When he mentioned the matter of the concubine to Su Yushan, Su Yushan simply said "Oh," and "I know."

"You probably don't know, but what I fear most is hearing you say 'oh'." Whenever this happens, Hongli feels as if his heart is being pricked by needles, and he feels extremely uncomfortable, unconsciously starting to guess her true thoughts.

Putting down her book, Su Yushan looked up at him, a hint of a smile in her eyes. "So what do you want to hear me say? 'You won't marry a concubine, you can only be mine?' Knowing it's impossible, why would I still ask you that? Wouldn't that just put pressure on you?"

With a sigh, Hongli sat down by the tent, his face somber and his heart heavy. "Father said that this is an ancestral rule, and a prince must have one primary consort and two secondary consorts."

"Two?" Su Yushan chuckled in surprise. "The Emperor is going to assign you two concubines? Aren't you worried about tiring yourself out?"

Hongli frowned in displeasure, reached under the covers, and pinched her little foot. "What nonsense are you thinking? I'll only suffer for you. Let's forget about everyone else!"

Su Yushan, whose jade feet were slightly itchy, quickly curled up her legs and pulled her feet back, not allowing him to fool around. "Any number is fine. Anyway, you're the one who pays their monthly allowance, not me supporting them. I don't care."

Although she didn't care, Hongli still wanted to explain it to her clearly, "Father's idea is to select a concubine from among the selected ladies-in-waiting, and then select another from the household to be promoted to concubine."

Taking her small hand in his, Hongli smiled and gazed at her, his intentions were crystal clear: "The person I want to choose is you."

His thoughts were one thing, reality was another. "You already spoke to the Emperor that year, and he refused, didn't he? My status... doesn't allow it."

Su Yushan knew this, so she didn't hold out any hope. However, Hongli was unwilling to give up.

“The title of ‘concubine’ is just a title. I’m not satisfied with just this rank. I want you to be my secondary consort. Things are different now. I will definitely fight for you.”

She understood his thoughts, but Su Yushan always felt that his wish was unlikely to come true.

The maids in the mansion were all very excited when they heard that the emperor planned to choose a concubine from among the fourth prince's concubines.

Xi Lan knew that her father's official position was low and that she was not favored by the Fourth Prince, so she definitely had no chance. At present, the most likely candidates were Yu Shan, Princess Gao, and Princess Fucha.

Looking at the present, Xi Lan believes that Yu Shan is the most likely candidate for promotion. "Si Ye dotes on you so much, he will definitely fight for it for you."

In the back garden, forsythia is in full bloom, trees are sprouting new green leaves, and birds are singing sweetly and melodiously. Taking a walk in the warm sunshine is especially pleasant.

Gently smoothing the handkerchief in her hand, Su Yushan walked and sighed with a smile, "That may be true, but in the end, it is the Emperor who makes the decisions. You also know that I come from a commoner family, and the Emperor does not think highly of me."

"But you gave birth to a son! Princess Gao has no children. You each have your advantages, and you're evenly matched." In short, Xi Lan still thought highly of Yu Shan. Su Yu Shan couldn't help but think of another person.

"Who knows, it might be Princess Fucha? She's a Manchu woman, she has a greater advantage."

“But her father’s official rank is not as high as Princess Gao’s, and besides, I don’t want it to be her.”

"Oh? Why?" Su Yushan asked curiously, "Weren't you two on good terms?"

Speaking of this, Xilan felt regretful. Even the best relationships can change! "They used to be very good, but later she always targeted you and had different ideas from me, so we gradually drifted apart. Now we just greet each other when we meet, and we no longer have any contact in private. She only gets close to the Fujin and the Princess Gao."

It's not that I'm jealous of her, I'm just worried that she'll target you after she becomes a concubine, so I don't want it to be her.

Neither of them were easy to deal with. When they reached a white camellia, Su Yushan stopped to admire the flower and chuckled indifferently, "These are not things we can decide, but we'll see what the Emperor thinks!"

In early February, the preliminary selection of the imperial concubines ended. Song Ying passed the preliminary selection and went home to wait. The second round of selection was ten days later. She only hoped that she would be eliminated during the second round.

When the re-selection takes place, the emperor will arrange marriages for members of the royal family. It is not the right time yet, so Hongli does not care who will become his new concubine. It doesn't matter who it is, he will not care. However, he attaches great importance to the other concubine.

Therefore, Hongli specially went to the palace to discuss this matter with his father, the Emperor. "Father, I wish to promote Lady Su to the rank of secondary consort."

Playing with the chainmail-patterned paperweight on the table, Yongzheng did not raise his eyebrows, his face solemn and his voice deep, "I have said before that being a concubine is the highest rank I can give her. Looking at your household, the only one who is worthy of being a concubine is Lady Gao."

“Gao is also a Han Chinese, so she is qualified, and so is Su. You said back then that no one in the Su family held an official position. Now, Su’s elder brother works in the Hanlin Academy, and her younger brother is a palace guard. Both of them are young and promising. The Su family has entered the officialdom, so Su should also be promoted in rank.”

However, Yongzheng did not take it seriously, saying, "In terms of official rank, Gao's father, Gao Bin, held the second rank, so Gao should be promoted to the rank of secondary consort."

"But Lady Su gave birth to my eldest son, which is a great contribution, while Lady Gao has no children. Only those who give birth to children are eligible for promotion, so from this point of view, Lady Gao is not at an advantage."

Hongli argued his case logically, and it would have been better if he hadn't brought it up. But once the matter was mentioned, Yongzheng wanted to have a word with him about it.

"Why does Lady Gao have no children? Isn't it because you neglected her? If you're unwilling to give her favor, you should at least give her a title."

Gao Bin is currently the Provincial Treasurer of Jiangsu. He is wholeheartedly devoted to the court and works tirelessly. Only by elevating his daughter's rank can his hard work be rewarded, and his loyalty to the court strengthened. The imperial household is closely intertwined with the political situation; one cannot decide based solely on personal likes or dislikes!

"Your subject will certainly follow Father Emperor's teachings and give the Princess Consort the honor she deserves. However, I am sorry that I cannot extend my favor to the others. Your subject is focused on relieving Father Emperor's worries and has no energy to devote to the women in the inner quarters."

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