Chapter 125 Pleading for Care: Cheng Qianyue returned to Donglizhai from the front yard...

Cheng Qianyue returned to Donglizhai from the front courtyard. Just by looking at the rosy complexions of the three children, she knew they had done well during her absence. She also noticed that the hundred taels of silver she had left for Hongyan before she left had been mostly distributed, so she guessed that Hongyan had managed things quite well during this time.

She specifically asked about the events of New Year's Eve and the Lantern Festival.

Hongyan answered first: "Nothing major happened. Even during the New Year holidays, the staff in the courtyard were not in disarray. Therefore, I gave everyone in the courtyard double the holiday allowance." He smiled and looked at Hongchao and Moyaqi and said: "My younger brother and sister are also growing up. Whether it is decorating the courtyard or going to pay New Year's respects to their stepmother, we have made arrangements."

After Hongyan finished speaking, Hongchao and Moyaqi chimed in, "None of the servants disobeyed us. They did exactly what we told them to do." "On New Year's Eve, Third Brother led us to stay up all night and gave us lucky money." "On the Lantern Festival, we hung lanterns in the courtyard and set off firecrackers."

Cheng Qianyue smiled with relief upon hearing their words. No matter what happens, life goes on, and we should live it well, even make it beautiful.

So, Cheng Qianyue continued to raise the children. Their daily routine remained the same: they would get up early in the morning, have breakfast, and then study together in the east wing. In the afternoon, they would practice horse stance and boxing for a short while. If the weather was nice, Cheng Qianyue would lead them in games like hopscotch and drop the handkerchief.

That morning, Cheng Qianyue had just finished eating when she heard a message from outside saying that the Crown Princess wanted to see her in the front courtyard. Cheng Qianyue had heard before that the Crown Princess was ill, and that she had been bedridden since the front garden was sealed off last year. So she was a little surprised that the Crown Princess wanted her to go to the front courtyard, and worried that the Crown Princess might be better.

But as she walked to the front courtyard, Cheng Qianyue wondered if the Crown Princess wanted her to go there with her to receive the imperial decree. If the Crown Prince was deposed, then the imperial decrees to depose the Crown Princess and Crown Consort should also be issued accordingly.

Upon arriving at the location, they saw the Crown Princess still sitting steadily in the main room of the front courtyard, but her figure was much thinner than usual. Upon closer inspection, they could even see that her lips were faintly pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Despite her frail and sickly appearance, the Crown Princess still sat upright and primly. Cheng Qianyue remarked that the Crown Princess's posture was almost as perfect as that of Guanyin in a Buddhist shrine.

Cheng Qianyue first bowed to the Crown Princess, and only after rising did she realize that there was more than just the Crown Princess in the room; Prince Hongxi and an unfamiliar man were also sitting below. She wondered: Was this someone here to deliver an imperial decree?

When the Fourteenth Prince saw the Crown Princess coming over from the garden, he immediately stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your subject greets Crown Princess Cheng."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Qianyue immediately understood. This seemed to be one of Yinreng's younger brothers. But he had many brothers; who was this one? Though puzzled, she quickly and gently said, "No need for formalities."

At this moment, the Crown Princess said in a deep voice, "Fourteenth Brother has come to inquire about the princes and princesses in the garden. I have been ill lately and have been somewhat negligent. How are the Third Prince and the others doing at Donglizhai?"

Cheng Qianyue had just sat down when she stood up again and replied softly, "Your Highness, they are all well."

The Crown Princess nodded upon hearing this. The Fourteenth Prince said, "Then I am relieved. I will certainly inform the Crown Prince of this matter." With that, he rose from his seat, bowed again, and prepared to leave.

Cheng Qianyue suddenly panicked. Although there were many people in the room, she couldn't care less about anything else. It had been several days since she had heard any news from outside. Just now, she heard from the Fourteenth Prince that it seemed the Crown Prince hadn't been deposed yet. But if he hadn't been deposed, why wasn't he going home? And if he hadn't been deposed, why was the garden still being guarded? She stood up abruptly and took a step forward, "Uncle, please wait."

As soon as Cheng Qianyue spoke, everyone in the room turned their attention to her, but she seemed oblivious. She looked at the Fourteenth Prince with pleading eyes and asked, "How is the Crown Prince doing out there?" Then she curtsied to the Fourteenth Prince, saying, "Please keep an eye on the Crown Prince. If he has wronged you in any way in the past, please, for the sake of brotherhood, take good care of my brother." Although the Fourteenth Prince's historical fate wasn't great, at least he fell from power later than them. And at this moment, no one else was here besides him; he was the only one she could beg from.

Upon hearing this, the Fourteenth Prince nearly stumbled and fell. Everyone now knew the Crown Prince was the undisputed next emperor; how could he possibly have the ability to look after him? He quickly replied, "Your Highness, you are being too kind. The Crown Prince is doing well. I was only sent by the Crown Prince to pay my respects." He couldn't reveal that the Emperor had publicly stated the Crown Prince's succession after his death, so he could only say that the Crown Prince was doing very well—it couldn't be better.

Cheng Qianyue didn't believe that. There was some Western story, something about the sword of Bodhidharma. It involved hanging a sword above people's heads, making them live in constant fear. She figured that given Kangxi's personality, he might just want Yinreng to stay under that sword for a few more days.

Old Deng, he's absolutely despicable!

She didn't have the ability to take down the sword that was hanging there, but she wanted to do something good for Yinreng so that he could suffer less pain.

After the Fourteenth Prince left, Cheng Qianyue staggered back to her seat. Only when she saw everyone staring at her did she realize that she had just done something very outrageous in public.

As expected, the Crown Princess sighed and said, "Crown Princess, you were far too unsteady just now."

