“Zhang Ruoqing, I quite like that child. You can observe him for a couple more years.”

As for whether it's good or not, and whether the two children are suitable, we'll have to wait and see.

Just because she likes it doesn't mean that Yinzhen thinks it's suitable. What they think they like and what they think is suitable, Hongxu may not be able to accept.

Hongxu knew his responsibilities. Although he had not formally attended court over the years, Yinzhen and Yue Shu had never hesitated to train his abilities in private, and he had indeed lived up to their expectations.

Kele Shu still greedily wanted him to be able to have a harmonious marriage with his future wife.

"Zhang? What is his relationship with Zhang Tingyu?"

“It’s his niece.”

Zhang Tingyu had a very good reputation as an official. He came from a scholarly family, and Yinzhen had no doubt about his family's education. In fact, Yinzhen greatly admired the methods these scholarly families used to raise their daughters.

"I will send someone to investigate."

He had no problem with the Zhang family's upbringing; his main concern was whether the girl had a sweetheart or something. Although the possibility was slim, he was just in case. In addition, Yinzhen wanted to know what kind of person the girl was.

A person's ability is one aspect, character is another, and temperament is yet another; all three are important.

Hongxu's future wife is the next empress of the Qing Dynasty, which carries great political significance and cannot be taken lightly.

Three months later.

The Cining Palace is still under renovation, and the Fourteenth Prince is almost going crazy. The Imperial Household Department's allocation of funds is insufficient, but he can't explain how the money was spent or where it went.

But he couldn't just quit.

Logically speaking, Yinzhen was the emperor, and he was the subject. The tasks assigned to a subject by the emperor must be completed by all means.

From a personal standpoint, the Empress Dowager is his mother. If he were to abandon the task of repairing her residence halfway through, it would be considered unfilial, a reputation he could not bear.

dilemma.

So he went to Shou Kang Palace.

The Empress Dowager looked at her haggard and exhausted youngest son with a pained expression: "Are you ill? Why do you look so pale?"

Fourteen shook his head: "Your Majesty, I am not ill. Your Majesty, I have something to say to you."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, and everyone in the room left.

The Empress Dowager asked with concern, "Has someone bullied my son?"

Upon hearing this, Fourteen could no longer contain his grievances and said, "Mother, the Imperial Household Department has wronged me. I'm afraid I can't repair Cining Palace."

The Empress Dowager was taken aback: "What's going on?"

Although she has now been promoted to Empress Dowager, her connections are not as strong as when she was Consort De. There are many things that she cannot know if Yinzhen and Le Shu do not want her to know.

Even though Cining Palace was very close to Shou Kang Palace, the Empress Dowager was unaware of the progress of the renovation.

Ironically, the Empress Dowager was not as good as a concubine.

After the Fourteenth Prince explained, the Empress Dowager immediately realized that he had been tricked by Yinzhen. Under Yinzhen's reforms, the Imperial Household Department would not dare to embezzle so openly; it was just that the higher-ups had given the order.

The Uya family's connections within the Imperial Household Department were completely eradicated, and even though she was the Empress Dowager, she couldn't help him much.

The only way to save the youngest son was to abandon the renovation of Cining Palace.

Having figured all this out, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but say directly, "I should have drowned him back then. He's such an ungrateful wretch. I truly regret giving birth to him..."

Fourteen listened to her complaints and resentment without saying a word to stop her. He also disliked Yinzhen. This dislike was complicated, mixed with inferiority. The only person he could compare to was his loving mother.

As a child, he enjoyed his mother's favoritism and loved watching Yinzhen's restrained and unspoken longing for his mother's affection but not being able to receive it.

Now that Yinzhen no longer craved it, he realized that he no longer had any weapons to hurt him, and only by listening to these complaints did he feel a little better.

"Mother, what should I do?"

The Empress Dowager remained silent for a moment, but ultimately she was more reluctant to part with her youngest son: "I am quite content living in Shou Kang Palace. There is no need to repair Ci Ning Palace."

At this moment, she truly realized that Yinzhen no longer craved her affection. He was an emperor who held absolute power, and the Empress Dowager could not force him to do what he did not want to do.

It felt like she had returned to many years ago, when she was "driven" out of Chengqian Palace after giving birth to Yinzhen and was unable to raise her son. That was the time when she was most powerless and most humble.

Because of a single sentence from Emperor Kangxi, she was not even allowed to see her son.

Throughout her life, several of the most memorable moments of helplessness seemed to be related to Yinzhen, which is why she disliked him and ignored him.

Fourteen: "Your subject thanks Your Majesty."

The Empress Dowager looked at him with a complicated expression. Even if she was unwilling to admit it, she had to admit that her youngest son, whom she had always favored, was not as capable as her eldest son.

After the Fourteenth Emperor left, the Empress Dowager fell ill.

The conversation between the mother and son at Shou Kang Palace was presented to Yinzhen's desk that very evening.

Despite the resentful words, Yinzhen remained calm; he had truly let go.

Le Shu also saw it: "If you don't want to see it, then don't."

"It is indeed not very good-looking, but it doesn't hurt to take a look. It's similar to those greetings and memorials, just a waste of time. You know, if I had heard these words in my previous life, I probably would have posthumously honored Empress Xiaoyiren as Empress Dowager, even if it went against my political plans. But now I just feel calm and don't want to do anything."

Le Shu couldn't help but hug him: "Not all parents are good enough."

Yinzhen hugged her back: "I'm really glad you're here. It's so good to have you by my side."

Like a clear spring morning after a dreamless night's sleep, peaceful, content, and incredibly happy.

The investigation results regarding Zhang Ruoqing have also come out. Well, she's a very intelligent girl. Even Yinzhen couldn't find anything wrong with her. There was no childhood sweetheart or any romantic relationship between them. Overall, Yinzhen was very satisfied.

So, Yinzhen and Yue Shu called Hongxu over and gave him Zhang Ruoqing's information.

"What do Father Emperor and Mother Emperor mean?"

Yinzhen: "This girl is Han Chinese. Your mother and I mean that you can get to know her."

Hongxu: "You mean she will be our son's future wife?"

Le Shu smiled and said, "That's not necessarily true. If you don't like her, or she doesn't like you, even if we think she's good, it's useless. We're just letting you get to know her. If you really don't like her, we can find someone else."

Hongxu: "Son understands."

Yinzhen looked at his youthful face: "Aren't you going to ask why we chose a Han woman to be your wife?"

She was a Han woman, but not a Han military officer.

Hongxu: "Father and Mother are farsighted. They see the Manchus and Hans as one family. Father wants to abolish the rule that Manchus and Hans cannot intermarry."

Upon hearing this, Yinzhen looked at him with a hint of pride; he was indeed outstanding.

Yinzhen: "It's good that you understand. When choosing a girl from the Zhang family, you have Zhang Tingyu's connections. It doesn't matter if she's someone else. There's only one condition: the girl you choose cannot have bound feet."

The Han people were terrified of being killed back then, so they bound their feet and refused to keep their hair. The Manchus couldn't force them too much, so they tacitly accepted that Han women should bind their feet. Hongxu looked at Le Shu and guessed that it was probably her idea.

"Your son thanks Father and Mother."

He was given as many choices as possible, even if they were limited. He grew up in a loving environment, and even though he was not yet twenty, he was mature and steady, and no less capable than anyone else.