The Fourth Master's Dog

Kangxi nodded, his eyes, as crystal clear as black glass, were full of smiles.

"Yes, my beloved is right."

"Our little four is really cute."

Qingmu, who walked in from the palace gate, already knew that the emperor had come to the palace to see the empress, and knew that his empress must be in a good mood, so he spoke in a cheerful tone.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, dinner is here."

Concubine Tong asked Emperor Kangxi in a soft voice with a smile.

"Cousin Emperor, will you dine with me tonight?"

Concubine Tong also knew that since the emperor came so late, he would definitely have dinner here and stay in Chengqian Palace tonight. She just asked casually and asked for a guarantee because she was afraid that the beauties in the harem would find an excuse to seduce the emperor away.

Kangxi, who was drinking tea nearby, heard the servant's message to Concubine Tong and nodded.

"Yes. I will stay in your palace tonight. Come on, my beloved, let's have dinner together."

Eunuchs holding red lacquer boxes came in one line and quickly brought various dishes, meals, soups, etc. to the table.

There were special eunuchs in charge of testing poisons, who would taste the dishes for Kangxi in advance to ensure their safety.

Seeing a pot of steamed eight-treasure fish on the table, Kangxi knew that this was the dish that Concubine Tong said she liked, so Kangxi picked it up and put it into Concubine Tong's bowl, then said.

"I know, this is because my cousin likes to eat. Eat more. I heard that you have a poor appetite recently. You can't overwork yourself."

He also picked up a few dishes for the Fourth Prince who was sitting next to him, and told him to eat more and grow up well, because there were too few surviving descendants of the emperor in the palace.

When the Fourth Prince heard the Emperor's instructions, he nodded his little head vigorously and put the food his mother had picked for him into his mouth.

When Concubine Tong heard Kangxi's gentle and caring voice, a warm feeling flowed through her heart. A sincere smile appeared on her face with a very sweet expression.

The emperor cousin still remembered what she liked to eat and was very concerned about the Fourth Prince whom they raised together. Concubine Tong moved her mouth slightly and was about to say something.

A eunuch reported from the door that Concubine De's sixth prince Yinzuo was ill and wanted to see his father, so he wanted to ask the emperor to go over.

Concubine Tong's face twisted for a moment, then quickly recovered.

Even though she was filled with hatred in her heart and wished that the Sixth Prince would die of illness, she pretended to be understanding and spoke gently on the surface.

"Cousin Emperor, how about you go to Yonghe Palace to see the Sixth Prince later?"

Kangxi was originally in a dilemma because he had promised his cousin to stay overnight. However, since his cousin was so considerate, he didn't have to feel embarrassed anymore.

"Well, my cousin is really considerate. I am a little worried about the Sixth Prince. I will go there now. I will come to see my cousin tomorrow."

Imperial Concubine Tong saw the emperor off with reluctance on her face. Standing at the door, it was already completely dark. Her delicate facial expression could not be seen clearly, but the servants around her could also feel that their queen was in a bad mood.

She had only taken a bite or two of the meal when she was seduced away by the coquettish women in the palace. Although she said she was going to see the Sixth Prince, everyone knew that the Emperor would stay overnight in Yonghe Palace.

As they walked out of Chengqian Palace, the beautiful ladies in the palace might have been laughing at Concubine Tong for being incompetent and unable to keep the Emperor.

The Fourth Prince, who was standing aside, felt that his mother was in a bad mood. He raised his head, and his two dark eyes showed a hint of helplessness.

"Mother, let's go back and have dinner. The Emperor has left. I will eat with you. Don't be sad. The Emperor will come again tomorrow."

When Concubine Tong heard the Fourth Prince's clumsy comfort, her heart slowly warmed up. She felt that she had not raised the Fourth Prince in vain. She looked at his childish face and saw worry and uneasy eyes.

"It's okay, mother is fine. Come on, mother will accompany Zhen'er to dinner. Zhen'er, eat more today. Mother has ordered many of your favorite dishes."

Concubine Tong walked into the palace. The lights were bright, shining on her soft and charming face. That face contained a hint of tenderness, a hint of melancholy, and also a hint of comfort.

Concubine Tong cheered up and accompanied the Fourth Prince to finish dinner. Seeing that the Fourth Prince had an extra bowl of rice, she felt a little happier.

The eunuch Wang Ji, who was standing by, served Duofu a colorful dinner. Duofu's dinner included not only goat's milk, but also various snacks and meatballs, and various complementary foods were added to the goat's milk.

The food tastes so good. The food made in the imperial kitchen cannot be compared with that big pot. It is so delicious.

Duofu works hard to eat. There is a modern saying that if someone is not active in eating, there is something wrong with his thinking. As a little puppy with an active mind, how could Duofu not be active in eating?

By the time Duofu's belly was full, there was very little food left. Not a single meatball was left, only one snack, and not a drop of goat's milk was left.

Duofu was looking at the dessert on the plate, and a conflict was brewing in his heart.

Should I eat or not? I feel like I’m full, but no, I’ve got to eat anyway.

As the saying goes, it is shameful to waste food, so he finished it. By the time Duofu finished the last piece of snack, his little belly was already as full as it could be.

The eunuch Wang Ji next to him looked at Duofu with a worried look on his face. His inner world was in a state of despair. If Duofu was not allowed to eat, he would scream and roll on the ground. He could not be stopped from eating at all.

