“Father, I want to go too!” Hongjing barged in, completely oblivious to any romantic gestures.

The little guy knew something was wrong as soon as he saw the scene.

Sure enough, Fourth Master released Jiaming from his arms, glared at Hongjing, and said irritably, "You're too young to go."

Hongjing's desire to go along outweighed his fear of angering the Fourth Master. After a pause, he spoke up, pleading, "Father, please don't be like that. Fourth Brother was just a little kid when he went on a southern tour. That's much farther than going to Tongzhou."

Fourth Master raised an eyebrow. "What? You want to sneak onto the carriage like him and go along?"

Hongjing really wanted to answer yes, but looking at his father's piercing gaze and remembering his past experiences of being beaten, the little guy only felt a slight pain in his bottom.

After a moment of silence, the little guy could only wisely shake his head.

"Then let me tell you, you're too young to go." The author's tone and expression left no room for refusal, making Hongjing realize that continuing to plead wouldn't change his father's mind.

Hongjing pouted, looking very unhappy and feeling extremely frustrated!

After Fourth Master and his entourage left, Jiaming followed Fourth Master's instructions and forbade the servants in the backyard from moving around freely, effectively sealing off the courtyards of all the women in the backyard.

At first, the group led by Li and Song tried to make things difficult for Jiaming, but Jiaming swiftly and decisively tied up those who were trying to trip her up and gave them a severe beating.

The methods were extremely simple and brutal, frightening the servants who were ordered around by the mistresses in the backyard so much that they dared not move.

I'm afraid I'll become the chicken that Consort Guarjia uses as a warning to others, and Consort Guarjia is right.

"So what if you're still not convinced? So what if you think you can wait until I come back and your masters get justice for you? I'm the one in charge now. Your masters can't interfere with you. Besides, if you're crippled now, there won't be a future."

Jiaming sat in the chair, casually playing with her handkerchief, and said.

The managers below, some obedient and some disobedient, all felt a cold sweat run down their backs.

"Besides," Jiaming suddenly stood up, turned around, and with her back to the many stewards, sneered, "When the master comes back, he may not listen to your master and cause trouble for this concubine. After all, it was the master's order before he left that you were not allowed to go around. You are so disobedient, and you still want the master to make decisions for you. Hehe! Do you want to taste the feeling of the master punishing people?"

The fox borrowed the tiger's power, but the effect was very good.

Everyone in the manor knew about the Fourth Master's methods. Just thinking about the disobedient and disloyal servants who had been dealt with by him in the past made them shudder. After returning home, they became incredibly obedient and strictly controlled the people under their command, for fear that a fool might appear under their command and they would be implicated.

Even though the Fujin (principal wife) was very concerned about Honghui's affairs and didn't concern herself with matters within the household, she had still heard about the household's actions.

After all, even if she didn't inquire about things in the manor, Granny Yao, who was always thinking of her and wanted to do something for her, would still let her know.

Granny Yao was a loyal servant who was very eager to tell the Fujin about what was happening in the mansion, and as she spoke, she also added a lot of her private thoughts to her words.

Unfortunately, her good intentions towards the princess always missed the mark.

"Fujin, this Consort Guarjia really doesn't respect you at all. She said she was in charge of the household, and she actually had the nerve to accept it all. She even uses the master's orders as a shield, acting like a fox borrowing the tiger's power. But the people below are really scared."

Having just finished copying Buddhist scriptures and praying for Honghui's well-being, the Fujin ignored what Granny Yao said.

With her mistress distracted and somewhat anxious, Granny Yao said, "Madam, you can't let her continue to manage the affairs of the manor. Otherwise, her power will only grow stronger and she will become more and more difficult to deal with as she manages the manor."

The princess sighed and said, "Why should I deal with her? She has no ill intentions towards me or Hui'er."

"Yes, neither she nor the Fourth Prince nor the Fifth Prince have shown any ill will towards you, Madam, or the First Prince. However, she is favored. If, if His Majesty wishes them to be even better, to advance further, then Madam..."

"Silence!" The Fujin suddenly stopped Yao Mama, preventing her from continuing. She said firmly, "Mama, don't talk nonsense and make wild guesses. The master is not that kind of person."

"Madam, how do you know the master isn't that kind of person? This man..."

"Granny, stop talking. I know that the master is not that kind of person. I am very sure of it."

How could I not be sure? It's been two lifetimes. Even without Honghui in my previous life, the master still respected me and didn't let anyone surpass me as his wife, not even the favored Nian Shi in my previous life.

Moreover, even after the emperor chose Hongli as his successor, although it was done in secret, everyone actually guessed it, but they just kept it to themselves.

Niohuru was respectful to the emperor in front of him, but she treated him very differently in private, acting as if she would be in charge of the harem from now on.

However, in the Emperor's eyes, her position as Empress remained secure, and the power of the harem was still in her hands until she fell ill and passed away.

Even after Honghui left, her position remained secure; now that Honghui is still here, her position is even more secure.

Thinking of Honghui, the Fujin wanted to know how Honghui was doing, so she waved her hand to dismiss Yao Mama, "Alright, Mama, that's enough. I haven't seen Honghui for an hour. I wonder if he's feeling any better now."

With that, the princess got up and walked towards the door.

Granny Yao tiptoed, trying to catch up and continue to persuade the Princess Consort.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!