Chapter 50 Haha Beads

Everyone came to the Old Summer Palace full of joy, but they lost interest when they left.

Not to mention that Zhen Huan was missing someone by her side. A few days ago, she asked the Empress for a favor and was granted permission for Huan Bi to leave the palace and return home. On the same day, she arranged a carriage and sent Huan Bi out of the palace.

But none of this concerned Lü Yingfeng; she was preoccupied with the fact that Hongzhao was going to live in the Prince's Residence.

Yongshou Palace.

"We need to pack this quilt away, it'll get cold when the autumn wind blows." Having just returned and not yet finished unpacking, Lü Yingfeng led Xuexin around packing the things she had brought to the prince's residence.

Hongzhao followed behind his mother with a helpless smile: "Mother, Father said that I can come back to Yongshou Palace for meals and see you every day. If I need anything, I can just come back and get it. It's just a change of sleeping place, there's no need for all this."

Lü Yingfeng disapprovedly, squatting down to tap his forehead, her tone indulgent—"Your mother has grown up. Going to the prince's residence is not the same as our own palace. We need to prepare everything we need. Just focus on your studies, and your mother will take care of the rest."

Moved by a mother's love, Hongzhao could not bear to disobey, so he smiled and nodded, then turned around and told Xiaodezi to carry the three quilts back to his own palace.

Since the last incident, the Emperor has deliberately treated Consort Hua coldly. She has been too spoiled and has caused trouble repeatedly, which has displeased the Emperor.

I visited Yikun Palace less often, but Yongshou Palace more frequently.

That day, Hongzhao went to the Imperial Study, Hongjin went to play with Consort Jing, and Lü Yingfeng was staring blankly at a chess manual when she heard Xuexin outside raise her voice—"Greetings, Your Majesty."

She put down her book and looked up, and saw a figure in bright yellow entering through the door. She quickly stood up and said, "Didn't His Majesty say he was coming for dinner? Why are you here so early?"

As she was about to squat down and bow, Yinzhen grabbed her arms and said, "I was thinking of you, so I came to see you as soon as I had nothing else to do."

Lu Yingfeng lowered her head and smiled shyly. She stood up as she was pulled up by the force on her arm. Yinzhen's hand slid down and accurately grasped Lu Yingfeng's cool hand hidden in her sleeve. The two walked into the inner hall hand in hand.

"Your Majesty has arrived early; Hongzhao and Hongjin haven't returned yet. Now it's just me and that little boy Hongzhou. Your Majesty will be disappointed." She smiled slyly, deliberately saying these words, her teasing gaze fixed on the person beside her.

Yinzhen chuckled at her words and tapped her on the shoulder, saying, "The way you're saying this makes it sound like I've been neglecting you all along. It's true what they say, women and petty men are hard to deal with."

After saying that, he took another breath—"I won't see Hongzhou today. I don't know who he takes after in terms of his personality. Our You'er and Shu'er are both obedient and sensible. Only this little one seems to be someone who has to carry the roof beam."

Lu Yingfeng also remembered her youngest son's loud voice and tendency to cry, and shook her head helplessly.

Yinzhen sat down on the edge of the couch and pulled the person next to him with a little force. Lü Yingfeng followed the force and sat down next to him on the couch.

"There's another matter I need to discuss with you today, concerning Hongzhao." Seeing Lü Yingfeng's curious gaze, Yinzhen reached out to Su Peisheng, took a small booklet with a bright yellow cover, and handed it to her, gesturing for her to open it and take a look.

Lu Yingfeng glanced at Su Peisheng, who was all smiles, and then at the Emperor, whose eyes held a hint of smugness. She tentatively turned to a page, and the contents were quite interesting. The page was filled with names, and annotations were made about who the parents were and how old they were. It looked like the Emperor's handwriting.

The pages were filled with records of boys no more than ten years old. Lü Yingfeng's eyes narrowed, and she pretended not to understand as she flipped through the pages. Then she looked up at the Emperor with a bewildered expression.

Yinzhen noticed her dazed expression, chuckled softly, took the booklet from her hand, and patiently and gently said, "Our Hongzhao has reached the age to choose a study companion. In our Manchu language, we call it 'haha beads.' These are the ones I have selected these days. Take a look and see if there are any you like."

Lu Yingfeng's eyes lit up with joy, but she pushed the object away, repeatedly saying, "How could I possibly understand this? It has to be Your Majesty who makes the choice. The person Your Majesty chooses is definitely the right one."

Yinzhen laughed at her for being timid, but he was actually extremely pleased. He reached out and pulled her close, slowly opening the first page—"I have chosen the right child for our You'er. They are all written on the first page."

Lu Yingfeng then craned her neck to look ahead, her gaze quickly sweeping downwards, her heart growing increasingly unsettled with each glance.

Yinzhen couldn't see her expression, and just started to explain in detail from the first one: "The first two are Li Rongbao's seventh son, named Fu Yu, whose mother is from the Jue Luo clan. He is four years older than our Hongzhao. The other is Ma Qi's youngest son, named Fu Liang, who is also of school age."

Lu Yingfeng nestled in his arms and nodded along—"The children of the Fucha family are naturally good; it's kind of Your Majesty to go to such lengths to choose them."

Yinzhen—"The one behind him is called Amur, the youngest son of Dorji, the Prince of Mobei, and he will be ten years old this year."

Upon hearing the name, Lü Yingfeng nuzzled against his chest and looked up—"The Northern Desert? From Mongolia?"

"Hmm." Yinzhen nodded. "This is Princess Guren Kejing's youngest son. The princess made great contributions to the pacification of Mongolia. Amur means stability and peace. We've brought him into the palace to study with Hongzhao so that we can take better care of him."

With clear eyes, Lü Yingfeng readily agreed, "Of course, I will take good care of this child. I will make sure Hongzhao has everything he needs, including food and other necessities."

Yinzhen smiled and straightened her head—"Of course I know, Ying'er is the least of my worries."

After the joke, she continued reading. Upon hearing the next name, even though she was fully prepared, her breath still skipped a beat. "This Ying'er should be familiar. She is the son of Lü Xingzhi, a sixth-rank Blue Feather Guard, named Lü Jiusi."

He looked at Lü Yingfeng with satisfaction, who seemed quite moved, and added, "He is the eldest grandson of Lü Wenzhong, the Governor-General of Zhili. Ying'er, are you satisfied?"

Lu Yingfeng nodded haphazardly, forcing a smile as she looked at the name on the list again and again—"Of course! When I was selected to enter the Prince's Palace, this child clung to my leg and wouldn't let me leave. I never thought I'd get to see him again."

Yinzhen pinched her cheek, "Since it's to choose a haha ​​pearl for our You'er, we naturally need to know its background. Your father and your brother are both good people, and Ying'er is so gentle and polite. Presumably, your family has always had a good tradition, so I feel more at ease."

The emperor selected eight people in total, and the last four were also chosen from among meritorious officials and relatives of the imperial clan. However, with four outstanding individuals preceding them, they seemed to be mere supporting characters.

That night, Hongzhao was unable to return to Yongshou Palace, and the reason... cannot be stated.

Anyway, Hong Xihai was already waiting in the Imperial Study, and after receiving the person, he took him to Xianfu Palace.

Consort Jing secretly smiled as she prepared dinner for the two children, and then told Ruyi to quickly make up the bedding in the warm pavilion. The three of them had a cozy time in the small room.

Early the next morning.

On his way to the Imperial Study, Hongzhao encountered Xuexin, who had been waiting for him halfway. He opened the yellow book in his hand and learned about his chosen companion.