Chapter 15 First Birthday Banquet (Part 2)
"Why aren't you at the palace banquet? What are you doing out here?"
"I came out to change my clothes, and while I'm at it, I'll look for you, my carefree and easygoing Seventeenth Master—"
Under the shade of the tree, Hongli and Yunli stood facing each other, while Ajin and Wang Renti watched the wind from a distance.
Yunli chuckled, knowing immediately that Hongli had come out specifically to find him. He twirled the silver wine pot in his hand and smiled nonchalantly: "Don't worry about me. With my personality, being late is the only reasonable thing for me."
"I wasn't worried about you, it was just a coincidence that we ran into each other."
"Yes, yes, the Fourth Prince was just coming out to change his clothes."
The two exchanged a smile. Hongli didn't ask why it was reasonable for him to be late, and Yunli didn't ask why he had gone so far to change clothes. Everything was understood without being said.
Suddenly, he heard a woman's laughter. Yunli's expression immediately turned serious. Fearing that there might be some scheme, he instinctively shielded Hongli behind him.
Hongli patted him on the shoulder, "It's probably just a palace maid taking a break. Seventeenth Uncle, don't be nervous. What could possibly happen in the garden?"
Yunli assumed that Hongli was too young to understand the harsh realities of the world. However, he didn't want to expose him to such things. So he didn't say much, but simply escorted him towards the banquet hall.
Behind them, Ah Jin and Wang Ren watched over them carefully.
As we rounded a rockery, we saw a woman with a maidservant who had taken off her shoes and socks and was sitting barefoot by the water, playing in the water.
"!" Yunli was startled and quickly reached out to cover Hongli's eyes.
"Seventeenth Uncle?" Hongli called out in confusion, as if he hadn't seen anything.
The noise startled the master and servant by the water, who turned around in a panic and saw a group of people. In particular, the tall man Yunli was present, and they hurriedly tidied their appearance.
"I have met Prince Guo."
"You've never seen me before, how do you know I'm Prince Guo?"
Yunli looked at the somewhat familiar woman and asked in a deep voice, wondering if this woman's behavior was to scheme against him or against Hongli.
“Besides Prince Guo, who else in the palace would always have a flute by their side? Who else could drink the rose wine offered as tribute from the Western Regions? And who else would dare to be so unrestrained in the palace?”
"You are quite clever," Yunli said exaggeratedly, but his expression told a completely different story.
Hongli, whose face had been mostly covered by Yunli's slap, heard the familiar voice, pulled Yunli's hand down, and said softly, "Seventeenth Uncle, this is Consort Wan."
"Fourth Prince?"
Because Yunli was too aggressive, Zhen Huan shouldn't have looked up to take a closer look, only to discover that the person standing next to Prince Guo was actually the Fourth Prince, Hongli.
"Greetings, Lady Wan."
"Greetings, Fourth Prince."
After exchanging greetings, Zhen Huan looked at Hongli's gentle smiling face, and her anxious heart calmed down considerably.
"I ran into Uncle Seventeen when I came out to change. Is Lady Wan about to go back?"
Hongli was exceptionally considerate, ignoring what had just happened, and looked at Zhen Huan with kindness.
Zhen Huan naturally understood his good intentions. She looked at him gratefully, nodded gently with a smile, and said, "Fourth Prince is right. I'll go back now... Thank you, Prince."
Zhen Huan couldn't help but thank her, then turned and left with Liu Zhu.
Yunli, who was being ignored, turned extremely angry. To be precise, Yunli's face darkened as soon as he learned who she was.
"Uncle Seventeen, let's go too."
After Zhen Huan walked away, Hongli turned to look at Yunli. Yunli nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I mentioned her to you before. She's not a kind person. Don't get too close to her."
Upon hearing this, Hongli smiled slightly and said a few more words, "I understand what Seventeenth Uncle means, and I have no intention of getting involved in Father Emperor's harem. However, Consort Wan did send me some things before Consort Hua, and they were sent secretly. She didn't know my situation, so I should always repay this kindness in my time of need."
