"Even you think this way, what about him?" Kangxi said, slightly annoyed.

Liang Jiugong dared not offer any more advice, for he knew that the Emperor was truly displeased that Prince Zhi had developed feelings for Baoyue.

Alas, an emperor is always an emperor. Even if he says he is old, he will not allow anyone to overstep their bounds in the slightest, not even his own son.

Kangxi's refusal to accept Baoyue was his own business, but it didn't mean that others could ignore Kangxi's existence and approach Baoyue, at least not at this time.

"Liang Jiugong, go and inform Bandi that I have taken Baoyue as my concubine. Order her to come and serve me immediately," Kangxi said angrily.

Liang Jiugong was shocked; he never expected that Kangxi would make such a decision at this time.

As dusk fell, Baoyue had just returned to her tent when she saw Qiqige, one of Bandi's concubines, inside. Qiqige was from the Kunerkun tribe, and it was through her that Baoyue had found Bandi.

"Sister, great news! The Emperor of the Qing Dynasty has expressed his acceptance of your feelings." Qiqige, dressed in traditional Mongolian attire, rushed over to Baoyue as soon as she entered, took her hand, and said this.

A strange smile flashed across Bao Yue's face, but she quickly regained her composure and said with a bright smile, "Great, Qiqige, I can finally fulfill my long-cherished wish."

That evening, under Qiqige's arrangement, Baoyue was dressed in her wedding clothes and carried into Kangxi's imperial tent, becoming the emperor's wife.

When Prince Zhi learned of this news, he stood frozen in his tent, watching as the woman he loved became his father's woman, and he was powerless to do anything about it.

Three days later, the imperial decree ordering all relatives to submit the birth dates and times of eligible princesses aged twelve and above to the Emperor was relayed back. The Fourth Prince had already dispatched the Thirteenth Prince with the two Cui brothers to Yangzhou, while Da Chun and Li Wei had gone to Guangdong together.

That day, the Fourth Prince left the palace and returned to his residence. The eldest princess was already over thirteen and had been betrothed, but the marriage hadn't been finalized yet, so her birth date and time needed to be sent over. The second princess was eleven, not old enough. The Fourth Prince planned to send the eldest princess's birth date and time over, thus formally announcing the engagement.

When Emperor Kangxi issued this decree, the princesses of the various imperial families in the capital began to tremble with fear, as it seemed that another marriage alliance was about to be arranged. The Fourth Prince, having not gone with the emperor, did not know which family Kangxi intended to marry. Although he also did not want his two princesses to be married off to other families, the eldest princess of the Prince of Zhi had already married out, and it was unlikely that his family would be considered again this time.

"Go to the main courtyard and tell him that I will be there in a while. There's no need to prepare dinner; I'll eat in the front courtyard before I go." The Fourth Prince said to Su Peisheng as soon as he stepped into the Fourth Prince's residence.

Meanwhile, news of the Fourth Prince's return to the manor had already reached Madam Nian's room. At that time, she was playing with a snow-white fluffy ball when she heard that the Fourth Prince had returned, but also that he had gone to the Fujin's side to deliver a message that he was going to the main courtyard. She was immediately a little disappointed.

After learning that the Fourth Prince had returned, the Princess Consort thought for a moment and asked Lingxiu, "After all this time of hardship, has Lady Yehe finally come to her senses?"

Lingxiu said, "This servant has already instructed Taohua and Hehua to cut back on their expenses. Taohua said that Yehe Shi is only keeping Yulu and Yuhen in check to prevent them from causing trouble. My lady, this servant doesn't think that Yehe Shi is worth it."

The Princess Consort said, "Only when a person is at their most desperate can their instinct to fight back be aroused, and only then can their most primal desires be unleashed. Yehe Shi is not without desires, but she is bound by that set of traditional dogmas. What I, the Princess Consort, need to do is to ignite her fighting spirit and turn her into a sharp sword. Go, have Peach Blossom deliberately leak some news to her, saying that the Fourth Prince has returned and, after learning about her situation, specifically asked the Princess Consort to pardon her confinement. It's just a small matter, and Nian Shi wasn't hurt in any way."

Since Yehe Shi was confined to her quarters, she hadn't wanted Peach Blossom and Lotus to manage everything in her room anymore. However, when Yuhen and Yulu went to collect their daily rations, they were told that only Peach Blossom and Lotus could collect them, not the two of them. Yehe Shi had no choice but to continue having Peach Blossom and Lotus collect the rations. At the behest of the Fujin (the princess's wife), Peach Blossom frequently skimped on the rations of Yehe Shi and her two servants, sometimes even serving them cold meals.

Now, the Fujin (principal wife) felt that it was time for the Yehe clan to retaliate, so she specifically ordered Taohua to lift the restrictions on the Yehe clan. However, the Fujin specifically instructed that they must find a way to provoke the Yehe clan's fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, Peach Blossom, having received instructions from the Fujin, went to Yehe's room to deliver a message.

Peach Blossom entered the room and saw Yulu dusting. She sneered, "What's the use of dusting every day? The master never comes. No matter how clean you dust, no one will come. Fortunately, our Fujin is kind-hearted and specially sent someone to tell us that the princess's confinement has been lifted."

Yu Lu initially showed disgust, but upon hearing Tao Hua say that the Fujin had lifted the Gege's confinement, she exclaimed in disbelief, "Are you telling the truth? The Fujin lifted the Gege's confinement?"

Peach Blossom rolled her eyes a few times and said, "Yes, it's over. But given the princess's personality, it'll probably stay like this from now on. As soon as the master returned, he said he wanted to go see the princess." After saying that, she didn't go to see Yehe's wife anymore. Anyway, telling Yulu was the same as telling Yehe's wife.

After pondering for a moment, Yu Lu put down the feather duster in her hand and hurriedly went to Yehe's bedroom. Yehe had divided her bedroom into two areas: the front was where she slept, and the back was separated by a screen to serve as her small study.

"Princess, Princess, Master is back." Yu Lu walked into the room and almost bumped into Yu Hen, who was carrying a teapot out.

"What did you say? The master is back?" Yuhen asked anxiously.

"Yes, not only that, the Fujin just sent word that the Gege's confinement has been lifted." Yu Lu was almost crying with joy.

Yehe Shi was sitting in the back, in the area where she was specially assigned to play the zither and paint. Hearing the two maids talking, she naturally heard every word Yulu said.

"Yulu, this princess must go to express her gratitude. Now that the Fujin has lifted the confinement order, it is only right and proper for this princess to pay her respects and express her thanks," Yehe said calmly. In just over half a month of confinement, the confident and elegant expression she once had was gone from her face. On the contrary, her eyes now held a lifeless stillness and gloom.

Even Yulu's heart skipped a beat when she saw it. The princess seemed to have changed. The innocent and kind-hearted Yehe clan member she used to know seemed to have disappeared.