Hongshi hesitated for a moment, then quietly nudged the equally timid Shuzhen, signaling her to rise and follow him. Shuzhen immediately cooperated, bowing slightly in a submissive manner, and carried her wine cup to the Fourth Prince's table. The room suddenly fell silent; everyone watched Hongshi's every move. It was already unbelievable that this prince, demoted to a commoner, would even appear, let alone offer a toast to the Fourth Prince—it was even more astonishing.
"Your son toasts Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty eternal peace and happiness..." Hongshi said loudly, forcing himself to speak, and Shuzhen also bowed respectfully.
"Get up..." Fourth Master glanced at Hongshi, his face expressionless. Then his gaze shifted to Shuzhen: "You've had a hard time these past few days..."
Shuzhen paused, then looked up and saw the sternness and a hint of affection in the Fourth Prince's eyes.
"Thank you... thank you for your concern, Your Majesty..." Shuzhen was so excited she couldn't speak coherently. Hongshi also breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, the Fourth Prince hadn't rejected his drink in front of everyone. Just then, Wuxiha and the Imperial Son-in-Law, who were at the Fourth Prince's table, went out to sober up, so the Fourth Prince had Hongshi sit beside him. The atmosphere in the room brightened again. Lanqin, watching the children's happy faces, couldn't help but sigh, "Time flies! In the blink of an eye, Hongli is already married..."
The Fourth Prince looked at Lanqin with deep affection, nodded meaningfully, and murmured, "Yes, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time..."
While Fourth Master and Lanqin were unaware, Hongshi, who was at the same table, suddenly changed his expression, and his hand holding the chopsticks began to tremble uncontrollably. Hongshi hurriedly dropped the chopsticks, placed his hands on his knees, and forced a smile to suppress his inner turmoil.
"Have we been waiting for this moment for a long time?" The Fourth Prince's words were like a sharp awl piercing Hongshi's heart. It turned out that the Fourth Prince had long decided that the position of Crown Prince belonged to Hongli... At this moment, whatever Lanqin said to the Fourth Prince was seen by Hongli as an implication to confuse the Fourth Prince and make him the Crown Prince.
Hongshi suddenly realized how foolish he had been to desperately fight for a position that didn't belong to him. As the emperor's eldest son, he was no match for the son of a concubine who did nothing but wait for the crown prince position to fall from the sky.
Hongshi was so jealous he was about to go crazy...
As night fell, the Prince's mansion was brightly lit, as bright as day. The banquet was almost over, and guests were slumped over and fast asleep everywhere. Hongli was also unsteady on his feet, his vision blurred, but he forced himself to stay awake and came to the room where the Fourth Prince was sitting.
Lanqin looked at the drunken Hongli and stepped forward to support him with concern, saying, "Look at yourself, how did you get so drunk? Even if you're happy, you should control yourself..."
Hongli was filled with shame and apologized profusely, "Your son was wrong..." Hongli broke free from Lanqin's support, walked up to the Fourth Prince, bowed, and said, "Your son has not been hospitable; I hope Father Emperor will forgive me..."
The Fourth Prince stood up with a smile, patted Hongli on the shoulder, and said with a laugh, "Your mother is worried about your health, but I think we should enjoy ourselves today..."
Su Peisheng entered, bowing slightly, and said to the Fourth Prince, "Your Majesty, it's getting late, the carriages are ready..."
The Fourth Prince nodded, and Lanqin knew it was time to go back. The other concubines also got up to prepare.
From this day forward, Hongli will truly be an adult; he will have his own family and children. Looking at the son she had raised with her own hands, Lanqin felt both happy and somewhat lost.
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