Chapter 56 Not long after calling him "Father," Cheng Qianyue received a reply…
A few days later, Cheng Qianyue received a reply. After reading it carefully, she felt that Yinreng seemed to be having a pretty good time outside. However, when it came to returning, the letter said that the Emperor and the others would return after the Banjin Festival at the Mulan Hunting Grounds.
Cheng Qianyue silently calculated the time in her mind.
The capital city is about seven or eight hundred li away from the Mulan Hunting Grounds. Even an ordinary postman traveling a hundred li a day would take seven or eight days. However, the imperial carriage wouldn't travel very fast, and with delays at the temporary palaces along the way, it would definitely take at least ten or twenty days. If the emperor summoned officials to inspect the areas along the way, it would take even longer. All things considered, by the time Yinreng returns, it will be almost New Year's.
As Cheng Qianyue had predicted, it was already mid-November when the Emperor returned to the Forbidden City. The palace received the news the day before the Emperor's return, and before noon the next day, Cheng Qianyue accompanied the Crown Princess to the Ning Shou Palace to welcome the Emperor.
Ning Shou Palace was the residence of Empress Dowager Renxian. This empress dowager was the legal mother of Emperor Kangxi. She was from the Khorchin and had served Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang in Cining Palace. After the Empress Dowager passed away, she moved to Ning Shou Palace.
In the past, Cheng Qianyue would never have had the chance to come to Ning Shou Palace. But now that she is the Crown Princess, she has a name in the palace, which is why she can get a seat there. Of course, getting a seat is already a good thing; as for chatting and talking, well, she doesn't have the right to interrupt.
Cheng Qianyue sat quietly, a dignified smile on her face, occasionally glancing up out of the corner of her eye.
Sitting at the very top was naturally the Empress Dowager, flanked by Consort Tongjia and the Crown Princess. Below them were the four historically renowned Consorts Hui, Rong, De, and Yi, and then the other prominent concubines of the palace.
Inside the hall, the Imperial Concubine, the Four Concubines, and the Crown Princess were mainly accompanying the Empress Dowager. As for Cheng Qianyue and the others below, they were merely human backdrops. When the Empress Dowager laughed, Cheng Qianyue would laugh along with her; when the Empress Dowager sighed in concern, Cheng Qianyue would lower her head and look down.
After a while, a maid from Ning Shou Palace came in from outside, bowed happily, and said, "Reporting to the Empress Dowager and all the masters, the imperial carriage has arrived at the Meridian Gate."
The princes and officials in the capital would greet the emperor at the Meridian Gate. Once the carriage entered the palace gate, it was estimated that the emperor would soon be heading towards the Palace of Tranquil Longevity.
Upon receiving the news, everyone in the palace sprang into action. The Empress Dowager went to her bedchamber to change her clothes, while the concubines, led by the Noble Consort, lined up in the front courtyard. Cheng Qianyue and Li Jia followed closely behind the Crown Princess.
About half an hour later, the Emperor arrived in a grand procession, and everyone in the courtyard knelt down. Even when Kangxi called for Cheng Qianyue to rise, she didn't dare raise her head, only noticing that one figure in a bright yellow robe passed by, followed by another. Once the Emperor entered the palace gates, clearly intending to speak with the Empress Dowager, the group in the courtyard orderly bowed and withdrew.
Cheng Qianyue returned to Xiefang Palace and immediately drank a lot of water. Oh dear, she had been laughing so hard in Ningshou Palace that her mouth was parched. After finishing her tea, she told Ruoyun, "Let me know if the Crown Prince arrives at Xiefang Palace." Before sunset, Ruoyun came to report that Yinreng had returned, but he was currently in the main courtyard.
Inside the main courtyard, Yinreng had barely sat down when the Crown Princess knelt down to beg for forgiveness. Yinreng put down his teacup, frowning as he listened to her recount the whole story.
