"Mother, this won't work and that won't work, so what should I do?" Hongli felt extremely uncomfortable, like he was being fried in a pancake. He was even a little panicked. The Fourth Prince had always been a mountain that he and the Qing Dynasty could rely on, but now he was told that this mountain was about to collapse.
"Hongli, come here." Hongli was an introverted person. Since he matured, he had never shed tears in front of Lanqin. Now, seeing the child so anxious that his eyes were red, Lanqin felt bad too.
She let Hongli rest his head on her lap, stroking his head gently, her tone deliberately soft: "Hongli, you are a member of the Aisin Gioro family, and you bear a heavy responsibility. One day, you will have to take over your father's burden and protect the Qing Dynasty."
“Mother.” Hongli raised his head to meet Lanqin’s gaze, but was startled by the certainty in Lanqin’s eyes and looked away. “I understand.”
The wheels of history roll ever on, crushing the old and welcoming the new—a destiny no one can escape. Lanqin gripped her wrist, speaking each word with utmost solemnity: "Hongli, from this day forward, you must earnestly learn from your father how to handle state affairs, and you must not be lazy."
"Your subject understands." Hongli kowtowed and bowed.
"Life is unpredictable. Who knows when this heavy burden will fall on your shoulders?" Lanqin shook her head gently, as if a thousand kinds of pain were contained in her words, hurting her heart and soul.
"Mother, I will always remember your teachings." Hongli kowtowed again to express his gratitude. As the Fourth Prince's most favored heir, he understood the meaning behind Lanqin's words. It was precisely because he understood that he performed such a grand ceremony for Lanqin.
From now on, he will have to focus on national affairs and will no longer be able to care about his family or fulfill his filial duties to Lanqin.
"Alright, it's getting late. Mingyu must be getting impatient waiting for you. You should go back now," Lanqin urged.
Hongli nodded, and the two returned to their respective palaces to rest. When Hongli returned to the palace that Lanqin had prepared for them, Mingyu immediately came out to greet him and asked if his mother had summoned him for something important.
Hongli, unable to bear Mingyu's worry, shook his head and changed the subject, "Where is Yonglian?"
"He fell asleep. He was waiting for you to come back with me."
Upon hearing this, Hongli suddenly recalled the days when he and Lanqin waited for the Fourth Prince to return to Changchun Palace. Thinking of the Fourth Prince's current health, he pursed his lips and said to Mingyu, "Mingyu, I plan to leave Yonglian in the palace to keep Father and Mother company."
Mingyu was taken aback and asked why. Yonglian was her child, and she couldn't bear to part with him.
“I know you feel sorry for Yonglian. If you are willing, you can stay in Changchun Palace.”
"Your Majesty, why do you suddenly want to leave Yonglian in the palace?" Mingyu noticed that Hongli seemed to be hiding something and pressed him for an answer. Of course, she was worried about leaving Yonglian in the palace, but if she stayed, she was afraid that someone else would take advantage of the situation and infiltrate Hongli's inner circle.
The Forbidden City is noble, but it has too many rules and regulations. She did not want Yonglian to grow up in such an environment.
Seeing that she was persistent, Hongli kept the matter of the Fourth Prince's declining health to himself, but he just wouldn't say it.
The matter was of utmost importance, and even his closest confidant, Hongli dared not entrust it entirely to. Moreover, the Fourth Prince absolutely did not want more and more people to know about his illness.
Hongli turned to the side, took a deep breath, and said, "Just consider it as us doing our filial duty."
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