After Emperor Kangxi issued an imperial edict, no one in the Fourth Prince's backyard could sleep. After lying down for a while, Lady Nara turned to Liu Mama and said, "Mama, go and call Lingyu to bring the First Prince here."
"This servant will go right away, Madam, please rest well." Unlike before, Granny Liu was no longer willing to persuade her. Madam was becoming more and more opinionated and was not very receptive to her words.
The concubine in Wanyue Pavilion was reinstated, and the current wife couldn't sit still. She wanted to use the eldest prince to keep the prince, but this method was really inappropriate. The prince is discerning and will see through it. It's probably a waste of effort.
Li and Nian, who shared the same idea in the backyard, sent their maids to wait at the gate early in the morning. As soon as the master returned to the mansion, she was determined to have the maids intercept him.
The second prince Hongyun and the third prince Hongshi, along with the little princess, were taken to Li Shi by the wet nurse, waiting for Yinzhen to return to the mansion.
Lady Nian of Weifang Courtyard was much calmer. She lay on the couch and asked Xiangyu to fetch the imperial physician. The scene was quite dramatic. Everyone else in the courtyard knew what was going on, but no one pointed it out. They were all waiting to see Consort Tong make a fool of herself.
According to past custom, the restoration of Consort Tong's status, along with the imperial decree from the Emperor, was a joyous occasion for the household.
Prince Bei had no choice but to stay overnight at Wanyue Pavilion to express his gratitude to the Emperor, which also showed his high regard for Consort Tong.
However, judging from the behavior of the primary consort Li and secondary consort Nian in the mansion, it seems that neither of them wants secondary consort Tong to enjoy all the glory, and they are both making small moves in private.
In the palace, when Consort De learned that Lady Tong had been restored to her rank, she angrily smashed the teacup in her hand. It was she who had suggested stripping Lady Tong of her rank, and only two months later, the Emperor had slapped her in the face and even issued an imperial edict.
The more smug Tong was, the angrier Consort De became. Disregarding her own dignity, she snorted coldly and slammed the table down in front of the three princes.
The Fourteenth Prince stepped forward with a forced smile, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "I congratulate you, Fourth Brother. I'll visit your residence another day to ask for a drink." With that, he flicked his sleeve and chased after Consort De.
Thirteen stood up, shaking his head with a wry smile, "Fourth Brother, what is Father Emperor playing at? Isn't this going too far?" He directly embarrassed Mother De, no wonder she was angry.
Yinzhen was well aware that his mother disliked Lady Tong in the household, and this time she had simply come to despise her.
She'll have a hard time later.
He glanced at Thirteen, then got up and walked outside.
As to why Lady Tong was reinstated, even Yinzhen himself was completely baffled. Whether it was appropriate or not, his father, the Emperor, would surely have his reasons.
When he was in Rehe, he was also greatly surprised when his father sent someone to inform him. It was no coincidence that Tong had run into his father's guards.
During this time, he was constantly worried about her and couldn't sleep at night, fearing that his father would secretly punish her.
This woman, without a sound or a scratch, had actually regained her rank. He couldn't help but wonder, this wasn't like his father's way of doing things.
Father Emperor is always fair in his rewards and punishments. Could it be that Lady Tong did something to please Father Emperor, even to the point that he disregarded his mother's reputation and wanted to restore her to her former status? I'm afraid there's more to this than meets the eye.
Yinzhen could never have guessed that the mastermind behind the three sleepless nights he and his brothers had spent working with officials from the Ministry of Personnel was none other than his own concubine.
He was on tenterhooks for half a month, but he was finally relieved. However, he was so angry that he almost ground his back teeth to powder.
He wished he could hang Tong up and beat her to vent his resentment.
As the two brothers reached the palace gate, Yinzhen, seemingly lost in thought, said to Su Peisheng, who had come to fetch him back to his residence, "Go back to the residence and tell the Princess Consort that I have business to attend to today and will not be returning home. There is no need to leave the gate open."
