Winter has arrived, and although the lake in the garden has not yet frozen over, the water is extremely cold.
It is said that Hongzhou was rescued by the guards as soon as he fell into the water, but the child was still soaked. He returned to Ritian Linyu shivering and fainted from the cold. Hongshi, on the other hand, showed no remorse. The reason was simply that he wanted to whip Hongzhou a few more times while playing with a spinning top, but Hongzhou wouldn't allow it.
Because of this, Hongshi angrily pushed Hongzhou into the water, and while the guards leaped down to save his brother, he was still spinning a top! When Hongzhou was sent back to Ritian Linyu, he was still spinning a top! When Hongzhou fell unconscious from the cold, he was still spinning a top!
Qian Shengyan couldn't believe what she was hearing. After Qingxue finished speaking, she was stunned for a long time. When she finally understood what Hongshi had done, Qian Shengyan only wanted to ask one thing: "Is spinning a top that fun?"
Qingxue: ...
"Oh, no... What did the Prince say about this?" Qian Shengyan had a headache. Although she was now in charge of the Prince's mansion's backyard, she didn't think she had the right to manage these princes and princesses.
It is the primary wife's responsibility to manage the legitimate sons and illegitimate sons; Qian Shengyan is currently just a servant, how could she possibly manage the affairs of her young mistress?
We can only take care of the two she gave birth to.
In the face of this matter, with the two princes vying for power, Qian Shengyan could only report the situation to Yinzhen and urge Doctor Zhou to treat the Fifth Prince. She could also ask him to open the mansion's medicine storehouse and take medicine at will. There was really nothing else she could do.
Even knowing that it was Hongshi's fault, Qian Shengyan couldn't step forward to punish him.
Li Shi always reacted quickly. Before Yinzhen could even come out of the study, a series of cries rang out at the entrance of Peach Blossom Village. Without even listening closely, one could tell it was Li Shi's voice, mixed with the sharp cries of a child.
Qian Shengyan sighed and could only get up to deal with it, while complaining to Qingxue, "How strange, the Third Prince knows how to cry? Could it be that he was beaten to tears by Consort Li?"
She was right.
Upon learning the whole story, Lady Li was so angry that she trembled. Without waiting for Lady Geng's reply, she immediately gave Hongli a beating. After she finished beating him, seeing how pitifully he was crying, she brought him to Yinzhen to apologize.
After all, she was the wife and concubine who had been with Yinzhen the longest, and Li Shi understood Yinzhen's personality all too well. He didn't like to interfere in the affairs of the inner quarters. As long as things appeared calm on the surface, he didn't care what happened underneath. The princes who grew up in the palace understood all about the infighting among women.
But there's one thing: the child must not be harmed.
The Manchus believed that children who were born but never survived were unlucky, and that the Eternal Heaven would take them away and reincarnate them. However, if a wife or concubine dared to harm a surviving child and was discovered by Yinzhen, the child would be executed.
Especially after the loss of the eldest and second princes, Lady Li watched helplessly as Yinzhen went mad, scrutinizing the entire palace from top to bottom again and again, determined to find out the cause of the children's mishap. Lady Li was terrified, and also thankful that she had wanted to do something when the eldest prince was seriously ill but hadn't had time. After that, she dared not make any plans, and neither did the Fujin (the wife of the prince). No matter how much they wanted their own children, they dared not do anything underhanded.
So when Hongshi pushed Hongzhou into the water, Li Shi knew that the matter would not end well, so she brought Hongshi to cry in advance, hoping that Yinzhen would punish him less.
As soon as Qian Shengyan stepped into the courtyard, she heard a loud bang as the study door was kicked open. Yinzhen strode out, his face filled with a dark and oppressive rage.
When he saw Qian Shengyan, he was taken aback, then frowned and said, "I will handle this matter."
"Yes." Qian Shengyan curtsied, watched him leave the courtyard, and then quickly followed him in small steps.
She was so curious about what Yinzhen would do!
"Your Highness, Your Highness! Hongshi was just young and playful, he didn't push the Fifth Prince on purpose! I've already disciplined Hongshi, Your Highness, Your Highness!" Li's screams echoed through the sky. Qian Shengyan looked curiously towards the door and saw that Yinzhen was carrying Hongshi with one hand and walking to the other side without saying a word. Li's cries did not stop him at all. Helpless, Li could only chase after him while crying.
Qian Shengyan glanced at Xiao Shunzi, who was guarding the gate. The boy was quick-witted and immediately followed.
"The Third Prince is almost ten years old. His Highness has hired a tutor to teach him carefully these past few years. It is said that a few days ago, His Highness tested the Third Prince's studies, and the Third Prince answered fluently, which pleased His Highness greatly..." Qingxue whispered behind Qian Shengyan, "How could he have done such a thing today?"
Qian Shengyan gently shook her head; she didn't know either.
If one had to pinpoint a reason, it would probably be that Lady Li had taught Hongshi too "well," making him clearly distinguish himself from his other half-brothers—he was born to a concubine, his mother was a prince's concubine listed in the imperial genealogy, while his other brothers were nothing more than servants.
He was the eldest son, and of noble birth. How could his half-brothers compare to him—or even the spinning top in his hand?
Besides, he didn't do anything too outrageous. He just pushed his younger brother away so he wouldn't get in his way while he was spinning the top. He might even feel wronged because he was holding a whip, and he didn't even use it to whip his brother. That's already quite good!
Qian Shengyan closed her eyes, and it seemed she could see again the little boy riding a eunuch into battle that she had seen when she first entered the Prince's mansion. Time flies, three years have passed, and the little boy seems to have changed no more.
“Mother.” Hongli was also startled by the noise. He came out of the study and saw Qian Shengyan still standing in the courtyard. He came over and asked, “Is it Third Brother? I think I heard Third Brother’s voice.”
"Hmm..." Qian Shengyan hesitated for a moment, then looked at Hongli, who was not even as tall as her legs, and wondered whether she should tell him the truth. But Hongli had already heard it: "Did Father punish Third Brother?"
"Do you know what your third brother did?" Qian Shengyan asked in surprise.
Hongli nodded: "Li Yu told me."
this……
Qian Shengyan couldn't help but be curious, so she squatted down to be at eye level with Hongli and asked him, "Then Hongli, do you think the Third Prince did the right thing?"
"..." Hongli looked at his mother speechlessly. "Of course it's wrong. Not to mention that Third Brother and Fifth Brother should be close brothers, even if it were an ordinary person, Third Brother shouldn't have pushed him into the water so casually."
"Wow!" Qian Shengyan exclaimed in delight, hugging Hongli's small body and showering him with kisses on the cheeks several times, her affection overflowing. "Our Hongli has grown up so much, he's become so sensible!"
Hongli was a little embarrassed to be kissed like that by his mother in broad daylight, but hearing Qian Shengyan's praise, he puffed out his little chest and snorted, "Besides, I don't think spinning a top is fun at all. Reading is much more interesting!"
Qian Shengyan: ...
Thus, the Fourth Prince was forced to add what his mother called "physical education" to his daily lessons. Half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the afternoon—he could spin a top, play pitch-pot, run, jump, or climb trees; anything but staying indoors to read.
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