137 Days Like Jade (Part 2)

  It started raining from heaven.

  When asked about the itinerary for the next day, Yunzhu muttered, "I rarely leave the palace gates all year round. This time, Liu's wife has finally given birth to a daughter, and I didn't attend the third-day celebration, but I must go to the full-month celebration. Guo and the others have already prepared the gifts."

  Hongli thought she was still unhappy about what happened during the day, so he hugged her and said: "If you want to go, just go, I'll pick you up again in the evening."

  Yunzhu gave him a kiss and was delighted. "I heard that this year's Xiū girl has many good ones, do you have any favorites? I'll go tell your mother for you."

  "Just stop messing around." He sighed, but wasn't foolish enough to think that was a sincere remark.

  "It's alright, don't worry about it, Mother will choose a good one for you." His mother's actions were still informed by him, although he didn't tell her explicitly, she knew what Empress Xi was up to. Confirming this matter, she naturally had to show some jealousy."

  He smiled and his eyes sparkled with delight, hugging her as he kissed those tender lips again and again. "Jealous? Don't worry, I have my own plans."

  "Mother is not feeling well, don't provoke her." As he said this, the corners of Yingyu's eyebrows and eyes curved upwards, and her soft arms wrapped around his neck. Hongli knew that what he had just said was correct. If only she didn't have to deal with those two women, she would be so happy... Those gege concubines competing with each other behind the scenes, and Mother sometimes causing trouble for her... Let her be annoyed, his Yunzhu, no matter how good she is, she's still a person, not a god. What she loves most is a carefree life, where every day she willingly revolves around her parents, children, and him.

  If it were someone else, he might think she's not virtuous and filial enough, but to him, he can't help but wish that all her thoughts are only on him. Comparing hearts, the fact that she gets jealous shows that she puts herself in his heart.

  "Feeling unwell? Then you should take good care of yourself and not overexert, or else it means your energy is still good." He said casually, his hand involuntarily reaching out to touch her again.

  The Qing dynasty ruled the world with filial piety, and his mother had raised him with kindness. He didn't mind indulging her and making her happy every day, but she was overreaching by trying to control his harem... This made him think of Empress De when he later learned about his father's sparse offspring in his early years. Of course, his mother only had one son, and her glory could only rely on herself, but for him, it was the same. In the future, the Qing dynasty's world and his harem women would only be decided by himself and Yunzhu. If his mother wanted to control him through his concubines, set obstacles for Yunzhu, or influence state affairs, he would never allow it.

  Some things cannot be tolerated, tolerating them will inflate a person's ambition and make them unscrupulous.

  Just like Hong Xi, because of his special status, too many people indulged him, making him more and more overbearing, unable to see the truth. Perhaps, in the past, among the emperor's sons, only he and Hong Yao were healthy, if something happened, they would have to adopt a son from the imperial clan to inherit the throne, but now is different from the past, his foundation is deep and stable, his legitimate son is healthy and lively, the emperor is also in good health... yet he still doesn't know how to restrain himself.

  Yunzhu's face turned red as she grasped his hand, "Don't do it again, we still have to go out tomorrow." This was already the second time, and this lustful dragon was still not satisfied. If he didn't control himself, he wouldn't even get to sit on the throne for thirty years.

  Since giving birth to the triplets, her connection with the imperial family has become even closer, and the spiritual energy she absorbs from the imperial dragon vein has increased. The space and the jade orchid tree in it have made small breakthroughs, and with her deepening cultivation, the dragon energy she draws from him has become easier and more abundant. Thinking that the great Qing's fortune is now also related to her bloodline, she occasionally converts the spiritual energy absorbed from the dragon vein into the jade orchid tree and returns it, making the great Qing's fortune even more solid and long-lasting; otherwise, she would be no different from the country-destroying witch.

  He reluctantly withdrew his hand, "Tomorrow to bring triplets over? Will it be inconvenient if it rains?" The child is still too young, now looking at the triplets he still remembers their appearance when they were just born, all of which she took care of with great effort to raise them so strong. Thinking of his eldest daughter, he couldn't help but sigh, Su Shi was someone who could give birth but not raise, if it weren't for Yunzhu's suggestions on feeding the children, I'm afraid they would still get sick every three days.

  "If it rains too much, I won't take them there."

  Yunzhu's luck has always been good, and although the weather on the second day wasn't very sunny, the rain had stopped. Guo Ayi was having people carefully load the gifts onto the horse carriage while continuously saying that heaven was smiling upon them, and that Baolan, the young mistress of the manor, was a lucky one.

