On the way back to the Prince's residence, Yinzhen listened as Su Peisheng quietly reported on what had happened at Yonghe Palace that day.
The more Yinzhen listened, the colder his heart became. He had only ignored the two palace maids, yet Consort De had summoned his young consort to reprimand them.
They've been married for a year, and he's never been cold to his wife or said anything harsh to her. Yet today he's being treated like this.
Filled with worry and heartache, Yinzhen quickened his pace, eager to return to his residence and see his beloved wife.
He wondered if she was sad or aggrieved. The more Yinzhen thought about it, the more worried he became, and his heart ached for her.
Upon returning to the prince's residence, Yinzhen rushed straight into the backyard without stopping, but hesitated when he reached the main gate.
If his younger brothers saw him like this, they would be quite surprised. Their usually cold and serious fourth brother, the Iceberg, would actually have this side to him.
After a long while, Yinzhen finally stepped through the main gate of the courtyard. Once inside, he found the courtyard quiet and peaceful, unlike its usual bustling atmosphere.
Wanzhou was guarding the door. When she saw the Fourth Prince enter, she quickly stepped forward and bowed, explaining, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort has been resting since returning from Yonghe Palace, you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yinzhen interrupted her, "It's alright, I'll go in and see the Princess Consort."
Ignoring what Wanzhou was about to say, Yinzhen lifted the curtain and entered the room, coming to the familiar bedside. At this moment, he thought his heartbroken little princess was sleeping soundly.
Yunyi originally intended to pretend to be asleep so that Yinzhen would pity her, but unexpectedly, she actually fell asleep while lying down.
He raised his hand and stroked the little girl's face. Her chubby little face was slowly losing some of its baby fat and beginning to grow into a pretty young girl.
Yinzhen had been looking at this face for over a year, yet he could never get enough of it.
In her sleep, Yunyi felt something touch her cheek. The discomfort woke her up. She opened her eyes groggily and found Yinzhen standing in front of her bed.
Her mind cleared instantly. Yunyi remembered her persona and realized she should be tough and resilient now. She lowered her head and spoke in a muffled voice.
"Why have you come, sir? Were you tired from studying in the study today? I'm not feeling well, so please rest somewhere else tonight."
Her words seemed to carry a hint of defiance, yet she still didn't forget to care about herself.
Yinzhen felt both angry and amused. He stroked the little princess's hair, which was a little messy but fluffy from sleeping, and then reached out to hug her.
In the past, Yinzhen would never have done such a thing, but after a year of getting along, he has changed.
"I'm not going anywhere, I'll just stay here with you. What, are you going to kick me out, my wife?"
Yunyi didn't seem very happy and kept telling Yinzhen to go somewhere else. "No, it's just that I'm not feeling well and I'm afraid I won't be able to take good care of you. You should go and rest somewhere else."
When Yinzhen realized that reasoning with her was ineffective, he directly lifted the young consort's face and made her look into his eyes.
"I know you were wronged by Consort De today. This matter was my fault, but you suffered an undeserved disaster. Don't be sad. If Consort De comes to you again in the future, just pretend to be sick or go to Mother. I won't blame you."
Yunyi was also surprised that the usually rigid and rule-abiding Yinzhen would say such a thing, and she couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing his young wife finally smile, Yinzhen breathed a sigh of relief and continued speaking.
"As for those two in the backyard, you don't need to pay them any attention. I'm not going there."
Although Yinzhen said that, Yunyi still tried to persuade him to go to the Song or Li family.
She is still too young, only eleven years old, and will be a few more years before she turns fourteen or fifteen.
She could only consider having children after consummating her marriage with Yinzhen, and only with children would she have the confidence to do other things.
It's too early for everything, so she needs Song and Li to stand in front of her.
Tongjia Yunyi thought she wouldn't do anything, but Consort De would be unhappy. At that time, Emperor Kangxi might also think that his daughter-in-law was jealous, for she was unable to serve her husband and yet prevented him from going to other people's places.
Since Song and Li were bestowed upon him by Consort De, Yinzhen already disliked them. Now, because of Consort De's matter, Yinzhen was forced to go to their place. It's easy to imagine that they wouldn't leave a good impression on Yinzhen.
Moreover, Yunyi had given them a pregnancy pill on their very first day in the manor. Even if they were lucky enough to get pregnant, they would be princesses and would not threaten Yunyi's future children.
It's just that Yinzhen has to suffer a bit. Even though he doesn't want to, he's still forced by his birth mother and demanded by his wife to go to the women's rooms he doesn't want to go to.
Hearing his wife's words of reason and emotion, Yinzhen was not as calm as he appeared. However, he also knew that being the wife was difficult. If he really ignored the two maids who were instructing him, things would be hard to calm down.
Well then, to prevent his wife from being troubled in the future and to keep this matter from escalating, he decided to grant her wish.
That night, the young couple slept together as usual.
But the following evening, Lady Song received a message from a eunuch that the Fourth Prince would be coming over that night.
After the news reached the Song family, it wasn't long before the entire backyard knew about it. Yunyi wasn't angry, but Li Yuhua, who came with the Song family, was not so calm.
Li Yuhua couldn't understand it at all. She was much prettier than Song Shi, and had a better figure. Moreover, in terms of talent and personality, the Fourth Prince should have chosen her first. How could that blockhead Song Shi have gotten the first prize?
No matter how angry Li Yuhua was, it was to no avail. The Fourth Prince simply didn't choose her; he chose Lady Song first.
As night fell, Su Peisheng, under immense pressure, entered his study and whispered to the Fourth Prince, who was writing furiously by candlelight, "Your Highness, it's getting late. Don't you think we should go to Madam Song's place?"
His hand paused, and Yinzhen put down his pen. The flickering candlelight illuminated his face, obscuring his expression.
After a long while, he instructed his servants to pack his things and then got up to leave.
Su Peisheng breathed a sigh of relief. His wife had already instructed him to persuade his master to go to Song Shi's place. He had been worried about what to say, but his master was quite agreeable.
As he walked silently toward the backyard, a sudden sense of tension rose in Yinzhen's heart.
He's already this age and knows a lot about certain things, but even so, he hasn't experienced them yet, so he can't help feeling a little nervous.
When they arrived at Song's house, she was already prepared and waiting at the door.
When Yinzhen glanced at her, he was relieved to see that Song Shi was dressed neatly and hadn't applied any heavy-smelling cosmetics.
The princess consort didn't like wearing makeup; she only wore it on more formal occasions and usually went bare-faced.
Yinzhen was spoiled by Yunyi's habits and did not like to see women wearing too much makeup.
As a result, Yinzhen's impression of Song improved somewhat.
He didn't say anything and walked inside on his own, with Madam Song following closely behind.
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