Since their heart-to-heart talk yesterday, their relationship has clearly warmed up. If it weren't for the political affairs that Yinzhen had to attend to, they would probably be inseparable every day. The full-month celebration for the two children was a grand affair, with almost all the officials in the court invited. After all, they were the first sons of the new emperor, so it was normal to attach great importance to them.
It was also during the full moon celebration that Yinzhen named the two children: one was named Hongyu, and the other was named Hongsheng.
Time flies like an arrow, and opportunity arrives like a swift bowstring. In the blink of an eye, the babies who once cried for milk in their swaddling clothes have grown into graceful young men and women.
"Mother! Let's go horseback riding!" Sixteen-year-old Yue'er had grown into a very beautiful young woman, but it was unclear who she took after, as she looked even more like a Manchu aunt than a Manchu aunt herself! This made Yin Qingyi both gratified and worried.
"You and your brothers go ahead. Your mother doesn't want to ride horses today. Yesterday's riding left her feeling completely exhausted." Thirty-three-year-old Yin Qingyi was even more beautiful than before. Her figure was not what one would expect from someone who had given birth to five children. No wonder Yinzhen looked down on the other ordinary women.
"Alright, but Fourth Brother is being held back by Father Emperor to handle state affairs, so it seems I can only ask Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, and Seventh Brother. But they can't outrun me. Sigh, it's not satisfying to bully the three of them." Yue'er spoke with regret, but her expression clearly showed her smugness.
"You little rascal! If your fourth brother hears this, see how he scolds you." Yin Qingyi gently tapped Yue'er's forehead with her hand, her eyes filled with a doting smile. She didn't know how the fourth prince had grown up. He was such a cute child when he was little, but he became more and more mature as he grew up. Not to mention Yue'er, even she, his mother, was sometimes frightened when she saw his face. Sigh~ Maybe it was because he was too mature that he was conscripted by Yinzhen at a young age.
"Oh, how would Fourth Brother know if Mother didn't tell?" Yue'er playfully stuck out her tongue.
"Go on, let your mother get some rest." Yin Qingyi rubbed her forehead and could only wave her hand to let this young lady go quickly. The main reason was that someone had been a bit unrestrained last night, and her back was still sore. She really didn't want to talk to this energetic young lady anymore.
"Granny, tell me, with Yue'er's personality, what kind of husband will she find in the future?" Yin Qingyi reached out and held the hand of Granny Qi beside her. Granny Qi was really old, her full head of white hair had turned white, but she was still as good to her as ever.
"Your Majesty, what are you saying? Princess Yue'er has such a wonderful personality, she's even more like a lady than the Manchu ladies. Whoever marries Princess Yue'er will be so lucky," said Granny Naqi with a smile.
"Sigh... I hope so." Yin Qingyi looked worriedly at Yue'er running away. Yinzhen only had two daughters. Li's daughter wasn't sent away for a political marriage. Instead, she chose a child from the Tongjia family in the capital and arranged for him to marry into the family. The princess's residence was also built in the capital. Because of this, Li never argued with Yin Qingyi again. Every time she saw Yin Qingyi, she was always respectful. She knew that Yin Qingyi must have played a part in this matter. Whether it was for her own daughter's sake or not, her daughter benefited from it, and that was something she should be grateful for. However, Yin Qingyi knew that Yinzhen had said that none of his daughters would be sent away for political marriages, so Yin Qingyi actually felt somewhat unworthy of Li's gratitude.
It's true what they say, this matter can't be kept quiet for long. About half a month after Yin Qingyi finished talking about it, a palace servant who was serving Yue'er came to report that Princess Yue'er had been absent-minded these past few days, and wondered if she had taken a fancy to some young master.
Upon hearing this, Yin Qingyi was alarmed and immediately went to discuss the matter with Yinzhen. Yinzhen doted on Yue'er like a precious jewel, and upon hearing this, he was also anxious and wanted to summon Yue'er for questioning.
"Wait, what are you planning to ask her now that you've brought her here?" Yin Qingyi stopped Yinzhen and asked softly.
"What else can I ask? Just ask! I want to know which brat has stolen my Yue'er's soul!" Yinzhen said through gritted teeth, his eyes seemingly spitting fire.
"...How could Yue'er dare to tell you if you ask her like that?" Yin Qingyi was speechless.
"Then what should we do? Just leave it alone?" Yinzhen looked at Yin Qingyi in confusion.
“How can we ignore this? I have a plan. We can do this…” Yin Qingyi whispered a plan in Yinzhen’s ear.
Three days later, Yinzhen suddenly summoned Yue'er and told her about finding a husband for her.
"What? Wasn't it said that they would only find me a husband when I turned eighteen? Why are they suddenly talking about finding a husband for me?" Yue'er's reaction was huge; she practically jumped to Yinzhen's side.
"Even after you've chosen a husband, it doesn't mean you have to get married immediately. You can marry when you're eighteen, but you should settle things now. Good families' sons are in high demand. If you don't settle things soon, by the time you're eighteen, all that'll be left are some ugly ducklings. You don't want to just pick any ugly duckling to marry then, do you?" Yinzhen was already mentally prepared for his daughter's outburst, and he had already thought of what to say. In his heart, he also felt that this was indeed the case. His Yue'er should marry a handsome and ambitious young man, not just anyone.
"But, but, I, I'm not ready yet." Yue'er was anxious, but she couldn't refute her father's words, so she came up with this reason.
"So what? Choosing a consort isn't something you can do all at once. You can look around first. If you don't like anyone, your father will find someone else. If you do like someone, we'll finalize the arrangement immediately, otherwise someone else might steal him away." Yinzhen said nonchalantly, but in reality, he had been observing his daughter's expression. The panic in her eyes was clearly suspicious. Sure enough, Qingqing was right; some rascal had definitely seduced Yue'er! Hmph, he'd make sure he found out who it was...
"...Father, daughter...never mind, it's all up to Father Emperor to decide." Yue'er said hesitantly, but after thinking for a moment, she didn't say anything more. She finished speaking somewhat stubbornly and didn't want to stay here any longer, so she turned around and left angrily.
Yinzhen had already sat up straight after hearing the first few words from Yue'er, ready to hear which family's brat it was, but who knew that this little girl would suddenly change her mind and not say anything, which almost made Yinzhen choke.
"It seems that this young man holds a high place in Yue'er's heart, as she's even keeping it a secret for him." Yin Qingyi emerged from behind the screen and whispered to Yue'er's back.
"Hmph, I'd like to see which family's brat this is!" Yinzhen snorted coldly.
The next day, Yinzhen told the court that all ministers with sons should send their children to the palace so that he could test their studies and knowledge.
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