Chapter 102 – Qing Transmigration Tale (11)
Ninth Prince did not know what Fifth Prince meant, but he thought that his own brother would not harm him, even if the people at the table were not very likable. First postured even more than Khan A-ma, Three was pedantic, Four looked like people owed him money. However, he had to give his own brother face. Who was afraid? He would go there.
Compared to Five, Nine had gotten a lot of silver these years.
Third Prince thought, you get from others, your older brothers get from you. Then he enthusiastically started to teach Nine.
Fifth Prince just pulled Eight, Ten, and Fourteen to play. The three of them listened to Fifth Prince for the game rules.
Seventh Prince watched a while and understood. He called Twelve, Thirteen, and Bao Tai for another table.
When it was the mealtime, Ninth Prince’s eyes were red. Si Ye had moved above him, and did not give him any tiles to meld. The three older brothers worked together well, and in a little while, he lost six hundred taels. If he still did not know that the three brothers were cheating him, he would truly be stupid.
On the other side, Fourteen shouted, “Fifth Brother, you are not honest. Last time, when I won, you said it is a small win. The same cards, how come it is a big win? You have to explain clearly to me which is big and small. How come none of it is right?”
Tenth Prince looked with confusion at Fourteen’s cards. “Yes?” Then after a long time, he said, “Fifth Brother, you are cheating.”
Eighth Prince laughed. He had discovered it early, but when an older brother wanted to cheat him, could he expose this and offend people?
Ninth Prince heard this and knew Fifth Prince’s plans. This brother of his would cheat anyone. Khan A-ma said that Five was the most broad of mind. Broad? Thick? Thick of what? Thick of face. His brother used him to fill this pit, and then used such a stupid method to cheat others. Did he have brains? Look at these three, they were able to cheat him and he had nothing to speak of. Four was the most devious. He was willing to break apart his own hand just to make sure that he did not get the winning hand. So petty.
The day was lively, and they did not say much useful things, just thinking of how to get each other’s silver. They did not care about that bit of silver, but that they got it from the hands of their brothers.
After the meal, Si Ye gifted each person a set of tiles. They had been made last night using the best sandalwood.
The ones who had lost silver felt a bit better.
Returning to the inner courtyard that night, Lin Yu Tong asked, “Ye, did you win or lose today?”
“Nine lost several hundred,” Si Ye said, slightly proud.
Without needing to ask, he had cheated someone again.
“So, Ye did not bring any silver back,” Lin Yu Tong said in pretend anger.
Si Ye smiled and said, “You are waiting for Ye to win silver for you to have money to buy rice?”
“Isn’t that the case? Since you did not bring silver back, then we will eat more watery food,” Lin Yu Tong smiled and called for the kitchen to bring the food.
Very thick yellow rice porridge, pancakes, stir fry potato, bean sprouts. All of them were light.
It was because there were constant banquets during this recent while, and such foods would clean the stomach and intestine.
Si Ye looked at Lin Yu Tong and felt a bit emotional. If he was a bit good to Princess Consort, she would return it to him ten, hundred times over, never false at all.
In the night, they slept in each other’s arms, not feeling cold at all despite the cold wind howling outside. Si Ye turned, and Lin Yu Tong woke up.
“What is it?” Lin Yu Tong felt with her hand, and feeling that Si Ye was covered, asked.
“The wind is loud, from the sound, I do not know how strong the snow is. If it continues to fall, some of the houses in the suburbs will not be able to stand. If people freeze to death, during such an important festival, no one will dare to report it to their superiors,” Si Ye gathered Lin Yu Tong in his arms and said.
Lin Yu Tong immediately grew silent. After a while, she said, “How about having Niangniang and the others, with the empress dowager, and the women of the imperial house, with the excuse of charity……”
“It is not appropriate,” Si Ye shook his head and said, “It is still not appropriate. The lower ranked people know and do not dare to have Khan A-ma know, much less the inner palace. The inner palace is not allowed to interfere in government. No one dares to touch this rule. In the end, this matter is a governmental matter.
