Sure enough, the day after that, the eldest prince went to the palace to visit Consort Hui after court.
"Li Dequan, find a pleasing young boy to follow you. I suspect that Yinzhi is hiding something from me."
"Yes, sir."
Li Dequan found one of his apprentices and secretly followed the First Prince and his entourage to Yanxi Palace.
It just so happened that this young eunuch had a good relationship with Xiao Anzi in Yanxi Palace, so he spent a little money to get Xiao Anzi to give him a seat by the window.
Inside the room, after paying his respects, the eldest prince, Yinzhi, spoke with Consort Hui about his trip with Emperor Kangxi.
The empress dowager is not allowed to interfere in politics; that's the rule. Consort Hui wasn't interested in matters of the court, mainly because she was worried that Yinzhi was injured on the battlefield and that he wasn't telling her.
"You've come at the perfect time. This morning, Qingzhi and Youran made some chestnut cakes. They're fragrant but not greasy. Your mother thought they were delicious. You should try some too."
As she spoke, she pushed the snacks in front of her son.
"Hmm, it tastes good. I'll bring some back to the manor for the First Princess to try."
Consort Hui was pleased to see that Yinzhi was thinking about his wife.
When Emperor Kangxi bestowed a marriage upon Yinzhi, she specifically asked someone to inquire about the girl's birth chart, and it was said that she was extremely fertile.
Sure enough, she became pregnant a few years after their marriage. A few days ago, she specifically asked the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to examine her. This pregnancy is most likely to be a boy.
"The First Princess is currently pregnant and it's very hard for her. Please visit her in the courtyard more often when you have free time."
"Don't worry, Mother, I know."
"You didn't come here today just to see me, did you?"
Yinzhi scratched his head.
“Mother, you have a discerning eye. Your son does indeed have something else to ask of you.”
"Alright, Mother knows what you're going to say. Not now."
Yinzhi became anxious upon hearing this.
"Mother, you promised your son before I went to war!"
Consort Hui also got angry.
"Hmph, if it weren't for your sake, I would have made her leave Yanxi Palace long ago."
Yinzhi was always stubborn, in fact, he was single-minded and wouldn't turn back until he hit a wall.
“Your son doesn’t care, but you have to do it since you promised.”
Looking at her son's stubborn expression, Consort Hui suddenly felt that the girl named You Ran wasn't so pleasing to the eye anymore.
"Your primary wife is pregnant. I'm going to bestow a maidservant upon your household, someone from my own household. Do you even want her to be able to rest and prepare for childbirth in peace?"
The royal family has always valued offspring, so when it comes to matters involving offspring, other things often seem less important.
After thinking it over carefully, Yinzhi decided that since Geng Youran was still in her mother's palace, it would be fine to let Youran enter the mansion after some time.
"Mother is the most thoughtful. I will listen to Mother in everything."
Consort Hui was satisfied with her son's answer.
Men are just looking for novelty; maybe after a while, Yinzhi will forget about You Ran.
But Consort Hui was still uneasy and felt she needed to find time to send You Ran away before she could feel at ease.
The eunuch outside the door, seeing that the noise inside was gradually subsiding, hurriedly left Yanxi Palace and rushed back to report.
Upon hearing the news, Li Dequan immediately relayed the conversation between Consort Hui and the First Prince Yinzhi to Emperor Kangxi.
"Knock, knock."
Kangxi tapped the table a few times, then continued to ask:
"What is that girl's background?"
"Your Majesty, I remember that this Geng Youran was assigned to Consort Hui's Yanxi Palace during the recent imperial concubine selection."
Kangxi had a rough idea of what was going on.
"It must have been my son who caused this trouble."
Li Dequan did not reply.
"Alright, stop pretending to be mute. Go and find out what happened between Yinzhi and this Geng Youran. Tell me in three days."
Yinzhi was his first son to live to adulthood. This is evident from Yinzhi's nickname, "Baoqing," which shows that Emperor Kangxi had high expectations for his eldest son.
As a father, he knew about Yinzhi's stubborn and obstinate nature.
For a prince, having a favored concubine is a minor matter, but it is absolutely unacceptable for him to lose his mind because of a woman.
Meanwhile, Kangxi ordered Li Dequan to personally investigate what had happened between the eldest prince, Yinzhi, and Geng Youran.
On the other hand, after Yinzhi left, Consort Hui became sullen and unhappy.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong? Usually, when the First Prince comes, you're happy for a long time."
"When a son grows up, he's no longer under his mother's control. This kid has reached the age where he's becoming disobedient. Honestly, he's almost a father himself, and he's still so impetuous."
Qinglan massaged Consort Hui while speaking comforting words.
"Your Highness, please don't be angry. Perhaps the First Prince didn't mean it. You'll soon be a madam; you should be happy."
Consort Hui felt much more at ease thinking about the child in the First Princess's belly.
"Go and find the jade ruyi that the Emperor bestowed upon you two years ago, and give it to the First Princess Consort, saying it's for her to have a safe pregnancy. Then, call Qingzhi in."
"yes"
At that moment, Qingzhi was hiding in the small kitchen, lost in thought.
She had just returned from the imperial kitchen when she overheard several palace maids whispering in the outer courtyard, saying that the eldest prince wanted to take You Ran as a concubine.
However, Consort Hui did not agree.
"Oh, my dear sister, I've finally found you! Sister Qinglan said that Her Majesty is looking for you."
After Geng Youran finished applying the last bit of medicine in the side room, she happened to run into Qinglan.
Qinglan was in a hurry to do what Consort Hui had asked her to do, so she asked Geng Youran to go find Qingzhi.
"Okay, I'll go right away. Keep an eye on this pot; it's soup for the Empress. Keep a close eye on it."
"yes."
Qingzhi hurriedly entered the room and, upon seeing Consort Hui, was about to bow when Consort Hui said:
"Get up, come here, I need to ask you something."
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