Chapter 25 Yongrong's Painting

Emperor Qianlong nodded, "After all, Xiao Yanzi isn't one of our palace people. If she stays here for too long, I'm afraid it will cause dissatisfaction among the people..."

"Besides, this is Xiao Yanzi's own idea, and Yongqi has agreed, so I naturally have no reason to stop her!"

"Furthermore, Xiao Yanzi chose to leave for the sake of the people, so I have even less reason to stop her!"

Consort Shu sighed, "I never imagined that Little Swallow would have such a heart at such a young age."

Little Swallow smiled and looked at Consort Shu, saying, "Your Majesty, Little Swallow comes from the common people and naturally knows what life is like for ordinary people. Therefore, it would be best for Little Swallow to return to the common people and play a role!"

Emperor Qianlong nodded and said, "Little Swallow's words make sense. If Little Swallow can find a better way to benefit the people on our behalf, that would be a great merit for her!"

Inside Chengqian Palace, the atmosphere was harmonious and joyful. In a good mood, Emperor Qianlong even had a meal with them in Chengqian Palace.

Afterwards, Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi returned to Yonghe Palace to rest for a while before continuing their classes.

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Four days later, "Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, Sister Qing, Sister Xiao Yanzi, come with me to Zhongcui Palace. I have something to show you!"

Yongcheng looked at Yongrong curiously, "What are you trying to show us all this time?"

He then looked at Yongzhang standing to the side, "Third Brother, do you know the inside story?"

Yongzhang nodded, but did not continue speaking.

Yongrong said anxiously, "Alright, everyone, please give me face and go take a look!"

"Alright, we have nothing else to do anyway, so we might as well go and take a look!" Yongqi nodded in agreement.

The group then headed towards Zhongcui Palace!

The eunuchs at the door saw their masters arrive and quickly bowed, "Greetings to the Third Prince, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, Sixth Prince, Princess Qing, and Miss Xiao Yanzi..."

Yongzhang waved his hand, telling them not to stand on ceremony.

After Yongzhang led the way into Zhongcui Palace, he went to the main hall and bowed to Consort Chun, saying, "Mother, your son has returned."

"Mother..." Yongrong, who was walking behind, rushed to Consort Chun's side.

Consort Chun was very pleased, "Yongrong seems to have gotten even stronger..."

Yongzhang said with a smile, "Sixth brother is at the age where he is growing, he will definitely change."

"Yongqi/Xiaoyanzi/Qing'er greet Consort Chun, may Your Highness be blessed!" Yongqi, Xiaoyanzi, and Qing'er also bowed in succession.

Consort Chun then turned her gaze to Yongqi and the others, "Fifth Prince, Consort Qing, you've arrived too, please sit down..."

After Consort Chun had them sit down, she ordered tea to be served.

After everyone had drunk three cups of tea, Yongrong stood up and said, "Mother, your son brought Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother back to look at the painting..."

"Oh, I see. Then you should take them there quickly. Your mother won't disturb you any longer." Consort Chun said, and had someone lead the way so that Yongrong could take Yongcheng and Yongqi to Yongrong's study to look at the paintings.

"What kind of painting is it? Why are you hiding it like this..." Yongcheng's curiosity was piqued.

Yongcheng and the others were stunned when Yongzhang helped Yongrong unfold the painting.

"Good heavens, you've been secretly drawing in class, haven't you?" Yongcheng was the first to blurt out.

He looked at the painting on the table, which depicted him grinning broadly. "You even painted Father Emperor..."

Yongqi was also surprised and asked, "Master Ji didn't say anything to you?"

Yongrong laughed and said, "Master Ji said that since I have this ability, I shouldn't waste it. Anyway, I haven't missed any of my regular classes, so he just lets me do as I please!"

Being able to draw openly during class without being criticized—that's probably the treatment a genius gets.

"Sixth Brother, you're really amazing!" Yongcheng laughed heartily. "I bet Father Emperor would be overjoyed if he saw this!"

Yongqi quickly echoed, "I think so too."

"Little Swallow, look, we're up there too..." Qing'er pulled Little Swallow, looking towards where the two of them were. "Little Swallow, you're smiling so happily, and Yongqi, Erkang, and Ertai are there too..."

Yongqi looked at Xiaoyanzi with doting eyes, while Fuerkang and Fuertai watched the drama unfold between Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi.

At this moment, Yongrong spoke up, "Three brothers, two sisters, do you think Father Emperor would be happy if I presented this painting as a birthday gift to him?"

The others nodded in agreement, and Qing'er smiled and said, "I think you put your heart into painting this picture. The Emperor will be overjoyed!"

"Yes, Father Emperor will definitely be happy!"

"Now that you've all said so, I'm relieved! The gift for Father Emperor is settled. Speaking of which, have you all thought about what to give him?"

Emperor Qianlong was an emperor, so he must have seen many good things. Therefore, if they were to send a gift, they had to send something special!

Even cooking something delicious for Emperor Qianlong yourself would be fine; only by doing it yourself can you show your sincerity!

If Emperor Qianlong had been a conscientious ruler, he would have been moved, rather than criticizing them for not focusing on important matters!

"Yes, Father's birthday is in less than four months, and we haven't decided what to give him yet..."

In fact, it wasn't just Emperor Qianlong; the birthdays of all the concubines in the palace had to be taken into consideration to some extent.

However, there's no need to bother with people you don't have a good relationship with;

For those with whom you have a good relationship, you need to put in more effort.

Leaving aside others, just take Consort Ling for example. She must have helped Yongqi and the others countless times in her past life, so naturally she has to put in the effort to think about it...

Then there's the Empress Dowager's birthday. At that time, Emperor Qianlong will naturally make a big contribution and give the Empress Dowager an unexpected gift. What can the younger generation do then?

So for the next few months, in addition to being busy with their studies, they also had to think about what gifts to give to their elders.

After much thought, Yongqi finally decided to focus on food, learn cooking skills from the imperial chefs, and prepare delicious meals for everyone. He also planned to work with Physician Changshou to make medicinal dishes to help them improve their health. This was far better than any other fancy methods!

Just as everyone was pondering, Qing'er suddenly asked, "By the way, Yongrong, what's the name of this painting?"

"I think it's simpler: let the Emperor see pictures of princes and princesses in class, what do you think?"

Everyone fell silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Yongqi smiled and said, "It is indeed simple and straightforward; others will understand it immediately!"

Just then, a palace maid came to deliver a message, "My ladies, Her Majesty has already brought up the meal. Why don't you have dinner before you leave?"

Yongrong laughed and said, "Speaking of dinner, I'm actually quite hungry. Let's all go eat together!"

Since Yongrong had spoken, the others couldn't refuse and followed Yongzhang and Yongrong to the restaurant.

Consort Chun looked at the group of people in front of her and said with a smile, "Fifth Prince, Qing'er, and Little Swallow, please eat quickly and see if it suits your taste?"

Qing'er nodded and replied, "Yes, thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness!"

“You are the apple of the Empress Dowager’s eye, and besides, your father and mother are…” Consort Chun’s words were cut short as she realized her mistake and quickly corrected herself, “It was I who misspoke…”

Qing'er forced a smile, "You're right, I really don't have a father or mother anymore. It's all thanks to the Empress Dowager's pity that I have a place to stay in Cining Palace."

These days, Qing'er also feels a bit resentful!

In many people's eyes, Qing'er only gained the Empress Dowager's pity because she had a father who sacrificed himself for the country and a mother who died for love. Without the Empress Dowager, she would just be a pretty face...