"Do you know who this man is? How do he know Yierha?"
Changning felt that the most urgent task was to find out who this person was, whether Yierha truly loved him, and whether the marriage should continue.
Madam Song shook her head: "This morning, in a fit of anger, I punished those palace maids and went to question Yierha, but she only cried and wouldn't say a word. I want to investigate, but I'm afraid that making too much of a fuss will ruin Yierha's reputation. If this gets out, how will Yierha face people in the future?"
At this point, Song became even more emotional, tears streaming down her face, as if the sky had fallen and the earth had cracked.
It's not her fault. Yierha has always been gentle and shy, and very proper and polite. Who would have thought she would cause such a scene?
Changning could only comfort her first: "It's alright. Now that I know about this, I will naturally investigate it thoroughly. You should go back and wait for news. Don't cause any more trouble for Yierha, lest it cause a rift between mother and daughter."
As for this matter, it concerns Yierha's reputation, so don't worry, I will ensure they all keep quiet and not a word of it leaks out.
With the Empress's assurance, Madam Song finally felt somewhat relieved. When she first learned of this matter, she was genuinely afraid that her daughter would become the first princess of the Qing Dynasty to be ridiculed. If this matter were to get out, how could the Ulanara family possibly let it go?
She was even more worried that if the Emperor found out, he would have a negative opinion of Yierha. But now that things had come to this, there was no other way but to leave it entirely to the Empress, as she knew she couldn't investigate the matter thoroughly on her own.
Song was extremely grateful and almost had to serve Changning like a slave before she finally left Chengqian Palace.
Changning had a bit of a headache. She first called Tingfeng and Zhao Fuhai in and asked them to investigate the matter thoroughly. They had to find out exactly who that person was and how they established contact with Yierha.
Zhao Fuhai is quite resourceful, and in the palace, eunuchs often find it much easier to gather information than palace maids. He is now the Grand Steward of Chengqian Palace, and everyone outside gives him some face. It would be easier to entrust this matter to him.
Changning did not go to the South Third Institute immediately, but instead had someone summon Hutuli.
After Hutuli entered the palace, he was often summoned to Cining Palace to accompany the Empress Dowager. He had just come out of Cining Palace at this moment.
"Mother, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Hutuli was dressed in a pale yellow brocade dress with a floral pattern, which made her look noble and elegant, and she really had the demeanor and grace of a princess.
Changning felt a little better after seeing her daughter. Hutuli and Yierha lived together, so if Yierha showed any abnormality, her daughter might be able to find out something.
"Hutuli, your mother is asking you, has your eldest sister been behaving strangely lately? For example, has she been reading miscellaneous books or taking a liking to embroidery?"
Hutuli hadn't expected that her mother had called her over to talk about her eldest sister. Hearing her mother's question, she began to recall: "My eldest sister didn't have any hobbies before. She either copied Buddhist scriptures or did needlework. It was only once that I was reading The Story of the Western Wing and she found out. She said she had never seen such a story before, so I gave it to her so she could read it and relieve her boredom."
Changning nodded. She knew about this matter as well. Yierha's nanny had reported it to her before, and at that time she guessed that it must be the book from Hutuli.
However, she had always trusted Yierha's character and thought that she was just a young girl in love, who had always been disciplined by her nanny and bound by rules. When she accidentally read this book, it was like opening the door to a new world.
She could understand; after all, who didn't secretly read novels behind their parents' backs when they were young?
However, it seems that Yierha is somewhat blinded by the romance depicted in these books. She probably thinks the man is like Zhang Sheng from the books, harboring some ambiguous longing. That's not good.
"Is there anything else? For example, have you been in contact with anyone recently?"
Hutu asked curiously, "What's wrong, Mother? Did something happen to eldest sister?"
Changning sighed. Hutuli had gone to Cining Palace early in the morning and hadn't returned to the South Third Palace yet, so she naturally didn't know that Consort Mao had dealt with a group of palace servants. But when she returned and met Yierha, she would probably hear some rumors, so it was better to just tell her directly.
After hearing her mother's story, Hutuli opened her mouth wide, looking incredulous. She was surprised too! How come she hadn't realized her older sister was so bold?
She then frowned and thought back: "I haven't heard that my older sister has any dealings with anyone. However, Honghui and my older sister are close and often talk together. I've also seen Haha Zhuzi, who is with Honghui, a few times."
Changning immediately sensed something was amiss: "You mean, Haha Zhuzi, who's with Honghui, has also seen Yierha?"
Hutu nodded: "Yes, I've seen it once too."
Changning understood; it must be someone close to Honghui. However, Honghui's Haha Beads all belonged to his maternal family, the Ulanara clan.
Ulanara could not possibly be unaware of Xingde and Yierha's marriage, so how could this situation have arisen?
Could it be that this man did it on purpose, just to steal this marriage?
Changning felt he had finally understood.
Now that Yinzhen has ascended the throne, Yierha's status has also risen accordingly. Originally, she was just a princess in a prince's mansion, and not many people resented her marriage to Xingde. But now Yierha is a princess, especially the eldest princess.
It's not impossible that someone might be envious of this marriage and want to sabotage it.
It seems that the Ulanara clan is not a monolithic entity.
However, if this matter involves Ulanara and Honghui, it would be inconvenient for her to intervene. After investigating the matter, she should leave it to Yinzhen.
Changning rubbed her handkerchief, feeling a little regretful. If she wasn't mistaken, Yierha had truly misplaced his trust this time. Could someone who approached her with ulterior motives and calculations truly be sincere?
She had watched Yierha grow up. The child was well-behaved and polite, and would always do some needlework for her every now and then. She couldn't bear to see such a lovely little girl sad.
However, she couldn't help but think of her own daughter.
"Hutuli, if someone deliberately approaches you..."
Before Changning could finish speaking, Hutuli immediately reacted and said without hesitation, "Mother, I'm not stupid, okay? How could small favors possibly move me? If someone really likes me, it depends on my mood."
Oh, right, over the years, her daughter has openly and secretly read all the romance novels she's written, so there probably aren't any novel tricks left to attract her attention.
That's good, so that my daughter won't just blindly rush forward when someone offers her a carrot.
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