Tong Lanshu left Cining Palace and went straight to the Prince's Residence.
All the servants attending to the Eldest Princess were punished. Those who served closely were fined a year's worth of Monthly Silver, while those who did not serve directly were fined half a year's worth. According to palace regulations, these people should have been caned, but Tong Lanshu couldn't bring herself to enforce such a punishment.
As for Chunxi's wet nurse, she personally admonished her and left the subsequent matters entirely to Zhilan to handle.
After dealing with the affairs at the Prince's Residence, before Tong Lanshu could even catch her breath, she saw a young eunuch from Chengqian Palace rushing over, panting as he hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please return quickly. His Majesty has arrived at Chengqian Palace."
Tong Lanshu immediately returned to Chengqian Palace with Zhilan. As soon as she entered, she spotted the Imperial Sedan.
She hurried into the room and saw The Emperor sitting on the kang, drinking tea, while Yinzhen stood before him reciting from a book.
Tong Lanshu didn't know how long The Emperor had been there and immediately bowed to apologize. Xuan Ye casually waved his hand, "I came here on a whim. No need for formalities. Come and sit."
Yinzhen finished reciting the book and stood to the side, looking at his Imperial Father. Xuan Ye gently coaxed him to go play first, "Your Imperial Father and your mother have some matters to discuss. You may go out and wander around."
Yinzhen obediently nodded and left with the young eunuch.
During the first half of Tong Lanshu's confinement after her miscarriage, this Imperial cousin often came to visit her. Tong Lanshu gradually grew accustomed to his presence, moving from initial nervousness to familiarity. "Has Your Majesty come to inquire about the Eldest Princess?"
"The Eldest Princess is now in Cining Palace…" Tong Lanshu was about to explain in detail when Xuan Ye interrupted her.
"I just came from Cining Palace and already know about Chunxi's situation." Xuan Ye looked at Tong Lanshu and, without beating around the bush, told her about the matters discussed at Cining Palace.
"Although there aren't many children in the Prince's Residence, they are all quite young. It's inevitable that accidents may occur when the servants are looking after them. Therefore, I have decided to let Consort Duan raise Duanjing, let Consort Yi raise Princess Kejing, and send Yinsi to Changchun Palace to be raised by Consort Hui."
Tong Lanshu could understand The Emperor's decision. Noble Lady Bu and Noble Lady Guo resided with Consort Duan and Consort Yi, respectively. These two noble ladies, being of lower rank, were not qualified to raise children, but Consort Duan and Consort Yi were eligible to raise Imperial Princes and Princesses.
However, while Consort Duan and Noble Lady Bu were one thing, what about Consort Yi and Noble Lady Guo?
Tong Lanshu instinctively felt uneasy and quietly voiced her opinion, "Your Majesty, is it perhaps inappropriate to send the Fourth Princess to Yikun Palace?"
But Xuan Ye was completely unaware of her concerns and casually explained, "Why would it be inappropriate? Firstly, Princess Kejing's Birth Mother is also in Yikun Palace. Secondly, with Yinqi not by Consort Yi's side, she can find some comfort in raising the princess."
Xuan Ye's tone was indifferent, clearly believing his decision was perfectly appropriate.
Upon hearing this, Tong Lanshu felt her vision darken, thinking to herself, what kind of comfort was this?
Originally, when two sisters shared a husband, it was easy for jealousy and rivalry to arise. Previously, with neither of their children by their sides, there might not have been any conflicts, and they might even have found solace in each other's company. Now, this balance was broken.
Who knew what life in Yikun Palace would be like in the future?
But these thoughts Tong Lanshu could only keep to herself and not express openly. She guessed that The Emperor probably had other matters to discuss with her and was merely using the Third Princess and Fourth Princess as a conversation starter.
Sure enough, Tong Lanshu immediately heard the emperor mention the Eldest Princess Chunxi. "With her younger sisters no longer in the Prince's Residence, Chunxi must feel lonely living there alone. I am thinking of having Chunxi move to Chengqian Palace."
