Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and it's Chinese New Year.
After Tong Cheng'er saw Yinzhen off at Yaocheng Courtyard, Yinzhen refused to let her see him off any further.
After Yinzhen left, Tong Cheng'er was a little bored. It was the New Year, and she was really bored.
Yinzhen rode into the palace in a carriage. When he got off at the palace gate, he ran into the First Prince's family and the Third Prince's family.
Even if there were some unspeakable sordid things between the brothers, they still maintained a friendly and respectful relationship on the surface.
Upon meeting, they naturally exchanged greetings. The Third Princess Consort, not noticing Tong Cheng'er, couldn't help but ask with concern, "Why didn't Fourth Sister-in-law come with Fourth Brother?"
Yinzhen had a fairly good impression of the Third Prince's wife, and replied, "She's quite far along in her pregnancy, so I'll let her stay in the manor."
Those who heard this were stunned.
The New Year's Eve banquet!! As a royal daughter-in-law, she didn't even come, truly... impressive.
The Third Prince couldn't help but sarcastically remark, "Fourth Sister-in-law is even more noble than the women in the palace. I've never heard of any noblewoman daring not to attend the New Year's banquet when she's pregnant."
Yinzhen raised an eyebrow and said coldly to the Third Prince, "I asked Father Emperor for a favor, and Father Emperor had no objection. Does Third Brother think that Father Emperor did something wrong?"
The Third Prince was surprised that he had told his father, the Emperor, in advance. He thought the man was really treacherous and cunning, but on the surface he was cowardly.
"What are you saying, Fourth Brother? Father Emperor is very considerate of his juniors, so he is not wrong. I was just joking with you."
Yinzhen: "Since you understand, Third Brother, you should be careful with your words and actions. It's okay for us brothers to hear such jokes, but if they get out and outsiders hear them, it will damage the royal family's reputation. I hope you can be more sensible in the future."
Being lectured by his younger brother made the Third Prince furious, but he couldn't vent his anger, which was incredibly frustrating.
The Third Princess Consort watched from the side, feeling quite pleased.
The Third Princess Consort smiled and said, "Fourth Brother is absolutely right. Our Lord does need to be careful in his actions. The roads are slippery in the snow. Keeping Fourth Brother's wife at home to rest during her pregnancy is a sign of Father Emperor's loving care for his juniors."
After the Third Princess Consort finished speaking, the Third Prince glared at her fiercely.
The Third Princess rolled her eyes at him and ignored him.
Yinzhen looked at it and felt comfortable.
The First Princess Consort, listening from the side, felt a bitter taste in her mouth. She had been pregnant several times and it was common for her to attend various banquets while heavily pregnant.
Some people just happen to avoid it; what kind of fate is that!
For some reason, the First Princess Consort suddenly remarked, "Fourth Brother is truly very caring towards Fourth Sister-in-law."
There's nothing wrong with what she said, but the way the First Princess said it was a bit off; the awkwardness in her tone made people feel very uncomfortable.
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen frowned: "I brought my wife back with my own hands, so it is only right that I take good care of her."
These words made the First Princess even angrier.
The First Princess Consort, puffing up her cheeks, glared fiercely at the First Prince, feeling that she had married a blockhead and that all the good men belonged to other people.
The eldest prince, who was being glared at: What did I do to deserve this?
After entering the palace, Yinzhen was teased for asking for favors for Tong Cheng'er.
Consort Wuya of Yonghe Palace has not yet been deposed, but people come and go in the palace. No matter how down she is, there are still people who don't like her. She offended many people in the past in order to rise to the top. Now that they can't take her life, they will make her suffer.
The harem was full of women, so naturally they knew how to make a woman's life miserable.
So, Consort Wuya, who shouldn't have known that Yinzhen felt sorry for his wife and pleaded for her to be spared the ordeal of entering the palace, still found out.
Upon hearing this, he naturally couldn't help but throw a tantrum.
"The daughters raised by the Tong family are all incredibly capable, each one more so than the last. They're all bewitching beauties. She's so delicate; while others can enter the palace even when they're almost due, she can't. Even a stern man like Yinzhen was almost bewitched by her. She's truly a reincarnation of a vixen..."
Once Consort Wuya started talking, she couldn't stop, and what she said terrified the nanny serving her.
You can't just talk about the Tong family's daughters casually.
His Majesty's biological mother was from the Tong family, His Majesty's previous empress was from the Tong family, and His Majesty's daughter-in-law was also from the Tong family.
If this gets out, it won't sound good no matter how you look at it.
The old woman wanted to shut her up, but she didn't dare. Before, she could at least say, "Your Highness, please be careful what you say," but now she was afraid of being punished if she did.
It's the Lunar New Year, can't we be more festive? Trouble is all self-inflicted.
As dusk fell, all the masters and mistresses in the palace who could reach the Jiaotai Hall began to head there.
On the way, the Fourteenth Prince looked at his fourth brother, who was taller than him, and couldn't help but ask, "Fourth brother, it's New Year's Day today, didn't you think about going to see Mother?"
When Yinzhen heard him mention Consort Wuya, he felt somewhat uncomfortable.
He countered with a question: "Did Fourteenth Brother go to see Mother today?"
The Fourteenth Prince did want to go, but Yonghe Palace was closed, so he was powerless to do so!
The Fourteenth Prince shook his head: "I can't get in."
Yinzhen: "This is terrible. If you can't get in, then naturally I can't get in either. Don't worry, Fourteenth Brother, I will have someone take good care of Mother. Her food and daily life will be fine."
Yinzhen was not short of money, so he could still fulfill this "filial piety".
Although sometimes the things Consort Wuya did made Yinzhen feel that it would be better to throw all that money away than to spend it on her.
The Fourteenth Prince said somewhat impatiently, "Fourth Brother is different from me. Father Emperor values you. If you ask Father Emperor for a favor, even if he doesn't let Mother out, he will let you in to see her."
Yinzhen found it quite speechless.
This person really knows how to talk: "Fourteenth Brother, why do you think Father Emperor would agree? Father Emperor is usually very lenient with everyone in the harem. Do you think Father Emperor would seal up Yonghe Palace if Mother had committed a minor offense?"
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