Chapter 172 Irritability Arises: Not long after Hongyan's marriage, he stopped going to the library...
Not long after his marriage, Hongyan stopped attending political discussions at the Wenhua Hall and took on a new post—serving concurrently in the Censorate. Of course, he wasn't the only one to take a position in a government department; Hongxi and Hongjin also took on different roles, with Hongxi going to the Ministry of Revenue and Hongjin going to the Ministry of Justice.
At first, Cheng Qianyue didn't think much of it, because there were precedents for princes to serve in the Six Ministries or other departments during the Kangxi era. In addition, the princes had all started families, so it was only natural for them to serve in various government departments. However, these past few days, she noticed that Yinreng seemed very happy, and sometimes she felt that he had a kind of restless excitement before he was about to do something big.
As expected, after she asked a few questions, Yinreng got down to business. He said, "Now that I have secured my position in the court, it is time to clean up the long-standing problems."
Speaking of this, Yinreng clenched his fist, his eyes gleaming with confident arrogance. When it came to long-standing problems, the Ministry of Revenue was naturally the first to be targeted. This was a mess left over from the previous emperor's reign; he hadn't made much progress at the beginning of his reign, but now it was time to settle the score. To do this, he first generously increased the salaries of officials according to their rank, and then surveyed the land throughout the country to determine tax revenue. All preparations were complete; now was the time to recover outstanding taxes and eliminate wrongdoing. He placed his three children in these three different places, both to demonstrate his determination and to hope that his princes would unite and participate in this important matter.
Cheng Qianyue went through his words in her mind and immediately understood his idea. Did Yinreng want Hongxi to be in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and work with the Fourth Prince to recover the debts owed by officials from previous years? If anyone was uncooperative, the Censorate would impeach them, and the people involved would be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for processing, thus forming a closed loop?
Hmm, it sounds quite plausible, but these kids have only been involved in politics for a few years. Can they handle such big tasks as soon as they enter the Six Ministries for practical experience?
Hearing her ask this, Yinreng smiled and said, "Of course, we can't let Hongxi and the others take on the main responsibilities. The Ministry of Revenue has the fourth prince, the Ministry of Justice has the thirteenth prince, and the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate was promoted by me. This time, I want the princes to learn from them, so that I can see if they have made any progress in participating in politics over the past few years."
Cheng Qianyue: Oh, I see. In Yinreng's eyes, the princes' participation in politics before was at most pre-job training. Now, entering the Six Ministries is a proper internship, and it might even be an internship with an assessment.
After clarifying Yinreng's thoughts and attitude, Cheng Qianyue called Hongyan over, repeated what Yinreng had told her, and finally said to Hongyan, "Your father has been planning this matter of recovering the arrears for a long time, and has been laying the groundwork for the past few years. Sending you guys out now is a way of making a statement to the outside world. Of course, this is also a consideration for you, and even more so, a sign of how much he values you."
Hongyan had been listening attentively from the beginning, and now he nodded heavily to show that he understood. Then he said in a deep voice, "Mother, don't worry, I will definitely do my job well and live up to Father's expectations."
Cheng Qianyue nodded and said, "In this matter, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate can look out for each other. You can learn from your uncles and the ministers of the Censorate how they handle their duties. If you can help, that would be best. If you can't, that's fine too. But one thing is certain: don't go against your father's wishes, and definitely don't ruin his plans."
Hongyan smiled and said, "Yes, I understand. Speaking of your position, I'm quite worried about my second brother. After all, he is honest and kind. I'm afraid he won't be able to bear seeing others being tortured when he gets to the Ministry of Justice. I'll talk to him when I get back. Everyone who goes to prison deserves it, so he won't have any complaints."
Cheng Qianyue smiled and said, "It would be best if you and your brothers helped each other." Of course, the trustworthy brother she was referring to was Hongjin. As for Hongxi, no matter what he did, Hongyan would outwardly respect and cooperate with him. However, they had no obligation to remind Hongxi, but presumably Hongxi wouldn't disobey Yinreng's wishes. Thinking of this, Cheng Qianyue slowly shook her head.
"My son came today not only to pay his respects, but also to bring something for Mother." After finishing their business, Hongyan brought up personal matters and looked outside, instructing, "Come in." Soon, the eunuch serving him came over with a tray.
Cheng Qianyue glanced over and saw that it looked like clothes.
Hongyan smiled and said, "Guarjia always says that you are pregnant and it is hard for you. She can't serve you and fulfill her filial duty as a daughter-in-law. So these days she has been sewing some little clothes for her unborn brother or sister."
Cheng Qianyue: !!!
Looking at these things, she blushed slightly, chuckled twice, and said, "You're so kind, Guarjia." Finally managing to suppress her embarrassment, she asked, "Do you and Guarjia get along well?"
Hongyan coughed and replied, "She's doing well. She can talk to her son. It's just... it's really boring in the palace. Although I occasionally ask Moyaqi to come and keep her company, or suggest that she go and chat with her second sister-in-law, there's not much else I can do."
"Sigh, that's the downside of being in the Forbidden City." Cheng Qianyue sighed, "It will be better once you establish your own residence." If you have your own residence, you'll have confidence in whatever you do, whether you're outside or at home.