After hearing Hongli's explanation, Yunli did not believe that Zhen Huan was offering help in his time of need, but only that she was truly cunning and opportunistic.
"I understand. You know what I mean."
While he verbally agreed, Yunli's vigilance towards Zhen Huan reached its peak, and he planned to keep a close eye on her to see what she was really thinking.
...
Consort Hua's recent focus has been on the Fourth Prince, and she has received praise from Emperor Yongzheng for this matter, so naturally she doesn't need to put much effort into staging the "Dance of the Startled Swan" or the "Ode to the Eastern Pavilion".
At the end of the banquet, Consort Hua rose to offer a toast and request a reward for Cao Qinmo.
"Your Majesty, today is Wenyi's first birthday banquet. Consort Cao, as Wenyi's birth mother, is of a lower rank, which is not appropriate. What does Your Majesty think?"
In front of so many people, Yongzheng couldn't very well refuse Consort Hua, and since he was in a good mood that day, he didn't make things too difficult for her and prepared to agree.
Yixiu saw through his thoughts and realized he didn't want Consort Hua's lineage to be the only ones to enjoy the throne. So she gently agreed, saying, "Consort Hua is right. For the sake of the imperial heirs, the birth mother's rank should not be too low."
Upon hearing this, Yongzheng seemed to ponder for a moment, and immediately announced: "In that case, Consort Cao shall be promoted to Consort Xiang; Lady Xin shall be promoted to Noble Lady; Consort Geng shall be granted the title Yu... The birth mother of the Fourth Prince shall be posthumously granted the title of Noble Lady."
This bestowal of honors extended to all the concubines who had children. Even those who weren't promoted individually were still thrilled. For the others, it was an even greater surprise, and they all stepped forward to express their gratitude.
Since Hongli's birth mother had passed away early, he had no choice but to step forward himself to accept the imperial decree and express his gratitude on her behalf.
"Your son thanks Your Majesty."
"Get up."
Looking at his good son on the ground, Yongzheng felt a mix of emotions. Although he had accepted Hongli because of his appearance and demeanor, it did not mean that he had accepted Hongli's birth mother.
If it weren't for considering Hongli's feelings and face, he wouldn't have posthumously conferred the title, so the rank of the posthumous title wasn't high.
Looking at the clear breeze and bright moon, and seeing Hongli, who stood out among the other two princes, Yongzheng actually had the idea of finding him a foster mother.
Just as he was raised under the tutelage of Consort Tongjia, receiving treatment second only to the Crown Prince, Hongli should also enjoy such treatment.
Yongzheng's gaze began to sweep over the high-ranking concubines: Consort Qi, Consort Duan, Consort Hua, the Empress...
Sensing the Emperor's gaze, the three women, except for the oblivious Consort Qi, keenly understood his meaning and couldn't help but get excited.
Meanwhile, at the back of the banquet, after watching the promotion drama unfold, An Lingrong cautiously approached and asked, "Sister Wan, how come the Fourth Prince's birth mother received the posthumous title of Noble Lady?"
An Lingrong secretly glanced at the handsome Fourth Prince Hongli, and couldn't help but feel a little wronged for him, and of course, she was genuinely puzzled.
Zhen Huan withdrew her gaze from observing Hongli's expression and whispered, "The Fourth Prince's birth mother was originally a palace maid in the garden. It is said that... she used some underhanded means to get into the Emperor's bed, so she was not favored by the Emperor. As a result, the Fourth Prince has been living in the garden ever since."
"Now, it seems that the Emperor only posthumously conferred this title on her because of the Fourth Prince. This matter is a taboo in the palace, and you must not mention it again in the future, sister."
"Yes, Lingrong understands. Thank you, sister."
An Lingrong thanked her politely, without asking how Zhen Huan knew about the palace taboo. From the very beginning, she knew that she and Zhen Huan were different.
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