Secrets of Yuqing Palace

After the greetings, the two sat down on the kang.

Wanyu looked at the child in the nanny's arms.

"This must be Ning Chuge, come and bring him here for me to see."

The wet nurse glanced at the concubine, and Wanlin smiled and stood up, holding Ning Chuge in her arms.

Then he turned the child to Wanyu and lowered his head to speak lovingly to the little girl in his arms.

"Ning Chuge, this is my aunt."

"An aunt who gave you lots of toys, beautiful clothes and jewelry."

The little girl blinked her eyes, then babbled something, waving her little hands in the air, as if she was greeting her aunt Wanyu.

Wanyu leaned forward, reached out to touch Ning Chuge's tender little face, and pinched her chubby little hand.

"Ning Chuge, I'm your aunt."

"Auntie has a lot of delicious food and fun things here. You should come to my place with your mother more often in the future."

Wanyu took out a small pink purse from her sleeve pocket. There was a cute little rabbit embroidered on the purse.

When Ning Chuge saw the purse, his eyes lit up and he reached out to grab it.

But Wanyu moved it away. She opened her purse with a smile and took out a small cherry pink rabbit jade ornament.

Then hang the pink jade rabbit in front of her.

"Ning Chuge is a little rabbit, so my aunt had someone make you a pink rabbit jade ornament. Do you like it?"

Wanlin gently pinched Ning Chuge's little hand and waved.

He said in a mixed voice: "Our Ningchug thanks our aunt."

Wanyu smiled and put the jade back into her purse, then handed the purse to Ning Chuge.

The little girl took the purse and stuffed it into her mouth. Her naive look made Wanyu laugh out loud.

Wanlin also smiled and said, "Ning Chuge has grown teeth now, so he likes to chew things."

Wanyu nodded in agreement.

"Children who have just turned one year old are like this. Their little teeth are about to grow out of their gums, so their gums tend to itch easily. That's why children like to bite things and grind their gums."

"But second sister, you'd better not let Ning Chuge chew anything carelessly. Children are not as strong as adults, and chewing things carelessly can easily make them sick."

She turned around and instructed Xia He, "Go and copy down the recipe for the teething stick that we asked the kitchen staff at Yuqing Palace to research for Feng Sheng'e."

"Give it to Concubine later."

Xia He smiled and knelt down, saying, "Yes."

Wanlin asked curiously, "Teething stick?"

Wanyu nodded and explained, "It's something that children can eat, and it's hard food."

"Having a teething stick can help reduce their habit of biting things."

Wanlin smiled and said, "You still have a lot of ideas."

"Then sister will have more kindness from her younger sister."

"By the way, where's Feng Sheng'e? Why haven't I seen him?"

Hearing about her son, Wanyu smiled dotingly.

"His father is taking him to Dunben Hall to learn to read. He will come over in a while."

Wanlin was surprised and asked, "You're starting him so early?"

It’s no wonder she was surprised. Although Feng Sheng’e is now three years old, he was only born two years ago.

What can such a young child learn?

Wanyu explained with a smile: "His father taught him to read, and then he scribbled on it."

"He's only three years old, and he can't even hold a brush."

Wanlin asked curiously, "Then why?"

Wanyu sighed and said, "His father wanted to help him get used to it early, so he can adapt in advance."

"You also know that the princes in the palace study hard."

"Every day, I had to get up before dawn and go to the Shangshufang to read in the morning (3-5 a.m.)."

“It’s not until around 5-7pm that I finish studying for the day.”

"Although there are short breaks during the journey, they are strictly carried out in accordance with palace regulations. Excessive relaxation or playful frolicking is prohibited."

"I study from dawn to dusk, every day, and the rest time I have in a year is less than the number on my hands."

"His father is worried that he won't be able to adapt in the future, so he's letting him slowly develop the habit now."

"And the kid himself is happy about it. He likes to stick close to his father and listen to his father teach him how to read and listen to stories."

Wanlin also knew the school rules for the princes in the palace.

"Your Highness has foresight."

Although the prince in his previous life also valued Hongxi, he did not care about him this much.

Wanlin suddenly frowned slightly, and a doubt flashed through her mind.

[I can tell that the Ning Chuge of today is the Ning Chuge of the previous life.]

[I just wonder if the third sister's Feng Sheng'e is Hong Xi from her previous life?]

She had never seen Hongxi's appearance as a baby in her previous life, and she had not seen her third sister Feng Sheng'e many times after she gave birth to her in this life, so Wanlin was also a little uncertain.

Selfishly speaking, she didn't want Feng Sheng'e and Hong Xi to be the same person.

Her sister is special, and she hopes that her sister's child will be the continuation of her special bloodline, rather than having another mother, even if the child and others are unaware of it.

Wanyu smiled and said, "He just finds it interesting now."

"Feng Sheng'e heard yesterday that his younger sister would be coming to Yuqing Palace today, and he was very excited."

"He said he wanted to take his sister to the playground."

"After he finishes his studies, let the brother and sister meet and have some fun together."

Wanlin said with a smile: "Ning Chuge can't even walk steadily now, what can he play?"

Wanyu also smiled and shook her head: "Children have their own ways of playing, we just need to put them together."

A flash of hesitation crossed Wanlin's face, and then she winked at Wanyu.

Wanyu immediately understood and gave Nanny Sun a wink.

Nanny Sun smiled and said that she would ask the kitchen staff to prepare lunch, and then she took everyone out, leaving Xia Chan and Xia Lu guarding outside the hall.

After everyone had left, Wanyu asked, "Second sister, do you have anything to tell me?"

Wanlin nodded somewhat embarrassedly.

"Third sister, we have been close since we were young, and I won't be polite with you anymore."

"Alas~ Ever since my sister gave birth to Ning Chuge, all her attention has been focused on this little person."

Wanyu nodded. It was natural for her to feel sorry for her own child.

Wanlin continued, "Sister, you also know that our Qing Dynasty has always had a national policy of intermarriage between Manchus and Mongols."

"So even though Ning Chuge is only one year old now, I have to make plans for her early on."

"I know about my sister's condition. I'm afraid she will only have this one child in her lifetime."

"If anything happens to Ning Chuge, I will also..."

When Wanlin was moved, her eyes turned red and her voice was choked with sobs, and she could hardly continue.

Wanyu asked worriedly, "Didn't the imperial physician say that if Second Sister takes good care of herself, she might still have a chance of conceiving a child?"

Wanlin pressed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Alas~ The imperial physician's words are just words of comfort."

"I know my own body best."

"While the imperial physician said it's possible, it's less than 20% certain. I don't hold out much hope, sister."

"And even if I have other children in the future, Ning Chuge will be different to me."

Wanlin felt guilty towards Ning Chuge.

She could imagine that the crown prince was deposed, and as the crown prince's legitimate daughter, Ning Chuge must have had no good ending in her previous life.

Marriage is for sure!

Even Yinzhen, who later became a prince, was like this with his several legitimate daughters.

How could the daughter of the deposed crown prince, who was no longer valuable and disgusting, escape the fate of being married off?

Even if they didn't marry her, her husband's family wouldn't treat her sincerely after she got married because they would be worried about her unlucky parents.

But at least there is the Guwalja clan who can try their best to protect her.

If she were to marry a foreign princess, she would be helpless and would be even more miserable. She would probably die young.

Thinking of this, Wanlin couldn't help but feel sad.