The Fifth Prince's question was unintentional, yet extremely sharp.

If it weren't for this unexpected turn of events, perhaps Fu Qing would have followed his elders' arrangements, married, and had children.

But his life took an unexpected turn. First, he lost his memory, and then he met a woman—a woman who, despite having no chance with him, somehow captivated his heart.

Once his heart had been moved, he no longer wanted to be a puppet, much less settle for less. However, everyone else believed that the emperor's bestowal of marriage was an unparalleled honor, and he should accept it; there was no reason for him to refuse.

But Fu Qing refused.

Su Yushan didn't want to listen to their idle chatter, but the Fifth Prince's voice was so loud that it was hard for her not to hear it.

She knew Fu Qing's thoughts, but that was only the Fu Qing of the village. Once he returned to the capital and gradually regained his memories, he would change his mindset and follow the rules of aristocratic families, obeying the arrangements of his parents or the emperor, and marrying a woman of equal social standing.

From the moment Fu Qing told her about her brother's accident and urged her to return to the capital, she knew that Fu Qing was a rational person who would weigh the pros and cons and would not be swayed by emotions. After all, he had the entire family behind him. Therefore, she was not worried that he would say anything out of line, nor did she turn her head to look at him. She pretended not to hear and continued to listen to the opera on stage.

Seeing that Fu Qing remained silent, Hong Zhou couldn't help but get anxious. "You're not refusing the marriage because of Su Gege's cousin, that Miss Yun Fang, are you?"

Hongli publicly claimed that Yunfang was her cousin, a fact that Su Yushan knew, which is why she did not refute the Fifth Prince's words.

However, Fu Qing knew very well that the current situation was different from last time. It seemed unreasonable to say that it was because of Yun Fang, since Yun Fang was a Han woman. Even if the two of them were together, he could not marry her as his wife, but could only take her as a concubine. Therefore, Yun Fang was not the reason for his refusal to marry her.

The Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince are both waiting for his answer. He must give a reasonable explanation to prevent the Fourth Prince from becoming suspicious again.

After much deliberation, Fu Qing finally spoke, “It’s not for Yun Fang, it’s because of Prince Hongchang. As everyone knows, Prince Yi is loyal to the Emperor and works tirelessly for the country. His other sons are all fine, but his eldest son Hongchang is arrogant and conceited. If he were just a spoiled brat, that would be one thing, but he is also wicked and gets very close to Prince Li, Hongxi.”

Upon hearing this name, Su Yushan felt it sounded familiar. She vaguely remembered that Hongli had mentioned it to her before. This Hongxi was the son of the deposed Crown Prince Yinreng. After the death of the deposed Crown Prince, Yinreng was granted the title of Prince Li. Originally, his princely residence was in the capital, but after Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, he ordered Hongxi to move his entire family to Zhengjiazhuang, which was twenty miles outside the capital.

Such an arrangement may seem somewhat inhumane, but compared to Yongzheng's ruthless attitude towards the Eighth Prince Yinzhi, Hongxi was extremely fortunate.

Su Yushan knew only this much. As for Hongxi's character, she didn't know anything about him. But judging from Fu Qing's tone, she said that Hongchang and Hongxi were very close, but she didn't know what that meant.

Curious, Su Yushan glanced sideways to observe, but noticed that Hongli's expression seemed rather unpleasant. "Father Emperor only allows Hongxi to enter the capital once a month, yet Hongchang is still able to maintain contact with Hongxi. It seems their relationship is quite deep!"

Nodding, Fu Qing said, "Marriage is a major event, and we can't just look at the present; we have to consider the long term. If Hongchang continues to act so recklessly, he will implicate Prince Yi's mansion sooner or later. If I marry Prince Yi's daughter, I can't guarantee that I won't be implicated."

In reality, given the close relationship between Prince Yi and Emperor Yongzheng, even if Hongchang really committed a crime, Yongzheng would never mistreat Yinxiang's other children. Fu Qing had nothing to worry about, but he had to find a reasonable excuse, so he could only use this matter as an excuse.

Hongli and Hongchang had a long-standing feud, and Hongzhou, siding with the fourth prince, naturally disapproved of Hongchang's actions.

"Your concerns are not without merit. It's always good to be prepared. If you can avoid it, then do so. Who knows what might happen in the future?"

With his long, slender fingers tapping idly on the table, Hongli sneered, "If Hongxi behaves himself, Father will not mistreat him. But if he is ambitious and still harbors extravagant desires, then he shouldn't blame the world for not tolerating him!"

Su Yushan knew nothing about Hongxi's fate. At this moment, she only regretted that she had not studied the history of the Qing Dynasty well. She knew nothing about many people, so she was completely confused and had to silently sort out the relationships between the characters.

Although Fu Qing found a reasonable reason, Hong Zhou still did not let him go and continued to persuade him: "Fine, if this one is not suitable, you can choose another one. Father Emperor is eager to marry you a woman from the imperial clan. This is a blessing that others can only dream of. You must seize the opportunity."

Unfortunately, he didn't care about this so-called blessing at all, but he couldn't say it aloud, so he kept it to himself.

Taking a sip of Biluochun tea, Hongli said casually, "My wife often talks to me about your marriage. Your mother and sister both hope that you can get married as soon as possible. A man must first settle down and start a family before he can live a stable life and build a career."

With the Fourth Prince urging him to get married in front of Su Yushan, what could Fu Qing say? To avoid arousing the Fourth Prince's suspicion again, Fu Qing could only nod in agreement.

"Fourth Master and Fifth Master are absolutely right. I will take the marriage matter seriously. If a suitable match is found, I will arrange the engagement as soon as possible so that my family will no longer have to worry about me."

Fu Qing was in great agony. He wanted to leave, but he was worried that the Fourth Prince would become suspicious and cause a conflict with Su Yushan. Helpless, he could only force himself to continue accompanying her.

He didn't hear a single note of the songs being sung on stage, unaware of what Su Yushan was thinking or whether she could concentrate on the performance.

In fact, Su Yushan was also a little uncomfortable sitting, not because of Fu Qing, but because she was pregnant. The cushions at home were all specially made for her. Although the cushions in the theater were soft, her lower back was still unsupported, and she was not used to sitting on them, so she felt a pain in her lower back.

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