During the latter half of the palace banquet, Yi Hua didn't know how she got through it. She watched Hong Hui improvise freely in front of Emperor Kangxi, fearing that if she made a mistake in her response, she would be disliked or even lose her head.
Fortunately, Emperor Kangxi and Honghui, the old man and the young man, got along well, just like a grandfather and grandson in an ordinary family.
Gradually, Yihua's worry shifted from Honghui's head to another kind of concern.
Honghui's current prominence, with even the Crown Prince's two sons not receiving much attention from Kangxi, is a stark reminder of the implications and the storms Honghui will face in the future. Yihua felt suffocated just thinking about it.
After the palace banquet ended, Emperor Kangxi was still not satisfied and made an appointment with Honghui to dine together again in the future.
Amidst the varied gazes of the crowd, Yinzhen, carrying Honghui, and Yihua, leading the eldest princess, boarded the carriage to return to the mansion.
The two little ones were already in high spirits to have managed to stay awake this long, and with the swaying of the carriage, they quickly fell asleep head to head.
Yi Hua carefully covered them with blankets and asked worriedly, "Master, will Hong Hui be alright today?"
After careful consideration, Yinzhen patted Yihua's hand reassuringly: "Honghui is still young. If you keep him confined to the mansion for a while, Father Emperor will probably forget about it and it will all pass."
Today, Honghui sits below the Emperor, a position that the Crown Prince held since childhood, a position that is unattainable for him and his brothers.
The fact that Honghui sat in that position today could be taken by someone else tomorrow is something that should make the Crown Prince the most anxious.
Whether Honghui can continue to sit in office or whether his reign is short-lived is not important. If he, as a father, cannot even protect his outstanding son, he might as well be dead.
"Yes, yes, Father is so busy with state affairs that he forgets about Honghui when he gets busy," Yihua comforted herself.
She remembered a saying from later generations that a large part of the reason Kangxi passed the throne to Yinzhen was because he favored Hongli. Could it be that Honghui's appearance in this life replaced Hongli, or...?
Lost in her thoughts, Yi Hua's carriage returned to the Fourth Prince's residence.
Granny Chen carried the eldest princess to the east courtyard, while Yinzhen personally carried Honghui back to the main courtyard. He doubled the number of guards around Honghui, as it was never too much to be cautious.
The New Year's Eve palace banquet has ended, but the aftershocks have not yet subsided. Yi Hua has received a steady stream of invitations from masters and even her sisters-in-law, all saying that they want to invite the Fourth Prince's wife and Prince Hong Hui to attend.
Seeing Yi Hua's predicament, Hong Xiao offered a suggestion: "Fujin, going to one place or not going to another will offend people, so why not hide for now?"
"you mean?"
“Your dowry includes a hot spring resort in the suburbs of Beijing, which you haven’t visited in years. Why don’t you take this opportunity to take the prince there for a visit?” Hongxiao said.
"Do you think I don't want to leave? There's a pregnant woman in the manor. I'm the Fujin (principal wife). How can I leave at this time?" Madam Li is almost seven months pregnant. To put it bluntly, she could give birth at any moment. She and the child in her womb are both her responsibility as the Fujin. She can't push it away or escape it.
Hong Xiao was speechless upon hearing this and said nothing.
"Alright, spread the word that I have caught a cold and will not see any guests."
Hongxiao continued, "You're not seeing the old lady either?"
This refers to Yihua's mother, Ulanara, who also sent a visiting card.
"I won't see you." It's best to avoid contact at this time.
******
Li's pregnancy went very well. The imperial physician checked her pulse every day and said the baby was healthy, which relieved Yinzhen.
He really didn't want to go through the pain of losing his young son again.
During this period, apart from the main courtyard, Yinzhen only went to Gengshi's place occasionally, and Wu Gege was completely ignored by him.
Seeing that the rumors circulating in the mansion were outrageous, Yihua tentatively spoke a few words to Yinzhen.
"Master, I don't know what Sister Wu did to offend you, that you didn't even give her any dignity." Everyone knows that Wu Shi is still a virgin after entering the manor for several months, and she has inexplicably fallen out of favor. This is actually a great humiliation for women in ancient times, and they have no way to seek justice for themselves.
Seeing that Yihua's complexion was fine and she didn't seem jealous, Yinzhen said casually, "I don't know what's wrong, but I feel extremely disgusted whenever I see her."
Yi Hua immediately understood. This must be what later generations called incompatible auras. It's not uncommon for people to become fast friends at first sight and grow old together without ever growing old together.
After all, they had tried to fight for her, and Yihua couldn't force Yinzhen and Wu to consummate their marriage. They could only lament her bad luck.
Lady Geng was favored, but not by much. Since entering the mansion, she had been respectful to Yihua and would occasionally do needlework for her. She treated Lady Wu the same as always and did not take advantage of the favor. Both Yihua and Yinzhen were quite satisfied with her sensible nature.
Regardless of the storms outside, the Fourth Prince's residence entered a period of peace.
But sometimes troubles come unexpectedly.
The sun was shining brightly that day. Li Shi, who hadn't left the house for a long time and was feeling quite stifled, finally took the eldest princess and the maids and servants to play in the garden.
Wu and Geng were chatting in the pavilion when they unexpectedly met.
After all, Lady Li had entered the household early and had a child. Lady Geng and Lady Wu wanted to leave after paying their respects to her, but everyone knew that Lady Li was pregnant with a precious child. Fourth Master rarely visited her so that she could rest and recuperate.
"Please sit down, my two sisters. Why don't you come and admire the flowers too?" Madam Li smelled the fragrance of the flowers and finally felt relieved.
“That’s true. What else can we do if we don’t appreciate the flowers? We can’t serve the master, and we can’t curry favor with the princess. How can we live like this?” Li said, harshly criticizing Wu.
"It's strange, despite having such a beautiful face, I didn't give birth much during my pregnancy. I seem to have heard that Sister Wu hasn't served the emperor yet."
Upon hearing this, Wu's eyes turned bloodshot, and she turned and left without regard for etiquette.
“Such a lack of manners, no wonder the master doesn’t like her. Sister Geng, don’t you agree?” Li Shi then turned her attention to Geng Shi.
Madam Geng stood up: "The eldest princess is still here, why must Sister Li be so forceful with her words?"
After saying that, she followed Wu Shi away. They respected Li Shi because of her seniority; after all, they were both princesses, so who was more noble than whom?
Li snorted coldly, not angry, and looked at the eldest princess without saying anything more.
That evening, the eunuch Abao came to report what had happened in the garden. Yihua sneered, "She's forgotten the pain once the wound has healed. It's truly disgraceful for a mother to use such foul language in front of her daughter."
"Granny Chen, go to the East Courtyard and tell her that Li's words were inappropriate and that she should be punished by copying the 'Rules for Women' and 'Precepts for Women' fifty times each, to be carried out after her confinement period. If she offends again, please ask Prince to come and personally instruct her."
"yes."
When Wu heard that the Fujin had given her a break, she felt much better. However, looking at her own room, it was empty and far worse than Geng's, let alone the Fujin's room.
Outside, the maids and eunuchs were playing and frolicking, and none of them truly served their master.
Wu sat listlessly in front of the dressing mirror, thinking of Li's arrogant demeanor, and a wicked thought suddenly arose in her heart.
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