Chapter 25 Backyard Turbulence
During the second half of the palace banquet, Yihuan didn't know how she got through it. She watched Honghui speak freely in front of Emperor Kangxi without blinking, fearing that if she said something wrong in her response, she would be disliked or even lose her head.

Fortunately, Kangxi and Honghui, the old and the young, got along well with each other, just like grandparents and grandchildren in an ordinary family.

Gradually, Yihuan's worry changed from worrying about Honghui's head to another kind of worry.

Honghui was in the spotlight today, and even the prince's two sons did not receive much care from Kangxi. Yihuan felt suffocated just by thinking about the implications and the storms that Honghui would face in the future.

After the palace banquet, Kangxi was still not satisfied and made an appointment with Honghui to have dinner together again in the future.

Under everyone's various gazes, Yinzhen held Honghui in his arms, and Yihuan held the eldest princess's hand, and they got on the carriage back home.

The two younger ones were able to hold on until now because they were too excited. As the carriage swayed, they quickly fell asleep with their heads facing each other.

Yihua carefully covered them with blankets and asked worriedly, "Master, will Honghui be okay today?"

After careful consideration, Yinzhen patted Yihuan's hand in a soothing manner and said, "Honghui is still young. Fu Jin will keep him in the mansion for a while. After a while, the emperor will not remember him and it will be over."

Today, Honghui sits below the Emperor, a position he has held since childhood and one that is out of reach for the brothers.

Honghui sits in that position today, but someone else may sit in it tomorrow. The prince should be the most worried about this.

As for whether Honghui can continue to sit on the throne or it will be a flash in the pan, that is not important. As a father, if he cannot even protect his excellent son, he might as well die.

"Yes, yes, the Emperor is busy with all kinds of affairs. When he is busy, he forgets about us Honghui." Yihuan comforted herself.

She remembered that there was a saying in later generations that Kangxi passed the throne to Yinzhen in large part because he had a crush on Hongli. Could it be that the appearance of Honghui in this life replaced Hongli, or...

While Yihuan was daydreaming, the carriage returned to the Fourth Prince's Mansion.

Nanny Chen carried the eldest princess to the East Courtyard, and Yinzhen personally carried Honghui back to the main courtyard. He doubled the number of guards around Honghui, as it was always better to be more cautious.

The New Year's Eve palace banquet was over, but the aftermath had not yet subsided. Yihuan received many invitations from masters and even sisters-in-law, all of whom wanted to invite the Fourth Lady and Prince Honghui to attend.

Seeing Yihuan having such a headache, Hong Xiao offered an idea: "Fujin, whether you go to one place or not, you will offend people. It's better to hide first."

"what do you mean?"

"Your dowry includes a hot spring resort in the suburbs of Beijing. We haven't been there in years. Why not take this opportunity to take your brother there for a visit?" Hong Xiao said.

"Do you think I don't want to leave? There is a pregnant woman in the mansion. I am the wife's concubine. How can I leave at this time?" Li's belly is almost seven months old. To put it bluntly, she may give birth at any time. She and the child in her belly are the responsibility of the wife. She can't push away or escape.

Hong Xiao was speechless when she heard this and didn't say anything.

"All right, let it be known that I have caught a cold and will not see any visitors."

Hong Xiao continued to ask: "Madam, you don't want to see me either?"

This is referring to Yihuan's mother, Ulanara, who also sent a visiting card.

"No see." It's better not to contact him at this time.

******
Li was taking good care of this baby. The court doctor checked her pulse every day and said the baby was safe. Yinzhen also breathed a sigh of relief.

He really didn't want to endure the pain of losing his young son again.

During this period, apart from the main courtyard, Yinzhen only went to Geng's place occasionally, and Wu Gege was completely ignored by him. Yihuan saw that the rumors in the mansion were not good, so she tried to say a few words to Yinzhen.

"Master, I don't know what has displeased you about Sister Wu that you don't even give her any respect." Everyone knows that Wu had been a virgin for several months after entering the mansion, but she fell out of favor inexplicably. This was actually a huge humiliation for a woman in ancient times, and she had no way to seek justice for herself.

Seeing that Yihuan looked fine and didn't seem jealous, Yinzhen said in a relaxed tone, "I don't know why, but I get annoyed whenever I see her."

Yihuan understood immediately. This was what people in later generations called a clash of auras. It was not uncommon for couples to remain close even when they were old friends.

After all, he had fought for her, and it was impossible for Yihuan to force Yinzhen and Wu to consummate their marriage. One could only sigh that she was unlucky.

Geng was favored but not too much. Ever since she entered the mansion, she had been respectful to Yihuan, doing some needlework from time to time. She treated Wu as usual and did not take advantage of her favor to become arrogant. Yihuan and Yinzhen were both quite satisfied with her sensibleness.

Regardless of the storms outside, the Fourth Prince's Mansion entered a period of calm.

But sometimes, storms come unexpectedly.

The sun was shining brightly that day, and Li hadn't been out of the house for a long time, feeling very bored. So she took the eldest princess and the maids who served her to the garden to play.

Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Geng were chatting in the pavilion when they met each other on the road.

After all, Li came into the mansion early and had a child. After paying her respects, Geng and Wu wanted to leave. Everyone knew that Li was pregnant with a baby, and the Fourth Master rarely visited her in order to let her rest.

"Please sit down, my two sisters. Do you want to enjoy the flowers too?" Li smelled the fragrance of the flowers and finally felt relieved.

"Yeah, what else can we do if not appreciate the flowers? We can't serve the master, and we can't curry favor with the concubine. How can we live like this?" Li said, stepping harshly on Wu's face.

"It's strange to say, I have such a beautiful face, but I didn't produce much during my pregnancy. I seem to have heard that Sister Wu hasn't slept with me yet."

Upon hearing this, Wu's eyes turned red and she turned around and left without caring about etiquette.

"You are so ignorant of etiquette, no wonder my father doesn't like you. Sister Geng, do you think this is the truth?" Li directed her criticism at Geng again.

Geng stood up and said, "The eldest princess is still here, why does Sister Li have to use such harsh words?"

After saying that, she followed Wu. They respected Li because of her seniority. After all, they were all princesses, so who was more noble than who?

Li snorted coldly, but was not angry. She looked at the eldest princess and said nothing more.

In the evening, the eunuch Abao came to report what happened in the garden. Yihua sneered: "She has forgotten the pain now that the wound has healed. It is really unbecoming for a mother to speak so obscenely in front of her daughter."

"Madame Chen, go to the East Courtyard and tell them what I said. Say that Li's words were inappropriate and punish her by copying the female rules fifty times. This will be carried out after she has finished her confinement. If she does it again, please ask Lord Beile to come and give her a personal lecture."

"Yes."

When Mrs. Wu heard that Mrs. Fujin had given the head, she felt much happier. However, when she looked at her own room, it was empty and far inferior to Mrs. Geng's, not to mention Mrs. Fujin's room.

Outside the house, the maids and eunuchs were playing and fighting, and no one was sincerely serving their master.

Wu sat in front of the dressing mirror, thinking about Li's arrogant look, and suddenly evil thoughts arose in her heart.

(End of this chapter)