Upon hearing this, Qian Shengyan was speechless.
What kind of bizarre statement is this?
She couldn't quite remember exactly when Fu Hui got pregnant, but she knew the inside story!
How could Yinzhen possibly leave a date that would give others cause for suspicion if he wanted to have a child with "Nian Shi"? Wouldn't that just arouse suspicion?
"Master, how should we handle this?" Qingxue asked somewhat anxiously.
Qian Shengyan hesitated for a moment, then decided to ask Yinzhen.
He has always been in charge of matters concerning the "Nian family".
Yinzhen's approach was also very direct. He lavishly rewarded Consort Hua, including a headdress that far exceeded the standards befitting a consort. The headdress had a three-tiered gold top and seven phoenixes. Except for being three taels less in gold than the headdress that the empress could use, it was almost identical to the other headdresses.
Immediately, everyone's attention shifted from the nonsensical prince's birthday celebration to Consort Hua's rewards. In addition, with the news that General Nian was about to return to the capital, everyone was discussing whether Consort Hua would be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort again.
Even the palace maids and eunuchs in Changchun Palace were discussing this matter. Yanruo was somewhat uneasy, fearing that Ulanara would be restless day and night again, just like the previous times.
Ulanara laughed again.
The Emperor's move was brilliant! Since it was originally a fabricated story, it's better to attract everyone's attention with something new and verifiable.
Throughout the entire affair, the Emperor never even saw Consort Hua.
Did he care about Consort Hua? No, he merely stopped a rumor circulating in the palace.
He didn't know or care whether Consort Hua was heartbroken, panicked, angry, or sad.
Qian Shengyan's mistake was merely a misremembering of the imperial genealogy; no one else would know, yet he still rushed over to reprimand her. When he arranged for Yanruo to spread rumors, Ulanara made no attempt at disguise; a simple investigation would have traced it back to Changchun Palace, but the Emperor was too lazy to even investigate.
He doesn't care.
He didn't care about Consort Hua, he didn't care about Prince Fu Hui, what he cared about was Consort Xi, who was behind the favored concubine...
After laughing, Ulanara remembered a few things and sighed, "She really put a lot of thought into it."
"What?" Yanruo didn't understand why the Empress wasn't crying this time, but instead laughed, and her laughter was particularly meaningful.
Ulanara looked at her and asked with a smile, "Yanruo, what do you think of the Emperor's feelings for Consort Xi?"
"The Emperor treats Consort Xi...quite well?" Yanruo herself wasn't sure. She thought about it carefully, then frowned. "The Emperor probably values Consort Xi quite a bit, but she's still far less favored than Consort Hua..."
"Hahahaha..." Ulanara laughed until tears streamed down her face.
Yongshou Palace is right across from Yangxin Hall, just a few steps away. When she first entered the palace, Qian Shengyan was only Consort Xi. Later, she was promoted to Noble Consort Xi after praying for the Empress Dowager. However, on that occasion, Consort Nian was also promoted to Imperial Noble Consort. In addition, two other consorts with children also received titles, so she did not attract much attention.
But now, Consort Hua is still a Consort, and the Emperor has no intention of promoting her. Even if Nian Gengyao is going back to the capital, and even if the Nian family is currently enjoying great favor, that's all that others see. What has Consort Hua lost?
In places unseen by others, he arranged for her to live in the nearest place, and tried every means to promote her so that she would not feel wronged. Even the power in the palace was gradually transferred to her by him, without ever mentioning it in a big way, so it did not attract much attention.
All of this was hidden beneath the lavish favor and indulgence of another woman, making it easy for people to overlook, and even forget to point their jealousy at her.
So this is what he meant by being so thoughtful, considerate, and protective of others—he was actually with another woman.
Ulanara wiped away her tears of laughter and said to Yanruo, "Silly Yanruo, we've all been fooled."
