The two short days passed in the blink of an eye; they had finally managed to get these two precious days.
If it had been any longer, the princesses' mothers probably wouldn't have allowed them to come out. The fact that they were allowed to come out once at this crucial moment of growing up is already a sign of their great open-mindedness.
Upon returning to the palace, Jingrou discovered that something, neither too big nor too small, had also occurred there.
Concubine Xiao Niu Hulu is pregnant.
This was considered a minor news item even within the palace.
She was one of the most favored among those who entered the palace through this selection process, but the number of words about her online is still less than that of Xiao Tongjia. Even with such favor, the youngest in the palace now is the Ninth Prince, and it has been almost a year since any child has been born.
Perhaps no one expected her to get pregnant so quickly.
Moreover, she revealed it after three months, and by the time everyone found out, her pregnancy was already stable. The news only broke right after the flower viewing banquet ended, which was yesterday!
After this matter was over, Emperor Kangxi, who was very satisfied with the flower-viewing banquet, naturally went to visit his two beloved concubines.
During the visit, the imperial physician came to examine her and discovered that she was pregnant. Emperor Kangxi was overjoyed and immediately rewarded her with many gifts!
Since it has been more than three months, it can only be said that Niohuru herself kept it a secret, and others secretly resented that she did not investigate the matter sooner.
Were all his spies useless? But it was too late to say anything then; the child was safely inside her!
Moreover, now that the Emperor knows about this, it won't be easy to get rid of the child without anyone noticing! How could the young Niohuru, who managed to keep this a secret for three months, be a simple person?
When Consort Yi learned of this, she was somewhat stunned, and looking at the young Niohuru, she already had a very clear plan in mind.
She didn't reveal it in public at the flower viewing party to avoid attracting hatred, but chose to tell the story after the party!
She was indeed a clever person. However, she didn't seem to have any strong feelings about the fact that the young Niohuru was pregnant.
She didn't know when it started, perhaps because Xiao Jiu was too demanding, taking up most of her energy, and she seemed less concerned about the Emperor's favored women. Sometimes she would feel jealous because the Emperor spent more time with that woman and visited her less often, but she herself couldn't figure out how much of it was real, or how much of it was just an act in front of the Emperor.
The pregnancy of Lady Niohuru was a joyous occasion in the palace, and the Empress Dowager was overjoyed. Moreover, as the first pregnancy in recent times, the Empress Dowager regarded it as a sign of good fortune.
Although no rank was given to her, everyone knew that it was only a matter of time, whether before or after the child was born!
The Emperor then issued an edict to improve her treatment, elevating her to a higher level within the palace... The Imperial Household Department was full of shrewd people, and although this level was still not as high as that of a Noble Consort, she was already one of the top and most sought-after consorts!
However, no matter how powerful the Imperial Household Department was, they couldn't surpass Consort Hui and Consort Yi. One was pregnant with the eldest prince, and the other had two princes, the younger of whom was especially favored by the Emperor. Of course, they wouldn't be foolish enough to offend them.
Meanwhile, on the way to the study with Jingrou and Wenying, a small bunch of flowers was placed very conspicuously by the cobblestone path... and not far away, the eldest prince was peeking out.
His disguise was hardly convincing.
The eldest prince was strong and tall. The way he hid behind the wall and looked so coy was both funny and pitiful.
But he seemed to think that no one could see him, and kept looking this way, which made people laugh.
Wenying was stunned for a long time. How stupid, how embarrassing! When she saw the bouquet of flowers, she already knew it was for her, but apart from a little bit of shyness, she mostly thought the person in front of her was incredibly stupid and ridiculous!
Jingrou was also at a loss. It was obvious that the flowers were a gift from the First Prince to Wenying, and she didn't know how to react...
Wen Ying glanced at the flowers, then at the rather clumsy person hiding on the other side. A strange feeling welled up inside her. She didn't know what to say; it was impossible to be unhappy about being treated with such delight all of a sudden…
But to say that I've decided to accept the other person or do something seems unrealistic.
With a heavy heart, she pulled Jingrou's hand, looked away from the big flower without glancing at it, and continued walking forward as if she hadn't seen it at all.
Yinzhi's head slumped immediately. He returned to his study absentmindedly, looking listless all day. He had strictly instructed those around him not to tell his mother. Only after going to Consort Hui's place without giving himself away did he regain his energy.
From then on, whenever they studied in the study, a bouquet of flowers would always be placed on that path…
They were all tied tightly with a single piece of dry grass, and the knotting technique gradually became more skillful and neat from the initial sloppy work…
Sometimes Wenying would pick it up when she saw it, and that was enough to make the eldest prince happy all day. Other times, she would simply ignore it.
Jingrou felt that the way the two got along was really strange, but it was her good friend's business, so she didn't interfere. However, seeing Wenying's clear-headed and rational appearance, Jingrou was still very happy.
There's nothing wrong with a woman accepting a man's affections, but she must never let herself be taken advantage of or wronged in the process.
A few days later, Yinzhi, Yinzhen, and Yinqi...
When Emperor Kangxi tested their studies, they expressed their desire to go out and gain experience, as well as their wish to do something, which received strong support from Emperor Kangxi.
The Emperor not only strongly supports them, but also plans to put them to a good test!
As the princes gradually grew into young men, they watched as the princes grew up.
The younger children, influenced by their elder brother and the crown prince, also developed this awareness, which naturally pleased Emperor Kangxi.
At the end of this year, Emperor Kangxi finally revealed his intention to choose husbands for his daughters. However, based on his affection for his daughters and his plans for the young couples, he hoped that the husbands would stay in the capital and spend three years with the princesses before returning to their hometowns.
Suddenly, the Mongolian nobles who had been eyeing the princess started making moves again.
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