NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17 - Overindulged
Regarding suddenly receiving favor,
Cheng Wanyun herself was a little confused, but she wasn’t foolish enough to push the Crown Prince away. She dutifully fulfilled her responsibilities as a Gege. After an evening of playful fighting, she took the initiative to invite the Crown Prince to bathe with her. She was then shyly reprimanded by the Crown Prince, who blushed and said, “You… you should restrain yourself.”
Hah, men.
Cheng Wanyun propped her delicate arm on her head, quietly watching him without saying a word.
At this moment, she was lazily lying on the bed, her body only covered by a gold-threaded mandarin duck-patterned red quilt. Her snow-white shoulder peeked out, looking like red plums against the snow.
The next moment, she was lifted into the large bath tub.
Water splashed everywhere, and once they were both finished washing, Cheng Wanyun truly didn’t want to move even a finger.
Afterward, the Crown Prince ordered Qingxing and Bitao to leave, and he personally took a towel to dry her hair.
The soft yellow light from the lamps bathed her, and in the bronze mirror, the woman wore a thin robe, her eyes and brows curved, her face pale and delicate.
Yinreng couldn’t help but stare at her reflection in the mirror for a while, until the clear and almost translucent woman’s face in the mirror turned a shade of pink. Today, he was uncharacteristically uncontrolled, and his own face felt a little warm as he shifted his gaze and awkwardly said, “Did you have a nickname when you were at home?”
The question seemed abrupt, and Cheng Wanyun paused while holding the comb. “My parents called me ‘A Yun,’ not really a proper nickname.”
“Hmm, that’s nice. Then I’ll call you A Wan,” Yinreng said.
Cheng Wanyun: “…” He’s doing this on purpose, isn’t he?
Yinreng laughed. She wore her thoughts clearly on her face—so amusing.
The next day happened to be a rest day for the teacher, and since Yinreng didn’t need to attend class at the study, he only had to complete his daily assignments. He rarely slept in but managed to get up late, around the first hour of the day. He called a few servants to the training field, practiced boxing, ran a few laps on horseback, and worked up a sweat. After a bath and changing his clothes, it was already the fourth hour when he heard the sound of a palace maid entering with water.
Yinreng had originally planned to return to the study to review his lessons, but now he was curious about what Cheng Wanyun did all day. He instructed He Baozhong to fetch the books, and once again occupied the reclining chair, leisurely reading a storybook.
Then he realized that even if she had woken up, she would still stay in bed for a while longer. Yinreng looked up at the clock and saw that it was already past breakfast time—she had missed it entirely and could now get up to eat lunch instead.
Cheng Wanyun had actually woken up once in the morning. When she found that no one was beside her, she naturally assumed the Crown Prince had gone to school, and she couldn’t help but feel a little relieved: luckily, she didn’t have to go to school or work. How nice.
She then turned over and fell back into a deeper sleep, only waking up when Qingxing could no longer tolerate it and called her up.
After freshening up, Cheng Wanyun walked out, ready to have Tianjin move the reclining chair into the courtyard so she could bask in the sun. That’s when she saw the Crown Prince eating grapes while reading a book. She halted in her tracks.
She then turned her head and silently asked Qingxing with her eyes, “Why is the Crown Prince still here?”
Qingxing replied with a silent glance of her own, “He hasn’t left.”
Yinreng had already put down his book and called her over with a stern face. “Come here.”
Cheng Wanyun shrank her neck and walked over. She was quite desperate—if she had known he hadn’t left, she definitely would have gotten up earlier.
Yinreng, like the rest of the Kangxi family, was a health-conscious person. He gave Cheng Wanyun a serious reprimand for sleeping until noon and skipping breakfast. He insisted that from now on, she must wake up at the first hour of the day, and no more lying in bed or skipping breakfast.
Cheng Wanyun humbly accepted the scolding and, eager to appease him, even offered him two fragrant kisses.
The Crown Prince, who was easily swayed, waved his hand in mercy and said, “Alright, you can go play.” He told her to go do whatever she wanted and not to worry about him, as he was about to read.
Cheng Wanyun was somewhat tempted to ask him why he insisted on reading here, but she felt that might be a bit too much. After all, Yang Gege and Side Concubine Li had both been eager for the Crown Prince to come over, and they would have been happy even if he had just stepped into the room and left immediately. Yet here she was, being picky.
Yinreng watched Cheng Wanyun leave, and then observed as she instructed the eunuchs to move another rattan chair under a tree. She set up a small table, placed a plate of fruit, ate some, played with the fish for a while, and even had Qingxing bring a basin to collect fish eggs. She laughed when the fish splashed water all over her face.
Then, a little eunuch from the kitchen arrived, and Cheng Wanyun personally gave him instructions: for lunch, she wanted yellow braised chicken rice with scallop and winter melon soup, stir-fried oilseed rape hearts, spring bamboo shoots with meat, and fried vegetable meatballs. Yinreng was curious about what yellow braised chicken was, but the eunuch quickly took his leave after receiving a generous tip, happily heading back.
When he had been at the Qianqing Palace, Yinreng’s meals had been carefully arranged by Kangxi himself, with attention to detail about the season’s produce, the daily balance of meat and vegetables, and the perfect portion sizes. The meals were always light—never too greasy or too fried—since Kangxi believed in eating just enough, never overindulging. Yinreng himself usually had no appetite beyond feeling about 30% full. He often preferred to skip meals rather than eat to fullness.
