In March, all things come back to life.
Chen Yuwei was in a good mood. After coaxing He Zhuo and Fu Ling'a to sleep, she took Yong Hu, who had a unhappy little face, out for a stroll.
Yonghu is four years old this year. He can talk, jump, run and play. Even when he takes off his winter clothes and puts on spring clothes, he is still a round and chubby little ball.
"Mother, your son is with Yonghong and Yongkun," Yonghu looked up at his mother, his expression of "You're so clueless" making Chen Yuwei burst out laughing.
"You're keeping Yonghong and Yongkun company?" Chen Yuwei reached out her other hand and gently tapped Yonghu's cute little head. "You make your two younger brothers cry every day, is that what you call keeping them company?" That's bullying them.
Yonghu proudly defended himself, "It's because they're with him. Yonghong and Yongkun always shout with joy whenever they see their son."
Aunt Xiahe said this was a sign that the younger brothers liked their son.
Chen Yuwei: ...
Chen Yuwei turned her head and glanced at Xia He, who was lying through her teeth and looked a little guilty, and shook her head helplessly.
"Alright, alright, Yonghu is right. This time, Mother wants to go out for a walk with Yonghu. Does Yonghu only want to accompany his younger brother and not Mother?"
If we don't get Yonghu out of here soon, that kid will drive Yonghong and Yongkun crazy.
Chen Yuwei couldn't bear to watch any longer and her conscience bothered her, so she pulled Yonghu away.
However, it's easy to say the truth but hard to believe it. Chen Yuwei was also very troubled by Yonghu's inflated confidence.
Tsk tsk, how can someone so young have such a high opinion of themselves? It's no wonder the seeds are unreliable; no matter how fertile the soil is, it won't produce a mutant variety.
With a slightly unserious grumble about Hongli in her heart, Chen Yuwei led a large group of people to the Imperial Garden.
Compared to winter, the Imperial Garden is now a lonely scene with only plum blossoms in bloom.
The Imperial Garden is now a riot of color, with flowers blooming and willows swaying in the breeze.
Every time the seasons changed, the servants of the Imperial Household Department would dig up some cultivated flowers, plants and trees from the imperial estates in the suburbs and transplant them into the bare Imperial Garden.
This expense alone amounts to tens of thousands of taels of silver every year.
That's why the palace is said to have huge expenses. From top to bottom, money is spent like water. Although Hongli has told Fucha Jinyi more than once in private to try to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, in some aspects, it's really not something that can be saved.
The established quotas are all ancestral rules. To arbitrarily change or abolish them would not only be a slap in the face of our ancestors, but would also provoke various negative comments from the previous dynasty and the common people.
To this day, apart from Empress Fucha Jinyi setting an example by using some velvet flowers instead of gold hairpins and silver ornaments, others are more restrained in their clothing and appearance, but in other aspects, they really can't cut back.
Just like today, Chen Yuwei is wearing a new batch of Jiangnan tribute fabric sent this season.
Every stitch was made by a famous embroiderer from Jiangnan. Chen Yuwei could only wear such clothes a few times before replacing them with new ones.
This is the dignity of an imperial concubine; a noble concubine can't always wear the same clothes.
Even the spring clothes I made last year, whether wearable or not, have to be stored away.
It wasn't that Chen Yuwei was being pretentious; everyone in the harem had to be arranged this way.
Long tassels hung down on both sides of her temples. Chen Yuwei held her son's hand in one hand and a handkerchief in the other, her eyes watching the scenery getting closer and closer in the distance.
Yonghu couldn't stand being around Chen Yuwei any longer; he desperately wanted to break free from the restraints he was being held by.
Mother
Yonghu stared longingly at Chen Yuwei.
Chen Yuwei bent down and instructed, "When you go to play later, don't go too far, and make sure you have a servant with you."
Yonghu nodded, "Mother, don't worry, your son will be a good boy."
Chen Yuwei met Yonghu's bright, sparkling eyes, which seemed to glow, and reached out to rub his forehead. "Go play."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yonghu cheered happily and then ran away.
Yonghu was followed by a row of eunuchs and palace maids, all of whom were servants that Chen Yuwei had selected for Yonghu in recent days. Regardless of whether they were clever or not, they were definitely loyal to Yonghu.
Chen Yuwei watched Yonghu leave, then took Xiahe to rest in a nearby pavilion.
There aren't many places to visit in the inner palace, and after comparing several options, Chen Yuwei prefers the Imperial Garden.
Not only because the Imperial Garden offers beautiful scenery year-round, but also because it provides a good place to rest.
As long as Chen Yuwei doesn't want to leave, she's guaranteed to find a place to sit down.
Xia He cleaned the stone stool and table, then laid out the cushions she had brought and helped Chen Yuwei sit down.
A gentle breeze blew by, causing the tassels on both sides to sway. Chen Yuwei narrowed her eyes slightly. "Prince Yonglian from Changchun Palace moved to the Princes' Residence a few days ago. I heard that the Empress also dealt with him there. So, have any other people in the harem taken the opportunity to plant spies?"
Xia He nodded and then shook her head after listening, "Her Majesty the Empress cleaned very well."
Although the number of palace servants in the Prince's residence has been reduced by half, its management remains unaffected.
The others wanted to stay put, but the Empress Dowager stopped them all beforehand.
Xia He actually knew about this, after all, Prince Yonghu would be going there in two years.
For safety reasons, Chen Yuwei had Xia He make arrangements in advance after entering the palace.
This time, Fucha Jinyi acted decisively, while Xia He watched from the sidelines.
Of course, there were fewer people in Yikun Palace as a result, but it didn't have a significant impact on Yikun Palace.
After all, once someone leaves, new people will always come in, and Xia He can then put in the effort to win them over.
Chen Yuwei smiled, her fingernails gleaming in the sunlight. "Your Majesty the Empress never disappoints in this regard."
It's a pity that Fucha Jinyi died too young and didn't outlive Hongli.
Honestly, after observing these past few years, Chen Yuwei feels that Fucha Jinyi is better than Hesheli Fangyi during the Kangxi era. If the two of them were to switch places, perhaps the deposed Crown Prince Yinreng would have fared better.
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