Yinzhen was playing with a bamboo cricket cage made of mortise and tenon joints in his hand. He recalled how he used to catch crickets with his brothers in the palace when he was a child.
Back then, the Emperor was both strict and lenient with them. The eldest brother and the Crown Prince hadn't yet turned into bitter enemies, and the third brother wasn't so annoying. Everyone would lie down in the grass in the Imperial Garden, with the bright moon shining overhead, making everyone feel bright and cheerful.
Now……
Yinzhen sighed. He prepared a cricket cage for each of his three sons, planning to take them up the mountain in a couple of days to catch a few crickets.
The children are growing up. Yierha has started to grow his hair back, and Honghui and Hongyan have started formal schooling. Even Feiyanga was given a name by the Emperor recently, named Hongzhao.
He hoped his three sons would live in harmony, so he also wanted to let them experience the joys of his childhood.
After thinking for a moment, he instructed Su Peisheng to find a white jade cricket cage ornament from the storeroom. The cricket inside was carved so lifelike, especially its long antennae and wide-open eyes, which were very vivid.
Yao Xian would definitely like it.
She likes things that are fun.
With a smile on his lips, Yinzhen took the ornament in his hand and strode towards Qingzhi Courtyard.
Princess Gao, who was squatting on the cobblestone path, saw Prince Beile from afar. She quickly tidied her makeup and clothes. After being told by her maid that there was no problem, she took a deep breath, exhaled, got into position, and began to dance.
Korean tribute women excelled in musical instruments and dance; they were known for their supple waists and captivating charm.
Princess Gao was no exception.
Yinzhen strode over and saw a woman dancing gracefully in the hazy night, her skirt swirling rapidly, her movements as ethereal as a fairy.
Su Peisheng was startled and quickly looked at the prince's expression. He hadn't seen anyone vying for the prince's favor in a long time, and he wondered what the prince was thinking.
Yinzhen was taken aback at first, then remembered the storybook that Yaoxian often wrote, which she had almost finished writing over the years.
There is a "vicious female supporting character" written by Yao Xian. She takes advantage of the Prince Aotian's return to the manor alone and uses a self-inflicted injury scheme. It is freezing cold and snowing. This woman is only wearing a gauze dress and dances gracefully.
Yinzhen still remembered that Yaoxian had complained to him with great enthusiasm, "If you ask me, this woman's intentions are too obvious. What kind of good person would dance outside in the middle of the night? Besides, is she dancing for the prince or for the servants and eunuchs in the mansion? Doesn't the servants have any thoughts about her when she dances and attracts attention?"
Thinking of this, Yinzhen frowned. He turned his head and saw the little eunuch behind him quickly glance at him a few times before lowering his head.
This sight ignited his anger, and he immediately felt ashamed and furious.
Although he had never slept with this woman, she was still officially his woman. What kind of etiquette and decorum is it for her to show herself in public like this, behaving so flirtatiously?
Yinzhen's face darkened, and he shouted sternly, "Su Peisheng! Who is that man?"
Upon hearing the prince's angry voice, Su Peisheng immediately knelt down and kowtowed, "Your Highness, it looks like Princess Gao."
Princess Gao noticed that Yinzhen was angry and was a little scared. She stopped and walked over gracefully to greet him, forcing herself to say in a low voice, "Greetings to Your Highness."
Yinzhen stared at her for a few moments, his voice, seemingly forced from his throat, carrying a chill, "What are you doing here? Where did you get this information?"
Gao Gege was dumbfounded and stammered, unable to speak.
Su Peisheng felt as if his heart had sunk to the bottom. He had revealed his master's whereabouts; it seemed that someone in the front yard was too short-sighted and would have to be dealt with.
Sure enough, the next sentence was Yinzhen's cold laugh: "Good! Good! Good! Su Peisheng, I see you've gotten too cocky, and the fence has loosened, letting the dog sniff your way over!"
Although Princess Gao was Korean, she had studied Manchu and Han culture since childhood. Upon hearing this, how could she not know that the Prince was scolding her?
How could you call me a dog?
Princess Gao felt her face burning, and the maid behind her was trembling with fear.
Su Peisheng repeatedly apologized, and his gaze towards Gao Gege became much more sinister.
“Gao has disrespected the teachings for women and has committed moral transgressions. She shall be fined one year’s salary, confined to her quarters for one year, and have her daughter’s clothes copied two thousand times.”
With that, Yinzhen turned and left.
Two thousand times?!
Gao Gege felt like she was going to tear her fingers to shreds!
Su Peisheng didn't leave. He clenched his fists and ordered his apprentice Wang Quan, "Bring all the maids around Princess Gao over and ask them who leaked the information."
When Eunuch Su got angry, the entire Bibo Courtyard was thrown into chaos.
A row of maids were all pinned down and beaten, their cries shaking the heavens.
The main wife of the Fujin also received the news.
"Your Highness, this Princess Gao is too audacious! Who would dare to stop people near Qingzhi Courtyard? Even the Prince isn't into that sort of thing!" Granny Fu reported while helping the Princess Consort with her washing and dressing.
The Fujin remained expressionless. "He's just a fool. Apart from the Fucha clan, only the Niohuru clan and the Song clan can be considered smart. The rest are all useless."
Granny Fu whispered in his ear, "Master, can we trust this Princess Niohuru? Can this really work out?"
The Fujin sat upright, looking at her calm and expressionless face in the bronze mirror. Her voice deepened. "Who else can she rely on besides me? Whether this matter succeeds or not doesn't matter, as long as it leaves a grudge in Meng Guqing's heart. The children are growing up. If the forces on the Mongol side all listen to the Fucha clan, things will not be good."
"Your master is wise."
In Qingzhi Courtyard, before Changning had heard the news, Yinzhen entered.
Her attention was completely drawn to the white jade cricket cage.
"This carving is really good. Shall we go catch some grasshoppers?"
Changning held it with great affection, while Yinzhen let out a sigh of relief, not wanting to show any negative emotions here.
"Yes, I plan to take you to Jingshan Hill for a walk in a couple of days. There are lots of grasshoppers around at this time of year, so you can relax a bit."
Changning's eyes lit up. "That's great! Fengsheng has been working so hard on his calligraphy these past few days. He's so smart, he won't let go of his books. It'll be perfect for him to go out and play and relax."
Yinzhen was very pleased to hear this, saying, "Fengsheng is intelligent and hardworking, he really makes things easy for us!"
“That’s right. Even Fei Yang’a, who lives with his brother every day, has started to pick up some books now. But I think he prefers martial arts.”
“Whether he practices martial arts or not, Fei Yang’a is very clever, so don’t always criticize him.” Yinzhen was quite tolerant of Fei Yang’a.
Simply put, this child is like a little sun.
He is not only a brother-obsessed child, but also the most filial child. Even at a young age, he would always send some of the delicious food and fun toys to his father and mother.
She's always full of sweet talk, always saying things like, "Father, you've worked so hard!" and "Mother, I love you so much!"
Who could resist spoiling such a cute and adorable child?
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