Hejing is a mother now, how could she be jealous of a little sister who is younger than her own son?
Therefore, upon hearing this decree, she felt no displeasure whatsoever; on the contrary, she was happy for her sister.
Xian's mother was a good person, and she naturally hoped that Xian's mother, as well as her two younger brothers and sisters, could live well.
The Third Prince Yongcong, along with the Twelfth Princess and Rui, are growing up healthy. With their mother Yunyi around, the two little ones are exceptionally healthy and rarely get sick.
Seeing that Yongcong was in such good health, Emperor Qianlong was extremely pleased.
Good health is essential for growing up safely and inheriting this vast empire.
Six months later, Yunyi's health improved, and she took the fertility pills again, successfully becoming pregnant.
For the concubines in the palace, it was as if Consort Shu had just given birth to the Thirteenth Princess, and then the Empress was pregnant again.
When Yunyi was three months pregnant, Consort Jia also announced good news.
Good news kept coming from the palace, which made the Empress Dowager and Emperor Qianlong very happy. It would be even better if the Empress or Consort Jia could give birth to a prince.
Unfortunately, just as Consort Jia was pregnant, Consort Shu's thirteenth daughter died young.
On the sixth day of the eighth month of the eighteenth year of the Qianlong reign, Empress Nara gave birth to the fourth prince at the "Wuling Spring Scenery" in the Yuanmingyuan Garden.
With the birth of another legitimate son, Emperor Qianlong was overjoyed. So many concubines in the palace had been unable to give birth to sons, and the Empress, who had been murdered for many years, had just recovered and then gave birth to two sons and a daughter in succession, which showed that she was a blessed woman.
Thinking about it this way, Qianlong also thought of Niohuru, the culprit who had caused the Empress to be infertile for many years. If she hadn't done it back then, the Empress would probably have more than just these two sons and one daughter now.
Feeling like he had lost many sons, Emperor Qianlong grew increasingly angry with Empress Dowager Niohuru and whispered a few words to Li Yu beside him.
Niohuru was having a very bad time in the Cold Palace. Consort Ling secretly had people torment her. She had lost favor, and the palace maids and eunuchs were all snobbish and treated her very badly.
Now that the Emperor has ordered that she be "taken good care of," it is easy to imagine that Niohuru's days ahead will be even more difficult.
The Empress gave birth to another son, and Emperor Qianlong spent a long time choosing the name Yonggui for this son.
Gui is also a ritual vessel used in sacrifices, and its size is used to indicate rank. This name is also fitting for Yonggui's status.
Although he is of noble birth, with his elder brother preceding him, Yongcong is the rightful heir to the throne unless something unexpected happens.
But if anything unexpected happens, he, as the second son born of the legitimate wife, is the most suitable one besides Yongcong.
At the beginning of the nineteenth year, Consort Jia gave birth to the Fourteenth Princess amidst her worries. Having given birth to four daughters in a row, she finally gave up the idea of having a son and focused on raising her three daughters who were still alive.
Three years later, five-year-old Yongcong was vaccinated against smallpox. Within a few days, he recovered safely and was still lively and energetic.
Seeing the healthy Yongcong, Emperor Qianlong was very satisfied and became even stricter in educating his son.
Perhaps because he finally had a son to inherit the throne, Emperor Qianlong's long-standing melancholy eased considerably, and he began to revert to his true nature, lavishly selecting concubines to fill his harem.
As the number of concubines in the palace increased, Yunyi remained firmly in her position as empress, the most respected wife in the emperor's heart.
If we were to say who Emperor Qianlong favored the most, it would have to be Consort Ling. Over the years, Consort Ling had used every means to occupy Emperor Qianlong's heart and was the most favored in the harem.
Especially after the passing of Consort Chunhui and Consort Shujia, Consort Ling became the most favored concubine in the harem.
Yunyi, however, did not stop them at all, but focused on managing the affairs of the harem and teaching her children.
This virtuous and kind demeanor pleased Emperor Qianlong even more, and he often praised the Empress to the other concubines in the harem, saying that she had the demeanor of Empress Xiaoxian.
Yunyi, however, was very modest, saying only that she was no match for Empress Xiaoxian and that she still had much to learn.
Little did they know, this favored concubine, Lady Wei, was actually one of her people.
Yunyi had been urging Wei Shuyan to strive for the emperor's favor, hoping to make Qianlong addicted to women, weaken his health, and prevent him from living too long and blocking his son's path.
In the thirtieth year of Qianlong's reign, Qianlong was about to make another southern tour, and Yunyi, as before, accompanied him.
Yunyi's feelings were quite different on this trip, as it marked a turning point in the original owner's fate.
It was during this southern tour that she was disliked by Emperor Qianlong for cutting her hair, and was sent back to the palace, where she was imprisoned in Yikun Palace until her death.
Yunyi had made preparations for this trip and would not allow herself to fall into such a situation.
The imperial boat sailed down the river, arriving at the bustling city of Jiangnan.
Jiangnan has always been a prosperous place. Yunyi had visited it once or twice with Emperor Qianlong before, but this time she was still surprised.
The ship docked in Nanjing, and the group stayed at the garden of a wealthy local merchant. After a long journey, everyone was finally able to rest.
As the Empress, Yunyi lived in the main courtyard of the garden.
The architecture in Nanjing is indeed different from that in Beijing. It lacks the grandeur and majesty of Beijing, and instead possesses a more graceful and delicate beauty, making the experience of being there completely different.
Rong Xin and her maids packed their things, while Yun Yi strolled around the garden with her daughter.
As for her other two sons, Yongcong and Yonggui, they also came, but as sons, they accompanied Qianlong to meet the ministers and would only come to pay their respects to Yunyi during their free time.
Emperor Qianlong stayed in Nanjing for a long time, and every time he went out, he took his two sons, Yongcong and Yonggui, with him, partly to teach them and partly to broaden their horizons.
As emperor, Qianlong also had important business to attend to when he went out. He had to meet with ministers, inspect certain places, and even travel incognito to observe the lives of ordinary people.
So Yongcong and Yonggui learned a lot on this trip and saw many scenes that they could not see in the palace.
After seven or eight days of busy work, Emperor Qianlong finally had some free time and came over to have dinner with Empress Nara. During the dinner, he shared some news with her.
"Pack yourself up in a bit, change into some ordinary clothes, and I'll take you out for a stroll."
Yunyi has been quite busy these past few days, meeting with many local ministers' wives and dealing with the gifts they sent.
In addition, due to her status, she could not go out alone without Emperor Qianlong's permission.
But now it's different. Emperor Qianlong said he would personally take me out, so there's no problem.
Upon hearing this news, Yunyi was overjoyed. After dinner, with Rongxin's help, she changed into the most fashionable clothes for ladies in Nanjing at the time, and waited expectantly for Qianlong.
Even though Nara was already in her late forties or early fifties, she still looked as young as a woman in her thirties. Time seemed to have left no trace on her face; she was still so beautiful.
Years of living deep within the palace did not change her.
The couple, accompanied by their servants, strolled discreetly through Nanjing, enjoying the unique scenery.
She smiled gently on the surface, but another voice echoed in Yunyi's mind.
"Host, be careful, there's an ambush nearby!"
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