The Crown Princess explained the whole story in a methodical manner, especially pointing out her punishment of Liu and Li Jia. Finally, she said, "I failed to see the whole story clearly, which caused Consort Fan to eat cold food for more than three months. I beg Your Highness to punish me."
Yinreng hadn't expected such a thing to happen as soon as he left Xiefang Palace. However, he didn't quite believe the Crown Princess's claim that Lady Liu was the instigator, and he secretly made a mental note of Li Jia's actions. As for the Crown Princess, he slowly lowered his eyes. The reason his subordinates dared to keep it from the Crown Princess was probably because the Crown Princess's position was unstable.
The Crown Princess knelt on the ground in shame; she had never been so subservient to the Crown Prince before. She anxiously wondered if the Crown Prince, who had never liked her, would use this opportunity to reprimand her? Would he embarrass her? Just as she lowered her head, awaiting the reprimand, the Crown Prince unexpectedly called for her to rise in a deep voice.
Yinreng said, "Since you have punished them and rewarded Lady Fan as a way to appease them, the matter is considered closed. As for those below who deceived their superiors and covered things up..." He paused, "The head of the kitchen and the head of the charcoal warehouse of the Imperial Household Department will each be given twenty strokes of the cane to teach them a lesson."
The Crown Princess raised her head in disbelief when the servants outside were punished but the people in the main courtyard were not. After a long while, she still kowtowed and said, "I beg Your Highness to punish me for my failure to manage the household properly."
Yinreng sighed softly. He didn't want to punish her, so that outsiders would know how important the Crown Princess was to him. But seeing her earnest expression, he knew that if he didn't punish her, the Crown Princess would be worried and unable to rest easy. So he said, "Since you ask for punishment, then let's punish her with a month's salary." It would be a small punishment to teach her a lesson.
Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess slowly exhaled, expressed her gratitude, and was helped up by others.
Yinreng had originally planned to leave after seeing the Crown Princess, but after hearing this, he abandoned the idea. The Xiefang Palace always needed a stable mistress; otherwise, if the concubines of the Eastern Palace started committing suicide, his child would be the first to suffer. And in the Xiefang Palace, no one held a higher position than the Crown Princess, so she was rightfully her mistress. Besides, he didn't care what Lady Guarjia truly thought; he knew she had always wanted to be a Crown Princess praised by the Emperor and everyone else, and that was enough.
"Change your clothes." After saying this, Yinreng stood up and went to the inner room. Chen He and the others immediately followed him, some taking off his coat and others kneeling to take off his boots.
Seeing that the Crown Prince didn't blame the Crown Princess, Granny Shuang was overjoyed. Seeing that the Crown Princess was still standing there in a daze, she softly reminded her, "Your Highness?"
The Crown Princess snapped out of her daze and followed. Sitting beside the Crown Prince, she felt a sense of unreality, and more than anything, she didn't know what to say.
Yinreng took off his boots and outer robe, feeling much more relaxed. He couldn't help but lean against the edge of the kang (heated brick bed). He had initially been somewhat interested in talking about what he had seen and heard at the Mulan Hunting Grounds, but then he thought that the Crown Princess wasn't the kind of person who could joke with him. He let out a long sigh of relief, feeling that the room was a bit too quiet at this moment.
Yinreng wanted to call the eldest princess over, but then he felt that Wulinzhu was getting old and it wouldn't be good for his daughter to see him in such a lazy state, so he said, "I hunted some game in the Mulan hunting grounds and tanned some rabbit and deer skins. I'll have someone carry them over in a bit to make clothes for Wulinzhu."
The Crown Princess said softly, "Yes," and then thanked the Emperor on behalf of her daughter.
After talking about his daughter, Yinreng realized that he and the Crown Princess had nothing left to talk about. He was too lazy to find another topic and said in a deep voice, "Go and invite Crown Princess Cheng over, and also tell her to bring the Third Prince over." It was true that he planned to stay overnight in the main courtyard, but he also wanted to see Cheng Qianyue and the child.
