The next day was the funeral of the Grand Princess.
Changning and his wife packed up and went to the Prince Zhi's residence.
To be honest, this First Princess Consort was also a pitiful person. Many people in the imperial clan envied her because Prince Zhi only wanted children born of the principal wife, and he doted on her exclusively. He wouldn't set foot in her room, and there was genuine affection between them.
Although he had given birth to four princesses before, he finally had a son. Hongyu is now a robust and adorable boy, and is very much loved by Emperor Kangxi.
However, the frequent births damaged her health, and she was bedridden with illness ever since Hongyu was born.
When Changning came to attend Hongyu's full moon celebration before, she didn't even get to see the First Princess Consort.
Over the years, the illness has not only failed to improve but has worsened. The Prince of Zhi was so anxious that he directly petitioned the Emperor to have a royal physician stay in the mansion to treat the First Princess Consort.
However, ever since the news spread that the eldest princess was to be sent to pacify the Mongols, the eldest princess consort was no longer able to live. She clung to life only to see her daughter get married.
The eldest princess had just been sent off to marry Prince Zhi, and less than a month later, she passed away.
The Prince Zhi, who was nearly forty years old, was always brave and arrogant. He was known as the Great Prince and was very imposing. However, after returning from sending his beloved daughter to her wedding, he saw the corpse of the First Princess and his hair turned white overnight.
When Changning saw him, she almost didn't recognize him.
She could believe it if you told her that Prince Zhi was now in his eighties or nineties.
There's no other reason than that he looks far too weathered and aged.
Not only was his hair completely white, but it was as if all his energy and spirit had been drained away.
The former Prince Zhi was full of vigor and imposing presence. Even though he was no longer trusted by the Emperor, he still maintained the demeanor of the eldest prince.
But now, Changning has no doubt that if there were no children, Prince Zhi would probably have to go with his wife.
The state of this couple's relationship is truly heartbreaking.
The other wives and concubines standing nearby also felt somewhat sentimental.
Fifth Princess Consort Tatara Shufen was a kind-hearted person: "With my sister-in-law gone, I don't know what will happen to the marriages of the Second and Third Princesses."
Wanhe came along too. She was still as beautiful as ever, and spent her days taking care of Hongchun, enjoying her life to the fullest. However, her thoughts were different.
"At best, he'll either stay in Beijing or be sent to serve in Mongolia. It's Hongyu who's the real problem."
Seeing that Shufen and Changning were both looking at her, Wanhe gave a bitter smile: "How could the Emperor allow Prince Zhi to be a widower? Just wait and see, in less than a year, he will betroth a new consort. If another legitimate son is born then, how will Hongyu stand on his own two feet?"
Yes... and there's also the second wife...
Changning felt a sense of suffocation again. It's true, even in modern times, there are examples of this.
If the stepmother is a good person, then that's not bad.
If the stepmother is malicious, then the children will suffer.
Prince Zhi is currently deeply in love with his deceased wife, but as time goes by and he has a new wife in his arms, will he still be able to maintain his current feelings? Will he still be able to show the same affection for Hongyu?
This reality is brutal, yet it forces us to consider it.
Changning thought, well, I should live a few more years, live a little longer.
Just as the group was feeling distressed and remained silent, they heard an extremely noisy voice.
They hurriedly sent someone to inquire, only to learn that Prince Zhi had fainted from crying in front of them.
The group exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts filled with complex emotions.
Many people couldn't help but wonder if their own grandfather could do the same thing on the day they passed away.
I'm afraid that's not possible.
From this perspective, Prince Zhi was truly a man of great loyalty and righteousness.
Changning, however, felt that in his pursuit of a son, he had repeatedly forced his wife to bear children, which had damaged his health and shortened his lifespan. It's likely that this is the reason why Prince Zhi is so distressed and regretful.
Judging from this, he's not a good man either.
Belated affection is worth less than grass.
If he had cared more about his wife, he wouldn't have died so tragically.
Then she thought of herself. She had given birth quite a few times over the years, but fortunately she was healthy and recovered quickly. Yinzhen had also had such concerns and asked more than ten imperial physicians to examine her pulse. He was even willing to drink contraceptive medicine for her.
It seems I can be nicer to him from now on.
Just as the women were all secretly pounding with anxiety, a reckless and bold man came along, his voice heard before he was seen.
"Why is it so cold here? Don't you have any charcoal in your residence? Hurry up and light a charcoal brazier next to me, or I'll freeze to death."
Changning found the voice strangely familiar.
Sure enough, when she looked up, she ran into the vicious female supporting character, Li Si'er.
You might say she doesn't know the rules, but she's still wearing plain clothes, and surprisingly, she hasn't brought any of her beloved gold and silver jewelry.
You might think she knows the rules, but with so many wives, concubines, and families of high-ranking officials present, she doesn't even bother to bow. She acts like she's back in her own home, sitting down and bossing everyone around.
It leaves one speechless.
"Who is this person?" Wanhe asked in a low voice. She was not a very sociable person and didn't know him well. But seeing how bold and flamboyant this person was, and how the other women looked at her with disdain and didn't want to associate with her, she was very curious.
Fifth Prince's wife whispered to her, "This is Longkodo's wife, Li Si'er."
"Ah, it's her..." Wanhe was slightly surprised. These days, Li Si'er's name has been known throughout the capital.
Since His Majesty has been absent-minded and unwell lately, the princes around him no longer trust him, and the ministers often express their anger and suspicion.
Then, Longkodo appeared.
The emperor did promote and value him.
After the Emperor punished many people around Suo'etu and Mingzhu, Longkodo recommended some people to the Emperor, and they were all given important positions.
This greatly emboldened Longkodo.
Changning could understand; given the Emperor's perception of being surrounded by wolves, his own people were undoubtedly the most reassuring.
Regardless of ability, loyalty is the most important thing.
Longkodo was riding high lately, walking around with his tail wagging like a bird, and he would beat ministers at the drop of a hat. However, Emperor Kangxi was unwell and did not pay attention to this, which made him even more arrogant.
Li Si'er was even worse.
She felt like a dragon soaring in the sky, with mortals standing on mud beneath her feet, and acted even more arrogantly.
Not only did she turn Longkodo's first wife into a human pig, but she also took control of the household, and even Longkodo's other children had to pay their respects to her morning and evening.
The women of ordinary officials were subjected to her tyranny and were ordered around in public. When banquets were held, she treated these women like maids, serving tea and water to the guests. Her behavior was outrageous.
Moreover, Li Si'er also accepted bribes. A large portion of the list of officials that Longkodo reported to Emperor Kangxi consisted of those who had bribed Li Si'er.
Li Si'er simply started selling official positions openly, auctioning them off to the highest bidder.
Their actions were truly eye-opening.
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