Princess Hongnong and the Prince Consort have been living separately for years. When Mingming is in the Capital City, it's still fine, but after Mingming went out to gain experience, Princess Hongnong almost never leaves her home.
Ren Hui felt very sorry. Clearly, the lives of people all around the world are improving, yet she watches as the princess, born into unparalleled nobility, endures the years with hardship.
Therefore, as soon as Mingming returned to the Capital City, Ren Hui urgently sought her out, asking the Crown Princess to think of a way to break through the plight for her grandmother.
Mingming did not keep this matter hidden from her parents. After Hanzhang listened to Mingming's account, she too was left in contemplation.
Princess Hongnong, though her personality may not be to everyone's liking, her deeds outweigh her faults. Under the Sima family's ancestry, being able to consider matters beyond personal enjoyment is already quite rare. Hanzhang, looking at Mingming, thought of a solution.
In her life, Princess Hongnong has been overly constrained by her status, her identity as a princess being both an honor and a shackle.
Why not remove it altogether?
Yet, as both a child and an emperor, Hanzhang couldn't directly tell the princess, "Don't be a princess anymore."
The princess might not be liberated from her predicament, but instead be directly enraged to death.
After much consideration, it seemed better to have the Empress Dowager use softness to counter rigidity.
Moreover, as the charity operations have been ongoing for a long time, worms have emerged. Some people, relying on the distance between the Empress Dowager and Wang Hufeng in the Capital City, have begun to commit acts of oppression under the guise of charity.
Hanzhang detests these people most. Charity aids those who are close to dying from hardship, and these people's actions are akin to snatching away the last straw from a drowning person's hand.
After Mrs. Wang understood Hanzhang's intentions, she gracefully agreed.
She has been involved in charity for a long time now, and her mindset has become much more open. The beauty and tragedy of the world play out in waves in every corner.
With such statuses, they may not be the happiest people, but they are surely quite far from misery.
Thus, Mrs. Wang gently and warmly requested Princess Hongnong to assist her, to accompany her in exploring and investigating local charity affairs under anonymity.
Princess Hongnong happened to feel troubled, as the Prince Consort joined Mingming and them back to live for a while.
Mrs. Wang's initial chosen place was not far, so it was calculated that she would return just in time to avoid coinciding with the Prince Consort's stay.
Princess Hongnong then followed Mrs. Wang to a small town not too far from the Capital City.
Princess Hongnong initially thought that it was just a leisure trip, after all, the town was not far from the Capital City, and communication is much more convenient than before. Even if the managers tried to deceive, they could hardly succeed. However, how could worldly matters be that simple?
Princess Hongnong and Mrs. Wang disguised themselves as noblewomen out for a journey. Their status was high enough so that obtaining basic information wouldn't be difficult, and their intentions were pure, preventing those with guilty consciences from developing vigilance.
Their years of living in privilege made them extraordinarily attractive, drawing many gazes upon entering the small town.
These gazes were something the two had long become accustomed to along their journeys.
But this time, Princess Hongnong felt a sticky and filthy stare. The princess's dignity cannot be violated; she cast a stern glance, and her attendants went to identify the source of the stare.
After settling into an inn, the sent people returned and reported that the person was none other than the manager of the Empress Dowager's orphanage.
Moreover, according to local families, this manager had a very good reputation, not only laboring physically and mentally for the orphanage, but even spending his own money to help those in pity.
The people of the small town had few bad opinions of him; the occasional negative reviews were either due to competitive relations or a personal falling out, like a monument.
Princess Hongnong keenly sensed something was amiss, yet being at the start, it wasn't appropriate for her to make hasty decisions.
She merely instructed others to keep vigilant.
They came under the pretense of leisure, so while the two wandered around, Mrs. Wang's people quietly went to investigate the situation.
After a day, Mrs. Wang's team—focused mainly on checking accounts and verifying the effects of past charitable affairs—reported that everything with the manager was good, with high evaluations. Whereas the princess's people found the manager liked to stay overnight at the orphanage.
This wasn't necessarily an issue, as during the day they already observed the children at the orphanage, who were mostly rosy-cheeked and healthy, although most appeared somewhat timid, potentially due to being orphans.
But the princess's people were not adjudicators from the Ministry of Justice deciding cases based on evidence, and any suspicion had to be pursued.
Princess Hongnong, well-versed through her experiences, merely heard "orphanage" and thought of countless possibilities.
Hongnong lightly closed her eyes—if it were the past, she might not have cared—but the Hua Country now is her dreamt peace. Every child these people harm may, in the future, become an aide to Mingming of her family. With indignation, Hongnong fiercely instructed someone to summon the Gan Family to investigate the orphanage together.
Unfortunately yet predictably for Hongnong, this manager indeed harbored sinister intentions. The people they brought along were skilled and easily made their way into the inner courtyard.
Muffled sounds of debauchery wafted softly, revolting.
Mrs. Wang hadn't even seen the final scene, yet tears already welled up in her eyes. The children were so young.
In the past, people married early, but even then, they tried to wait until ten at least.
Even if this manager performed many acts of kindness, it could hardly mask the evil he enacted upon young children.
Princess Hongnong's face was severe, as she directly faced the shabbily dressed children. Thinking of Mingming, thinking of the Prince Consort, of her incompetent Sima Royal Family brothers and uncles, and of so much more.
She had half-open and half-closed her eyes for the Imperial Family for many years, but now she didn't want to turn a blind eye even a bit.
There's always those men, who, holding power, dare only exercise it on weaker beings, forgetting the responsibility that accompanies power.
Her heart held anger, hate, resentment; she no longer wished to see these vile creatures, soiling her eyes.
Since these men chose to be wastrels, why not let her oversee a fair purification? From this incident, Mrs. Wang forcefully reformed orphanages statewide, and Princess Hongnong submitted petitions proposing political involvement.
This decision stirred speculation throughout the court. Everyone was guessing whether some conspiracy was at play.
Meanwhile, Hanzhang, observing Princess Hongnong's series of remarks, smiled slightly.