"Oh, oh." Yinqi quickly let go of his hand and looked at the prince hesitantly, as if to say "I know nothing", looking extremely guilty.
At the same time, the Fifth Prince fell into self-doubt. Does he have that much strength
Then I thought, Fourth Brother has small arms and legs, it's really hard not to hug him. If Fulu came over, hiss...
He didn't dare to think about it any further, and asked in a low voice: "Fourth brother, are you feeling better now?"
The prince witnessed this scene and was speechless for a moment. He glared at Yinqi, who looked guilty, and signaled him not to speak.
He took a few steps forward, rubbed Yinzhen's head, and said softly: "What happened? Second brother will help you vent your anger..."
I don’t know if it was the hug just now that worked, or the consolation that took effect, but Yinzhen was still sobbing, but his crying was not as sad as before.
As if he had vented the grievances in his heart and felt much better, the Fourth Prince wiped his face and said something on the tip of his tongue, but he finally lowered his head and said sullenly: "... Second Brother, I'm fine."
Was he going to say that he heard almost everything his mother talked about with Nanny Zhen while he was sick
The Fourth Prince had a slight fever and fell into a deep sleep, but the cold was not serious at the beginning.
As if trapped in an airtight shell, Yinzhen was conscious but slept unsteadily, yet he could not wake up for a long time. Gradually, he became unwilling to wake up.
Panic, fear, and a hint of anger finally turned into overwhelming sadness.
Liu Qin, who serves the Emperor, is my mother's man...
Nanny Zhen had no good intentions when she mentioned my second and fifth brothers...
And there is the jade certificate. Are they so eager to change his jade certificate
Does my mother care about him
Yinzhen thought blankly, Mother, she is no longer the mother he depended on.
I vaguely heard a voice saying "Bring a towel and cold water", and then all the warmth in my body disappeared. Was the quilt lifted
Mom, it’s so cold...
So sad…
He was shaking with pain.
Yinzhen wanted to call out "Imperial Noble Consort" and asked her to hug him, but he couldn't make the sound. He could only struggle and fall into deeper darkness.
When the prince saw Yinzhen lowering his head, pulling at his sleeves and unwilling to talk, he pursed his lips and did not force him. Many speculations suddenly came to his mind.
The places that Fourth Brother usually went to were the Prince's Residence, the Upper Study, and Chengqian Palace. In the Prince's Residence, Fourth Brother was the only master, and Sixth Brother was always clinging to him, so how could he make him so sad
Going to the study room was out of the question! My fourth brother was not good at riding and shooting, but he was not the kind of person who would cry over his nose. Whenever he had time, he would secretly practice. He was very strong-willed.
The only one left is Chengqian Palace.
The prince was silent for a moment, rubbed his head again, and his face became serious.
It is not easy to intervene without knowing the cause and effect, but I cannot let my fourth brother cry any more. Listen, his voice is hoarse, if he can't recover, it will be terrible!
He raised his voice and asked He Zhuer to bring a cup of warm water and add a little honeysuckle into it. He also asked the kitchen to cut a plate of snow pears and placed it in front of Yinzhen.
Yinqi looked at the pear on the table, feeling a little greedy: "Second brother..."
The prince knew what kind of person he was, so he glanced at him quietly and asked, "Have you finished writing the big characters?"
The Fifth Prince immediately wilted.
Speaking of writing, the prince had a flash of inspiration, his thoughts turned, and he soon came up with an idea.
"Yinqi will go to school soon, but his handwriting seems to be out of control, and I can't teach him well." He whispered to the tearful Yinzhen, "I want him to learn from you, why don't you give him some pointers?"
Even Yinzhen's teacher praised his calligraphy, saying that to be able to reach such a level at such a young age requires both diligence and talent, and the Fourth Prince has both.
Hearing this, Yinzhen was still shaking his head, but when he saw Yinqi's "masterpiece", his black eyes gradually widened and his chubby face wrinkled.
Fifth brother’s handwriting is… so ugly.
