After seeing off Honghui, Yunyi was left with only little Honghan by her side.
Honghan is already three years old, and Yunyi is planning to have another child, otherwise when Honghan goes to school at the age of five, she will have no child by her side.
Life in the inner quarters is boring; without children to keep you company, life is hard to endure. Having a child would bring so much joy.
With this idea in mind, Yunyi quickly took action. She had been taking care of her health all along, and now that she was preparing for pregnancy, she wanted to take even better care of herself.
Seizing the opportune moment, Yunyi took the fertility pill, also not wanting to have a daughter.
The princesses of the Qianlong era were relatively fortunate, as most of them married into the capital. However, during the Kangxi and Yongzheng eras, nine out of ten princesses were sent to serve in Mongolia. Yunyi Host did not want her daughter to marry into such a distant place.
Several months later, Yunyi became pregnant. When the news came out, Yinzhen, Lady Tongjia, and Honghui in the palace were all very happy.
In the backyard, when Zhangjia heard the news, her expression softened and she smiled happily.
Seeing her foster mother like this, the second princess timidly approached and tugged at her sleeve.
"Mother, have you heard something good? May I hear it?"
Zhangjia looked down at the Second Princess beside her, her smile undiminished, though she was somewhat displeased but did not show it.
I don't know how the previous Li family raised the Second Princess. She was a daughter of a prince, but she was raised to be timid and lacked any of the demeanor of a royal princess.
She was a little surprised when she took the second princess in to raise her; she hadn't expected that this royal lady would be even more timid than herself.
It took Zhangjia a year or two to raise the second princess to be less timid and more willing to be close to her. So, although she was not entirely satisfied with her appearance, she did not dare to show it.
Raising children requires patience; you can't be too hasty. She is now the foster mother of the Second Princess, and the Second Princess already has the bearing of royalty. It won't be like the way she was raised by Madam Li before.
The second princess was already seven years old. Since Zhangjia couldn't comfort her like a baby, she took her little hand and brought her to her side, speaking to her softly.
"Your stepmother is pregnant again, and Yierha will have a younger brother or sister again. Aren't you happy?"
After the Second Princess was taken in by Lady Zhangjia, Lady Zhangjia often took her to the main courtyard to spend time with the Fujin (principal wife), and she got along very well with Honghui and Honghan.
Therefore, upon hearing the news that her stepmother was pregnant, the Second Princess and Lady Zhangjia had the same reaction: they were both happy for the Fujin (principal wife).
It must be said that Lady Zhangjia did consider the Second Princess a lot, helping her to build a good relationship with the Fujin so that her future marriage would be better.
In the household, the marriage arrangements for the princesses are basically in the hands of the mistress. If the relationship is not good, the mistress will easily dismiss you. Only if the relationship is good will the mistress carefully consider your marriage and choose a good family for you.
For women in ancient times, marriage was a lifelong commitment; once chosen, it could not be changed. Marriage was a matter of great care and consideration before it could be settled.
The young Second Princess was unaware of her adoptive mother's intentions at that time. It was only years later, when she was living a happy and fulfilling life, that she realized her mother had been planning for her all along.
In the palace, Honghui was overjoyed to hear from a young eunuch that his mother was pregnant. The more children his mother had, the more secure his position would be.
Moreover, Honghui shared the same thought as Yunyi. He knew that his younger brother Honghan would soon be old enough to enter the palace to study, and he was worried that his mother would be left without children. Now that his mother was pregnant, Honghui no longer had this worry.
Yinzhen was the fourteenth prince born to Consort De. As the youngest son, and with the contrast between her disliked eldest son and her prematurely deceased second son, Consort De doted on and spoiled this youngest son to the extreme.
Children raised in this way are more or less filled with arrogance, disdain for others, spoiled, and mischievous.
Honghui's studies in the palace went well overall. He got along well with his cousins of the same generation, and although there were some minor frictions, they were not serious.
However, the younger uncles born to Kangxi's concubines, who were a generation older than him, were a bit difficult to get along with, especially Yinzhen.
He was spoiled and raised by Consort De, and had a strained relationship with his half-brother Yinzhen. He also looked down on his brother's eldest nephew.
In particular, Honghui was quick-witted and studious, and was considered a clever and well-behaved child by all the teachers in the Imperial Study. In contrast, his mischievous and unruly uncle, who only knew how to wield swords and spears, presented a stark contrast.
As a result, Yinzhen became even more annoyed with his nephew, finding fault with him in every way and constantly teasing Honghui in private.
Although Honghui cleverly thwarted Uncle Fourteen's pranks one by one, Uncle Fourteen's behavior not only did not stop but became even more outrageous, which was very annoying.
The sensible Honghui did not tell his mother about these things, but kept them to himself and did not even tell his mother.
As Honghui walked home from school in the evening, he heard a young eunuch report the good news that his mother was pregnant. Upon hearing this news, he couldn't help but smile.
Yinzhen, who was not far away, also saw this scene and was a little curious about what his nephew was so happy about.
After his initial curiosity, he saw Honghui heading towards Chengqian Palace, with no intention of returning to the Prince's Residence.
A wicked idea popped into Yinzhen's head. He beckoned to the eunuch beside him to listen closely and whispered his plan.
That evening, Honghui left Chengqian Palace. To save time, he took a shortcut through the Imperial Garden. As he passed the lake, a black cat suddenly darted out from the side, startling him.
He slipped and accidentally fell into the lake, leaving Yinzhen, who was waiting to see him make a fool of himself, dumbfounded. He quickly ordered the eunuch next to him to rescue him.
But no, before the eunuch could even move, Honghui swam ashore on his own.
Thanks to Yunyi's foresight, when Honghui was only three or four years old, Yunyi had his servants teach him to swim, so that even if he fell into a river, lake, or sea, he would have a life-saving skill.
After swimming ashore, Honghui was genuinely angry. He could tolerate what his fourteenth uncle had done before, but today he had gone too far. He didn't bow to Yinzhen, and Honghui, unusually, was not obedient. He went straight back to his residence.
Yinzhen stood there, somewhat angry. He pursed his lips and muttered to himself, "Is it really necessary? You didn't do anything."
The news reached Yunyi's ears the next day, and she was furious. But what made her even angrier was what was to come.
Wanzhou suppressed her anger, lifted the curtain and came to Yunyi's side: "Madam, Granny Li is here at the door. She says that Consort De wants to summon you to the palace."
Hmph! Yun Yi snorted coldly, her face also showing some anger. Obviously, Consort De also knew about this matter, but in Yun Yi's opinion, she didn't seem like the kind of person who would apologize.
Upon entering Yonghe Palace, just as expected, Consort De twisted the truth, refusing to acknowledge her son's wrongdoings and instead criticizing Yunyi.
"Ulanara, is this the good son you raised? He neither bows nor greets his elders, but shows no respect for hierarchy and simply walks away without regard for them. How did he learn the manners of a royal prince? If you don't know how to teach your son, then I will teach him for you!"
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