Chapter 10 Love Me, Love My Dog

Upon hearing that Consort Hua had given rewards to the two princes, Yixiu realized that she had forgotten about Nian Shilan.

"Your Majesty." Jianqiu seemed a little worried, suspecting that a servant might have leaked the news.

Yixiu shook her head, not alarmed. "It's alright, Consort Hua is just trying to compete with me."

Yixiu saw it clearly; after all, Nian Shilan had entered the household much later, after Honghui had already passed away. Thinking of this, Yixiu felt a pang of pain in her heart and couldn't help but furrow her brow.

"Your Majesty, is it a headache? Should we call the imperial physician?" Jianqiu asked anxiously as she approached.

“No need,” Yixiu thought carefully. “We don’t need to worry about Consort Hua, as for Consort Qi and Consort Duan…”

These two had met Honghui before. Consort Qi's mind is fine, but Consort Duan...

"Jianqiu, send someone to keep an eye on Consort Duan, and make sure she doesn't run into the Fourth Prince."

"yes."

With Consort Duan separated from her, even fewer people knew the truth, and Yixiu began to consider whether there was anything she could use to exploit Nian Shilan's actions. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Nian Shilan had done something truly good.

"With Consort Hua's actions preceding this, it has made my actions easier. Jianqiu, you go—no, let Huichun go—to deliver a reward to the Fourth Prince, and you go to deliver a reward to the Fifth Prince. Just say it's the stepmother's concern for the princes."

"Yes, I understand."

By focusing the issue on the Empress and Consort Hua's rivalry, no one will pay attention to the Fourth Prince's special status. And since Hui Chun is skilled in painting, it seems the Empress desires a portrait of the Fourth Prince.

So, not long after Yixianzhai and Zhuxiangzhai saw off Consort Hua's people, they received the Empress's reward.

"Greetings, Fourth Prince. This servant is Huichun. I have come on the orders of Her Majesty the Empress to deliver some things to you." Huichun directed the eunuchs behind her to place the items on the table. Upon seeing Hongli for the first time, her pupils involuntarily dilated, but she concealed her emotions and subtly observed his appearance.

"Thank you for your help, Aunt. Please convey my gratitude to the Empress Dowager."

As if completely unaware of Huichun's scrutiny, Hongli thanked her gently and politely.

"Fourth Prince, you are too kind. If you ever need anything, you are welcome to come to Peach Blossom Village to see the Empress. Although the Empress is very busy, she still cares about you."

As instructed, Huichun uttered these words, but she didn't forget to slip in her own personal message, inviting Hongli to visit Peach Blossom Village more often.

“The Empress Dowager’s kindness is etched in my heart.”

After finally seeing Huichun and her entourage off, Yunli, who had been avoiding them, came out from the inner room, frowning. "Is the Empress challenging Consort Hua?"

"Perhaps." A smile flashed across Hongli's eyes. He turned around and looked at Yunli with a gentle and reassuring expression. "Seventeenth Uncle, there's no need to worry. In the end, it's my fifth brother and I who will benefit."

"What kind of gain is this?"

Yunli remained frowning, displeased that the Empress and Consort Hua were using Hongli as a pretext. What if the Emperor found out? His elder brother was the epitome of "love and desire giving life, anger and hatred killing death," and what if he took his anger out on Hongli?

"Don't worry, it wasn't us or Hongzhou who did it. Father is a wise and virtuous ruler, he won't hold a grudge against us."

Upon hearing this, Yunli hesitated, wanting to say something like, "Your imperial father isn't as wise as he seems; he's quite suspicious." But he didn't want to shatter Hongli's beautiful image of his father.

Frustrated, he shut his mouth, thinking to himself that he would pay more attention to the news in the garden later, and if necessary, he would try to get closer to the Emperor and see his attitude. For Hongli's safety, he would just have to endure the sarcastic remarks; he was used to it anyway.

...

"Well, this old woman is indeed going to oppose me!"

Nian Shilan slammed her hand on the table. Upon hearing that the Empress had sent gifts to the two princes after her, and that she was referring to the Empress as her "stepmother," she was furious, just as she had suspected. She immediately summoned Cao Qinmo, her strategist.

