Upon learning of this, Rong Yu also wanted to attend the banquet, hoping to take the opportunity to see what the Mongolian prince looked like.

Hongli, however, believed that the matter had not yet been finalized and that Rongyu was not suitable to attend.

As a father, he had to vet the people first. If they were decent, then they could meet. If Hongli didn't approve of them, then there was no point in discussing it further.

In the evening, Hongli sent someone to fetch Yushan to attend a banquet at Wanhesongfeng.

After her midday rest, Yu Shan got up and began preparing, dressing and getting ready.

Because she was to meet a Mongolian prince, which was a rather formal occasion, she had to change into a ceremonial dress.

Summer is the perfect time to wear gauze, so Su Yushan chose a gauze cloak with lotus embroidery, a fan embroidered with sunflowers and peonies, pearl earrings, and flowerpot shoes with tassels and tourmaline embroidery. The tassels on the front of the shoes were also made of colorful beads, which were intricate and exquisite. They swayed gently as she walked, making her look graceful and charming.

Normally, she wears casual clothes or light makeup. Occasionally, when Hongli sees her in formal attire, with exquisite makeup and bright red lipstick, he is suddenly struck by her beauty and can't help but sigh inwardly at how versatile Yu Shan's beauty is. Whether elegant or graceful, she can easily attract his attention.

A year later, when he saw Consort Chun again, King Darhan was as amazed as he had been when he first saw her!

Of course, this praise was merely out of appreciation for the beauty; Consort Chun was the emperor's woman, and he would never dare to have any improper thoughts.

King Darhan respectfully withdrew his gaze, clenched his fist, placed his arm diagonally at his shoulder, and nodded in greeting.

"Your subject greets Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine. Your Highness is blessed with boundless fortune!"

Su Yushan smiled gently, "Your Highness, you may dispense with the formalities."

Then King Darhan gestured to his son to pay his respects to Consort Chun.

The young man stepped forward and bowed to her in the same manner, saying, "May Your Majesty be blessed."

The young man stood in the hall, nodding slightly. Su Yushan couldn't see his face clearly, but her first impression was that his skin was wheat-colored, unlike the fair skin of ordinary royal children. Perhaps it was because he had been living in Mongolia for many years and was often exposed to the sun.

Su Yushan casually asked his name, and the boy replied in Mongolian, a long string of words she couldn't understand. Darhan explained:

“My son’s Chinese is not fluent, and his Mongolian name is very long, which is inconvenient to call. Your Majesty and the Imperial Concubine can simply call him Lejur.”

Su Yushan once heard Hongli say that Mongolian names are very long. In their view, the longer the name, the greater the hopes that the elders have for the child.

However, names that are too long are not easy to pronounce, so shorter ones are easier to say.

When they took their seats and the banquet began, Hongli and Darhan had a very pleasant conversation. Occasionally, Hongli would ask Lejur a few questions, seemingly unintentionally, while Su Yushan silently observed Lejur from the side.

Children of this age are usually very cheerful, but he hadn't smiled since entering the hall. His expression was very serious, his eyelashes were always half-closed, and he seemed uninterested in everything around him. He also spoke very little, only replying with a few words.

Little did anyone know whether he was simply introverted by nature, or whether he was new to the place and couldn't speak the language, which was why he was reluctant to talk much.

Because he was a man of few words, Su Yushan found it difficult to judge his personality.

After the banquet, King Darhan and his son took their leave, and Hongli and Yushan returned to Huanbi Island.

When Hongli asked her about her opinion of Lejur, Su Yushan pondered for a moment and said:

"We didn't spend enough time together, and he doesn't talk much, so I couldn't really tell. My first impression was that he was quite dark-skinned, but his features were nice, with a small face and handsome looks. If he were a bit fairer, he would probably be a beautiful young man."

Hongli also noticed this; the child's skin was indeed darker than average, but it wasn't a big problem.

"It doesn't really matter whether a boy is black or white. A darker complexion makes him look healthier and more energetic."

After thinking for a moment, Su Yushan added, "There's another point: he seems to be a man of few words. Rong Yu, on the other hand, is outgoing and likes to talk. I reckon the two of them aren't very compatible."

"That would complement each other perfectly. If he were also talkative, wouldn't the two of them constantly chattering away and arguing all the time?"

Hearing his tone, Su Yushan couldn't help but think of a certain possibility, and stared intently at him.

"You seem to have a good impression of Lejur?"

Hongli laughed heartily, "It can't be said to be that good. The palace banquet only lasts for an hour, so I don't know much about it yet. My first impression is acceptable, but we still need to observe further."

Indeed, we need to observe carefully, after all, this is a major life event for Rong Yu, and we cannot be careless.

Thinking back to the scene at the palace banquet, Su Yushan felt rather strange. "Lejur's Chinese doesn't seem to be very good. He can only say a few simple sentences. Why do the princes in our palace have to learn Manchu, Mongolian, and Chinese, while the Mongolian children don't learn Chinese?"

Hongli sighed deeply, saying that this was the ancestor's selfish intention, to prevent the Mongols from developing rebellious intentions after learning Han culture, which would make them difficult to control.

Therefore, in Mongolia, even royalty and nobles are not allowed to learn Chinese without the emperor's special permission.

The Darhan King would come to Beijing several times a year, and the Yongzheng Emperor granted him special permission to learn Chinese, which is why he speaks Chinese so fluently.

The young prince is still very young and has only learned Mongolian and Manchu. He does not understand Chinese and only knows a few simple phrases, which he learned from the Khan.

Upon learning the truth, Su Yushan found the reason too strange. How could they come up with such a method to prevent the Mongols from harboring disloyalty?

As Mongolians are a nomadic people, they are accustomed to their own way of life and are not interested in Han Chinese culture. Therefore, few Mongolians are willing to take the initiative to learn Han Chinese culture.

This was exactly what the Qing court wanted to see. However, Su Yushan was worried that Rong Yu did not speak Mongolian. If she were to get engaged to that little prince, wouldn't the two of them be unable to understand each other and end up talking at cross purposes?

Just thinking about that scene gave Su Yushan a headache.

The next morning, Rong Yu got up and went to find her mother to inquire about the situation.

"Mother, what does that Mongolian prince look like? Is he very ugly?"

"She's not ugly, just a little dark-skinned, but otherwise fine," Su Yushan reassured her.

"Your father said that we need to continue to observe, and it's not a done deal, so you don't need to worry."

Rong Yu didn't want her father to observe her any longer; she hoped he would refuse directly.

Once you observe, it's still possible!

Rong Yu felt increasingly distressed, so she decided to take a boat and leave Huanbi Island to go ashore to clear her mind.

The guards followed closely behind, never leaving his side.

After walking around the riverbank and reaching the artificial hill, we suddenly heard the sound of arguing coming from ahead.

Curious, Rong Yu took a few steps closer and saw her younger brother Yongzhang and his study companion Yongying.

But Yongying mocked, "You can't even understand what we're saying? You don't even know Chinese! You're really stupid! Let's not play with him!"

Upon closer inspection, Rong Yu saw that the person standing opposite Yong Ying was a slender boy, about ten years old.

The boy had bronze skin and jet-black hair, with two thin braids tied at the sides, gathered diagonally behind his head. Stray hairs on his right side fell casually across his forehead, obscuring his clear, smooth jawline. His chin narrowed gently, revealing a touch of wildness within his refined features.

His thin lips were pressed tightly together, his fists clenched, and he stared straight at Yongying, his eyes filled with undisguised coldness!