  Of course, they have good fortune; otherwise, how could they give birth to a daughter? The Fu family is fond of daughters... Brother, it's really too many, and each one is sturdy. In nearly a decade or so, basically, as many as they gave birth to, that's how many survived.

  This time's gift, apart from the longevity lock and small clothes for the baby, were all fruit leathers and several sets of colored cosmetics she made in space.

  Over the years, most of the orchards under her name were planted with fruits from all over the country. Every year, except for a small amount of fresh fruit that was sent in, the rest of the fruit was made into dried fruit, candied fruit and jam according to her method, and some were sold, while the remaining ones were sent back to the palace as gifts for her own children, becoming the best presents she gave to her little princes and princesses.

  Sometimes, it was also awarded to the maidservants, palace girls and eunuchs who served under her - the food for the slaves in the palace was simpler than that of their masters. The silver money rewards for serving by her side were not bad compared to other places, and these delicious snacks made them even more cherished.

  Yunzhu herself would occasionally take out some from the space, and no one else knew. As for the rouge made from various fresh flowers, except for her own which was taken from the jade orchid tree in the space, all the others were made by Si Xue, Shi Mo and the little palace maids using the flower petals sent over from the Zhuangzi.

  Arrived at Cheng Zhengzi's mansion, Guajia brought two daughters-in-law to the second gate to welcome them. Yunzhu said a few words to her, and the old lady personally welcomed them.

  "Your aunt and elder sister are also coming over, so I naturally have to come out to greet them. Didn't you say that exercising is good for one's health? What's tiring about greeting someone? Today is a joyful occasion for our manor after all." Although they were nieces and daughters, they were all imperial consorts of the Prince, and as a viscountess, she had to be polite and courteous so as not to be gossiped about.

  It must be said that Lady Gao's practical and down-to-earth style of emphasizing rules and etiquette had an impact on her son and daughter-in-law, and for several generations afterwards, the Fuca family did not produce any arrogant people.

  She didn't care about the two sentences, but it brought up a lot of talk. Yunzhu pretended to be depressed and glanced at several aunties who were holding back their smiles, and said: "Indeed, when people encounter happy events, they are in high spirits... Ah, has Auntie Bo and Twelfth Aunt arrived?"

  "Your second aunt has arrived, but your first aunt hasn't yet. Your elder sisters are inside waiting to greet you. It's Old Second's home, so go in with Yúnzhū first."

  "Yes." Madam Ma responded with a single word and accompanied Yunzhu to the main courtyard.

  "Second aunt, mother is this... has taken ginseng?" The atmosphere was too good, with a red glow on her face. She didn't believe it was just because of her niece's full moon gift. Li Rongbao in history seemed to have passed away in the 11th year of Yongzheng, and these two people who were already over fifty years old, she had to pay attention to any abnormal phenomenon, striving for them to live a few more years.

  Ma Jia's wife gave her a sideways glance, "It was your fifth and seventh sister-in-law who just found out they were pregnant."

  Oh, no wonder. Yunzhu also had a delighted expression, "Wu Sao is pregnant."

  Dai Jia's wife was married to Fu Kuan in the eighth year of Yongzheng, and more than three years had passed without giving birth. If she were replaced by another woman, she would have already become a concubine. Ma Jia's wife thought back to her own similar situation in the past and was happy for her: "It's really good news, your seventh brother is already 24, and this child of Seventh Brother and Sister-in-law is just right."

  It's only been a few years since I got married, and suddenly the whole house is full of children. Yunzhu murmured: "I don't know if these two are boys or girls."

  "It's probably a boy again." Madam Ma sighed, Eldest Sister had two sons, Minghuang and Minguang, and a daughter, Mingyao; she herself had three sons, Mingren, Mingde, and Mingyi; Third Brother and his wife had a daughter, Mingyi, and a son, Mingfeng; Fourth Brother and his wife had a son, Mingrui. And then there was today's newborn daughter of Sixth Brother and his wife, Minglan. Not counting the ones who were still pregnant, there were ten children in the household, eight of whom were boys.

  "A large population is always a good thing." Yunzhu nodded in agreement.

  Because there were many sisters-in-law, the Fu family had always been good at hosting and entertaining guests. Ma Jia Shi and Xi Lin Jue Luo Shi, who was pregnant, along with Dai Jia Shi and Bo Er Ji Te Shi went to the back house to chat.

  Ma Jia asked: "This time the election didn't have many people bothering you, did it?"

  Is someone coming here to walk the door again? Yunzhu glanced at her and told her about the three beautiful girls, Wu Lanala Huangshi and Bai Shi, who were summoned by Xi Guifei. "Others are fine, but I don't dare to mention those in the palace, how can anyone come to bother me?" Even among my own relatives, there's no one with a strong chance of being selected, so I'm relaxed about it.

