The tenth prince, Honghao, rolled his eyes and said, "Mother, let's go see Xiaohan and Dahan."
The eleventh prince, Hongyao, was also very understanding. He tugged at Ituma Shushu's sleeve and said, "Mother, Hongyao misses Xiaohan and Dahan."
Ituma Shushu gently tapped their noses and said softly, "Alright, Mother won't scold you anymore. Let's go see Xiaohan and Dahan."
...
The wind is gentle and the moon is bright.
Oh, I forgot to mention, today is the first day of the lunar month, the day to pay respects to the Empress.
Consort Yu glanced at Ituma Shushu's position and asked with a worried expression, "Your Majesty, what's wrong with Consort Shu?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I heard that the Imperial Physician Sun, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, personally went to Chunqi Xiuse to check on Consort Shu's pulse. I just don't know how Consort Shu is doing now?"
After a moment of hesitation, Consort Xi's eyes flickered, and she followed with a worried expression, speaking softly.
After glancing at the two of them indifferently, the Empress said gently, "Consort Shu is indeed unwell. She will need to rest and recuperate for the next few months."
The Emperor has already given the order that no concubine in the harem is allowed to disturb Consort Shu's rest at Chunqi Xiuse.
After a pause, the Empress continued gently, "If you are truly worried about Consort Shu, then copy some Buddhist scriptures and pray for her well-being."
Upon hearing this, Consort Qi immediately clasped her hands together and said, "Your Majesty is right. I will copy Buddhist scriptures upon returning home to pray for Consort Shu's well-being."
The other concubines also agreed.
Then, Consort Xi frowned and asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, are the Tenth Prince and the Eleventh Prince still in Chunqi Xiuse?"
When Consort Yun heard Consort Xi mention the Tenth Prince and the Eleventh Prince, she immediately pricked up her ears to listen, afraid of missing a single word.
Upon hearing this, both Consort Qi and Consort Yu's eyes flickered.
Consort Ning and Consort Yu understood Consort Xi's implication. They exchanged a glance and shook their heads slightly at each other.
Few of those present were fools; a glint of shrewdness flashed in the eyes of Consort Jing and Consort Qi.
After taking a sip of tea, the Empress said softly, "With so many servants attending to the Tenth Prince and the Eleventh Prince, there's nothing wrong with them staying at Chunqi Xiuse."
Upon hearing this, Consort Xi did not refute it, but instead said, "Your Majesty the Empress is absolutely right. I was overthinking it."
The concubines then had their own thoughts, and they chatted about other things for a while.
The Empress did not keep the concubines for long before dismissing them.
At this moment, Granny Chun couldn't help but whisper, "Your Majesty, just now Consort Xi specifically mentioned the Tenth Prince and the Eleventh Prince, didn't she?"
The Empress nodded and said softly, "They've all been with the Emperor since he was a prince. How could Consort Xi not know anything about the Emperor's temperament?"
Since the Empress did not mention the Tenth Prince and the Eleventh Prince at the beginning, but only said that the Emperor allowed Consort Shu to recuperate peacefully in Chunqi Xiuse, she knew that the Emperor wanted the two young princes to stay with Consort Shu.
She was getting a little anxious, seeing that Consort Shu's sons were all growing up one after another.
The Hall of Diligent Governance.
Emperor Yongzheng had already finished the morning court session. At this moment, he held a pen in his hand, intently reviewing the memorials in front of him.
Beside Yongzheng, eunuchs and palace maids stood quietly, not daring to make the slightest sound, for fear of disturbing his thoughts.
The entire palace was quiet except for the occasional sound of brushstrokes.
After a long while, Yongzheng put down his pen and called out, "Serve tea."
"Yes, Your Majesty." After carefully serving the tea, the palace maid quietly withdrew.
Yongzheng picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and then put it down.
Then, he lightly tapped the rim of the white jade cup with his well-defined index finger.
Yongzheng recalled his conversation with the Empress the previous night.
Last night, following the established routine of putting on a show, after giving instructions to Consort Shu, I went to the Empress's quiet and bright room.
When she mentioned which concubine in the harem was suitable to raise the Tenth Prince Honghao and the Eleventh Prince Yao, the Empress analyzed the situation with her and the candidate was actually Consort Yun.
Well, the Empress's analysis is very reasonable. If she hadn't arranged for someone to keep an eye on Consort Yun beforehand because of Consort Shu's talent and skills, she would have chosen Consort Yun as well.
He himself wanted to arrange for the Tenth Prince Honghao and the Eleventh Prince Hongyao to stay at the Jiuzhou Qingyan and raise them by his side.
But things are different now. I'm really afraid that I won't be able to raise them both before I reach the age of fifty.
In that case, the Tenth Prince Honghao and the Eleventh Prince Hongyao would be easily targeted by malicious individuals.
The seventh prince Hongzhao, the eighth prince Hongxu, and the eighth prince Hongxuan were still too young to protect their younger brother.
Therefore, it would be a natural thing to find a concubine in the harem to raise the tenth prince Honghao and the eleventh prince Hongyao for a few years, and then let them study in the Imperial Study and live in the princes' quarters when they reached the appropriate age.
No one will think much of it; everything seems perfectly reasonable.
She wouldn't think too much about it either, after all, for a concubine in the harem who couldn't have children, being able to raise a prince was a great thing.
She believed that as long as the concubine wasn't a fool, she would wholeheartedly raise the two young princes and try to cultivate a relationship with them.
All things considered, it seems that everyone except Consort Shu is truly fulfilled. No wonder Consort Shu was so anxious and worried that she couldn't sleep at night.
However, Consort Shu was truly useless, and Emperor Yongzheng was quite disappointed in her.
Yongzheng took a deep breath. Neither he nor the Empress had noticed Consort Yun.
Consort Yun's disguise was too good, and there were very few opportunities for her to show her skills in her own harem.
Around the time that Consort Shu was pregnant with the seventh prince Hongzhao, the eighth prince Hongxu, and the ninth prince Hongxuan, Consort Yu, Consort Ning, and the Empress all became pregnant with imperial heirs and gave birth to princesses.
So Consort Yun still held onto the hope that she could conceive the emperor's child, but she gradually became disappointed.
However, she was also cautious enough, first setting her sights on those young nobles, attendants, and concubines.
Later, she realized that the Tenth Prince Honghao and the Eleventh Prince Hongyao might be her last two children, so she set her sights on Consort Shu.
It really can't be entirely blamed on Consort Shu. Besides, before entering the palace, Consort Shu was just an ordinary person with simple family relationships. How powerful could she be?
The more Yongzheng thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He couldn't rest easy about his young princes and princesses, nor could he rest easy about the affairs of the previous dynasty. He just didn't know if Heaven would be willing to give him a few more years.
Sigh, when my thirteenth brother passed away, I thought I didn't have many years left to live. At that time, I had even written my will.
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