Changning hugged him, stroked his chubby little hands, and whispered, "Look, there are so many stars outside, twinkling and blinking. They are all watching us and thinking of us."
Several children curiously peered outside, but instead of seeing stars, they saw their father.
Yinzhen strode in, and the three children quickly stood up and obediently called out to their father.
Yinzhen smiled and nodded, patting their little heads: "Go and rest now, we'll be going back to the manor tomorrow."
The three children bowed and took their leave, but as soon as they stepped out, they heard Hongzhao's laughing and joking voice.
Kids can't keep things to themselves, and they don't think much.
Yinzhen sighed: "Let's go back to the manor tomorrow, we need to attend my sister-in-law's funeral."
Changning nodded, and seeing that he looked unwell after the children left, she comforted him, saying, "It's alright, have you read Zhuangzi?"
Yinzhen couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, Yaoxian, I'm not a child, there's no need to preach these grand principles."
Changning was a little embarrassed; it just slipped out of her mouth!
Yinzhen turned to look at her, his eyes filled with tenderness: "We both need to take good care of our health."
Changning's lips twitched...
Why are so many of you concerned about whether she's dead or alive...?
Then she heard Yinzhen's voice, tinged with sadness: "Empress Tong... she loved me very much, I used to consider her my own mother..."
Hmm? Now that they've mentioned Empress Xiaoyi, Changning pricked up his ears to listen attentively. It seems that today's events have also affected him quite a bit.
Yinzhen's gaze shifted to the window, his tone deep and resonant: "I've heard the songs you sang to lull Hongyang to sleep, and Tong Eniang sang them for me too. I was sick before, and it was very bad. I was so feverish that I was delirious and could only call out for my mother. At that time, Tong Eniang stayed by my bedside every day and sang songs to lull me to sleep."
Chang Ning listened quietly as he reminisced about the past.
"Later, I heard from the palace servants that I was the son of Consort De of Yonghe Palace, but the adopted son of Consort Tong. To be honest, I didn't believe it. But later, when Consort Tong had her eighth sister, all she could think about was her eighth sister. That's when I vaguely understood."
Changning sighed inwardly. "Poor Yinzhen, he's such a pitiful little cabbage."
But he himself did not feel sorry for her: "After my eighth sister left, my mother Tong also fell ill soon after. She said that I was her only son, and she made plans for me despite her illness, choosing a wife, finding my sister to enter the palace, and instructing her to treat me well. I know that I also regard her as my own mother, whether in the past or now. She will always be my mother."
After saying the last sentence, Yinzhen turned to look at Changning, his eyes shining with an intense hope that was hard to look directly at: "Yaoxian, you just said that after people die, they become stars in the sky, watching over us, right?"
Changning met his gaze and nodded firmly. What a pitiful child, at his age, still has to believe in these things to comfort himself.
However, she was also touched by what she heard. Empress Xiaoyi truly treated him like her own son, and had made plans for him in every single way.
I fear that even as a concubine, I will not escape the machinations of this Consort Tong.
Otherwise, why would Mother have been chosen as Yinzhen's concubine even though she had submitted a petition to Consort Tong of Chengqian Palace and requested to marry on her own?
Changning looked at Yinzhen.
Couldn't he guess the real intentions behind her becoming a concubine?
He should have known long ago.
This shows Consort Tong's love for her son. Having the daughter of a Grand Minister was not enough; she also needed a powerful family with real influence to support him.
The Tong family is unreliable; Consort Tong knows this, and so does Prince Yinzhen.
So, before she died, she instructed her younger sister to keep a close eye on the eldest daughter of the Fucha family, and when she reached a suitable age, to request the Emperor's decree to make her a secondary consort for Yinzhen. She even left some tokens or keepsakes, all to move the Emperor and make him remember his cousin's kindness and feel guilty towards her, so that he wouldn't hesitate to give up the daughter of a high-ranking official.
That's why she got involved.
Suddenly, Changning Wu realized why she had inexplicably become a concubine, but she was helpless about it.
Do you feel wronged?
How could she not feel wronged? When she is buried in the imperial mausoleum, she will be buried with Yinzhen, and the first wife in the history books is also from the Ulanara clan.
And what about her, Lady Fucha?
She was just a favored concubine, but she might become an imperial concubine in the future. Her son would be the future emperor, and she would become the empress dowager. Her son would also posthumously honor her as empress.
But she was not the empress during Aisin-Gioro Yinzhen's lifetime.
Changning lowered her eyelids, concealing her thoughts.
The two slept in silence, nestled together.
Yinzhen was thinking of his deceased mother, Tong, while Changning was also holding back her anger. Over the past ten long years, she had felt some resentment, but she knew that Yinzhen would become emperor. With his love and sincerity towards her, he would definitely not mistreat her; she would become either a Noble Consort or an Imperial Noble Consort.
She was just an ordinary working person in modern times. Her rise to become a royal concubine is a remarkable leap in social class.
So she felt a secret joy, and also a sense of "so many people have become concubines, what difference does it make if I'm one more?"
However, she is now Fucha Changning.
Behind her is the Fucha family. Her father is Fucha Zhongtang, and her three brothers are engaged in both civil and military affairs. With such a family background, how could their daughter possibly become a concubine?
She initially thought Kangxi had lost his mind, so she figured she might as well make the best of it. She also believed that Yinzhen truly loved her, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
However, upon suddenly learning the truth about being designated as a concubine today, she felt indignant again.
She has five sons and one daughter, so she has confidence.
Changning breathed a sigh of relief, telling herself that things would get better.
The next morning, the group packed up, boarded a carriage, and returned to their residence.
The children were busy as soon as they got home; they also had many friends to contact.
Hutu had long wanted to bring some local specialties from the estate to Xilinjueluo Wanji.
Changning, on the other hand, met the two new princesses.
Logically speaking, Changning should have informed his wife upon returning to the mansion, but Changning is favored, has a high status, and a title, so he doesn't need to give his wife that face. In any case, the two of them are now keeping to themselves.
It's fine to just keep a respectful distance.
So Changning sent her head maid, Chuixue, to the main courtyard to inform them, and then she took Zhuiyu and the others back to Qingzhi Courtyard.
Granny Zhang stayed at Qingzhi Courtyard. She was getting old, and Changning didn't want her to travel too much, so she left a few young maids for her to serve.
Granny Zhang came here to be cared for in her old age.
However, Granny Zhang believed that her old bones were still somewhat useful, so she refused to rest and personally made the snow-white red bean paste that Changning loved to eat when she was a child. When she returned, she personally served it to her.
Just as Changning was enjoying her meal, Zhuiyu reported that Guo Gege and Gu Gege had come to pay their respects to her.
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