Jingrou initially thought that Mingxuan was just too tired last night, which was why he relaxed today. Frankly, it's normal; kids their age are still growing, how could they not be sleep-deprived?
Although they are much more relaxed than the princes are now, and they don't have to get up before dawn to study, it is still difficult to keep such young children still and quiet in the study to study!
So it's perfectly normal for her to relax occasionally. It would be puzzling for Jingrou if she maintained such high energy levels every day!
But when they practiced embroidery together in the afternoon, Jingrou still felt that Mingxuan was somewhat absent-minded, and would occasionally drift off into thought—this kind of distraction seemed to be due to a lack of energy, so he couldn't control himself, rather than being intentional.
When she suddenly lost focus, the needle pricked Mingxuan's tender finger, and a string of blood beads dripped down.
Jingrou was startled and quickly pulled her to her side, pressing the blood on her hand with a handkerchief.
After the embroiderers and nannies who had been lingering around them left, Jingrou asked her in a low voice, "What's wrong with you today? You seem so tired. Did you not sleep well last night?"
Minghui also looked over with concern.
Although she wasn't particularly close to these women, Minghui maintained a very friendly attitude towards them.
Mingxuan withdrew his hand. "It's nothing, I just need to rest today. I was a little drowsy..." He felt a bit lost, knowing that several people were concerned about him, and he didn't know how to tell them.
Jingrou frowned, then nodded and patted Mingxuan's arm. "If you get too tired later, a few of us will cover for you. You should go and rest first..."
In fact, the embroiderer wasn't strictly disciplined, and if you didn't see her, you probably wouldn't ask any questions.
She gently patted it, and Mingxuan hissed, showing a particularly strong reaction. Jingrou was puzzled, and then looked down at Mingxuan's arm.
Minghui's expression changed. "What happened to your arm?"
Wen Ying couldn't sit still any longer. She stood up, pulled a few people inside, and avoided the gazes of the palace maids and nannies.
Several people quickly gathered around.
Several people surrounded Mingxuan, protecting him in the middle.
Mingxuan moved her lips slightly. When she met the many worried eyes in front of her, the grievances in her heart finally welled up and tears streamed down her face.
The girls around were terrified.
Actually, when Jingrou saw that she looked frightened and had her arms curled behind her back, she thought she was injured, but seeing that she seemed hesitant to speak, she didn't know it was convenient to say anything, so she did it this way.
Minghui's expression, however, was rather unpleasant. As a princess, she shared the same status as Mingxuan and clearly knew the situation better.
"Was it your maid who punished you?" she asked in a deep voice.
Mingxuan raised her head. "Granny is only doing this for my own good."
Seeing Mingxuan's reaction, she became even more certain, "Was she taken back by the nanny again last night to continue learning manners?" Minghui's face was unpleasant.
When each princess got married, she was accompanied by several dowry maids. In fact, these maids had been by her side since before she got married, when she was still in her boudoir, and their main role was to supervise and teach her some rules.
Minghui heard these words from the Empress Dowager. Seeing the Empress Dowager's solemn expression, he knew that this was probably a tradition that every princess had to go through, so he didn't dare to object.
However, since the nanny was assigned by the Imperial Household Department, no one could be sure of her true character. In the eyes of the princess's elders, including the Empress Dowager or their mothers, teaching etiquette was naturally more tiring, so they did not doubt the nanny's strictness.
Minghui also had a nanny by her side. She usually had a long face, but she was most enthusiastic when teaching Minghui manners. She would not stop until Minghui was exhausted!
Minghui was resilient, and coupled with her somewhat bad temper, she threatened the nanny several times to prevent her from torturing herself too much. However, due to the Empress Dowager's influence, Minghui couldn't very well kick her out.
Anyway, if we kick him out, the housekeepers will have to send another nanny, and we have no idea what kind of personality he has!
Except for those princesses who were truly favored by their mothers and could refuse the nanny, the vast majority of princesses had to face this situation.
Jingrou opened her mouth, and seeing the two of them looking like this, she realized they both knew what was going on. She glanced back at Wenying, who had a somewhat bewildered expression.
Conversely, besides Mingyue who was beside Consort De, Mingying also kept her head down and remained silent. Mingyue blinked, somewhat puzzled. She was well protected by Consort De, who came from the Imperial Household Department, and the nannies she had chosen were kind and gentle. She simply assumed they were there to take care of her and had no idea of the reason behind it all!
"So you really do finish your lessons during the day and then go back to your palace to continue learning a lot of rules?" Jingrou was surprised and a little worried—the oldest of them was only seven years old. If they had to learn rules back and forth, how could their bodies take it?
And judging from that, the old woman must be the kind of person who's difficult to deal with.
They remained silent, only Minghui spoke up, "It depends on whether Granny is willing to make a fuss, and also..." She hesitated, then looked at Mingxuan.
It's also related to her mother.
Mingxuan looked up and met the worried eyes of the girls around her. "Mother wants me to learn too..."
Mingxuan's mother was Consort Ping, of the Borjigit clan. Although she was a lady of high rank, her title alone revealed the Emperor's attitude towards her.
Logically speaking, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang also shared the same surname Borjigit. With such powerful backers, their lives in the palace must have been quite comfortable.
However, Mingxuan's mother entered the palace at a rather unfavorable time. When she first entered the palace, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang already had her closest grandniece serving the emperor as a concubine, so Mingxuan, who was a little more distant in the relationship, did not receive the Empress Dowager's attention.
In addition, she had never learned Manchu, and her language was different from that of the concubines in the palace, so it was relatively difficult for her to communicate with them.
When she first entered the palace, she was lonely for a long time and couldn't find anyone to talk to. Even when things got better later, she had already lost her chance, and her favor with the emperor remained mediocre.
She was not valued, and the emperor's attitude towards her was very indifferent. After finally giving birth to her daughter, perhaps due to the effects of childbirth, her personality began to change. She made up her mind to raise her daughter to be a lady of high society, so that her life would not be as hard as hers.
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