In the west front courtyard, Cheng Qianyue was stunned when she heard the summons. She had actually prepared herself for Yinreng not to come today. Think about it, he must have been tired from his journey back, and after entering the palace, he went with the emperor to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. Now that he finally had a chance to sit down in the main courtyard, he probably wouldn't want to move. So Cheng Qianyue guessed that he wouldn't come today.
But to everyone's surprise, he didn't come. Instead, he asked her to go to the main courtyard and even wanted to take the Third Prince with her.
Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but think to herself: Why did you call her and the child over there! If you want to see us, just come over tomorrow after you've rested, right? But since Yinreng had sent someone to deliver the message, she had no choice but to pack up and take the Third Prince to the main courtyard.
Upon arrival, Cheng Qianyue first greeted Yinreng and the Crown Princess, and then sat down on the chairs under their kang (heated brick bed).
Yinreng smiled when he saw Cheng Qianyue, and was even happier when he saw the fair-skinned Third Prince. He said in a deep voice, "Bring the Third Prince over so I can take a look."
The wet nurse quickly carried the Third Prince over, and Yinreng picked the child up from her arms with both hands. He lifted the Third Prince by his armpits and weighed him in his hands, chuckling softly, "This child is really heavy."
He left not long after the child was born, so the Third Prince didn't recognize him at all. But children are at the age where they recognize people and aren't shy around strangers. When he saw this unfamiliar guy, his eyes widened and he stared at him intently, then he started making little noises.
Cheng Qianyue whispered, "He's learning to talk, he's making little noises all the time."
Yinreng held him in his arms and teased him, "Your father's third son is learning to talk, huh? Do you know who I am? I am your father." He smiled and said, "Call me 'father'."
The Third Prince just stared at him and whimpered.
Yinreng continued, "Ah~Father~" The Third Prince waved his hand at his face and made a "hmm" sound as if he had agreed.
Pfft! Cheng Qianyue was practically dying of laughter inside.
"This kid!" Yinreng was both amused and exasperated, but he still patiently repeated, "Call me...A...Mother."
Then the Third Prince burst into laughter, shouting "Ah ah!" and finally, "Mom!" popped out of his mouth. A little while later, "Mom!" popped out again.
Yinreng happily kissed him and praised him, saying, "Oh, you are truly Father's good child."
Cheng Qianyue: ......
Actually, the Third Prince wasn't calling her "Father," but "Mother." She had been repeatedly using the word "Mother" in front of him, hoping to hear him call her that. However, Manchus don't call their mothers "Mother," but rather "Eniang." Although she was used to calling him "Eniang," she still hoped the Third Prince would call her "Mother," because she hadn't heard this modern term in a long time.
However, Yinreng had clearly misunderstood; he thought the Third Prince was calling him "Father." But Cheng Qianyue didn't intend to correct him. If she told the truth, and Yinreng asked her why she wanted the Third Prince to say "Mother," how would she answer him? So she decided to leave it at that.
It was Yinreng who was playing with the Third Prince right in front of them, acting as if no one else was there. Cheng Qianyue felt quite embarrassed. Because the Crown Princess was still sitting there, it made her feel like a mistress who had barged into the main wife's house and was provoking her. Therefore, she felt very embarrassed whenever she made eye contact with the Crown Princess.
But Cheng Qianyue was overthinking it; the Crown Princess had no such thoughts at all. Instead, she sensed movement in the room and the Crown Prince shifting his gaze elsewhere, which eased her anxiety.
After a while, the Third Prince suddenly burst into tears. Cheng Qianyue quickly stood up and said, "The little prince is hungry. We need to take him back to nurse him." With that, she bowed and took her leave with the wet nurse.
After the mother and son left, Yinreng said softly, "That child cried so powerfully."
The Crown Princess smiled slightly, recalling how Wulinzhu could cry and sleep at the same age.
Seeing that the Crown Princess did not answer, Yinreng was not annoyed. He slowly said, "Serve the meal."
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