To be honest, Cao Qinmo was also a bit confused. Had the situation changed so quickly? The second prince, the fifth prince was one thing, but wasn't the fourth prince a taboo subject in the palace? He was someone who couldn't even be mentioned before. What was going on now? Was the Empress just going against Consort Hua and disregarding everything?

Rather than believing that the Empress had lost her mind, Cao Qinmo was more inclined to believe that the Empress had received some news. For example, had the Emperor's attitude towards the two princes changed?

After all, the Empress always followed the Emperor's lead.

Cao Qinmo thought this way, and this was also the analysis she shared with Consort Hua. Upon hearing this, Nian Shilan let out a cold laugh, "I knew it. With the Empress's weak and indecisive nature, how could she dare to be so bold? She's trying to curry favor with the Emperor by stepping on me. Too bad, I won't be suppressed by her."

Thinking that it was Cao Qinmo who revealed the "truth," Nian Shilan smiled and glanced at her, "Wenyi will be one year old soon, and you've been sitting in this VIP position for quite a while now..."

Cao Qinmo was overjoyed and quickly thanked her, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Without Your Majesty's protection, I would not have been able to give birth to Wenyi safely."

"Get up. As long as you offer me good advice, you will be rewarded handsomely."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."

With such a great opportunity right in front of her, Cao Qinmo naturally had to make a move. "Your Majesty, we can't let the Empress take all of this opportunity. Your Majesty's reputation for benevolence should also be spread far and wide."

"What ideas do you have? Tell me quickly."

"Your Majesty, perhaps..."

Cao Qinmo gave Consort Hua a suggestion to make her famous. Meanwhile, upon seeing Huichun's portrait, Yixiu was overjoyed. Touching the familiar face on the painting, she couldn't help but shed tears. With Consort Hua leading the way, her care for Hongli no longer seemed special.

Soon, news spread throughout the garden that the Empress and Consort Hua valued the two princes. Hongli and Hongzhou's status rose rapidly, and many palace servants tried their best to serve the two princes.

This news soon reached the ears of Emperor Yongzheng.

On this day, Yunli was playing chess with Yongzheng when Su Peisheng came in to report news.

"Your Majesty, this servant has investigated everything thoroughly..." Su Peisheng looked up at Prince Guo, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Yunli made a move to leave, saying, "Your Majesty has important business to attend to, so I will not disturb you any longer."

Satisfied with Yunli's attitude of avoiding suspicion, Yongzheng still stopped him, saying, "It's alright, it's nothing serious. The game of chess isn't over yet, there's no rush to leave."

"Your Majesty discovered that I was trying to slack off. If this continues, I will lose again."

Yunli sat back down at the table and made a joke that was neither too serious nor too light.

"You, you..." Yongzheng chuckled, quite pleased with Yunli's respectful yet affectionate attitude. "Alright, Su Peisheng, the seventeenth brother is no outsider, speak."

"Yes," Su Peisheng bowed and continued to report, "Her Majesty the Empress and Consort Hua have indeed taken good care of the two princes, especially the Fourth Prince."

Yunli felt a chill run down his spine, but kept a straight face and observed Yongzheng's expression.

Emperor Yongzheng remained calm, merely narrowing his eyes slightly as he casually asked, "Empress and Consort Hua, what are you trying to do?"

Su Peisheng glanced at Prince Guo, gritted his teeth, and still replied in a seemingly relaxed manner: "In my opinion, the two empresses are just showing their affection for the emperor because of the emperor's love for the emperor. Previously, when the two princes paid their respects to the empress, Consort Hua even hosted a banquet for them. She must have noticed that the fourth prince resembles the emperor, otherwise she wouldn't have paid special attention to the fourth prince."

"Love me, love my dog..." Yongzheng never doubted the Empress and Consort Hua's affection for him, given Su Peisheng's precedent. Now that he heard this, he believed it too, but he became even more curious about Hongli. Just how much did Hongli resemble him?

"The Empress and Consort Hua," Yongzheng shook his head helplessly, but his eyes were full of smugness, "are ultimately not steady enough."

"The two empresses have deep affection for the Emperor, so their behavior is inevitably a bit excessive..."

Su Peisheng's ingratiating reply completely oblivious to the strange look Yunli was giving him.

Who? Who do you think resembles whom?

The crisis was over, but Yunli discovered that there was still such a ally hidden in the imperial court who was "lying through his teeth." Very well, Su Peisheng, you've been hiding something well, haven't you?