At the time, I was a little confused, but I quickly realized that everyone said the Crown Prince was good, but my second uncle wasn't as glamorous as people imagined. During the years he studied in the Imperial Study, the servants in my second uncle's Yuqing Palace were replaced several times. It felt to me as if my grandfather, the Emperor, was controlling my second uncle; it wasn't a father-son relationship, or rather, a very strange one.
At home, my parents would teach and explain the reasons for servants' actions, but they wouldn't simply and crudely replace them.
In fact, Hongyu saw it very clearly. Many people said that the Crown Prince needed Kangxi, but in reality, it was Kangxi who needed him the most. To be precise, Kangxi needed the young Crown Prince Yinreng, the days when father and son depended on each other, and his mindset was often focused on the fact that the child was still young and he had taken care of things for him.
This is the biggest reason why Hongyu couldn't understand why his grandfather had so simply and crudely replaced the Crown Prince's second uncle's servant.
However, the Crown Prince ignored this, believing that Kangxi was manipulating him and disregarding him. He thought he was being a pathetic Crown Prince. When one side is making sacrifices while the other side continues to give without reciprocation or even harbors resentment, things are bound to fall apart.
However, being Kangxi's crown prince was indeed a humiliating experience. Although he could review memorials with Kangxi, he did no other duties except when Kangxi personally led an expedition to oversee the country. He served as crown prince for nearly 30 years.
They also had to live under Emperor Kangxi's watchful eye, in the cramped space of Yuqing Palace.
Watching his younger brothers grow up, attend court, and establish their own residences outside the palace, how could he not feel resentful and panicked?
After returning from the palace, Consort Shu and her wet nurse whispered to each other in her own courtyard.
"Nanny, what did you think of the people in the manor today?"
This wet nurse was actually not very old, only thirty-five or thirty-six years old. Consort Shu grew up on her milk, and the two had a very deep relationship.
"Consort Nalan, looking around this mansion today, the First Lady is very powerful. She has given birth to six princes and has a deep bond with the Prince as his first wife. She should not be underestimated. Although Consort Nalan has not given birth to any children, she is raising the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Princess, and is also the niece of Consort Hui."
Hearing her wet nurse say this, Shumulu felt distressed. She was a daughter from a good family, how could she have become someone's concubine?
Although the concubine was also listed in the royal register, she was ultimately just a second wife.
The wet nurse sighed as she watched her newborn child lean against her.
"Consort, don't worry, we servants will take care of anything. Master and Madam will also stand by your side. Just relax now, take advantage of the wedding to let Master know how good you are, and hurry up and get pregnant."
The wet nurse knew where her daughter's heart lay and had instilled in her since childhood that she would definitely become the principal wife in the future. Little did she know that an imperial decree would grant her marriage, and she would become the concubine of Prince Zhi.
Outsiders only saw it as immense wealth and honor, but they had no idea of the hardships involved. In the mansion, one had to be subservient to the First Lady, and even the Second Lady, Nalan, was superior to her.
Knowing that she couldn't let her hold a grudge, the wet nurse said, "We Manchus don't care about those things. A concubine is also a wife. As long as we are respectful to the wife and follow the rules, no one can do anything to us."
The wet nurse looked at the baby she had breastfed and said, "Tsk tsk, look at our concubine. She was already a fair-skinned and beautiful woman, and now she's even more radiant. Quick, take a nap while it's still early. The master will be coming over tonight."
Hearing her wet nurse mention her grandfather, and recalling his rough, large hands and burning breath from yesterday, made her heart ache and her cheeks flush. She playfully scolded her wet nurse and obediently went to rest.
The wet nurse breathed a sigh of relief. She was also uncertain. The princess was said to be stunningly beautiful. Many people saw the two of them gazing at each other at the wedding yesterday. This morning, when the prince paid his respects, the way he looked at the princess was clearly affectionate. Now she only hoped that the princess could get pregnant as soon as possible so that she could secure her position.
However, the most important thing now is to find out the situation inside the manor. This has been entrusted to Pei'er, the personal maid of the concubine. Also, we need to find out the master's taboos and whether there is anything he dislikes about food. We must make sure that the master comes to our "Camellia Courtyard" to feel comfortable and at ease.
With this in mind, the wet nurse was full of energy. She whispered something to Pei'er and then they went about their business.
The secondary consort was allowed to bring her own dowry, including Shumulu's two personal maids, Pei'er and Huan'er, as well as her wet nurse and Chen Mama.
The concubine had two households: one was the wet nurse's household, and the other was the household of her personal maid, Huan'er.
This Granny Chen came from the palace. Originally, she taught Shumulu about palace etiquette, but after being made a secondary consort, she stayed by Shumulu's side.
Pei'er had served him since childhood, and could be said to have grown up with her master. She was clever and intelligent.
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