In March, springtime, the weather is warm and the breeze is gentle.

Lady Suochuoluo has entered the palace again.

However, this time she entered the palace to finalize Doshihui's marriage.

"The candidates I mentioned to you last time, the daughter of Li Fu, the Governor-General of Zhili, and the daughter of Tu Lichen, I think both of them are quite good. Now is the perfect time, why don't you summon them to the palace and observe their character as well?"

Changning had already discussed it with her mother. After all, this concerned the future eldest daughter-in-law of the Fucha clan, so of course her mother had to personally approve it.

"Alright, no problem. Shall I issue the decree now, ordering them to enter the palace on the third day of next month?"

"The third day of the lunar month?" Suochuoluo thought for a moment. "Isn't that Hongyan and Hutu's birthday?"

Changning nodded: "His Majesty originally wanted to hold a grand banquet, inviting all the officials to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, but since the late Emperor has been gone for less than a year, it is not appropriate to hold a large banquet. I was thinking that this would be a good opportunity to invite the two ladies and their daughters to the palace."

Sochoro nodded: "That's good. We have a legitimate reason, and there aren't too many people around, so it's convenient to talk."

The mother and daughter then finalized some details, and only then did Lady Suochuoluo leave the palace satisfied.

When Yinzhen came over that evening, Changning told him about it: "My mother has tentatively decided on the daughters of these two families and asked me to help her take a look. I want to see what kind of character the children have and whether they are worthy of being the matriarch of the Fucha clan."

Yinzhen also felt that the wife of Duoxihui should not be chosen casually, as this position was of paramount importance. A good wife could ensure the family's continued glory for three generations.

“Both families are good; my mother-in-law has excellent judgment. Li Fu is known for his integrity, has a good reputation as an official, and is also talented. I plan to promote him further in the future. As for Tulichen, he is also a capable minister of our Great Qing Dynasty, and his contributions to diplomacy with Russia are indispensable.”

Changning was satisfied with the family backgrounds of both families, but compared to family background, the girl's personal character and ability were more important.

After all, the Fucha family didn't need a prominent family background to maintain their prestige; they were already a top-tier noble family, so they valued individuals more.

Dorsey is lively and capable, but he always has a bit of youthful chivalry and carefree spirit in him, so it would be better if his partner was more dignified and steady.

While it's true that couples need to have some common ground, complementary personalities can also help them make up for each other's shortcomings in dealing with things.

Speaking of Doshihun, Changning also brought up Yierha's marriage: "After meeting these two girls next month, arrange for Yierha and Fashan to meet and see if the children can get along. After all, the princess's marriage is different from Doshihun's; the most important thing is that she herself can be happy."

Yinzhen did not object; he rarely disagreed with anything Changning said.

"How is Hongyang adapting to the three schools in the south these past two days?"

Changning visited her son several times. Each time she saw him, he was all smiles and seemed to be doing well, but she couldn't help asking him a few more times.

Seeing that she had to worry about one thing after another, Yinzhen sighed inwardly at Changning's hard work. He quickly pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek: "That boy is doing well, carefree and without a care in the world, don't worry about him. But you, why do you seem to have lost some weight lately? Have you asked Baishu to help you take care of your health?"

"Perhaps it's because I wore more clothes in the winter that I looked a bit rounder, but now that I'm wearing thinner clothes, I look thinner."

"Nonsense! I share a bed with you every day, how could I not know what your figure is like?"

Changning chuckled: "I'm fine, but Your Majesty, you've gotten a bit rounder lately. You used to have abs, but now you feel all plump."

Yinzhen was unusually slightly embarrassed, perhaps due to his age. He had too many political matters to deal with after ascending the throne. Before, when he was in the Prince's Mansion, he could go to the training ground to practice a few moves every day, but now he could hardly go even once a month.

Reminded by Changning, he also felt it was inappropriate and decided to start preparing for morning exercises from tomorrow onwards.

Now that the weather is warming up, I've heard that the concubines in the harem are going to run on the playground in the Imperial Garden every day. After persisting for half a year, everyone has made significant progress. I've heard that even the oldest concubine, Consort Qian, can now run five laps in one go without breaking a sweat.

If he continues to slack off like this, will he eventually be unable to even compare to the women in his own harem? Yinzhen found the thought utterly absurd.

However, he doesn't need to focus on running like the concubines. He now prefers to focus on health preservation, so he practices Hua Tuo's Five Animal Frolics first thing in the morning.

When Changning got up in the morning, she found that Yinzhen was not by her side. She was wondering why he was in the study, since she didn't have to attend the morning court session today.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw him doing some strange things in the yard.

After finally finishing a set of exercises, Yinzhen had a slight sweat on his forehead, took a few deep breaths, and felt much more relaxed.

Seeing Changning get up and come out, he smiled and waved: "Come, I'll teach you. This is Hua Tuo's Five Animal Frolics. Practice it well, it can strengthen your body."

After saying that, Yinzhen took out the first move, the Monkey Lift.

Changning "emmmmm"

Why does it feel so suspicious?

His hands were hunched over, placed in front of his chest like a rat; it looked bizarre no matter how you looked at it.

"Forget it, I'm not going to practice anymore. I can do square dancing, which is good for my health and easy to stick to."

Changning quickly declined. A few days ago, she specially invited the palace's music troupe to sing some of Phoenix Legend's famous songs to them and have them rehearse. They would then practice on the playground, with the music troupe accompanying them on songs like "Lady Shexiang," "I Come from the Grassland," and "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Style," while the concubines stretched and exercised.

Jumping around every night is a great way to stay healthy and live a long life.

The music troupe of the Southern Prefecture has already finished rehearsing. This morning, they asked Zhao Fuhai to deliver a message that they are ready to be summoned by the Empress.

Yinzhen found Changning's idea interesting and said he would come to observe it that evening.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, all the concubines had arrived.

They received an imperial edict in the morning, instructing them to assemble at 4 p.m. in the Imperial Garden playground, as the Empress had new instructions.

Everyone was talking about it.

"Tell me, what new idea has Her Majesty the Empress come up with this time? Could it be that we're going to have to increase the number of laps we have to run again?" Consort Yu felt a chill run down her spine.

Consort Ning thought it was unlikely: "It shouldn't be. We've been running around for more than half a year, and Her Majesty is satisfied with our results. I think it's probably because there's something new."

Tang Guiren was quite excited: "I think the most fun is being able to play with my sisters."