Yinzhen came, had lunch, and left. He came again in the evening.
During the period when Consort Gui was in confinement, the place Yinzhen visited most often was Jia Yue's place. He loved to tease Hongzhao, and the father and son would playfully frolic together.
Jia Yue belatedly realized that it seemed the Consort's child hadn't given him much confidence!
During Consort Nian's postpartum period, she naturally had no reason to invite Yinzhen over. However, she knew perfectly well who Yinzhen went to each day.
"Did His Majesty go to Consort Jing's place again today?"
A palace maid stammered, "Your Majesty, the Emperor... the Emperor..."
Consort Nian closed her eyes in disappointment: "You don't need to say anything more, I understand."
The palace maid suddenly remembered that the Sixth Prince's first birthday was coming soon, and quickly added, "Your Majesty, the Emperor must be visiting Consort Jing so often because of the Sixth Prince. The Sixth Prince will be having his first birthday celebration soon."
A glimmer of light appeared in Consort Nian's eyes: "Is His Majesty truly only doing this for the Sixth Prince?"
The palace maid affirmed, "That's for sure. The Emperor doesn't treat all his children equally, but he values them all very much. Our little prince is examined by the imperial physicians every day, and every two days the emperor calls the physicians over to inquire about him. In fact, the Emperor values our little prince even more. When the sixth prince was born, the emperor didn't care about him this much."
Consort Nian recalled the scene when Yinzhen treated Hongzhao when he was just born, and it seemed that it was indeed the case.
A smile finally appeared on his face.
However, she seems to have forgotten that when Hongzhao was born, Yinzhen did not ask much about him, but he was healthy!
Of course, at this moment, Consort Nian subconsciously refused to think about these things.
When the Empress learned that Yinzhen was going to hold the first birthday celebration at the reception building, she exclaimed with great admiration, "Sixth Prince is really lucky! His older brothers and sisters didn't have such an honor. It seems that His Majesty is not only going to hold a grand celebration, but he will probably make it a very grand affair!"
"Your Majesty, isn't His Majesty showing too much favoritism towards the Sixth Prince?"
If it weren't for Consort An, it wouldn't be so bad, but Consort An is pregnant. As the Empress's servant, she naturally hopes that the Empress's lineage will be the ultimate winner, and she has high hopes for Consort An's pregnancy.
The Empress shook her head: "Based on my understanding of the Emperor, his affection for the Sixth Prince is genuine, but he doesn't have such high expectations for him at the moment. He's just using this opportunity to achieve some goals. In addition, I guess it's also related to the fact that the prince born to the Consort is not very healthy."
"But the Emperor's actions, as seen by the previous dynasty, are not understood by them."
The Empress chuckled lightly: "Nanny, you're overthinking things. The Sixth Prince is still just a baby! The late Emperor's favor as Crown Prince was great, but in the end, it was still the Emperor who ascended the throne. Nanny, you need to keep your composure."
The Empress and Yinzhen, this emperor and empress, may not have a particularly good relationship, but having seen the storms of the struggle for the throne, she really didn't think that a baby's first birthday celebration could determine anything.
The old woman lowered her head: "Your Highness is right. I was just too anxious. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
"You were also thinking of me, what crime have you committed?"
The Empress was open-minded and composed, but some people couldn't understand her.
Consort Xi, with a sullen expression, spoke softly: "At the audience hall, judging from His Majesty's intentions, he not only intends to host a banquet for the imperial family but also for the court officials. His Majesty truly values the Sixth Prince!"
"Your Majesty, if you ask me, His Majesty is showing far too much favor to the Sixth Prince. Shouldn't the baby's first birthday celebration be a bit too much of a commotion?"
Consort Xi was moved by this. She thought of Hongli, who was also the emperor's son. Although Yinzhen was also happy when Hongli was born, the celebrations for the baby's third-day celebration, full moon celebration, and first birthday celebration were not very grand.
Not all the relatives came.
At that time, Yinzhen was still considered difficult to get along with by the court officials, and even fewer of them came to visit him.
In her eyes, her son was the best, but unfortunately, the Sixth Prince had it, while her son never had it.
This disparity was due to the change in Yinzhen's status, which is understandable in theory, but Consort Xi still felt resentful.
Reason is reason, but people's emotions have nothing to do with reason.
"What do you think I should do?"
"How about I arrange for someone to put some brightly colored jewelry for girls in the items for the baby's first birthday celebration? If that's not possible, we can put a plate of sweet snacks on the table. A one-year-old baby likes brightly colored things or delicious food. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
This is a common practice in the inner quarters of ordinary households.
While a baby's first birthday celebration (like the "grasping ceremony") doesn't guarantee what they'll do in the future, if they choose the wrong thing, it can become a point of attack in the eyes of those with ulterior motives when they grow up.
Consort Xi remained silent, deep in thought. After a long silence, she shook her head.
"This is probably not going to work."
The palace maid asked in surprise, "Your Highness, why isn't it working?"
Consort Xi said with a regretful look, "If His Majesty were still a prince, or if the first birthday celebration wasn't so grand, your method could have been used. But the Sixth Prince's first birthday celebration is so grand, and the items used for the celebration must have been repeatedly confirmed by the Imperial Household Department. This makes it difficult to carry out."
On the other hand, with so many people attending the ceremony, if something goes wrong, it will be a disgrace to the royal family. The Emperor isn't stupid; he will definitely investigate thoroughly. I can't guarantee that I can completely erase the traces. Furthermore, given the Emperor's temperament, it wouldn't be good if it backfired.
Although Consort Xi's understanding of Yinzhen's temperament was not as precise as that of the Empress and Consort Qi, she had served him for many years and thus had some understanding of him.
That temperament can only be described as genuine.
If he were being schemed against, he might actually do something like showering the Sixth Prince with even more favor just to annoy the person behind the scenes.
This strategy is quite effective, but it's not suitable for use.
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