  Borjigit followed Gualgiya and said with a sneer, "It's indeed what the lady said, isn't it? They're going against those in the palace. Those fools don't know life or death, do they think probing the emperor's mind is a good thing to eat?"

  "In my opinion, the one who is really troublesome is that person in Chengqian Palace. Even when he's ill, he still doesn't forget to arrange women for his son."

  Yunzhu didn't take it seriously, "Anyway, my two Qianxi are strict and rule-abiding, as long as she doesn't break the rules, I'll tolerate her."

  Ma Jia carefully looked at Yunzhu for a while and asked cautiously: "Did you have a quarrel with the Fourth Prince?"

  Yunzhu cried and laughed at the same time, "No, it's fine."

  Even Xilin Jueluo said: "Your heart is too wide, right?" Your own man is so careless.

  "I knew what kind of life I would have when I married him. This woman only knows how to add, not subtract. If I really care about it, wouldn't it be unbearable for myself?" Yunzhu's faint smile carried a hint of helplessness, which made several sisters-in-law feel sympathetic.

  "Moreover, half of this woman's life is spent on herself and the other half on men. Do I have the energy to waste on people who don't matter instead of using it on him?!"

  "This principle sounds easy, but it's hard to put into practice. When the time comes, which woman can bear this jealousy?" Ma Jia sighed deeply.

  "So that's why Second Brother married Second Sister-in-law alone."

  Everyone burst out laughing and said that the men of the Fu family were extremely good to their wives.

  At this time, someone came to report that the full moon gift-giving ceremony had begun. Yunzhu then followed several aunts out to watch the ceremony. She carefully looked at her niece who had just turned one month old and after a while said: "She looks like Sixth Aunt now."

  Ma Jia's wife said with a smile: "Fortunately, she doesn't look like her sixth uncle." Fu Kuan was originally robust and had thick eyebrows and big eyes. After going through the sea, his skin became even darker, so if the girl looked like him, wouldn't that be too rough? Even Manchu girls were known for being tall and beautiful, but none of them looked like him. The people around her couldn't help but burst out laughing when they heard this, and Princess Bao Lan didn't get angry either. She thought to herself: no matter what her daughter looks like, as long as she's lovely, that's all that matters, even if she resembles her father.

  They were all relatives from their families, and the full moon banquet was very warm and lively. After dinner, they slowly dispersed.

  Yunzhu met with Li Rongbao and several brothers as usual and exchanged some recent news about the front and back palaces.

  In recent years, the Qing Dynasty has been blessed with good weather and abundant harvests in various regions. The customs duties have also filled the national treasury to the brim. With the breakthrough in gun development in recent years, Yongzheng intends to vigorously develop the navy and use external military force to recover Macau's sovereignty.

  As for the watercraft, since Fucha's family invested in human and material resources to develop maritime trade, she consciously collected relevant materials. It was only then that she discovered that as early as the tenth year of Tiancong, the Qing dynasty had already begun building warships.

  The navy is divided into inland rivers and the open sea. Initially, the naval forces of various coastal provinces were only used for defending harbors and capturing pirates. After Kangxi recovered Taiwan, the system of military ranks, shipbuilding factories, classification of warships, repair and construction of ships, and responsibilities of each naval force gradually became more complete. After Yongzheng took office, he established the Pu Water Battalion and the Tianjin Water Battalion, deploying Manchu and Mongolian soldiers to increase their combat experience in adapting to wind and waves. Not only did they change the old system, ordering the Zhejiang Navy to patrol the coastal waters of their province, but also selected sailors every year to alternate patrols with the Fujian and Zhejiang navies to calm the sea atmosphere. They also practiced naval forces among the garrison troops in various places and increased training in various weapons.

  After Zhu Fu and Chen Hongyi (Hong Shi) returned from overseas, he attached greater importance to the navy, vigorously investigating and severely punishing the mistakes and corruption of civil and military officials in charge of shipbuilding, re-establishing several major naval bases, clarifying their responsibilities, and rectifying their combat training...

  The more she pays attention to the knowledge of border defense and sea ban, the more she sighs at Yongzheng's foresight, wisdom and wise thoughts. Even without this butterfly, the series of deployments he made show that he is a wise and capable ruler. If it weren't for the internal and external troubles when he ascended to the throne, the corruption of officials, the entanglement of political enemies, and his later physical decline, the Qing dynasty might have developed into something else under his rule.

  Now different from history, Yongzheng has a healthy physique, his governance is smooth, the treasury is also rich, and the border is stable. She is also happy for him to cast his eyes outside the world of Qing.

  Only by having a long-term vision can you go further on your path.