After Li left, the Second Princess was completely raised by Zhangjia. Although she was young, she was quite good at raising children, which put Yinzhen at ease.
When Lady Uya saw the fate of the two princesses bestowed upon her by Consort De, she trembled with fear.
Song is well-behaved and doted on by her father. She has a daughter and is now pregnant again.
Li was restless and out of favor; her death was suspicious, and the second princess was given to someone else to raise.
After seeing the starkly different situations of the two people, Uya became even more determined to stay put and dared not do anything.
Judging from the report from the maid in Lady Wuya's courtyard, Yinzhen was satisfied with the situation, and it was worthwhile for him to have revealed some information about Lady Li to Lady Wuya.
After Li Gege's passing, the backyard remained quiet for quite some time. It wasn't until Zhong Gege went into labor that everyone was stirred up by the birth of the little master, and the atmosphere became much more lively.
This was Zhong's first pregnancy. Even without anyone helping her, her delivery wasn't quick. She went into labor in the morning and it wasn't until almost dark that she gave birth to... a little princess.
When she heard the midwife say it was a girl, Mrs. Zhong couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but she quickly cheered up. No matter what, it was still her child, and her daughter was very good, well-behaved and considerate.
Yinzhen happened to arrive at Zhong's courtyard at that moment. Upon hearing that she had given birth, he felt a strange sensation in his heart.
Zhong had been in labor for a long time without giving birth, but I gave birth as soon as I arrived at the door. It seems that I am quite destined to be with the Third Princess.
Before even seeing his daughter, Yinzhen felt a greater tenderness towards her because of what had just happened.
A few months later, Song also gave birth safely. Because it was her second childbirth, the delivery went very smoothly, and she gave birth to Yinzhen's fourth daughter in just one hour.
The fourth princess looked very much like her older sister. Because of his affection for his eldest daughter, Yinzhen treated his fourth daughter very well as well, and did not neglect her just because Song had given birth to two daughters.
At this time, there were four concubine daughters and two legitimate sons in the mansion, which made Yunyi's two sons stand out much more.
However, the princesses in the manor were all well-behaved and did not dare to do anything. Honghui and Honghan were both healthy and strong.
Although Yunyi was also disappointed that Lady Zhong did not give birth to a prince this time, she still comforted her, telling her to take good care of herself and not to worry. The implication in her words was that the position of concubine was reserved for her.
Driven by her goal, Zhong Shi took care of her daughter while working hard to improve her health, hoping to get pregnant as soon as possible. She would not be at ease until she became a concubine.
At this moment, she was only grateful that the imperial concubine selection had just taken place last year, and no new women had entered the household, nor had any concubines been designated to enter the household, which gave her the opportunity to rise in rank.
Fortunately, Heaven did not disappoint Zhong's expectations. A year after giving birth to the Third Princess, Zhong became pregnant again.
After Zhong became pregnant, Yunyi took good care of her and hoped that she would not disappoint her.
After Zhong was five months pregnant, Yunyi took the opportunity to examine Zhong's pulse and confirmed that she was carrying a boy, which put her at ease.
After ten months of pregnancy, on the third day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Lady Zhong entered the delivery room with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.
Fortunately, the result was satisfactory; she gave birth to the third prince of the mansion.
Now that she has a son and a daughter, it's highly likely that her request to be made a concubine will be successful.
Yunyi, of course, kept her word and would not deceive Zhong. After the Third Prince's full moon banquet, the imperial decree to promote Zhong to the position of secondary consort arrived at the Prince's residence.
As she received the imperial edict and the court robes of the concubine from the eunuch, Lady Zhong's hands trembled uncontrollably.
She had waited and longed for this scene for so long, and the scene she had dreamed of countless times in the dead of night had finally come true.
Zhong Rouqing was just an ordinary palace maid, and she never imagined that one day she would become a concubine of a prince.
Looking at the Fujin in front of her, Zhong was filled with gratitude. If it weren't for the Fujin's promotion, she wouldn't be where she is today.
The next day, Lady Zhong was to accompany Yunyi to the palace to pay her respects to the Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia. Lady Zhong had been excited since the night before.
Who could have imagined that back then, I came to the Prince's mansion all alone, carrying a small bundle, following closely behind the Princess Consort.
Now, dressed as a concubine of a prince, she is riding in a carriage, entering the palace as a daughter-in-law to pay respects to the Imperial Noble Consort.
In just three or four years, his identity underwent a dramatic change. Along the way, Zhong was amazed at how wonderful life's circumstances were.
Just after the New Year, Zhong did not attend the palace's New Year banquet this year. This was the first time she had formally entered the palace to pay her respects to the Imperial Noble Consort.
Upon arriving at Chengqian Palace, a place she had attended before, Zhong Shi was no longer as calm as before, but became much more nervous.
Perhaps it was a feeling of trepidation upon returning home; she couldn't quite explain why.
Fortunately, the Fujin and the Imperial Noble Consort were both easygoing and didn't notice her nervousness, so Zhong breathed a sigh of relief.
Also to avoid an awkward atmosphere, Yunyi brought Honghui along this time. Having a child to liven up the atmosphere will make things much better.
Honghui is almost five years old this year and will soon be moving from the main courtyard to the front courtyard to study. Because Yunyi has given him his early education, Honghui can now speak some literary words, which is quite interesting.
Sure enough, he spoke like a child and acted like an adult, making Tongjia laugh non-stop, looking just like a loving grandmother.
Tongjia was also kind-hearted and even allowed Zhong to see her sister.
The person who took Zhong there was Zhou, a capable nanny from Tongjia's side. On the way, Zhong expressed her gratitude to Zhou, saying that without Zhou's guidance back then, she would not have the good life she has today.
She followed the Fujin (principal wife) and was considered favored in the household. Her daily food, clothing, and daily necessities were not harsh. Now she had given birth to a son and a daughter and had been promoted to the position of secondary Fujin. Her life in the second half of her life looked promising. Zhong felt that her life was complete and she had no regrets.
After Zhong left, Tongjia pulled her daughter-in-law aside and spoke many heartfelt words.
"Although Lady Zhong is clever, she now has the Third Prince and the Third Princess around, so it's hard to guarantee she won't develop disloyal intentions. While you trust her, don't forget to be vigilant..."
"Don't worry, Mother, your daughter-in-law understands." Yunyi nodded seriously, indicating that she knew.
“Consort Zhong is a sensible person, and I will get along well with her. But if she really wants to do something, I won’t be managing the household for nothing. I will naturally report to you, Master, and we will discuss how to deal with it together.”
Tongjia was satisfied with her daughter-in-law's answer. As the mistress of the house, she needed to be both lenient and strict. She had to maintain her position while also giving the lower-ranking princesses a glimmer of hope.
This steward not only manages all the affairs of the mansion, big and small, but also the people in charge.
Whether it was palace maids, eunuchs, concubines, princesses, or illegitimate children in the household, they all had to be managed by the principal wife. There was a great deal of knowledge involved in this.
Fortunately, Ulanara herself was clever, and over the years, from the princes' quarters in the palace to the princes' residences outside the palace, she never disappointed herself.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
