The Fourth Master's Dog

The days passed one by one as Duofu was in a state of desolation.

In the blink of an eye, the Forbidden City welcomed New Year's Eve.

Early this morning, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen was dressed in brand new and festive clothes with the help of his servants. He looked like a lucky doll.

Since raising Duofu, the stomach of Fourth Prince Yinzhen has been getting better day by day. It may be because there is a foodie next to him, and seeing Duofu eat so much, he also feels in a good mood to eat more. Fourth Prince Yinzhen has accidentally grown into a little fat boy, and he looks white and plump, and very blessed.

Recently, even Imperial Concubine Tong asked the servants serving him why the Fourth Prince ate so much, much more than he usually ate. This made Imperial Concubine Tong worried for a while, as she thought that the Fourth Prince Yinzhen was suffering from some special disease.

An old lady who had given birth to a child responded with a smile, saying that as the baby grows older, his appetite will get bigger, and he will eat more and grow faster.

When Concubine Tong heard this, she felt melancholy for a while. All of a sudden, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen had grown from a little boy to an old age to go to the study.

Thinking that after this year, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen would be nominally six years old and would have to leave Chengqian Palace and move to live in the residence of the princes.

It was the servants around her who coaxed Concubine Tong and finally helped her get rid of some of her melancholy.

The fourth prince Yinzhen was ready to lead his servants to pay respects to Concubine Tong in the main hall, looking at the pitiful Duofu who was curled up in his nest.

The Fourth Prince Yinzhen cruelly turned his eyes away and called the servant beside him to help Hao Duofu dress up in a festive red outfit, and also put two exquisite and bright golden bells on the dog. The whole dog looked extraordinarily festive, like a red ball rolling on the ground, which made people laugh.

"Duoduo, I can't take you out today. You should stay in Chengqian Palace and play. Today is New Year's Eve. I am very busy today and can't take you out."

"Wait until I come back in the evening, and I'll play with you."

Before the Fourth Prince Yinzhen could say anything more, the servants outside had already urged him to go and pay his respects to Concubine Tong. Today's schedule was very tight and the entire palace was busy. No one was idle.

Perhaps only Duofu, the little puppy in Chengqian Palace, is the one who takes a break from his busy schedule.

Duofu looked at the Fourth Prince Yinzhen who had already walked away. His eyes seemed to have lost their light, and the hair all over his body drooped down. He lay on the mat half dead, looking up at the sky blankly.

He also thought that on the New Year's Day, he could also go and see how the Manchu emperors in the Forbidden City of the Qing Dynasty celebrated the New Year. Was it like what was written in novels and TV dramas, so grand and lively, with dancers and a series of other entertainment activities?

Unexpectedly, he found out last night that there was no chance at all.

In such a grand festival, no outsiders are allowed to attend. He is now just a puppy raised by the fourth prince Yinzhen, not the pet dog of the current emperor Kangxi. If he was a very favored pet dog raised by Kangxi, he might have a slight chance to participate in this grand festival.

Unfortunately he is not.

Moreover, much of the favor that Fourth Prince Yinzhen enjoys now is due to the care and attention of Concubine Tong. If Concubine Tong were to pass away one day, Fourth Prince Yinzhen might become a poor little boy who is neither loved by his father nor his mother.

Duofu lowered his eyes and could no longer wag his tail.

He really wanted to participate in the New Year celebrations in the Qing Dynasty. Since he traveled through time, he didn't get to know many people. He only knew Kangxi, Concubine Tong, and the poop-scooper Fourth Prince Yinzhen. He hadn't met any of the other favored concubines and princes.

I don’t know how many princes have been born now, and I don’t know whether the eighth prince, who is said to be the lifelong enemy of the fourth prince Yinzhen, has been born.

He was also quite famous in the palace fighting dramas of the Qing Dynasty, which made Duofu, who likes playing games, remember him. Every day, his cousin who was not quite normal in the brain recommended various palace fighting dramas of the Qing Dynasty to him, and whenever she had the chance, she would tell him how good this one was and how handsome this one was.

