Since the Fourth Prince left with Lanqin and Yanyu, the Fourth Prince's mansion has been peaceful. Because the men in the mansion are gone, the women no longer have anyone to fight over, so they have all become too lazy to compete with each other anymore.
Following the Fourth Prince's instructions, the eldest prince, the third prince, and their children lived their lives in the front courtyard in an orderly fashion. In addition to their morning and evening greetings, the eldest prince could also go to the main courtyard to have lunch with his wife at noon.
That day, he came to the main courtyard for lunch as usual. The eldest prince had grown much taller than he had been six months ago, and was also more cheerful and talkative. The princess watched the eldest prince eat with great affection, and would occasionally reach out to put food on his plate.
“Mother, you should eat too. You keep putting food into your son’s bowl, but I haven’t seen you eat anything!” Honghui said, feeling sorry for his wife, who had only used a few chopsticks since the beginning and then kept putting food into his bowl.
"Mother isn't hungry. Mother is content just watching you eat." The Fujin raised her hand, adorned with gold and silver nail guards, and stroked Honghui's shoulder.
"Mother, I don't want to rest this afternoon. I want to go to the garden to skateboard with Da and A!" Honghui glanced at his wife and then said with his head down.
A hint of displeasure flashed in the Fujin's eyes, but she did not immediately scold Honghui for being playful. Instead, she said gently, "Honghui, you have to listen to Master Zhu's lecture this afternoon. If you don't rest, you will be very tired in the afternoon. Not only should you not go skiing, but you should also tell Da and A not to play those frivolous things that will distract you from your studies."
Seeing that the Fujin always regarded the things that Lanqinsu gave to the children as ferocious beasts, as things that she obtained with ill intentions towards the eldest prince.
Trust and friendliness were so easily shattered by the Fujin (Prince Consort). The extent of the damage inflicted on Honghui's young heart remained a mystery to her until the eldest prince's permanent departure. Lanqin noticed that Honghui was indifferent to everything outside himself, disliked talking to people, and even refused to interact with others.
"Mother, we'll only play for half an hour. I'll rest in my bedroom for a while and it won't affect my afternoon lessons. Mother, please grant my request," Honghui pleaded.
"Is that thing really that fun? You're not even listening to your mother anymore." The Fujin suddenly changed her expression and said. At this moment, she hated Lanqin, who had taken the Fourth Prince for herself, and wished she could throw all those strange things that Lanqin had created into Bixin Lake.
"No, Mother, it's because I've already promised Da and A. If I don't go now, I'll break my promise, which is something I absolutely cannot tolerate," Honghui said, raising his voice in front of his wife, as he insisted on his opinion.
"You, are you trying to drive your mother to her death?" The Fujin stared at Honghui, seeing this son she had raised with her own hands now defying her. This was unacceptable to her. She continued, "If you go and play with that woman's creations again, don't come to your mother's place again!"
The Fujin was extremely stubborn. Honghui had never disobeyed her since he was a child. Hearing her say this, he was so angry that he almost screamed uncontrollably.
"Your Highness, quickly apologize to the Princess Consort and say that you did not mean to disobey her, but just did not want to break your promise!" Granny Li, who was watching anxiously from the side, hurriedly went to the eldest prince's side and patted his shoulder as she spoke.
"Don't teach him. Even if he says that, he doesn't really think that way. What's the point?" The princess's chest heaved violently, clearly indicating that she was quite angry.
Looking at her gloomy face and her hand tightly clutching the handkerchief, Honghui's resolve began to crumble little by little. He began to doubt whether his persistence was correct. Aunt Niu had once told him: Be yourself and stick to your decisions! But why was his mother so angry? He was just going to go skateboarding with Da and A, it wasn't a big deal, so why was his mother so angry as if he had committed some unforgivable crime?
“Eldest Prince, your father is not in the manor now, but before he left, didn’t he tell you to listen carefully to Master Zhu’s lessons and to study your daily homework diligently? The Princess Consort is not angry about what you did this time, but she is worried that you will gradually become obsessed with playing around and neglect your duties!” Seeing that the Princess Consort was silent and the eldest prince was a quiet person, Li Mama continued to persuade him.
“No, I won’t let playthings distract me from my studies. I only play skateboarding with Da and A after I finish my homework. This activity greatly reduces my son’s fatigue. After playing, he works up a sweat and feels more relaxed. His appetite has also improved, and he has more energy.” Honghui has actually been playing this game every day since Lanqin taught them. Gradually, he has almost become crazy about this fun game.
"You...it seems you can't relax for a day without playing on that skateboard?" The Fujin was completely absorbed in her dislike of Lanqin and wouldn't listen to Honghui's explanation. Deep down, she was terrified that Honghui would slip out of her control, so she never considered whether any action that went against her wishes was actually good or bad for him.
Perhaps women of this era are more utilitarian when it comes to offspring. There's an old saying: "A mother's status depends on her son!"
"Eldest Prince, quickly apologize to your wife and stop upsetting your mother!" Granny Li pleaded earnestly.
Seeing the anger in his wife's eyes, Honghui gradually wavered, and finally, his heart turned into a sigh. He said, "I'm sorry, Mother, please don't be angry. I won't go. I'll rest here with you for a while."
When the Fujin heard that Honghui had finally "changed his mind," her expression softened somewhat. Looking at Honghui earnestly, she said, "Honghui, everything your mother has done is for you, do you know that!"
Honghui lowered his head and nodded slowly.
The Princess Consort continued, "You know, your mother has suffered so much these past years, just hoping to protect your future. Even though I've given everything, I will never regret it or back down. Your father has you, the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Eldest Princess, and the Second Princess—so many children—but I only have you. Although they all call me their legitimate mother, only you came from my womb! Honghui, everything I have is on you. If you are well, I am well; if you are not well, I am not well. Do you understand?"
Even though Honghui was still struggling internally, it all turned into a trace of filial piety towards his wife at this moment, and he nodded heavily.
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