Chapter 11 Hongyan Dies Young
How to describe it? He was much smaller than when Honghui was born, only a little over four pounds, and his body was covered with purple marks, which were left by staying in the mother's body for too long. His breathing was very rapid, and he lay motionless in the arms of the imperial physician. It was obvious that he was a child who would be difficult to raise.

Yinzhen's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and he looked at the weak child as if he was spitting fire.

"Doctor, this child looks like he has a deficiency. Is it possible to keep him alive?"

The imperial physician was somewhat embarrassed: "Reply to Fourth Prince, if the young prince can survive this night safely and drink human milk, I may give it a try."

This meant that there was almost no hope. Yinzhen pursed his lips to hold back his anger and said, "I'll have to trouble the imperial physician to watch over him tonight."

"It is my responsibility." The imperial physician carried the little prince to a room that had been prepared long ago and immediately wrote out a prescription.

Seeing that there were no outsiders in the room, Yihuan stood up and knelt down to apologize: "The master handed the backyard to me, and I failed in my duty."

Yinzhen was in a very bad mood, but he did not doubt Yihuan. He motioned Yihuan to stand up and said, "It has nothing to do with Fu Jin. No matter how careful you are, can you still control the affairs of Li's room?"

"I heard from Su Peisheng that the eldest princess is at Honghui's place. Fu Jin should take good care of the child these days. Li can't come back yet." Yinzhen patted Yihuan's hand and continued, "You should go back too. Honghui will make a fuss if he can't see you at night."

"Master, I will get to the bottom of this matter. We must have an answer to whether it is a natural disaster or a man-made disaster." When Yihuan saw the child who was about to die, she felt a surge of anger in her heart.

In the adult world, any means of deception are acceptable. Attacking children is a cowardly act. There cannot be an executioner who specifically targets young children in the backyard under her jurisdiction.

Yinzhen looked at Yihuan, and for the first time he felt that the concubine's strict and upright nature was not without its benefits. At least she would not harm others, and that was good.

***
Back to the main courtyard
After washing off the smell of blood, Yihuan sat down and watched the eldest princess and Honghui interacting with each other, pushing each other back and forth, without disturbing them.

"Yuxiao, Abao, this matter must be investigated carefully, starting from a few days ago. Who entered the garden and what they did? If there is any witness, we must find out clearly no matter how long it takes." Yihuan became more and more annoyed. Now she has a healthy prince, and Li Gege's pregnancy had problems. In the eyes of outsiders, this is not a son that her fourth wife would not tolerate out of wedlock.

She is more wronged than Dou E!

The next day, Li finally woke up, and she collapsed when she saw the child for the first time.

Upon hearing that Li had fainted, Yinzhen stayed by her side. Looking at his son's gradually weakening breathing and his concubine crying incessantly, Yinzhen felt heartbroken.

But there are always things in the world that cannot be reversed by human power.

The little prince didn't drink a single sip of the medicine that the imperial physician had spent so much effort to prepare.

He died on the third day after birth.

According to the old calendar of the Qing Dynasty, such a child could not be named according to his age, but Yinzhen watched him die in front of him. Such intense grief made him ask Kangxi for mercy and give him the name Hongyu, which was also a proof of his life in this world.

After the funeral, Li finally came to her senses. "Master, I was useless. I didn't give birth to Hongyan in good health. But he was safe and sound in my belly for so long, eight months already, and he was fine. It was just that I fell that day, and someone touched my feet with oil. Who is so cruel that he can't tolerate me and my son?" Li pulled Yinzhen's sleeve, crying bitterly, and pointed the finger at Yihuan.

Yinzhen thought of her recent loss of a child, so he comforted her softly, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly. Take good care of yourself, and you will have children in the future."

Li gnashed her teeth in hatred. Either Fu Jin or Song did it. There were only a few women in the mansion. What was there to investigate? According to her, they should all be arrested and buried with her Hongyan.

"Wuuu, Master, even if I have another child in the future, it won't be Hongyan." How much Li longed for this child before, how painful she is now.

Yinzhen stayed with Li until she fell asleep, and then he came out of the East Courtyard exhausted. He originally wanted to go back to the study to write and calm down, but suddenly he remembered that he hadn't seen Honghui for a while, so he turned around and went to the main courtyard.

At this time, in the main courtyard, the eldest princess and Honghui were surrounding Yihuan on the left and right.

Although the eldest princess was young and didn't like to talk, she was quite introverted: "Dear mother, did my mother give birth to a little brother?"

Yihuan touched her bun and said, "Yes."

The eldest princess' eyes twinkled and she smiled happily: "Then mother should be happy. I want to go back to see mother and my brother. Mother, can I go back?"

Unlike Li, the eldest princess learned the rules very well. She spoke and acted in a graceful manner, but she was very quiet.

Yihuan shook her head: "Not yet, Da Gege, my little brother is not in good health, and your mother is also sick because of sadness. Aren't you happy playing with Honghui at your mother's place?"

"Happy." The eldest princess hesitated and said, "I miss my mother."

"Be good." Yihuan comforted, "When your mother recovers, you can go back. Tomorrow, your mother will take you to see your mother, and then you can come back and play with your brother Honghui, okay?"

"Okay." The little girl's voice was soft, but a little depressed.

"My little brother has turned into a star in the sky. If you miss him, just look at the sky. You can say whatever you want. He will understand you." Yihuan sighed. Such a young child doesn't understand what life and death are.

"Okay, I've remembered it. Thank you, mother." The eldest princess held Honghui's hand, and the two of them huddled together, babbling, and no one else could understand what they were communicating.

Yinzhen listened at the door for a while, then lifted the curtain and went into the inner room: "Thank you for taking good care of the two children."

Seeing Yinzhen's exhausted face, Yihuan ordered someone to prepare hot water. After washing her hands and wiping her face, she said, "Master, although I am sad that Hongyan is gone, you must take care of yourself. I have someone light a long-lasting lamp for him in Huangjue Temple. I hope he can be safe and happy in his next life and grow up healthy."

"You are thoughtful." Yinzhen's heart, which had been tense for several days, finally relaxed a lot and he rested in the main courtyard.

(End of this chapter)