Hongyan was only relieved to establish his own residence after his mother had given birth safely. Although establishing his own residence meant he wouldn't be as close to his father and mother as staying in the Forbidden City, he could do more. Although the matter of the crown prince was still unresolved, it was clear that his father wanted them to have some real power, so establishing their own residence was a good thing. As long as the people he associated with after establishing his own residence were clean, it wouldn't arouse any suspicion.
Cheng Qianyue glanced at the sky outside and said, "Alright, go to the front to pay your respects to your father later, and then go back. Tell Guarjia that she doesn't need to work so hard, that everything is fine with me in Yangxin Hall, and that she should just take good care of you and herself."
After Hongyan knelt and paid his respects, Cheng Qianyue watched his departing figure and let out a long sigh of relief.
For the next few months, Cheng Qianyue continued to rest and recuperate during her pregnancy. Now that the weather is warmer, she doesn't like staying indoors and often goes out for walks. Naturally, she doesn't go to the front, but wanders around the back. In fact, behind the Hall of Mental Cultivation, there are not only the sleeping quarters, but also the side rooms on both sides of the sleeping quarters, which are quite large. The one on the west is called Yanxi Hall, and the one on the east is called Tishun Hall. There are courtyards of moderate size in front of the side rooms on both sides.
Cheng Qianyue wandered around the small courtyard.
Of course, the courtyard wasn't bare. It was springtime, a time of renewal, and all sorts of flowers were in full bloom, so there were quite a few displayed there. It was just a pity that Cheng Qianyue couldn't stand the strong fragrance of flowers, so the flowers sent over by the Imperial Household Department were all brightly colored but without any scent, such as azaleas and crabapples.
In addition, a large vat was placed in the courtyard, filled with lotus flowers and fish. This was Cheng Qianyue's special request, stemming from a bowl of lotus seed soup she had one day. It wasn't that the soup was particularly delicious, but rather that it smelled wonderful. Upon tasting it, she wasn't amazed by its smooth texture, but rather captivated by its delicate fragrance.
Wow, what an extraordinary fragrance! It's three parts sweeter than withered grass and seven parts more subtle than fresh flowers.
After finishing her lotus seed soup, Cheng Qianyue immediately asked someone to find her a box of dried lotus seeds, which she then devoured. From then on, this box of dried lotus seeds became her favorite.
A few days later, Yinreng noticed this little quirk of hers. He saw her holding a wooden box every day, playing with a round, white object in her hand. At first, he thought it was a pearl, but then he realized it was a lotus seed, and he was stunned.
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself: How about that? You're surprised by my strange hobbies, aren't you?
However, after hearing her explanation, Yinreng was both amused and exasperated, saying, "I thought these lotus seeds were something special, but it turns out you just wanted to smell them."
Cheng Qianyue told him, "I just love the smell. I wouldn't trade it for pearls if someone offered to give it to me right now."
Then, within a few days, several pots of lotus flowers in water vats appeared in the courtyard. Yinreng pointed to these large vats and said, "Sometimes I think you've gone mad. There are fresh lotus leaves to see and smell, yet you treat lotus seeds like treasures."
Cheng Qianyue: Yeah, why did my brain suddenly become so clumsy? But she quickly calmed down. It's okay to be a bit slow on small things, as long as you're quick-witted on important matters, right? However, with fresh lotus leaves, she stopped treating the lotus seeds like treasures. So she asked someone to send the lotus seeds she had been cultivating for several days to the kitchen, where they were made into candied lotus seeds, and she ate them all one by one.
Okay, let's not talk about what happened before. Cheng Qianyue is now admiring the lotus leaves in the courtyard. Although there are no flower buds yet at this time of year, the leaves are already growing very well, a vibrant green hanging above the water. Occasionally, through the gaps in the leaves, you can even see goldfish swimming around.
It smells wonderful and looks beautiful.
Cheng Qianyue felt a special peace in her heart as she looked at the vats of lotus leaves.
A month or so passed by leisurely, and it was time to prepare the delivery room in Yangxin Hall. It was late April, not yet May, and the weather was already gradually warming up, so she and Yinreng moved from the West Warm Pavilion to the East Side Chamber. It was already this hot; it would probably be even hotter when she gave birth, so the delivery room was set up in the Tishun Hall, the east wing of the main hall. With nothing else to do, Cheng Qianyue, heavily pregnant, would stroll around the east side, checking on the delivery room preparations from time to time. At this time, the midwife and wet nurse also arrived and stayed in the east wing.
Actually, from the time she found out she was pregnant until now, when she was close to giving birth, Cheng Qianyue remained quite calm. She only experienced some morning sickness in the first few months, but it gradually subsided. Besides, she had given birth twice before, so she was extremely experienced with this kind of thing.
Cheng Qianyue eagerly awaited her delivery. But she waited and waited, until halfway through May, and labor still hadn't started. To be honest, Cheng Qianyue was getting a little annoyed. According to the calculations, the fetus should be full-term by now, so why wasn't it coming out?
So as long as labor hasn't started, she mutters to her belly: "Hurry up and come out, is it so comfortable staying in my belly? Have I gotten addicted to it?"
It has to be said that some things really shouldn't be talked about. It only took three to five days for the pain to start. Cheng Qianyue was still asleep at the time; she hadn't been sleeping well lately, and would try to nap during the day after Yinreng left. But she was woken up by the pain halfway through her nap.
Upon waking up, her first thought, instead of acknowledging the pain, was, "Oh my god, you're finally willing to come out! Alright, let's quickly change locations and go to Ti Shun Tang."
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