As usual, Yi Hua went over the accounts of the Prince's residence. Chen Mama dismissed the servants and approached Yi Hua, whispering, "Madam, after the Master replaced Niohuru Gege's female guard last time, I secretly kept an eye on her and discovered that Niohuru Gege had passed notes to the Master through the female guard several times in a short period of time. However, the Master seemed to ignore them and kept a closer eye on her."
“The old nanny shouldn’t follow her anymore. Since the master has already got his eye on Niohuru, we shouldn’t provoke her.” Yihua knew something was amiss. “Keep an eye on Li Shi. We can’t let her stumble into things that might cause trouble for the master.”
"The master recently submitted a memorial stating that Li will be the concubine of the manor from now on. Granny, remember to restrain the servants of our main courtyard. They must not have any conflicts with the servants of the east courtyard, and they must not bully others, nor should they be bullied."
"yes."
Sure enough, because of her merit in giving birth, Emperor Kangxi readily granted Li this title.
Yi Hua prepared a banquet in the flower hall according to the standards of a secondary consort. As the focus of the day, Li Shi changed into a bright dress, her head full of pearls and jade, and she was dressed up in a radiant manner.
Unable to avoid her, Wu Gege, Geng Gege, and the others could only bow and offer their congratulations: "Greetings to the Consort, Consort, may you be overjoyed."
"Rise, all of you." Seeing that these little devils had finally submitted to her, Madam Li smiled broadly, feeling extremely pleased.
Before Yihua and Yinzhen arrived, Li Shi, as the most important person in the room, took control of the entire event.
“Speaking of which, Sister Geng, you have served the master quite well, at least better than Sister Wu. How come you are not fortunate enough to conceive the master’s child?” Li said with regret, her tone and expression full of schadenfreude. “Women should take advantage of their youth to leave offspring. When they are old and their beauty fades, and new sisters enter the mansion, they will be like yesterday’s flowers.”
Geng's face turned red with anger from being scolded, but she still restrained herself and said, "Your Highness is right to teach me a lesson. I will remember it."
What's so fun about pinching a melon? Li then turned her attention to Wu: "Speaking of which, I still remember you saying that Grandpa would come to see you. So many years have passed, how many times has Grandpa actually come to see you? I've completely forgotten."
Wu gritted her teeth and remained silent.
"By the way, to show my sincerity to the Empress in the palace, I would like to transcribe some scriptures for offering. Sister Wu, please come to my courtyard starting tomorrow to do your part for the Empress. What do you think?"
Wu Gege's first reaction was to refuse: "This humble servant has never been to school. I only started practicing calligraphy after entering the manor. It is really an eyesore."
"Are you not being sincere to Her Majesty?" Madam Li's expression immediately changed, her eyes turning icy.
"This humble servant dares not," Wu Gege could only kneel and beg for forgiveness.
"I see you're quite bold. Copying scriptures won't do, but chanting Buddha's name will. My little Buddhist shrine is dedicated to Buddha day and night. Starting tomorrow, you can go and worship there. Kneel for four hours every day, otherwise Buddha won't be able to feel your sincerity."
Wu Gege looked at Li Shi in shock, and after a long while, she finally agreed, not daring to refuse.
When Yi Hua arrived with Liu Liu, she sensed something was wrong. Wu's eyes were red, Geng kept her head down and remained silent, and Li looked like a rooster that had won a fight, tilting her head back and refusing to look at anyone.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness." Upon seeing Yihua arrive, the three women all rose and bowed.
Yi Hua gestured for everyone to sit down, patted Liu Liu on the shoulder, and Liu Liu understood, cupped her hands and squatted down to greet her stepmother.
Li Shi disliked her eldest daughter and had a lukewarm impression of Yi Hua's Liu Liu, not being particularly enthusiastic about her. She preferred boys, not only Hong Yun but also Hong Hui.
The eldest princess had arrived long ago and witnessed firsthand how her mother swaggered around; she had no intention of joining in the fun.
It was, after all, a special day for the household, and Yinzhen arrived late with his two sons, exchanging greetings once again.
Yinzhen sat in the main seat, first glancing at Yihua and the obedient Liuliu sitting beside her, then looking around: "Today is a good day for Li Shi. You have made a contribution by giving birth, and the palace has bestowed upon you a rank. You must remember to always be dignified and composed, learn from the Fujin, and never cause trouble again."
"Yes, Your Highness, this humble servant will follow your teachings." Li Shi ignored the part about learning from Yi Hua, picked up her wine cup, and spoke softly to Yin Zhen, "This humble servant toasts Your Highness."
Yinzhen gave her face and drank it. Li Shi was overjoyed when she saw this, and her face immediately flushed red. She looked charming and lovely, and at least ten years younger. Dressed in pink, she seemed to have returned to the way she looked when she first entered the Prince's Mansion.
Yinzhen recalled the Li family in his memory. She was gentle and charming, always cheerful, and never spoke loudly. During that time, he liked to go to her courtyard. It was simply because it was soothing.
When did things start to change? Li Shi began to become aggressive and resort to clumsy, laughable tactics. These changes made Yinzhen dislike her more, especially after he learned how Li Shi treated the eldest princess.
Over the years, the people around me have changed. My father has become increasingly unfathomable, my empress is capricious, and my brothers all have their own ulterior motives. Only my wife is still the same as I remember when Honghui had just given birth.
The earlier wives seemed blurry in his mind. He only remembered the wife who always had a stern face and lectured him. After giving birth to the child, she became popular. And then came the wife he knew now, who was at ease and relaxed, as if nothing could faze her.
No matter what happened, the Fujin was like a pillar of stability, managing the household and educating the children steadily, caring for herself without ever overstepping her bounds.
Almost ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the Fujin's eyes are still as bright and peaceful as they were back then, untouched by any dust.
Yinzhen turned to look at Yihua, a slight smile playing on his lips, and raised his cup to indicate that he would drink it all in one gulp.
Seeing Yinzhen exchanging flirtatious glances with Yihua right under her nose, Lady Li was so angry that she wanted to smash the cup.
Today is her special day, Master. What does this mean?
What she found even more unacceptable was that, after several rounds of drinks, Yinzhen picked up Liu Liu, took Yi Hua's hand, and went straight back to the main courtyard.
Although he was rewarded with a lot of jewelry, clothes and fabrics.
But why didn't Yinzhen come to the East Courtyard on such a joyous day?!
Li's face contorted in pain, and before she could react, Wu and Geng quickly slipped away.
When Wu saw that the figure behind her had disappeared, she was on the verge of tears: "Sister Geng, what am I going to do? Do I have to kneel and recite scriptures at the concubine's place every day from now on?"
Geng didn't want to get into trouble: "Sister Wu, I'm slow-witted and timid, I really have no idea what to do."
Wu thought for a moment and wanted to go to the main courtyard to find Yihua, but Geng stopped her: "Good sister, even if you want to ask the Fujin, you should do it on another day. The master is still here."
What do you know? As long as the master is here, Wu Shi doesn't care about Geng Shi. She changed direction and headed straight for the main courtyard.
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