Perhaps the Grand Empress Dowager believed that Danqing’s tendency to overthink stemmed from not receiving enough attention in the past. From that day onward, Danqing found herself having to speak up much more often.
During meals, she couldn’t simply say she liked everything—she had to choose at least one favorite dish, though she couldn’t pick the same one every day;
She had to decide which clothes to wear each day, including what hairstyle to style, which accessories to match, and which shoes to put on—all had to be her own choice;
If anything was lacking, Hemiao would first ask her, and then she would have to request it from either the Grand Empress Dowager or Sumalagu.
In short, Danqing, who had originally thought she would quietly behave as a good child upon arriving at Cining Palace, suddenly seemed to become the true master of the place. She could no longer passively accept the care of others but had to voice her own demands.
At first, it was a bit difficult because she felt too embarrassed to speak up.
Already unfamiliar with this world and often burdened by a sense of guilt for occupying someone else’s place, it felt easier to endure things passively. To freely ask for things felt too presumptuous.
But the Grand Empress Dowager truly meant what she said—if Danqing didn’t ask, she wouldn’t receive.
It wasn’t until one day when the food on the table consisted entirely of dishes she disliked, her clothes were too loose and ill-fitting, her shoes were too tight and pinched her feet, and the accessories she wore were so ugly that Yinreng subtly asked if she was deliberately throwing a tantrum, that Danqing finally couldn’t take it anymore.
To hell with embarrassment, to hell with guilt—she was already here, so why should she suffer?
The Grand Empress Dowager had said she could ask for anything she wanted, so why was she still acting coy for whose benefit?
“I want fish, braised fish!”
Danqing kicked off the uncomfortable shoes pinching her feet, stood with her hands on her hips on the kang, and declared, “Go find me a pair of shoes that fit! If there aren’t any, have them made! And take away all these messy accessories—don’t let me see them again!”
Yinreng was startled by her outburst and looked helplessly at the Grand Empress Dowager, who, however, smiled with amusement and said to Sumalagu, “See? I was right. She could only endure this long—not a day more could she pretend.”
Sumalagu held Danqing steady, fearing she might fall, and shook her head with a smile. “It’s only because you deliberately made things difficult. This doesn’t count.”
If not for the Grand Empress Dowager’s specific instructions, even if Danqing didn’t voice her demands, the servants wouldn’t have dared to be so careless.
The Grand Empress Dowager said triumphantly, “Even if I hadn’t given those instructions, she wouldn’t have lasted two more days. No backing out now—hand it over!”
Sumalagu shook her head helplessly again, handed Danqing over to Yinreng to support, and walked out. Not long after, she returned with a small box, opened it, and placed it before the Grand Empress Dowager.
Inside the box were crystal-clear candies, previously sent by Kangxi. Sumalagu didn’t want the Grand Empress Dowager to eat too many, so the two had made a bet about Danqing. Now, the Grand Empress Dowager had won.
Danqing had never seen this kind of candy before. She wanted to try it but hesitated over whether she should ask.
The Grand Empress Dowager saw right through her thoughts and deliberately said, “Anyway, from now on, if no one asks for my good things, I won’t give them to anyone.”
Yinreng began to understand what they were doing and took the initiative to set an example for his younger sister: “Great Ancestor, could you share a piece with me? Emperor Kangxi always keeps an eye on me, and it’s been a long time since I’ve had any candy.”
The Grand Empress Dowager then personally picked up a piece and placed it in Yinreng's palm, before turning with him to look at Danqing.
Danqing, her little face flushed, also stretched out her hand and tentatively said, "I want candy too."
Only then did the Grand Empress Dowager smile, placing a piece in her hand as well.
Danqing popped the candy she had personally asked for into her mouth and unexpectedly discovered it wasn't hard.
The candy wasn't as sweet as she had imagined—it was light and refreshing, snapping easily when bitten and requiring no effort to chew, finishing quickly.
With the experience from before, Danqing, still not satisfied, boldly asked for more candy. This time, the Grand Empress Dowager hesitated for a moment before giving her another piece, then repeatedly urged Sumalagu to quickly put away the candy box.
Yinreng slipped his own candy into his sister's mouth and whispered in her ear, "Even the Grand Empress Dowager rarely gets to eat a few pieces of candy—she's quite reluctant to part with them."
Danqing nodded as she chewed the candy. She understood—older people are prone to high blood sugar, and the imperial physicians must have advised against eating sweets.
"Second Brother!"
Danqing swallowed the candy in her mouth, her eyes darting around before she suddenly called out loudly.
Yinreng was startled and instinctively opened his mouth, "Huh?"
Then a sweet piece of candy found its way into his mouth.
Yinreng didn't actually care much for candy; he had only said what he did earlier to make it easier for his sister to ask. But now, he felt the candy in his mouth was exceptionally sweet.
Indeed, sisters were better—they thought of sharing good things with him, unlike those annoying younger brothers who only knew how to snatch his away.
The young Crown Prince was healed by his sister's single piece of candy, his eyes crinkling as he hugged her and told her about the treasures he had recently acquired, promising to give her anything she liked.
Danqing didn't hold back either, genuinely asking him for a wooden ship model that was said to be disassemblable. Yinreng immediately agreed and had it delivered to Danqing first thing the next morning.
When she had heard Kangxi talk about the Fujian naval fleet earlier, Danqing had already been curious about what kind of ships the Qing Dynasty could build at that time.