Lin Yu Tong warned herself that the inner palace could not interfere in government. This must be Si Ye’s bottom line.
“Sleep! There is a saying of only plan when you are in the position. Ye, if you do not think, you will not feel conflicted,” Lin Yu Tong whispered.
Si Ye grimaced. The saying was not wrong.
The emperor did not want them brothers to be in charge of matters, so they could not, and could not even ask in concern. But in ordinary families, males of sixteen or so were adult men. Them, these imperial sons, were more than twenty. If Khan A-ma felt that they had not grown up yet, they could not grow up.
Lin Yu Tong did not have a deep sleep. During the night, Si Ye kept on tossing and turning.
When the sky turned light, Si Ye got up and went to the front courtyard, telling the servants to investigate the situation in the city.
For all of the first month, he was very worried, frequently staying in the study with his advisors for half the night. When the first month passed, and the weather grew better, his mood improved.
He had gotten brighter, but Lin Yu Tong did not feel happy at all. Her monthlies did not come this month. Maybe she had been too busy this month, and she did not notice. When she accidentally touched her own pulse, she remembered that her monthlies had not arrived.
This was not good. She put her hand on her belly, and felt not good.
If they were born, this was another tie. But could she not give birth?
Si Ye entered the room and saw Lin Yu Tong looking like she had been struck by lightning.
“What is it?” Si Ye asked. Then, he sat next to Lin Yu Tong’s side, and touched her forehead.
“I……” Lin Yu Tong looked at Si Ye, sighed and said, “My…… My monthlies did not come this month?”
Si Ye took over, “Is something wrong, call the palace physician to come visit……” Before he finished, he looked in shock at Lin Yu Tong. He saw Lin Yu Tong’s hand on her belly and laughed. “You are say, you are pregnant.”
Lin Yu Tong frowned and said, “Probably.” In any case, when she touched her pulse, it was pregnancy.
Si Ye suddenly stood up. He had never thought of having another di-son. This was very good news.
“Su Pei Sheng, summon the palace physician……” Si Ye said with a smile.
“Wait a moment,” Lin Yu Tong said, “How about Ye invite a good physician as well, do not call the palace physician frequently. Also, it is very early right now.”
“That is good!” Si Ye turned and said to Su Pei Sheng, “You go in person to invite the physician that Master Dai recommended last time, be quick.”
Su Pei Sheng hurriedly responded, bouncing as he ran out. This was so unexpected.
Si Ye called the old granny in. “Princess Consort cannot be without the care of Granny now, Granny, you will have to be more burdened.”
The old granny thought, you truly do not care for this old servant. Such a large establishment, not just the daily matters, just the gege in the inner courtyard are not easy to manage. Now, she had to take care of the princess consort’s pregnancy. She could not shoulder all this. So she said, “Ye, do you remember Granny Yuan, she is a few years younger than this old servant.”
Yes! How could he not remember? She had been sent away by his imperial eniang. No one knew which taboo of Imperial Eniang she had broken. At the time, Imperial Eniang was not in good health, and no one dared to arouse her anger. He did not dare to ask. It had been many years.
He frowned and asked, “You can vouch for her reliability?”
The old granny jumped at such words. She said, “Consort De has been supporting Granny Yuan outside the palace all this time. She should be fine.”
The meaning was very clear. The reason that Granny Yuan had been sent off was likely because she had connections to Consort De.
Si Ye looked at Lin Yu Tong as though asking for her opinion. Lin Yu Tong nodded, consenting.
This person had originally served Si Ye. It was normal to have a connection to Consort De.
As to the connection between Si Ye and Consort De, honestly speaking, Lin Yu Tong felt that there were only two possibilities that people said that Consort De did not like Si Ye.
