Hongli continued, "Second Brother, even though Father Emperor demoted you to a commoner, he still cares about you. He was very happy to hear that you have repented, and he wants to see you now."
Hongshi was delighted to hear that the Fourth Prince still cared about him. He thought that if he performed well today, his father might be able to restore his status. He pretended to hesitate and said, "Alright then, I'll go with you to see Father."
Hongli was very happy, thinking that Hongshi had figured things out.
"Fourth Brother, this way please," Hongli said, raising his hand.
Hongshi followed Hongli to the room where the Fourth Prince was. He stood at the door, looking unsure of what to do.
Although Hongshi wanted to see the Fourth Prince, he still harbored some resentment towards the Fourth Prince's favoritism and ruthlessness. In addition, his dislike for Hongli and Consort Xi made him quite hesitant.
"What's wrong with Fourth Brother?" Hongli asked.
Hongshi shook his head and said, "It's alright, let's go."
Hongshi walked into the room and saw the Fourth Master sitting in the main seat and Lanqin beside him.
He stepped forward and knelt on the ground: "Hongshi greets Father Emperor and Consort Xi. May you enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
Fourth Master nodded and said, "Get up."
"Thank you, Father Emperor." Hongshi stood up.
Lanqin asked, "Hongshi, how are you doing these days? Is everything alright at home?"
Hongshi felt that Lanqin's words were sarcastic, but he could not say anything, so he could only humbly say, "Thank you for your concern, Consort Xi. I am doing well now."
Fourth Master said, "You are much more humble than before, and not so arrogant. It seems that demoting you to a commoner is really good for you."
Hongshi said, "I understand Father's good intentions. I have turned over a new leaf and will no longer cause Father any worry."
Fourth Master nodded, pleased with Hongshi's transformation. He said, "Well done, you may leave."
Hongshi said, "Your son takes his leave."
Hongshi came today hoping to find an opportunity to curry favor with the Fourth Prince. Although he succeeded, he could not suppress or hide his jealousy of Hongli. Fortunately, the Fourth Prince let him leave, otherwise he would have definitely been unable to resist making trouble for Consort Xi.
Hongli brought Hongshi back to the banquet. Several relatives saw Hongshi arrive and quickly came over to congratulate him.
Congratulations on your wedding, Fourth Prince.
Hongshi said, "Thank you everyone, congratulations to you all."
One of the men looked at Hongshi and said, "Isn't this the Fourth Prince?"
Hongshi smiled at them and said, "I'm here today to congratulate my fourth brother."
"I heard that the Second Prince's mansion has recently started selling servants?" the man said.
Hongshi realized that he was being mocked for being demoted to a commoner. He was already angry because of his father’s favoritism and Consort Xi’s actions towards the Empress. To make matters worse, several relatives were talking to him, their words implying that he was not as good as Hongli.
Hongshi secretly remembered these people. He held back, knowing that he couldn't do anything to them in front of the Fourth Master in order to turn his life around.
Hongli felt that these people were going too far. After all, Hongshi was his fourth brother and the emperor's son. He couldn't let these people ridicule him.
Hongshi coughed lightly and looked at the group of people.
The relatives noticed that Hongli's expression was off and knew that he didn't like them mocking Hongshi. They had originally wanted to make amends to Hongli, but unexpectedly, it backfired. They could only sit back in their chairs dejectedly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
