Su Yushan gently stroked her belly, silently praying that the baby would be well-behaved, grow steadily, and that nothing unexpected would happen.
Rong Yu, riding in the carriage, was overjoyed and filled with anticipation for the Mulan Hunting Grounds. Little did she know that her mother had come along to fulfill her wish.
Yonghuang, sitting in the carriage, was still reading, ignoring his younger siblings' playful antics. Rongyu remembered that her eldest brother was quite talkative when he was little, but he had become increasingly silent since he entered the palace to study.
Neither she nor Yongzhang had much interest in reading; they only did it to complete tasks. But her elder brother was different.
Rong Yu could tell that her elder brother truly loved reading. For him, studying was a pleasure, and no matter what the surrounding environment was like, he could quickly immerse himself in it without being disturbed by the outside world.
Rong Yu admired this greatly. She covered her lips with her finger, signaling her younger brother to stop making a fuss and not to disturb his older brother's reading.
Yongzhang was talking to Yongcheng when his sister interrupted him, which displeased him.
In reality, he respected his older brother, but in order to contradict his sister, he deliberately raised his voice and continued talking to Yongcheng.
This kid not only didn't stop, but he became even more outrageous, which angered Rong Yu so much that she warned him with a stern face:
"If you say another word, we'll take you to another carriage!"
Yongcheng tugged at Yongzhang's sleeve, signaling him to stop talking, but Yongzhang was unconvinced and insisted on retorting.
"Who says you can't talk in a carriage?"
Rong Yu raised her head and scoffed, "I made the rules. Didn't you see that Big Brother was reading? You have no sense of propriety!"
“The carriage is a place to rest, not a school. I can say whatever I want without my brother saying anything. Why should you tell me what to do?”
"Your older brother is too lazy to talk to you, but you should at least have some self-awareness."
Yonghuang was engrossed in the words and did not notice their conversation.
It wasn't until the siblings started arguing and their voices grew louder that Yonghuang put down his book and gently advised them:
"Rong Yu, thank you for thinking of me, but it is my third brother's freedom to speak. It is I who should not be reading here. Please stop arguing. I will change to another carriage."
However, the procession of carriages was very long, proceeding in an orderly fashion. If he stopped arbitrarily, the carriages behind would be unable to move, and those in front, unaware of the situation, would continue to move, thus delaying the journey.
Furthermore, the passengers in each carriage were pre-arranged, and if Yonghuang wanted to change, he had to ask his father, the Emperor, for permission first.
So Yonghuang lifted the curtain and instructed the young eunuch sitting in front of the carriage to go and ask the emperor for instructions.
The carriage continued its journey, but because of Yu Shan's pregnancy, Hongli had given special instructions to make the journey much slower.
The young eunuch, having received the eldest prince's order, jumped off the carriage and hurried along, managing to catch up with the emperor's dragon palanquin.
After catching up, the young eunuch continued running alongside the imperial carriage, panting as he spoke to Li Yu, who was sitting in front of the carriage:
"Eunuch Li, the eldest prince has something to ask the emperor."
Li Yu then tapped the carriage frame three times and reported to the Emperor.
Upon hearing this, Hongli ordered the procession to stop, and the young eunuch was finally able to rest. He tried his best to keep from panting and whispered back to the eldest prince's request.
The children were sitting perfectly fine, so why did Yonghuang suddenly ask to change carriages?
Curious, Yu Shan asked the young eunuch, who claimed to know nothing. Yu Shan then asked him to summon the eldest prince.
When Yonghuang arrived, he explained the reason, saying that he did not want his younger siblings to quarrel, so he requested a change of carriage.
Hongli pondered to himself that he definitely couldn't sit in the imperial carriage, and he didn't want his child sitting next to him either, as it would make it very inconvenient for him to talk to Yushan.
As for the other carriages, the Empress Dowager's attitude towards Yonghuang was lukewarm; she didn't seem to like them much. It's likely that Yonghuang wouldn't want to sit with the Empress Dowager either, as it would only add to his stress.
The remaining concubines were the Empress and Consort Rong; he could not ride in the carriages of the other concubines.
After much thought, Hongli suddenly thought of someone and discussed it with Yushan:
“Yonghuang is about the same age as Lejur, so why not let him ride in Lejur’s carriage?”
Lejur was a quiet child and wouldn't bother Yonghuang. Thinking of this, Yushan nodded.
"Alright, let them sit together then!"
The imperial carriage suddenly stopped, and the Empress Dowager, not knowing why, ordered people to find out the reason.
Upon asking, it turned out that the children were having a tiff.
Upon learning the truth, the Empress Dowager sighed deeply.
"Of the Su family's children, Rongyu is strong-willed, just like her mother, and she refuses to be taken advantage of. Yongzhang is too playful, while Yonghuang is more steady, loves reading, and is gentle in nature. It's just a pity that he has Han blood in his veins, making it difficult for him to inherit the throne!"
The Empress Dowager felt a headache coming on at the thought of the Crown Prince. Granny Mei smiled and advised her:
"Your Majesty, do not worry, the road ahead is long! Who knows when our Emperor might change his mind?"
If that day truly comes, the Empress Dowager wouldn't be so melancholy.
After receiving permission from his father, Yonghuang returned to the carriage, packed his books, and told his younger siblings that he was going to the carriage behind.
Seeing this, Rong Yu glanced at Yongzhang and asked, "Are you happy now?"
Yongzhang then realized he had made a big fuss. Feeling guilty, he stopped arguing and took the initiative to apologize to his elder brother.
"Big brother, I was wrong. I was just joking with you. Don't go. I won't say anything and won't disturb your studies."
Yonghuang smiled gently, "Playing is supposed to be relaxing. You did nothing wrong. I just wanted to read. Don't blame yourself."
He patted his younger brother on the shoulder and told him not to overthink it, then bent down, turned around, and got off the carriage.
Rong Yu had already had a falling out with her younger brother, and she didn't want to stay there any longer. So she hugged the little purple plush rabbit her mother had made for her and got off the carriage.
Seeing his elder brother board the second carriage behind him, Rong Yu followed without a word, lifted the curtain, and entered.
"Big brother, I'm here!"
Upon seeing this, Yonghuang asked in surprise, "Rong Yu? What brings you here too?"
Rong Yu curled her lip in disgust, "I don't want to be with Yongzhang. His little mouth keeps smacking and talking, it's so annoying!"
She sat down beside it and then realized that the carriage was empty. She asked, "Whose carriage is this?"
Before Yonghuang could even reply, the curtain was lifted.
Rong Yu turned around curiously, her delicate eyebrows furrowing, because what came into her view was a face with bronze skin and a cool, aloof, and handsome features!
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