The time had come for the young prince to return to his mother's side. In the front yard, the three princes, Honghui, Hongshi, and Hongxuan, walked out together and then parted ways after walking for a while.
Meanwhile, not long after the young princes returned to their respective mothers, the "bad news" that Guarjia's younger brother had ranked seventh in the imperial examination reached the other women in the Prince's mansion. They were all quite upset, wondering why Guarjia's brothers were so capable!
If only that were my older or younger brother! Too bad, it's not!
After feeling jealous and envious of the "bad news" that Jiaming had given birth to a prince and been promoted to concubine, they had become accustomed to hearing "bad news" from Taoyuan. Therefore, they slowly savored all kinds of feelings in their hearts, without showing any obvious outward expression.
However, this did not include Li Shi, because she had just been punished by the Fourth Prince a few days ago to copy the rules of the mansion, and she hadn't even copied them many times yet, and had already become the laughing stock of the mansion.
She felt that the Guarjia clan was specifically targeting her. Ever since the Guarjia clan entered the mansion, she had fallen out of favor, and Hongyun was gone too. The remaining forces under her command had been purged by the master because of the Guarjia clan... Now, when she was having a hard time, the Guarjia clan was highly valued by the master because they had given birth to another son.
Moreover, she didn't want to get used to it; she wanted to continue to be above Guarjia, but Guarjia had become a concubine of equal status. Now, her brother, at such a young age, ranked seventh in the provincial examination, a sure thing for him to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), far more capable than her brothers who at best only passed the provincial examinations and had no real talent.
She was truly unwilling to accept it! The fire of jealousy burned fiercely in her heart, and so, Li Shi, filled with envy and rage, turned her pretty face into a hideous grotesque expression, which immediately frightened Hong Shi, who was returning from the front yard.
Seeing Hongshi's reaction, Li's anger flared even more. So what if he saw her with a long face and got angry?
Angry? Never seen that before? What's there to be afraid of!
"How useless you are! You were scared by this too. Look at your fourth brother..." This time, Madam Li did not vent her anger on the servants, but instead directed her anger at her son, Hongshi.
Hongshi, who was initially frightened by his mother, was stunned by her harsh scolding. After regaining his senses, he was more than just frightened; he was so frightened by his mother's attitude that he burst into tears.
Hongxuan, who was also returning to Peach Blossom Courtyard from the front courtyard, fared much better than Hongshi. He was currently playing with little Hongjing and occasionally chatting with Jiaming. The atmosphere seemed harmonious, making the contrast all the more poignant.
Then, Xiao Hongxuan learned from his mother that his uncle had won seventh place in the imperial examination.
Suddenly, his eyes darted around, and he shifted his gaze from his adorable younger brother to Jiaming, tentatively asking, "Mother, with such a joyous occasion, you should send something to congratulate Uncle, right?"
Actually, it's against the rules for Xiao Hongxuan to call his uncle "uncle." Only the brothers of the Fujin (principal wife) are entitled to do so. Of course, the brothers of the secondary Fujin are also entitled to do so, but Jiaming is only a secondary Fujin.
However, this was not a proper occasion. On her turf, Jiaming said she didn't need to worry about the rules, which made her younger brother Jiaheng feel wronged.
She nodded and replied, "Mm!" But her eyes looked suspiciously at Xiao Hongxuan, because the little guy's expression clearly showed that he was up to something.
Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, the little guy eagerly volunteered, "Then, Mother, shall I go and deliver it to Uncle?"
"You?" Jiaming deliberately dragged out her words, and when she saw the little guy immediately give up teasing Xiao Hongjing and instead put on an air of "I'm very capable," she decisively shook her head: "No way!"
Xiao Hongxuan's face immediately fell, his little brows furrowed, and he asked, "Why?"
Jiaming immediately smiled and said, "The gift has already been sent, there's no need for you to go."
"Oh, that's a pity," Xiao Hongxuan said, somewhat dejected.
“It’s no pity!” Jiaming replied to Xiao Hongxuan decisively.
Xiao Hongxuan immediately suppressed his gloom, stared wide-eyed at his mother, and asked in confusion, "Mother, what do you mean?!"
The little guy had already learned some basic skills of controlling his expressions from his father. Logically speaking, he appeared so innocent and easy to understand, but that was only because Jiaming was someone close to him, his mother, so he could be so uninhibited.
Jiaming knew this, of course, so she spoke freely with the little guy, "Even if the gift wasn't sent, it wouldn't be your turn anyway, so you don't need to feel sorry about it."
"Why isn't it my turn?" Xiao Hongxuan asked stubbornly.
Jiaming, feigning kindness, reminded Xiao Hongxuan, "Entering and leaving the Prince's residence requires your father's permission."
Xiao Hongxuan looked at his mother speechlessly, "I know that."
"Since you know that, you should know that you are still so young, and your father wouldn't feel comfortable letting you go to your uncle's place alone." Jiaming ignored Hongxuan's speechless expression and continued to kindly remind little Hongxuan.
“Why wouldn’t you be worried? If I make the request to Father, he will definitely agree. Mother,” Xiao Hongxuan said, pointing to himself with a little man’s tone, “Xuan’er is a prince, and he needs to experience more and broaden his horizons, not be a princess who is sheltered in the inner chambers. Besides, even princesses, our Manchu princesses often go out to play. So as a prince, as long as I bring the servants and report to Father, he will definitely agree.”
What the little guy said made sense, and Jiaming had no way to refute it, so she could only say, "Alright then, it is indeed a pity, but even if your father agrees, the gift has already been given, and you won't have the chance to go."
“Who said that? There’s a chance!” the little guy immediately retorted.
"Oh?" Jiaming raised an eyebrow.
Xiao Hongxuan said happily, "Uncle still has the palace examination to take. After he takes the palace examination, Mother, you will definitely send him a gift to congratulate him again." He spoke with great certainty.
Upon hearing this, Jiaming immediately realized what Hongxuan was planning. "You're planning to go next time you give a gift?" Although it was phrased as a question, the tone was certain.
Xiao Hongxuan nodded, "So next time, Mother, you don't need to rush to give Uncle gifts. After you've prepared the gifts, wait for Xuan'er to come."
“If you want to go, then go. As long as you get your father’s approval, that’s fine,” Jiaming said without any objection.
After receiving permission, Xiao Hongxuan contentedly turned some of her attention back to her adorable younger brother, continuing to tease him while chatting with her mother from time to time.
The room was filled with a harmonious atmosphere, a stark contrast to the inexplicable outburst of anger from Madam Li of the Pear Courtyard, which resulted in Hongshi being innocently scolded and frightened. The difference was even more striking. Especially after Hongxuan and Hongshi returned to the front courtyard, one had a bright, warm smile, while the other wore a dejected expression.
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