Duofu hugged his belly again, giving him a pitiful look, as if he had eaten too much and looked silly.
The eunuch standing nearby quickly explained that they had tried to stop Duofu from eating, but he would whine and throw tantrums, and would also threaten and shout, so they dared not stop Duofu from eating.
Consort Tong felt her depressed mood ease immediately. Looking at Duofu's silly little face, she said to the Fourth Prince beside her.
"Go play with Duofu for a while, then you need to wash up and go to bed. Don't stay up too late."
After arranging things for the Fourth Prince, Consort Tong returned to her palace with her maids. Looking at the empty palace under the bright lights, she decided to spend the night alone.
Her mood plummeted again. The emperor was supposed to stay with her tonight and coax her gently, but it was all because of that vile woman, Uya, whose handkerchief was torn to shreds.
Qinglan, the personal maid, saw that her mistress's hands were red from being pulled and that two lines of tears were streaming down her face. She quickly used a handkerchief to wipe away Consort Tong's tears, feeling a mixture of heartache and resentment.
"Your Majesty, you must not be angry because of that vile woman, Wuya. His Majesty still cares about you the most."
"You are His Majesty the Emperor's cousin. Your relationship is far beyond what someone like Wuya Shi can compare to. She's not even worthy to carry your shoes; her status is so lowly."
Whenever the Empress shed tears because of Uya, the servants around her were filled with resentment. How dare a servant girl, who was her master, make the Empress so sad?
The wet nurse, watching her pampered daughter shed tears because of that lowly servant, felt a surge of hatred and quickly changed the subject.
"My lady, you mustn't cry. Look how swollen your eyes are. Don't hurt them."
"His Majesty will come to see you tomorrow. If you cry until your eyes are like a cat's, he'll think we didn't serve you well and might even beat us to death."
He instructed Aoki to quickly prepare hot water for a hot compress, lest the swelling worsen.
Consort Tong laughed through her tears as she listened to the wet nurse's teasing, and quickly stopped crying.
The wet nurse took the handkerchief and applied it to Consort Tong's eyes, saying as she did so.
“Your Majesty, you are of noble status. No matter what, Uya can never surpass you. She always brings up the Sixth Prince’s health. It’s clear he won’t live long. Why get so angry over a dying man?”
"No matter what happens to Uya, she still has to kowtow and pay her respects to you. There are plenty of people below who don't like her. When the time comes, you just need to give her a push, and plenty of people will trample on her. You won't even have to get your hands dirty."
"Flowers don't bloom for a hundred days; she'll eventually fall out of favor. What harm is there in letting her enjoy herself for a few more days?"
After hearing what the wet nurse said, Consort Tong's sadness and anger subsided somewhat, but she still felt indignant.
“Wet nurse, I am heartbroken. All these years, I still haven’t given the emperor a son or daughter. That wretched woman, Uya, keeps bringing up the child every day.”
The wet nurse quickly comforted her.
"Fourth Prince is the Empress's child. You raised him from a young age and truly loved him, never being harsh on him in any way."
Consort Tong looked up at the dark night outside the window and sighed deeply.
"No matter how good the Fourth Prince is, he wasn't born from my belly, so I always feel a little less close to him."
After a while, Consort Tong lowered her head and touched her belly, and said softly.
"I just want to have a child of my own, whether it's a boy or a girl."
On the Fourth Prince's side, Duofu was seen walking around a small table, seemingly digesting his food. The Fourth Prince followed Duofu around the small wooden table.
After walking around a few times, Duofu felt he had had enough; his stomach wasn't so bloated anymore, and he could rest. He planned to climb onto the white fur to rest for a while.
The Fourth Prince, who was standing nearby, quickly followed and waved his hand to send all the maids away.
Only he and Duofu remained in the room. The Fourth Prince approached Duofu, patted his head, and said with a hint of sullenness.
"Do you think Father Emperor prefers Sixth Brother? It's happened several times because of Sixth Brother."
"Father Emperor abandoned me and Mother and went to Yonghe Palace to see Consort De and Sixth Brother."
Sitting on the white fur, Duofu's two fox eyes darted around twice. After thinking for a moment, he thought, "That should be it."
Uya's favor with the emperor seems to have lasted for quite some time. Now, the sixth prince has been born, and she still has several children to give birth to.
"You don't need to worry. This sixth prince is also destined to die young. He won't live much longer than you. He's not as fortunate as you."
The Fourth Prince felt a warmth in his heart as he heard Duofu's barking, and the babyish barking filled his ears.
A smile appeared on his little face again, his eyes shone, and his two chubby paws grabbed Duofu's ears excitedly.
“I knew Duofu could understand us. You’re responding to me, aren’t you?”
Duofu hurriedly shook his head, trying to break free from the Fourth Prince's two fat paws, while angrily barking, "Woof woof woof woof woof."
"Little meat bun, let go of my ears right now, or I'll get rough with you."
The Fourth Prince looked as if he had gone mad, muttering to himself.
"Duoduo! I knew you would understand."
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