Today, because of this welcome banquet, we ate a little later than usual. Honghui couldn't wait any longer and stared longingly at Yihua, his chubby little hands eagerly reaching for the various pastries on the table.
Yihua fed Honghui a piece of osmanthus sugar cake, and seeing that the atmosphere was about right, she began to introduce it to Yinzhen.
"Today's family banquet was originally to welcome my two younger sisters. Master, the one to your left is Consort Wu, and the one to your right is Consort Geng."
When the two princesses were called, they immediately stood up, bowed, and greeted him. Wu Shi continued her bold actions and openly flirted with Yinzhen again.
Yinzhen said calmly, "Now that you've entered the manor, you must abide by the rules here. Listen to me outside, and listen to your wife inside."
Upon hearing this, the two men knew how much the princess held in the prince's heart, and they quickly agreed.
After a hearty meal, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yinzhen took Yihua's hand and they returned to the main courtyard together. Honghui was already asleep in his wet nurse's arms.
Li touched her belly, her molars almost grinding to powder, but she was helpless. She glanced at the two newlyweds indifferently, snorted coldly, and left first.
Those who failed to snatch the master away from the wife on the first day are all useless and not worth worrying about.
Wu Shi forced back her tears and returned to the South Courtyard. Before she could even close the door properly, tears streamed down her face: "What does the Princess Consort mean by this? Why are you still arguing with us tonight?"
Geng turned and left, returning to her room and ordering the door to be locked tightly. Kind words were useless against this damned woman; Wu was unrestrained in her speech. She should stay far away, or better yet, move out.
Otherwise, we'll get dragged down by this stupid thing sooner or later.
Seeing that Geng did not comfort her, Wu felt even more aggrieved and just kept sobbing.
The maids who had come with Madam Wu were already used to their mistress's manners and stood there like wooden stakes. The newly assigned maid in the manor was a shrewd one. Seeing that this lady was quite pretty, she figured she would be favored for a while, so she eagerly came up to her and used her silver tongue, which amused Madam Wu.
Yinzhen and Yihua watched as the wet nurse carried Honghui back to the room and carefully covered him with a blanket.
Yi Hua removed the hairpins and ornaments from her head and asked, "Master, today is the special day for both of my sisters. Are you sure you haven't taken a liking to either of them?"
Yinzhen was sitting in a rocking chair, holding a book in one hand but not reading it, and slightly raising his eyes to watch his wife remove her makeup.
This woman is dignified and elegant when dressed up, but has a different kind of cool and aloof charm after removing her makeup.
Whether Yinzhen went to the two princesses' rooms or not, Yihua didn't care. She only knew that if Consort De made a fuss about it later, she would be the one who suffered.
"Your wife is becoming more and more virtuous; you even dare to kick her out, Your Highness!" Yinzhen said with a half-smile.
Yi Hua, sensing the change in tone, braided her hair and poured Yinzhen a cup of hot tea: "Look at what you're saying, Your Highness. If we really followed my suggestion, the two of them wouldn't even be able to get through the gates of the Prince's mansion."
"Let me tell you how much jealous you are." Upon hearing this, Yinzhen was not angry, but relaxed a lot, as if he had finally gotten the reaction he wanted. He reached out and held Yihua's chin, then leaned in and kissed her.
He first pried open Yi Hua's teeth without giving her a chance to refuse, and then began to domineeringly survey this gentle haven, not missing a single corner.
Yi Hua rarely experienced such a fierce verbal battle, and within a few breaths she was at a disadvantage, and she began to try to push Yin Zhen away.
Yinzhen picked her up and placed her on the bed while kissing the corner of her lips.
Before long, the room was filled with the warmth of spring, a fact that cannot be told to outsiders.
Three days passed in this way, and Yinzhen stayed in the main courtyard the whole time.
This made the servants of the Prince's mansion realize a fact: with the principal wife and the eldest prince standing firm, even the most beautiful concubine wouldn't be able to change anything.
Three days later, Yinzhen went to Geng's place, which surprised everyone even more.
After all, Princess Wu was bright and beautiful, and loved to act coquettishly; she seemed to be the type that her master liked.
"It looks nice but is useless," the servants muttered to themselves.
For a time, Wu Gege's place became a neglected spot.
However, Yinzhen had a bad impression of her and wanted to avoid seeing her. He would never let Wu Shi run into him. Even if Wu Shi had all sorts of tricks up her sleeve, she had nowhere to use them. Day by day, she was like a rose withering away, losing all her spirit.
******
Time always flies when you have children around.
It's New Year's Eve again, and Honghui is four years old.
The third generation of the emperor had all grown up and were still young, and had not yet met their grandfather.
Therefore, an imperial decree was issued that all princes should bring their sons to the palace to participate in the New Year's Eve banquet this year, which would be a chance for them to make an appearance.
With two more princesses joining the household this year, things have become much livelier. Yihua ordered a banquet and an opera troupe to be prepared, with Li Shi leading the group to enjoy themselves.
Yihua, along with Honghui and the eldest princess, accompanied Yinzhen into the palace.
In Yonghe Palace, Consort De had already prepared pastries, fruits, and toys that the two children liked. The eldest princess was well-behaved and a little timid, while Honghui was very outgoing. After sweetly greeting everyone, he didn't splurge on the snacks but obediently followed behind his sister. The two chatted back and forth, and it was clear that they had a very good relationship.
Before long, a eunuch delivered a message that Emperor Kangxi summoned his young grandsons to an audience with him.
Yi Hua was somewhat worried, so Consort De ordered Zhou An, the chief eunuch of Yonghe Palace, to personally escort Hong Hui there.
Honghui took out a handkerchief to wipe the crumbs from the corner of his mouth, waved to Consort De and Yihua, and then followed Zhou An away.
The only children of similar age are Hongyu from the Prince of Zhi's family, Hongxi and Hongjin from the Crown Prince's family, Hongqing from the Prince of Cheng's family, and Honghui from the Fourth Prince's residence. The others, such as Hongsheng from the Prince of Cheng's family, can't even walk steadily, so they naturally can't be brought into the palace.
The five little buns arrived one after another. When Hongqing saw Honghui, her eyes lit up, and she ran over quickly, took his hand, and said, "Little brother Honghui, you're finally here! I missed you."
Upon hearing this, Honghui blushed slightly, but still replied, "I miss you too."
Honghui passed Hongqing and saw his three older brothers. He remembered his mother's instructions: since all the people who came today were his brothers, as the youngest brother, he had to be polite.
So, Honghui pulled Hongqing to greet the other three princes. Who wouldn't like a polite and sweet-talking younger brother?
Hongxi patted Honghui's head, and the children quickly started chatting about food and games, making it quite lively.
The Fourteenth Prince couldn't contain himself any longer. He strode out of the house, grabbed Honghui and Hongqing by the hands, and began to tickle them.
Honghui was very familiar and affectionate with the Fourteenth Prince, holding him tightly and not letting go. The uncle and nephew were all very happy together.
Kangxi and the others had long been attracted by the commotion outside: "The Fourteenth Prince loves excitement, and he looks about the same age as his nephews."
The Crown Prince waved to Hongxi and Hongjin, and the children quieted down and greeted Kangxi.
Looking at the round, chubby children, Kangxi felt extremely pleased. Children are so cute; they become repulsive when they grow up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
