Chapter 191 Good News
Hongzhao sat upright at the top, casually setting down his teacup. He clasped his long, slender hands together on the edge of the table, squinting as he sized up the two sorcerers in gray robes before him.
The two men, one tall and one short, stood side by side in the hall. Both were equally slender and could be described as having an otherworldly air about them. Prince Yi was indeed reliable in his work. These two men looked much more serious than the two Taoist priests in the original drama. Their eyes and brows were less calculating and more peaceful.
However, one can only know a person's face but not their heart, so Hongzhao couldn't help but give him a few words of advice.
"When Uncle Thirteen sent you in, he must have given you some instructions. Do you know what you're here in the palace for?" Hongzhao quietly activated his mind-reading device and asked in a pretentious manner.
The two alchemists exchanged a glance, then the taller one stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, Prince Yi has repeatedly instructed me that my purpose in entering the palace this time is to treat His Majesty's illness and develop elixirs to ensure His Majesty's good health."
Hearing that he hadn't boasted about any miraculous elixir, Hongzhao felt much relieved. "Uncle Thirteen is right. Now that you two have entered the palace, I'd like to remind you that Father Emperor is not a tyrannical person. If the medicine you concoct doesn't have any obvious effect, I can guarantee that you won't be punished. At most, you'll be sent away and replaced."
As Hongzhao spoke, he suddenly changed the subject, raised his eyelids, and stared at the two of them with a scrutinizing and warning gaze. In an instant, his aura emanated outward, truly giving off the impression of a superior showing off his sharp edge.
"If you use the guise of prolonging life to secretly give Father Emperor some medicine that harms his health, I will be the first to not forgive you."
"Have you remembered it?" Hongzhao's noble voice came from above, and the two below naturally said they dared not.
Seeing that the mind-reading device hadn't detected anything unusual, Hongzhao was relieved and gave up. "You all follow Eunuch Su. If Father Emperor summons you, someone will inform you. If you can truly improve Father Emperor's health, you'll be rewarded handsomely. Go."
While keeping the Crown Prince's words in mind, thinking that he must speak well to the Emperor later, Su Peisheng listened to the Crown Prince's summons and led the two to the place that had been prepared in advance.
With everyone gone, the hall was empty once again. Hongzhao silently pondered the plot as he held his teacup... There wasn't much of a plot left. Things had developed to the point where they were practically unrecognizable. From now on, he could only take it one step at a time. Fortunately, he lived in a side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, so he could get the news as soon as it happened.
Thinking of this, another thought suddenly popped into his mind.
"Hey Xiao Dezi, have you been to Yuqing Palace? How's the construction going?"
Xiao Dezi's eyes lit up when he heard the Crown Prince's words. He moved closer and sat down at Hongzhao's feet. He was quite interested in talking about this. "It just so happens that I passed by a couple of days ago and went in to take a look. You know what, even after all these years of construction, apart from the wall between it and the Zhaigong being knocked down, it looks almost exactly the same as before."
As he spoke, he gestured in the air with his hand—"Your Highness, you know, this is such a big stone, and four people take turns carrying it, as if they are afraid that if they move it too fast and move too many stones, it will ruin the progress. If you ask me, at this rate, even if Your Highness gets married, you may not be able to move in."
Although Hongzhao hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Xiao Dezi's description was so vivid that he could guess with his eyes closed how much effort and time the craftsmen had put into it. He couldn't help but chuckle and say, "They all know their limits. Just wait and see. When Father Emperor gives the order, this palace will be completed in just a few days."
...
Another person quietly disappeared from the palace. The Empress and Consort Jing had become accustomed to watching new and old people come and go. When this person was mentioned again, they would only sigh a few times, and they didn't feel anything else.
The most active ones now are Consort Qi and Consort Zhen. Although they entered the palace three years apart, they are both still relatively new to the scene. With the most favored Consort Ye gone, it is natural that the two of them are vying for power.
According to Lü Jiaying, these two are evenly matched in their rivalry. Neither of them is particularly intelligent, and their methods are low-level yet entertaining. They are simply young and beautiful, which is pleasing to the eye for the Emperor. In a few years, they might just become the next Consort Qi.
Consort Qi had a third prince back then. Looking at how these two are always acting aggressively, they might not even be as good as Consort Qi back then.
With the Empress keeping them in check, they couldn't cause any major trouble, and the harem naturally remained peaceful. If there was one major event in those months, it would be the investiture ceremony of Consort Jing.
Consort Jing had entered the Prince's residence with the Empress for over a decade, and had held the title of Consort for nearly ten. Now that Hongshi had a child, on the occasion of the child's 100th day, Yinzhen, who was usually stingy with titles, surprisingly spoke up and granted her the title of Noble Consort.
From now on, she should be addressed as Consort Jing.
Life went on peacefully. Hongzhao kept looking at the news coming from all directions and calculating the time, wondering whether Fu Yu, who had gone to sea, would return first, or Amur, who had gone to fight the Dzungars, would return first. Finally, he got the answer in an urgent report from the front line seven months later.
"Great! That's wonderful!"
Yinzhen, rarely showing his emotions, slammed his hand heavily on the table with the urgent report that had been delivered over 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) – “This Zhao Hui, I truly did not misjudge him!”
Prince Yi, sitting to the side, paused for a moment. If he remembered correctly, Zhao Hui was someone the Crown Prince had favored from the very beginning. It was the Crown Prince's strong recommendation that allowed him to gain military command over his fourteenth brother and Yue Zhongqi.
Hongzhao didn't seem to care much about this. He got up, took the report from his father, and read it carefully from beginning to end.
The report stated that Prince Xun, like a wild horse, swept through the enemy lines with unstoppable momentum. He and Yue Zhongqi split into two groups to encircle the Dzungar Khanate. One group even penetrated deep into the Dzungar territory. Zhao Hui, on the other hand, was incredibly brave and seemingly divinely aided. He led two thousand elite soldiers in a direct uprising, creating the impression of a force of twenty thousand within the Dzungar royal court.
The Dzungars were forced into a series of defeats, and it seemed that defeat was imminent.
If this move could annihilate the Dzungar Khanate in one fell swoop, it would definitely be a great achievement worthy of being recorded in history during Yinzhen's reign, so it is understandable that he was so excited.
Hongzhao handed the memorial in his hand to his thirteenth uncle beside him, and then walked up to his father, the Emperor. "Your son congratulates you, Father. Your rule is strict and your soldiers are brave. It is truly a blessing from Heaven for the Qing Dynasty!"
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