Now, seeing this model said to be based on the main warships of the Fujian naval fleet, she realized it was far more intricate than she had imagined.
"His Highness the Crown Prince said this ship is very complex, and he wouldn't dare claim he could assemble it properly. He asked you to display it for viewing and under no circumstances take it apart."
The eunuch who delivered the ship specifically reminded her.
This wooden ship was a treasure of their Crown Prince. Since acquiring it, he had spent every spare moment studying it, and no one expected he would be willing to give it to the Fourth Princess.
No wonder the atmosphere in the palace had shifted these days—this princess truly had risen to prominence overnight. From now on, she deserved even more respect.
From the eunuch's implied meaning, Danqing realized this wooden ship was Yinreng's beloved possession and immediately felt a pang of regret.
Yesterday, in the heat of the moment, she hadn't wanted to disappoint Yinreng's kindness, thinking whatever he mentioned was something he could give her. So, she chose something she was interested in. Had she known it was something he cherished, she would never have taken it from him.
But now that she had already asked for it, returning it would be even more inappropriate, so she could only keep it for now.
Danqing had Hemiao clear a corner of her desk specifically to place the wooden ship, then leaned over the table, staring intently at it.
With her years of experience assembling building blocks, she was confident that given enough time to study it carefully, she could take it apart and put it back together.
So when Yinreng came to Cining Palace as usual to give Danqing her lesson, he found his Fourth Sister leaning over the table, facing the wooden ship—fast asleep.
"Why wasn't she carried to the bed to sleep?"
Yinreng immediately darkened his expression. "The Grand Empress Dowager instructing the Princess is one matter—it doesn't mean you all can neglect your duties! If I ever see you daring to fool the Princess again, you'll all be dragged out and beaten!"
The palace maids and eunuchs inside and outside the room immediately knelt in unison. Danqing, drowsy and confused, heard someone speaking, rubbed her eyes, and sat up on her own.
"Second Brother, what's wrong?"
Danqing looked at Yinreng with a dazed expression.
When Yinreng turned his head, a smile had already returned to his face. He said gently, "Nothing much, I was just afraid you might catch a cold sleeping here."
As he spoke, he came over and touched Danqing's forehead. Sensing it wasn't feverish, he felt relieved.
"Do you like the wooden ship?"
Seeing that Danqing had placed the gift he gave her in the most prominent spot, Yinreng was very pleased.
Danqing nodded vigorously and said loudly, "I love it!"
Yinreng's eyes curved into a smile. "I'm glad you like it. In the future, whatever you want, just tell your brother, and I'll help you find it."
Since childhood, he had been the most noble child in the world, able to have whatever precious things he desired. He had casually given away countless items, and even the rarest treasures meant little to him.
But he disliked those who took his gifts without showing genuine joy—those who claimed the Crown Prince's rewards must be carefully stored away, only to lock them up in a storeroom, wasting his fine gifts. None compared to Danqing, who displayed and used what she liked, which pleased him all the more.
"Second Brother,"
Danqing tugged at Yinreng's sleeve. "Can you get me a set of paper and pens? The sand tray is useful, but once you write on it, it's gone. I want something that can be kept."
Yinreng hesitated. "But Emperor Kangxi said you must wait until next year when you turn six before you can use a pen."
Children's hands are small and weak, and starting to practice writing too early isn't necessarily a good thing.
Although Yinreng began his studies early, he didn't start using a pen until he was five or six. Danqing, being a girl, had even softer hands, so waiting another two years wouldn't hurt.
"I don't want a brush pen. I want the kind Mother uses to draw her eyebrows—hard and thin,"
Danqing didn't know if pencils existed at this time, so she could only describe it in terms of an eyebrow pencil. "I can use that."
Yinreng naturally didn't have something like an eyebrow pen on hand, so after returning to Qianqing Palace, he went to ask Kangxi for one. At first, Kangxi thought some reckless palace maid had dared to seduce the Crown Prince, but after Yinreng explained that Danqing wanted it for drawing, he nodded in agreement.
The next day, when Kangxi and Yinreng came to Cining Palace to pay their respects, they brought Danqing what she had asked for—
Not the pencil she wanted, nor the eyebrow pen used by women, but a metal-tipped dip pen adorned with beautiful feathers!
Danqing was utterly astonished, but upon second thought, it didn't seem so strange for such an item to appear in the Qing Dynasty.
After all, just a few days earlier, she had seen a blond, blue-eyed foreigner speaking with the Grand Empress Dowager.
"This is a Western novelty. Dip it in ink, and you can write with it,"
Kangxi explained. "I've also had some fine, smooth xuan paper prepared for you. It won't smudge when you write, so you can draw and play with it as you like."
He didn't think much of this type of pen himself, finding that it produced characters too small, lacked flexibility in writing, and made it difficult to achieve sharp strokes. It was overly rigid and lacked vitality, so after obtaining it, he had tossed it aside and rarely used it.
Yesterday, when Yinreng mentioned that Danqing wanted a stiffer brush for painting, it reminded me of this. I thought it would be perfect for my daughter to play around with, as it doesn’t hold much ink and saves her from getting covered in it while playing with a regular brush.
This unexpected gift delighted Danqing immensely. After lunch, she skipped her nap and eagerly asked Hemiao to grind the ink for her, impatient to try a few strokes.