It wasn't until the afternoon that Qian Shengyan was able to meet Hongli at Yongshou Palace.
She pulled the person inside, then told Qingxue and the others to stand guard at the door and not let anyone approach. Only then did she whisper to Hongli, "Tell your mother the truth, is the Third Prince's injury related to you?"
At first, Hongli thought his mother was going to say something, but after listening, he was both amused and exasperated.
He explained the whole story to Qian Shengyan: "Third Brother was fighting with someone for the title of courtesan. He was probably feeling guilty and didn't dare to reveal his true identity. The other party was Longkeduo's son, Yuzhu, who was an arrogant guy. When he saw that Third Brother was unwilling to give in, he had someone beat him up."
"Longke's second son?" Qian Shengyan thought for a moment. This seemed to be the son of the famous Li Si'er.
Hongli nodded, a hint of disdain on his face: "Yes, that person is truly audacious."
"It's good that it has nothing to do with you." Qian Shengyan was really startled. She was afraid that Yinzhen would find out something about brothers fighting each other, which would be quite a sight.
Unexpectedly, after she finished speaking, Hongli's face flushed slightly, and he seemed a little embarrassed: "Actually..."
"Actually???" Qian Shengyan's eyes widened.
“Actually, the courtesan had a performance last night. I heard about it and then passed it on to Third Brother.” Hongli scratched his ear. “Third Brother has been into this lately, hasn’t he? And I heard that the courtesan has always been Yuzhu’s man. I thought that if Third Brother confronted him, it would just be a big deal. I never expected that Yuzhu would be so audacious.”
Qian Shengyan: ...
Good heavens. This seemingly fair-skinned eldest son is actually a wolf in sheep's clothing.
In an instant, Qian Shengyan felt a mix of emotions and stared at Hongli for a long time without saying a word.
Hongli was the first to admit his mistake: "Mother, I will never do that again..."
"It's alright, you've grown up and know how to behave. Your mother doesn't blame you." Qian Shengyan stroked Hongli's hair and still gave him a word of advice, "Don't go to those kinds of places, they're filthy. If you take a fancy to someone, tell your mother and I'll arrange it for you."
"Mother..." Hongli said helplessly, but also found it amusing. "Alright, I understand."
Qian Shengyan nodded, but after thinking about it, she was still worried and started muttering to herself, "Actually, it's better to wait a bit. Finding a concubine too early will stunt your growth. Your mother thinks you can still grow taller. Why don't you wait a little longer?"
Hongli: ...
Why would he discuss such a thing with his mother?
Fortunately, his younger brother saved his life. Upon hearing the crying, Hongli immediately changed the subject: "Mother, Hongshan is crying again!"
"It's alright, Folgochun is watching over him. But you..."
"Mother, Mother!" Hongli bowed and begged for mercy. "I really didn't mean it. Please forgive me, Mother. I haven't finished my homework yet!"
Alright, more homework. No doubt about it, this is still the same book-loving young Hongli.
Qian Shengyan let her eldest son go and went to find her youngest son. She saw that Fuerguochun was frantically trying to pick up the chubby boy and comfort him. Qian Shengyan smiled and walked over, lifting the chubby boy up in one go: "Waaah, your sister didn't cry as much as you when she was little!"
Hongshan was still pouting, tears streaming down his face from his big eyes.
Folgochun couldn't help but defend him: "Mother, my little brother just rolled over and bumped his head, that's why he's crying. Mother, please don't scold Shanshan."
Qian Shengyan laughed and said, "Alright, alright, our Foerguochun is the one who understands his younger brother."
She put the chubby boy down, then picked up a bell ball to coax him to turn over, while talking to Folgochun: "Your father said that if you want to leave the palace, just call Hongli and bring enough guards."
"Really?" Folgochun's eyes lit up, then he hesitated, trying to hide his unease, and said, "Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
Qian Shengyan immediately saw the sly smile in her eyes and couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.
This girl, like Hongli, is a dark person on the outside.
Well, this is for the best. At least I won't be bullied anymore.
She hummed and said, "It's not a good idea, maybe we shouldn't go out."
"Mother!" Folgochun was indeed anxious! But seeing Qian Shengyan's expression, she knew she was teasing her again. "Mother is doing this again, it's too much..."
"Hahahaha!" Qian Shengyan couldn't help but laugh. She touched Fergu Chun's smooth little face. "You've all grown up. You're not so easy to fool anymore." After saying that, she looked at Hong Shan with "affection." "Luckily, another little one has come."
Folgochun: ...
Let's observe three seconds of silence for my brother!
Speaking of which, the one who has spent the most time with Qian Shengyan over the years is definitely Fuerguochun. As a child, she was rather naive, believing everything her mother said, until one day her fourth brother couldn't stand it anymore and pointed it out to her. From then on, Fuerguochun was shocked to realize how much her mother bullied children!
She also complained to her fourth brother that everyone else dotes on their children, but their mother is different. She either lies to the children or bullies them. It seems that she doesn't treat them as cubs, but as separate individuals.
This feeling, although sometimes unpleasant, is mostly quite good, after all, who doesn't want to be recognized by others?
After fuming for a while, Folgour started laughing again.
She is now ten years old and looks like a young girl. After entering the palace this year, she also started using hairpins. Her shiny black hair is tied into a small bun, with half of it still hanging over her shoulders.
In terms of appearance, she resembled Qian Shengyan by six or seven points, except that her thin lips resembled Yinzhen's. She seemed somewhat stern when she wasn't smiling, but fortunately, she had bright eyes and white teeth, long eyelashes, and naturally curved eyebrows, making her look like a sweet girl.
Sometimes, when Qian Shengyan looked at her, she couldn't help but wonder, who in this world could be worthy of her little sweetheart? She almost wished she could impart all the modern ideas of independence and self-reliance for single women to Ferguchun—why bother finding a prince consort, wouldn't it be better to keep some male concubines? (Just kidding)
Fortunately, Folgochun was already the luckiest girl of this era. Her father was the emperor, and her brother would be the emperor in the future, so she could have the greatest freedom.
Qian Shengyan touched Fuerguochun's hair again and laughed: "Hongli is off tomorrow. Do you want to go out and have fun? If you do, hurry up and find him, so he doesn't plan to spend the whole day reading."
"I'm going, I'm going to find Fourth Brother!" Foergu Chun sprang up like a little cannonball and ran out in a flash.
Qian Shengyan also felt that she had lost her mind. She had forgotten to tell Hongli when he came, and only now did she remember, which meant that she would have to make Foerguchun make another trip.
The Western Six Palaces and the Southern Three Palaces are separated by the Eastern Six Palaces, making it inconvenient for the children to come and go. Qian Shengyan, pinching Hongshan's chubby bottom, couldn't help but think, "Isn't it time to clear out the Eastern Six Palaces...?"
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