Since Hongzhou's wedding, Hongli had hardly seen him. Hongzhou's residence was still under construction, and he and his principal wife were currently living in the Prince's Residence.
After leaving Changchun Palace, Hongli thought for a moment and then turned back to the Princes' quarters.
Hongli had lived in the Princes' Residence before and was very familiar with it. Now, this residence, where the late emperor's brothers once lived, was empty. The Fourth Prince had few children, and even fewer male offspring. Since he moved out, only Hongzhou and his wife lived there.
Hongli followed the road toward the residence of Hongzhou's sixth son. From afar, the eunuchs sweeping the gate saw Hongli enter and hurriedly greeted him and asked for permission.
"Where is the Fifth Prince?" Hongli couldn't help but ask, fearing that Hongzhou was not there.
"The Fifth Prince is inside. I must go and announce it immediately. Fourth Prince, please come in," the little eunuch said hurriedly, bowing low.
Hongli walked casually into Hongzhou's prince residence with his hands behind his back.
Meanwhile, Hongzhou was talking with his wife, Wukuza, when he heard the servant's report. Hongzhou was stunned at first, but his wife, Wukuza, nudged him and said, "What are you standing there for, Prince? Hurry up and go to greet them."
"I'm not going to greet him!" Hongzhou said, coming back to his senses.
“Your Highness, I don’t understand. You and the Fourth Prince have grown up together since childhood and are very close. What could be the reason for this?” Wu Kuzha asked, puzzled.
Hongzhou, of course, couldn't reveal his true feelings; he only said that he disapproved of certain things Hongli did. Hongzhou had once loved Xueying very much, but Xueying married Hongli, and he hoped that Hongli would cherish Xueying as much as he did. However, Hongli didn't treat Xueying well.
This made Hongzhou very angry, as if his own cherished possessions were being rejected by others.
“Your Highness, if you are not going, then I will have to go and greet you myself,” Wu Kuzha said, standing up.
"Wait, what's the meaning of you going to greet my brother? What kind of sister-in-law goes to greet her elder brother?" Hongzhou said sternly.
Wu Kuzha smiled and said, "So it's best if Your Highness goes to greet him."
Hongzhou could only snort and then went to greet Hongli. Since marrying Wukuzha, Hongzhou had quite liked this wife; she was dignified, generous, and had a particularly interesting way of speaking.
Then, when Hongli arrived at Hongzhou's house, he saw Hongzhou slowly coming out to greet him.
"Why is Fourth Brother here?" Hongzhou said indifferently.
"You don't welcome me now?" Hongli asked Hongzhou. They had never argued before, never expecting that this time their cold war would last so long.
"Whether I welcome him or not, Fourth Master is here now. Please." Hongzhou still had a stern face and stepped aside to make a gesture of invitation.
Hongli stepped into Hongzhou's room, and Wukuzha immediately greeted him.
Seeing that she was there, Hongli said to her, "Hongzhou has been angry with me, but I won't hold a grudge against him. Sister-in-law, be my witness. Today, I've come to ask him for help."
"What kind of help?" Hongzhou asked, getting excited.
"Go to the Ministry of Revenue. Are you going or not? My thirteenth uncle has fallen ill, and Father has already asked me to go and help him. I'd like to ask you to come along too." Hongli smiled when he saw that Hongzhou was finally willing to speak to him.
Hongzhou was stunned. He hadn't expected that Hongli had come today to find him a job.
"Of course I went, Your Highness. Fourth Brother's willingness to bring you along shows how much he cares for you. I thank you, Fourth Brother." Wu Kuzha rolled her eyes at Hongzhou and curtsied to Hongli.
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