Xia He seized this opportunity to gradually deepen the connection between their Yikun Palace and Wu Shulai.

For Wu Shulai, Yikun Palace was a place that provided him with a stable income in the long term, and he felt comfortable getting along with both Chen Yuwei and Xia He, the mistress and servant.

As expected, Wu Shulai had no intention of parting ways with Yikun Palace; on the contrary, he further tacitly acknowledged their connection.

"Yes, be careful when you're gathering information, especially since Wu Shulai has been serving the Emperor all along."

There are many lackeys in front of the emperor, and it's possible that some of them will be unable to resist the urge to remove Wu Shulai and take his place.

It wasn't easy for us to bribe Wu Shulai, and no one else has his abilities. We must maintain and protect him carefully.

At least until Wu Shulai stepped down and a new person took over, Wu Shulai was a crucial figure for their Yikun Palace.

Xia He nodded, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant understands."

After speaking, Chen Yuwei lay down on the couch, "The Emperor has been busy with palace affairs these past two days and has not entered the inner palace."

However, Yonghuang and the others have been learning Buku in the rear hall of Qianqing Palace. As long as the Emperor meets them, it won't be long before the Emperor comes to Yikun Palace.

"Instruct the kitchen to prepare the emperor's favorite soups and dishes as soon as possible, just in case."

Once the royal children are old enough to understand, they will start vying for the emperor's favor. Although Yonghu and the others are simple-minded, they understand the benefits of the emperor visiting Yikun Palace more often.

Chen Yuwei had no doubt that, given the chance, Yonghu and the others would definitely try to sway Hongli's thoughts and drag his own father to Yikun Palace.

Chen Yuwei and Xia He's conversation lasted only a day before Wu Shulai came rushing over with good news.

The Emperor will be having dinner at Yikun Palace tonight.

Since it involves dining, the step of staying overnight is essential.

After all, Chen Yuwei has never had a precedent of letting Hongli leave smoothly after arriving.

Xia He personally escorted Wu Shulai. Chen Yuwei wore a light blue cheongsam, and the bangs hanging down her head trembled slightly.

"Xia Yu, instruct the palace servants to clean carefully, and report to Xia He immediately if anything happens."

"Yes, I understand."

Turning around, Chen Yuwei returned to her room, glanced around, and decided to give Hongli a surprise that evening, a feeling of reunion after a short separation.

Hmm, if this lecher doesn't satisfy her, she can forget about leaving Yikun Palace.

As darkness fell outside, Hongli, having finished his official duties, led Yonghu and several of his children to Yikun Palace.

Yonghu and the other two could have returned earlier, but Hongli thought that he and his son hadn't seen each other for several months, and since he was also coming over, he simply made Yonghu and the others wait for him for a while.

Now that the father and his four sons have entered the door together, their mere presence already exudes an aura of power.

Chen Yuwei: ...

"Your Majesty, I greet you."

Chen Yuwei smiled, bowed, and greeted him. Then she reached out and took the increasingly heavy little chubby boy from Hongli's arms.

"Yonghong and Yongkun have grown up so fast in just a few months."

Yonghu might not show much difference, but the two younger ones, Yonghong and Yongkun, are noticeably rounder.

They were supposed to go to Jianbuku to suffer, but apart from Yonghu getting a bit tanned and stronger, the two younger ones actually got fatter.

Chen Yuwei explained in a low voice that the reason was still due to differences in physical constitution.

Yonghong and Yongkun, the two younger ones, suffered a lot because of Buku.

However, he was still too young. Master Buku used different strategies when facing Yonghu than when facing Yonghong and Yongkun. He was absolutely ruthless towards Yonghu, while he could occasionally have some free time with Yonghong and Yongkun.

But they didn't have much free time. The reason was simple: Yonghong and Yongkun liked Buku more than Yonghu, the person in question.

It's a systemic problem; the more you practice, the more you eat.

After several months, I didn't lose weight; in fact, I gained weight.

If it weren't for the fact that the flesh they were pinching felt a little firm, Chen Yuwei would have thought they were actually exercising and that the two children had gone to the Qianqing Palace for a vacation.

After hearing Chen Yuwei's words, Hongli couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Hmm, as expected of his three favored sons, they are indeed exceptional.

“Good health is a blessing, unlike Yonghuang and the others, who all lost weight after their trip to the borderlands.”

Hongli sighed. He rushed back because Yonghuang, Yonglian, and Yongzhang had gotten into trouble.

Originally, Yongzhang and Consort Chun shouldn't have gone to the border region, as the end of May was Yongzhang's first birthday.

Consort Chun felt it was not worthwhile for Yongzhang to stay in the palace for his first birthday banquet, so she insisted on using the child as a pretext to go on a trip to the borderlands.

Hongli had no choice. In addition, Yongzhang was indeed more robust than Yonghuang and Yonglian when they were young (but not as robust as Yonghu, Yonggong and Yongkun). He thought that going out would broaden his horizons, and it would also be a good excuse to gather the Khans and princes of Mongolia together.

And so, Consort Chun took Yongzhang away, and then fell ill on the way back.

Not only did the mother and son collapse together, but Yonghuang and Yonglian also collapsed.

For some reason, even the accompanying imperial physicians could not find a diagnosis.

The only certainty is that they didn't have enough medicinal herbs on the way, and they had to return to the capital as soon as possible to treat the illness.

This is why Hongli returned earlier than originally planned, a fact unknown even to the concubines who returned with him.

Chen Yuwei felt a little strange listening to what Hongli was saying to her.

Others were unaware, and then casually told themselves, "Could it be that Hongli truly loves her?" Chen Yuwei just couldn't believe it.

While telling the Emperor to rest assured that with the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital, the young princes would surely be cured, Chen Yuwei secretly wondered if Hongli suspected her of doing something wrong.

In all honesty, she was completely sidelined by the Empress Dowager even in the palace; how could she possibly have the power to interfere in the inspection teams beyond the Great Wall? Hongli thinks too highly of her.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!