When Little Six was first born, the winds of February still carried a lingering chill.
By the time cherry blossoms began appearing on the branches around Yonghe Palace, Little Six had started earnestly trying to lift his head.
Shulan watched him puff out his cheeks and struggle upward.
She watched the changing seasons beyond her window.
She watched him use every ounce of strength to roll over.
She watched him mischievously crawl all over the floor.
She listened as he babbled tuneless little songs in his baby voice.
Before she knew it, spring had deepened into summer, and then autumn arrived.
Golden ginkgo leaves colored the palace walls.
And by then, Yinzuo was preparing to evolve from a crawling creature into a walking one.
Looking at Yinzuo, who would immediately start wailing the moment she left his sight, Shulan couldn’t help laughing.
She walked over, scooped him into her arms, and gently pinched his soft cheek.
“My little ancestor, are you waiting for Mother to carry you?”
The instant he entered her embrace, the crying stopped.
Yinzuo snuggled into the crook of her neck and smugly smacked his lips.
Seeing how quickly his expression changed, Shulan shook her head helplessly, though a gentle smile curved her lips.
Without realizing it, Little Six was already ten months old.
And she herself had been in this world for just as long.
“Ahhh!”
The shout beside her pulled her wandering thoughts back.
Seeing Little Six preparing to climb down again, she lightly patted his chubby little bottom.
“Jinhua, bring the anti-fall cushion for the prince.”
As soon as she spoke, Jinhua came running over with the cushion.
Ever since Little Six had begun exploring the world, Shulan had ordered the palace embroiderers to make it.
On one hand, it protected him while crawling around.
On the other, it prevented him from bumping his head against table corners and other hard surfaces.
Jinhua skillfully fastened the cushion onto Little Six’s back.
The little fellow immediately resumed his happy exploration, giggling as he crawled forward on all fours like a rolling ball of meat.
When he reached a pearwood stool, he kicked his short legs and shuffled toward it.
Sticking his round little bottom into the air, he crawled underneath.
The wet nurse and maids watched him like hawks, ready to intervene at any moment.
Meanwhile, Shulan sat calmly nearby.
She watched him cling to the stool leg and wobble.
She watched him experimentally rise onto his tiptoes.
Two chubby hands gripped the stool tightly as he struggled upright.
He managed to stand for less than two seconds before swaying and plopping back onto the floor.
Fortunately, the cushion prevented him from hitting his head.
Little Six looked toward his mother.
Seeing her merely watching instead of helping him, he felt terribly wronged and prepared to burst into tears.
Shulan immediately pinched his little mouth.
Instantly, Little Six transformed into a tiny duck.
The interruption made him completely forget about crying.
Instead, he grinned at her.
Watching his tears turn into laughter, Shulan lightly scratched his damp little chin.
Her eyes overflowed with tenderness.
The little fellow giggled nonstop.
One plump hand clutched her sleeve and shook it repeatedly.
Tears still hung from the corners of his eyes, yet he rubbed his face against her chest like an affectionate kitten.
“Whose little duck is this? How did he go from crying to laughing so happily in the blink of an eye?”
The palace doors creaked open.
Kangxi entered wearing ordinary clothing.
At this point, he walked into Yonghe Palace as naturally as if it were his own home.
Shulan stepped forward to greet him without changing expression.
The Emperor never allowed attendants to announce his arrival.
The first few times, he had nearly scared her to death.
After months of practice, she had become accustomed to it.
Kangxi waved away the palace servants before they could kneel and strode directly toward them.
His gaze settled on Little Six.
“Consort De, look at this little fellow. It won’t be long before he’s walking.”
Seeing a familiar face, Little Six became excited.
Kicking his arms and legs wildly, he crawled rapidly toward Kangxi while babbling loudly.
The sight brought an unconscious smile to Kangxi’s lips.
Ignoring the ancestral rule of “hold grandsons, not sons,” he bent down and picked the child up.
“My good son, did you miss me?”
Little Six had no idea what that meant.
Instead, noticing that Kangxi had started growing a beard this year, he immediately reached out with his evil little hand and grabbed it.
