Tired of such empty words, Hongli raised his arm, touched her forehead with the back of his hand, and asked her how she was feeling, "Just a headache? Do you have a fever? Has the medicine helped?"

Nodding, Jin Minjing frowned and groaned softly, "I don't have a fever, but my head still hurts a bit! I've taken the medicine twice, but it's not helping."

"If you have a headache, you should take a nap. I've had headaches before, and they always feel better after a good night's sleep."

"But I couldn't sleep. I felt so anxious and uneasy. But seeing you made me feel much better. Whenever I see you, I feel inexplicably at ease." As she spoke, Kim Min-jung mustered her courage and tentatively took his hand, her gaze full of tenderness.

However, Hongli did not return the handshake. Instead, he withdrew his hand and patted the back of her hand as he did so.

"It's really unfortunate, I have some important matters to attend to, so I can only come and visit when I have a spare moment. I can't stay long. If you really can't sleep, close your eyes and let Xin'er tell you a story to pass the time. I'll come to see you again when I have time."

After saying this, he withdrew his hand and got up to leave without waiting for Kim Min-jung's response.

"Hey---Fourth Master!"

He's leaving after only a few words, less than fifteen minutes? He had time to spend with Su Yushan last night, but not today?

Jin Minjing felt increasingly aggrieved. She grabbed a pillow from the tent and threw it hard to the ground. Her face flushed red with jealousy. She was both angry and flustered. "Do you think Fourth Master doesn't like me anymore?"

Fourth Master's attitude was indeed disappointing, but Xin'er dared not tell the truth and only advised her to think positively.

"Your Highness is overthinking it. The Fourth Prince left in such a hurry, he must have important matters to attend to in the palace. A man should prioritize his career and not be preoccupied with personal feelings. Your Highness should be understanding of the Fourth Prince. That is how you can win his favor, isn't it?"

With Xin'er's comfort, Jin Minjing felt a little better. "Okay! Then I'll be more magnanimous. Men don't like petty women."

Hongli was busy until evening before returning home. When he reached the fork in the road, he thought of Jin Minjing, who was still pretending to be sick. If he went to her room, she would definitely pretend to be unwell again. He had been busy all day and was in a bad mood, so he really didn't have the energy to comfort her.

After a moment's hesitation, Hongli finally changed direction and headed to Tingfeng Pavilion.

At that time, Su Yushan had already washed up and entered the tent. She was lying in the tent, with her little feet sticking out, leisurely reading "The Eastern Capital: A Dream of Splendor".

She didn't pay much attention when someone came in, assuming it was Chang Yue.

The person entered without making a sound. Su Yushan looked up and realized that the person was Hongli!

Slightly startled, she immediately put her feet down and shrank into the quilt. "Fourth Master? What brings you here?"

Approaching, Hongli lifted his robe and sat down. "Judging from your tone, you don't seem very welcoming?"

She really didn't want him to come over; if he did, she would have to serve him and wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep! With a forced smile, Su Yushan said against her will, "No, it's just that it's late, and I thought you had already gone to bed."

"I was busy with many things today and only just returned home." Hongli pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed softly, his expression inscrutable.

Resting her chin on her hand, Su Yushan blinked her eyelashes and joked, "What's bothering you? Tell me so I can cheer you up."

Is this how she comforts people? Hongli, who was resting his forehead on his hand, looked up in surprise and chuckled, "Who taught you to be so cheeky?"

Ultimately, it was her good mindset that made the difference. At this point, she didn't treat Hongli as her man, but rather as a friend.

"As human beings, we all have troubles to some extent. It's best to solve them if you can, but if you can't solve them for the time being, then you have to be optimistic and not let your heart be constantly tense."

Meeting her gentle and faint smile, Hongli's anxious heart gradually calmed down. He shouldn't have discussed the political affairs of the court with the women in the backyard, but the bitterness in his heart had piled up, making him restless.

He was also human and longed to confide in others, but since it concerned state secrets and he had so many people in his bedchamber, he couldn't just say it out loud, lest it be leaked and cause trouble.

However, Su Yushan was different. She came from Suzhou, had no relatives in official positions at court, and had lost her memory. She was like a blank sheet of paper, uninvolved in any conflicts of interest. Therefore, Hongli was willing to lower his guard in front of her and tell her his true thoughts.

“Last year, there was a case in which the scholar Wang Jingqi said in his ‘On the Reign Titles of Successive Dynasties’: ‘The character ‘正’ has the image of stopping. For example, the reign title of Emperor Aizong of Jin was Zhengda, the reign title of Emperor Shun of Yuan was Zhizheng, and the reign title of Emperor Wuzong of Ming was Zhengde. All these emperors whose reign titles contained the character ‘正’ did not continue the dynasty and stopped there. Therefore, Wang Jingqi believed that this character was not an auspicious omen.”

Upon hearing this, Su Yushan couldn't help but feel worried for the man. "Isn't this scholar a bit reckless? Whether a country lasts long depends on the emperor's achievements, not on the reign title. Isn't that superstition? Besides, the current emperor's reign title also contains the character '正' (zheng). If he says this, won't he be inviting disaster?"

Nodding, Hongli replied, “Emperor Shizu of Han used the Jianwu era name, and Emperor Taizu of Ming used the Hongwu era name. The character ‘Wu’ also contains the character ‘zhi’ (stop), yet the empire remained stable. Wang Jingqi’s statement is utterly a fallacy. Father Emperor believed that he was cursing the Qing court, so he issued an edict to have Wang Jingqi beheaded and his head displayed to the public.”

This serves as a warning from the past, and future generations should take heed. Yet, some people still disregard this. In June of this year, Cha Siting, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, presided over the examination in Jiangxi. The examination question included these lines: "Upright and magnanimous, the feelings of Heaven and Earth are evident; a hundred households are full, and women and children are at peace."

Unfortunately, the presence of both the character "正" (zhèng, meaning correct) and the character "止" (zhǐ, meaning stop) led to a report by someone with ulterior motives. The Emperor, who was already extremely averse to these two characters, flew into a rage upon hearing of this and immediately ordered Cha Siting to be imprisoned.

Since Hongli had told her all this, Su Yushan was also willing to express her opinion: "Wang Jingqi's statement is indeed nonsense, and he deserves to be punished, but there is nothing wrong with Cha Siting's test questions! Forgive my bluntness, but Your Majesty is making a mountain out of a molehill."

Su Yushan's view was exactly what Hongli was thinking: "I also understand that Cha Siting did not mean it, but who told him to offend Father Emperor?"

"Just because of a few unrelated words, people are to be falsely accused. Isn't Your Majesty afraid of public opinion?"

With a deep sigh, Hongli thought that the matter was not so simple. "If he were just an ordinary official, perhaps Father Emperor would not have made such a fuss. But he is Longkodo's man, which is involved in factional strife."

Su Yushan had previously watched some Qing Dynasty films and television dramas and had a general understanding of the grudges between the emperor and his ministers. Nian Gengyao and Longkodo were both highly valued by Emperor Yongzheng, but as their power grew, they formed cliques and became ambitious, which led Yongzheng to become suspicious of them.