improved considerably, and they enjoyed dinner with great relish.

Wen Shan had specially prepared a hospital meal for them, all nourishing, warming, light, and fragrant. Yinzhen and Yinsi devoured it with a gusto, devouring it almost immediately.

After another night's rest, they were both full of energy again the next day.

Wen Shan lamented that three days of leave was too much, but even after asking, Yinzhen and Yinsi showed no intention of returning to school early, so they simply rested for two more days in Xianfu Palace.

The previous dynasty had won victory after victory in taking back Taiwan, and even Wenshan had heard a lot of news in the harem. Yinsi knew early on that this time the battle to take back Taiwan was extremely smooth, so he did not react much, but Yinzhen was very excited when he heard the news from the front.

The unification of Taiwan is indeed a major event in the territory of the Qing Dynasty, and he is proud of it.

"Today, I heard from the master that General Shi Lang has divided several routes to attack Taiwan, and the battle report will be sent back in the next few days."

Yinzhen has been paying close attention to the war in the front recently, and often mentioned it when chatting with Yinsi.

At this time, Yinsi was fighting wits and courage with Lai Fu's toys. Baoquan was bitten by Lai Fu two days ago and was going to take it back for repair, but Yinsi waved his little hand and took it back with great interest, wanting to repair it himself.

Yinzhen looked at his younger brother who was immersed in the business of repairing toys, shook his head helplessly, and stretched out his hand and waved it in front of him.

"Did you hear what I said?"

How could a prince not care about such a big thing?

Yinsi had known the whole story of the attack on Taiwan for a long time, so he really didn't care much. He didn't care what Yinzhen said just now. He estimated the time and said casually: "It's inevitable that the Taiwan defenders will surrender. General Shi Lang is proficient in naval warfare and will be rewarded after returning to the court."

Yinzhen: "...Taiwan has not surrendered yet."

"..."

Oops, I let it slip.

The war has just begun. The Taiwan defenders may surrender or fight to the death. Why did Yinsi say so confidently that they would surrender?

Especially after a few days, the war report from the front line came back and the Taiwan defenders really surrendered.

Yinzhen looked at Yinsi with even more strange eyes.

Is this my brother a prophet?

Yinsi's scalp numbed by Yinzhen's look, and he could only laugh dryly twice and said that they were approaching with a large army, and Zheng Jing was dead in Taiwan, and now his teenage son was in charge of Taiwan. Isn't it normal that he couldn't stand the fear and surrendered?

I would rather be thought by my fourth brother that he is far-sighted than be stripped of the vest of rebirth.

Yinzhen still had some doubts, feeling that something was amiss with Yinsi. Seeing this, Yinsi resorted to coquettish behavior and barely managed to get by.

As for his own mouth, Yinsi wished he could give it a few smacks.

Never mind, it hurt too much. He didn't have any masochistic tendencies, so he decided to see if there were any new entertainments in the harem to lighten his mood.

Wenshan, having experienced the unification of Taiwan from a different perspective, was also deeply moved.

With the battle on the front line seemingly unstoppable and almost over, news from the previous dynasty suddenly sent the harem into a frenzy.

Soetu, dismissed from office by Kangxi for forming a clique and soliciting bribes, retired from officialdom and returned home to rest.

As early as two years ago, after the Three Feudatories Rebellion was quelled, Soetu was punished by Kangxi for forming a clique for personal gain. At that time, he was only cleared out of the cabinet, and the position of the Prime Minister fell into the hands of Mingzhu, who had just made great contributions in the Three Feudatories Rebellion. Since then, Mingzhu's momentum has been faintly overwhelmed by Soetu, and this time Kangxi couldn't bear it anymore and directly dismissed Soetu.

Mingzhu, Soetu's old rival, was the person who made great contributions in the process of recovering Taiwan. The comparison between the two made Mingzhu look more proud and had no rivals in the court.

Soetu was the prince's reliance, and Mingzhu supported the eldest prince. The ups and downs of these two people also affected the prince and the eldest prince.

Or it was mainly the eldest prince.

Kangxi's partiality to the prince was as usual. Kangxi believed that he was the prince's greatest political capital. At this time, the prince and Kangxi also had a deep father-son relationship. Soetu's dismissal did not affect the prince's mentality.

But it was different for the eldest prince. After Soetu fell, Mingzhu rose to become the most powerful minister in the court, second only to the emperor. Wouldn't the distance between him and the prince be getting closer?