Kangxi wasn’t offended in the slightest.
He simply let him tug.
Shulan rose and bowed.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Kangxi nodded with a smile.
“Rise. I came to see Little Six.”
His eyes soon landed on the strange object attached to the child’s back.
He knew immediately that it was another one of Consort De’s inventions.
Ever since Little Six’s birth, she had continuously come up with odd but surprisingly useful things.
Besides anti-choking pillows, Kangxi had noticed that every sharp table corner in Yonghe Palace had been covered with protective padding.
There were baby strollers.
All sorts of specialized baby clothes.
And according to the Imperial Household Department, Consort De had recently submitted designs for something called a baby walker.
“What is this?”
Kangxi sat down with Little Six in his arms and flicked the soft bump attached to his back.
Little Six wobbled and burst into laughter.
He grabbed Kangxi’s hand and pressed it against the cushion.
Shulan smiled.
“Your Majesty, it’s a protective cushion.
This child is terribly active. He’s always crawling everywhere and squeezing beneath furniture.
I’m afraid he’ll bump the back of his head.”
Kangxi squeezed the fabric thoughtfully.
The cushion was soft, breathable, and comfortable.
He nodded approvingly.
“A thoughtful design.
Much more practical than the stiff protective gear used in the palace.”
As he spoke, he deliberately flicked the cushion again.
Little Six laughed even harder.
His energetic little feet kicked against Kangxi’s robes as he played.
Watching his son’s delight, much of the frustration Kangxi had been carrying recently faded away.
The source of that frustration was Seventh Prince.
Though Kangxi had successfully suppressed news of it, the child would eventually grow up.
The fact remained that he had a disabled son.
It was not something that could simply be erased.
Seeing the look in Kangxi’s eyes, Shulan knew exactly what he was thinking.
Remembering Seventh Prince’s crippled leg, she sighed inwardly.
Still, because of that disability, the prince had lived a cautious and law-abiding life.
In the end, he enjoyed a peaceful death.
Whether that counted as a form of consolation, she couldn’t say.
By now, Little Six had burned off enough energy for the day.
Nestled in Kangxi’s arms, he had moved on from beard-pulling to carefully plucking individual beard hairs.
Seeing this, Shulan instructed the wet nurse to take him away.
Without Little Six causing chaos between them, the room became astonishingly quiet.
Several times Shulan opened her mouth, intending to start a conversation.
Each time she thought better of it.
Instead, she focused on her embroidery.
It had become her newest hobby.
Kangxi watched her sewing quietly.
After a moment, something stirred within him.
“What are your thoughts regarding promotion to a higher rank?”
The sudden question nearly caused Shulan to prick herself with her needle.
She quickly stood and bowed.
“Whether thunder or rain, all are expressions of Your Majesty’s grace.
This concubine was born a servant of the Banner household. To rise from a palace maid to my current position and be blessed with both Fourth Prince and Sixth Prince is already an enormous fortune.
As for rank and titles, they are far less important to me than the safety of my children and peace within the harem.”
Kangxi shook his head helplessly.
“You, ah you.
I’m beginning to wonder whether, aside from Little Six, I still exist anywhere in your eyes.”
Shulan immediately replied in an exaggeratedly sweet tone:
“Your Majesty, if you look carefully, you’ll see that my eyes are filled entirely with you.”
The moment the words left her mouth, goosebumps crawled all the way up her neck.
Kangxi’s gaze darkened.
The atmosphere shifted.
Just as something seemed about to happen, a commotion sounded outside.
A messenger had arrived.
The Noble Consort had fallen ill and was requesting the Emperor’s presence.
Hearing this, Kangxi looked at Shulan with a trace of guilt.
Shulan immediately smiled reassuringly.
“Your Majesty, if the Noble Consort is unwell, then naturally you should go and see her.”
Kangxi rose reluctantly.
“I’ll come visit you and Little Six another day.”
With that, he departed in haste.
Watching his retreating figure, Shulan secretly patted her chest in relief.
The moment he was gone, excitement instantly filled her voice.
“Close the doors!
Tonight we’re having hot pot!”
No overtime work.
Life was good.