The summer heat is intense.

It was that time of year again when the palace was at its most difficult. Everyone tacitly stopped going out, and even the frequency of going to Kunning Palace to pay respects was personally reduced by the Empress.

"Oh dear, we're running out of ice again. Do we have any left? Quickly, have someone bring some back to replenish our supply."

Xiu Ning sat sideways on the tatami mat, with the windows on both sides open for ventilation, and fanned Yin Yi with a round fan.

Not far from her, at the doorway, Chunyu was directing Xuanying and the others to quickly replace the ice. The original ice had melted into water, causing the temperature inside the room to rise rapidly.

The sound came intermittently, but Xiu Ning didn't stop her; instead, she continued to watch Yin Yi play by himself.

Wearing a small outfit, Yin Yi was chubby and still smelled of freshness after a bath. His little hands and feet, which he waved from time to time, looked plump, like newly dug lotus roots.

Mother

Yin Yi looked up at Xiu Ning with his big, wet eyes. "Why hasn't my elder sister come back?" She had promised to play with him, but he had been waiting for a long time and still hadn't seen Ning Chu Ge.

With a slightly unhappy pout, Yin Yi scrunched up his round, chubby face, looking both aggrieved and adorable.

Xiu Ning chuckled, "Your elder sister is still on her way, and it's hot outside today, so we need to give her more time."

Upon hearing this, Yin Yi immediately looked out the window and, sure enough, Ning Chuge was nowhere to be seen.

With his little head drooping, Yin Yi nestled into Xiu Ning's arms like a little silkworm, refusing to get up, "Mother, I want to find my elder sister, I want to find my elder sister..."

Xiuning sighed helplessly. "How old are you? You're still acting like a child. Speak properly. At your age, even your older brothers don't act like children anymore."

Yin Yi didn't believe it, and only left Xiu Ning with a round head. "Mother, my eldest brother and second brother also act cute, but my eldest brother is so fierce, he looks so scary."

After saying the last sentence, Yin Yi looked up at Xiu Ning with pleading eyes. His big, clear eyes blinked, making Xiu Ning's heart melt completely.

Xiu Ning reached out and rubbed Yin Yi's little head, then turned to look at the wet nurse beside her.

The wet nurse stepped forward and whispered, "What the prince is referring to is probably when he went to the Imperial Garden last time and happened to run into Consort Nara with Prince Yinti for a walk."

However, Prince Yinti was in a bad mood at the time and lashed out at his two servants. It's said that Consort Nara immediately sent them back to the Imperial Household Department.

Xiu Ning's expression remained unchanged. "Is that so?" She hadn't expected that Yin Ti, at such a young age, would have such a temper.

“The eldest brother is very fierce. When my son saw it, the eldest brother even hit him,” Yin Yi continued. Children naturally speak slowly and unclearly. Xiu Ning listened with difficulty, and her heart skipped a beat. Yin Ti was probably going to be ruined.

The wet nurse was somewhat embarrassed and uneasy about Yin Yi's words. After all, she had taken people out and almost frightened the young prince, which was her dereliction of duty.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault. Just bring Yinyi back before you run into Yinti and Yinreng next time."

Both children had contracted smallpox, but their subsequent fates were vastly different.

Yinreng became the crown prince and his career took off immediately; Yinti left behind lasting problems and lacked the ability to succeed him.

It's feared that the Yehenara clan, who invested and bet in advance, will suffer losses again.

The wet nurse nodded in agreement, then took two steps back, no longer interfering with Xiuning and Yinyi's efforts to cultivate their mother-son bond.

"I know they have bad tempers, so if you run into them in the future, just leave quickly. You're still young, and if you get bullied, your mother can't help you."

Xiu Ning deliberately scared Yin Yi a few times, hoping to make the child rein in his boldness. Then she heard Ning Chuge's voice.

Turning around, I saw Ning Chuge, looking refreshed, standing at the door, grinning broadly with her eyes closed.

Xiuning: ...

The child waved, then pressed down on Yin Yi, who was trying to jump out of his arms. Xiu Ning looked at the sweat on Ning Chuge's face with heartache, "Why didn't you wait until it was cooler before coming over? It's been very hot in the capital these past few days. Your outdoor classes should have stopped."

Activities like horseback archery look tiring to Xiu Ning, and the hot weather is bad for the skin. Ning Chuge's delicate skin is already a shade rougher than it was in winter.

Ning Chuge took the handkerchief handed to her by a palace maid and wiped her forehead and neck. She walked away nonchalantly, saying, "It's nothing. It's quite boring for me to stay in the palace. My grandmother went to the Empress Dowager's palace and hasn't returned yet. I couldn't wait any longer, so I sent someone ahead to tell her that I'm coming back."

Without mentioning the outdoor lessons, Xiu Ning could tell from the look that Ning Chuge was unwilling to give up.

He was stubborn and inflexible. He shook his head and said, "I asked Chunyu to prepare some sunburn ointment for you. Take some back with you and apply two layers when you go out in the future to help prevent sunburn."

Upon hearing this, Ning Chuge chuckled, "Mother~" It was still her own mother who took care of her.

"Go downstairs and change your clothes. Yin Yi has been missing you for a long time."

She beckoned to Xuan Ying to take Ning Chuge to the next room to tidy up her appearance, and Xiu Ning told Yin Yi in her arms not to be too restless.

Yin Yi naturally nodded obediently. With his elder sister here, he would have a playmate and would definitely not cause trouble.

"Take the young prince back to his room first," Xiu Ning called the wet nurse. "Keep an eye on the two of them, and when it's time, quickly coax them to rest."

The wet nurse nodded, "Yes, I understand."

After everyone left, Xiuning got up from her bed and went to the door to call Chunyu in alone.

Ning Chuge has mentioned several times that the Empress Dowager went to the Grand Empress Dowager's palace and has not returned.

Have our people recently discovered any activity from the Cining Palace faction?

Xiu Ning's question was not unfounded; she could sense the Empress Dowager's problem from Ning Chuge's words.

This refers not only to the Empress Dowager's visits to the Grand Empress Dowager's palace, but also to the frequency of their interactions, as if their communication had suddenly deepened.

Living in the harem requires constant caution, and Xiu Ning certainly couldn't overlook anything unusual.

When Chunyu heard her mistress mention Cining Palace, she frowned and thought for a while before shaking her head. "I haven't heard anything about it. Most of our people are distributed in the concubines' palaces. Could Cining Palace be related to next year's imperial concubine selection?"

Of course, I have also heard that the Mongol tribes did not perform well in the rebellion of the princes, and that several ministers in the court even found an opportunity to submit memorials impeaching them.

The Empress Dowager was from the Khorchin, and there were many warriors from the Borjigit clan at the front. Perhaps there was some conflict between them, who knows?

Upon hearing this, Xiu Ning walked around the main hall twice. "Where did you hear this about matters of state?"

Chunyu glanced around and whispered, "It was the eunuch in front of the emperor who spoke too quickly."

However, I think it should be fine. It's not just the Empress Dowager's maternal family; the Hesheli clan and the Tong clan have also been impeached by the ministers. Anyway, the previous dynasty was like a battlefield of grudges. The calm and peaceful atmosphere was just a facade. The real situation was that people were fighting and attacking each other.

Xiuning didn't answer, but looked thoughtful, which made Chunyu nervous. No, could it be that she was right?