Seeing Yonghuang's cautious and speculative expression, Su Yushan felt a pang in her heart. Unable to bear seeing her child misunderstand his father, she told him the truth.

"Because the Empress believed the Taoist priest's words, she thought you would bring misfortune to Yonglian. If you get too close to Yonglian and something happens to him, the Empress will blame you. Your father is worried that you will be resented by the Empress because of this, so he forbids you from playing with him. Actually, he cares about you very much and is doing this for your own good, not because he dislikes you."

Yonghuang was skeptical of his mother's words. He wasn't sure if she was comforting him or telling the truth. "Is that really true?"

"Of course, your Emperor is extremely busy; he wouldn't waste his energy on irrelevant people. If he truly didn't care about you, he wouldn't bother with you at all. His attitude may be a bit overbearing, but his intentions are for your own good." Su Yushan smiled gently, her eyes kind and her voice soothing.

"Good child, I know you mean well and want to help Yonglian, but even if we have a clear conscience, we still need to consider the consequences. You should try to avoid associating with him to prevent others from using it against you and causing trouble."

Both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager forbade them to associate with each other, leaving Yonghuang with no choice but to reluctantly nod in agreement. "Your subject will remember this and will not cause your mother and father any more worry."

Although Yonghuang is already ten years old, he is still a child after all. He may not fully understand these profound principles, but he will still listen to them. Such a sensible child is heartbreaking.

Not long after, a palace maid came to deliver a message, saying that the Emperor had invited her to dine with him. Su Yushan had no appetite and planned to stay here with the children to help them practice their calligraphy. She would dine with Yonghuang after he finished writing.

Yonghuang smiled and said, "I already ate some pastries in the Imperial Study, so I'm not hungry now. Mother, why don't you go and have dinner with Father? If you don't go, Father will be unhappy and might scold me again. Besides, I can't concentrate on writing if you stay here!"

Silly child, you're still feeling wronged yourself! And you still have the mind to comfort her? Su Yushan was touched and, unwilling to disappoint her child's feelings, finally nodded and patted her son's head.

"Okay, I'll go have my meal first. You can take your time writing, don't rush."

Su Yushan then returned to her room, where Hongli was standing in front of the door waiting for her.

He was worried that she would throw a tantrum and refuse to come over for a meal, and just as he was about to go over himself, her figure appeared before him.

After entering the house, Su Yushan washed her hands and silently sat down to eat.

After a moment's hesitation, Hongli asked, "How many times has he written it?"

"It was only the first time. I was writing it a second time when I left."

He was self-righteous when disciplining his son, but afterwards, Hongli felt uneasy and tentatively asked, "Did he... complain to you about anything?"

Speaking of this, Su Yushan's heart clenched. "How could he dare to complain? He would only worry that you don't like him anymore."

"How could I not like him? It is precisely because I value him so much that I discipline him so strictly."

There was a hint of anxiety in his voice, and Su Yushan could sense it; Hongli still cared about the child.

“I understand your good intentions. I have already explained it to him on your behalf, but I am not sure if he can really understand. All I know is that he is really afraid of you. If this continues, there will probably only be respect between you and your son, and no more affection.”

This was not the outcome Hongli wanted, but he had no other choice.

"Then what do you think I should do? Let him continue his relationship with Yonglian? If something happens to Yonglian, and the Empress keeps pressing Yonghuang, how will you defend yourself then?"

“He and Yonglian can no longer have any contact. I have already made that clear to him. I am talking about you and your son now. Try to change your tone when you talk to him. Don’t always have a stern face towards him. He said he hasn’t seen you smile at him in a long time. Whenever he sees your serious expression, he always wonders if he has done something wrong. It’s really tiring for someone so young to have to worry about so much.”

Listening to Yu Shan's description, Hongli couldn't help but recall himself back then. When he faced his father, he had the same mindset, being cautious and careful, and he would think through every word he said beforehand, for fear of saying something wrong and being criticized by his father.

He hated the feeling of being constantly on edge, but now he has become the kind of person he hated, to the point that the children are traumatized by him.

Back then, his greatest wish was for his father to smile at him, and now Yonghuang's wish was also for him to smile. He considered himself a qualified emperor and a responsible father, but he never imagined the harm these seemingly caring but strict actions would cause his children.

But he was the emperor! With that status, he couldn't joke and play with children; to establish authority, he had to be serious.

How to balance rules and feelings is a difficult problem.

With a deep sigh, Hongli said softly, "I will consider this matter carefully. Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's have our meal first! The food is getting cold."

As he spoke, Hongli placed a piece of spicy chicken on her plate. Su Yushan was eating rice when she heard him say, "We're setting off for Rehe in a few days. Originally, I didn't plan to take those children with me, but if Yonghuang and Yonglian stay here, there's no guarantee they won't secretly meet up. Why don't we take Yonghuang to Rehe as well? What do you think?"

Bringing Yonghuang along? Su Yushan was naturally delighted, so could this be considered a blessing in disguise?

Yu Shan breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile finally appeared on her worried face. "It's good that we're traveling together, so I don't have to worry about him anymore. It's just that palace rules seem to forbid it..."

Seeing her smile, Hongli felt relieved. "I have my reasons. Don't be afraid. Just have someone prepare his luggage."

Since Hongli was able to bring it up, he must have been confident. So Su Yushan didn't ask any more questions. After dinner, she instructed the palace servants to pack Yonghuang's luggage.

Yu Ying had been behaving herself lately, but upon learning of this matter, she could no longer remain silent. She went to the Cining Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager and asked, seemingly casually, a question...

"Empress Mother, I heard that His Majesty plans to take the First Prince and the Third Prince to Rehe. It's normal that the Third Prince hasn't started school yet, but the First Prince is still studying in the Imperial Study. Is he also going to Rehe?"

This morning, Hongli came to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager and had already mentioned it to her. The Empress Dowager was already aware of it and was not surprised. "That's what the Emperor intends to do."

When Yu Ying first heard the news, she thought the palace servants had misheard. It wasn't until the Empress Dowager confirmed it that Yu Ying panicked.

"What about Yonglian? And Yongcheng, are they going too?"

But the Empress Dowager said, "They should stay in the palace. After all, they have tutors by their side, and many of their teachers' books are in the Imperial Study. If they all go to Rehe, they will have to bring too many things, which will be inconvenient."

"If we went together, that would be fine, but why only bring Yonghuang? What's the logic behind that?" Yuying was completely puzzled. "Yonglian is the Emperor's legitimate son! The Emperor has already brought Yongzhang; if he wanted to bring another one, he should bring Yonglian."