The prince only allowed me to have a baby, so the pressure is a bit high!

Chapter 9 The Old Lady's Conjecture

However, after thinking about this, the old lady was not too worried anymore. After all, her granddaughter was the youngest among these princesses. She was only twelve years old and still a little girl. She was probably just there to make up the numbers.

It's not that the old lady doesn't want Buerhe to become the Crown Princess. Logically speaking, based on observations in recent years, the Crown Prince is indeed a good candidate for a husband, and his inner court is also clean. But who made him the Crown Prince? If you want to wear the crown, you must bear the weight. The Crown Princess is the future mother of the country, and the pressure she bears cannot be underestimated. She also has to be virtuous and considerate, serving the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, as well as Emperor Kangxi. She also has to set an example and be a role model for other future princes' wives. This is not an easy thing to do. Everything has to be done in moderation. If you do well, it is your duty, but if you don't, you will be judged by everyone. All in all, it is not a good thing.

Fortunately, her granddaughter was the least likely candidate to go this time, so the old lady felt relieved. The only thing left was the worry that her granddaughter would be bullied by some ignorant people when she went to the palace. What would she do then?

After thinking about it, the old lady took Buerhe's hand and whispered a few words of advice: "Don't be afraid, Buerhe, Mama. In Mama's opinion, this time it's probably because the Empress Dowager is old and wants to choose a candidate for her grandson's wife and the Crown Princess in advance. Mama told you about Shi before, but later due to unknown reasons, there is no chance now. Seeing that the Crown Prince is getting older, the Empress Dowager must be anxious and wants to arrange everything for him before she leaves. Mama will tell you about the families that Manager Liu mentioned today. First of all, the Tong family is the emperor's maternal family, so the emperor has treated them very well over the years. Now there is even a saying in the court that Tong is half the court. However, a small rumor does not mean it is not true. In Mama's opinion, as long as the Tong family does not rebel and the current emperor is in power, they will be stable. I heard that the girl from the Tong family has a bad temper. You should act well when the time comes. If you can avoid refuting, try not to provoke her. You are our jade, and you can't let someone else's rat hurt you."

After hearing this, Buerhe chuckled, "Ma Ma, that's like hitting a mouse and damaging the jade bottle. It's not about jade, it's about hitting a mouse."

The old lady's face flushed red as she listened. She scolded with a smile, "You little girl, that's what Mama meant anyway, just understand. Now let's talk about the Dong E family. You don't have to worry about that. Just treat her like a normal noble lady. Her status is the lowest among you, but she is the oldest. Just treat her normally. Mama trusts your behavior over the years."

After a pause, the old lady talked about the last one: "This last one is the focus of this time. She is the legitimate daughter of the Niuhulu family and the youngest legitimate daughter of the Ebilun family. Although her family is now headed by Alinga, this Niuhulu Gege is his biological sister. She grew up under the care of her sister-in-law, Uya. Mama once told you that this Uya is the biological sister of the Defei in the palace. You also know the one in the palace. She is a powerful character. This one is no less powerful. Just look at Alinga's backyard. She is the only one who can handle it. Life can tell. In all the years since they've been married, I've never heard of any of the women in the backyard getting pregnant. This shows just how powerful Uya's methods are. And then there's the Nianhulu Gege, who was raised by her, who is also a character to be reckoned with. The most likely candidate for the Crown Princess this time is this Nianhulu Gege. You must be careful and cautious. Mama doesn't ask for your best performance, but you must not fall into the trap set by others and follow the path of your arrogant sister. Mama is looking forward to your safe return."

The old lady raised her hand and touched Buerhe's cheek. "As for you, you're only twelve this year, and there are still two years before the selection. Mammy probably thinks that this time it's because of your sister. The emperor wants to make amends and called you over to make up the numbers. Otherwise, there's no way to explain why a twelve-year-old is squeezed into a group of fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls. What kind of reason can there be? Just treat it normally tomorrow. Mammy knows that you've learned the rules very well now, so just follow the palace rules tomorrow. As for the rest, it's the same old saying: watch more, listen more, and talk less. Just come back safely."

Seeing Mama's detailed instructions, Bull felt warm inside. He nodded repeatedly in response to Mama's request, promising that he would be obedient and not do anything out of line without permission.

The luggage was packed quickly. The old lady and Burhe rode in a carriage together. Steward Liu continued to ride on horseback to guard them on both sides. The maids and nannies rode in another carriage. Together with the attendants and guards, the group marched towards the city gate in a mighty procession.

The villa is located in the suburbs, not far from the city gate. It takes about three hours to get from the villa to the mansion. If you ride a horse, it will take less than an hour. However, the old lady is old and her health is not as good as before, so the carriage is a little slower. However, we still arrived back to the Ulanara Mansion before dinner.

In front of the mansion, Fei Yanggu and Jueluo were already waiting at the gate with their sons. Since their marriage, the old lady had been living in the separate courtyard all year round, citing poor health as an excuse, and rarely returned to the mansion. During festivals, Fei Yanggu would sometimes take his wife and children to the separate courtyard, and sometimes he would go to pick up the old lady from the mansion, but most of the time, the old lady stayed in the separate courtyard.

This was great news for Jueluo. Soon after getting married, her mother-in-law was not only easy to talk to, but also did not live with them often. She was the head of the family, and she could not change her life even if she was a god.

Over the years since she married, her younger sisters have been envious, saying she must have burned incense in her previous life to marry into such a family. Her husband loves her, her mother-in-law is kind, and her children are filial. It can be said that the biggest setbacks she has encountered in her life were when her mother-in-law took her youngest daughter away and raised her in another courtyard, and when her eldest daughter, whom she had personally raised, died.

