Since the Fourth Prince and Lanqin returned to the palace, many people have come to request an audience, but neither of them has seen them. They also leave the morning court sessions to Hongli. The two of them are used to a life of leisure and do not want to deal with these sycophants.

As time passed, the red plum blossoms in the Imperial Garden, adorned with silver and white snow, looked quite unique. It was at this time that the Spring Festival arrived. The Fourth Prince hosted a banquet for his ministers in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, while Lanqin hosted a banquet for the ladies of the court in the inner palace.

Palace lanterns were hung early in the morning at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, illuminating the entire hall and enveloping the Forbidden City in a festive atmosphere as night fell.

After the Fourth Prince arrived at the palace banquet, he asked all the ministers to take their seats. Once seated, the ministers all looked at the Fourth Prince, waiting for him to announce the start of the banquet. However, what the Fourth Prince said caught them off guard: "On this auspicious day of the Spring Festival, I have an important matter to announce."

Apart from the Seventeenth Prince, Zhang Tingyu, and Qin Mo, who were somewhat prepared, everyone else looked at the Fourth Prince with suspicion. The Fourth Prince, seeing their doubts, said nothing more and waved his hand to signal Su Peisheng to read the imperial edict.

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Su Peisheng slowly opened the imperial edict and read aloud the abdication edict that the Fourth Prince had prepared long ago. Before the imperial clansmen could react, he continued to read the edict that Hongli would succeed to the throne.

After Su Peisheng uttered the imperial decree, the assembled crowd remained stunned for a long time. They had all heard it clearly, and they never expected that the Fourth Prince, in the prime of his life, would announce his abdication at this moment. Although they were surprised, none of them dared to voice any objections, as Hongli's succession to the throne was already a foregone conclusion.

Therefore, after Hongli received the imperial edict, they quickly recovered from their astonishment and raised their wine cups to congratulate him, saying, "Congratulations to Your Highness on inheriting the throne."

Hongli was well prepared, and his face remained expressionless. He smiled and raised his wine glass to thank everyone, saying, "I thank you all again."

Then, the Fourth Prince announced the start of the banquet, and the maids who had performed songs and dances filed out. The ministers' attention was no longer on the performances; at this moment, the focus of the banquet was on Hongli, and they were all thinking about how to please him.

Meanwhile, at the palace banquet, Lanqin led the imperial relatives and noblewomen in enjoying the song and dance performances, while Song and Wu, along with other imperial relatives and noblewomen, congratulated Lanqin.

The abdication of the Fourth Prince was a momentous event, and those who could attend the banquet in the Forbidden City were no ordinary people. Although they were not as comfortable in the palace as they were in their own homes, they still had some connections and influence.

Therefore, the news that the Fourth Prince announced Hongli's succession to the throne in the Taihe Palace quickly reached their ears.

At this time, they all knew that Hongli was the successor of the Fourth Prince, so Lanqin would be the Empress Dowager. Naturally, they all wanted to show their faces in front of Lanqin and congratulate her on the New Year one by one, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! When His Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, you will be the Empress Dowager."

Hearing the congratulations from the ministers' families, Lanqin naturally understood their thoughts. However, for Lanqin, the title of Empress Dowager was nothing but an empty name. She didn't care about the prestigious position that everyone envied. What she valued most now was being able to spend the rest of her life with the Fourth Prince.

However, Lanqin couldn't refuse their congratulations, so she accepted them with a smile.