Unlike Honghui, Hongyan was born when Yihua and Yinzhen already had a harmonious relationship and were husband and wife. In addition, he had two older brothers and two older sisters, so Yinzhen spoiled him as the youngest child.
Therefore, the biggest difference between Hongyan and Honghui is that he regarded Yinzhen as his father one hundred percent. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but when the role of father took on a new and more important identity, Hongyan, being young, could not understand this change in identity and was therefore prone to doing inappropriate things.
Seeing that Hongyan was shrinking back, Yinzhen stopped scolding him and reached out to pat Hongzhao's little head.
"You two have already skipped class all morning. If you don't go back soon, the teacher will be angry. Go on."
Honghui watched from the side with a trembling heart, fearing that his father might strangle Hongzhao in a fit of anger, which was not the act of a wise ruler.
Honghui accepted the order and led one child by the hand towards the school. From their backs, it was clear that all three children were somewhat flustered.
Yi Hua handed Yin Zhen some fresh fruit and recounted everything she had learned from Consort Qing.
Yinzhen nodded without commenting: "Consort Qing is getting on in years and should be enjoying her retirement. Tangtang, who do you think is suitable to raise Hongzhao?"
Yi Hua understood that Yinzhen wanted to control the restless elements within his own hands, and after thinking about it, she was indeed somewhat hesitant.
She herself didn't need to say anything; she had three children of her own and there was no need for her to raise other people's children. The same applied to Lady Li. Among the concubines without children, only Consort Yu held a high position. If they were still in the Prince's residence, Yi Hua might have recommended her without hesitation, but now Yi Hua was somewhat hesitant.
The most important thing in finding a foster mother for Hongzhao is that she knows her place and is law-abiding. Geng Shi originally did a good job, but she would also secretly trip up Nian Shi. Such a tolerant person may not be a good match for Hongzhao.
As for Consort Wu and Consort Nian, they are even more like floating in the sky, utterly useless.
After comparing various options, only Lady Geng could answer: "What does Your Majesty think of Consort Yu?"
Yinzhen patted Yihua's hand: "I think so too, but Tangtang understands my heart better."
And so, Hongzhao moved directly from Consort Qing's place to Consort Yu's. Noble Lady Nian was envious. Although he wasn't the Emperor's child, Consort Yu now had a son, and she could take him out of the palace to be cared for in the future. At least she had something to look forward to.
Unlike the concubines who had no children, once the emperor suffered any mishap, they were completely forgotten.
Madam Geng looked at the boy, who was already half a head taller than her waist, and smiled gently: "Hongzhao, from today onwards you will live with Consort Yu. You can talk to Consort Yu about anything, or you can go directly to the Empress."
Hongzhao's eyes reddened, but he said nothing and silently obeyed Yinzhen's arrangements.
The inner palace was relatively peaceful, but the absence of a maidservant from a concubine's side made the court quite turbulent.
Yinzhen felt utterly disgusted as he held the results of the secret investigation.
Given his current position, if he suffers even a little, he will make his enemies suffer tenfold.
Therefore, after Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, he first targeted the Tong family, and at the same time sent the Eighth Prince to guard the imperial mausoleum, with no return date in sight.
It was the Tong family again. The court officials had no idea what deep-seated hatred the emperor had for the Tong family. Their only son, Yue Xing'a, had followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, and even worse.
Yinzhen, with his golden words, accused him of instigating treason and thoroughly cleaned up the remaining members of the Tong family that had not been eliminated last time. In the process, the head of the Wuya family was accused of being an accomplice and his title, which he had just acquired a few days earlier, was stripped of it.
The head of the Wuya family was enjoying the honor of being granted a viscount title by the Empress Dowager when disaster struck. He didn't even know if Yue Xing'a had a long or square face, so how did he get involved in his mess? He was devastated and cried out for justice everywhere, but since it was the Emperor's will, no one dared to give him any leeway. He had no choice but to beg the Empress Dowager in the palace.
Upon hearing that the invitation came from the Uya family, Granny Green immediately stopped her, saying, "Your Majesty, the Emperor and you have recently improved your relationship quite a bit. You must not get involved now. The Uya family being dragged into this is clearly the Emperor's doing. You cannot go against the Emperor any longer."
The Empress Dowager was well aware of this, but with the Crow family's title being stripped, news of her discord with the Emperor would spread throughout the capital. This was the last fig leaf she could use to cover up her disharmony.
"Even if we try to salvage the title, we must ensure the safety of the people. There's nothing else I can do." The Empress Dowager hardened her heart and refused to see anyone from the Wuya family.
After Prince Li was placed under house arrest, he was almost completely cut off from the outside world. It was quite some time before he learned about the matter. However, given his current situation, doing nothing was the best way to protect Hongzhao.
******
"Is the banquet ready?" Yi Hua asked.
"Your Majesty, everything is ready. The Imperial Kitchen has prepared pots and fine Yuquan wine, as well as various trendy side dishes and fresh beef and mutton. The wine will be served as soon as the masters arrive." Yu Ling had gone to check on things and spoke with great confidence.
Yi Hua nodded. This was requested by the Thirteenth Prince through his wife. He said that since the Emperor ascended the throne, he had not had a chance to get together with his brothers. She emphasized the words "Fourteenth Prince".
Yi Hua immediately understood. This was because the Fourteenth Prince had asked several of his older brothers to plead for him. After all, he was young and impetuous, and at the prime of his life. What kind of behavior was it for him to always hide from the Emperor and stay at home?
The ninth, tenth, and thirteenth princes had all subtly spoken well of the fourteenth prince to Yinzhen. The fourteenth prince had also submitted several memorials to defend himself, but unfortunately, they all went unanswered. No one could figure out what Yinzhen was thinking, so the thirteenth prince set his sights on Yihua.
Yi Hua saw it clearly: Yinzhen wasn't really angry with the Fourteenth Prince; he just wanted to take this opportunity to completely bring his unruly younger brother under his control.
Since that's the case, I might as well mention it. So, when Yinzhen was in a good mood, Yihua said, "Your Majesty, this is a pearl-embroidered robe sent by Ninth Prince. It's so precious. I don't know where he found it."
"It is very beautiful." Yinzhen nodded. Each pearl was full and jade-like, making Yihua even more elegant.
"It's been a long time since I've dined with the Ninth Prince and the others. The Imperial Kitchen sent word that they've just slaughtered some beef and mutton. I'm craving hot pot, but it's not the season for hot pot right now. Your Majesty, shall we make an exception this time?" Yi Hua tugged at the hem of Yin Zhen's sleeve and shook it.
"You're always causing trouble. Just tell the imperial kitchen what you want to eat."
“It’s no fun eating hot pot with just the few of us. Your Majesty, why don’t we invite Ninth Prince, Tenth Prince, Thirteenth Prince, and Fourteenth Prince over so we can have a lively meal together?” Yi Hua casually mentioned the name Fourteenth Prince.
Yinzhen raised an eyebrow: "So this pearl-embroidered robe was acquired with a mission in mind."
Yinzhen calculated that fourteen years had passed, which was long enough, and nodded: "I will follow Your Majesty's arrangements."
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