Song Gege was startled, fearing that her daughter had misunderstood, and quickly comforted her: "The Prince treats all your children equally. Even if there is a slight bias, it is only natural. People are inherently biased. Even the Fujin and Mother have their own favorites. If you harbor resentment because of this, you will be doing a bad job."
Yierha nodded gently: "I know this is only natural. My mother treats me well, and Hutuli and my brothers regard me as their elder sister."
Song Gege breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, both hands are flesh, but the flesh on the palm is always more, and the flesh on the back of the hand is naturally important too. If you keep focusing on whether Father loves you more or the other brothers and sisters more, you will always get stuck in a rut, and thinking too much will not help."
“Mother, you misunderstand. I hold no resentment. I know I am frail and cannot take better care of me. My stepmother treats me like her own daughter, and Father always obeys my every whim. I am very grateful. However, I am worried about the matter of pacifying Mongolia… If it were between me and Hutuli, Father would surely choose to protect her. It doesn’t matter if I go to Mongolia… I’m just worried about Mother…”
Song Gege hesitated for a moment, but didn't hide it from her, since the Prince and his wife had already discussed it long ago.
"Don't worry, your father has already found someone for you, someone from the capital."
Yierha was genuinely surprised this time.
"When did this happen? Has Father already chosen a marriage partner? Which family is it?"
"It is the maternal family of the Fujin, the Ulanara clan."
Upon hearing Song Gege's words, Yierha was first taken aback, then breathed a sigh of relief. If it were her mother's maternal family, that would be a reliable place to go, but...
"What about Hutuli?" she began to worry about her sister again.
Yierha didn't actually want herself or her sister to go to Fumeng; she was worried that her father wouldn't be able to completely protect them both. Didn't they see that even the eldest princess of the Zhijun Prince's mansion couldn't be saved?
Although the Emperor granted the second princess of the Prince Zhi's mansion the privilege of staying in the capital to await marriage, the third princess still had to be betrothed.
In her view, of the two sisters, only one could stay and the other had to get married.
She had been genuinely worried that her father would favor her younger sister more and abandon her, sending her straight to Mongolia. This had always filled her with unease. But now, hearing that her father had already found someone for her, Yierha felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
It felt like for the first time, between himself and Hutuli, Ama had chosen himself.
However, she was still very soft-hearted. If Hutuli went to Mongolia because of this, she would probably feel guilty for the rest of her life.
After learning about the marriage, Yierha became even more affectionate towards Hutuli. Whenever he had something good, he would give it to her first and would also personally make some needlework to send to her.
This left Hutuli completely baffled.
What's wrong with my older sister? Why is she suddenly being so nice to me?
Hutuli went to Changning and expressed her doubts. Changning wasn't sure either, but it was a good thing that the two sisters supported each other. She told Hutuli not to worry unnecessarily, and that if someone gives you a peach, you should give them a precious jade in return.
So, Hutuli often sent Yierha nice things, and the two grew closer. She also introduced her good friend, Xilinjueluo Wanji, to Yierha.
Seeing that Wanji could speak eloquently and was full of talent, Yierha also developed a liking for her. The three girls often built snowmen and went to the market together.
The end of the year is fast approaching.
The collection of debts by Yinzhen went relatively smoothly, although some setbacks were encountered, they were all resolved in the end. Moreover, the amount involved in this matter was too huge. Yinzhen first dealt with the unruly ninth and tenth princes, and then took the opportunity to eliminate a group of henchmen. Although it did not meet his most perfect expectations, overall he was still quite satisfied.
After all, he did this for three reasons: first, to demonstrate his abilities; second, to impress Emperor Kangxi and show him that he was capable of standing alone and had the courage to be a loyal minister; and third, to take the opportunity to eliminate some of his adversaries.
They made such a big fuss, causing a huge uproar, until the end of the year.
Emperor Kangxi was a very competent monarch. He supported Yinzhen, executed several ministers, and dealt with the most troublemakers, making them much more obedient.
However, his health did not improve much.
This year's New Year's banquet was also simpler; the Emperor barely showed up, and even the Crown Prince didn't attend.
The atmosphere at this year's banquet was the most bizarre in history.
Prince Zhi looked dejected and sat there drinking alone, completely ignoring everyone.
The Third Prince also had an air of "keep away, don't bother me."
As for the Fourth Prince Yinzhen, needless to say, this lord has been chasing after debts lately, and he treats everyone like they owe him money, so no one will bother to approach him.
The Seventh Prince, the Thirteenth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince all followed behind him to bolster his prestige.
The Ninth and Tenth Princes had recently lost face when Yinzhen came to their door demanding payment. In the end, to embarrass him further, they somehow managed to escalate the situation by selling calligraphy and paintings on the street.
This provided a great spectacle for all the people of the capital.
The prince, a member of the royal family and the son of Lady Guoluo and Lady Niohuru, was forced to sell himself in the street by his own brother, the Fourth Prince, because he couldn't pay his debts.
Whether it's the poverty of the two great families, the Fourth Prince's ruthless behavior that he didn't even spare his younger brother, or the shamelessness of the two imperial princes, these are all things that the gossip-loving people in the capital will discuss for a long time.
In the end, it was the two families who stepped in, forced by circumstances. They naturally knew that this was nothing more than a conflict between the two princes and the Fourth Prince, but it was their Guoluo and Niohuru clans that were losing face!
In the end, they paid back the money.
After all that, the two princes didn't look too happy.
Therefore, this year's New Year's banquet was particularly strange.
There was complete silence; almost no one was speaking.
Even the imperial grandsons were the same; seeing that none of their uncles, elders, or father had spoken, they naturally dared not play around.
The ministers below dared not speak.
This continued until the end of the New Year's banquet. After watching the fireworks, everyone went home.
I have to go to the palace again tomorrow.
"Today's New Year's banquet was really boring," Hongzhao muttered. He was at the age where he loved to play, and after practicing dice for a month, he was looking forward to playing with his cousins during the New Year so that he could win all their gold and silver coins and impress them.
To his surprise, no one dared to mention it this year. Everyone ate their meals quietly, and he didn't even get to enjoy his meat to his heart's content.
Changning patted his little head: "Are you unhappy? Are you sleepy? Mother will play with you."
Hearing this, Hongzhao's previously droopy little head immediately perked up: "Really? Mother! Play with me!"
"Sure, let's do it together. Let's spread out a few big mats on the ground so we can play there."
Playing on the ground! That would be so much fun!
The children's eyes lit up, and they were all eager to try.
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