"I have come to speak with Your Majesty about Hongli and Hongzhou. Please dismiss your attendants, Father. I can only speak with you alone," Lanqin said, bowing.
Kangxi turned around and looked at Lanqin. She was dressed in a light apricot-colored qipao trimmed with black fox fur, and her headdress was adorned with a complete set of gilded butterfly and flower ornaments, perfectly befitting her status as a secondary consort. Kangxi thought of his third princess, who, like Lanqin, was different from other princesses who only obeyed him. The third princess always spoke from her own perspective, acting more like a daughter than a princess. Therefore, Kangxi always liked the third princess very much. But no matter how much he liked her, Kangxi still sent her to the grasslands. Only after the third princess, like many princesses of the Qing Dynasty, lost her life prematurely, did Kangxi regret in his heart, regretting his cruelty in sending his most beloved princess to the grasslands.
Lanqin felt a little uneasy under Kangxi's gaze and asked, "Is there something wrong with my face?"
Kangxi was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "All of you go out and stand guard. Without my decree, no one is allowed to break in!"
The eunuch serving Kangxi bowed his head, took a few steps back, and then turned and left. Lanqin also nodded to Cui Niang, indicating that she should go out as well.
Once only Kangxi and Lanqin remained in the room, Kangxi said, "Now you can speak!"
Lanqin nodded, then said, "Please forgive me, Father Emperor! What I am about to say is my own speculation, and no one else knows. Not even Fourth Prince. I am speaking to you alone now. It has nothing to do with Fourth Prince."
Lanqin didn't want Kangxi to think that everything she was about to say was orchestrated by the Fourth Prince, so she wanted to clarify things first to prevent Kangxi from misunderstanding the Fourth Prince.
"Oh, you mean you came to see me without the Fourth Prince's knowledge?" Kangxi asked, squinting his eyes.
“Yes, Fourth Prince is unaware that I came to Father Emperor to discuss Hongli and Hongzhou. Moreover, Fourth Prince is also unaware of what Lanqin said. Please, Father Emperor, believe these things for now,” Lanqin said firmly.
Seeing Lanqin's earnestness, and recalling the earnestness and persistence of the Third Princess when she spoke to him, Kangxi couldn't help but say, "If I don't believe you, will you just stop talking?"
“Yes, if Father Emperor cannot believe this, then I will not say anything more,” Lanqin replied politely.
Looking at Lanqin's stubborn expression, Kangxi said after a moment, "Tell me what you think."
Lanqin knew that since Kangxi had said so, he believed her in his heart, so she said, "I wish to bring Hongli back. Please let me finish, Father. I wish to bring Hongli back because I believe that there must be a reason why Father brought Hongli to the palace to raise him personally. Is this reason related to the fate of the Qing Dynasty?"
Lanqin felt that Kangxi wouldn't do something pointless. But could Hongli, so young, already display such extraordinary qualities? That was impossible. Therefore, Kangxi must have known something about Hongli beforehand. Ancient people were superstitious; when faced with uncertainty and the unknown, they often sought divine guidance. The existence of the Imperial Observatory was precisely because of the emperor's thirst for knowledge. Therefore, she was willing to bet that some kind of celestial master or imperial advisor had told Kangxi that Hongli's destiny was that of an emperor, or that the child possessed the aura of a dragon. Otherwise, Lanqin couldn't understand why Kangxi would so inexplicably insist on personally raising Hongli.
Kangxi remained calm as he looked at Lanqin, though a fierce internal struggle was raging within him. He hadn't expected a woman to reveal her secret so easily.
"I brought Hongli back because I felt it wasn't safe for him to stay in the palace. Father Emperor will surely say he will protect Hongli well. But how many children have died in the harem over the years? Why didn't Father Emperor control them?" Lanqin said boldly. "Please enlighten me, Father Emperor, why is it so important to bring Hongli to the palace to be raised? If I bring him back, should I avoid anything?"
Instead of getting angry, Kangxi stared at Lanqin with surprise, as if signaling him to continue.
"I believe that it is in Hongli's best interest to grow up by my side. A child will be flawed if he is separated from his mother. Please, Father, look at Fourth Prince. He was separated from his birth mother at a young age, which is why he has a somewhat gloomy and cold personality. I personally think that I do not want Hongli to suffer such pain. I beg Father's understanding."
"Are you saying that I can't properly protect Hongli Luo?" Kangxi asked, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. After all, Lanqin's words had really hurt his pride as an emperor.
"That's not what I meant. I think Father Emperor is so busy with state affairs that he might make mistakes in small matters. Why don't I take the child back? I can take good care of him." Lanqin's heart skipped a beat. She was still afraid. After all, her father-in-law was the emperor, who held the power of life and death over everyone in the world.
“What you say makes some sense. However, do you know why I brought Hongli to my side to raise him myself?” Kangxi seemed to be truly persuaded by Lanqin. He had to admit that this young woman was very good at convincing people.
"I don't know, please enlighten me, Father!" Lanqin suddenly felt nervous, both hoping that Kangxi would continue and afraid that he would say something she could not accept at all.
"Hongli and Hongzhou are natural enemies. They are reincarnations of the Wenqu and Wuqu stars. They were originally good brothers, but their fates are incompatible. If these two children were raised together, they would inevitably disrupt the fortunes of my Great Qing Dynasty. Therefore, I took away Hongli, the Wenqu star. Do you understand?" Kangxi said. His majestic authority as the crown prince was fully displayed in this sentence.
Lanqin stared in surprise at the corner of Kangxi's mouth, a voice in her heart shouting: What nonsense about the gods of literature and martial arts descending to earth? It's all just Taoist priests' lies to deceive you! But her throat felt like it was blocked with cotton, and she couldn't utter a sound.
However, Lanqin's desire to bring Hongli back was still very strong, so she mustered her courage once again and asked, "Father, if we separate Hongli and Hongzhou, will everything be alright?"
Kangxi nodded, looking at Lanqin without saying a word.
"Then I'll separate them. Let them live in the same mansion, but not see each other. Isn't that the same?" Lanqin said hopefully. "Father, take them back. At least they won't be watched by so many eyes. I can protect them. Please grant my request, Father!"
Kangxi stared at Lanqin, pondering her words. He had to admit there was some truth to them. Although he was the emperor, he was often not in control of his own destiny.
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