At that time, he was so overwhelmed by what he heard that it went in one ear and out the other. He concentrated on the game in his hand and ignored the noisy little cousin next to him.

Now Duofu didn’t know how much he regretted. He felt that the villain in his heart had already shed tears of regret.

---

It was already dark outside, but there was no sign of Fourth Prince Yinzhen and his companions returning. The moon was high in the sky today, without a single cloud to block it. The stars in the sky were blinking their bright eyes one by one, and Duofu could not see them all.

The natural environment in ancient times was good. There was no pollution of all kinds, and no light pollution. Looking at the dazzling stars in the sky, he could see each one very clearly.

As he watched, Duofu also showed a hint of interest, really his fox eyes like black grapes. He thought, since he had nothing to do now, and he didn't know when the Fourth Prince Yinzhen would be over, he would go look for the legendary Big Dipper, the Altair and the Vega, and the spoon-like star.

Duofu looked carefully at the starry sky outside, thinking to himself that if Fourth Prince Yinzhen didn't give him half of his New Year's money, he would never forgive him easily.

He is not so easy to coax now.

At least two gold ingots are needed. Whenever Duofu thought of the gold ingots, the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up wildly.

Gold ingots, gold ingots.

What a big gold ingot.

Duofu looked at the stars in the sky and felt that each pattern together looked like a chubby gold ingot.

The Fourth Prince Yinzhen happened to walk in at this time. Looking at Duofu who was looking up at the starry sky without blinking, he felt an unusual sense of silliness.

He still likes to be alone and happy. His Duofu is a cheerful little dog.

The ability to entertain oneself is unusually strong, and may have been learned from the womb.

It took Duofu a long time to come to his senses.

When she turned her head, she saw the Fourth Prince Yinzhen. She quickly rubbed against his legs and stared at him with her sparkling eyes without blinking.

It's written all over my face, come and comfort me, where is my gift?

Duofu realized it later and stretched out a paw, obviously asking for a gift.

He felt that the Fourth Prince Yinzhen should understand it, and indeed, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen did understand what he meant.

He lifted his legs and walked inside, sitting on a chair beside him. He drank the hot tea that the servant had just prepared, warmed his body, and then asked slowly.

There was a hint of smile in his eyes and his brows were relaxed.

"Duoduo, have you missed me during this day?"

"I miss you so much, I brought you many gifts."

"Don't you like gold ingots? I got two big ones today. They are really good looking, big, round, plump and very festive."

"I was originally planning to give it to you, but judging by your reaction just now, you probably didn't think of me."

Duofu looked at the two glittering big ingots that had been placed on the table.

His mood was impatient, his eyes were completely absorbed, and his voice was filled with anxious sincerity.

"I think about you all day long."

"You are my golden ingot, how can I not miss you?"

Duofu immediately pulled up the Fourth Prince Yinzhen's electric leggings and tried to climb up his legs. However, before he had climbed up twice, he rolled down due to his heavy weight.

Duofu was confused. How could this happen? Why couldn't he climb up? He could have climbed up before. Could it be that he had eaten too much recently and didn't exercise enough?

Seeing that he couldn't climb up, Duofu immediately changed his strategy. He opened his big round eyes, which were full of sincerity, and stared at the Fourth Prince Yinzhen without blinking, rubbing his head against him.

The Fourth Prince Yinzhen didn't hold on for long. He couldn't help but smile in his eyes, and a small dimple appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He picked up Duofu, put him on the table, and watched him try hard to hide the big gold ingot into his round body.

But I don’t know if it’s because his body is too round or the gold ingots are too big, so they can’t be hidden at all.

Duofu was in a panic. Just as he hid this gold ingot with one paw, another gold ingot jumped out. He stuffed that one back under his body, and this one jumped out again. If Duofu was a fat baby, he would have cried loudly in panic.

Fourth Prince Yinzhen felt that this scene was the happiest thing of the day and he could no longer hold back his laughter.