The eldest prince couldn't hide his pride and started to compete with the prince in words. As a result, Kangxi found out and severely reprimanded him before he became honest.

At the end of the month, Defei gave birth to a white and tender little princess. Kangxi was overjoyed. After losing two daughters in a row, he finally got a healthy princess. He also encountered a great victory in Taiwan. Kangxi waved his hand and the reward was based on the example of the prince, and it was three points thicker.

This little princess was the ninth daughter of the emperor, and the order was the fifth princess, which was later Princess Gulun Wenxian.

The little princess's third day bath was also a big event. Wenshan went to watch the ceremony. The little princess was born white and fat and smiled at everyone she met. It was very pleasing. Kangxi even hugged her for a long time in front of everyone and was reluctant to let go.

Defei was no different from before she was pregnant. She led the sixth prince to sit beside Kangxi and smiled gently.

The Sixth Prince was just three years old, and he was a cute boy. Concubine De raised him well, and his eyes were clear and clean. He sat next to his mother obediently.

With both sons and daughters, and both children were loved by Emperor Kangxi, Concubine De was now a hot celebrity in the palace.

After the confinement of the month, Concubine Niuhuru and Concubine Yi returned to the race for favor. During this period, Concubine Tong and Concubine Ding also emerged. The two of them joined forces and were favored as much as Concubine Yi.

It was even more lively when Concubine De joined the battle after the confinement.

Because several favorite concubines were pregnant, the harem, which had been quiet for a long time, began to compete with each other and became lively with various tricks.

However, the Imperial Concubine was really dragged down by the death of the Eighth Princess. Since then, she has been bedridden and taking medicine. She also exempted the greetings from the various palaces and began to close the door to visitors. Gradually, there was no sound in the palace.

Kangxi visited her several times, only to sigh when he saw the Imperial Noble Consort's dejected dejection and withered figure. There seemed little he could do except to ask her to rest and relax.

In the past few years, Kangxi had conquered Taiwan and pacified the Three Feudatories, a time of great success. With everything settled, Kangxi felt relaxed, and with no major events at court, he visited the harem more frequently.

After touring the Imperial Noble Consorts Niohuru, Yifei, Defei, and Tongpin, the recently favored concubines, Kangxi remembered Xianfu Palace and made time for a visit.

"The Imperial Noble Consort's cooking remains as good as ever."

Kangxi's first priority whenever he visited

Xianfu Palace was to eat. Curiously enough, Kangxi had dined there quite a few times, but the ones he remembered most fondly were the meals Wen Shan had brought to him when she had gone to the Yangxin Palace to plead with him about Yinzhen's affairs. Their flavor was truly unmatched.

The dishes he tasted in Xianfu Palace were naturally much better than those in the imperial kitchen, but they were still a little less delicious than the amazing dishes that day. Although they were delicious, they were not so delicious that he would never forget them.

Kangxi thought about it and felt that Wen Shan was so anxious that she asked him to cook for her, so she was naturally very careful. The difference seemed understandable.

Of course, the actual reason was that Wen Shan only cooked the dishes in the Yangxin Palace, and the rest were all cooked by the cook in the small kitchen.

It was troublesome to cook for the emperor, and Wen Shan was too lazy to make such an effort, so she asked the cook to prepare them every time. Kangxi always thought that she cooked them herself.

It was better not to expose this beautiful misunderstanding.

So every time Kangxi came, Yinzhen and Yinsi had a bitter face. When the emperor came, they could not eat their mother's dishes.

Especially they had to listen to the emperor's praise for the delicious dishes. There was only one sentence in their minds.

Eat something good, emperor!

That day, Kangxi came to Xianfu Palace for dinner again, and he took advantage of the situation to stay in Xianfu Palace by turning over Wenshan's name tag.

Kangxi would read the memorial again before going to bed, and Wenshan took off her hairpins and sat beside him bored.

When she was thinking about what to do tomorrow to compensate Yinzhen and Yinsi, she was suddenly startled by the sound of Kangxi throwing the memorial on the table.

"This Li Guangdi, abominable."

Kangxi said coldly with a sullen face, and threw the memorial aside with some impatience.

Wenshan didn't know what happened and couldn't ask, so she could only roll her eyes and couldn't say a word.

Kangxi looked up and was amused by her stupid look of trying to rack her brains.

