Chapter 31 Nian Gengyao
"When you have nothing to do, visit the Empress Dowager at Shou Kang Palace more often."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, after testing his three sons' lessons, Emperor Yongzheng kept Hongli behind, looking at him with a gentle yet complex expression, and gave him his instructions.
Just as Yongzheng was about to say a few more words, Su Peisheng cautiously came to report.
"Your Majesty, General Nian has come to pay his respects."
Yongzheng frowned slightly, then beamed with joy: "Liang Gong is back? Please come in."
Su Peisheng hurriedly went to invite Nian Gengyao inside. Yongzheng looked at Hongli and said, "With the great victory in the Northwest and Nian Gengyao's return to the court, it's a good opportunity for you to meet him."
"Yes." Hongli nodded.
Soon, a burly man dressed in court robes, with a majestic gait and an aura of menace, walked in and promptly knelt down to pay his respects to Emperor Yongzheng.
"Your subject Nian Gengyao greets Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty ten thousand years of good fortune and peace."
"Liang Gong, please get up quickly." Yongzheng stepped forward and personally helped him up, his attitude appearing extremely amiable.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Nian Gengyao stood up, not thinking that it was a big deal for the Emperor to help him up. His expression was natural, but in Yongzheng's eyes, it was a kind of disrespect.
A shadow crossed his eyes. Yongzheng turned to introduce Hongli to him, "Lianggong, take a look. This is my fourth prince, Hongli. Hongli, this is General Nian, my trusted minister."
"Hongli greets General Nian."
Nian Gengyao accepted the greeting without hesitation, not feeling that he needed to step aside just because a bald-headed prince was bowing to him. However, because Nian Shilan had previously written a letter mentioning the Fourth Prince, his attitude remained relatively mild.
"This is the Fourth Prince. He has the bearing of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix. He is indeed quite handsome."
"Haha, Liang Gong has learned to praise people now..." Yongzheng laughed, but he was in a bad mood. Seeing Nian Gengyao treat Hongli so casually, and even judging him with a scrutinizing look, Yongzheng was full of displeasure.
Regardless of the fact that Hongli was a prince, even though Hongli resembled him so much, he did not believe that Nian Gengyao could not see it, yet he was still so rude. Yongzheng not only felt wronged for Hongli, but also felt deeply offended.
"Hongli, go back and study," Yongzheng said, sending Hongli away under a pretext. He patted Nian Gengyao on the shoulder with a smile. "It's rare for you to come back. I'll have someone invite Shilan over so the three of us can have a meal together."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
As Nian Gengyao watched Hongli's departing figure, he saw a refreshing and elegant demeanor that carried him with it. The more Nian Gengyao looked at him, the more he liked him, and the more he liked him, the more dissatisfied he became.
He looked directly at Yongzheng and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that Consort Hua is very fond of the Fourth Prince. Why not choose Consort Hua as his foster mother?"
Hearing Nian Gengyao's blunt questioning, Yongzheng was displeased, but still smiled and explained, "Shilan is in charge of palace power, and I don't want her to be overworked. Moreover, I would rather have a biological child with Shilan than an adopted son."
Upon hearing this, Nian Gengyao nodded, agreeing that it made sense. Although the Fourth Prince was good, he was indeed not as noble as his sister's biological son.
...
Upon receiving the imperial decree, Nian Shilan rushed over with great joy. She was extremely excited to meet Nian Gengyao, and was even more moved and satisfied to see that only the three of them were sitting at the table eating.
"Although there are many dishes in the palace, I don't know if they will suit your taste. Try them as much as you like. If they are not to your liking, I will have Consort Hua's small kitchen prepare some for you."
At lunchtime, Yongzheng had already composed himself, revealing no flaws, and spoke to Nian Gengyao in a friendly manner.
Nian Gengyao quickly stood up, his demeanor appearing quite respectful: "How dare I accept such a compliment from Your Majesty? It is already an immense honor for me to dine with Your Majesty and Consort Hua."
Emperor Yongzheng was slightly pleased and waved his hand, "Sit down. When the family eats together, there's no point in standing up and sitting down to express gratitude or apologize. Sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Consort Hua."
Nian Gengyao bowed and took his seat, and the three began to eat. At least for now, the atmosphere was quite good.
"This roasted mutton is tender and delicious, and I have always loved it. You should try it." To show his affection, Yongzheng pointed to the plate of mutton in front of him.
