Chapter 174 Rat Jade Bottle After Cheng Qianyue finished her postpartum confinement, her body felt much better…
After Cheng Qianyue finished her postpartum confinement, she moved from Ti Shun Tang back to the rear palace of Yang Xin Dian. As for Hongyao, he stayed at Ti Shun Tang with his wet nurse. Logically, now that she had given birth and finished her confinement, she and Hongyao should have returned to Yongshou Palace. However, Yinreng did not mention this, and Cheng Qianyue was happy to play dumb, not taking the initiative to suggest leaving.
Why leave? Anyway, the first thing Yinreng does when he comes home every day is to look after the children. She also has to take care of the children during the day, so she can just stay here.
However, when it comes to taking care of children, Cheng Qianyue felt that Hongyao was extremely easy to care for. The child spent the day with her and the night with the wet nurse. During the day, he was very well-behaved; he would cry when he wet himself, and fall asleep after feeding—a truly obedient child. The wet nurse also said that he was very well-behaved, and his nighttime awakenings were regular and not troublesome at all.
So she gave birth to an angel baby?
Cheng Qianyue hugged Hongyao and kissed him passionately, praising him: "You are such a good boy."
As she praised her, Cheng Qianyue thought of herself. Her mother had also praised her for being easy to take care of, always calling out for food, drink, and toileting, and usually just staring wide-eyed at everyone, smiling at anyone she saw. Every time Cheng Qianyue heard Xitala talk about her childhood, she would think, "She's a time traveler, someone who's lived two lives, how could she be difficult to take care of?" But now, Hongyao seemed just like her.
So...is Hongyan a real angel baby, or is she also a time traveler like her?
Cheng Qianyue looked at Hongyao, who was grinning with his little mouth, and tilted her head in confusion.
Time travel probably isn't that common...
That makes sense, but we still need to test it out. How? Well, just ask a few questions and we'll know, right?
Cheng Qianyue touched Hongyao's nose and said softly, "Mother has a few questions for you. If you know the answers, wink at Mother three times, okay?" Seeing that Hongyao didn't object—well, of course, he couldn't object anyway—she asked.
“Your mother knows a saying, do you know it?” Cheng Qianyue lowered her voice and said, “Odd changes, even doesn’t, the sign depends on the quadrant.” After saying that, she stared at Hongyao. As a result, Hongyao didn’t react when he heard her speak, he just stared at her with wide eyes.
Cheng Qianyue: Does he know or not know? Or has he never learned this mnemonic? Well, who says time travel has to be for adults? Besides, even adults have different academic backgrounds, like arts and sciences. And some people don't remember everything after they start working; she herself has almost forgotten everything from trigonometric functions and parabola equations from junior and senior high school.
Cheng Qianyue thought for a moment and said something that both adults and children know, "Does Hongyao know what one plus one equals? One plus one equals two, right?"
Even after she said that, Hongyao still just stared at her, a smile creeping onto his lips, looking utterly adorable and innocent.
Cheng Qianyue: ......
Alright, assessment complete. He doesn't even know the most basic addition and subtraction, which shows that Hongyao is just an ordinary kid and has absolutely nothing to do with time travel.
Cheng Qianyue sighed, but quickly realized it was for the best. If she really gave birth to a child from another time, well, how would she treat Hongyao then? What would they call each other? They were from the same hometown, but by blood, they were mother and son. Were they supposed to treat each other differently? Hongyao would call her "Mom," and she would call him "fellow villager" or "brother"?
Hmm~
Cheng Qianyue involuntarily shuddered, finding the situation both bizarre and hilarious. She let out a soft "Oh dear," and muttered, "It's better this way." For the sake of ethical harmony, only one of them—the son or the mother—can travel through time!
After that, Cheng Qianyue continued to take care of the baby as usual. Once the hottest part of July was over, she would take Hongyao for a walk in the yard in the morning and evening. As Hongyao grew bigger and heavier, Cheng Qianyue simply had a shed built in the small courtyard on the east side. When she got tired of carrying him, she would put Hongyao on a mat and play with him using a rattle drum to encourage him to roll over.
That day, she let Hongyao play in the shade while she sat outside in the sun for a while. These past few days, she'd felt a chill in her arm bones, unsure if it was from putting too many ice packs indoors or from carrying Hongyao. So she decided to come out and get some sun to promote calcium absorption.
Not long after she'd been out in the sun, Cheng Qianyue suddenly heard a faint, angry shout coming from ahead. Listening carefully, she realized it was indeed Yinreng getting angry. She wondered who he'd seen and what had caused his anger. Cheng Qianyue lowered her eyes and turned to see that the servants in the courtyard seemed to have heard the commotion as well, all heads bowed, afraid to move. She said to the wet nurse watching Hongyao in the shed, "Take the Fifth Prince inside."
As everyone walked into the sleeping quarters, Cheng Qianyue did not follow them. Instead, she took two steps forward and stood in the passageway between the sleeping quarters and the front hall. From there, she could hear the scolding even more clearly, including words like "absurd" and "extraordinary mercy."
Cheng Qianyue dared not listen any longer and returned to the east annex of the bedchamber to hold her son. Hongyao had just sweated, so she asked the wet nurse to bring over some baby clothes so she could change him. Just as she finished dressing Hongyao, Yinreng stormed in angrily. Cheng Qianyue handed Hongyao to the wet nurse, telling her to take the child away, then gestured to the side for a servant to bring water.
After entering, Yinreng sat directly on the couch. Although he closed his eyes, his breathing was rapid and shallow. Just then, water was brought in. Cheng Qianyue stood up, wet a handkerchief, wrung it out, and then wiped Yinreng's sweat. The handkerchief gently stroked his forehead, cheeks, and even his neck.
