"Mother, are you feeling better?"
"Much better. Why is Fukue so happy today?"
Fu Hui took something out of her purse and handed it to Nian Yunrong:
“Mother, look, this was given to me by Father. He carved it himself. And Father said that I can keep a puppy when I celebrate my birthday.”
Fu Hui was physically weak and often stayed indoors. Yinzhen doted on this youngest son and often took him with him. Over time, Fu Hui's habits began to resemble Yinzhen's.
"Then Fu Hui must keep this gift safe. Ahem."
"Mother!"
Nian Yunrong quickly gave Qingyan a wink.
"Young Prince, the Imperial Noble Consort is still very weak. The imperial physician said she needs to rest. How about I take you to the Imperial Garden to fly kites?"
"Okay, you said it yourself."
Fu Hui was still young and at the age where she loved to play. When she heard that Qing Yan was going to take her to the Imperial Garden to fly kites, she was overjoyed.
Nian Yunrong kept looking at Fu Hui, wishing she could etch her son's face into her eyes.
She seemed to know that her days were numbered.
Whether it was because of the emperor's decree or a temporary resurgence of energy, her mental and physical health seemed to improve after she was granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort.
"Your Majesty, it's cold. You shouldn't stay here in the wind."
"Qingyan, where is Fuhui?"
"Your Majesty, the young prince should be having his meal with the Emperor right now. The Emperor is very fond of our young prince."
Nian Yunrong gritted her teeth, vaguely feeling her strength gradually disappearing.
"Qingyan, find a suitable person to keep an eye on things at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. After Fu Hui leaves, have him go to Gao Wuyong and tell him that I have something to say to the Emperor, and ask him to make sure to convey it to the Emperor."
"yes."
That evening, Yinzhen arrived at Yukun Palace. Upon entering the room, he heard a coughing sound. A curtain was hanging on the bed.
"This servant greets Your Majesty."
"The Emperor has arrived?"
"Rong'er..."
Qingyan carried the medicine bowl out the door, leaving only the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine inside.
"It has been a long time since I heard Your Majesty call me by that name."
"If you like, I will call you that from now on."
"Your Majesty, I dare to ask that you allow me to see my brother. Your Majesty, my brother is truly not a traitor; he was framed."
"Your body is so weak, don't think about these things. Even without the Nian family, I will not mistreat you."
Nian Yunrong smiled bitterly behind the curtain:
"Without the Nian family, how could I still exist? Your Majesty, let's stop deceiving ourselves. You've been acting from beginning to end, haven't you?"
"Imperial Noble Consort, I have made myself very clear. Even without the Nian family, you will always be my one and only Imperial Noble Consort."
Yinzhen never gave Nian Yunrong the answer she most wanted to hear.
At this moment, Nian Yunrong vaguely felt liquid rising in her throat.
"Cough! Cough cough!"
Yinzhen wanted to open the curtain, but Nian Yunrong stopped him with all her might.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to preserve my dignity, so that I may always remain the most beautiful in your memory."
Yinzhen didn't speak, but Nian Yunrong, lying on the bed, talked to herself:
"Your Majesty, I truly love you. I love your calligraphy, I love your jade carving. Because of this love, I wished to bear you more princes. But I am useless; now I only have Fu Hui left. I... I have no time left."
Nian Yunrong took a few deep breaths, wanting to finish her last words:
"Your Majesty, I beg you to allow Qingyan to stay by Fu Hui's side and take care of him after I am gone. This...this is my last request."
"...I agree."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I'm afraid I can no longer accompany Fu Hui to fly kites."
After speaking, the hand that had been gripping the curtain fell.
When Yinzhen heard no sound from inside, he quickly pulled back the curtain and found that Nian Yunrong had already left, her eyes not yet fully closed.
Whether it was out of heartache, reluctance, or guilt, Yinzhen finally shed tears.
Despite Nian Yunrong's departure, Yinzhen did not let Nian Gengyao off the hook. In the end, Nian Gengyao was forced to commit suicide in prison at the age of forty-seven.
After that, Yinzhen often took Fu Hui with him and personally raised her, and Qingyan also became Fu Hui's nanny.
That year, Fu Hui lost her mother and uncle.
That year, Fu Hui was four years old.
To make up for Fu Hui's misfortune, Yinzhen devoted a great deal of love and care to this son.
In the fourth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, the five-year-old Fu Hui was granted special permission by the emperor to use goose-yellow prayer beads.
It should be noted that, generally speaking, those below the rank of prince (including princes) are not allowed to use the yellow prayer beads without the emperor's special permission or authorization, but Fu Hui was permitted to use them.
This is unique among all of Yinzhen's sons.
"Your Majesty, Prince Hongzhou has arrived."
Geng Youran, who was writing, was stunned for a moment. Didn't the Emperor order him to supervise the water conservancy projects in Jiangnan? Why is he here now?
"Your son greets his mother."
"Get up. Hongzhou, shouldn't you have already set off for Jiangnan by now?"
"I was going, but I came to see my mother before I left."
"You, what's there for your mother to see? This is your first time participating in court affairs, so you must be careful and meticulous, and not be careless."
"Don't worry, Mother, I know what I'm doing."
Geng Youran nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked Qianxue to bring over a wooden box she had prepared.
"Inside are several books about water conservancy that your mother has read and found helpful. I've also prepared a few bottles of medicine in case you experience any water or soil acclimatization issues."
Hongzhou smiled and accepted the box.
"Mother, your son is all grown up now and can take good care of himself, so please don't worry."
Geng Youran couldn't rest easy, and continued to instruct:
"This gentle Jiangnan region is bound to have people or officials who want to curry favor with you. Your mother warns you that you must keep yourself pure and never do anything that would damage the royal family's reputation."
Although in Geng Youran's eyes Hongzhou was still young, men here could get married in their teens, so she had to say a few more words.
"Mother, I was just on business. You're overthinking it."
"Hmph, you better be careful, don't think that those local officials are pushovers."
Hongzhou was both amused and exasperated. Actually, he came today simply to see how his mother was doing lately. After all, the Emperor was now doting on Consort Ning to an extreme degree, and with Fu Hui by his side, it was inevitable that his mother would be neglected.
Unexpectedly, his mother didn't take these things to heart at all and nagged him for a long time.
"Mother, I still have some documents to organize, so I won't stay with you any longer."
"Go ahead, Mother, you don't need to worry about things here."
As Hongzhou left the courtyard, Geng Youran's forehead furrowed again.
"Your Majesty, since you are so worried about the prince, why don't you plead with the Emperor? I've heard that the area is plagued by floods and is in great chaos."
“That boy Hongzhou has been looking for an opportunity to prove himself for a long time. Now that the Emperor has taken a liking to him, he can’t be happier. Besides, didn’t you see the lesson learned from Consort Qi?”
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