Chapter 16 The Dispute Over the Son
It is inappropriate for Consort Qi to be raising Hongshi.
Consort Duan is frail and unsuitable;
Consort Hua... has the Nian family behind her, and he will definitely settle accounts with them when the time comes. It would be inappropriate to avoid being implicated.
The Empress is kind, generous, and dutiful, and seems like a good candidate. However, she comes from the Ulanara and Uya clans, who have already had two Empresses. It would be inappropriate for her to raise another prince, as they might be too ambitious.
Yongzheng leaned back on the soft couch, constantly fiddling with the eighteen-bead string in his hand. The more he thought about it, the more his brows furrowed. How come he hadn't noticed before that none of his high-ranking concubines in the harem were capable of shouldering great responsibilities?
"Your Majesty." Su Peisheng observed his expression, carefully handed him a cup of tea, and dared not ask any further questions.
He didn't ask, but Yongzheng did have a question: "Su Peisheng, has things been lively with Hongli lately?"
Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng's mind raced, and he respectfully replied, "The Fourth Prince continues to study at Wuzhen Pavilion with the Fifth Prince as always, writing diligently, showing a level of diligence comparable to His Majesty's."
"Not bad, they do have a thirst for knowledge," Yongzheng nodded in satisfaction. "Since there's nothing to do this afternoon, summon all three princes so I can check on their progress."
"yes."
Su Peisheng agreed, and seeing that Yongzheng remained silent, he knew he was still waiting for his reply. He continued, "The Fourth Prince is diligent, and the ladies of the harem take special care of him. The Empress often sends him writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and Consort Hua takes great care of the Fourth Prince's clothing and accessories, sending him many fine fabrics and jade ornaments. The day after Princess Wenyi's first birthday banquet, Consort Hua sent many precious jade pendants, saying that the Fourth Prince should change them every day and wear them as playthings..."
"Shilan, she's just so temperamental..." Yongzheng chuckled, immediately realizing that Consort Hua was sulking with Consort Duan. Speaking of Consort Duan, Yongzheng continued, "Has Consort Duan shown any reaction?"
"Your Majesty is incredibly insightful," Su Peisheng flattered him slightly, and continued, "Consort Duan has also started to stroll around the garden these days. She seems to be in good spirits and often sends ancient books and documents to the Fourth Prince."
"Although Yuebin is the daughter of a military officer, she has always been quite knowledgeable, and she has put in a lot of effort."
Yongzheng nodded, able to guess her thoughts. It seemed that Yuebin, as she said, felt that Hongli resembled him and intended to adopt him, so he also wanted to exercise.
However, even if Yuebin recovers, he will not allow her to support Hongli because of past events.
Emperor Yongzheng sighed, appreciating the deep affection of his three wives and concubines, but due to external factors, he could only disappoint them, as none of them were suitable to support Hongli.
"Su Peisheng, go and send the three bolts of newly arrived cloud-mist silk from Sichuan to the Empress, Consort Hua, and Consort Duan."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
In Peach Blossom Village, Jianqiu happily presented the Cloud Mist Silk to the Empress, saying, "Your Majesty, the Emperor still remembers you and sends you the first good thing he can."
Yi Xiu stroked the silky, light fabric in front of her, a smile appearing on her face, but she still shook her head: "This isn't just for me."
"Your Majesty?" Jianqiu asked, somewhat puzzled.
In the end, it was Yixiu who understood things best, explaining, "I suppose Consort Hua and Consort Duan should have received it by now. His Majesty is being impartial, which is also a form of refusal..."
Having been married to Yongzheng for decades, her only remaining lingering resentment was regarding the matter of Chun Yuan. Now, having removed most of her romanticized view of Yongzheng, her excessive understanding of him has made Yixiu think things through clearly, and she feels quite lost.
"Your Majesty... will not choose me. The Ulanara clan has produced two empresses. If it were the foolish Hongshi, it might be possible, but Hongli... the more Your Majesty values him, the less likely you are to let me raise him..."
"Your Majesty..."
"Sister, oh sister, you took away my position as the primary consort, you took Honghui's life, and even in death you still prevent me from adopting a child... How can I not resent you, how can I not resent you..."
Compared to Yixiu's resentment and disappointment, the master and servant of Qingliang Palace were extremely pleased with themselves.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor truly cherishes you. This cloud-mist silk is a fine new arrival from Sichuan, and His Majesty gifted it to you as soon as it arrived."
Songzhi praised her highly, and Nian Shilan's eyes were full of pride. "That's right, the Emperor treats me differently from others."
"Is the Emperor favoring you in raising the Fourth Prince, since he is giving you this reward out of the blue?"
One dared to guess, and the other dared to believe. The master and servant couldn't come up with a plan, and Nian Shilan immediately became smug.
“Of course, besides myself, who else in this palace is suitable to raise Hongli? Hongli is so outstanding, he should be my son, Nian Shilan!”
"Your Majesty is right."
Songzhi, the little lackey, kept praising and flattering him.
When Zhou Ninghai brought back news that the Emperor had also sent a piece of cloud-like silk to the Empress and Consort Duan, Songzhi immediately knelt down, and Nian Shilan angrily smashed her fan on the ground.
To make amends for her mistake, Songzhi crawled over on her knees and hurriedly pleaded, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, perhaps this is... perhaps it's the Emperor's compensation to the Empress and Consort Duan. After all, those two also wanted to raise the Fourth Prince, and the Emperor chose you, so... so he's compensating them..."
Songzhi's reasons were absurd, but Consort Hua was willing to believe them because she wanted to hear them.
"That's right, it must be so. How can that old hag, the Empress, and that vile woman, Qi Yuebin, compare to me? The Fourth Prince must be my child!"
After receiving the reward, Consort Duan immediately sent someone to inquire about the news and soon learned that the Empress and Consort Hua had also received the same cloud-mist silk.
"Your Majesty, what does His Majesty mean by this?"
Jixiang asked, somewhat puzzled, "Is Your Majesty being unfair? Why are you sending the same thing to all three places?"
Qi Yuebin chuckled. After a few days of walking around, a bit more color had returned to her face, and she didn't look as sickly anymore. Of course, this was mainly because she wanted to fight for custody of Hongli, and much of her previous pretense of serious illness had been removed.
"Your Majesty is hesitating... The Ulanara clan has produced two empresses, and the Nian family is arrogant and complacent, neither of them are good choices. As for me, my poor health is also a problem, so Your Majesty cannot make a decision."
Qi Yuebin smiled and stroked the cloud-like silk, in a very good mood. "But it doesn't matter. Compared to the two of them who are too big to handle, as long as I gradually recover, I will be the Emperor's best choice."
"Fourth Prince, I am determined to have you."
...
Three powerful women were vying for custody of the Fourth Prince, while the lower-ranking concubines could only watch from the sidelines, with no possibility of involvement. This bizarre and eye-catching triangular balance in the garden was soon shattered by a piece of news.
An's father promised to escort silver and grain to the Northwest with the army, but the silver and grain were stolen, and the emperor ordered him to be imprisoned.
While others enjoyed the spectacle, An Lingrong was terrified and frantically sought help. Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang wanted to help, but due to their low rank and limited abilities, they dared not interfere in politics and were unable to rescue An's father.
Because of her pregnancy, Shen Meizhuang was reluctant to cause trouble. She explained to An Lingrong that if she spoke up, Consort Hua might be even more eager to kill An's father.
As expected, the Empress and Consort Hua disagreed. Upon hearing about An Bihai's affair, Consort Hua immediately persuaded the Emperor to order his execution in order to strike at Zhen Huan. The Empress, on the other hand, took the initiative to plead for An Bihai, intending to win over the three members of Zhen Huan's faction.
Knowing full well that she had become a pawn for the Empress and Consort Hua to attack Zhen Huan, An Lingrong regretted joining Zhen Huan's side, but it was too late. In a panic, she suddenly had an idea and boldly approached the Fourth Prince, Hongli...
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