Su Peisheng hesitated, but still said, "My lord, the steward of the manor just came to report that the Fujin is not feeling well, the Second Prince is having stomach problems, and the Imperial Physician has also been summoned to the Fujin's courtyard. He said it seems that the pregnancy has been threatened."
Seems like it? Pshaw~ Everyone thinks I'm a fool and trying to fool me.
Yinzhen narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Tell the imperial physician that I want to see the medical records tomorrow. If you try to fool me with trivial matters, don't blame me for being impolite."
Su Peisheng said with a bitter face, "This servant understands."
After seeing Su Peisheng off, Thirteen walked over and looked at his fourth brother with a grin, "Fourth brother, aren't you going back to visit?"
Yinzhen gave his gloating brother a light glare, "You don't need to go back to the palace either. Come with me to find a place to have a good drink."
Thirteen had a good capacity for alcohol and loved fine wine. When he heard that his elder brother was inviting him for drinks, how could he refuse? The two of them rode away.
Having found a good spot, the two brothers ordered a table of food and wine. Yinzhen sipped his wine slowly, while the thirteenth brother drank heartily. He took a big gulp of wine, put the bottle on the table, and sighed, "It would be even better if we had some delicious food made by the old women in Xiao Si's kitchen to go with the wine."
He wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth and continued, "Hey, Fourth Brother, isn't it strange? You can't really tell anything about Fourth Sister-in-law normally, but when we eat together, my appetite becomes really good. The food doesn't taste that special, but I just turn into a glutton whenever I'm with Fourth Sister-in-law."
"You good-for-nothing, don't bring your sister-in-law in with you," Yinzhen corrected him with displeasure.
Thirteen chuckled twice, "That's not what I meant. I meant that I eat with Fourth Sister-in-law with great enthusiasm, and I don't mind eating three big bowls."
These princes may appear glamorous and possess noble status on the surface, but aren't they also a kind of constraint?
Take meals for example. In the palace, everyone was in charge of how much or how little they ate, and they could not show whether they liked something or not.
Outside the palace, a meal is just a quick bite, enough to fill you up, but you always feel like something is missing. He had eaten three meals with his fourth sister-in-law, and after each meal, he would follow her example, grab a chair and sit in the courtyard with his fourth brother, listening to her chatter for a bit.
The three chatted and laughed, while the maids poured tea and water and set out fruit, leaving them alone. An afternoon could pass by in no time, leaving them wanting more.
"Stealing half a day of leisure, Fourth Brother, I suddenly understand why you have your eye on Sister-in-law Tong."
Fourth Brother always values rules, but people are strange. When someone who follows the rules encounters someone who doesn't follow them at all, you can't help but be more cautious. Sister-in-law Tong is beautiful, and after getting to know her for a while, you'll find that she's a very interesting woman.
No wonder Fourth Brother doesn't like her.
"If you know, then do your brother a favor. You can drink the wine now, and it would be best if you waited for me to go to court with you tomorrow," Yinzhen said, standing up.
Thirteen, puzzled, asked, "Fourth Brother, what do you mean? You dragged me out for drinks, but then you sneaked off. You didn't just want your younger brother to cover for you, did you?"
Yinzhen gave him an approving look.
"What? I guessed right." Thirteen looked enlightened, then suddenly laughed loudly. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, for the sake of this wine, I'll take care of this favor. I'll treat you to a few more meals in the future."
Fourth Brother was quite thoughtful for Tong Xiaosao's sake; he raised the wine pot, indicating that he could leave.
Yinzhen was also helpless, as the Tong family was in the eye of the storm.
Two months ago, she made a lot of disrespectful remarks to him in front of the mansion, which angered her mother. Before the period of self-reflection was over, her father, the Emperor, personally issued an edict to restore her rank. Among the princes' and kings' mansions, she was the first among the concubines to enjoy such a high status.
Although this may not necessarily be a good thing.
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