Cheng Qianyue murmured "yes," and said softly, "This servant is truly worried."

The Crown Princess lowered her eyes. "The Fourteenth Prince just said that everything is fine with the Crown Prince. Besides, His Majesty is wise and will surely make his own decision."

Cheng Qianyue knew the Crown Princess's temperament well, so she only listened to her words once and forgot them all. She casually echoed her words, then looked at the Crown Princess with concern and asked, "Is your illness any better? Although it's already spring, it's still cold. Don't forget to wear more clothes." She then looked at Hongxi and said, "The same goes for the First Prince."

Hongxi stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Mother Cheng."

Seeing that someone was concerned, the Crown Princess's serious expression disappeared, and a hint of relief involuntarily appeared on her face. However, she quickly said with a touch of melancholy, "Alright, everyone go back." After everyone else left, she couldn't help but raise her hand to her forehead.

The old woman beside her had tears in her eyes. "Before we came here, I had already asked someone to brew the medicine. I'm sure it will be ready when we get back. I'll serve you the medicine. After you take the medicine, you should rest well. It's been so long since you've had a good night's sleep."

The Crown Princess gave a bitter smile and whispered, "This is a heartache." Although she heard from the Fourteenth Prince that the Crown Prince hadn't been deposed yet, she estimated he wouldn't last much longer. If the Crown Prince were truly deposed, it would certainly be because of her. She hadn't fulfilled her duties as Crown Princess; she had failed the Emperor's expectations. So what good would drinking more medicine do? Could it save her life, or even her heart?

After leaving the West Garden, the Fourteenth Prince headed towards Changchun Garden, clicking his tongue inwardly as he walked. The Crown Princess's outburst had quite a fright for him. In terms of age, the Crown Princess was his sister-in-law. In terms of rank, she was the Crown Prince's concubine, and having borne him one daughter and two sons, she was certain to be chosen as a consort when the Crown Prince ascended the throne. He pondered his conversation with the Crown Princess and Crown Prince several times before going to report to the Crown Prince.

Upon entering Daohe Hall, the Crown Prince was not present; the servants there explained that he had gone to Danning Residence. Fourteenth Prince assumed the Crown Prince was either discussing matters with the Emperor or attending to the Emperor's medicine, so he waited in the corridor. Less than a quarter of an hour later, the Crown Prince returned and, not long after, inquired about the situation in the West Garden.

Fourteenth Prince had already prepared his speech and said in a deep voice, "Just now, I went to pay my respects to the Crown Princess and met the First Prince and the Crown Princess during the banquet. Rest assured, everything is fine in the West Garden, and the princes and princesses are all safe and sound."

Yinreng nodded and continued, "And what about Crown Princess Cheng? How does she look?"

The Fourteenth Prince hadn't expected the Crown Prince to ask such detailed questions, and he was momentarily speechless. How could he, as the younger brother-in-law, presume to inquire about his sisters-in-law's affairs? Even looking them in the eye felt somewhat offensive; asking if they were alright was already a favor. But the Crown Prince was waiting for his reply, and stammered, "The Crown Princess seems... to be doing well," he paused, then, after rehearsing his words, continued, "but she doesn't seem to believe what I brought with me."

He recounted what had just happened, a look of lingering fear on his face: "You don't know, when the Crown Princess bowed to me, I almost knelt down. I wish you would take better care of me; how could I possibly be capable of looking after you from outside?"

After hearing the whole story, Yinreng was both amused and exasperated. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "That's just how she is. She tends to overthink things, but what she does is both heartwarming and funny." He sighed and cut off the subject, then looked up at the Fourteenth Prince: "I thought you were as straightforward as before, but I didn't expect you to be so eloquent now."

The Fourteenth Prince chuckled, “Having spent so much time in the military, I’ve learned a bit of worldliness and shrewdness. If I were still the same as before, you probably wouldn’t respect me.”

Yinreng nodded and said, "It's good to be more tactful, so you won't get tricked. My second brother seems alright, but I'm afraid your fourth brother will always say you're not reliable enough." Then he ordered someone to hand him a memorial: "The Emperor just approved it. Take this and go arrest the person."

The Fourteenth Prince replied with a "Yes," respectfully accepting the document with both hands. He glanced at the contents, which were still about dismissals and investigations, listing about seven or eight names. He'd been handling these kinds of matters quite smoothly lately. The Emperor had recently demoted quite a few people, and he'd been a constable arresting people in jail many times. He immediately said, "Your Majesty, I'll take care of it right away."

Yinreng nodded. "Go."

After kneeling and leaving Daohe Hall, the Fourteenth Prince, who had originally intended to muster his troops to arrest the culprit, found his mind drifting back to the events at the West Garden. He seemed to have realized that the Crown Prince had specifically instructed him to inquire about his sister-in-law and nephews and nieces. At the time, he had only considered the latter more important, but now, it seemed the Crown Prince was more concerned about the well-being of the Crown Princess. Thinking of the Crown Prince's gentle and mild words earlier, he chuckled, "The Crown Prince truly cares about the Crown Princess."

But then again, it's no wonder that Consort Cheng is favored. As the saying goes, even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman, and even the hardest steel can be melted into tenderness. If someone were to care about him in every way, and even set aside their pride in front of others just to speak well of him, he would feel a warmth in his heart.

Thinking about it, the Fourteenth Prince felt a pang of sadness. He'd only been back home a handful of times during his years in the military camp, and it had been a long time since he'd held his wife, since he'd had any intimacy. In previous years, he'd found Wanyan's constant nagging quite annoying, but now that she wasn't around, he actually missed her. Sigh, once things were settled here, he'd bring his wife over.