At the Yuqing Palace, things were the same. Ling Mama’s husband, Ling Pu, oversaw the Imperial Household Department, and since Ling Mama was his wet nurse, the dishes she chose for him were almost identical to those at Qianqing Palace. Side Concubine Li didn’t have many new ideas, and Yinreng had always lacked an appetite for palace meals. For him, eating felt more like a duty than a pleasure, and he had never eaten as much as he did now.
He Baozhong was nearly in tears.
If his godfather found out, he would surely receive a beating today.
Yinreng had just finished a bowl of yellow braised chicken rice, eaten several fried meatballs, and had two bowls of soup. Cheng Wanyun mentioned that this was the season for oilseed rape, and the hearts of the vegetable, stir-fried to a vibrant green, were sweet and tender, offering a refreshing taste that perfectly balanced the heaviness of the meatballs.
She also mentioned that spring bamboo shoots were in season, crisp and refreshing—absolutely delicious.
He Baozhong’s eyes were nearly twitching with strain as he watched. The Crown Prince didn’t even glance at him. After finishing his meal, he stood up, only to feel his stomach swell.
Cheng Gege then said, “The kitchen has sent over two jars of hawthorn and ume plum soup soaked in well water. It’s hot today, so this will be perfect for digestion.”
He Baozhong thought that when Cheng Gege mentioned digestion, she meant walking around the garden. To his surprise, she had ordered a rattan mat to be laid under the grapevine, with two large cushions stacked up. She cheerfully led the Crown Prince out, placed a small table, and served a plate of warm French fries, saying it would go perfectly with the hawthorn and ume plum soup. How is that for digestion?
He Baozhong thought to himself: “…” Just let it all be over.
The two of them leaned back, half-sitting, half-lying, with Bitao bringing two fine bamboo tubes. Each of them held a jar of cool tea soup, listening to the wind, watching the clouds, and sipping tea.
Yinreng didn’t even know how long it had been since he had spent time like this, simply passing the time without any pressures.
Cheng Wanyun was sipping the sweet-sour plum soup, staring at the sky in a daze. He asked her what she was thinking about.
Cheng Wanyun replied, “Nothing, just spacing out. It’s the best when you don’t think at all. You should try it.”
Yinreng smiled. She always talked like this, seriously spouting nonsense.
So he decided to try it himself. This method of clearing the mind of all thoughts, letting go of both big and small matters, actually had a kind of meditative effect that brought a sense of tranquility. This calmness lasted until the afternoon, when he finished reading his books and received an imperial order from Kangxi to prepare for a lesson, but he still felt lighthearted.
He Baozhong, looking downcast, was carrying his book trunk beside him, walking with a limp. Yinreng, seeing how pitiful he looked, patted his head: “Alright, so you got a few hits from your godfather. When we get back, let Ling Mama apply some medicinal ointment for a few days, and I’ll give you two days off to rest.”
He Baozhong winced as he walked, his backside sore: “I can handle a few hits, but you’ve got a weak stomach. If something happens to you, I’d be willing to lose my head.”
“There’s nothing that serious.” Yinreng coughed, “I’ll make sure to eat less in the future.”
He Baozhong’s godfather was Liang Jiugong, the chief eunuch by Kangxi’s side. When he was young, his eating habits caused quite a bit of trouble. He was a typical picky eater, and the eunuchs had to chase him all over Qianqing Palace just to get him to eat. He didn’t even like to eat, which eventually caused him stomach issues. As a result, Liang Jiugong specifically assigned a big-eater eunuch to sit with him and coax him into eating. That eunuch was none other than He Baozhong. This led to He Baozhong’s overeating from a young age, and now he was nearly 200 pounds.
According to Liang Jiugong, the pigs raised in the Qingfeng Bureau were nowhere near as fat as He Baozhong.
To this day, He Baozhong still had the responsibility of monitoring his meals. After many years of treatment, Yinreng hadn’t needed any stomach medicine for a long time. But today, after overeating, he took his medicine by noon. Liang Jiugong would surely be furious if he knew.
After taking the medicine, Yinreng hurriedly left. When he passed the gate of Yuqing Palace, a cat’s meow suddenly came from the glazed tiles above. Reflexively, Yinreng looked up and saw a yellow furry tail flicking by.
He Baozhong raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that Yang Gege’s cat? How did it get out?”
A little eunuch at the back, who knew the story, hurriedly added, “Miss Yang has been feeling itchy all over lately. The doctor said it might be because of the cat’s fur. A few days ago, she had it thrown out into the garden to fend for itself.”
Yinreng took another look, his dislike for Miss Yang growing even more.
When he arrived at the study, his brothers were already there, including the six-year-old Eighth Brother, Yinti, who had just entered the study.
As soon as Yinreng entered, the noisy chatter of his brothers abruptly stopped. Everyone immediately knelt and bowed, but before they could even finish, Yinreng waved them off and walked ahead to stand quietly in front.
He could hear his brothers gossiping behind him, whispering among themselves. But aside from the greeting of “Greetings to the Crown Prince, long live the Crown Prince,” no one dared to speak mischievously or whisper anything more.
They respected him… Yinreng knew this, but they also had to keep their distance from him.