The princess was relieved to receive the news from the manor.
She hadn't forgotten about the new princess; she just hadn't had the time to arrange things yet. However, these two young ladies-in-waiting didn't have any family backgrounds; they were probably just chosen by Consort De because she thought they were honest. As long as they didn't cause trouble, she didn't need to worry about them.
In any case, the household is currently in a delicate balance. She and Consort Chun are getting along peacefully, and the children are able to get along better. They are trying their best to provide a stable, peaceful, and harmonious environment for the children to grow up in. This can be considered an unspoken understanding between the two of them.
These past two days, she has exhausted herself in receiving the various princes.
Just a few days after Lao Ba proposed coming to the village, he came with Lao Jiu and Lao Shi.
The gatekeeper saw a group of people rushing towards them from afar. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the three leading horses were all plump and strong Mongolian horses with bright yellow stripes on them, so he hurriedly went to report.
When Yinzhen came out, the three of them dismounted. It was the eighth brother who first cupped his hands and said, "Fourth brother, I'm sorry to have troubled you this time. I'll have to bother you at your residence for a few more days."
Old Nine quickly chimed in, "Yeah, Fourth Brother, we're all waiting to see your vegetable garden. What's up? I heard you're going to use an old ox to plow it? Have you prepared any tools for the brothers?"
Yinzhen was too lazy to pay attention to this persistent ninth brother, and simply pointed inside: "What kind of younger brothers start working as soon as they enter the door? Come on, let's go in and sit down first."
"No, the Fourteenth Prince is still behind us. We came together, but he insisted on taking a piss while riding." The Ninth Prince quickly grabbed Yinzhen's hand.
Sure enough, not long after, the sound of another troop of horses' hooves could be heard, with dust billowing everywhere. Who else could it be but Fourteen, whipping his horses and shouting loudly as he vigorously cracked his whip and lashed his hindquarters?
"Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother! I'm here! Where's Hongzhao? He was showing off his cricket to me the other day, but I brought a bigger one today, it'll definitely outshine him!"
Yinzhen was speechless. The tenth prince laughed first: "Fourteenth prince, why are you still acting like a child? How old are you? You're still comparing crickets with Hongzhao. As his uncle, you should at least bring a small gift to show him respect."
"Tenth Brother, you're insulting me. Do you think I'm that insensible? I've already brought gifts for our meeting, for my nephews and nieces. Besides, that brat Hongzhao isn't your average kid. I still remember the slap he gave Hongqing. I'll have to give him a good sparring match at the training ground later and see if my fourteenth uncle can beat him."
Fourteen was gritting his teeth; he still remembered the bird droppings on his hand when he last defecated in the village.
Yinzhen, suppressing his anger, didn't want to deal with his unfortunate younger brother. He welcomed the group into his study, where tea had already been prepared. As soon as the fourteenth prince entered, he began to gulp down the tea. After finishing, he asked Su Peisheng to pour him another cup and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
Seeing his rude behavior, Lao Jiu first expressed his disdain: "Fourteenth, where did you flee from? You're so thirsty. Didn't you just go to the toilet?"
"Oh, Ninth Brother, I'm thirsty after I've emptied the water!" After saying that, Fourteenth Brother turned to Yinzhen and asked, "Fourth Brother, do you have any fresh fruits to quench my thirst?"
Yinzhen gathered his strength on the spot and gave Su Peisheng a wink. Su Peisheng understood immediately and retreated. After a while, he brought up a fruit platter, and the Fourteenth Prince ate with great relish.
Before long, the fifth and seventh princes arrived. As soon as they arrived, they gave Yinzhen a look, indicating that the Crown Prince and the Prince Zhi would be there soon.
As for the third brother... he had already told him he couldn't come, explaining that he had diarrhea for the past two days and couldn't go out.
When Fourteen heard this, he almost spat out his tea. Who would have thought that his third brother, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, could say such shameless things?
All the princes were at the gate to greet the Crown Prince and Prince Zhi. The two of them arrived one after the other, their faces slightly stern, exuding an indescribable air of authority.
"Greetings to the Crown Prince."
Everyone hurriedly bowed, but Yinreng didn't put on airs. Although he was followed by a large group of people, he didn't say much, just gestured and strode inside.
Yinzhen glanced around discreetly. He noticed two unfamiliar eunuchs following closely beside the Crown Prince, who were probably not from the Eastern Palace.
He didn't show it, but his heart sank, and he felt that the next few days would be difficult.
After everyone had finally gathered together, they chatted casually for a bit. Yinzhen couldn't just take them to do farm work right away, so he first led them on a tour of the estate and around.
"Fourth Prince has always had a good eye. He has decorated this estate so elegantly. I am not as good as him in this respect." The first to praise him was Prince Zhi. He was strong-willed but also shrewd. He came to Fourth Prince's place with Eighth Prince to see what they were up to.
These younger brothers, whom he had never paid any attention to before, are now starting to use tricks and schemes.
Yinzhen just smiled and said, "Brother, what are you saying? I remember there's a wintersweet tree in your courtyard, which is a beautiful sight in the dead of winter."
"Hahaha, Fourth Brother, you really have a keen eye. That was planted by your sister-in-law herself. Come to think of it, it's been about ten years now."
When talking about his primary wife, Prince Zhi's eyes softened even more. However, her health had been quite poor lately, especially after hearing that her daughter was to be married off to a distant place. She was completely unable to stand the wind and could not get out of bed. She was currently on medication.
Prince Zhi dared not even think that if his remaining three daughters were also lost, his wife would likely follow them in death.
The tenth brother, who had a lukewarm relationship with his wife, couldn't understand the feelings between him and his sister-in-law, so he continued talking about the village: "Fourth brother, where's your drill ground?"
"Come on, I'll take you there."
The princes present were all Kangxi's favorite sons, and they had received guidance from Kangxi in both civil and military affairs, so they were all excellent in everything. Even the seventh prince, who was born with a disability, was not bad at horseback riding.
It was a crisp autumn day when a group of princes arrived at the training ground for their trials.
Fourteenth Prince most wanted to show his elder brother and the Crown Prince how brave he was, and if there was a chance to lead troops into battle, he would be willing to do so.
So he proposed to Bibuku with the tenth brother.
The Tenth Prince, with his brute strength, was not going to be outdone by his younger brother. In the blink of an eye, the two were tumbling together.
Prince Zhi was still praising it.
"Good, good, Fourteenth Brother, you've been eating a lot lately, you've got a layer of fat on your belly."
"Tenth brother, isn't your buk-making supposed to be your specialty? How come you can't even compare to your younger brother now?"
"Hey, Fourteenth Brother, don't try anything funny! You can't touch that spot! If your Tenth Brother can't have children, he'll kill you!"
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