Otherwise, his masters would think that he had abused Duofu.

He ate too much and felt uncomfortable in his stomach. Looking at Duofu digging his stomach with his two claws, he was filled with worry and fear, fearing that the Fourth Prince would beat him back and not want him to take care of Duofu.

After dinner, the Fourth Prince took Concubine Tong to see Xiao Duofu and saw the scene before him.

Duofu held his stomach again, with a pitiful look in his eyes, as if he was too full and looked silly.

The eunuch standing by quickly explained that they tried to stop Duofu from eating, but he would roll on the ground and threaten and shout, so no one dared to stop him from eating.

Concubine Tong's depressed mood seemed to be relieved at once. She looked at Duofu's silly little appearance and said to the Fourth Prince beside her.

"Go, play with Duofu for a while, then wash up and go to bed. Don't sleep too late."

After arranging matters for the Fourth Prince, Imperial Concubine Tong returned to the palace with the servants. She looked at the empty palace and spent the night alone under the bright lights.

Her mood became depressed again. Originally, the emperor would have stayed with her tonight and coaxed her with soft voice, but it was because of that bitch Uya that the handkerchief in her hand was torn into pieces.

Qinglan, the personal maidservant at the side, saw that her queen's hands were red and two lines of tears were left on her face. She hurriedly used a handkerchief to wipe Concubine Tong's tears, feeling heartbroken and angry.

"Your Majesty, you can't be angry because of that bitch Wu Ya. His Majesty still cares about you the most."

"You are the emperor's cousin. The relationship between you two is not comparable to that of the Uya family. She is not even worthy of carrying your shoes. Her status is so lowly."

Whenever they saw the empress crying because of Uya, the servants around her were filled with resentment. How could a slave who was controlled by his master dare to make the empress so sad?

The wet nurse at the side looked at her daughter, who had been brought up in pampered condition, and saw her crying because of that lowly servant. She hated her to death and quickly changed the subject.

"My queen, please don't cry. Your eyes are swollen from crying. Don't hurt them."

"Your Majesty will come to see you tomorrow. If you cry until your eyes turn into cat eyes, he will think that we servants didn't serve you well and will kill us."

At the same time, he told Aoki to prepare hot water and apply a hot compress to the area, because the swelling must not get worse.

Concubine Tong listened to the wet nurse's teasing and laughed through her tears, and soon stopped crying.

The wet nurse took the handkerchief and applied it to Concubine Tong's eyes, saying as she did so.

"My queen, you are of noble status. No matter what, Wu Ya can never surpass you. She always talks about the health of the Sixth Prince. It seems that he will not live long. Why get so angry over a dying man?"

"No matter how Uya is, she still has to kowtow to you. There are many people below who don't like her. When the time comes, you just need to push her and many people will step on her without dirtying your hands."

"No flower stays in bloom forever. She will eventually fall out of favor. What's wrong with letting her enjoy herself for a few more days?"

After listening to the wet nurse's words, Concubine Tong's sadness and anger dissipated a little, but she still felt unfair.

"Nurse, I feel bitter. After all these years, I still haven't given birth to a child for the emperor. That bitch Uya is always talking about children."

The nurse quickly comforted her.

"Fourth Prince, he is your mother's child. You raised him from childhood and loved him sincerely. You never treated him harshly."

Concubine Tong looked up at the darkness outside the window and sighed deeply.

"No matter how good the Fourth Prince is, he is not born from my belly. I always feel that he is not that close to me."

After a while, Concubine Tong lowered her head, touched her belly, and said softly.

"I just want to have a child of my own, no matter if it's a boy or a girl."

On the Fourth Prince's side, he only saw Duofu walking around a small table, as if he was digesting food. The Fourth Prince also followed Duofu and walked around the small wooden table.

After walking a few laps, Duofu felt that he was almost done and his stomach was not so bloated anymore. He could take a break and planned to climb onto the white fur to rest.

The Fourth Prince at the side also hurried over and waved his hand to drive all the servants out.

He and Duofu were the only ones left in the room. The Fourth Prince approached Duofu, touched his head, and spoke with a hint of gloom.

"Do you think the Emperor likes Sixth Brother more? Many times it was because of Sixth Brother."

"The Emperor left me and my mother behind and went to the Yonghe Palace to visit Empress De and my sixth brother."

Duofu, who was sitting on the white fur, rolled his eyes at the two foxes, thought for a while, and decided that it should be the case.

It seems that Uya's favor has been going on for quite a long time. Now the sixth prince has been born, and there are still several children to be born.

"You don't have to worry. This Sixth Prince also has a short life. He will die in a few years. He is not as blessed as you."

The Fourth Prince felt warm at heart when he heard Duofu's cries and the child's baby sounds.

A smile appeared on the little face again, his eyes were shining, and his two chubby paws grabbed Duofu's ears and said excitedly.

"I knew Duofu could understand what we were saying. You were responding to me."

Duofu shook his head quickly, trying to break free from the Fourth Prince's two fat paws, while barking angrily, woof woof woof woof.

"Little meat bun, let go of my ears quickly, or I will be rude to you."

The Fourth Prince still looked like he was possessed, mumbling to himself.

"Duoduo! I knew you could understand."