Yihua knelt at the entrance of Yonghe Palace for an hour before leaving with bruises on her knees.
The carriages of the women of the Prince's Mansion were parked at the palace gate. The eldest princess was worriedly supporting Yihua. Liu Liu was a little uneasy. She tightly gripped Yihua's sleeve, trying to be like the eldest princess and become Yihua's support.
Li glanced at Yihua, who was still able to smile, and Nian, who was following obediently behind her, and said, "It has to be because of Nian's good family background. She even managed to find someone in the palace to back her up. I admire you."
Lady Nian never expected that this good-for-nothing she looked down upon would so clearly point out her thoughts as soon as she opened her mouth. She quickly denied it, saying, "Madam, Sister Li, you have all misunderstood me. I don't know why Your Highness summoned me."
"Alright, enough talk, let's go back to the manor first." Yi Hua frowned and got into the carriage first. It would be a laughing stock for these two to start arguing at the palace gate.
Yu Ling carefully lifted Yi Hua's cheongsam, removed her shoes and socks, and massaged the bruises on her knees and calves: "Madam, it will hurt a little, please bear with it."
Yi Hua hadn't suffered like this in many years. If Consort De really started acting like a mother-in-law, she would have to find a way to deal with it, otherwise, such silent suffering would become a common occurrence in the future.
When Yinzhen heard the message from Su Peisheng, he was worried about Yihua. He didn't understand why the Empress was making things difficult for her. Was it because of Lady Nian?
"Go and investigate whether Nian Gengyao has had any contact with the Empress recently," Yinzhen instructed after a moment's thought.
"yes."
Upon returning to the main courtyard, Yinzhen smelled a medicinal ointment.
After glancing at his legs, which were covered with plasters but still showed some bluish-purple discoloration, Yinzhen asked, "You usually know how to get along with the Empress, so why did you stand up to her today? Just agree to whatever she says."
Yi Hua only felt the pain now, and she forced a smile: "Your Majesty has been looking at me with displeasure lately, perhaps because of Hongming a few days ago. If Your Majesty is angry, it's better to let it out, otherwise I won't be able to bear it if I keep it bottled up."
"Does it hurt?" Yinzhen sighed.
Yi Hua wanted to shake her head, but her pain receptors reminded her that it really hurt: "Master, will my legs be ruined?"
"Nonsense! Why is it so serious today? You didn't just kneel on the ground, did you?" Kneeling for an hour is a long time, but it shouldn't have a very big reaction for people in their prime.
Yi Hua nodded: "Since no cushions were prepared in advance, Her Majesty was furious. Even Granny Lü dared not disobey Her Majesty's order, so I knelt on the ice for an hour."
"Aren't you stupid? Can't you just pretend to faint?" Yinzhen began to teach him how to "play the field".
Yi Hua chuckled softly: "My lord, we can't use the same method twice. If I really faint again in Yonghe Palace, it won't do either the Empress or us any good."
What instructions does Your Majesty have?
Yi Hua looked into Yin Zhen's eyes, which seemed to hold only her: "Your Majesty wants a grandson."
"I don't lack sons!" Yinzhen can now proudly say this. Although three sons are not many, each has his own merits, and he also has a sweet little girl. He is very satisfied with his current life and does not feel that he has too few sons.
“My lord, I can handle the Empress’s situation. Next time, I’ll take the concubine to the palace again and see if the Empress has any new ideas,” Yi Hua said, raising an eyebrow.
“You…” Yinzhen suddenly understood Yihua’s idea; she wanted Consort De to make the first move.
"Take good care of yourself. I'll have the Ministry of Works send a wheelchair over tomorrow." Yinzhen changed the subject. He wanted to have a good talk with the Empress another day. In the current situation, the stability of the inner palace was of utmost importance, and he wanted her not to cause any unnecessary trouble.
"No!" Yi Hua shook her head vigorously. She wasn't lame, why should she sit in a wheelchair?
"Listen to me, don't hurt your bones." Yinzhen carefully massaged Yihua's body and asked where it hurt, as if he were a doctor.
******
Half a month later, Yi Hua finally understood what Consort De was planning to do.
On this day, Lady Li accompanied Yihua to the palace. In Yonghe Palace, they met a beautiful young woman. She wore the hairstyle of a young lady from a noble family, and her clothes were different from those of the palace maids. Her eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to those of Consort De.
Li frowned and looked her over, then looked at Yi Hua with a questioning gaze.
Consort De quickly explained to them: "This is Wuya Huixia, your younger sister. She used to live outside the capital. Her poor parents have passed away, leaving her to fend for herself."
"Huixia is gentle, quiet, polite and sensible. Fourth brother's family, you must get along well in the future and not bully her."
Yi Hua finally felt relieved. The reason why Consort De did things for Nian Gengyao was not only because the gifts were properly delivered, but also because she wanted to use the Nian family to pave a convenient path for her family's children to enter Prince Yong's mansion.
On the one hand, Yi Hua had angered Consort De, so she could no longer refuse her orders, otherwise she would be unfilial. On the other hand, after Wu Ya Hui Xia entered the mansion, she could form an alliance with Nian Si Si, creating a three-way balance of power with Li Shi and Yi Hua.
Therefore, Consort De was willing to give Lady Nian a little something in advance.
Yi Hua found it amusing. It was still unclear who this Wuya Huixia was. The reason why Consort De hadn't considered marrying her daughter into the Prince's mansion before was ultimately because she didn't think highly of Yinzhen.
Now that Yinzhen has been granted the title of Prince and holds real power, Consort De wanted to give her family a share of the benefits, so she thought of marriage as the most effective way.
"Your Majesty, this must be my cousin. She is indeed very pretty." Yi Hua pretended not to know Consort De's intentions. "Your Majesty means to let my cousin stay at the Prince's residence for a while to relax, right? No problem, your daughter-in-law will make sure my cousin stays comfortably."
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