One was that Si Ye’s throne had not come to him properly, and he had stolen from Fourteen. If he had stolen from the other imperial sons, Consort De would be mad to say something like “she had not expected him to be the emperor.” Her son being the emperor was better for her than others. Then, the throne must have belonged to Fourteen, and Si Ye stole from him. As their birth mother, seeing her eldest son treat her youngest like this, it was possible to say such things in anger.
The other possibility was mudslinging by political enemies. Think about it. If your own mother feels that it is not you, then how could it be you? Even your mother does not favor you, how bad a person must you be?
If Consort De disliked him because he had been raised by someone else, Consort De was not so stupid. Her child had been given to another to raise. Was Consort Yi better? Didn’t Consort Yi give Fifth A-ge to the empress dowager to be raised? Eighth Prince had been raised by Consort Hui. Twelve was given to Sumalagu to be raised. Thirteen was raised by Consort De. At least, it was like this in name. Based on this, everyone would hate their own sons. If the reason was the unfair treatment, Consort De had not been unfairly treated. Everyone had gone through this. Also, if she was a stupid person, would Kangxi have favored her? From nineteen years old when she gave birth to Fourth A-ge, to twenty-nine when she birthed Fourteenth A-ge, she gave birth to six children during the time. In the imperial palace, able to give birth to several children, and just before thirty, she even still had Kangxi’s favor and birthed Fourteenth A-ge, this was evidence.
So, Lin Yu Tong leaned more towards that people had slung mud at Si Ye.
During the Yongzheng Era, the Eighth Prince party had been very powerful. One could say they took over half the court. To make sure the orders were carried out, these people had to be moved. Did this not affect their interests?
Blocking people’s paths to wealth was like killing their parents, much less completely uprooting these people. Could they not hate him to the bone?
History was written by the descendants. However, Si Ye had a very bad son Hong Li. He appeared benevolent, but Si Ye ended up with the bad reputation.
Lin Yu Tong laid on the bed, and her eyes suddenly turned wet. A short thirteen year reign, he had to clean up the mess of the later years of Kangxi, he had to keep on fighting with his brothers. He finally managed to fill the empty treasury. Then Qianlong took the throne, and wasted it all. This was the classic example of the children not hurting when selling the land of their grandfathers.
“What is it?” Si Ye saw Lin Yu Tong lying there with tears coming down, “Are you in discomfort?Ye will sent someone to hurry the physician.”
Lin Yu Tong grabbed Si Ye’s hand. “Nothing! I just never thought I will have another child.”
“This is worth you crying?” Si Ye took a handkerchief and wiped Lin Yu Tong’s tears. He smiled and said, “We will have more children in the future. Do not cry.”
Lin Yu Tong grabbed Si Ye’s hand, and felt a bit sorry for this man.
The physician had the surname Su. He looked to be in his forties. When he came in for a greeting, Si Ye said, “You perform an examination first.”
Lin Yu Tong stretched a hand out from behind the drapes. The physician took her pulse, separated by a handkerchief. After carefully touching a few times, he said, “Fourth Prince, Princess Consort is very healthy. This lowly one has found a slippery pulse, but is only half certain. This can only be confirmed in a fortnight or so.”
Si Ye nodded. Physicians were always conservative in their words. If they said half, it was likely seven or eight tenths. He was happy inside and said, “What is there to pay attention to? You make a list.”
After sending away the physician, Si Ye called the servant girls of the room and lectured them.
Hong Hui came back and felt that the room had changed. The people in the courtyard were full of joy. He leaned against Lin Yu Tong like he usually did.
Si Ye said, “You are grown up now, stand up properly and speak.”
Lin Yu Tong grabbed Hong Hui and said, “It is fine. Still early.” She was afraid that Hong Hui would think too much.
“Eniang, what is it?” Hong Hui asked.
Lin Yu Tong smiled and said, “How about Eniang get you a brother or sister?”
