In March of the 59th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Western Expedition plan was officially launched. Nian Gengyao, the Governor-General of Sichuan, issued a plaque to Meng Yingrui, ordering him to accompany the army on its mission.
"Fourth Brother, it seems that things are going very smoothly on Nian Gengyao's side."
When Yinzhen received Nian Gengyao's secret letter, a satisfied expression appeared on his face:
“Nian Gengyao was quite discerning; he knew what kind of people to choose to do things.”
Upon hearing Yinzhen mention Nian Gengyao, Yinxiang couldn't help but gossip a bit:
"Fourth Brother, I heard that your concubine, Consort Nian, is pregnant. Congratulations!"
Yinzhen remained remarkably calm.
"Since losing her eldest daughter, Madam Nian's health has been poor. This pregnancy can be considered as fulfilling one of her wishes."
Thirteenth Prince Yinxiang stayed at the Yongqin Prince's Mansion until evening because of some court matters.
After he left, Yinzhen returned to the backyard and went straight to Geng Youran's place.
Geng Youran, who was eating at the time, was surprised to hear that Yinzhen had arrived. Qianxue helped her up and led her to the door to greet him.
"Your Highness, may you be blessed."
"Get up."
Seeing the dishes on the table, Yinzhen glanced at Geng Youran:
"You used it early."
Geng Youran looked embarrassed, thinking to herself, "I didn't know you would come."
"Would you like to use it together, sir?"
"Um."
"Qianxue, get the bowls and chopsticks."
"yes."
With Geng Youran, it seems that Yinzhen abandoned the habit of 'not speaking while eating or sleeping'.
"Hongzhou has been performing well lately, especially in archery and horsemanship, which is probably due to your injury."
"Look at what I'm saying, does the child not know how to study hard?"
"I can believe Hongli, but forget about Hongzhou."
...She didn't want to talk anymore.
Regarding her injury during the Eastern Tour, she hadn't actually expected it.
During their rest stop at the imperial palace, which was surrounded by royal hunting grounds, the emperor organized a hunt.
Geng Youran had never witnessed such a grand occasion before, and for the first time, she begged and pleaded with Yinzhen to take her there.
Of course, you can't go inside, but being able to wait there was enough for Geng Youran.
Who knew that after the hunt was over, a wolf suddenly appeared out of nowhere and rushed in before everyone could react. At that moment, Hongzhou was showing off his gift to Geng Youran.
Even though Yinzhen was quick-witted and agile, Geng Youran was still scratched by the claws.
"This mother wolf has probably been following us the whole time, trying to avenge her cubs."
Geng Youran frowned:
"You also captured wolf cubs?"
Hongzhou scratched his head guiltily, then pointed to the swaying cage that had been covered by a lid at his feet:
"My son just wanted to catch it and play with it for a few days."
Geng Youran felt like her lungs were about to explode with anger. Ignoring her injured arm, she raised her hand and twisted it towards Hongzhou's ear:
"You brat, didn't I tell you to stay behind your fourth brother and not to do anything rash?"
"It hurts! Mother, please be gentle! You're still injured!"
It wasn't a big deal that his own mother twisted his ear; what he did notice was that the clothes on his mother's arm were completely stained.
"Princess, let's hurry up and get it bandaged."
Qianxue, who was standing to the side, also became anxious.
Geng Youran snorted and then returned to the main tent.
Hongli stepped forward, patted Hongzhou's shoulder helplessly, sighed, and thought to himself that his fifth brother was sure to be punished again this time.
As expected, Yinzhen was furious and ordered Hongzhou to kneel outside the tent to reflect on his mistakes, and not to get up without his permission.
"Liang Jiugong, is Hongzhou still kneeling outside Yinzhen's tent?"
"Your Majesty, he's still kneeling. He's been kneeling for two hours already. How can the young prince's body withstand kneeling like this? Please speak up for him!"
As Emperor Kangxi ate the pastries prepared by Geng Youran, a rare moment of relaxation, he said:
“It is only right for Father to discipline his son, and I will not interfere. Besides, Hongzhou is a rebellious boy, so he should be punished a few more times to teach him a lesson.”
Despite saying that, after Hongzhou had knelt for three hours, Kangxi still sent Liang Jiugong to find Yinzhen.
"You admit you were wrong?"
"The son knows he was wrong."
"Okay, let's go."
Yinzhen knew that Hongzhou was still concerned about Geng Youran's injury, and besides, his father had already pleaded for his grandson, so he could not continue the punishment.
"mother!"
Hongzhou rushed to Geng Youran's tent and saw that Geng Youran was sleeping.
"Aunt Qianxue, what's wrong with my mother?"
"The princess has a fever, and the imperial physician is outside brewing medicine."
"Fever? How could you have a fever?"
"The imperial physician said it was probably because the wolf's claws were not clean, and coupled with a moment of anger, he developed a fever. However, the imperial physician said it was nothing serious, and with a few doses of medicine and proper care, he would be fine."
"I want to stay here with my mother."
"My little prince, you can't be of much help here, go back and rest. It's freezing cold, and you've been kneeling outside for so long, even an iron man couldn't take it."
Then Qianxue took out a bottle of ointment and handed it to Hongzhou:
“This is what the princess asked the imperial physician for. She knew that the prince had punished you by making you kneel outside the tent, and she was worried that your knees couldn’t take it, so she asked the imperial physician for this medicine.”
Hongzhou was reluctantly persuaded by Qianxue to return to his tent.
After returning from the Eastern Tour, Hongzhou worked much harder than before, which pleased Yinzhen greatly.
"Does your injury still hurt?"
Geng Youran shook her head:
"Don't worry, Your Highness, it doesn't hurt anymore."
After dinner, Geng Youran played chess with Yinzhen for a while before going into the inner room.
Yinzhen leaned against the bedside reading a book, while Geng Youran lay inside with her eyes closed.
"When Hongshi gets married, take some time to help out at Consort Li's place. Yunrong is pregnant, so you and Wanru should help out with the affairs of the household."
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will take Wanru to Sister Li's place tomorrow."
"Um."
Yinzhen nodded in satisfaction.
Putting down the book and blowing out the lamp, Yinzhen touched the scar on Geng Youran's arm:
"It's ugly, isn't it?"
"You're not ugly, I just feel sorry for you."
The next morning, Yinzhen got up early to go to court, and before leaving, he tucked the blanket around Geng Youran, who was still asleep.
About an hour later, Geng Youran woke up.
After washing up and getting dressed, Geng Youran remembered what Yinzhen had told her last night, so she quickly called Qianxue to the small kitchen to prepare some food for Wanru and Consort Li.
"Princess, isn't it said that the Imperial Household Department will be in charge of hosting Prince Hongshi's wedding?"
"No matter what, Consort Li is still her mother-in-law, and Hongshi is her only son, so she naturally cares about him. Besides, Hongzhou will inevitably have to get married in the future, so it's good for me to learn about it in advance."
Qianxue chuckled. How old is Prince Hongzhou? Her princess is already thinking so far ahead.
"Princess, have you heard? Yesterday, a maid in Consort Nian's courtyard was kicked out."
Geng Youran stopped what she was doing:
Do you know why?
Qianxue leaned closer and whispered:
"I heard that the maid accidentally broke a flowerpot while watering the flowers in the courtyard while Consort Nian was sleeping. The sound reached the room and woke Consort Nian. Then she was driven away."
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