Chapter 68 Parent-Child Time

Su Peisheng's eyes darted around, and he smiled knowingly as he said, "Of course it's Consort Xian. Your Majesty, you've forgotten that whenever there are newly cultivated dwarf pines in the flower room, you order them to be sent to Yongshou Palace with all sorts of moss-covered pebbles and agate stones. Everyone in the palace knows that Consort Xian likes these."

Yinzhen's eyes were dark, his gaze scrutinizing, as he stroked the calligraphy that Hongzhao had just written in his arms.

"The crane is slender, the pine evergreen; its spirit shines as brightly as the autumn moon."

After a long pause, he finally spoke—"Yes, everyone in the palace knows that Consort Xian loves these things the most. To present them to me so openly, could it be that you're trying to frame Consort Xian?"

Su Peisheng chimed in, “That’s right. Although these pebbles are the Consort’s favorite, they are also very easy for others to obtain, so how can you say they belong to the Virtuous Consort?”

Yinzhen held up the calligraphy in his hand, becoming more and more satisfied with it—"Hongzhao is so young, yet his calligraphy already has its own style, which is truly rare."

He handed the silk paper to Su Peisheng flat, saying, "Frame it for me and hang it by my window. That little rascal will see it as soon as he arrives."

As she spoke, she seemed to recall Hongzhao's surprised expression, and couldn't help but smile, but she still didn't forget to add, "Continue to investigate the matter of the Imperial Garden. I want to know who did such a thing."

——

Shou Kang Gong Zhu Xi carefully served the Empress Dowager a bowl of thick, dark-colored medicinal soup, muttering to herself, "Your Majesty, in your current state, it is really unnecessary for you to get involved in those matters."

The Empress Dowager frowned as she swallowed the last mouthful of her medicine and pushed the bowl away—"Whose handiwork do you think today's events were?"

Although it was a question, both women knew perfectly well who they were referring to. Zhu Xi hesitated for a moment—"The Empress has been in the Buddhist hall for months, and even Jianqiu and Jiang Fuhai haven't come out. How could she possibly..."

The Empress Dowager was not surprised at all—"If she, as the Empress, only has these two people by her side who are useful, then she has really wasted all her efforts."

"Not to mention the distant past, Consort Fang suffered a miscarriage, Consort Xian had two unplanned pregnancies, Hongzhao contracted the plague, and now Consort Fucha is pregnant. What is there that my niece can't do?" She listed them off one by one, not even counting the times she had coldly watched and secretly pushed things along.

The Empress Dowager deliberately chose a day when everyone was at Yongshou Palace for a meeting, and used moss-covered pebbles, Consort Xian's favorite material, which was clearly intended to frame her. As for Consort Wan... the Empress Dowager didn't think she was any less meticulous; she was probably just a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

She let out a long sigh, a hint of sadness in her eyes—"Sometimes I even wonder if I've made a mistake by protecting her so much."

Zhu Xi, unsure how to offer words of comfort, heard the Empress Dowager say in an extremely weary tone, "Go and invite the Emperor tomorrow at noon. The honor of the Ulanara and Uya clans rests on my shoulders; I cannot allow them to be ruined in my hands."

——

The next day, it is unknown what the mother and son discussed in Shou Kang Palace, but the Emperor looked frighteningly ugly after he came out of Shou Kang Palace, and even Su Peisheng lowered his head and dared not say a word.

Within half a day, two eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department in charge of paving the floor were brought out. They were told that the two of them had failed to complete the repairs on time due to laziness, and in their haste, they had used the wrong stones, which led to the serious mistake.

The emperor's casual remark of "beating to death" sealed the fate of these two men.

Consort Fucha was nearly six months pregnant, and this miscarriage has severely damaged her health. The imperial physician said that she will likely have difficulty conceiving in the future.

The Emperor sent many tonics to appease the Emperor, but he was unable to personally visit the Chuxiu Palace.

After all, the imperial physician's second half of the sentence was: "The face of Consort Fucha was seriously stung by the swarm of bees. It will take some time to recover, and there is no guarantee that her face will be as beautiful as before. Some scars will inevitably remain."

Consort Fucha cried and made a scene for many days, smashing almost everything in the palace. Her face and lower abdomen ached every day, making it impossible for her to sleep. She could only grit her teeth and mutter Zhen Huan's name to slightly relieve her hatred.

Yinzhen did visit Suiyuxuan twice, but Zhen Huan either covered her face with a handkerchief or turned her back to him and refused to see him.

A woman adorns herself for the one who pleases her. She had seen how much the Emperor disliked Consort Fucha's face that day, and she was now afraid that the Emperor would see her like this, lest she see even the slightest hint of disdain in his eyes.

Having no other choice, Yinzhen sent over a whole bunch of nourishing and beautifying items, no longer wanting to embarrass himself.

Hongzhou has been unwell lately, coughing constantly. Consort Xian, for some reason, perhaps from taking care of her youngest son day and night, is also exhausted and lacks energy, even her usual laughter and conversation have lost their usual spirit.

Having learned from his previous experience at the apricot grove, Yinzhen was afraid of wronging his fifth prince again, so he specially ordered Su Peisheng to add a small table next to his desk in the imperial study.

After listening to his teacher's lectures in the Imperial Study every day, Hongzhao would be led by Xiaxiazi to wait at the door in a palanquin, which would then carry him to the Imperial Study to do his homework. If the mood struck him, Yinzhen would even test him on the spot.

Yinzhen seemed to find it amusing. Over the days, he discovered that his son was truly extraordinary and exceptionally gifted. Not only could he answer the questions taught by his teacher fluently, but when Yinzhen asked more in-depth questions, this young boy could also express his own insights in a eloquent manner.

Although there are still areas that need improvement, such talent is already amazing enough.

Once the table was placed there, it was never put away again. Hongzhao followed suit and came to the table at the same time every day. More often than not, he could even get a free meal. He lived a very comfortable life.

This period of good fortune lasted less than two months before it was interrupted by Su Peisheng's hurried arrival.

When Su Peisheng entered, Yinzhen was testing Hongzhao's studies and was discussing the story of "Duke Zheng defeating Duan at Yan".

Su Peisheng cautiously called out softly, interrupting the father and son, "Your Majesty..."

Hongzhao knew that this Eunuch Su was a very sensible person. Seeing that Su's expression was not good, he stood up with good sense and said, "Father, Mother has not been feeling well these past two days. I would like to go back and see her. I will have dinner at Mother's place."

"Go ahead, I will have dinner with you all when I have time." Yinzhen put down the book in his hand, smiled and raised his chin slightly.

Seeing that the Fifth Prince's figure had completely disappeared from the hall, Su Peisheng lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Chun... has drowned in the lotus pond."