Writing the Heart Sutra requires concentration and tranquility. Although Su Yushan was very worried, she didn't say much to her son, not wanting to put too much pressure on him.

Fortunately, Yonghuang was young. Although the Empress Dowager's attitude disappointed him, he was able to quickly immerse himself in his own world, undisturbed by the outside world, and focus his gaze on the tip of the pen, concentrating on writing.

After he put down his pen, Kao Hsiu-wen approached to examine it closely, nodding and smiling in approval.

"The eldest prince's calligraphy has its own unique charm, with a touch of elegance and grace. It must be influenced by his younger sister, Consort Chun. He is still young and his calligraphy skills are slightly lacking, but they are already showing promise. If he practices diligently and studies hard, he may be able to develop his own style."

Gao Xiuwen's words are true. Although Yonghuang writes in regular script, it is different from the orthodox regular script, all because of the influence of his mother.

Witnessing Yonghuang write the Heart Sutra firsthand deeply moved the Empress Dowager. However, recalling her own words, she felt embarrassed and unsure how to respond. Gao Xiuwen gave a self-deprecating smile.

“It seems we all underestimated the First Prince! It’s truly remarkable for a seven or eight-year-old child to write such beautiful characters. The First Prince must have put in a lot of hard work. Yongcheng, you should learn calligraphy from the First Prince.”

Yongcheng nodded and replied, "Your subject will remember Mother's teachings and will certainly take the eldest prince as an example."

Su Yushan could easily see that Gao Xiuwen was ostensibly speaking up for Yonghuang, but in reality, she was giving the Empress Dowager a way out, implying that everyone had misjudged her and that it was perfectly normal for the Empress Dowager to underestimate him.

As expected, upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager was no longer embarrassed and a smile appeared on her face. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who could imagine that these words were written by a seven-year-old child? What a good child! Your grandmother has misunderstood you."

To express her apology, the Empress Dowager specially instructed the palace maid beside her, "Bring me the white jade rabbit paperweight that I often play with, and give it to the eldest prince."

When the palace maid brought out the paperweight and handed it to the Empress Dowager, she stroked the white jade rabbit, overwhelmed with emotion.

"This paperweight was a gift from the late Emperor, and I have kept it until now. Now that your Emperor Grandfather is no longer here, let this paperweight accompany you, as if your Emperor Grandfather is still by your side, to encourage you to continue to work hard and avoid arrogance and impetuosity."

When mentioning his grandfather, Yonghuang was overcome with sorrow, deeply missing the time he spent with him.

Having proven his ability, he was no longer frustrated and straightened his back. Even if the Empress Dowager disliked him, he would not hold a grudge and respectfully accepted the paperweight.

Su Yushan thought to herself: Fortunately, Rong Yu is only four years old and not yet six, so there is no need to send gifts. If my daughter were to receive gifts as well, the Empress Dowager might say something hurtful.

Yu Shan only attended two birthday banquets in total, and both times something went wrong. She didn't care much about being wronged herself, but she couldn't bear to see her child being wronged. She felt that her child's sincere feelings had been wasted, and her heart ached terribly.

However, since the Empress Dowager had already changed her mind and even given him a reward, she couldn't hold it against her anymore. As long as Yonghuang could gain recognition and no longer be questioned, that was enough.

In front of everyone, Hongli could no longer pursue his mother's responsibility. After the birthday banquet, he planned to go to the back hall to seek justice for Yonghuang, but Su Yushan stopped him.

Su Yushan knew very well that the Empress Dowager was unreasonable in the first place. After this incident, she would feel guilty towards Yonghuang. If Hongli questioned her about this matter again, the Empress Dowager would become resistant and dislike Yonghuang even more.

After weighing the pros and cons, she did not want Hongli to pursue the matter further, so she let it go.

Her concerns were not without merit, and in the end, Hongli listened to her and did not go to see the Empress Dowager again.

After the banquet, Hongli still had many official duties to attend to and could not spend time with her, so he instructed her to return to Jingren Palace first.

When it was time for her to retire for the night, Hongli came to Jingren Palace and asked her what Yonghuang's reaction was and if there was anything unusual.

Su Yushan was also secretly observing her son's movements. "Nothing unusual. He didn't have to go to the study today. He spent an hour memorizing books in his room in the afternoon, and then played with Rong Yu. I saw that he had a smile on his face, so he shouldn't have been affected by this matter."

Hongli had also been a teenager, and he knew that teenagers had a strong sense of self-esteem, and an unintentional remark from an adult could leave a lasting impression on a child's heart.

He was worried that today's events would change Yonghuang's state of mind, so he paid extra attention to Yonghuang's reaction.

Fortunately, Yu Shan said she was alright, which put his mind at ease.

When this matter was mentioned, Su Yushan sighed and said, "I was originally thinking about whether I should try to please the Empress Dowager for your sake, but seeing the situation today, I don't have the courage."

Hongli was very grateful for her kindness, but many things are not as easy as they seem.

"Not everyone can be moved by sincerity. No matter how good you are to someone who is prejudiced, it won't help. You don't need to wrong yourself for my sake."

Since Hongli said it was unnecessary, she simply gave up the idea and let nature take its course!

After New Year's Day, Hongli officially changed the reign title to Qianlong, and 1736 AD became the first year of Qianlong's reign.

That afternoon, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Prince Hongzhou came to request an audience. Upon entering the hall, he saw that his elder brother, the Emperor, had a furrowed brow and seemed quite unhappy.

After taking his seat, Hongzhou asked with a smile, "What troubles Your Majesty? If it is convenient, you may tell me, and I will help you resolve your worries."

This matter was not a secret, so Hongli did not hide it from him. "Su Mingfeng was serving as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites at the time. I planned to transfer him to the Ministry of Revenue, but those old ministers said that Su Mingfeng had no experience and was not suitable to serve as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

It was all for the sake of Su's maternal family. Hongzhou understood. He had never been shy or reserved in front of his elder brother, always speaking his mind frankly.

"Your Majesty, to be fair, if Su Mingfeng were not Consort Chun's brother, his resume alone would indeed be insufficient for the position of Vice Minister of Revenue."

After all, he was only twenty-seven years old and of Han Chinese descent. Appointing him as a high-ranking official of the second rank would inevitably cause resentment among other court officials. Furthermore, among the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Revenue was particularly important; many people were eyeing this lucrative position, and they were unlikely to willingly hand it over.

Speaking of this matter, Hongli was filled with righteous indignation: "The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the country's finances and is related to the national economy and people's livelihood. It should be pragmatic, but in their eyes it has become a lucrative position where they can make money. How sad!"

Whether the emperor admits it or not, it is a fact.

"The corrupt practices do indeed need to be reformed. Your Majesty's arrangement of Su Mingfeng to the Ministry of Revenue is probably for this purpose. However, it is unlikely that the senior officials will accept it if he is made the Vice Minister of Revenue directly. In my opinion, it would be better to let him work as a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue first."

"He was originally a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites, but he became a seventh-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue. Isn't that a waste of his talents?"

Because of Yu Shan, Hongli did take good care of Su Mingfeng, but if he himself was incompetent, Hongli would not gamble with the affairs of the country.

After observing Su Mingfeng for several years, Hongli discovered that she was a capable and pragmatic person who knew when to advance and retreat, and was not an impetuous person. Therefore, he decided to transfer her to the Ministry of Revenue to take on an important position.

Unfortunately, those senior officials obstructed things, which was infuriating!