Hongshi knew that his actions had become the talk of the entire capital, and everyone was extremely disappointed in him. If it weren't for the Empress's intervention, the Fourth Prince would probably have already blamed him. After this series of setbacks, Hongshi spent several days reflecting on his actions at his old residence, feeling deeply ashamed.
On this day, Hongshi took the initiative to go to the palace to visit the Empress and apologize with a bundle of thorns on his back.
When Hongshi arrived at Jingren Palace, the Empress had just taken a nap. When the eunuch saw Hongshi arrive, he took the initiative to go forward and report, but Hongshi stopped him.
He waited silently at the entrance of the main hall of Jingyang Palace, not allowing anyone to disturb the Empress's afternoon nap.
The servants dared not say anything more, and their opinion of this prince seemed to have changed.
An hour later, the Empress woke up and heard from the palace maid that Hongshi did not want to disturb her afternoon nap and had voluntarily waited outside for a long time.
The Empress raised an eyebrow and gestured for a palace maid to go out and call the person in.
Before the Empress could speak, Hongshi stepped forward and knelt heavily on the ground, saying with shame, "Your son greets Your Majesty the Empress. Your son is unfilial and has failed Your Majesty's painstaking efforts. I have come here specifically to beg forgiveness and hope Your Majesty will forgive me..."
The Empress glared coldly at Hongshi, who was kneeling on the ground. She couldn't bear to see him like that and helped him up. She deliberately raised her voice in her rebuke: "Now you know you were wrong? Your mother tried so hard to persuade you, but you still thought your mother would harm you. You argued with your mother for a woman? You even risked your own bright future?"
Hongshi lowered his head, deeply remorseful for his previous words and actions: "Empress Dowager is right, I was really wrong. In this world, only Empress Dowager is truly good to me..."
Enraged, Hongshi reached out to hit himself, but the Empress stopped him in time, angrily scolding, "What are you doing..."
"My son was confused for a moment and not only made a big mistake, but also disappointed my mother and father. I have no words to say ashamed before my mother and father..." Hongshi cried bitterly. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he had gone too far. He thought that the Empress would punish him severely, but when he arrived, he found that the Empress had no intention of blaming him except for a few complaints. He felt even more ashamed.
The Empress pulled Hongshi down to sit, and said to him in a gentle, expectant tone, "Hongshi, although your mother is disappointed, I have never given up on you. I am very happy that you can admit your mistakes and correct them. Your mother is just worried... You are my only support and my only pillar in this deep palace! If you give up on yourself, what will your mother do?"
Hongshi hurriedly knelt at the Empress's feet and said, "Your son understands. Your son will never do anything foolish again. This experience has taught me many things. In this world, only power and wealth can make a person strong, so that they will not be looked down upon or trampled on... Your son wants to stand at the highest point..."
As Hongshi spoke, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. The Empress was astonished by Hongshi's change, and after a moment of stunned silence, she pulled Hongshi up and smiled encouragingly: "Hongshi, now is the time for you to shine. Your mother knows you have the ability. As long as you work hard and with your mother's help, you can get everything you want..."
The Empress is very satisfied with Hongshi's current mindset; desire is the source of motivation...
Hongshi nodded firmly, filled with gratitude towards the Empress: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will always obey your arrangements and will never disappoint you again..."
The Empress smiled and patted Hongshi's hand, saying meaningfully, "Silly child, what you need to do is not disappoint your Emperor Father. Only when your Emperor Father sees your efforts and your abilities will you have a chance to rise above your circumstances..."
Hongshi nodded knowingly, understanding the Empress's meaning.
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