On this side, immediately after the court session, Hongli did not rush back to Prince Bao's residence to handle affairs. Instead, he went to Changchun Palace to visit Lanqin, and more importantly, to see Yonglian and Mingyu, whom he had not seen for many days.
"Your Majesty, Prince Bao requests an audience," a eunuch from Changchun Palace reported to Lanqin as he entered the hall.
Upon hearing the news, Mingyu was overjoyed and immediately got up to greet Hongli.
Seeing Mingyu, who is usually so calm, so excited, Lanqin couldn't help but chuckle. "Look how happy you are. I, this sinner, have torn you two apart."
Hearing this, Mingyu knew she was too agitated and said, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? Your son just..."
"Don't explain, I understand you miss your husband," Lanqin patted Mingyu's hand and teased.
"Quickly summon Prince Bao in."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hongli, dressed in court attire, strode in, bowed to Lanqin, and asked, "Empress Mother, are you well today?"
"Very good. Your father has been much better lately, thanks to Yonglian. He has made your father very happy. Your father is in much better spirits today, and his appetite has also improved considerably."
Standing next to Lanqin, Mingyu nodded to Hongli. Seeing Mingyu's happy face, Hongli was also very pleased.
"You should take them back today. You can't keep them here forever, or you'll give others something to talk about."
Lanqin watched the couple talking and knew that it was indeed inconvenient for Mingyu to stay in the palace any longer, and that she should return to Prince Bao's residence.
Upon hearing this, Mingyu felt relieved. She had long wanted to return to the manor, but seeing how much her father and mother-in-law liked Yonglian, she could not go against their wishes.
When Hongli heard Lanqin say this, he didn't say much and just nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty, I will take them back today. When I have time, I will bring Yonglian to the palace to pay his respects to you and Father Emperor,” Hongli said.
"It's good that you have the intention," Lanqin said.
It was inconvenient for Hongli to stay in the palace for long, so he chatted with Lanqin about the results of his recent studies, and soon returned to the Prince Bao's residence with Mingyu and Yonglian.
Upon returning to the manor, Hongli went directly to the front courtyard, while Mingyu took the still-sleeping Yonglian back to the main courtyard.
After settling Yonglian in, Mingyu summoned her trusted nanny to inquire about the situation while she was away from the palace.
"Where did Your Highness spend the night while I was away?" Mingyu picked up a cup of tea from the table and took a sip.
"Reporting to Your Highness, during your absence, the Prince visited both the concubines, Consort Gao and Consort Su. He showed no favoritism and treated all the mistresses in the inner courtyard equally," the nanny replied.
"Furthermore, His Highness has rarely set foot in the backyard lately, perhaps due to his busy schedule with state affairs; sometimes he simply stays in the front yard."
Hearing this, Mingyu finally relaxed. During her time in the palace, she couldn't help but worry that the women in the inner quarters would take the opportunity to compete for the prince's favor.
When Mingyu first entered the Prince's mansion, she was often saddened and unhappy because of which woman in the back courtyard the Prince would stay overnight. However, over the years, Mingyu has come to see through it all.
Emperor Qianlong valued himself most.
Moreover, Hongli didn't necessarily dote on Nalanara. Therefore, Mingyu was no longer like before. Mingyu knew that her future was still far away, and she absolutely could not gain a reputation for being jealous.
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