After receiving Zhang Ruoqing's information, Hongxu glanced at it once and then put it down.
Actually, there isn't much information above: kinship ties, and where she is now.
They didn't say what they liked, what they did on a daily basis, or what friends or hobbies they had.
In Le Shu's view, seeing, exploring, and understanding for oneself is far more profound than being told by others.
A sense of mystery and novelty is needed when interacting with people.
Hongxu is her child. Although he is not her everything, he is one of the most important people in her life. She puts pressure on him, but she also gives him motivation. She hopes that he can have a good future and be as happy as possible.
In fact, being an emperor doesn't necessarily bring a high level of happiness.
Not long after, Hongxu left the palace and found a mansion to live in.
Then he met Zhang Ruoqing by chance.
Thanks to Le Shu's tireless efforts, although women's status is no higher than men's, it is now very different from the past when women were confined to their homes and expected to offer themselves to men if they were merely seen on the arm.
Nowadays, it is common for unmarried women to go out and attend mixed-gender poetry gatherings and flower-viewing parties.
It was under these circumstances that Hongxu met Zhang Ruoqing.
Zhang Ruoqing: "Greetings, Fourth Prince."
Hongxu raised an eyebrow: "How did you know it was Master?"
"Chang is the Empress's surname. I have heard my uncle mention the Fourth Prince's courtesy name, Chang Rongyu. I believe I have some ability to distinguish between them."
Yinzhen thought Rongyu was good, so his childhood name became his courtesy name.
Hongxu smiled: "Miss Zhang is a frank person."
Zhang Ruoqing remained calm: "The Fourth Prince had no intention of hiding anything."
She always knew what she wanted. In fact, the practice of not binding feet for the daughters of the Zhang family started with her. This was ordered by Zhang Tingyu, the head of the family. Her mother had some complaints about this, but she couldn't resist the orders of the head of the family.
As the eldest daughter of the third branch of the family, Zhang Ruoqing learned things from a young age that were different from her married aunts and great-aunts. She learned things that only boys would learn. As soon as the women's college was established, she entered the women's college.
Now that she saw the young man named Chang Rongyu appear before her, she knew it was time to make a choice.
Perhaps because his expression was too calm, Hongxu became unusually curious: "You don't seem too surprised that I showed up?"
“From childhood, I have learned that if I were not a subject, I would be an empress.”
These words greatly surprised Hongxu, surprised by her frankness and the content of her frankness. He then thought of Zhang Tingyu and couldn't help but laugh: "No wonder Father said that Lord Zhang is good at being an official and can always understand the Emperor's heart. Now that I have met Miss Zhang, I feel that Father was right."
Zhang Tingyu's judgment was truly impeccable.
Being by Yinzhen's side, she probably sensed his intentions: intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese was one aspect, while raising the status of women was another.
To be merely a subject? Or to become an empress?
Zhang Tingyu made two preparations.
He really had a brilliant idea: to cultivate a future empress for the Qing Dynasty who would speak frankly to him. In fact, he could say that if Zhang Ruoqing married him, her heart would definitely be with him, and she would never side with her own family.
She was very different from the upbringing of noble ladies today. He thought that the Zhang family must have taught her to consider things from the perspective of her husband's family in the future. She did not represent the Zhang family's daughter, but the Han people.
Whether Zhang Ruoqing can resolve the plight of those with Han Chinese identity depends on her future actions.
Even if she couldn't have children, or if she didn't give birth to a son, she would still fully cooperate with the royal family to support a Han woman's son to ascend to the throne.
However, by the time she reached marriageable age, what she had learned and the responsibilities she had to bear since childhood were actually no easier than his.
This made Hongxu feel a bit of pity, and also a sense of kinship.
"The Emperor and Empress's hearts are not difficult to discern, but most people simply lack the courage to do so. Moreover, it is not only the Zhang family that raises their daughters in this way."
This was a tacit understanding between the Han officials and the imperial family.
Why did the Zhang family stand out?
Because Zhang Tingyu was indeed very perceptive, he may not have known the special relationship between Yinzhen and Le Shu, but he could see that Yinzhen's trust in Le Shu had reached the point of "indulgence".
He noticed that Yue Shu was quite tolerant of women, so Zhang Ruoqing, and even the Zhang family girls born after her, no longer had to bind their feet.
“I appreciate Ms. Zhang’s honesty, and I may have to bother her for a while longer.”
"This humble woman is ready to serve you at any time."
This is the tacit understanding between Hongxu and Zhang Ruo.
In the sixteenth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, just after the New Year and before the end of the first month, the Empress Dowager fell critically ill at Shou Kang Palace. The Imperial Medical Academy issued a notice that there was nothing that could be done to save her.
Before her death, the Empress Dowager spoke at length to her beloved youngest son, and then spoke privately with Yinzhen.
The way she looked at Yinzhen was not like she was looking at a son; it was more like she was looking at a stranger.
"If I had known this day would come, I would never have allowed you to live."
Yinzhen's expression remained unchanged, his eyes calm: "Empress Mother would not do that. If it happened again, Empress Mother would still give birth to me, and she would not have personally handed me over to Empress Xiaoyiren to raise."
"You always speak in such an unpleasant way, no wonder I dislike you."
“Your Majesty, you have misspoke. I may say pleasing things, but if Your Majesty does not like to hear them, I will not say them. This is my filial piety. Please do not blame me, Your Majesty.”
The Empress often told me that her mother loved her children for no reason. Whether they were pleasing or not, they were her children, and a loving mother would love them.
In the past, my mother loved my fourteenth brother dearly but neglected me. I was heartbroken and confused. Later, I understood that my mother loved no one but herself. It was just that I was carrying the burden of my mother's past humiliations.
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