But she was indeed wrong about what happened to her younger daughter. Afterwards, she was grateful to her mother-in-law for taking timely action, otherwise such a good daughter would have died because of her carelessness.

As for her eldest daughter, no one could be blamed for this. Something had happened to her in the palace, and her family had tried their best but could not find any clues. She had gradually let it go over the past six months. With her eldest daughter gone, she now had only four sons and one daughter left. Buerhe was her only daughter left. She had recently returned home, and she had noticed that she had been very well-educated by her mother-in-law. Jueluo was deeply grateful.

So this time when her mother-in-law came back home, she came to greet her actively and with genuine gratitude.

The old lady was delighted to see her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren welcoming her back home. Who wouldn't want to enjoy the joy of old age and play with grandchildren? Her eldest grandson's wife was pregnant, and the family would soon have four generations living under one roof. She decided not to return to the villa anymore and would stay in the mansion for the rest of her life.

When the summer gets hot, let’s go to the villa to escape the heat!

Then the old lady returned to Shou'an Courtyard, surrounded by her family. The place had been cleaned in advance, and Jueluo ordered it to be cleaned several times a month, so it was not dirty at all and there was no dull atmosphere of being uninhabited for a long time.

After sending the old lady into the yard, the family had a lively dinner. The old lady kept Fei Yanggu and his wife, but did not keep any of her grandchildren.

This is just my guess. If my grandchildren knew about it and told others without any restraint, my granddaughter's reputation would be ruined.

It’s not that the old lady thinks too much, but they are just young men with little experience in talking and doing things. They are just a bunch of young men who will say anything when provoked by others. The old lady doesn’t trust them at all. Aren’t there many such examples in the capital?

Not letting them know is also to prevent them from making fewer mistakes.

Fei Yanggu and Jueluo Shi also knew the purpose of their staying. They also agreed to drive all the sons out. It was not that they looked down on them, but that they were indeed not stable enough. Even though the eldest son Xinghui was quite good, he respected his daughter-in-law. If he told the secret to Wang Jia Shi, would it still be a secret? The eldest son's wife had just married in less than a year, and she was still under observation!

After serving tea, the maids all quietly and orderly withdrew. Seeing this, Jueluo was envious. Her mother-in-law was indeed very good at managing her servants. Buerhe learned from her, and her small courtyard was also managed like an iron rod, which made her extremely envious. Now it would be good. The old lady returned home, and then she would have the opportunity to learn from her mother-in-law. With such a large family and an increasing number of servants, if everyone could be like her mother-in-law's servants, then her housekeeping would be too easy.

After waiting for a while, the old lady shared her information and speculations. This time, she added another guess to what she had said about Buerhe today. "Fei Yanggu, I've been speculating over and over today, but I can't figure out why the Grand Empress Dowager asked our Buerhe to come as well. If she said she was just a foil, that's too far-fetched. I've made a bold guess. Do you think it's possible that Buerhe is also the candidate for Crown Princess that the Emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager have their eyes on?"

Fei Yanggu was shocked: "No way, mother, are you overthinking it?"

Jueluo was also surprised and happy when she heard this. She was surprised because what her mother-in-law said was unlikely, but she was happy because it would be such a great honor if her daughter could be chosen as the Crown Princess!

The old lady also felt that her guess was too bold, so she turned to Jueluo and said, "Xinghui's mother, tell her again about your visit to the Cining Palace. I have heard the Buerhe version of the story, and I want to hear what you have to say."

After hearing what the old lady said, Jueluo paused her previous thoughts and began to tell the old lady what happened that day.

The old lady said, "You said that the emperor and the crown prince were there that day, and that the crown prince's eyes lingered on Burhe for a while longer?"

Jueluo: "Yes, I didn't pay much attention to it at first, but then I saw the prince staring at Buerhe out of the corner of my eye, so I paid attention to it. But after a while, his eyes turned away, and I don't know how long he stared at him."

Fei Yanggu: "Hey, why didn't you tell me when you came back?"

Jueluo: "Master, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but Buerhe is so young. Besides, there is no expression in the palace. What's the point of telling you what I am just guessing? It will only add to your troubles."

The old lady said: "Your wife is right. As for matters concerning the royal family, anything is possible until they are finalized. Your wife doesn't dare to speak carelessly about things that have no basis."

Fei Yanggu also knew about it, but he was a little excited when he heard about it for the first time.

The old lady said: "It seems that the second girl's entry into the palace this time may not really be a foil. So, don't try to push it for the time being. Just have a clear idea in your heart. The rest can be discussed when the second girl comes back tomorrow. Okay, everyone go back. Tomorrow, my daughter-in-law will come and discuss with me what Buerhe should wear when entering the palace."

Fei Yanggu and Jueluo: "Yes, mother, then your son/daughter-in-law will go back first."

In Shuangyaoyuan, because they knew that the princess would go to Cining Palace to attend to the sick tomorrow, Nanny Li and Nanny Pang began emergency training after Buerhe returned to Shuangyaoyuan, focusing on what etiquette to follow when meeting different people tomorrow, as well as things that need to be paid attention to.

This time, with the guidance of two maids, Buerhe was not so nervous about entering the palace alone.

However, it seems that he can bring a personal servant with him when he enters the palace tomorrow. When Buerhe mentioned this request, Nanny Li was undoubtedly the first choice. This was not only because she came from the Cining Palace, and some things would be more convenient for her after entering the palace, but also because Nanny Li was afraid that the two maids around Buerhe would be nervous and make mistakes after entering the palace.

Although these two maids had learned a lot of knowledge under the guidance of herself and Nanny Pang, this time they were not entering the palace like the officials' wives did on ordinary days. Instead, they were summoned directly by the Empress Dowager. If they made mistakes due to their youth and inexperience, that would be bad.