Upon hearing his father mention his mother, Honghui almost couldn't hold back his tears, his voice thick with emotion: "Father... Mother... she did it to save me... It's all my fault, I held her back, I caused Mother's death!"
Yinzhen patted his son on the shoulder and said seriously, "Honghui, it wasn't you who caused this, it was the rebels, the traitors! What you need to do is not wallow in self-pity, but to have enough ability to protect yourself and to stand up for your mother!"
"Although the Fujin (principal wife) has passed away, the Ulanara clan is still alive. Your two uncles are being prepared for promotion by your father. Once there are vacancies in the capital, they will be placed there. You should also know that what your mother valued most was your and the Ulanara clan's honor. Whether it's for her sake or something else, the grandsons of the Aisin Gioro clan absolutely cannot remain immersed in grief!"
Yinzhen felt the same way.
When his mother, Tong, passed away, he disregarded everyone's advice and insisted on personally wearing mourning clothes and observing the entire mourning period as a son would. His mother probably harbored resentment towards him at that time, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Tong had raised him; how could he let her die without an heir?
For the sake of honor for his mother after her death, he did it anyway, only seeking to have a clear conscience.
Therefore, he truly understood Honghui's deep grief after the death of his wife, but he absolutely could not remain immersed in it forever, otherwise it would become his inner demon.
Honghui is still young and his health is already poor. If he indulges in grief too much, it will not be a sign of longevity.
After so many years of hard work, I've managed to get my health back to a slightly better state, but I'm afraid it will collapse again.
Even though he valued Hongyan more over the years, he never wanted anything to happen to Honghui, after all, he was his own son, and his health was always the thing that Yinzhen was most worried about.
Honghui lowered his head and nodded, holding back his tears, and obediently ate his meal.
Yinzhen sighed: "Take your brothers out for a walk later. There have been many casualties outside. Honghui, do what you can."
Honghui nodded.
When he, Hongyan, and Hongzhao left the palace, they found it in ruins. The palace servants were cleaning and tidying up everywhere, but the dried bloodstains could not be washed away.
Honghui shook himself, as if he could see the chaos of that night again, and recall the moment when his mother pressed down on him.
His voice trembled as he whispered, "Hongyan, when you went out, there were so many dead people. Weren't you afraid?"
Hongyan knew that his elder brother had been troubled by the matter of their stepmother, so he could only answer truthfully: "Brother, I'm not afraid. I still have Father and Mother behind me, and my younger brothers. I can't back down. You too, brother, you still have Father and elder sister behind you. You can't back down either."
Honghui's eyes welled up with tears.
Yinzhen went out to attend to other matters again, and before leaving, he instructed someone to stew a bowl of donkey-hide gelatin, lily bulb, and bird's nest for Changning.
Changning woke up and had just finished washing up when she drank a bowl of bird's nest soup. She sighed to herself, wondering if this beauty-enhancing product was actually effective. Yinzhen had been making her drink a bowl of it every morning recently. Could it be that the child would really be born a delicate daughter?
But this should be determined by the man's Y chromosome, right?
Whatever, it tastes pretty good. I'll add some milk next time.
Not long after finishing his drink, Changning wanted to order another serving of authentic Northeastern Yunnan Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles in a clay pot.
But Fubuki secretly reported that someone had arrived.
Almost instantly, Changning knew it was Meng Guqing.
"Quickly, invite her here!"
As soon as Changning finished speaking, a Mongolian man entered through the door. He was thinner than the average man, but more robust, and the muscles hidden under his clothes would not make anyone doubt his strength.
Looking up, his face was dark, with a hideous scar and a stubble beard, showing no trace of his former self.
"Meng Guqing?" Changning called out tentatively, and saw the man in front of her reveal a set of white teeth, and a familiar voice rang out: "Changning! I've missed you so much!"
This is the taste!
Changning rushed over, and the two gave each other a big hug. Putting everything else aside, she was now so convincingly realistic that even her best friend inside wouldn't recognize her!
However, Changning felt more heartache than anything else.
Whether it's that scar, the rough skin, or the wounds all over her body, they all tell the story of how much hardship and danger this once proud Mongolian princess endured.
"You must have had a long and tiring journey."
Seeing the pained look on Changning's face, Meng Guqing waved his hand dismissively and said in a gruff voice, "Hey, it's nothing, it's not hard at all. I'm so happy. Running on the grassland with my horse and my eagle every day, taking care of my people, this is the life I should be living. Changning, thank you."
Changning pulled her to sit down; heaven knows how much she wanted to say and how many questions she wanted to ask!
Meng Guqing casually picked up a pastry from the table and ate it, praising, "The pastries here are much more refined. But the meat back home is still the best. I came in a hurry this time, I'll have someone herd some sheep for you later. Also, I heard you have more medicine? Do you have enough?"
Thinking of how she always brought mountains of medicinal herbs when she gave birth, Changning couldn't help but chuckle: "Don't worry, there are enough herbs."
Meng Guqing sighed, "Alas, when I left, Fei Yang'a was just a tiny little boy, and now you've had several sons."
"They all miss you, especially Hutuli and Feiyan'a, they all say you're their idol!"
Meng Guqing grinned from ear to ear: "That's great! I'll go to the yard and teach them a few moves later."
Changning nudged her again: "You just ran away from the capital like that back then. If you had told me, I could have made some plans for you."
Meng Guqing shook his head: "I should take responsibility for my own actions. I don't want to drag you into this. Changning, you've helped me a lot. You've helped me understand my own heart and where I'm suited to be. And I know that if it weren't for you, the Fourth Prince wouldn't have helped me so easily."
“You have developed Ujumqin very well now, haven’t you? I heard from Hongyan that it has abundant water and grass and a strong military force, all thanks to you.”
Meng Guqing smiled and said, "I haven't let Abu Eji down."
I believe you will definitely get better and better.
Meng Guqing nodded emphatically. Although the past days had been difficult, he had managed to get through them.
Changning thought for a moment, then asked, "Amur, he..."
Upon hearing this name, Meng Guqing's expression suddenly became complicated: "He helped me a lot. Abu didn't want to have anything to do with me at all. It was he who led a group of people to support and help me, which allowed me to subdue the tribe so quickly. This time, he came along too."
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