No one expected that in a human trafficking case, the abducted person was unharmed, but the person who went to rescue them was left half-dead.
Yi Hua only had time to entrust Liu Liu to the care of the eldest princess before she hurriedly went to the residence of the Prince Zhi.
The imperial physician has treated Honghui's injuries. Fortunately, the stab wound was a penetrating one, and apart from the blood that looked frightening, there was nothing seriously wrong.
Hongyu is not doing so well; his high fever persists, and he's already delirious.
Now the two brothers are in the same room, which makes it convenient for the imperial physicians to diagnose and observe them.
When Yi Hua learned that Hong Hui was alright, she felt much relieved. She bowed to the Princess Consort who had taken care of them and thanked her, saying, "Thanks to my elder brother and sister-in-law's quick thinking, if Hong Hui had been allowed to act as he pleased, who knows how serious things would have become."
The Princess Consort smiled with unusual sincerity: "Don't say that. I have to thank your Honghui. If it weren't for him, Hongyu would not know how long he would have stayed in that cold cellar."
“Hongyu is our master’s only son, and it’s my fault for not being able to give birth to a prince for so many years after I married into the family.”
As the princess consort spoke, she brought up her sad story. Yi Hua didn't know how to respond, so she just smiled quietly.
"The imperial physician said that Honghui cannot be moved. In that case, let him recuperate at home for now, and go back to his home when he wakes up. What do you think, Fourth Sister-in-law?"
“Sister-in-law, you’ve thought this through. I’ll come see Honghui again tomorrow.” This is the Prince Zhi’s residence, and as his sister-in-law, she cannot stay overnight. Otherwise, she would never leave Honghui’s side.
When Emperor Kangxi heard that Hongyu had been found, but that Honghui had been stabbed, his heart, which had been at ease, was filled with anxiety again.
After understanding the situation, his tone became somewhat subtle: "Hero saves the damsel in distress, is Honghui already that old?"
Yinzhen watched Honghui return to the mansion with the children, but he didn't mention it.
Fucha Mansion
"Madam, the eldest young lady has been sent back by the Fourth Prince's mansion." A woman dressed as a matron hurriedly reported after receiving the news.
"Fourth Prince?"
"I heard from the guards that the young lady was kidnapped, but she was very lucky and met Prince Hongyu and Prince Honghui. The people from the Fourth Prince's mansion rescued her from the kidnappers and brought her here after they learned that she was our child."
Lady Fucha's expression turned cold: "Good people are blessed by heaven. She's a jinx. Everything has gone wrong for me since she was born. A fortune teller predicted that she's young but incompetent. When she gets older, the entire Fucha mansion won't be enough for her to wreak havoc."
"The people you hired aren't capable at all. They couldn't even get a lone young girl out of the capital, and they still have the nerve to ask for five hundred taels!"
"It's all because of my poor performance. But now that the Fourth Prince is protecting me, I'm afraid it's not easy to make a move again."
"What's so difficult about that? If the Fourth Prince takes a fancy to a mere young girl like her, then that's perfect; let her go and cause trouble for the Fourth Prince. If it's just a chance encounter, after a while, who in the Fourth Prince's mansion will remember her? We can just wait and see." Lady Fucha looked disgusted, as if she weren't talking about her own daughter.
After returning home, Fucha Wanling wrapped herself in the quilt. She wasn't scared at all; the image of the boy blocking the kitchen knife kept replaying in her mind.
That seems to be Prince Honghui, the emperor's favorite grandson, whose name is widely known.
Fucha Wanling rubbed her burning cheeks. That was not someone you could even dream of. It was a blessing that you even had the chance to meet him.
At this time, Yinzhen was also sharing gossip about Honghui with Yihua.
"The girl who was rescued along with Hongyu is named Fucha Wanling." Yinzhen's tone carried a hint of anticipation.
"Fucha?" Yihua was excited when she heard this surname. Wasn't this the future Empress Qianlong's true love?
But after quietly calculating her age, she felt something was wrong. This Fucha Wanling was definitely not the Empress Fucha who was younger than Hongli.
"The Fuca clan is one of the eight great Manchu clans, belonging to the Bordered Yellow Banner. Countless members of their family have served as officials and ministers. It's a joke that such a family can't even tolerate a girl." Yinzhen told Yihua the information he had found.
"Because of the prophecy given on the day of her birth, it was said that she would bring misfortune to her father, mother, and relatives. So she was raised in a small courtyard, where only her food and drink were provided, and nothing else was taken care of."
"I wonder what fortune teller's words Lady Fucha listened to this time, that made her want to sell her daughter to settle the matter."
Yi Hua found it unbelievable: "Are there really parents like this?"
"Leaving aside others, aren't Li Shi and the eldest princess in our household the same examples? Fortunately, you keep them in check, otherwise who knows what kind of jokes they would have made!" Yinzhen held Yihua's hand and expressed his gratitude.
"You're being too polite, sir. Honghui will wake up tomorrow, and I'll go pack his things." Yihua wasn't particularly interested in the Fucha family's secrets; what she cared about most right now was Honghui's injury.
In the Eighth Prince's residence, in the study, sat several people dressed as retainers.
“Hongyu made a bad move, letting the Fourth Prince reap the rewards for no reason.”
"When we arrived after receiving the notification, the chess club had already been surrounded by Brother Honghui and his men. I could only catch a glimpse of it from afar."
"In the end, if you want to accept the power of the First Prince, you still need to make him and His Highness the Crown Prince fight to the death. Although the Princess Consort has given a new solution, it seems that it is indeed not feasible now."
Everyone started talking at once, and seeing that the Eighth Prince's wife wasn't there, they all blamed her for the failure.
After listening for a while, the Eighth Prince gently put down his teacup, and the room instantly fell silent.
"I acted too hastily in this matter, and I apologize to all the gentlemen," the Eighth Prince said. "We should proceed slowly and methodically."
The retainers echoed his sentiments, and another wave of flattery followed. The Eighth Prince was already used to it.
In Yuqing Palace, the Crown Prince sipped his tea expressionlessly: "That little brat is really lucky."
It's unclear whether they're referring to Hongyu or Honghui.
Tong Guining's hand didn't tremble at all as she poured the tea, as if she hadn't heard the Crown Prince's shocking words.
"Ning'er, the tea is full."
Tong Guining paused, immediately put down the cup, and knelt on the ground: "It is my fault, Your Highness. Please punish me."
"Ning'er is too timid. As long as our prince arrives early, he won't hurt you no matter what you do. Don't be afraid." The prince's tone made Tong Guining particularly uncomfortable, as if a long snake was circling around her and flicking its tongue.
Suppressing her discomfort, Tong Guining said shyly, "I have been taking the imperial physician's medicine to help me conceive. My mother gave birth to five of us siblings, and my sister gave birth to twin sons. I also wish to have that blessing."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's expression softened considerably: "That's right, our Ning'er is a person of great fortune."
"That brat Honghui is a bit strange." The Crown Prince touched the Crown Princess's belly and began to mutter to himself.
"Tell me, how wonderful it would be if Honghui were my son. Fourth Prince! Fourth Prince!" The Crown Prince said again, whether out of envy or jealousy.
Tong Guining buried her head completely in her knees.
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