sjar Chapter 248 Time flies by
Chapter 248 Time flies by
Chapter 248 Time Flies
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, another four years have passed. Now, standing outside Kunning Palace, Hongye has grown from a naive child into a handsome young man.
The boy, who was only sixteen years old, had a slender and upright figure, like a jade tree in the wind; he had a handsome face, a graceful demeanor, and his every move showed his elegance.
During these years, Hongye diligently and tirelessly studied statecraft and the ways of the emperor alongside Emperor Kangxi and Yinreng. These experiences not only enriched his knowledge and broadened his horizons, but also cultivated a calm and composed demeanor far beyond his peers. Barely sixteen years old, he already exuded a naturally awe-inspiring authority.
At this moment, at the gate of Kunning Palace, Aunt Qi'er was waiting with several clever and well-behaved little maids. Seeing Hongye approaching from afar, they hurried forward to greet him, saying, "Your servants pay their respects to the Crown Prince. May the Crown Prince be blessed with good health!"
Seeing this, Hongye hurried forward, extended his hands to help Aunt Qi'er up, and said with a smile, "Aunt, please stand up quickly. Didn't I specifically instruct you before? From now on, there's no need to be so polite when we meet."
Hongye knew full well that Aunt Qi'er was the Empress Dowager's most trusted confidant, having watched them grow up, and their bond was deep. If he acted condescending and superior in front of her today, and the Empress Dowager learned of this, he would likely receive a severe reprimand.
However, despite knowing Hongye's good intentions, Qi'er had served in the palace for many years and was naturally familiar with court etiquette. She knew that the so-called etiquette and rules should not be easily abandoned. Otherwise, if the news spread, it would inevitably bring criticism to the Crown Prince.
So, Qi'er still replied respectfully: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your thoughtfulness, but we, as servants, are of low status and should pay our respects to you! So we beg Your Highness not to blame us." After saying this, Qi'er bowed slightly to Hongye again, his movements gentle and graceful.
Hongye was well aware of Aunt Qi'er's concerns. While he deeply hated seeing his aunt suffer because of such a formality, he also understood that if he insisted on not performing the formality, he would ultimately harm the woman who had loved him so dearly since childhood. Therefore, despite his reluctance, Hongye ultimately chose to respect his aunt's wishes.
Putting this matter aside for the moment, Hongye was filled with curiosity about the bursts of cheerful laughter coming from Kunning Palace. He couldn't help but ask, "Aunt, does the Empress Dowager have any guests visiting today? Why does it feel so lively here?"
It turned out that Hongye had just come from the Qianqing Palace, and it was not long since the morning court ended, so he was not particularly familiar with the specific situation of the Kunning Palace at the moment.
When Aunt Qi'er heard Hongye ask this, a delighted smile immediately spread across her face. She quickly replied, "Oh, Your Highness, don't you know? Today, the eldest princess from the Ulanara family came to the palace to visit the Empress, and she brought a lot of interesting toys with her! Look, she's having a great time playing with our Third Prince, Fourth Prince, and Fifth Prince!"
When he learned that it was his cousin Minyan who had entered the palace, a faint smile appeared on Hongye's handsome face. He thought to himself: This cousin of mine, even though she's older than him and his siblings, isn't as mature mentally! Sometimes, her behavior even seems quite childish.
However, Hongye reconsidered, believing this wasn't such a bad thing. After all, as Honghui grew older, he became more mature, stable, and somewhat reserved. In this way, Minyan's lively and playful personality perfectly complemented him. If they were to marry, they would surely respect each other, live in harmony, and enjoy a happy life.
With this thought in mind, Hongye gently opened the door and walked in quickly. As soon as he stepped into the room, a warm and cheerful scene instantly caught his eye - he saw his mother lazily leaning on a soft big pillow, watching with a smile on her face as Minyan and Jingyi teased their three young and cute little brothers.
Look at cousin Minyan. She is holding a small, clockwork wooden mouse tightly in her hand, and is happily controlling it to get closer to the third prince Hongyan.
The little mouse squeaked, its appearance so vivid that it seemed real. Poor Hongyan was frightened and stepped back repeatedly, looking panic-stricken like a mouse seeing a cat. He fled desperately while emitting sharp and piercing screams from time to time.
Whenever he nimbly dodged the small, nimble, scurrying mouse, Fourth Prince Hongying and Fifth Prince Hongchen would seize the opportunity to act. They would either cleverly maneuver their feet to block Hongyan's path, or reach out their hands and work together to push the naughty mouse in Hongyan's direction.
As a result, Hong Yan, who was already panicked by the sudden "rat plague", screamed even more, the volume of his screams being so loud that it seemed to break through the roof.
Hong Ying and Hong Chen, who were standing by and witnessing all this, seemed to have been struck by laughter, and they laughed so hard that they fell backwards and could not stop. While they were laughing, they did not forget to exchange smug glances with each other, as if they were extremely proud of the fact that they had successfully played a trick on Hong Yan.
However, in stark contrast to the boisterous scene was Hongye's reaction. He first frowned slightly, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction and worry. But soon, the seriousness gave way to a helpless smile. He knew full well that his third brother wasn't truly afraid of mice, but rather had a severe case of mysophobia.
Before this, Hongyan might have been able to remain calm, as he had no in-depth knowledge of rats. However, ever since he accidentally heard his mother mention that rats carry many kinds of viruses and bacteria, his fear of rats has grown like a weed.
From then on, no matter whether it was a real living mouse, or something that merely resembled a mouse, or even just a mouse shape blown out of sugar, Hongyan would involuntarily want to avoid it.
At this moment, when Hongye saw this scene, an idea immediately emerged in his mind: the idea of using mice to tease Hongyan today must have come from his innocent and childish cousin.
You know, before this, this cousin always talked about strange words like "PTSD" and "stress disorder", and she also confidently claimed that as long as you see it more often and get used to it, this fear will naturally disappear.
However, Hongye held a different view. After all, for them, encountering rats was almost impossible on a daily basis. Even if they did encounter rats one day, being frightened again would not be a big deal.
However, when he later found out that even his mother did not object, and considering that such an approach would not cause any substantial harm to Hongyan and was just a small prank, Hongye finally chose not to raise any objections.
After everyone exchanged greetings, they let go of the unfortunate little mouse that had become a prop and gathered around the table to enjoy the delicious snacks. At this time, Hongye couldn't help but feel a little puzzled - he was quite curious about Minyan's sudden visit to the palace today.
Normally, she would be having a grand wedding in a few days! Logically, she should be staying at home busy preparing for the wedding. How could she have the time to enter the palace?