"Sigh, the fourth brother cries far more than the third brother."

Ning Chuge couldn't help but pout; she felt that every time she returned to Qixiang Palace, it was always lively.

Of course, this is on the premise that we have to ignore the fact that the lively atmosphere all stemmed from Yinlu's crying.

Upon hearing this, Xiu Ning reached out and gently tapped Ning Chuge's little head. Looking at her eldest daughter, who was almost a year older, she sighed inwardly at how fast time had passed; she had just been a tiny little thing.

“You’re back just in time. I was going to discuss this with you. Yinlu does cry too much. Your room is in the back hall, which is far from the front hall and quite secluded. If possible, you can move to the front courtyard and let Yinlu live in the back hall.”

As she walked towards her room, Xiu Ning brought up the same topic she had discussed with Chun Yu with Ning Chu Ge.

Ning Chuge didn't have many questions about where to stay. Since she didn't have much time to go back to Qixiang Palace anyway, and Yinlu was in this situation, Ning Chuge simply nodded, "Mother, let's vacate a room when we have time."

Xiu Ning reached out and ruffled Ning Chuge's hair, then pulled him to sit down on the couch. "These things aren't urgent, I'll just mention them to you when I see you. By the way, is there something you need to do back here this time?"

Ning Chuge rarely rushes to Qixiang Palace early in the morning unless she has something to do. Usually, she only chooses to come back to visit after finishing her studies.

"Mother, I have something to say," Ning Chuge said softly, then glanced around.

Seeing this, Xiuning waved her hand, signaling Chunyu and the others who were with her to step back.

"There are some things that are difficult to say?" The question seemed mysterious. Could it be about the Shou Kang Palace? Xiu Ning began to ponder this, offering a few words of concern.

Ning Chuge nodded and shook his head, hesitated for a moment, then simply buried himself in Xiu Ning's arms. "It's related to Father Emperor. Father Emperor has been taking his daughter horseback riding at the villa recently, but in reality, he doesn't accompany his daughter at all. Instead, he disappears once he arrives at the villa."

The daughter suspected that her father, the Emperor, had deliberately taken her out of the palace for another purpose.

This statement was somewhat inappropriate, as it sounded like Ning Chuge was questioning Kangxi.

Xiu Ning's expression was serious. She lowered her head and met Ning Chuge's eyes. "Is what you said true?"

Ning Chuge nodded, "Once or twice is fine, but Father Emperor does it almost every time."

She wasn't stupid. Ning Chuge knew whether her father genuinely wanted to take her out to play or just wanted to use her to cause trouble. That's why she ran back to Qixiang Palace to find Xiuning early in the morning. There was no other reason; she simply felt wronged.

"Don't overthink it. Perhaps your father just has something urgent to attend to."

If I didn't truly love you, why would I take you horseback riding at the other villa?

Regardless of Kangxi's true intentions, Xiuning's first thought was to appease Ning Chuge and prevent the child from developing any resentment towards Kangxi. After all, Kangxi was still her biological father.

Ning Chuge: ...

Ning Chuge couldn't help but pout. Her mother really treated her like a child. It was only because they were the only ones in the room, otherwise Ning Chuge wouldn't have spoken so bluntly.

"Mother, I was just wondering if Father Emperor was going to bring back another concubine from another household for me."

On her way to find her father, the Emperor, my daughter saw a strange woman.

This is what Ning Chuge wanted to say to Xiuning, and the fact that the Emperor himself covered it up speaks volumes about its importance.

"woman?"

"Yes, my daughter looks unfamiliar, but she is very beautiful."

"..."

Xiu Ning lowered her eyes, thinking to herself, "Could it be Lady Wei who suddenly appears at this time? No, Lady Wei is still hidden in the Xin Zhe Ku. Consort Hui protects her very well, and ordinary people can't touch her."

That's right, it's the Guoluo clan.

Xiuning thought of Consort Guo, who had always been misunderstood but whose own life was quite legendary. She was the older sister of Consort Yi, Guo Luoluo, and gave birth to the sixth princess, Kejing, who was the famous and powerful Princess Haibang in the northern desert.

Of course, Consort Guo also had a prince, but he died young not long after birth and was not ranked among the princes already living in the harem.

"Mother, I'm not saying anything more, but Father Emperor's actions violate palace rules, aren't they?"

Keeping a strange woman in a separate courtyard and then running off every few days to meet with her in secret—Ning Chuge may not know much about palace rules, but she knew in her heart that this kind of thing was definitely inappropriate.

"Whether Ning Chuge violates the palace rules or not depends entirely on the thoughts of the person in charge."

"The matter concerning your father, the Emperor, is still unresolved, so it must be put on hold for now."

What can be done if we don't put it aside? Should Xiu Ning take Ning Chu Ge's words to Kun Ning Palace to cry and complain to the Empress? Regardless of whether the Empress believes it or not, just going there would directly offend the Emperor. They are people who rely on the Emperor for their livelihood; they can offend anyone but their benefactor.

"Then Mother, daughter."

Without saying a word, Ning Chuge bit her lip, unsure of what to do.

Xiu Ning patted Ning Chuge on the back, "You don't need to worry about these things. Just interact with your father normally. Go riding a horse when you want to. To be clear, this kind of thing has nothing to do with you."

Even if Lady Guoluo enters the palace, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and others will have worries, which will not affect Ning Chuge at all.

After calming Ning Chuge down with kind words, Xiu Ning turned around and sent Ning Chuge to play with Yin Yi.

She called Chunyu over and explained what she had just said to Ning Chuge: "Send someone to investigate. I'm afraid this matter can't be kept secret for long. We don't need to get involved."

Xiuning just wanted to prepare in advance. Guo Luoluo would definitely enter the palace, but she was special because she was a widow whose status was somewhat inappropriate.

Of course, this was normal when the Qing Dynasty was first established, especially since Huang Taiji had married quite a few widows. However, as the Qing Dynasty had been established for a long time and its culture had come into contact with the Han people, some of the Manchu customs inevitably differed, and the Qing Dynasty became stricter on some things (such as the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and the order of rank).

Chunyu nodded, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant understands."

...

Chunyu then arranged for people to investigate, and within a few days, news surfaced.

The emperor went to the villa, pretending to ride a horse, but his real purpose was to meet a strange woman.

The woman was neither a concubine in the imperial harem nor a palace maid in a separate residence; she truly came from the common people.

"I have not been able to find out any further details about this woman's identity."

Chunyu's reach isn't very long yet, but she managed to uncover so much information thanks to her years of cultivating relationships with the emperor. After all, the emperor doesn't travel alone, and some less important news inevitably leaks out.

After integrating these messages and extracting the key information, what we ultimately get is what Chunyu recounted.

"Who else knows about this besides us?"

Xiu Ning blinked and picked up the teacup she was carrying, bringing it to her lips.