After returning to his residence, Yinzhen took a bath and changed his clothes to wash away the dust of his journey.

After changing into loose-fitting casual clothes, he first visited the eldest princess and the third prince at Li's place, and then rushed to the main courtyard without stopping.

Despite her best efforts, Lady Li failed to keep Yinzhen from leaving; she even secretly pinched Hongyun.

Hongyun, who had been raised with great care since childhood, had never been pinched like this before, and immediately burst into tears.

Yinzhen tried to coax him for a long time without success, so he handed the bag to Li Shi and said, "Boys shouldn't be so pampered. They need to get some rough play to stay healthy."

Li was speechless, and Hongyun knew who was behind it all. He returned to Li's arms and cried even more.

Yinzhen was getting a headache from the noise. Seeing this, the eldest princess mustered up her courage and gently pinched Yinzhen's nipples.

It was rare for his daughter to be so affectionate towards him, so Yinzhen endured his youngest son's piercing voice and asked, "How has the eldest princess been lately?"

"Father, your daughter is still studying the Six Arts with her teacher, but I never seem to miss you." The eldest princess took out a purse from her bosom somewhat embarrassed. It was made of plain material, with only a straight bamboo embroidered in the far right corner.

“My daughter has recently started learning needlework. This is a piece that my husband said is acceptable. I… I want to give it to my father.”

Seeing that the eldest princess was not entirely shy but was generally poised and graceful, Yinzhen was satisfied. He took the purse, examined it, and suppressed a smile.

In the past, anyone who dared to bring up something with these stitches would have been dragged out and flogged.

However, if it's something your own daughter makes, then it's a different standard of judgment.

Look how well this fabric was chosen! And the bamboo styling is so straight!

"Your Highness has already made progress after only a few days of learning, which shows your talent. Your father is very pleased." After saying this, Yinzhen put the purse into his pocket. Although he couldn't wear it out yet, he would cherish his daughter's thoughtful gift.

"Yes, once my daughter's skills have improved, she can embroider a screen for her father." The eldest princess was very happy to be praised.

Yinzhen reached out and touched the child's hair, marveling at how quickly she had grown into a young lady.

"Take good care of yourself, and your younger brother too. Your father will come to see you another day." Seeing that his youngest son had been crying for so long but still had a strong voice and a rosy complexion, Yinzhen knew that he was in good health. Without waiting for him to stop, he turned around and went out.

After seeing Yinzhen off, Madam Li turned around and slammed her hand on the table: "After studying with the teacher for so long, you've certainly learned some tricks for vying for favor!"

The eldest princess, who had been so lively just moments before, sat there listlessly drinking tea.

Seeing that the eldest princess remained silent, Li Shi grew even angrier: "You know how to embroider a purse for your father, but I, your mother, don't deserve one?"

As Li said this, she felt a little sad. This daughter had never been on her side since she was a child, and now she didn't even think about her when it came to money. How could she be relied on in the future?

“Mother, you won’t cherish it anyway, why should I bother?” the eldest princess retorted.

“You…” Madam Li did not expect her daughter to talk back to her, and pointed at her for a long time without saying a word.

The eldest princess stood up and bowed: "Mother, you should comfort Third Brother. He's been crying for so long and he's still not stopping. Is he feeling unwell?"

"Please be gentler next time. Third Brother is delicate; he might hold a grudge." After saying this, the eldest princess lifted the curtain and left.

With a flick of her sleeve, Madam Li smashed the teacup on the ground: "Granny, look at this! I've given birth to a complete nemesis. What kind of fate do I have? My daughter is disobedient, and my son is an idiot, unlike that little devil in the main courtyard, who is so charming at such a young age."

Even Li had to admit that Honghui was a very likable child; she loved him just by looking at him.

What could Granny Jin say? She could only try her best to appease her.

******

Lying on the rocking chair in the main courtyard, Yinzhen breathed a comfortable sigh of relief.

He carefully measured the size of Yi Hua's belly with his hands: "It seems to be a little bigger than before."

Yinzhen didn't quite remember the situation during his wife's first pregnancy. At that time, their relationship was so-so. His wife always had a "keep away" attitude and spoke only about rules. She didn't want to come herself and would just send people to inquire about him.

This was the first time he had ever so earnestly anticipated the arrival of a child.

When Yinzhen saw Honghui carrying a book over, he was a little puzzled.

Yi Hua looked utterly dejected: "It's Hong Hui's brother's lecture time now, why don't you listen in too, sir?"

So the couple nestled together quietly, listening to Honghui's explanation, word by word.

Gradually, Yinzhen became somewhat distracted. The scene before him was the daily life he had imagined while rushing to the front lines of disaster relief—so real, yet so dreamlike.

He wanted to thank his wife, because no matter how harsh the outside world was, as long as he returned to the main courtyard, it was always peaceful and tranquil, which immediately calmed his restless heart.

Half an hour passed quickly, and Yinzhen also noticed the extraordinary nature of the book in Honghui's hand. He glanced at Yihua, who shook her head, indicating that they would talk privately later.

Honghui spoke for half an hour and became a little thirsty, so he poured himself some honey water, drank most of it, and then obediently stood in front of Yinzhen.

It was time for Yinzhen to test Honghui's knowledge, but fortunately, Yinzhen wasn't interested in that today. He only asked a few simple, somewhat obscure questions, but they were all still within Honghui's range.

Thus, when it gets late at night, Honghui goes back to sleep, and the couple can finally have a few private words together.

"My lord, there's good news from the manor. I just found out myself, and since I figured you'd be back today, I didn't include it in my letter." Yi Hua perked up and reported the important matter first.

"Who is pregnant?" Upon hearing this, Yinzhen immediately thought of the monk and the Taoist priest, the two brilliant strategists.

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