It seemed that every time he was angry, she looked like this, wanting to say something but afraid of saying the wrong thing, and then hiding aside and pretending to be a quail.

Kangxi, who was used to seeing the considerate and eloquent woman, felt that Wenshan was so simple and simple, and seemed to be interesting.

Suddenly, Xianfu Palace suddenly became Kangxi's favorite haunt, surpassing Yongshou Palace and Yikun Palace.

Fortunately, Kangxi's favor faded quickly, and after spending half a month in Xianfu Palace, he moved on to Concubine Yi.

Wen Shan breathed a sigh of relief; she was finally gone.

Yinzhen and Yinsi celebrated with gongs and drums; their food was finally back to normal!

After the vaccinations, Yinzhen and Yinsi continued to attend classes at the Shangshufang as usual, strolling in the Imperial Garden with Fuqi and Laifu. Their days were filled with joy and ease, and they would pester Wen Shan to cook them delicious meals and tell them stories.

Wen Shan, reciting stories from Grimm's to Andersen's, felt that her fairy tale library had been nearly emptied by the two brothers.

It just so happened that these Western fairy tales translated by Wenshan aroused the interest of Yinzhen and Yinsi. Yinzhen liked Aladdin's magic lamp the most, while Yinsi unexpectedly liked mermaids.

Yinsi even secretly asked Wenshan privately, are there really mermaids in the future?

Wenshan said that they were just born later, not that their species had changed.

Yinsi sighed, Wenshan curiously asked Yinsi why he liked mermaids, this kind of love story doesn't seem to be Yinsi's cup of tea.

Yinsi shook his head and looked like his mother didn't understand his grief: "Mother, I mean if the tears of mermaids can really turn into pearls, then they can be kept in captivity and there will be no end to their supply."

Wenshan deliberately deceived him in order to change his landlord class's oppressive ideas: "Only tears shed because of love, because of unswerving affection, because of the most sincere love in the world can turn into pearls."

After saying this, she almost vomited.

"Well... then we can monitor her secretly, send a few men to her according to what she likes, and send more for her to choose." Yinsi thought seriously, "provide her with good food and drink, and let her be with her beloved, as long as she sheds a few happy tears on weekdays, it will be much better than exploiting the people to fill the treasury."

"..."

Happy tears, virtuous, really virtuous.

Wen Shan racked her brains: "When a mermaid comes to the shore, her feet will feel like she is walking on the edge of a knife. Why force her to come to the world when it is so painful?"

Wen Shan secretly reminded Yinsi how he could be happy if he lived like this every day.

Yinsi raised his eyebrows: "Why should she grow two feet? Can't a mermaid go ashore in her original form?"

"Wouldn't it be better to keep her in the water?"

Wen Shan smiled: "Don't you want mermaids and humans to fall in love? How can they fall in love if they don't become human?"

Yinsi raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled like a spring breeze: "How can you be prejudiced against mermaids just because they are born in different places? If there are such people, they are not worthy to appear in front of her."

"..."

I understand, this is to send some unlucky people who "voluntarily" fall in love with mermaids.

"It can live freely and be used by me. It's really the best of both worlds." The more Yinsi thought about it, the more he felt that this idea was feasible, but it was a pity that there was no such creature as mermaids.

Wen Shan tried to explain to Yinsi what personal freedom and dignity meant, but when she saw Yinsi's eager eyes ready to listen carefully, she gave up in frustration. It was really

a bit confusing for her to tell these things to a prince of a feudal dynasty.

"Mother, why don't you say anything?" Yinsi tilted his head and blinked.

Wen Shan rubbed his newly grown soft hair and said: "Mother just thought that you are a legitimate Tianlong person, and it's useless to tell you these."

Yinsi has become accustomed to Wen Shan's mouth from time to time saying some words he has never heard of. When he heard the word "Tianlong person", he started chasing Wen Shan to ask what it meant.

"Mother, are you mistaken? I am not a dragon."

Yinsi can now be said to have perfectly integrated the advantages of two lives and has achieved great success.

On the one hand, he can use his cute and beautiful appearance to act coquettishly and cutely, and on the other hand, he is meticulous and has three tricks in two sentences, making Wen Shan unable to defend against it.

Wen Shan was so confused by him that she felt dizzy. Fortunately, Zhenzhu came in and said that Concubine Yi had sent someone to ask Wen Shan to take the children to the Imperial Garden tomorrow afternoon.

