Changning was quite concerned about the eldest princess, Yierha. As a princess from a prince's mansion, especially since her father was going to become the emperor, it would be best if she had some authority.
However, her relationship with the Fujin is now somewhat delicate. The Fujin is completely under her control. Fortunately, Yinzhen is working on things outside, and her third brother saved the emperor's life. Otherwise, people might say that Yinzhen favors his concubine over his wife.
Since the incident involving the Fujin, Honghui and Yierha have rarely come to Qingzhi Courtyard, saying they are afraid of disturbing her pregnancy.
However, Changning also knew that a rift was a rift.
Therefore, she couldn't interfere with Yierha being managed by the nannies. She could only tell Hutuli that when she went to visit her older sister again in the future, she could subtly remind her to act like a mistress so that those nannies wouldn't take advantage of her.
Hutu looked disgusted: "Mother, why did you say I was pooping on your neck! Lunch is almost ready!"
Changning chuckled and comforted her, "It's alright, it's just a proverb. Forget it, forget it. We'll have hot pot later, and I'll make you some noodles too."
"I want to eat hand-pulled noodles, with lots of sesame paste."
"Okay, okay, no problem."
March has arrived in the blink of an eye. Spring has arrived in the capital, but snow is still falling in the northeast and the Mongolian grasslands. The imperial relief grain has been distributed, but a prince is still needed to inspect it.
This is a tough job.
It's freezing cold there. I heard that many people's ears have frozen off, and some people went out drinking and got so drunk that they just collapsed on the roadside and fell asleep, only to have their bodies frozen solid the next day.
Both the Prince of Zhi and the Crown Prince volunteered to go and provide disaster relief.
The emperor agreed to none of them.
Inside Yonghe Palace, the fourteenth prince was nagging Consort De, chattering on and on.
"Mother, please, please help your son talk to Father Emperor. Your son really wants to go and gain some experience."
Consort De looked at her youngest son with some helplessness.
“Yinti, this is no child’s play. You have no experience in disaster relief. The disaster in Mongolia and the Northeast is quite severe, and there might even be unrest. What would you do if you went and made things worse? You can’t handle such delicate work as disaster relief. Besides, how much money and grain are involved? How long will it take to argue with the local officials? You don’t have that kind of tact.”
Hearing Consort De's belittling remarks, the Fourteenth Prince was unhappy. He pouted and muttered, "Here we go again. It's always my fault. You never give me a chance. How do you know I'm not good enough? Fourth Brother has done so much in the court, and Eighth Brother has always had something to do. It's just me who's always running around doing nothing."
Consort De mercilessly rebuked him: "Thirteenth Prince is fine, but he can calm down and study diligently. If the Emperor needs you, he will naturally arrange a job for you."
Fourteen was somewhat unconvinced: "He's been so worried lately, he's practically burning down the house. The Thirteenth Princess is going to surrender to the Mongols, and he's been so anxious about it. He was originally hoping to impress Father Emperor."
Upon hearing this, Consort De immediately shot her a sharp glare and rebuked her sternly, "Shut up! How dare you spout such nonsense? Are you getting more and more dog-brained as you grow older? Are you implying that the Thirteenth Prince is dissatisfied with the Emperor's decisions?"
Fourteen was stunned when he saw his mother get angry, and when he heard these words, he broke out in a cold sweat: "I didn't mean that, Mother."
Consort De didn't even want to look at him again.
"You're so old. Still so unreliable. Even if the Emperor were to send you to disaster relief, I wouldn't feel at ease! You don't even understand the principle of being cautious in your words and actions. Do you think this is a trivial matter? The affairs between Mongolia and the Qing Dynasty have always been major issues. Whether or not to appease the Mongols is not something you can question!"
Fourteen wanted to say something more, but Consort De chased him away, leaving him dejected as he returned to his residence.
Consort De sat alone on the couch, gathering her breath. She felt a little regretful.
She had previously given birth to her fourth son, who was raised by Empress Xiaoyiren. She then had her sixth son and several daughters, but they all died young. The only ones who grew up were Wenxian and the fourteenth son. Therefore, she spoiled the fourteenth son, who unexpectedly developed his current brainless personality.
Considering that Uyamaru went from a lowly palace maid to the current Consort De, she has endured countless hardships and is considered a wise woman. Her children are also intelligent and lively, so why is it that only the fourteenth prince is like this?
Is he really his biological son?
There's no point in thinking about this now. Consort De has made up her mind not to let the fourth and fourteenth princes get involved in this disaster relief effort, because she has a feeling that the emperor has his own plans.
However, she also felt a little reluctant to part with the thirteenth princess.
Consort Min, of the Zhangjia clan, was originally a servant in Yonghe Palace. The thirteenth prince and the two princesses all grew up in Yonghe Palace, which is why the thirteenth prince had such a good relationship with the fourth and fourteenth princes.
Although her biological daughter, the Fifth Princess Wenxian, did not become a concubine in the Mongols, she passed away not long after her marriage. In her heart, she regarded the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Princesses as her daughters.
Unfortunately, after Consort Min left, the Emperor sent the two princesses to Yikun Palace. She never saw them again. Before leaving, the Thirteenth Princess came to say goodbye in person, bringing a stack of handkerchiefs she had embroidered herself. She had seen them; the stitches were fine and dense, showing great care. What a good child.
However, the pacification of Mongolia was no small matter, and Consort De disapproved of their wailing and lamenting at the mere mention of it, as if they were going to some harsh and desolate place. This was a matter of the Emperor's affairs; how could they possibly have a say in it?
The events that had just occurred inside Yonghe Palace were also reported to Emperor Kangxi.
When Emperor Kangxi heard that the Fourteenth Prince had gone to find Consort De, hoping to participate in the disaster relief efforts, he was quite pleased. The Fourteenth Prince was all grown up and wanted to share his father's burdens.
But when he heard that Thirteen was anxious and upset about Princess Wenke's matter, he felt a little unhappy.
He recalled the scene in his dream where Prince Zhi was heartbroken and drunk because of the eldest princess, Fu Meng.
His heart softened for a moment, but then he felt a loneliness that no one could understand.
In his position, many things are beyond his control.
There's an old saying: "The higher you climb, the colder it gets." This must be what it means to be in such a situation.
However, speaking of dreams, he recalled the dream he had a few days ago.
In his dream, Bao Cheng had been crippled by himself, and Bao Qing had been imprisoned by himself.
The position of Crown Prince has been on the agenda for a long time, with the Eighth Prince Yinzhi being the most popular candidate. All the court officials followed his lead and he was even given the nickname "Eighth Wise Prince", which made him very proud.
However, during the autumn imperial examinations in Rehe, this unfilial son actually gave him a gift: two dying gyrfalcons.
In Manchu tradition, the gyrfalcon is the god of all eagles, the closest being to a deity, and a symbol of the emperor. These two dead eagles are practically slapping themselves in the face, admitting they are unworthy of their position and are too old to live.
Eighth Brother, Eighth Brother, do your abilities match your ambitions?
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