Hong Hui’s eyes lit up, and his lips curved. Hong Yun was a younger brother, but how could the children of the imperial family not know the difference? Without a brother, one would be lonely. He joyfully said, “Good! It must be a brother.”
Lin Yu Tong looked at Si Ye and said with a smile, “The age difference is like Ye and Fourteenth Brother.”
Hong Hui was nine now. The child in her belly would be born in the tenth month. They were about ten years apart.
Si Ye’s face immediately turned black. It could be seen just how much he did not like Fourteen.
Lying down at night, Lin Yu Tong suddenly felt her chest hurt unbearably. She suddenly woke up. This was likely the original worried about Hong Hui, fearing that if she had her own child, she would not be good to Hong Hui.
She pressed on her chest and thought inside, Hong Hui is my eldest son. I gave birth to him, I gave him his second life. I am his birth eniang.
After a long time, the pain in her heart slowly disappeared.
“What is it?” Si Ye lifted the curtain, saw Lin Yu Tong sweating heavily and asked.
Lin Yu Tong laid back down and said, “I had a nightmare. So scary……”
Si Ye sighed and said, “Do not worry. Ye will watch over you, and will not go anywhere.”
He recalled back when Princess Consort had been pregnant with Hong Hui, Li-shi also had good news. Back then, he had been young, and Princess Consort had been young.It had been this matter that caused the already stiff princess consort to grow even more stiff. Then they separated for several years.
Now, he had three sons, and Princess Consort was still pregnant. He would guard her and live like this.
Lin Yu Tong could feel Si Ye’s hand slowly and softly patting her. Her eyelids slowly grew heavy.
The days passed like this. Her signs of pregnancy grew more and more obvious. She did not throw up what she ate. She just was very sleepy. Even holding chopsticks during a meal, she would fall asleep.
Si Ye was very worried about this. But the physician promised that this was very normal, and it could only be like this. She had originally thought about paying respects to Consort De before her belly expanded, but now, she could not enter the palace like this.
Si Ye went personally into the palace to give Consort De the good news and to explain the reason she could not come to the palace.
Consort De’s expressionless face suddenly broke into a smile. “It should be like this. It should have been like this a long time ago. I do not need you to worry about me. Same with your establishment, do not have your wife worry.”
“Yes!” Si Ye nodded and said, “This son has invited Granny Yuan back to take care of Princess Consort.”
Consort De was silent for a moment and said, “She is…… Back when I was a palace attendant, I lived in the same room as her. Do not worry about her. She is trustworthy.”
No wonder Imperial Eniang had sent her away. Niangniang had told Granny Yuan to take care of him.
“This son understands.” Si Ye opened and closed his mouth. In the end, he only said such a thing.
Just as they were talking, Granny Ping came in. “Fourteenth Prince has come, Niangniang.”
“Just say I am tired today, and will not see him,” Consort De turned her face and said.
“Eniang, is there something not easy to say, how about I talking to Fourteenth Brother?” Si Ye said.
Consort De shook her head. “What can you say? You cannot say for him to stop following……” She motioned “eight” with her hand. “You do not know it is…… his meaning. If he does not hit his head and get bloodied, he will not learn. Let him go.”
Si Ye stilled, and then made his farewells.
Fourteenth Prince saw Si Ye come out of Yonghe Palace from afar, but Eniang did not meet him. He immediately was unhappy. He dodged behind an osmanthus tree. Si Ye had seen him a long time ago, and did not care when the other hid. But when he passed by the tree, the branch whipped at him. Fourteen had pulled the branch, and suddenly released it when Si Ye had arrived. The branch perfectly hit Si Ye. Si Ye looked up and saw Fourteen running away.
Si Ye said, “…… Childish!”
- Grafting Life Chapter 101 – Qing Transmigration Tale (10)
- Grafting Life Chapter 103 – Qing Transmigration Tale (12)
- Grafting Life Chapter 104 – Qing Transmigration Tale (13)
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