After the full moon banquet, the weather in the Forbidden City became increasingly hot. Yunyi was now relying entirely on ice to stay alive; without ice, the room was like a steamer.
It's only because she now has a prince in her life and has the powerful connection with the steward's primary wife that she enjoys such good treatment.
Because she has a son, Yunyi receives the monthly allowance for two people, which means she uses two portions of ice here.
People like Princess Jin, Princess Su, and Princess Chen only received the rations of ordinary princesses, which meant they had very little ice and had to use it sparingly, otherwise they wouldn't be able to survive the hot summer.
After Yonghuang turned one year old, he was able to walk and became very active. He would walk and run around in the room every day. Yunyi was afraid that he would get too hot playing outside, so she kept him indoors to play.
Ice was used in the room to keep the temperature around 20 degrees Celsius, so it didn't feel too hot when walking, running, or jumping.
Even if Yonghuang is too active and sweats, it's okay. The room temperature isn't too low, so he won't catch a cold.
Yunyi has been going to the main courtyard less often lately, mainly because the weather is too hot. She gets sweaty as soon as she goes out, so it's not suitable for visiting people around.
So Yunyi became a homebody, staying indoors all day and rarely going out.
This continued until September. After autumn arrived, the weather cooled down considerably, and Yunyi continued to take the children to the main wife's residence.
The Fujin was quite busy in the morning, as she had to manage the household and accounts, so Yunyi usually only went there leisurely after her lunch break.
The afternoon was long and relatively quiet, so Yunyi took Yonghuang out to play, which helped pass the time.
Upon arriving at the main courtyard, the palace maid guarding the gate saw that it was Princess Fucha coming and respectfully bowed before going inside to announce her arrival. Soon after, Yunyi was welcomed into the house.
"Sister, come quick! Shu Ning threw a tantrum because you didn't come yesterday!"
Yunyi and Fujin were from the same clan, and Yunyi was older. The two had a good relationship, so Fujin addressed Yunyi as "elder sister" in a more affectionate way.
Seeing Yunyi enter, Fucha Anrong was very happy and greeted Yunyi with a smile.
"You flatter me, Madam. Shu Ning is such a well-behaved child, how could she throw a tantrum? Please don't tease her."
Upon hearing this, Fucha Anrong covered her mouth and laughed, clearly thinking of her daughter's personality.
"Sister, just spoil her. I really can't control her temper. Yonghuang is much better behaved. He never gets angry no matter what I say. I really envy you, sister!"
As Fucha Anrong said this, she casually took Yonghuang from the wet nurse and started to play with him. It was clear that she really liked little Yonghuang.
Faced with her praise, what could Yunyi do? Naturally, she humbly replied that no, your child is the most well-behaved and adorable.
But this wasn't just modesty; it was the truth.
Princess Shu Ning may have truly inherited the intelligence of her mother, the Fujin. She was shrewd at a young age and had some temper tantrums that were unusual for her age.
But Yonghuang was different. Perhaps he was naturally slow to react, or perhaps he was a bit slow on the uptake, but his behavior revealed a certain... stupidity.
It was only at this moment that Yunyi realized why the original owner of this body hadn't said she wanted her son to be emperor; Yonghuang was indeed not cut out for it, he didn't have the brains.
With the eldest princess being so intelligent, sharing the same mother, and being the most ideal successor in Qianlong's eyes, the second prince, Yonglian, was the most suitable person to become emperor.
Thinking of this, Yunyi couldn't help but glance at the Fujin's lower abdomen. If she wasn't mistaken, the Fujin should already be pregnant with the Second Prince Yonglian.
Yonglian was born in the eighth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, and it's already September of the seventh year of his reign; he should be arriving soon.
Noticing Yunyi's gaze, Fucha Anrong touched her lower abdomen, somewhat puzzled: "What's wrong with you, sister? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Faced with Fucha Anrong's question, Yunyi smiled and said, "It's been over a year since the Princess gave birth to Shu Ning. She should give birth to a legitimate son soon to have someone to rely on."
Fucha Anrong covered her mouth with her handkerchief and smiled, saying, "Sister is joking. The matter of having children cannot be rushed. Shu Ning is still young, and I am not in a hurry to get pregnant."
"Besides, you still have Yonghuang here. He is also my child and calls me his legal mother. With his younger brother here, Shu Ning can be considered to have someone to rely on."
After Fucha Anrong said that, Yunyi knew that she wasn't actually in a hurry.
But when Yunyi thought about how Yonglian would be arriving soon, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself, teasing her with a smile on her face.
"Even so, it would be good for the Princess Consort to have a legitimate son by her side. I also hope that you can give birth to a legitimate son."
The things said earlier were fine, but when Yunyi mentioned Hongli, Fucha Anrong's expression changed. Her cheeks flushed, clearly because she was shy.
"Sister, you're just talking nonsense. I can't argue with you."
After saying this to Yunyi, she turned to the palace maid behind her and instructed, "Go and see why the eldest princess hasn't arrived yet. The eldest prince is coming today, so she can play with her younger brother."
The palace maid received the order and turned to go out to check, but unexpectedly, the wet nurse arrived with the eldest princess.
Upon seeing her good friend, the eldest princess excitedly cried out, and even in her wet nurse's arms, she became restless and started moving around.
Fucha Anrong had no choice but to have the wet nurse put her daughter on the couch, and then put Yonghuang there as well, so that the two of them could play together.
Knowing when to stop, Yunyi, who had just teased Fucha Anrong, now only talked about the two children and didn't continue the previous topic.
The afternoon passed quickly, and as it was getting late, Yunyi and Yonghuang got up to say goodbye.
She usually leaves around this time; if she leaves any later, she might run into Hongli returning from his business trip, which could be seen as a competition for his favor.
To avoid gossip, Yunyi always left early, just in time to avoid Hongli's return.
Watching Princess Fucha leave, Moyu handed a cup of tea to Fucha Anrong: "Your Highness, Princess Fucha is right today. You only have one daughter, and she is already over a year old. You should hurry up and have a child."
Fucha Anrong looked up in surprise, then comforted her, "Moyu, why are you saying that? I'm still young, I'll have children eventually, there's no need to rush."
Seeing that her master said this, Moyu earnestly advised her.
“My lord, I understand what you mean, but the imperial concubine selection is coming soon, and there will be more and more concubines in the harem. The sooner you give birth to a prince, the more secure your position will become.”
This wasn't the first time Fucha Anrong had heard such words, nor would it be the last. Before she was even married, her mother had carefully instructed her to give birth to a prince as soon as possible.
But children are a gift from heaven, and cannot be forced. When she gets pregnant and whether she has a son or a daughter are not things she can decide.
Fucha Anrong believed that as long as she did her job well, her position as the primary consort would be secure, so why should she be afraid?
She knew that Mo Yu was also worried about her, so she didn't say much. She just nodded a couple of times to say that she understood, which put Mo Yu at ease.
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