Before the first month of the lunar calendar was over, Hongli bestowed the name Mian De upon Yonghuang's newborn eldest son.

It doesn't sound very nice, but the meaning is good, and this is only the son of a concubine, so Hongli has already given his eldest son a lot of face.

Not only that, Yonghuang had just secured a name bestowed upon his own son when his newly acquired princess, the one from the Irgen Gioro clan who had been bestowed upon him by the emperor last year, became pregnant.

Good heavens, this is double happiness for Yonghuang, a double blessing!

Apart from the Empress Dowager and Consort Niohuru, who were suffering even more from headaches, neither of them saw any hope at all.

Niohuru made an even bigger fuss over this, and Yonghuang couldn't even maintain a semblance of peace with her. The two sides acted as if they were mortal enemies, wishing they could fight every time they met.

Even the Empress Dowager couldn't control him, because Yonghuang wouldn't listen, and Niohuru could only cry.

It is said that the Empress Dowager was so angry about this that she fell ill several times. When Yonghuang went to visit her, he couldn't even enter the palace.

"That's impossible. They've raised him carefully for several years. Putting aside everything else, there's still some affection between the grandfather and grandson."

Furthermore, the Empress Dowager has devoted a great deal of effort to the eldest prince in recent years.

Giving up so easily doesn't just benefit others.

The Empress Dowager seems very petty; she would never be willing to do such a losing deal.

Moreover, Yonghuang's health wasn't great, but he had only been married for a short time and was already having children one after another.

Unless the imperial physicians declare that Yonghuang has completely lost his ability to have children, the Empress Dowager will certainly still hope for a younger generation with mixed blood of the Aisin Gioro and Niohuru clans.

“My lord, but the First Princess Consort doesn’t seem like someone who can be easily subdued.”

Xia He helped her mistress as the two strolled around the courtyard.

Having just finished dinner, Chen Yuwei felt a bit full, so she took Xia He out for some exercise.

"If the First Princess Consort can't back down, isn't there still the Empress Dowager? The Empress Dowager won't sit idly by."

Chen Yuwei pointed in the direction of Cining Palace and said with a smile, "There are countless ways, if one doesn't work, we'll find another immediately."

The Empress Dowager is old, but not senile. The First Princess Consort can't fight against the Empress Dowager, and in the end she will definitely have to back down and show weakness.

Furthermore, the Empress Dowager wouldn't allow the First Consort to do much; at most, she would have people gossip and lower their heads to ensure she conceived the pregnancy.

"Hmph! Easier said than done. It's a good thing that it wasn't the old lady who had to serve the prince. She was the one who suffered."

Turning away from Cining Palace, Niohuru had no sense of propriety and dared to say anything.

The maidservant standing nearby was so frightened that she shrank back and dared not respond, and could only advise her master to calm down.

calm? !

Niohuru was completely unable to remain calm. She was free to do as she pleased at home, and she was even less willing to feel uncomfortable and stifled after marrying into the First Prince's household.

Besides, what does a bald prince like the eldest prince have? If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's pity in taking him in, he would be a pitiful prince with no support in the harem. Where would he get the courage to cause trouble for her?

"In my opinion, our Prince is still alive back then."

"Ha! What a shameless ingrate! All the hard work of our ancestors and the Niohuru clan has been wasted."

Niohuru was not afraid of being overheard, since everything she said was true.

Holding her head high, shouting and yelling outside the Cining Palace, Empress Dowager Niohuru finally released most of the anger she had been holding in, let out a long breath, and left with her entourage.

As the troublemaking First Lady walked away, the palace servants who had been hiding in the distance slowly emerged from the corners.

Among them was the Empress Dowager's personal maid, who, with great reluctance, told her mistress about the Grand Consort's actions outside the palace, while worrying that this would affect the reputation of the Niohuru clan.

The Empress Dowager commented sharply, "What has been ruined? Even if the Grand Consort hadn't spoken up, would Niohuru's reputation not have been affected?"

It's good to talk about it. The child is feeling wronged, and Yonghuang's actions are just too outrageous.

Both concubines he took in were able to bear children, but they ended up becoming enemies with the wife.

He doesn't even consider who helped him achieve his current position. Is it so difficult for me to find a junior with Niohuru blood?

It's time to teach Yonghuang a lesson, otherwise he'll think he's really afraid of him.

The Empress Dowager didn't say what she was going to say, but as her personal maid, she understood perfectly.

The Empress Dowager eventually grew distant from Prince Yonghuang. Even though the two had a harmonious relationship before, the successive pregnancies of the concubine and the princess, coupled with the Empress Dowager's repeated reports of bad news instead of good news when the primary consort entered the palace, eventually became unbearable.

The maidservant tacitly refrained from saying anything and simply stood beside the Empress Dowager, acting as a dumping ground for criticism.

They let the Empress Dowager say some unpleasant things until she shut up.

"Your Majesty, this servant will help you to the small Buddhist hall; it's time for chanting scriptures."

The maid stepped forward, reached out and supported the Empress Dowager's arm, helping her up from the chair.

The Empress Dowager hummed in agreement, closed her eyes and then opened them again, her previous indignation quickly subsiding.

"Reciting scriptures and chanting Buddha's name is not much I, an old woman, can do."

Leaving her receding figure behind, the Empress Dowager turned and went to the small Buddhist shrine next door.

As for what they just said, it was just said in anger. The two of them, mistress and servant, didn't tell anyone, so no one would know.

...

On the first day of the third month of the twelfth year of the Qianlong reign, Hayihu, who had been granted the title of Princess Gulun Hejing, left the palace to marry.

Yonghuang and Yonghu were among the wedding procession.

As the eldest sons of Hongli, the two men felt it was their duty to go beyond the Great Wall.

Chen Yuwei did not comment on the matter, but simply told Yonghu to be careful when he was out and about.

Although he was just going to escort the bride and wouldn't likely encounter any trouble, there was always a chance that an accident might happen and he might get hurt.

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