She only came twice, and then she never came again when the opera was performed.

The birthday banquet for the Emperor was held in Wanshu Garden. On the day of the banquet, princes, ministers, Manchu and Mongol nobles, as well as foreign envoys, all came to offer their congratulations and present gifts to wish the Emperor a long and prosperous life!

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, Emperor Hongli set up an altar for offering sacrifices to the moon in the front courtyard of the Yanbo Zhishuang Hall. At the third quarter of the hour of You (5-7 PM), he lit incense and performed rituals. Afterward, he went to the scenic Yunshan Mountain to have a meal and wine with the women of the harem.

After the meal, the incense for the moon offering had burned out. Hongli then distributed the mooncakes from the offering table to everyone, and thus the Mid-Autumn Festival came to an end.

In the days before and after the festival, Hongli had to meet with foreign envoys and was extremely busy, so he had no time to spend with Yushan. Yushan understood and did not mind.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, on the morning of the sixteenth day of the eighth lunar month, Emperor Hongli set off from the Summer Palace to the Mulan Hunting Grounds for an autumn hunt.

Hongli had always longed for the autumn hunt. When he was young, he had even gone to the Mulan Hunting Ground with Emperor Kangxi. After Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, the Rehe Imperial Palace and the Mulan Hunting Ground became mere decorations. Yongzheng only traveled between the palace and the Yuanmingyuan. It can be said that Hongli had not been to the hunting ground for many years.

In Hongli's view, while political affairs were important, the Mulan Autumn Hunt was of great significance in order to build good relations with the Mongols and demonstrate the court's military strength to them. It was equally important and could not be ignored. That is why he decided to restart the Autumn Hunt system.

Just as everyone was preparing to depart, news suddenly came from the palace that the Second Prince was unwell, having suffered from a cold for nine days with no improvement.

Upon hearing this, the Empress immediately became anxious. The weather had been warm lately, and a common cold should have healed within a few days after taking medicine. Why hadn't she recovered after nine days?

The worried empress had no desire to go to the Mulan Hunting Grounds and requested to return to the palace first.

The Mulan Autumn Hunt had already been arranged, and the Mongol princes were all waiting. Hongli could not cancel the hunt because of this, so he ordered the guards and the Grand Minister to escort the Empress back to the palace first, while the rest of the group continued on their way to the Mulan Hunting Grounds.

Everyone thought the Second Prince's cold was just a minor ailment; no one expected it to be so severe!