The weather has been cooler recently, which is indeed suitable for going out. Wen Shan agreed and slipped away quickly under the pretext of preparing things for tomorrow's trip, escaping from Yinsi's 100,000 questions.

The next day, Wen Shan took Yinzhen and Yinsi, Fuqi and Laifu, and led a large group of people to the Imperial Garden.

Concubine Yi was waiting for them in the pavilion with the ninth prince still in her arms. When she saw Wen Shan coming from a distance, she happily went forward to greet her.

"Greetings to the Imperial Concubine."

Wen Shan helped her up: "Okay, we don't need these empty formalities between us."

Concubine Yi took good care of herself after giving birth. Now she is as beautiful as a peach blossom with dew drops after rain, and her every frown and smile is full of charm.

"Let me see the Ninth Prince." Wen Shan reached out and held the Ninth Prince over. The Ninth Prince was now more than five months old. He was wearing an exquisite tiger-head hat and a small dress in the color of autumn fragrance with ruyi patterns. He was blinking and staring at Wen Shan.

He didn't cry when Wen Shan held him.

"Sister, you have raised the Ninth Prince very well. I feel that he is quite heavy when I hold him." Wen Shan had raised Yinsi before, and she felt that the Ninth Prince was heavier than the average five-month-old child.

Speaking of this, Concubine Yi was also a little worried: "Yin'er was heavier than other children when he was born, and now I think he is a little heavier."

Although the child is white and plump, it is not good to be too fat. Fortunately, the Ninth Prince has never been sick. Although he is a little fat, it is not a big deal.

"It's okay. He will be fine when he grows up. It can be seen that our little Jiu is a blessed child." Wen Shan said with a smile.

Wen Shan held the Ninth Prince lower for Yinsi and Yinzhen to see.

"Yinzhen, Yinsi is here to see his younger brother."

Youqi turned in the direction of Yinsi.

Yinsi stood on tiptoe to look over, and only saw a white mass. Yinsi

laughed in his heart, he didn't expect that the ninth brother was so fat when he was a child, and he was obviously handsome and suave when he grew up. Thinking of the frivolous and unrestrained appearance of the ninth brother in the past and looking at the fat baby in front of him, Yinsi finally couldn't help laughing out loud.

Wen Shan: "..."

What is this child laughing at.

Yinzhen also glanced at him helplessly.

"I think my ninth brother is so cute and looks like the auspicious doll in the New Year pictures, so I like him very much." Yinsi quickly made up for it.

They were all children, so Concubine Yi would not think that Yinsi was making fun of Yin'er. She immediately said, "Then the Eighth Prince can often come to Yikun Palace to play with your Ninth Brother."

Although Yinsi had not grown up yet, he was already gentle and gentle. The concubines in the harem occasionally chatted about these princes and felt that the Eighth Prince was the most dignified prince, gentle and noble like a royal child.

Concubine Yi naturally admired Yinsi and always wanted to ask Wen Shan for advice on how to raise a child.

Although the Fourth Prince was a little cold, he looked like a child with a sense of propriety and rules since he was raised in Xianfu Palace.

After praising Yinsi, Concubine Yi did not neglect Yinzhen who was standing aside. Yinzhen was almost six years old, so Concubine Yi smiled and asked: "Do you want to hold Yinzhen?"

The last time Yinzhen saw such a big baby at such a close distance was when Yinsi was the one, but he was too young at that time and his mother did not let him hold his brother. Today, Yinzhen finally had the chance and was eager to try.

Wenshan saw that he wanted to hold Yinzhen, so she carefully put Yinzhen in his arms and told him to hold him tightly and not to drop him.

Then she put her hands below and then went on to prevent any accidents.

Although he was a little chubby, he looked pretty handsome. Yinzhen looked down at Yinzhen babbling and waving at him, and felt that his ninth brother seemed to be a cute child.

After a long time, Yinzhen didn't know what to do with the little soft ball in his arms. Just when he wanted to ask Wenshan for help to let her take Yinzhen away, Yinzhen suddenly burst into tears.

Yinzhen was startled and at a loss.

Wenshan hurriedly took it and saw that Yinzhen had peed.

And he peed on Yinzhen.

Wenshan didn't know whether to laugh or cry and quickly asked Yinzhen to go back and change his clothes. Yinsi took advantage of the chaos and secretly touched Yinzhen's chubby face.

Good job, Ninth Brother, you have avenged yourself.