Yinreng grasped her hand, opened his eyes, and said, "I'm fine."
Cheng Qianyue said softly, "No matter what the reason, don't hold a grudge." After putting down the handkerchief, she asked, "Who did you see today?" A prince? A minister?
Yinreng let out a long sigh of relief, a hint of weariness showing in his eyes: "I saw Hongxi."
Hongxi?
As far as she could remember, this was the first time Yinreng had ever been so angry with Hongxi. Cheng Qianyue didn't dare to ask any further questions, and only said, "Is there anything that can't be discussed properly? If Hongxi has done something wrong, you can just teach him properly. Why take your anger out on the child like that?"
Yinreng pinched the bridge of his nose and slowly shook his head.
Cheng Qianyue didn't say anything to comfort him, but sat down next to him and rubbed his temples.
Shortly after lunch, Yinreng wanted to take a nap, so Cheng Qianyue excused herself to go check on Hongyao at Tishun Hall. Upon arriving, she found Hongyao drinking milk in the inner room. Cheng Qianyue called Qiao Derang in from the outer room. Qiao Derang was, after all, someone Yinreng had given her, and presumably had some connections with the people there. Therefore, she would have him inquire about matters concerning Yangxin Hall, which was more convenient.
She asked Qiao Derang, "Have you found out? What caused the Emperor to get angry today?"
Qiao Derang hurriedly replied, "This servant heard it's because of Lord Li's matter. Recently, Li Changning, the attendant and bodyguard of the First Prince, has been impeached for misconduct, and Prince Hongxi has come today to plead for him."
After hearing the whole story, Cheng Qianyue lowered her eyes, waved her hand slightly, and said, "I understand, go down." She went into the room a moment later. Hongyao had already been fed, and his eyes were half-closed, so he must be sleepy. Cheng Qianyue took him from the wet nurse and gently patted Hongyao's back to lull him to sleep.
As she walked, she thought: Li Changning was impeached for misconduct and colluding with court officials; the Li family would likely not fare well. She snorted coldly. Let them make a scene; the more disorganized they became, the happier she was.
Yinreng woke up at 1:30 pm, which was his usual time. He was surprised to find Cheng Qianyue not there and asked, "Where is your mistress, Cheng?"
Jing Shun replied, "Master Cheng went to see the Fifth Prince but hasn't returned yet. He must be keeping the prince company during his afternoon nap."
Yinreng hummed in agreement, got up, washed his face, and felt much clearer-headed. Once his mind was clear, he couldn't help but think about what had happened that morning, and anger inevitably welled up inside him.
The Li family has been incredibly busy these past two years, and he had long harbored resentment towards them. This time, using the Ministry of Revenue as a pretext, he wanted to seize the opportunity to severely suppress the influence surrounding the Li family. Unexpectedly, during this purge of officials, Hongxi disagreed with him, indicating that someone had pleaded with Hongxi on their behalf. Therefore, whoever was orchestrating this inside and outside the palace was likely none other than Li Changning.
Yinreng had never taken Li Changning seriously before, but this time, when he sent people to investigate, he discovered that this man was incredibly audacious, using Hongxi's name to flaunt his power and influence, not only accepting bribes but also secretly contacting ministers. Each of these offenses, no matter which one was chosen, was a capital offense.
How could he not be furious that such a thing was around his son? He just didn't expect that as soon as Li Changning was imprisoned, Hongxi would come to plead for him, not only exonerating him but also subtly implying that Li Changning had been framed.
Was he framed? Was someone forcing Li Changning to take other people's money, or was someone forcing him to attend other people's banquets multiple times?
Thinking of this, Yinreng let out a deep breath.
But as the saying goes, "If you kill a rat, you damage the jade bottle," and now the Li family is the rat, and Hongxi is the jade bottle. He really didn't want to have any conflict with Hongxi because of the Li family. After a moment, Yinreng said, "Order the Ministry of Justice that the First Prince's attendant, Li Changning, has behaved improperly and disregarded the Emperor's grace. He shall be given thirty strokes of the cane. Effective immediately, he shall be removed from his positions as a servant and bodyguard and shall never be employed again."
However, Yinreng quickly frowned again, feeling that this was probably only a temporary solution. There was still Lady Li Jia in the palace, and her character was truly subpar. He thought that Hongxi's current situation was likely influenced by his mother, Lady Li Jia.
Furthermore, he needed to make Hongxi understand why those people outside were so entrenched around him. Wasn't it because Hongxi was the eldest son and had a greater chance of becoming crown prince? But what if Hongxi lost that chance? Would they still be so devoted to him?
So, why not take this opportunity to let the children leave the palace and establish their own residences? The Crown Prince has always been in the palace, not outside, so the children living in the palace have an implicit desire to compete for the throne. But if they all leave the palace, people outside will think that he will not choose the Crown Prince from among them, and then the momentum outside will cool down.
Yinreng thought so.
At this moment, Cheng Qianyue walked in from outside. She had come from Tishun Hall after hearing that Yinreng had woken up. Yinreng came to his senses, looked up at her and said, "I didn't see you after I got up."
Cheng Qianyue said, "I went to coax Hongyao to sleep, and then I got sleepy too, so I just slept with him."
Yinreng nodded and smiled. "Is he awake now?"
“He’s awake,” Cheng Qianyue replied. “The wet nurse is feeding him now, and she’ll bring him over in a bit.”
Sure enough, a short while later, the wet nurse brought Hongyao in. Yinreng was already quite skilled at holding children, so he immediately lifted Hongyao by his bottom and held him in his arms. He looked into Hongyao's big, dark, and shiny eyes and smiled.
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