At first, Tong Lanshu did not quite grasp the implication, but in the next moment, Xuan Ye stated his intention to send Chunxi to Chengqian Palace to be raised.
"This…" Although somewhat taken aback, Tong Lanshu could understand the emperor's reasoning. The Eldest Princess was an adopted daughter, and placing her in any other palace might be awkward. However, coming here was different—Yinzhen was not her biological son either. Raising two children together, she would not show favoritism.
"Since His Majesty trusts your subject consort, I am naturally pleased. But is the Eldest Princess willing to come to my palace?" Tong Lanshu asked calmly. If she remembered correctly, the Eldest Princess was now ten years old—an age when children are particularly sensitive.
Moreover, she had just punished Chunxi's wet nurse Mammy and palace maid today.
She worried the Eldest Princess might be unwilling.
"As for Chunxi, I will personally speak with her. Although the servants in the Prince's Residence take good care of her, a girl of her age ultimately needs a mother's care." Xuan Ye considered the matter carefully, and Tong Lanshu actually did not mind raising another child.
Chengqian Palace was spacious enough, but if the emperor later decided to move some favored consorts in to live with her, the thought was almost unbearable.
"If the Eldest Princess is willing, I would be happy to have another daughter. However, I must also ask Yinzhen for his opinion." Tong Lanshu thought of Yinzhen's sensitive and reserved nature and felt somewhat concerned.
Yet, such matters were difficult to bring up in front of the emperor.
In the emperor's eyes, every son was his own flesh and blood, but Tong Lanshu had her own considerations.
"Are you worried Yinzhen might not agree?" Xuan Ye frowned.
Tong Lanshu rubbed her forehead helplessly. "How could Your Majesty think that? Since you intend to ask the Eldest Princess for her opinion, of course I must also ask Yinzhen for his."
Xuan Ye's brow remained furrowed.
Tong Lanshu guessed he thought Yinzhen was still too young to understand such matters, but she cared about the child's feelings and thus explained her thoughts gently. "Yinzhen came to Chengqian Palace while still in swaddling clothes. He is quiet and well-behaved, and raising him has not been particularly taxing. However, after the recent incident, I realized I do not truly understand him. I am not afraid to admit this, but I do not even know what foods Yinzhen likes—I have been quite remiss."
Tong Lanshu observed the emperor and, seeing no sign of impatience, continued, "Now that he knows I am not his biological mother, he must feel uneasy. If I do not explain this matter clearly to him and he misunderstands, thinking I no longer want him, wouldn't that be too pitiful?"
Hearing this, Xuan Ye's expression softened. "I misunderstood."
"Earlier, I noticed Yinzhen has become much livelier. When I visited Chengqian Palace previously, he even attempted to host me properly and offered to recite texts for me. It seems you have spent considerable effort accompanying him."
"Your Majesty speaks too kindly. Yinzhen is my child, after all."
The emperor and consort discussed the matter amicably and settled it. After the emperor left, Tong Lanshu personally went to ask Yinzhen for his opinion.
In truth, decisions regarding who would raise the children were ultimately made by the Imperial Father, and Yinzhen had long understood this. Yet, Yinzhen was delighted that his mother came to ask for his opinion, allowing him to prepare mentally rather than being the last to know after his Eldest Sister arrived.
This alone was enough to make Yinzhen happy.
"When will Eldest Sister come?" Yinzhen asked curiously. Tong Lanshu wasn't sure either, but she knew The Emperor was very concerned about Eldest Princess's affairs.
"Mother doesn't know either. Eldest Sister was injured today, so perhaps we must wait until her condition improves." Tong Lanshu couldn't pinpoint exactly when, but The Emperor had already made a decision—if not before the New Year, then likely after the New Year's Eve celebrations.
She then instructed Zhilan to arrange for people to clean the rooms, so they wouldn't be rushed and unprepared later.
Though Tong Lanshu was somewhat surprised, she felt quite expectant about the days ahead when she would have both a son and a daughter.
Author's note: