Chapter 29 The Empress Dowager's Thoughts
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager..."
After the two princes left, Zhu Xi looked at the master, who was deep in thought and had a sad expression, and called out to him softly.
“Zhuxi,” Wuya took her hand, “She looks just like her, so much like her…”
Zhu Xi frowned slightly. To be honest, as a servant, respect was ingrained in her bones. Therefore, she didn't dare to look directly at the Fourth Prince's appearance, only glancing at him briefly to get a general idea. He was indeed handsome and somewhat familiar. But Zhu Xi couldn't connect the Fourth Prince with the Emperor at all.
If we're talking about resemblance, isn't the Fifth Prince's physique more similar to the Emperor's?
Adjusting her words, Zhu Xi said tactfully, "This servant has not looked closely at the appearances of the two princes, but I vaguely feel that the Fourth Prince looks somewhat familiar. This servant is not good at seeing things, and cannot see how the Fourth Prince resembles His Majesty."
“It’s not the fourth son…” Uya shook her head, her voice choked with sobs, “It’s the sixth son, just like my sixth son, my Zuo’er…”
Uya could no longer control her emotions, and tears streamed down her face.
The Empress Dowager's words flashed through Zhu Xi's mind like lightning. Yes, that fleeting, familiar look wasn't of the Emperor, but of the prematurely deceased Sixth Prince, Yinzhuo.
The Sixth Prince has been gone for so long that she has almost forgotten him, but as his birth mother, the mistress would never forget him.
Uya Shi would never forget that in her heart, Yinzhuo's departure was a wound that would never heal.
Yinzhuo held a completely different meaning for her because she knew that he was born to Lady Tongjia, and that she had been tricked into entering the palace by her beloved to give birth to his sister. Therefore, the existence of the fourth prince constantly reminded her of her unbearable and humiliating past.
Everyone said she sold her child for personal gain, but this was never her choice. It was because Lady Tongjia needed a child that this child came into being. Yet, Lady Tongjia never addressed the rumors circulating outside.
Therefore, Uya hated her and also hated the existence of the fourth son. In her heart, the fourth son was never considered her son.
But Yinzhuo was different. He was the first child raised by her side, and also the first son that Lady Wuya truly believed in. Because of this child, she was promoted to the rank of Consort and became the mistress of Yonghe Palace, no longer a lowly noblewoman who could be bullied by others.
In addition, Yinzhuo was born with a good personality, was obedient and well-behaved, and was also favored by the emperor, which brought her countless honors.
It can be said that Yinzhuo was a ray of light that appeared when Uya was in despair, a warm ray of light that illuminated her for 6 years before suddenly disappearing.
For a long time, Yinzhuo was her only son. Therefore, after Yinzhuo's death, his image in Uya's mind was infinitely idealized, reaching a level that no one else could achieve.
The reason why the Fourteenth Prince was favored by Lady Wuya was partly because he was the youngest son, a son who could prove her favor and support her position. On the other hand, it was also because the Fourteenth Prince and the Sixth Prince looked somewhat alike.
A combination of three parts liking and three parts empathy resulted in Uya's extreme favoritism towards the fourth and fourteenth princes.
But now, she saw Hongli, and saw Hongli who bore a striking resemblance to her sixth brother. Especially those beautiful, gentle phoenix eyes, almost identical to her sixth brother's. How could Wuya not be moved?
"Was it Heaven moved by my longing for my son that it sent Hongli to my side...?"
It was yet another "Hongli-like succession" drama. Soon, people in the palace discovered that after the Fourth Prince had taken away four high-ranking concubines—the Empress, Consort Hua, Consort Duan, and Consort Jing—the Empress Dowager also showed no attempt to hide her favoritism and preferential treatment towards the Fourth Prince.
...
"Tsk," Yongzheng put down the secret memorial in his hand, seemingly in a fairly good mood. He flicked the beaded string in his hand and couldn't help but sigh, "The Ninth Prince is definitely closer to the Tenth Prince—"
With no attempt to conceal his schadenfreude, Yongzheng pointed to the latest record sent back from Xining about the Ninth Prince and chuckled, "I didn't expect the Tenth Prince to be so useful; he actually managed to persuade the Ninth Prince to behave himself quite a bit."
Thinking that Lao Jiu had taken the initiative to send a message back, hoping that Lao Shi would behave himself and not cause trouble, but also hoping that he could forgive Lao Shi's recklessness.
The more Yongzheng thought about it, the happier he became, completely unaware that this was a prelude laid by Yuntang, who was far away in Xining, in order to save his life in case the Tenth Prince caused trouble. Yongzheng was pleased to believe that his imperial power had subdued the Tenth and Ninth Princes.
This incident, in particular, tore apart the ninth and eighth princes and proved that the eighth prince was not as important as the tenth prince in the ninth prince's heart, which made Yongzheng even happier.
In his excitement, Yongzheng decided to go out for a stroll.
"Su Peisheng."
"Your servant is here."
"It's been a while since I paid my respects to the Empress Dowager. Come with me."
"Yes, sir."
Su Peisheng was puzzled, but responded quickly. Although he didn't understand why the Emperor, who seemed to be in a good mood, was unhappy about going to the Empress Dowager, as the Emperor's chief eunuch, he naturally had to follow the Emperor's wishes.
...
Yongzheng brought only Su Peisheng to Shou Kang Palace, without letting anyone announce his arrival. He strolled around and stood eavesdropping outside the door, completely unaware of the strange and complex look in Su Peisheng's eyes behind him.
The Emperor's current hobby is quite peculiar, isn't it? Considering that Su Peisheng has lived a life of integrity and uprightness, yet he's chosen to follow the Emperor in such "sneaky" activities, his reputation among eunuchs is in serious jeopardy...
"Your Majesty, why are you so good to the Fourth Prince? The rumors in the palace are spreading, they're talking about you, talking about you..."
"What are you saying? That I'm being biased?"
"Your Majesty, since you knew all this, why did you still do it?"
Yes, why is that?
The two people outside the door listened intently, curious about the Empress Dowager's answer. Su Peisheng, who originally felt that his life's reputation had been wasted, triggered the keyword "Fourth Prince" and immediately perked up his ears, looking even more engrossed than Yongzheng.
"Sigh..." Inside the room, the Empress Dowager sighed softly. "I know this is not good, but what can I do? The Fourth Prince looks just too much like... too much like the Fourth Prince when he was young. I can't control myself..."
Upon hearing this, Yongzheng, who had been eavesdropping, couldn't help but tighten his grip on the string of beads in his hand, his heart filled with turmoil. Behind him, Su Peisheng's eyes widened suddenly. What? What did the Empress Dowager say? Who does she resemble?
With a quick thought, Su Peisheng immediately realized that the Empress Dowager had deliberately said this for the Emperor to hear. Looking at the Emperor's noticeably stiff back, Su Peisheng felt a pang of pity. What a pity, the Emperor was about to be completely fooled by everyone.
But there was nothing he could do; after all, he was one of those who had fooled the Emperor. After a brief sigh, Su Peisheng could only say, "Well done, Empress Dowager!"
Of course, Uya, who was still acting with Zhuxi in the room at the moment, had no idea that Su Peisheng was also part of the deception of the emperor, so he easily saw through her trick.
The conversation inside the house continued...
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