Hongyu instinctively reached out to catch it, but when he saw that it was a girl in a qipao, he suddenly turned to the side, letting the girl fall hard to the ground.
Anyone who heard that sound couldn't help but cry out in pain.
Yinti glanced at the pale-faced girl on the ground, then at Hongyu who was looking up at the sky and keeping his distance. His expression was very complicated.
The carriage stopped, and a richly dressed woman stepped down and, ignoring the old woman's attempts to stop her, went straight for the girl.
"Ruiying, how are you? Are you hurt?" The woman seemed not to notice Hongyu and his son, but instead directed the nannies and maids who arrived later to carry the girl back to the carriage.
Then she turned to Yinti and apologized, saying, "Your Majesty, I am the wife of Minister He Ni. My daughter drank a few too many cups of wine today and fell off the carriage. I don't know if she frightened you."
Hongyu and Yinti exchanged a glance, and seeing that the woman did not seem to be trying to frame them, their expressions softened.
“I wasn’t frightened at all,” Hongyu said calmly.
Yinti replied, "These are all minor matters; I won't take them to heart."
The woman then bowed and expressed her gratitude, before quickly boarding the carriage and leaving without any hesitation.
Looking at the carriage that had long since disappeared, Yinti glared at Hongyu and said, "Aren't you afraid that girl will fall to her death?"
Hongyu looked completely innocent. "Otherwise, should our son go up to pick him up?"
Yinqi was speechless for a moment when asked the question, and raised his foot to kick him, but Hongyu had become much more mischievous in the past few months of training in the military camp, and he would not obediently wait to be kicked. He had already run far away.
Yinti glanced at Li Zhong, who was following him, and instructed, "Go and investigate what exactly happened just now."
Li Zhong responded and quickly left.
What happened?
It's simply a matter of seeing whether the fall in front of the Crown Prince was intentional or accidental.
If it was intentional, this matter is unlikely to end well.
If it's an accident...
Li Zhong didn't think any further and quickly left.
The next morning, Yuqing Palace became lively with the help of the Imperial Household Department and the Crown Princess.
The birth of a son born to a concubine was not normally required to be celebrated in such a grand manner, but Kangxi meant that His Highness the Crown Prince had very few offspring, and any son born to him, regardless of who he was, was a precious treasure.
So Kangxi waved his hand and the Imperial Household Department quickly began preparations.
When a child reaches one month old, not only do the women of the household attend, but also the ministers from the previous dynasty.
So, His Highness the Crown Prince entertained his brothers and ministers in the front courtyard, while the Crown Princess entertained the female relatives of each family in the back courtyard.
The children ran back and forth between the front and back yards, going wherever they found something fun.
Hongxi was originally talking with Wenxi and Qingqing, but as Wenxi's friends entered the palace one after another, the two sides were completely separated.
Hongxi is eight years old. Although he is not yet of marriageable age, what happened to Hongyu last night has made him quite aware of the situation.
So he darted from the backyard to the front yard.
The front yard had a garden, a corridor, and a rockery. Hongxi wanted some peace and quiet, so he walked alone toward the slightly secluded pavilion.
Next to the pavilion is a lotus pond. It's the perfect time of year, and a few lotus flowers have bloomed here and there, looking quite beautiful.
To his surprise, as soon as he stepped onto the bamboo bridge, he heard arguing coming from the direction of the pavilion.
My steps instinctively stopped.
He shuffled down to listen to the argument over there; it was the voice of children.
"How many times have I told you not to run around alone? What if you fall into the river?"
His voice was somewhat childish, but his tone was very arrogant.
"My second uncle said I could move around freely, and I brought a servant with me."
This voice sounds more childish.
Hongxi immediately understood what was going on. He took a step forward and, sure enough, saw two figures in front of him.
The taller one, about the same age as him, was bossing the little one, who was a head shorter than him, around.
The taller one had his back to Hongxi, so naturally he didn't know who it was.
But the little one was facing Hongxi directly; it was Hongli.
Hongxi recalled the grudges and grievances between him and Hongli in his previous life, and thought that in this life, those grudges would dissipate.
But when Hongli was still a baby two years ago, he was able to control his hatred.
But now, looking at Hongli growing up, all the resentment he felt before his death in his previous life surged into his heart, and he couldn't suppress it.
"Your second uncle tells you to play freely, but also to be careful."
After seeing Hongli clearly, Hongxi knew without guessing who the boy with his back to him was. Who else could it be but Hongshi?
Hongli was very favored in the mansion and often resented his older brother.
At this moment, he saw Hongxi walking towards him. Instead of greeting him, he pretended not to see him and argued with Hongshi.
"Brother, didn't you live in Yuqing Palace when you were little? How about you take me around to see the place? You've spent a lot of time with Second Brother, so you two must be very close, right?"
Hongxi frowned.
As expected, Hongshi, who had been so aggressive, immediately wilted upon hearing Hongxi's name. He snorted heavily at Hongli, grabbed his arm, and tried to leave, seemingly unwilling to say a word.
"Hongshi," Hongxi called out to him hurriedly.
If he were allowed to drag Hongli along like this, even if Hongli's arm could withstand it, Hongshi would definitely be punished.
Hongshi was stunned to find himself meeting Hongxi here.
At this moment, Hongli reached out to Hongxi and said in a coquettish tone, "Second brother, hug me. Brother scolded me when Father wasn't around."
After being disciplined by Hongxi, Hongshi had always been somewhat afraid of Hongxi. Now, seeing Hongli distorting the truth like this, he was afraid that Hongxi would actually believe Hongli's words, so he hurriedly tried to explain.
Hongxi waved his hand at him, signaling him to shut up, and then looked at Hongli with a kind smile.
"Why did your brother yell at you?"
Hongli also knew that Hongshi had lived in Yuqing Palace for a period of time, but unlike his elder brother Hongyu, his own brother had come to be punished.
Therefore, he instinctively thought that his brother and Hongxi must not have a good relationship. Now that he saw Hongxi being so friendly to him, he became even more certain of his thoughts.
"I saw that my brother was busy chatting with the other brothers in the manor, so I was too embarrassed to disturb him and went out for a stroll by myself. But my brother scolded me without asking any questions and even grabbed my arm without regard for my life."
As she spoke, she even burst into tears, leaving Hongshi glaring at her in exasperation.
Hongxi sneered inwardly.
In his previous life, he always thought that Hongli was just lucky to become an emperor.
Now it seems that this kid has been black-hearted since he was a child. He was only three years old and he even schemed against his own older brother. He can lie without batting an eye.
Compared to Hongshi's stupidity, this hypocritical and black-hearted man is even more despicable.
"Hongli, are you sure what you just said is true?"
Hongxi's serious expression frightened Hongli. He instinctively tried to back away, but Hongxi grabbed his arm. "Hongshi is your own brother. He was just worried you would fall into the pond, which is why he scolded you. And yet you turn around and blame him. What would your fourth uncle think if he knew you were such a disrespectful and liar child?"
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