With his assurance, Su Yushan felt temporarily at ease, patting her chest and letting out a soft sigh of relief. "It seems you had already made plans; I was overthinking it."

Upon seeing this, Hongli couldn't help but chuckle, then shook his head and sighed.

Su Yushan was puzzled. "What's wrong? Do you think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill by inviting you over for this?"

Hongli sighed because her attitude had finally changed.

“I told you before that I would give you a high rank, but you didn’t take it to heart at all. Now that you hear that you can’t raise children, you’re finally paying attention to your rank. So all you care about is your child. You’re only willing to fight for your child. Is your child above everything else in your heart? Even more important than me?”

Su Yushan thought to herself: Didn't you just say it yourself? The child is more important than you. If you have the self-awareness, why ask such an unnecessary question?

His eyes clearly showed dissatisfaction, mixed with a hint of grievance. If she told the truth, Hongli would probably be disappointed again, so she said something against her will.

"How could that be? Without you, there would be no Yonghuang. Naturally, you are more important than the children."

Knowing she wasn't telling the truth, Hongli was still pleased that she was trying to coax him. He pointed at her clever mouth and said, "Alright! I'll believe your sweet words for now."

After discussing the matter, Hongli asked her if she had anything else to say to him, and Su Yushan shook her head very honestly.

With a dry cough, Hongli deliberately reminded him, "There's one more very important thing you forgot to tell me."

"What did you say?" Su Yushan's starry eyes were filled with bewilderment. How could he know something she herself didn't know?

Disappointed, Hongli shook his head, then stood up. "Nothing to say? Then I'll leave?"

In that instant, Su Yushan suddenly remembered the scene of their last meeting, and her mind cleared instantly. She raised her finger, grabbed his wrist, and gave him a sweet smile.

"Actually, there is."

"Oh? Is that so?" Hongli raised his chin slightly, feigning indifference. "Speak if you have something to say, or I'll be leaving."

Su Yushan tiptoed closer to him and breathed softly into his ear, "I...missed you. I even dreamt about you last night."

Her breath already made his ears burn, and upon hearing these words, Hongli's blood surged instantly. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist, lowered his gaze to lock onto her watery eyes, and asked in a hoarse voice,

What did you dream about?

Her starry eyes sparkled with affection, and she glanced around before lowering her gaze shyly. "Naturally, it's something I'm ashamed to tell outsiders."

The implication of those words was quite clear. Hongli could no longer restrain himself; his breathing became erratic. He lowered his head, brought his ear close to hers, and kissed her ear, pouring his heartfelt desire into it.

"Just you wait, wait another month, and I will make sure you don't even have time to dream about it!"

She was just saying it casually to appease him, so why is he holding a grudge?

Su Yushan sighed inwardly at her miscalculation; if she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have said anything more!

Witnessing the warning look in Hongli's eyes before he left, her heart trembled. She could only hope that a month later, he would forget about this and not come after her, otherwise she would have no time to cry...

Hongli had other things to do and couldn't keep her company, but Su Yushan didn't mind and was very understanding.

Hongli had already made up his mind not to issue the edict. He wasn't in a hurry about this matter; it was the Empress Dowager who was anxious.

The Empress Dowager remained uneasy until the imperial edict was issued and the empress was established. She worried about what people would say, so she hoped that her son could affix the imperial seal as soon as possible. However, Hongli refused to compromise.

That morning, the air was warm and fragrant with chrysanthemums, the sky was clear and the clouds were fluffy. When Gao Xiuwen came to Yongshou Palace to pay her respects, she noticed that the Empress Dowager looked worried and took the initiative to mediate.

"Your Majesty, our Emperor is just that stubborn. He will definitely not agree to make Su a concubine."

"Do you really intend to make Lady Su a Noble Consort? She's not worthy!" The Empress Dowager sneered. "I absolutely disagree. She should stop dreaming!"

Gao Xiuwen knew the Empress Dowager's attitude all too well. "But this stalemate doesn't seem to be a solution. Why don't we each take a step back and grant Lady Su a concubine title? That would be in line with her status as a secondary consort. I think the Emperor wouldn't have anything to say about that. What do you think?"

The Empress Dowager frowned and shook her head. "I'll grant her the rank of Consort, but she's not qualified to raise a child. Then I'll entrust Su's child to you to raise. With a child by your side, you'll have more confidence, won't you?"

When the topic of her child came up, Gao Xiuwen's face fell instantly. Her child was a scar in her heart! If that child had been born back then, would Hongli have treated her so coldly?

So many years have passed, and Hongli has never shared a bed with her again. She has no chance of getting pregnant again, and she no longer dares to hope for a child.

Now that the Empress Dowager actually intends to give Su's child to him, Gao Xiuwen is very grateful, but he dares not easily accept it.

"The Su family won't agree, and the Emperor won't budge either, will he?"

The Empress Dowager didn't take it seriously. "The inner palace is under my control. What can Su do if she disagrees? These are the palace rules, and she has nothing to say!"

Upon further consideration, Gao Xiuwen still felt uneasy. "But the eldest prince is already seven years old this year. He has been raised by Su Shi since he was a child and has a deep affection for his mother. I'm afraid he won't accept me."

The eldest prince was indeed not suitable; in fact, the Empress Dowager was considering Su Yushan's second son.

“The Third Prince is still young, not even two years old, and doesn’t know anything yet. It would be most suitable for you to raise him.”

It was for this reason that the Empress Dowager planned to grant Lady Su the rank of concubine, so that it would be easier for her to have children.

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. I am deeply grateful. But that is a matter for later. The most urgent task is to get the Emperor to affix his imperial seal and issue an edict to stabilize the people's hearts. Therefore, I believe that if we each take a step back and the Emperor accepts the title of Consort, we can resolve the conflict."

Gao Xiuwen didn't care about personal interests and only thought about the overall situation. The Empress Dowager greatly admired this kind of magnanimity and secretly sighed that she hadn't misjudged her. Gao was indeed more capable than Yu Ying.

Yu Ying came from a privileged background, but unfortunately, she was soft-hearted and lacked foresight. Her handling of matters was not tough enough, which disappointed the Empress Dowager. That's why she turned her attention to supporting Gao Xiuwen.

Since there was no better solution at the moment, the Empress Dowager decided to try the compromise proposed by Gao Xiuwen.

After Gao Xiuwen left, the Empress Dowager immediately sent someone to invite the Emperor to come and discuss the matter with him again.

"It is absolutely impossible for her to become a Noble Consort. At most, I can only give her the rank of Consort. This is my biggest concession. Hongli, as the emperor, you should not act unilaterally. You must abide by palace rules and ancestral laws in everything you do!"