The next day, after finally seeing all his brothers off, Yinzhen didn't go to his wife or Changning's place. He just stayed in front, his mind filled with scenes of his brothers' time together over the past two days. There were some things he needed to write down and think about carefully.
First, there's the Eighth Prince and the Crown Prince. He's certain that when the Eighth Prince initially suggested to his father that he wanted to visit his estate and vegetable garden, he definitely had ulterior motives. What exactly did he want to say to the Crown Prince? Was he trying to pass on a message or stir up trouble?
Now that the crown prince is under strict control, what else can he possibly scheme for?
Secondly, there's Lao Qi's attitude. At first, it was somewhat ambiguous, but his last few words before leaving made it almost obvious that he wanted to pledge allegiance to me.
The seventh prince is a simple and honest man, and he likes his younger brother quite a bit. However, as things stand, he cannot consolidate his own power and followers too early, otherwise he will definitely become the next target of the Emperor's attack.
If he gains momentum in this climate, the Emperor might destroy him before he even defeats the Crown Prince.
The other wife also breathed a sigh of relief. She instructed Chaoxia and Wanxia to remove their hairpins and change into their nightgowns before going to bed. Before going to sleep, she called someone to inquire about Honghui's situation, only to find out that the child was still studying hard.
The princess's heart sank immediately, and she became somewhat unhappy.
He had been swimming at the estate before, and when he returned, he caught a cold for several days. The illness was so severe that it almost took his life. His wife took care of him tirelessly, even developing several blisters on her lips. She secretly resented Yinzhen, thinking, "Honghui is so weak, how could you let him go swimming?"
He finally recovered his health with great difficulty, and now he is expending all his energy on this. How can this be a sign of longevity?
Does this child not value their own body at all?
The princess sighed. Who did she get such a competitive nature from?
She also knew the reason why Honghui was so diligent. Hongyan was just too smart. What Hongyan learned once, Honghui would learn five or even ten times. No one in the Imperial Study could compare to him.
Sometimes she wondered why her children weren't as intelligent as those born to Consort Chun. Did Consort Chun get all the good things in the world?
Aside from not having the position of primary wife, she can truly be considered a winner in life.
The concubine gave a wry smile. She was doing a better job as a secondary consort than any of the primary consorts. Sometimes, it was hard to tell who was envious of whom.
I heard that when the gentlemen came to the estate this time, they also met the three princes of the manor. They all praised Hongyan and Hongzhao highly. Hongyan was the most outstanding in terms of academic knowledge, while Hongzhao was the best in terms of interpersonal skills and martial arts.
But not many people mentioned Honghui; they just praised him for being sensible and proper.
How could Honghui, who was proud and had a strong sense of self-respect, tolerate this? Being inferior to his younger brother was probably the most humiliating thing for him.
Suddenly, the princess's nose tingled and tears welled up in her eyes. She had once been a proud and arrogant woman, but the past ten years had changed her so much that she seemed like a completely different person.
She's only holding on for Honghui and the family now. What will she do if something happens to Honghui?
The Fujin put on her outer robe and quietly went to Honghui's room. She saw the candle still burning inside and heard her son's familiar voice coming from within.
"Granny Wu, please turn off two more lamps. Mother will notice if the candlelight is too bright."
"Your Highness, this won't do. Your eyes can't take it if it gets any darker. You should rest early. If the Princess Consort finds out, she'll be heartbroken."
“I know Mother will worry. I’ll go to sleep after I finish memorizing this one. Hongyan has already memorized ten of them and even made annotations. I’m only on my sixth one.”
Inside, Granny Wu sighed and sincerely advised, "Eldest Prince, it's not that I'm being nosy, but the most important thing for you right now is to take good care of your health. What's the point of competing with the Third Prince? What good is it if he's a top scholar? When our Prince is enfeoffed as a king, the position of heir apparent will definitely belong to you, the eldest son. Taking good care of your health is the best long-term solution."
Honghui paused for a moment: "Granny Wu, I don't want to be a useless person. Hongxi said that only I can represent the face of the Fourth Prince's Mansion, and I can't let Father down."
Granny Wu wanted to say something more, but Honghui interrupted her directly: "Alright, Granny Wu, there's no need to say anything more. You can go now. I know what I'm doing."
Hearing Honghui's somewhat impatient voice, Granny Wu dared not say anything more, and could only extinguish two more candles, then bow and leave.
Seeing this, the princess consort decided not to go in. The child was old enough to have his own ideas, and if she interfered too much, it would only cause the child to resent her.
She could only think of giving him a few pointers on language the next day and preparing some more nourishing medicinal meals for him.
The princess was secretly alarmed and somewhat confused. Looking at Honghui's attitude, what would become of him if he didn't get the result he wanted in the future? Could she protect him for the rest of her life?
After a night passed, Yinzhen thought about it and felt that something big must have happened. He wanted Changning to continue living on the estate with the children, and for his wife to return to the manor first. He would send his two sons to the palace to study.
Without saying a word, the Fujin began to leave. She wasn't used to living on the estate anyway, and there were still a lot of things to do in the manor, including the two new princesses, whom she had to go back to see.
She had originally intended to remind the Fourth Prince, but when she turned around, she saw that he had already run off to Chun Fujin's side, coaxing her softly.
The princess secretly rolled her eyes and immediately lost the will to speak.
Forget it, why should she remind him? This living father only has eyes for that one woman; he can't see anyone else.
Yinzhen was indeed trying to coax her: "I have a feeling something big is going on. I'll come back here to be with you as soon as I finish sending the children off. I still need to continue researching how to introduce heated brick beds for growing vegetables. You have to be good, okay?"
Changning felt a little cheesy, but her heart was still as sweet as if she had eaten honey: "I know, come back soon, and remember to bring Tuantuan and the others with you."
"That's fine. When I get busy, I can let Tuantuan and the others keep you company."
Changning gave Hongyan a few more instructions, telling him to be careful and cautious in everything he did in the palace, and that if there was any emergency, he could instruct a eunuch to send a message.
The Fucha family had already planted many spies in the palace. She selected some inconspicuous and safe agents and told her son about them, so that he could also gradually build his own power.
After seeing the group off, only Changning and the remaining children were left on the estate.
Yinzhen also brought Hongzhao's tutor with him, and Hongzhao studied in the front study every day.
The two little girls, Hutuli and Yierha, often kept each other company, either doing needlework or strolling around the garden together.
Changning then coaxed her remaining three sons.
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