October of the 42nd year of Kangxi's reign
Little Liu Liu is already over a year old. Today, she was dressed in bright red from head to toe, with a touch of rouge on her forehead. Sitting on the bed, she looked like she had become one with the wedding bed from afar.
The little girl wasn't in a good mood. She pouted angrily and casually kneaded the red dates and peanuts on the bed.
The precious things were smashed to pieces, and the wet nurse who was with him wanted to stop him but didn't dare to. Don't underestimate this little guy because of his young age; he's very domineering.
He was pampered by his father and brothers in daily life, and could only restrain himself a little in front of his wife.
Yihua is helping with the wedding preparations at the Fourteenth Prince's residence. Over the years, the Fourteenth Prince has doted on Honghui with all his heart. In the Imperial Study, the Fourteenth Prince openly and secretly protects Honghui. On his days off, he often takes Honghui out for horseback riding and sightseeing. Even Yinzhen once sighed at the Fourteenth Prince's sincerity towards his nephew Honghui.
With this relationship, the two brothers became much more amicable. When they met, they were no longer like before, where they would either dislike each other or fight.
After all, they were brothers born of the same mother. Almost all the matters before and after the Fourteenth Prince's wedding were handled by Yinzhen and his wife, provided that Consort De was informed of everything.
Yinzhen was depressed because he couldn't get the mansion closest to his fourth brother. Meanwhile, the ninth prince, Yintang, had been doing very well in the south. He had not only repaid the 200,000 taels of silver that Yinzhen had given him back then, but also received a large amount of dividends every year.
Yinzhen gave all the silver to Yihua, saying it was to be used for the children's betrothal gifts and dowries.
Although she lamented how quickly time had passed and how young the children were, Yinzhen spoke as if the wedding were just around the corner. Yihua, following local customs, also asked her brothers from her maternal family to keep an eye on things.
Yinzhen also contributed Jiangnan-style decorations to the wedding. He basically ignored the Fourteenth Prince's one-sided complaints. The little brat didn't understand the principle of striking first, so as his older brother, he naturally had to teach him a lesson through his actions.
There's a custom at weddings where a lucky doll is chosen to roll on the bed. This is both for a festive look and to bring good fortune to the newlyweds, symbolizing the wish for them to have a child soon.
Initially, the Fourteenth Prince strongly insisted that Honghui come, but Honghui went to great lengths, even pleading with Emperor Kangxi, before finally managing to get out of it. If word got out that he, a handsome young man, was being used as a "bed boy," his brothers would laugh at him for a whole year.
As the saying goes, "It's better to die for your friend than for yourself," Honghui couldn't bear to see his fourteenth uncle heartbroken, so he decisively packed up his sister and sent her over.
Liu Liu was now able to express her dissatisfaction clearly. She tugged at her clothes and said firmly, "No! Red! It's ugly!"
Unfortunately, she was small and weak, and Yi Hua still managed to force her into a new outfit, which led to the scene at the beginning.
Seeing that the little girl was chubby and sulking, Ninth Princess found it amusing and went over to tease her with a small toy: "Liuliu, what's wrong? Tell your aunt."
"Mommy is bad! Brother is bad!" Liu Liu began to complain, her little mouth pouting so much that an oil bottle could hang from it.
Amidst her busy schedule, Yi Hua turned around and looked at her daughter with amusement: "I don't know what's wrong with this child, she just doesn't like red, but she was kind enough not to cry or make a fuss today."
"That won't do." Ninth Princess stuffed a grasshopper-shaped jade stone into Liu Liu's hand. "When our Liu Liu grows up and gets married, does that mean she won't wear red anymore?"
The Eighth Prince's wife, who was sitting to the side drinking tea, shook her head upon hearing this: "That's not a nice thing to say."
If a woman doesn't wear bright red when she gets married, it means she's become a concubine or secondary wife, and can only wear colors like peach or pink.
How could the legitimate daughter of the Fourth Prince's mansion possibly become a concubine or a maid in the future?
Ninth Princess frowned: "I was just teasing the child, why is Eighth Sister-in-law making such a big deal out of it?"
Yi Hua was busy arranging the guests' seats, setting up the banquet dishes, and handling all the wedding arrangements. If it weren't for the help of the wife of Prince Cheng, she would have been in a complete mess.
These younger siblings and their wives always bicker whenever they meet, especially the Eighth Prince's wife and the Ninth Prince's wife. Yi Hua was also puzzled. The Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince used to be on good terms with each other, but they had become more distant in recent years. Why did their wives seem to be enemies?
Lady Dong'e was a know-it-all. When she noticed that Yihua's gaze was always fixed on her two younger siblings, she pulled her a little further away and began to whisper among herself.
"Eighth Prince is very fortunate. Lady Guoluo is beautiful and is also related to the empress in the palace." Lady Dong'e praised the Eighth Prince's wife, then changed the subject, "However, she is a bit domineering."
"What do you mean by that?" Yi Hua had been watching the wedding banquet all day, so she took this opportunity to rest.
"Don't tell me you didn't know that the Ninth Prince and the Eighth Prince had fallen out." Dong Eshi said to Yihua with a smile, "Everyone says that the Tenth Prince is generous and righteous, and our Fourth Uncle is no less so. It is said that you took this amount."
Lady Dong'e gestured with the number two, while Yihua smiled without saying a word. Those were all Yinzhen's silver, and it was none of her business who he wanted to spend it on or how he wanted to spend it.
“I heard from our master that the ninth prince initially went to find the eighth prince,” Dong Eshi continued, “but he only got this amount.”
Dong Eshi gestured again, and Yi Hua wanted to say that she didn't need to make it seem like a secret meeting between underground party members; she could just say what she wanted to say.
"The Ninth Prince is quite stubborn; he didn't take a single penny." Dong Eshi leaned closer. "I heard it was the Eighth Prince's wife who stopped her. Although she comes from a good family, she had a hard life after losing her parents. Her life only improved after she was betrothed to the Eighth Prince. That's why she values these gold and silver."
Yi Hua found it amusing and shrugged, "Third sister-in-law, I'm just an ordinary person too. I also really like these gold and silver things. If you don't like them, I can take a cart to the Prince's mansion to fill them up."
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