Hutuli never had any feelings for Honghui; in her heart, her own younger brother was of course more important.
Moreover, the eldest princess in Seventh Uncle's mansion was in the same situation as herself; their birth mothers were both favored concubines.
The stepmother's attitude was anything but pleasant.
Although Ulanara didn't show any displeasure, Hutu always felt that she had ulterior motives. Wasn't that what the storybooks said? "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts."
Hutuli seems to have reached the age of adolescent delusions, believing the world to be black and white. Since the Ulanara clan is naturally on the opposite side, it's even less likely they would harbor goodwill towards them.
Honghui could barely be considered to be related to them by blood, but Fujin was not.
Hongzhao was also confused, but he knew he had to side with his older brother.
Hongyan shook his head. He and Honghui were relatively close. When they studied together in the front courtyard and the palace, Honghui always had the demeanor of an older brother. Although he was a bit competitive, he always had the pride of an older brother.
Seeing his troubled expression, Hutuli suggested, "Why don't you just say what you think? Next time you meet him, just ask him directly why he says that we brothers are not as good as cousins?"
Hongyan nearly choked on his tea: "Sister, how can you say this directly? How am I supposed to tell Big Brother that my men overheard your conversation?"
Hutu scratched his head: "What else can we do? Are you going to keep having this problem? Besides, he should have considered you a rival from the start."
Hongyan did not respond further, but seemed quite distressed.
The relationship between siblings is particularly important to maintain a proper balance, and Hongyan has clearly lost sight of that balance. Changning is naturally aware of this, but since the child is older and has his own thoughts, she doesn't want to interfere rashly.
It all depends on how Hongyan comes to terms with it.
Not long after this incident, Changning only instructed Yulan and Yuqiu, who were by her side, to keep a close eye on their young master.
Another major event has occurred in the manor.
The Fujin actually arranged for Honghui to have a personal maidservant to serve him and teach him about human affairs.
Changning heard about this from Hongzhao in secret.
He shared this with his mother as a rare occurrence, saying that several pretty girls had appeared in his older brother's courtyard. When he saw his older brother, he immediately blushed and chased all his younger brothers away.
Hongzhao was still puzzled. What was wrong with having maids to serve him? He himself had several wet nurses and maids by his side. Why was his elder brother acting so shy and coy?
It's like a lady on stage who lost her handkerchief.
He found his older brother's behavior hilarious, so he came back and vividly recounted it to Changning.
They learn while they talk.
"My brother's face turned red instantly. I asked him why he didn't invite us in for a while, or if we wanted to play ball later. I asked him to have his maid bring us a pair of comfortable shoes. Then I praised his maid for being prettier than the one in my yard, and my brother kicked us out."
Hongzhao was quite curious: "Mother, what's wrong with my eldest brother? Is there anything special about those girls?"
Changning was also a little embarrassed. Why did her son ask about everything? What a spendthrift child.
But how old is Honghui now? He'll only be twelve after the New Year. He's always been weak and frail. How come the Fujin (wife) has already found servants and maids for him?
Are you really not afraid that Honghui will prematurely deplete his essence?
But she wasn't Honghui's biological mother, so she couldn't say anything about it.
Faced with her son's curious gaze, she couldn't open her mouth any longer and could only mumble, "Those maids are from your elder brother's backyard. You should avoid associating with them and don't get too close."
To everyone's surprise, Hongzhao cleverly understood it. His eyes widened in disbelief.
This is just like having a mother in the backyard of your father, right?
So my older brother is already an adult!
This realization thrilled him.
In Hongzhao's mind, only adults could have their own wives and princesses.
Just like Amma and all the uncles and elders.
He saw it as a symbol of masculinity.
He never imagined that his older brother, who is a few years older than him, would already be an adult.
Hongzhao hurriedly asked, "What about my brother? When will he have one?"
Wow, what a brother-obsessed younger brother! His first thought was of his older brother.
However, when Changning thought of her son, Hongyan, who was only in the first grade of elementary school, she felt that she couldn't poison him so early.
Let's talk about this when he's eighteen or nineteen.
Hongzhao counted on his fingers how long it would be before his brother turned eighteen or nineteen. About ten more years!
For him now, ten years is a very, very, very, very distant future, so he put it out of his mind and turned to play on the slide in the yard.
Changning was still surprised that Honghui, at such a young age, was hiring a maid.
She also wrote about this to Yinzhen in her letter, saying that she believed it would be bad for a young man's health to know about such matters too early. So she wanted to give him a heads-up and discuss it with him, hoping that when it was Hongyan's turn, it would be when he was eighteen or nineteen years old.
When Yinzhen received the letter, he also slightly disagreed with the way his wife had acted.
Honghui's constitution was already weak, so it was indeed a bit early. However, he wondered why Yaoxian had set the age for children to get married so late.
Hutuli will have to wait until she's twenty-five, and her sons will have to wait until they're eighteen or nineteen. Is she really not in a hurry at all?
Upon receiving Yinzhen's reply and seeing his question, Changning thought for a moment and replied that she and Bai Shu, the physician of the Bai family, had consulted him. The child was too young and his bones had not yet fully developed. It would be very dangerous for him to understand human affairs or give birth at this time. It would be better to wait until he was older, as the danger and risks would be less.
Furthermore, it mentioned the risks of cousins having children together, stating that children born to close relatives are often weaker and more prone to premature death.
Yinzhen was shocked when he received the letter.
He thought about it carefully. His adoptive mother, Empress Xiaoyiren, and his father, the Emperor, were the same. Tong Eniang was his father's cousin. She had been married to him for many years but had never conceived. She only got pregnant with medicine. As a result, the Eighth Princess died two days after she was born.
Furthermore, while the Emperor did have many children in the early years of his reign, very few actually survived; at least several dozen died in infancy. Consort Rong, who bore him at the time, was only thirteen years old. In retrospect, Yao Xian's speculations do hold some truth.
Because of Changning's letter, the marriage and childbearing age of princes and princesses during the Yongzheng era, and even throughout the Qing Dynasty, was pushed back by five or six years, and the infant mortality rate was also reduced significantly.
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