After the Dragon Boat Festival, Yinzhen moved with everyone to the Yuanmingyuan Garden to spend the summer.
Qian Shengyan still lived in the Jiuzhou Qingyan Hall. The newly renovated Shaojingxuan was now renamed Tantangdangdang. After entering from the south, there was a goldfish pond. Further inside was a large hall called Banmu Garden. Yinzhen then allocated this Banmu Garden to the Palace Administration Office as the management office of the Yuanmingyuan.
Although the palace maids in the Palace Administration Department were still learning and hadn't mastered arithmetic yet, Qian Shengyan was pleasantly surprised to find two promising arithmetic talents among them. After some thought, she summoned Princess Duanrou and asked her to help train them in arithmetic. Fuerguochun and Hehui also came to help, along with Gengshi and Guoshi. Qian Shengyan even joked with them that she would give them a fourth-rank female official position.
The affairs of the inner palace gradually got on track, and the Grand Council and the Imperial Examination Office at the front were even more successful.
Having had the experience of his dream and having been emperor for many more years, witnessing the vicissitudes of life, Yinzhen felt that he could now judge people accurately at a glance. Many officials' positions were changed one after another, the examination office was still approved by the thirteenth prince, and Ortai, who should have been recalled to the capital in the tenth year of Yongzheng's reign, was kept in the capital by him to jointly manage the Grand Council with Zhang Tingyu.
Those who deserve promotion, those who deserve demotion, those who deserve punishment, and those who deserve reward—the court was in turmoil in the fifth year of Yongzheng's reign, but after Yinzhen's rectification efforts, the entire court became more prudent, and government orders were more effectively communicated from top to bottom.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
It's only June now, and Yinzhen is taking a break from his busy schedule to test Hongli, Hongzhou, and Hongshan's studies.
Poor Hongli is getting married in a month and still has to take the exam set by his own father. Qian Shengyan couldn't help but shake her head when she heard this news, but then she thought of someone else.
She beckoned Chunqin over: "Is Prince Fuhui still the same?"
“Yes, he rarely leaves the courtyard; our people are watching him,” Chunqin said in a low voice.
Qian Shengyan stroked her chin thoughtfully. Over the years, it was as if Fu Hui had been forgotten by Yinzhen. No matter where the emperor went, he always stayed in Yuanmingyuan.
Although there are quite a few people to take care of them, the children are more likely to develop problems if they stay cooped up for too long.
Ever since that winter when Fu Hui dug a pit on the ice to harm Hong Shan, Qian Shengyan had someone bribe a young eunuch who served deep inside the cave to keep an eye on Fu Hui every day. But after that, Fu Hui rarely went out and basically stayed in the courtyard every day.
Whether it was the last time Yinzhen suddenly wanted to meet all the princes and princesses, or every time he took the exams, he had never seen him. And because of Lady Nian and Nian Gengyao, no one dared to mention this prince in front of Yinzhen. As for Su Peisheng, since he knew the details, he would not mention him at all.
But Qian Shengyan always felt uneasy about keeping such a ticking time bomb.
She had originally planned to catch Fu Hui red-handed if he harmed anyone again, and take the opportunity to punish him, but since he had been hiding for so long, she was hesitant to take action.
"Shushen has now moved into the depths of the cave. Foerguochun is still young, so have someone keep an eye on her," Qian Shengyan instructed. Chunqin curtsied and replied, "This servant will remember."
Chunqin was a palace maid who came to Qian Shengyan's side after she was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort. She had only been with her for a few years, but because of her intelligence and wit, she was favored by Qian Shengyan. Gradually, she surpassed Xiaqi, Qiushu, and Donghua. Now, like Lvliu, she was a first-class palace maid by her side.
At this moment, Green Willow also came in with a smile and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department requests an audience, presumably to report on the Fourth Prince's wedding."
Qian Shengyan nodded and let the person in.
Hongli's wedding date was set for July 18th. After the wedding, Yinzhen designated the Qianxi Second Palace as their residence, which was located north of the Western Six Palaces. It was a three-courtyard complex. Qian Shengyan had personally visited it before coming to the Yuanmingyuan and found it to be quite nice.
The new house is now furnished, and all the trivial matters have been prepared. There are few princes in the palace now, and Qian Shengyan is in a high position with both imperial favor and real power. No one in the Imperial Household Department dares to fool her, and everything is handled efficiently.
Besides Hongli, Yinzhen also arranged for Shushen's wedding to take place in early August. With two royal weddings to be arranged at once, the Imperial Household Department was very busy, but they dared not neglect Qian Shengyan's side in the slightest.
Although Qian Shengyan disliked Shushen, she wouldn't go so far as to tamper with the most important event in a woman's life—her wedding. She simply washed her hands of the matter and left it to the Imperial Household Department to handle.
Soon to become a mother-in-law, Qian Shengyan was filled with mixed feelings. That evening, while holding Yinzhen's arm, she couldn't help but ask, "Am I getting old?"
Since Qian Shengyan turned thirty, Yinzhen had heard this question several times a year. This time, he answered as usual: "Yanyan is very young. Standing next to Fuerguochun, she looks like a pair of sisters."
Qian Shengyan's gaze was deep and thoughtful: "But I'm going to be a mother-in-law."
Yinzhen: ...
Yinzhen coughed lightly: "It's a good thing that the child is growing up..."
Qian Shengyan continued to gaze at him with a quiet, wistful expression.
Yinzhen: "...How about we postpone Hongli's wedding until next year?"
Qian Shengyan: ...
Never mind, she was afraid that Hongli wouldn't be able to wait. According to Fuerguochun, Hongli had already secretly gone to see Lady Fucha several times, looking completely like someone just beginning to fall in love.
She sighed, "Perhaps next year I'll be holding my grandson..."
She's already a grandmother, how could she not be the youngest?
No, Qian Shengyan cannot accept this.
She couldn't lie still any longer, so she turned over, got out of bed, and went to look in the bronze mirror for a long time before she was relieved to find that her face still looked wrinkle-free.
Yinzhen watched her fuss with amusement, neither urging nor persuading her, simply letting her be. But seeing Qian Shengyan like this, Yinzhen suddenly recalled the ending of his dream and couldn't help but ask, "What were you like when you were little?"
"I've been beautiful since I was little." Qian Shengyan answered without any modesty, and she was telling the truth. When she was in kindergarten, her good looks caused a fight between three little boys. Although two of them eventually transferred schools, the other was beaten by his own father and dared not propose to her again.
Yinzhen couldn't help but think of the girl he had seen in his dream, and he felt a mix of emotions.
Qian Shengyan suddenly exclaimed "Ah!" interrupting Yinzhen's thoughts. He stood up and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I've got a double chin!" Qian Shengyan showed him her chin, then turned to look in the bronze mirror. "No wonder I feel like I've gained weight recently, I can't eat anymore..."
Strangely enough, her appetite has been inexplicably good lately. Sometimes she gets so hungry before bed that she has to eat again.
As she spoke, she turned to the side and looked at her waist in the bronze mirror, but... after a moment, Qian Shengyan suddenly widened her eyes.
She stared in disbelief at her reflection in the bronze mirror for a long while, then turned around shakily, her gaze fixed blankly on Yinzhen: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
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