Chapter 69 Honghui's Birthday
March of the 41st year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi

It was a bright spring day, and there were still traces of melted snow on the ground. Occasionally a breeze blew, making a slight sound.

In the small kitchen in the main courtyard of the Prince's Mansion, Nanny Chen advised anxiously, "Fujin, you are now more than eight months old. You really can't stay in a place like the kitchen. If you have any instructions, just tell me outside. I will make sure to arrange it properly."

"That won't do." Yihuan said seriously, "This is the longevity noodles prepared for Honghui, and it must be made by me, his mother, personally."

Nanny Chen was hesitant to speak. Today was Prince Honghui's birthday, and the wife had been behaving strangely since early in the morning.

First, the brother was asked to kneel in the small Buddhist temple for a stick of incense, and was specifically instructed to tell the Buddha statue any interesting and new things he had found during this period.

It was obvious that his wife had never believed in gods or Buddhas, and the annual offerings were just a formality, but she was extremely serious about the small Buddhist temple in her yard. She often asked the eldest prince to go there to burn incense, but she herself never went in.

That would have been fine, after seeing off Prince Honghui and Prince Beile, Fu Jin went straight to the small kitchen with her big belly, saying that she wanted to make longevity noodles herself. No matter how they persuaded her, it was useless. Fu Jin excitedly started, started from the beginning after the chef's explanation, and then worked from morning to night.

Nanny Chen looked at the sky and calculated the time when Prince Honghui would return from the palace. She felt that the eldest prince might not be able to eat this bowl of noodles today.

There is a place for miscellaneous items in front of the noodle counter, which is now piled with noodles made by Fu Jin that day. The thick ones are as wide as a thumb, the thin ones are broken into sections, and there are all kinds of noodle lumps mixed in. Aunt Qian in the kitchen wants to say when she sees this: Fu Jin, let me do it.

Just looking at the wife's calm expression, Chen Ma stopped thinking of advising her. She knew that the eldest prince would move to the front yard after today, and she was unwilling to do so and that was why she attached so much importance to his sixth birthday.

Over the years, she witnessed with her own eyes how Fu Jin's stubborn temper became mellower, more humane, and someone people were willing to get close to from the bottom of their hearts because of the birth of Prince Honghui.

She understood Yihuan's feelings, so she felt sorry for her.

"Fujin, how about this? You knead the dough yourself, and Aunt Qian will roll it into noodles. Then you put them into the pot yourself. This is what you made." Nanny Chen made a suggestion. Longevity noodles require one bowl full of noodles. Even an experienced chef would need to practice slowly to master it, let alone Fujin who had never been to a small kitchen.

"You also care about us. Madam has to go back home today for something. When she comes back tomorrow and finds out, she will definitely punish us." Nanny Chen and Yu Xiao took turns to finally make Yihuan give up the idea of ​​making noodles.

She felt a little regretful. She remembered that when she celebrated her birthday in her previous life, her mother would always prepare a table full of delicious food, and it was as lively as Chinese New Year. Now that she has become a mother, she is not so competent.

Seeing Yihuan finally willing to move away from the noodle table, everyone in the small kitchen breathed a sigh of relief. Aunt Qian immediately and skillfully prepared the noodles, fearing that her master would change her mind and make trouble for them again.

Honghui received birthday gifts from the Emperor, Concubine De, and his uncles and brothers in the palace today. Normally, as a junior, he would have celebrated his birthday quietly, but since the Emperor had already given him the reward, everyone had to pay attention to the birthday of this grandson of the emperor and give gifts in a big way.

When he returned to the Prince's Mansion, the carriage was almost full, so Yinzhen ordered his servants to carry all of the items to the main courtyard. Yihuan sorted them out and registered them into books, which Honghui stored in the warehouse.

Because it was Honghui's birthday, a banquet was held in the flower hall. Curtains were hung around the flower hall, and there were full braziers inside. It was as warm as the house, and one could smell the fragrance of red plum blossoms outside.

Since the sixth month, Yihuan has exempted the concubines from paying respects. Today is a rare meeting for them in these few months.

Geng, Wu, and Niuhulu all prepared clothes, shoes, and other needlework for Honghui, which were also the most common gifts in recent years. Li gave Honghui a set of four treasures of the study, wishing him good luck in his studies, which was also a rare good omen.

The eldest princess gave a purse she made herself, which was filled with mosquito repellent powder and was very practical.

Hongyun also prepared a longevity character for Honghui. The handwriting looked crooked, but it was the most neat one he had written after practicing for a long time.

Yinzhen knew that Yihuan would rather be alone with Honghui on days like this, so the family dinner was soon over. The concubine looked at Yinzhen reluctantly as he supported Yihuan as they walked away, her handkerchief almost breaking but she couldn't say anything.

Li had always looked down on these childless and unfavored sisters, and she walked in front with a haughty manner, surrounded by her two children.

Geng and Wu lived close to each other, and to everyone they always seemed to go in and out together.

Only Niuhulu was left at the end. She had been under house arrest for these days and now could not come and go freely. Unless it was a special day, she could not even go far from the courtyard gate.

What she had been dreaming about these days was her bargaining chip. Niu Hulu secretly made up her mind that she had not lost yet!
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Back in the main courtyard, under Honghui's expectant gaze, Yihuan brought in a food box, opened it with her own hands, and placed the bowl of longevity noodles in front of Honghui.

"Mother's cooking skills are not good, so I made this for you myself, and added two eggs." Yihua looked at Honghui and said with a smile, "I saw that you didn't eat anything at the table just now, so it's just right to fill your stomach."

"Remember, finish a noodle in one go." Yihuan reminded.

Honghui took the bowl and chopsticks, and looked at Yihua's bulging belly with some concern: "Mother, you can arrange for the small kitchen to cook it. Your son can understand your intentions."

"Mother knows that you are a smart child." Yihua watched Honghui eat noodles and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Don't be afraid of making mistakes when you go to the study room in the future. Mother knows that your father punished you a few days ago."

"This is a good thing. Don't think that being punished is a bad thing. It happened when you were still young and all the wrong things were excusable in the eyes of those in power. Then you will know what to do when you face such a situation in the future." Yihua was full of emotion and talked incessantly. Honghui did not move after finishing his noodles and sat there listening obediently.

"Also, the relationship between your father and uncles is a matter of their generation, while the relationship between you and your cousins ​​is a matter of your generation. They are not completely related but are independent of each other. If you don't understand the scale between them, ask your father more." Yihua saw that Honghui's eyes were full of admiration. As he spoke, he felt like crying. She quickly calmed down, "If you want to tell mother about some things, mother will be very happy."

"Mother, don't worry. Honghui will feel at ease as long as he thinks that you are waiting for him at home every day." Honghui said solemnly.

"Yes, mother waits for you to come back every day." Yihuan nodded. "You have never been to the capital at night since you were a child. Today you are half an adult, so let your father take you out for a walk. Don't come back too late, because you have to go to the palace to study tomorrow."

When Honghui heard this, his eyes lit up. He turned to look at Yinzhen and asked, "Father, is what mother said true?"

"When has your mother ever lied to you?" Yinzhen changed into clothes for going out and put a cloak on Honghui.

Yihuan knew that she couldn't go out with them due to her physical condition, so she watched the father and son walk away.