Before the eunuch serving the dishes could even pick up a piece, Nian Gengyao stood up and scooped a large mouthful of mutton into his bowl. Nian Shilan, standing nearby, looked embarrassed and quickly reminded him, "Brother! When the Emperor bestows food at a banquet, it must be served by palace servants."
"I have been disrespectful before Your Majesty, please do not take offense." Nian Gengyao apologized verbally, but his expression showed no fear whatsoever.
Emperor Yongzheng remained calm, seemingly not holding it against him at all. "You've been fighting on the front lines all this time, so it's understandable that you have to do everything yourself. You can eat whatever you like. The rules are meant to remind you of the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, not to restrict your kinship."
"yes."
Upon hearing Yongzheng's words, Nian Gengyao not only stopped apologizing but also went further, looking at Su Peisheng beside the emperor: "This bird's nest duck dish in front of me looks quite good, so I'll trouble Eunuch Su."
Su Peisheng froze, cursing a thousand times in his heart. But seeing the Emperor's attitude, he still respectfully stepped forward and served Nian Gengyao some food, saying, "General, please enjoy your meal."
...
After lunch, Emperor Yongzheng granted Consort Hua permission to escort Nian Gengyao out of the palace.
On the palace path, Nian Shilan looked at Nian Gengyao with a worried expression, "Brother, I was so anxious during this meal."
Nian Gengyao, oblivious to his sister's concerns, asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Seeing this, Nian Shilan sighed and began to analyze the situation with him step by step.
"The Emperor said he liked the roasted mutton, but he hasn't even touched it yet. Why did you start eating it first?"
Seeing that Nian Gengyao didn't seem to care, Nian Shilan continued, "That's fine, but you even had Su Peisheng serve you food..."
At this point, Nian Shilan laughed in exasperation, saying with a look of utter disappointment, "Who is Su Peisheng? He's an old eunuch the Emperor has served for decades, he's been with the Emperor since he was a child, and you still dare to order him around?"
“You know my temper. I hate the stench of these eunuchs the most. Since it is a rule in the palace that I have to follow, of course I will find the most prominent eunuch to serve me.”
Before Nian Shilan could retort, Nian Gengyao waved his hand to stop her, saying, "It's Su Peisheng's good fortune that he can serve me. Sister, there's no need to talk about me. Let's talk about the Fourth Prince."
"Fourth Prince? What does this have to do with the Fourth Prince?"
The words of advice she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. Nian Shilan didn't understand why her brother would suddenly mention the Fourth Prince.
"Your younger sister wrote to you before, saying she wanted the Fourth Prince to be her adopted son. What are your thoughts now?"
Upon hearing this, Nian Shilan couldn't help but show a hint of melancholy. "I do like the Fourth Prince, but now that his adoptive mother has been chosen, what can I say?"
"What does it matter?" Nian Gengyao said indifferently, only looking at Nian Shilan's expression. "Although the Emperor's intention is to have a child with my sister, if my sister likes the Fourth Prince, it's fine to take him away and raise him for a while. With her brother around, how could he possibly threaten her nephew's position in the future?"
"Is that really what His Majesty said?" Nian Shilan asked with some surprise.
"Of course, when I came to pay my respects this morning, I saw the Fourth Prince. Thinking about my sister's wishes, I specifically asked the Emperor, and he did say that wanting a child with my sister is only human nature."
After her initial excitement, Nian Shilan was overcome with sadness. Touching her belly, she said somberly, "It's a pity that I haven't been able to conceive again all these years..."
"Don't worry, sister. Getting pregnant sometimes depends on timing. I brought back a lot of rare medicinal herbs from the Northwest. I'll send them to you to help you recover. You'll get pregnant sooner or later."
Not wanting to reopen his sister's wounds, Nian Gengyao quickly comforted her, continuing, "Even now, from pregnancy to childbirth, it will take a while. I see that you like the Fourth Prince, why don't you ask him to keep you entertained?"
“Brother! What are you saying? The Fourth Prince is a prince!” Nian Shilan glared at Nian Gengyao with annoyance.
"So what if he's a prince? He's just a bald prince. It's his good fortune to make his sister happy."
“Brother…” Nian Shilan said coquettishly, “You are not allowed to talk nonsense. Now that you know I like the Fourth Prince, you are not allowed to belittle him like this.”
"Very well, I see now. In Shilan's eyes, my brother is no match for the Fourth Prince."
"elder brother……"
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