If Jiu Ye were here, he would surely be overwhelmed with grief and would criticize the frowning little kid harshly.
The fourth brother is a person who is strict with himself and others. He hates sloppy writing and will correct it for you. Before he went to prison in his previous life, in order to annoy the fourth brother, he handed in a crooked memorial that he himself couldn't bear to read. What was the result
It was a success, but the outcome—don’t even mention it.
They actually made him go back to school and practice calligraphy with Hongshi, Hongli and Hongzhou! He was so embarrassed.
Now, Jiu Ye’s brother enjoyed the same treatment, but the latter was unaware of the coming danger.
Yinqi shouted excitedly: "Fourth brother, tell me quickly, is my writing good?"
In an instant, Yinzhen stopped crying.
The prince smiled slightly and said, "It's done!"
*****
It was a done deal that the Fourth Prince would be registered under the name of the Imperial Noble Consort. All that was left was to wait until the New Year was over and ask the clan leader to bring out the imperial edict so that the matter could be settled. In recent days, the Imperial Noble Consort's smile had become more genuine. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, she even distributed a month's worth of bonuses to everyone in Chengqian Palace.
The servants in Chengqian Palace were all in high spirits. They no longer called him the Fourth Prince, but called him Little Master instead. This made the Imperial Noble Consort happy and she felt better at the same time.
It is said that there is a big banquet on New Year's Eve, a small banquet on Lantern Festival, and a small gathering of concubines on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Only His Majesty will be seated, and the two Empress Dowagers will not join in the fun as usual.
Because it was a small banquet, the atmosphere was much more relaxed than usual. Last year, it was held in Chengqian Palace, because the Imperial Noble Consort was the one in charge of the harem; this year, the Imperial Noble Consort took over the management of palace affairs, and the concubines gathered in Yongshou Palace. The Emperor waved his hand and showed favor to all the princes and princesses. In addition to the ninth and tenth princes who were still in their cradles, the youngest, the eighth prince who was gradually walking steadily, also took his seat.
The Seventh Prince leaned happily beside Concubine Cheng, and sitting at the desk behind him were the Eighth Prince and Concubine Liang.
It was the first time for Yinsi to attend such a banquet. He smiled shyly with a sparkle in his eyes. He looked around curiously. The fat boy pointed at the Crown Prince in the front and looked up to ask Concubine Liang: "Second brother?"
I think he still has some impression of the prince.
Concubine Liang and Prince Eight lived in a side hall of the Cining Palace. Their food and clothing were much more refined than when they were in the Yanxi Palace, and they never deducted their allowances. Firstly, the Imperial Concubine was in charge of the palace affairs and was willing to take extra care of them; secondly, with the protection of the Grand Empress Dowager, no one dared to neglect them.
She is very different now. Although her appearance has not changed, her eyes and brows are relaxed, and there is no longer any sadness in her bones.
Hearing her son's question, she looked at him, pursed her lips and smiled, "It's your second brother, the crown prince of our Qing Dynasty."
After returning to his biological mother, it was visibly that the Eighth Prince became much more lively, showing the usual mischievousness of his age, and no longer had to read people's faces as carefully as before.
After repeating the word "Second Brother" excitedly, Yinsi stuck his head out, his eyes fell on Yunxiu uncontrollably, then retracted his head and tugged at the sleeve of Concubine Liang: "Mother, that lady is as pretty as you."
"What do you mean by that lady?" Concubine Liang nodded at him and said angrily, "It's Concubine Yi from the Yikun Palace. Yinsi, don't be rude."
…
Yunxiu naturally didn't know about the conversation between the Eighth Prince and Concubine Liang.
She was wearing a lake-blue Manchu dress, decorated with large groups of brocade patterns of acacia clouds, inlaid with white plush piping, and had emerald beads hanging from her ears. It was not an extravagant outfit, but rather a simple one, yet it exuded an air of luxury.
I could hear Xiaowu complaining, "Fourth Brother is so scary, I can't handle it..."
