Chapter 56 Wedding Date
"Your Majesty seems exceptionally happy."
Yunli has come to be Yongzheng's chess partner again. It's not that he wants to come, but Yongzheng's "crazy" act of bestowing Ulanara Qingying to Hongli as a concubine forces him to come. He can't understand what Yongzheng is thinking, and he feels uneasy.
"The marriages of my three sons are all settled, and I, as their father, am naturally happy."
Yongzheng squinted, his smile undisguised.
Yunli smiled back, "Your Majesty is so fortunate, you're about to have a grandson."
"Haha...it's not that far yet..."
For Emperor Yongzheng in his current situation, the continuation of his lineage was indeed the most important thing to him. Yunli's words struck a chord with him, making him burst into laughter.
"Speaking of which, all three of my princes are getting married. Seventeenth Prince, are you still unwilling to settle down?"
Yunli laughed freely, "Your Majesty, you know me. If I can't find a soulmate, I'd rather not marry and live a carefree and happy life alone—"
“You,” Yongzheng tapped him, “I can understand you, as long as you can persuade the Empress Dowager.”
Upon hearing this, Yunli immediately pleaded for help: "Your Majesty, you must put in a good word for me, otherwise I dare not go to Shou Kang Palace."
Yongzheng laughed, "I can't handle this matter. Go find Hongli. These days, the Empress Dowager dotes on Hongli like he's her own eyeball."
Yongzheng sensed something. His mother, the Empress Dowager, was proud and embarrassed to admit defeat to him, so she always cared for him quietly in private, which he would hardly notice unless he paid close attention. On the surface, she doted on Hongli more. Yongzheng knew that this was her way of making up for his childhood through Hongli. He wasn't jealous; instead, he felt even more tender-hearted and moved.
“Hongli is filial, no wonder the Empress Dowager likes him,” Yunli praised, then looked at Yongzheng’s expression and said casually, “Doesn’t the Emperor also favor the Fourth Prince more? Of the three princes who got married, only the Fourth Prince was promoted to Prince, and he also has two concubines.”
The third prince, Hongshi, was promoted to Prince Chang, and the fifth prince, Hongzhou, was promoted to Prince He. Only the fourth prince, Hongli, was promoted to Prince Bao.
Yongzheng did not refute, but placed a piece on the chessboard and sighed, "It is not that I am biased, but Hongli is truly outstanding. In terms of academic performance and governance, Hongshi and Hongzhou are indeed lacking. Hongli has also made contributions to the dredging of the river, and merits should naturally be rewarded. His rank should naturally be raised by one level. As for the secondary consort..."
Yunli calmly focused his mind and listened to Yongzheng's words.
"Although Longkodo has passed away, the Tongjia clan is still the maternal clan of Empress Xiaoyi. Qingfu is also quite capable. Since Hongli's maternal clan is not prominent, I have already betrothed a member of the Tongjia clan to Hongli."
"Your Majesty is kind and considerate, and has thought a lot about the Fourth Prince."
Yunli praised, and Yongzheng smiled modestly, "Alas - I didn't realize it before, but now I understand the responsibilities and worries of being a father."
"The hearts of parents are always full of love and concern..."
Yunli sighed again, as if making a connection to something, and continued, "Then it seems that Ulanara was also chosen by the Emperor for the Fourth Prince, right? After all, she is the Empress's niece, and only a secondary consort, isn't she..."
Yunli deliberately elevated Qingying's status. In reality, everyone who frequented the palace knew that the Empress disliked this niece.
Yongzheng waved his hand, admitting that he somewhat regretted granting Qingying the title of concubine. However, he had acted impulsively in the moment, and since the imperial edict had already been issued, there was no way to change it.
"Ulanara is ultimately not very capable, but for the sake of Chun Yuan, we can't let her niece be left without a place to live."
Hearing Yongzheng's words that he didn't want to lie, and realizing that it wasn't out of fear or to deliberately embarrass Hongli, Yunli breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time became even more unhappy.
Afraid she wouldn't find a suitable partner, you pushed her onto Hongli? Your claim of being a loving father is a bit exaggerated.
Everyone knows that the Ulanara clan is in a sorry state, and that Princess Qingying is no virtuous person either, yet she is given the position of a secondary consort. Is it because they are afraid that no one will hold Hongli back?
Yunli thought he should keep a closer eye on the Ulanara clan and not let them act recklessly under Hongli's name, but he remained outwardly calm.
"My brother has been sincere towards Empress Chun Yuan all these years."
"She is, after all, my first wife."
Yongzheng felt a pang of nostalgia. Yunli feigned admiration, but inwardly remained silent. Yes, yes, yes, your first wife, your sister's innocent and pure first wife who had an engagement with you while she was pregnant, did the Empress really not want to kill you? What remarkable self-restraint.
The two played chess for a while longer, and Yunli casually asked, "Where is the Fourth Prince? Doesn't Your Majesty usually like to keep him by your side to teach him?"
“Him,” Yongzheng said with a proud smile, “is almost married, yet he’s still fooling around, insisting on taking his brothers Hongzhou and Hongwang on a hunting trip.”
Seeing the smile on Yongzheng's lips, Yunli laughed and said, "Isn't this all because my elder brother indulged him..."
"It's not because he's about to get married, and he's been busy lately, so I wanted him to go out and relax."
Yongzheng explained, then changed the subject and continued, "It's also because Hongli is too popular with those young princes, who follow him around every day. In order to keep them at peace, we might as well let them all go out."
Knowing exactly what Yongzheng liked to hear, Yunli praised, "Indeed, Hongli is likable and gets along well with his cousins of this generation."
Yongzheng laughed. This was his proudest moment. Seeing that the Eighth Prince's only son was so devoted to following Hongli around, and that even the Eighth Prince had no choice but to bow to him, he was overjoyed.
People used to praise Lao Ba by criticizing him for not having close brothers, saying he was cold-hearted and that he was popular and had many close brothers.
Now look at it, how is it? The Ninth Prince severed ties with him for the sake of the Tenth Prince, and his son is wholeheartedly devoted to Hongli. Look at Hongli's popularity; let's see if the Eighth Prince still has the nerve to say he has the best interpersonal relationships.
"Your Majesty, Liu Qing, the Chief Astrologer, has arrived."
"It seems the wedding date has been chosen. Let him in."
Soon, Liu Qing, the chief astrologer of the Imperial Observatory, entered, carrying a document outlining the wedding date.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects and greet Prince Guo."
"No need for formalities, but has the wedding date been set?"
Yongzheng called him to rise, and Liu Qing respectfully handed over the memorial. "Your Majesty, the wedding dates for the three princes have been set. According to Your Majesty's wishes, in accordance with the order of seniority, Prince Chang will be married on the third day of the sixth month, Prince Bao on the eighth day of the eighth month, and Prince He on the seventh day of the tenth month. These are all the most auspicious dates calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau."
“Not bad,” Yongzheng nodded, handing the memorial in his hand to Yunli, “You, as his uncle, should also take a look.”
"I'll listen to my elder brother."
Yunli naturally took the memorial and began to read it. The calculations of the Imperial Observatory were generally without problem…
? ?
Yunli raised his head with a grim expression, almost losing control of his temper for a moment. He glanced at Yongzheng, unsure whether he was acting or genuinely hadn't seen it.
"Royal brother?"
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Yongzheng was a little unhappy. On his son's big day, why was the seventeenth prince finding fault?
Yunli boldly pushed the memorial forward, pointing to the date of Hongli's wedding. "Why didn't the other two princes write it down, but Prince Bao alone wrote down the date of his marriage to a concubine, who entered the household a day later than the primary wife? This..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
