The next morning, Yihua woke up late. Granny Chen hesitated to speak, still worried.
“Madam, you are not yet three months pregnant. You cannot let the master do as he pleases.”
Upon hearing this, Yi Hua's cheeks flushed red. She didn't want to discuss this: "I know what I'm doing."
Knowing she couldn't persuade her any further, Granny Chen thought she should ask the old lady for help; Lady Ulanara always had a way to make the Fujin (princess) obey.
The smell in the room and the wrinkled sheets couldn't be hidden from the servants, who all wore smiles.
They could only live well if the wife was favored.
"Did the master go to the palace?" It was already close to noon, so Yihua changed the subject.
Granny Chen quickly ordered someone to set out the prepared food: "Madam, the Prince left this morning, saying that the palace might have left some food for you today, so you don't need to wait for him."
"Oh, right, before he left, Master went to Princess Niohuru's courtyard, and then..."
Granny Chen was somewhat alarmed. She hesitated and said, "Madam, you need to be prepared. Princess Niohuru's pregnancy is unstable; the child is gone."
Yi Hua's face was full of black greetings. Chen Mama's description was telling her that Yinzhen personally aborted Niohuru's child.
Perhaps Hongli, whom she had worried about for so long, was simply taken away by a butterfly.
But why?
Yinzhen had few children, and several of his children died young. Judging from his usual attitude towards the children in his household, he did like children.
Since becoming pregnant, Yi Hua's reaction time has been a bit slow. Only now did she realize that the unusual behavior of Niohuru Shi that Yinzhen asked her about yesterday was very strange. It seems that something has happened in the mansion these past two days that she is unaware of.
"Granny, have my brother inquire about what happened in the two days before and after the master's return." Yi Hua didn't want to be blind. Since Yinzhen hadn't said anything yesterday, it meant he didn't want her to know. So she could only try to find out quietly herself. "Quietly, don't attract attention. It's okay if you can't find out. Granny, go and get five hundred taels."
Granny Chen quickly declined, refusing the money.
"Look at what you're saying, Granny. It's true that talking about money between us is too formal. But since my brother works for me, how can I not give him some money and handle the social niceties? If this money isn't enough, come and talk to me again."
Yi Hua wasn't worried about being betrayed by Chen Mama's family, since she had the indenture in her hands; a combination of kindness and severity was the right approach.
As expected, Kangxi invited the Crown Prince, Yinzhen, and Yintang to have lunch together.
Yin Tang was a master at enlivening the atmosphere. He talked non-stop, exaggerating the hardships of their disaster relief efforts many times over, and then meticulously explaining how they punished corrupt officials, appeased the people, and promoted Emperor Kangxi's benevolent rule.
The Crown Prince listened with great interest, and when he reached the most interesting part, he clapped his hands and laughed, "Ninth Brother, with your eloquence, it would be a waste if you didn't go into storytelling."
Kangxi pointed at the Crown Prince, a relaxed smile on his face: "Mischievous."
"Father, I did a good job on this mission. Perhaps I can be rewarded?" Yin Tang said, speaking his mind.
Kangxi paused for a moment with his smile: "What do you want?"
"Father, I'm getting married and starting my own household. I'd like to be neighbors with Fourth Prince. Could you please grant me the courtyard next to Fourth Prince's residence?" Yin Tang pressed his advantage.
Yinzhen was somewhat surprised to hear this, and he glanced at Yintang without making a comment.
Emperor Kangxi was pleased to see the brothers get along well, so he naturally agreed: "You can choose for yourself and tell the Imperial Household Department what kind you want so that the fourth prince can take a look at the construction."
"Yes," Yinzhen replied, having now been assigned the task of repairing the garden.
"Father, as you know, Honghui almost lost his life because of me. I couldn't sleep at night. Besides wanting to get closer to Fourth Brother, I also wanted to take better care of my nephew Honghui," Yinzhen said somewhat embarrassedly.
Kangxi immediately lost his temper: "You know you're reckless. If you put Honghui in danger again, I'll be the first to not forgive you."
Yinzhen grumbled unhappily, "Everyone says that grandparents love their grandchildren more, but you can't treat your son like dirt just because you dote on your grandson."
"I'm off then." Yinzhen stood up and bowed. "Your subject has not yet visited the Empress Dowager in the inner palace. I'll go now. Father, the people spontaneously presented the 'Ten Thousand People Umbrella' this time. Fourth Brother personally packed it into a box. Don't forget to take a look later."
"This child, I was just thinking that he had become more composed after handling the task, but he is still so impulsive." Kangxi shook his head, without any intention of blaming him.
Yinzhen added, "Ninth Brother is so carefree and unrestrained; I can't help but admire him."
The Crown Prince spoke up from the side: "Ninth Brother has always been on good terms with Eighth Brother, but I didn't expect that he would be won over by Fourth Brother after going out."
"Second Brother Crown Prince, there's no such thing as subjugation or not; it's simply a matter of exchanging sincerity for sincerity." Yinzhen raised his cup to Kangxi and the Crown Prince.
The prince's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal and began to chat casually.
Kangxi, sitting at the head of the table, took in the expressions of the two men and sighed inwardly, losing his initial interest in the meal.
As soon as he put down his chopsticks, the Crown Prince and Yinzhen naturally stopped eating as well.
Emperor Kangxi gestured for Yinzhen to go and see Consort De, and then returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
He suddenly remembered what Yinzhen had said about the "umbrella of ten thousand people," and became interested, so he ordered Liang Jiugong to bring it to him.
Liang Jiugong opened the box to check and found that in addition to the "Ten Thousand People's Umbrella," there were five thick booklets filled with writing.
Emperor Kangxi was drawn to the five booklets. Upon opening them, he discovered that they were account books, filled with records of all the money transactions.
The name that appears most frequently is Lingpu, the prince's wet nurse.
Emperor Kangxi read through the account books from beginning to end without saying a word. After a long silence, he threw the books into the stove, where they soon turned to ashes.
Liang Jiugong skillfully disposed of the dregs himself, and he keenly noticed that Kangxi's mood had become extremely bad.
******
Yonghe Palace
Consort De was somewhat excited to see Yinzhen, who had become darker and thinner, but seeing his cold and expressionless face, her greeting became dry and awkward: "It's good that you're back. The Emperor's duties are important, but your health is also important."
Yinzhen cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty is right."
Seeing that the topic had ended, Consort De started another: "I vaguely remember hearing that you have a pregnant princess in your household?"
Yinzhen shook his head: "Her health was poor, and she didn't recover."
Consort De became anxious upon hearing this; that was her grandson: "What happened? Could it be your daughter-in-law...?"
Yinzhen interrupted her, saying, "The Fujin is pregnant and should stay home to recuperate. Niohuru's poor health is her own fault, and she has no one else to blame but herself."
"I know you love your wife, and I like Honghui too," Consort De said, changing her words. "But spring only comes when all flowers bloom, and you're not young anymore. It would be good to have a few more children."
"Your Majesty's considerations are thorough," Yinzhen replied. "In the future, your son and his wife will have many more children."
"After my trip to the Jiangnan region, I took some time to bring some local specialties for Your Majesty. I'll have Zhou An bring them in later so Your Majesty can see them," Yinzhen said. "I have a lot of official business to attend to, so I'll come to see Your Majesty again next time."
He left after saying that.
He dealt with Niohuru at the fastest speed possible. How did the empresses in the palace find out about this?
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