Yun Xiu raised an eyebrow, resisted the urge to twist Yin Qi's ear, and lowered her voice to say, "Your fourth brother has always been diligent, and even the emperor praised his calligraphy. It's good that he is willing to teach, how can you be dissatisfied with him?"
Yinqi: “…”
Ever since the flatterer, ugh, cousin came to the palace every now and then, my mother has become someone else's mother. She is no longer gentle!
The Fifth Prince looked at Yun Xiu with resentment. He was not exaggerating. The Fourth Prince was even stricter than the Second Prince. How could he withstand that
Until the emperor arrived, Yinqi was still angry and immersed in sadness.
After Kangxi sat down, he quickly noticed his fifth son's unique expression, and then looked at Yunxiu with a hint of smile in his eyes: "What's wrong with Xiaowu?"
Yunxiu bowed and said with a smile: "In reply to the emperor's words, Yinqi and I are praising the fourth prince, saying that his handwriting is good."
Yinqi: “…”
Prince Rong Yinzuo, who was sitting alone at a table, looked at the Fourth Prince eagerly, revealing a proud look; Yinzhen, who was sitting next to the Imperial Noble Consort, pursed his lips and blushed slightly: "... Thank you, Fifth Brother."
Knowing that Xiaowu had been taught to practice calligraphy recently, Kangxi laughed loudly and nodded with satisfaction when he saw this scene.
The corners of the imperial concubine's mouth twitched downwards, the arc was very small, and then she returned to her normal complexion, and her pale face gradually became ruddy. She looked at Yinzhen lovingly and smiled, "No wonder Yinzhen ran to Yuqing Palace whenever he had time! Ahem... Xiaowu will be going to school soon. As an elder brother, he should teach his younger brother calligraphy. This is what he should do."
There was pride in her words, and she completely put herself into the role of her biological mother, which made Concubine Hui's hand holding the food pause slightly. Concubine Rong put down her teacup and sneered in her heart.
The ladies of lower status present did not dare to interrupt, they only thought with envy that although the Imperial Noble Consort had lost her power in the palace, she still had the Fourth Prince to rely on... When would they be able to gain favor and have the good fortune of giving birth to a son or daughter
The banquet was harmonious and joyful, and after three rounds of wine, the concubines were slightly tipsy.
No one expected Rong Fei to suddenly stand up and bow, as if to apologize, and then hesitantly said: "Your Majesty, I have kept these words in my heart for a long time. Now that I have verified the truth and considered it again and again, I can't help but speak out... Please forgive me for overstepping my bounds."
After that, she looked straight at the Imperial Concubine and whispered, "Your Highness, Imperial Concubine really pretends to be a kind mother. If the Fourth Prince knew the truth, would he still call you mother with such admiration on his face?"
Once the words were spoken, they were earth-shattering.
In everyone's general impression, Rong Fei was very favored in her early years. After her favor faded, she gradually lived in seclusion and became the most pious one in worshiping Buddha. Except for the time when she competed with Hui Fei for power when Gui Fei was in confinement, she soon kept a low profile again, and her daily behavior was impeccable.
Even the emperor was a little surprised. Rong Fei has always been low-key. Why did she suddenly say such a thing, not afraid of offending the Imperial Concubine
What does it mean to pretend to be a kind mother? What does it mean to know the truth?!
Kangxi stroked his jade ring, narrowed his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Go on."
When the Fourth Prince heard the word "truth", his lips trembled, his eyes gradually widened, and he lowered his head.
Beside him, the Imperial Concubine suddenly clenched her palms, and suddenly had a bad premonition. She put away her smile, and a bit of sternness appeared in her eyes: "Rong Fei, you spread rumors without reason, and you are committing a crime of insubordination. Do you know what this crime is?"
Rong Fei was not afraid at all, she just smiled coldly: "Spreading rumors without reason? You should ask the deputy chief steward of the Qianqing Palace, Liu Qin. On the surface, he serves the emperor, but secretly does many dirty things for the queen. The queen knows it best, right?"