Fourteen stared at the bird droppings on his hand, his face filled with disbelief.
The boys were practically bursting with suppressed laughter.
Feng Sheng'e comforted him, "Uncle Fourteen, it's alright. My mother said that you have good luck, but this is just good luck. It's a good thing, really."
Fourteen: "Are you alright???"
Just then, Yinzhen heard that the fourteenth prince had gotten up and brought the children to play, so he was very worried and quickly came over to check on them.
When the fourteenth prince saw Yinzhen, he chuckled and rushed over. With a "smack!", he slapped Yinzhen's lapel, and a foul stench immediately filled the air.
Yinzhen was still in a daze when he turned around and found that Fourteenth Prince had already run far away.
"Fourth Brother! It was your son who said it was just luck!"
Fourteen's voice carried far.
Yinzhen's vision went black.
By the time the two finished tidying up, it was time for breakfast.
Thirteen was regretting his drunken behavior the day before and was afraid that Fourth Brother would be angry. But Yinzhen patted him on the shoulder and said only one sentence.
"Thirteen, stand up. Fourth Brother will help you if he can."
Thirteen's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
After spending more than half a month at the village, the boys became more and more familiar with each other, and they would put their arms around each other's shoulders and climb on the roof to remove tiles every day.
Yinzhen personally taught them, and his demands were very strict, which finally brought these mischievous monkeys under control.
It started snowing not long after.
It was snowing in winter, and the sky was gloomy. The charcoal brazier inside the house was burning warmly, making people drowsy.
Changning leaned against the soft couch, and Yinzhen sat beside her reading a book.
Laughter and shouts from children could be heard from outside from time to time.
"It's so cold, they need to wear more clothes," Changning said with some concern.
Yinzhen was also somewhat helpless. He put down his book and said, "The fourteenth prince takes them out to have snowball fights and build snowmen every day. Honestly, he's still like a child, yet he's become the king of the kids."
Changning smiled, her face filled with longing: "Such heavy snow is so rare, falling thick and fast. It'd be so much fun to have a snowball fight in this weather! If only I were pregnant, I'd go too!"
Yinzhen's heart skipped a beat: "What, you played a lot when you were at home?"
Changning nodded vigorously: "During those years in the Northeast, the snow was incredibly heavy! It could be waist-deep! The servants in the manor had to keep sweeping and sweeping, otherwise the snow would freeze shut if it wasn't cleared in time. My brothers and I would pick up the snow piles that hadn't been cleared yet, and we would fight like crazy, not recognizing anyone. We would stuff snow crusts down our necks, it was so cold."
At this point, Changning perked up: "They can even bury people in the snow! That year, we teamed up and stuffed Third Brother into a snowdrift. When he came out, his snot was frozen into icicles, but he was still laughing!"
Yinzhen twitched his lips, not expecting that snowball fights in Northeast China were so unrestrained.
However, with such heavy snow, Yinzhen also had some hidden worries in his heart.
"What will you do if the snow is too heavy?"
"Then just sprinkle salt on the road, and it will dissolve much faster. But salt is too expensive, so not many people are willing to spend the money."
"Do you have enough warm clothes?"
Changning was a little confused, but still answered honestly, "You have to wear a mink coat to keep warm. It's really cold outside. My second brother once angered my eldest brother and was tricked by him into licking the door. He got frozen and almost couldn't pull it off. He couldn't eat anything hot for several days."
Yinzhen sighed and touched Changning's belly.
"It's alright, we'll head back in a few days. It'll be too late to travel on the snowy roads. I shouldn't have brought you out here to cause all this trouble."
Changning slowly pressed herself against his chest, her voice gentle.
"What are you saying? You brought me out to relax and relieve my boredom, I'm overjoyed! The children are having a great time too, they're smiling more."
While enjoying the warmth and affection, Yinzhen also began to worry about the people's livelihood.
I hope this year will be a year of auspicious snow and a bountiful harvest.
The children were having a blast at the village.
There are dog sleds, ice lanterns, ice sculptures, and snow houses; there's something new every day.
Fortunately, Yinzhen made them memorize books and write characters before allowing them to go out and play; otherwise, these people would have turned the whole estate upside down.
At the end of the year, the group returned home in a grand procession.
I had just returned to the manor when I heard that something had happened in the previous dynasty again, and that the emperor had punished the crown prince's wet nurse and his family.
Changning knew that the Emperor was wary of the Crown Prince. No wonder the Fourth Prince went to the estate; he was trying to avoid this turmoil.
No wonder the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes shamelessly followed them.
Changning only relayed messages to her family, being cautious in her words and actions.
However, there is another nephew in the mansion, who is the second son of her eldest brother Changhua and the younger brother of Duoxihui. His name is Alina, and he is now the Haha Zhuzi of Fengsheng'e.
As the year drew to a close, Changning treated it like a private gathering, inviting Duoxihui and Alin'a over for a meal and presenting them with numerous gifts.
Dorsey was very generous and open-minded. He had been well-educated by his brother and teacher, and his personality was very pleasing. He was never coy, but he also knew his limits. He was polite and affectionate as he told Changning about interesting things at home.
“My second uncle’s daughter, Moyaqi, came to me crying a couple of days ago. She said her mother is pregnant again and is afraid that if she has a younger sister, her mother won’t love her as much.”
Doshihui winked and grinned at Alin.
"I used to dislike that brat Ah Lin, but who knew this little brother would be so obedient? When I go out to show off, someone always steps in to back me up. When I'm not doing anything, I can play with him, and if I do something bad, someone will take the blame for me!"
Ah Lin turned around and glanced at his brother, scratching his head: "What the hell?"
Dorsey patted him on the shoulder, coaxing him like a child: "It's okay, I'm telling you, my little brother is the smartest."
Ah Lin quickly patted his brother's back and put his arm around his shoulder, saying, "Aunt Ning, my brother is the best too!"
"Good, good, good!" Changning was happy to see the two brothers being so affectionate.
However, Dorsey brought with him a lot of gossip from outside the palace and government offices.
The room fell silent instantly.
"A lot of people were arrested on the street and taken to the vegetable market to be killed. They were said to be corrupt officials who harmed the people. Many people went to watch the spectacle and even threw vegetable leaves and rotten eggs at them."
Changning frowned in thought. It seemed that the Crown Prince's wet nurse's family had been discovered by Kangxi for embezzlement and had been dealt with quickly. But what about the Crown Prince's reputation?
Yuqing Palace
Yinreng was standing in front of the desk. He had been holding the pen for a long time, and even the ink on the nib had dripped onto the Xuan paper.
The eunuch Abao wanted to step forward to remind him, but dared not disturb him, so he could only stand aside and remain invisible.
All Yinreng could think about was the day his father recovered from his illness, when he called him to his bedside and looked at him with such a probing gaze that it was truly terrifying.
He was well aware that while his swift and decisive actions—ordering nationwide postings of notices when his father was seriously ill and suppressing dissent in the court—were understandable, they still raised suspicions of a power struggle.
He thought that his father might become suspicious.
However, to everyone's surprise, Father Emperor asked a question.
"Baocheng, do you have your brothers in your heart, or your sovereign and father?"
This made his heart tremble.
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