Chapter 55 The Draft (Part 2)

Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress, Her Highness Consort Jing, Her Highness Consort Hua, and the Fourth Prince!

A group of noble ladies slowly entered, each with their own unique charm, and respectfully bowed to the four people above.

"Get up, everyone."

Yi Xiu smiled and called out, then noticed the empty space in the crowd and frowned slightly. What was Qing Ying up to now? Wasn't she determined to participate in Hongli's talent show? Where was she?

"Those chosen today as primary consorts will be given a ruyi scepter; those chosen as secondary consorts will be given a purse; and those who are not chosen will be given three bolts of silk to return home."

There could never be any gold; the plot's control couldn't compare to Yongzheng's stinginess.

"The ladies participating in today's selection are: Fuca, Manchu of the Bordered Yellow Banner, daughter of Li Rongbao, the Governor-General of Chahar; Guarjia, Manchu of the Plain White Banner, daughter of Sai Ke, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue; and Tongjia, Manchu of the Bordered Yellow Banner, daughter of Qing Fu, First-Class Duke and Minister of State Affairs..."

Gao Xiyue was already Hongli's chosen princess, so naturally she wouldn't participate in today's selection.

However, now that Gao Bin has been promoted, out of respect for Gao Bin, Emperor Yongzheng granted the Gao family special permission to send four boxes of dowry to Gao Xiyue.

Hongli took the Ruyi from Jiang Fuhai and slowly stepped forward. When the group of noble ladies saw the handsome Fourth Prince, they all lowered their heads shyly, waiting for his choice with nervous anticipation.

Hongli glanced at everyone, finally stopping before Fucha Langhua, and slowly handed her the ruyi scepter. Fucha Langhua smiled shyly, about to take it, when suddenly she heard a young eunuch outside the hall shout, "Princess Qingying has arrived—"

Hurried footsteps approached, but Hongli remained unmoved and placed the Ruyi in her hand.

"Princess Fucha is dignified and composed, making her a suitable choice for the primary consort."

"Thank you, Fourth Prince."

"Hongli..."

Qingying watched this scene in shock and heartache, as if she had been betrayed by a heartless man. Before the Empress could even speak, Nian Shilan's anger flared up instantly.

"How dare you! Who gave you permission to address the Fourth Prince by his given name?"

Qingying was startled by Consort Hua's imposing presence. She then came to her senses and awkwardly bowed to everyone, saying, "Greetings to the three Your Highnesses. I am late and was in a hurry, so I was impolite."

"snort"

Nian Shilan snorted coldly. If she didn't want to ruin Hongli's selection of a consort, she would have given Qingying a severe beating.

"Alright," Yi Xiu said coldly, "Since you're here, go wait over there!"

Yixiu understood immediately; it was just another attempt to stage a different show. Unfortunately, Hongli wasn't buying it.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Fuhai shouted, "The selection process continues. Ulanara, Manchu Plain Yellow Banner, daughter of Zuo Ling Narbu."

Qingying stood in the selection line, looking at Hongli expectantly. Her gaze fell on the jade ruyi in Fucha Langhua's hand, and her eyes were filled with pain.

Qingying figured it must be because she was late, and Hongli was angry with her, which was why he gave the jade ruyi to Lady Fucha. In front of so many people, Hongli couldn't easily change his mind.

But what can you do when he's her young lover?

She couldn't be with the person she loved, not even the Third Prince's primary wife. But for Hongli, she was willing to become a secondary wife.

Her undisguised behavior drew whispers and pointing fingers from the imperial concubines on either side, causing Yixiu, sitting at the head of the table, to turn pale. At that moment, she felt deeply ashamed and indignant that she shared the same surname as Qingying.

As expected, the Ulanara clan has no good members!

Fucha Langhua also noticed Qingying's gaze and couldn't help but clench the Ruyi in her hand, wondering if this Princess Qingying had some kind of problem.

Hongli completely ignored Qingying's gaze, picked up the purse given to his concubine, and walked towards Tongjia Zhilan. Ignoring Qingying's utterly devastated expression, he directly handed the purse to her.

"Princess Tongjia is gentle and graceful, a perfect choice for a secondary consort."

"Thank you, Fourth Prince."

Tong Jia Zhilan smiled gently and bowed to Hongli.

Although her father had made it clear to her before she entered the palace that she would definitely be selected, Qingying's behavior just now made her uneasy.

Fortunately, judging from the Fourth Prince's attitude, this famous Qingying Princess is completely one-sided in her efforts and has truly disgraced the Ulanara clan. I wonder how the Ulanara clan raised her.

Qingying was shocked and heartbroken, but no matter how much she couldn't believe it, Hongli's talent selection was over just like that.

She was taken to Shou Kang Palace by the Empress with a dejected look on her face, completely unaware of the Empress's furious expression.

A'Ruo saw it, but she was also detained by Jianqiu and, on the grounds of failing to take care of Qingying, was flogged thirty times. She was in so much pain that she couldn't even think about Qingying's situation anymore.

In the end, Qingying was confined to the Empress Dowager's small Buddhist hall to copy scriptures and collect Buddhist beans. In the Empress Dowager's words, she hoped that the Buddha's light could cleanse her muddled mind.

Qingying felt wronged, as if the whole world was preventing her from falling in love with Hongli.

Suddenly, it dawned on her: it wasn't that Hongli didn't want to choose her, it was that others wouldn't allow him to. The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. All she wanted was to be with her young lover. Why wouldn't her aunt and the Empress Dowager allow it?

She began to diligently copy scriptures, hoping to demonstrate her determination and move the Empress Dowager so that she would agree to let her marry Hongli.

The Empress Dowager, who still couldn't understand Qingying's thought process even after several years, simply assumed that she had learned her lesson and realized her mistake, and regretted not having come to make her copy the scriptures sooner.

I thought that once Hongli's talent selection was over and Qingying was locked up, the matter would be over.

But the Ulanara clan was unwilling to give up. Since they couldn't get through to the Empress Dowager and the Empress, they tried to get to the Emperor's side.

This time they were smarter; they didn't mention the fictitious relationship between Qingying and Hongli anymore. Instead, they brought up Empress Chun Yuan and the relationship between her and the Emperor. Could the Emperor really bear to see Chun Yuan's niece left without anyone to rely on?

Because of his desire to "cultivate his character and refine his temperament," he further idealized the image of Chun Yuan in his mind and missed the "pure" time of their love. Yongzheng was instantly swayed.

Yes, for Chun Yuan's sake, her niece should be given a good place. I've also heard the rumors that Qing Ying is in love with Hong Li.

So, after issuing the imperial edict promoting Hongli to the rank of Prince Bao, he waved his hand and issued another edict making Qingying another concubine of Hongli.

When Su Peisheng read the imperial edict on behalf of the emperor, he was relieved to hear the first imperial edict from a prince. The emperor still valued the fourth prince, and the selection of princes was probably just a way to save money.

When the second imperial edict was issued, Su Peisheng was shocked. Had the emperor gone mad again? He was bestowing a princess who had feigned urination at the Third Prince's selection of a consort upon the Fourth Prince as a secondary consort.

So, Your Majesty, are you starting to fear the Fourth Prince?

As expected, there are no fathers and sons in the imperial family. He must keep a close eye on the Emperor for the sake of the Fourth Prince!