Unlike Honghui Yierha's reserved nature, Fengsheng'e and Hutuli acted as if they were at home, trying to break free from their mother's embrace and crawling around everywhere.
Consort De also liked the two clever and healthy children very much. Although they were still young, they had entered the palace two or three times. Yinzhen would carry them to pay his respects to the Emperor and they would stop by Yonghe Palace on the way. So they were quite familiar with Consort De.
"Ah! Ah! Ahhh!" Feng Sheng'e cried out loudly as he crawled, pointing at Consort De.
Consort De smiled and quickly picked up Feng Sheng'e. Looking at his chubby little face, she was even more delighted: "Hong Yan is such a energetic child. You must have worked hard taking care of him every day."
This was said to Changning.
Changning hurriedly replied, "It's no trouble at all, it's no trouble at all, Your Majesty is the one who has had a hard time."
Although Changning is outspoken and fearless in public, as a daughter-in-law, she naturally feels a sense of dread towards her mother-in-law.
She didn't have any special techniques for getting along with her superiors; she just said what was right and praised them in the opposite way.
You definitely shouldn't turn the table when your boss is serving you food. If your boss says you've worked hard, you should say the opposite: your boss has worked hard. You can't go wrong.
The three women, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, chatted for a while before getting up to go to the palace banquet.
Before setting off, Consort De turned around and whispered to the two of them, "When you get there, remember to keep a close eye on the children."
She spoke in a low voice, quickly, and then walked ahead as if it had just been a gust of wind.
Changning was a little confused. Why did she need to have this skill even in the palace?
The princess was thinking more deeply, feeling a little nervous, wondering which concubine had taken a dislike to them this time.
When the palace banquet arrived, the Princess Consort found out.
The Third Prince Consort, Lady Dong'e, sat alone to one side with a cold glare, seemingly disliking everyone.
Originally, the Fujin and she had a good relationship, and their sons got along well. But now that she looked unapproachable, the Fujin didn't dare to go up and talk to her.
Consort Rong, who was not far away, was in the same situation.
Originally, she was ranked last among the four consorts, and in recent years she has received no favor. Her only support is Princess Rongxian and the Third Prince.
Princess Rongxian was sent to serve the Mongols a few years ago and married a member of the Borjigit clan of the Bairin tribe in southern Mongolia.
However, news has now spread that Princess Rongxian's husband, Ulgun, has been disrespectful to the princess and has taken several concubines without her consent. This has angered the princess so much that she wrote a letter back to the capital, asking her father and mother to take charge.
Consort Rong was heartbroken, but she had no say in front of the Emperor and could only place her hopes on the Third Prince.
Who knew that the Third Prince would encounter such a trouble again, and his children would all face difficulties. Consort Rong was anxious, angry, and furious.
She loved her grandson too, but she never expected Hongqing to cause such a huge disaster. It certainly wasn't the third son's fault, so it must be her daughter-in-law, Dong Eshi's, fault.
Therefore, Consort Rong vented all her resentment on Consort Dong'e. Every day before dawn, she would make Consort Dong'e enter the palace to learn etiquette, and she would not be allowed to leave the palace until dark. After returning home, Consort Dong'e would kneel down and copy scriptures. It is said that there were also many unspeakable punishments in secret.
There are countless ways to torment people in the palace, and Consort Rong naturally knew many ways to make people suffer in silence, which she eventually used on her own daughter-in-law.
As a result, Dong Eshi was also worn down and became increasingly extreme in her dealings with people and things.
Changning's gaze towards Dong Eshi was strange; it was like a wild wolf poised to pounce, wanting to bite anyone it saw.
No wonder Consort De told her to be careful; who wouldn't be wary of that?
Changning then instructed Yulan and Yuqiu to hold the child tightly and not to relax their grip even for a moment.
Changning felt a sinking feeling in her heart, sensing that something was about to happen, and quickly looked to the other side.
On the other side of the table, Yinzhen sat upright. Amidst the noise and commotion of the hall, he stood tall like a bamboo, and Changning immediately felt at ease.
"Sister Fucha".
Seeing that she was restless, Wanhe thought she was worried about leaving the child alone, so she quickly comforted her quietly: "The child is still young, there is no need to leave him there. Consort Tong said that we can just leave him with us and take care of him."
Changning nodded.
Wanhe continued, "Have Hongyan and Jiayuan learned to crawl yet? Hongchun hasn't, and I think he's a bit slow, but the Fourteenth Prince forbids me from saying so. Sister, do you think Hongchun might have taken after the Fourteenth Prince?"
Changning couldn't help but laugh: "What nonsense are you talking about? If he were really like the Fourteenth Prince, Hongchun would have been climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles by now."
At this point, Wanhe couldn't help but laugh and nodded: "That's true, that's how our master is. I think Hongqing is quite like him."
Changning agreed; such a mischievous child could easily be mistaken for his fourteenth son's offspring.
Suddenly, a female voice rang out behind them: "What are you two whispering about? What's wrong with Hongqing?"
Both of them were startled and turned around to see Dong Eshi's sinister face staring at them.
Wanhe felt a little scared and unconsciously pulled on Changning's clothes.
Changning wasn't afraid of her, and just smiled and replied, "It's nothing, I just said that Hongchun is still young and needs to be taken good care of. What's wrong, Third Sister-in-law?"
"You haven't mentioned Hongqing?" The Third Princess's gloomy gaze was chilling.
Changning was a little displeased, but still patiently answered, "No."
Before the Third Prince's wife could say anything more, the Fifth Prince's wife, Shufen, quickly smoothed things over: "Third Sister-in-law, they are still young. They just had a baby and are discussing how to raise it."
The Third Princess Consort sneered, "You all know how to raise children, but I don't?"
Shufen was speechless, utterly speechless.
Changning realized that the Third Princess Consort hated everyone equally, so she didn't bother arguing with her and simply said, "Third Sister-in-law, you should be careful. The Emperor is still up ahead. If he finds out that there's a commotion here, who knows how he'll punish you."
When the Emperor Kangxi was mentioned, the Third Princess Consort restrained herself slightly, but her gaze kept lingering on the group of women.
Wanhe whispered, "I have a feeling that something's not right with Third Sister-in-law?"
"You've already sensed it? There are eyes and ears everywhere in this palace. It's already spread." Changning snorted coldly.
This Lady Dong'e was no fool. She was no ordinary person; she could suppress the many concubines in the philandering Third Master's mansion and remain unperturbed.
This action is merely a pretext to spread the word.
Dong Eshi was sizing her up. Consort Rong still cared about her reputation. If people knew that she was mistreating her daughter-in-law, who would dare to marry their daughter to Lady Majia?
They sought a chance to catch their breath by taking advantage of public opinion.
Changning understood, and so did the Fujin, which is why she remained silent.
As for Consort De, she probably gave this instruction because she was afraid that Changning and the others wouldn't understand.
However, Changning felt that Hongqing's education issue needed to be taken seriously.
But there is another problem: what about Princess Rongxian?
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