From that day forward, the Fourth Prince's residence began to avoid visitors.
Honghui was very strong. Every day, when Physician Jiang came to change his dressings and remove the gauze, he never cried out in pain. Sometimes, when he couldn't hold back, he would hide under the covers and cry secretly. When Yihua found out, he would blush with embarrassment and say, "Mother, Honghui is not in pain."
Yi Hua didn't hurt the little man's pride and nodded earnestly: "Mother understands. Sometimes the eyes have their own thoughts. It's like how Mother wants to make osmanthus cake for Hong Hui by hand. Mother knows the steps by heart, but her hands just won't obey her."
Honghui thought of the grayish-yellow pastries that resembled a mythical creature, and covered his mouth to chuckle secretly: "Mother, Honghui likes them."
Yi Hua looked at him gently: "Then Mother and Hong Hui have agreed that next time the body has other desires, let's respect them, okay? Let's not hide away."
Honghui injured his head, so he shouldn't think too much or worry too much, and he certainly shouldn't stay under the covers.
"Will Father think Honghui is useless, unable to even ride a horse properly?" Honghui, who had been holding back for several days, finally couldn't help but ask.
"How could that be?" Yi Hua shook her head and reached out to massage Hong Hui's leg muscles, since he had been lying down for too long these past few days. "Your father brought that little mare back and instructed the servants to train her. Once you've recovered, he'll personally teach you how to ride her next time, okay?"
"Really?" Honghui's eyes lit up, then he seemed to realize something and trembled with fear.
Yi Hua saw it all. This incident had left a shadow in Hong Hui's heart. Perhaps he would be afraid of riding horses in the future. Let Yin Zhen take care of overcoming his mental barrier. At times like this, a father's strong shoulders can give his child endless strength.
Although Honghui was recuperating in bed, his studious nature was stirring again within a few days.
Yinzhen assigned a literate young eunuch to read to Honghui by his bedside every day, which satisfied Honghui's thirst for knowledge.
Yi Hua was very puzzled when she saw this.
Son, let's listen to some music, watch some tunes, or even find a storyteller to tell us stories – that's a good way to pass the time.
Are those quotes from Confucius really that good?
She sat in on the class once, but fell asleep halfway through, setting a classic example of what not to do for her son. After that, Yihua just let him be.
It's because the kids like it.
The warm time with Honghui and his mother passed quickly. Yihua spent the rest of her time thinking about who the ghost was in her yard.
Chen Mama and Yu Xiao were her wet nurse and her head maid, respectively, whom she brought from her maiden home.
These two people accompanied the original owner the longest. Did she really not make any mistakes during the few days she transmigrated?
However, the idea that the master's behavior was different and that the master had been switched was too audacious and too shocking.
Therefore, let's assume that these two people have no problems.
Yi Hua only recently discovered that the attributes of the staff in the main courtyard are very complicated.
Some, like Granny Chen, were brought from their maternal families; others had entered the palace through connections when the princes resided there; still others were bestowed upon them by the empresses when Yinzhen established his residence; and some were transferred from the Imperial Household Department to serve him after he acquired the title of Beile. Not to mention the mobile staff in the main courtyard, east courtyard, south courtyard, and the study in the front courtyard.
How foolish she must have been to think these people were of one mind.
Ultimately, it was Yi Hua's mindset as a working-class person in her previous life that ruined her. She always thought that if the boss provided good benefits, the employees would work together towards a common goal.
Little did they know that here, so-called welfare is far less important than rights.
After a period of investigation, Yi Hua focused her attention on three people.
One was Yu Mei, a maidservant brought from her maternal family. She shared a room with Yu Ye, who had once aspired to a higher position, and they were from the same hometown. It was said that Yu Ye had once given Yu Mei's younger brother money to save his life, and the two had a good relationship. After Yu Ye was punished, Yu Mei tried to find out about what happened that day, but was discovered by the eunuch A Bao and severely reprimanded. She was then confined to her work cleaning the courtyard and had no chance to enter her room.
The second is Honghui's wet nurse. Due to Yihua's lingering thoughts from her past life, she stopped Honghui's breast milk program early on. Furthermore, because of the extremely close mother-son relationship, the wet nurse's role was severely limited. Recently, Yihua has been thinking of giving her a generous sum of money to send to her family.
The last one was a eunuch under the command of Eunuch A Bao. Yi Hua remembered him because he was specifically responsible for taking care of Hong Hui's dogs. She suspected him because she discovered a hidden hole behind the dog kennel, barely large enough for a person to pass through, perhaps used by someone to pass messages back and forth. Others might not know about this hole, but there was no reason why a lowly eunuch who cleaned the dog kennels every day wouldn't know.
After investigating these individuals, Yi Hua originally intended to remain still and create an opening for them to lure them out.
However, Yinzhen firmly opposed it and found a pretext to kick all three of them out that very day.
“Yihua, you are not alone now. Even the slightest oversight could lead to disaster. We can’t let the jade bottle get damaged while we’re catching a mouse. At this critical juncture, neither you nor Honghui can accept any more accidents happening to anyone else.”
Yi Hua knew that Yinzhen was right, but she was still a little uneasy. What if all three of them were innocent?
"Don't worry, I'll have people keep an eye on these people. If they're truly innocent, they won't be left destitute." Yinzhen has recently taken to stroking Yihua's belly, as if he can talk to the child in advance.
"If we take another step back, there are still people who haven't been caught yet, and they'll likely remain inactive for the time being, since we've already alerted them."
It's no wonder that those in positions of power are suspicious; Yi Hua discovered that after this incident, her trust in those around her had greatly diminished.
Sometimes, being overly suspicious is a consequence of being forced into it by reality.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com