Yinzhen was a man of action. Two days later, Yihua was on her way to the villa with the children.
Hongyun boldly asked Yinzhen to bring Li Shi along. Although Li Shi had been firmly in the position of secondary consort for many years, her favor had become so thin that when the two sat facing each other, they could only talk about their children.
Yinzhen was quite tolerant of his children, especially those who were filial. However, people are naturally biased, and he did not deny that his wife's feelings were more important to him.
Therefore, Yinzhen did not agree, but he proposed another plan, which made Hongyun immediately happy.
Father allowed him to take his sister and mother on a private trip to the capital on a separate day, which was fine.
Yihua's carriage was very large; it didn't feel crowded even with her whole family inside.
Honghui was holding Liuliu and combing her hair. Hongyun picked up a piece of pastry, brought it to Liuliu's mouth, and then took it away. Liuliu sweetly called him "Third Brother".
The eldest princess sat quietly in the carriage, looking at Yihua as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Yi Hua noticed the little girl's mood and asked, "Does the eldest princess have something to say to her stepmother?"
The eldest princess reached out and touched her face, where a scar with a distinct color contrast remained.
"Mother, is my face never going to get better?"
"Nonsense. Your father, Ninth Uncle, and Thirteenth Uncle all found famous doctors to treat you. It hasn't been long, and the scars are almost invisible." Yi Hua examined the eldest princess's facial injury. "You're still young. It will naturally heal by the time you reach marriageable age."
"Mother, Ulanara is very good, but I am not good enough now." The eldest princess felt somewhat inferior. In recent days, no one from the Ulanara family had come to show any concern. This was the attitude of the matriarch.
Moreover, she didn't want her stepmother to have a falling out with her family because of her.
“Princess, you mustn’t say such things again. Your mother doesn’t want to hear them either. You are the eldest princess of the Fourth Prince’s mansion. You have your father and brothers to support you.” Yi Hua comforted her first. Her father would be the emperor in the future, and her brothers would also be emperors in the future. As long as she could stand on her own two feet, she would be the most noble princess in the future.
“You chose the Ulanara family, not the Ulanara family chose you.” Yi Hua smiled at Liu Liu, the little girl’s braids were tied crookedly, but she was still admiring herself.
Although the eldest princess understood this principle, she was still saddened and depressed after her face was hurt.
Honghui patted Liu Liu on the back, and the little girl crawled to the eldest princess's feet, lifting her face: "Big sister, let's play."
The eldest princess gently wiped Liu Liu's mouth, then patiently untied Hong Hui's messy braids and re-braided them. In just a few minutes, Liu Liu transformed from a funny girl into a lady who smiled without showing her teeth.
Honghui touched his nose. Everyone has their own expertise, and he was indeed not good at this.
However, it seems he needs to have a serious talk with Mingxuan; his sister is not someone who can be easily picked over by others.
Yinzhen got tired of riding in the carriage and went out for a horse ride. Hongyun wanted to go too, but he didn't dare to face Yinzhen's cold face alone, so he wanted Honghui to go with him.
After Honghui and Liuliu finished their interaction, Honghui happily took his younger brother to chase after their father.
The villa is not far from the capital; we set off in the morning and arrived in the afternoon.
The group was starving, and just then the head of the village prepared a table of farm-style dishes, which Yihua enjoyed very much.
Liu Liu held the bowl and said she wanted more. The maid serving her hesitated. Today, the princess had already consumed more than usual, and eating more would easily upset her stomach.
Liu Liu was very domineering: "Go get the rice!"
"Liu Liu!" Yi Hua called out. Liu Liu pouted, but still obediently put down her chopsticks.
"Father, Liu Liu is full." Liu Liu smiled obediently at Yinzhen, sitting in the chair without moving, looking both sensible and adorable.
Yinzhen was once again melted by his daughter. He picked up Liu Liu and placed her on his lap, then scooped up some sugar water to feed her.
Liu Liu's eyes sparkled as she drank, and Yi Hua thought she was really easy to bribe, just for a bowl of sweet water.
After dinner, Hongyun took Liuliu and Da Gege for a stroll to digest their food.
Although Yinzhen was on vacation, he still had some daily affairs to attend to, so he went to his study.
Honghui finally had time to be alone with Yihua. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to her and said, "Mother, I admire your and Father's methods."
"You brat, I didn't do anything," Yi Hua denied.
“Mother, you are a master strategist. Your son should learn a lot from you.” Honghui began to review the situation for Yihua from his perspective.
"My son now feels that the beating he received back then was justified."
Yi Hua raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "So that's why I felt a little wronged before."
Honghui smiled and, just like when he was a child, pulled up a small stool and sat down in front of Yihua.
"Mother, we can't live peacefully with Uncle Ba's family anymore, right?"
"There are no permanent friends, nor permanent enemies." Yi Hua thought for a moment and borrowed a famous saying from her previous life.
Honghui pondered for a long time, his eyes growing darker and brighter. He clapped his hands and laughed, "Mother's words are straightforward, but after careful consideration, I think they make a lot of sense."
"Like this time, your thirteenth uncle said that the Crown Prince's everyday clothes were not something we prepared. Who do you think made them? Is this person friend or foe?" Yi Hua hadn't figured this out, so she asked Yin Zhen, who only told her to think about it herself.
Yihua felt that Honghui's analysis was probably correct, so she posed the question to him.
“Earl Zhi or the Second Uncle of the Crown Prince.” Honghui had already thought about this question and answered immediately. “The Second Uncle of the Crown Prince is busy trying to have a legitimate son lately and can’t even take care of Hongxi and Hongjin. As for Earl Zhi, Eighth Uncle used his name to trick Tenth Uncle before, and with the matter of Consort Hui, Earl Zhi probably hates Eighth Uncle as well.”
"My son thinks that it is more likely that it is Zhiwangbo."
Yi Hua nodded, maintaining her superior demeanor, seeing that Hong Hui wanted feedback.
Yi Hua relayed Yin Zhen's words to Hong Hui verbatim: "This matter is not difficult; you can think about it yourself."
Honghui's eyes darted around, realizing that his mother didn't know either. He held back his laughter, knowing that it was wrong to make fun of his mother.
The mother and son were together in the villa, looking very warm and cozy, while the study of the Prince Zhi was still cold and deserted.
Prince Zhi leaned against the window, drinking alone with a plate of peanuts.
There was a brazier in front of him, and inside was a corner of a bright yellow garment that was burning and slowly turning to ashes.
Eighth Brother, this is a warning from your elder brother. If you dare to covet what doesn't belong to you again, don't blame your elder brother for being ruthless.
"Father! Father! My little brother is missing."
The second princess of the Prince Zhi's mansion rushed in in a panic. Prince Zhi had only a few daughters for a long time, and he raised them as if they were sons. His daughters could enter his study without any problem, even after he had sons.
“Father, we took my younger brother to the temple fair, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared. He got lost.” The second princess was in tears. “Everyone searched for a long time but couldn’t find him.”
Prince Zhi sat up abruptly, completely sober.
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