Yanru tilted her head in confusion. She didn't understand, but seeing that Ulanara didn't seem to want to talk about it anymore, she said, "Master, the chrysanthemums outside are blooming beautifully. Would you like to go and see them?"
Ulanara was not in the mood and waved her hand in refusal. Yanruo then accompanied her into the inner room and lay down to rest.
At that moment, Qian Shengyan was looking at chrysanthemums with Ferguchun.
"Mother, can we eat chrysanthemums?" Folgochun's fingers touched the slightly trembling petals, the delicate touch making her smile. "Jasmine is edible, lilies are edible, so chrysanthemums are edible too, right?"
Qian Shengyan couldn't help but roll her eyes. This daughter definitely wasn't raised by her. How come she couldn't think of anything but food? Shouldn't she be standing there gracefully, reciting a poem like, "When autumn comes on the ninth day of the ninth month, my flowers will bloom and all other flowers will wither"?
"Coat them in batter and fry them. They'll be so delicious with each petal distinct." Foerguchun said, touching the corner of his lips as if to prevent drool from dripping down.
Qian Shengyan couldn't bear to look anymore, but said, "If that's the case, tofu can also be cut into thin strips like flower petals, and deep-fried to make them look like flower petals."
"Yes!" Foerguchun immediately exclaimed, "I want to eat! Mother, I want to eat!"
Qian Shengyan had no choice but to have someone order food, and the mother and daughter continued walking. This time, Hongshan was not asleep; the nearly one-and-a-half-year-old chubby boy was looking around with his big eyes wide open.
He was still unsteady on his feet and couldn't speak, but Qian Shengyan didn't allow anyone to carry him. Instead, she encouraged him to walk on his own often, and he spoke normally. She didn't treat him differently because he refused to speak.
Hongshan and Hongli looked very similar when they were young, except that Hongshan's chin was slightly blunter and rounder, which made him look more honest. In addition, he couldn't speak until he was one and a half years old, so Qian Shengyan was really worried that he might not be very smart.
"Little brother, look, this is a chrysanthemum!" Foerguchun stuffed a golden chrysanthemum into Hongshan's hand. Hongshan blinked his big eyes at the layers of petals, touched them with his hand, and then squinted and giggled.
He had an exceptionally cute smile, and Foergu Chun liked it so much that she couldn't help but lean over and kiss Hongshan on the cheek—she had learned this from Qian Shengyan, and she did it very smoothly.
From afar, Yinzhen couldn't help but shake his head at the sight. Like mother, like daughter; Fuerguochun's bad habits were exactly the same as Qian Shengyan's.
"Father, has your younger brother still not spoken?" Hongli looked at the chubby boy who could only giggle with some worry, afraid that his father would dislike him because of this.
Unexpectedly, Yinzhen smiled and said, "Your Excellency speaks slowly. It's not that Hongshan can't speak, he's just not in a hurry to speak."
Hongli had just breathed a sigh of relief when Yinzhen said, "Unlike when you were little, you would only shout 'ah ah ah' at me, you wouldn't even call me 'Father'."
Hongli: ...
"Oh, Mother, it's Father Emperor and Fourth Brother!" Ferguchun turned her head and saw the group of people. She smiled and pulled Qian Shengyan, "Mother, Father Emperor is here!"
Qian Shengyan also turned around. Today she was wearing a light purple cheongsam. Standing among the chrysanthemums that were blooming proudly against the frost and had a unique charm, she smiled slightly at Yinzhen. She was like the moon surrounded by stars, even more pleasing to the eye than the flowers themselves.
So Yinzhen smiled too. He didn't need Qian Shengyan to come forward; he just quickly took a few steps to hold her hand. Before he could speak, he heard Fuerguochun excitedly say, "Father, we're going to eat chrysanthemums today! Fry them up, they'll be crispy and delicious!"
Yinzhen: ...
That evening, Yinzhen discussed the marriage of Fuerguochun with Qian Shengyan.
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