Chapter 121 A Triumphant Return to the Palace
In fact, since the Emperor abandoned all the unresolved matters inside and outside the palace and went straight to the Mulan Hunting Grounds, everyone was not stupid and immediately understood what had happened in the past few days.
What was thought to be a common father-son feud within the imperial family has led some to think that it's no wonder the emperor's favor is said to be as fleeting as water. The imperial concubine and the crown prince were so glorious a few years ago, but their downfall was nothing more than a word from the emperor.
Little did they know that all of this was a carefully orchestrated plan by the Emperor, and that the father and son were the real masters of the scheme.
Although he understood, when he actually saw the grand procession of the Crown Prince's return, he still couldn't help but think to himself.
"The Crown Prince is still the same Crown Prince after all."
Hongzhao, wearing a court hat and apricot-yellow court robe, walked beside the emperor, striding confidently along the palace road paved with crimson brocade. Imperial guards in yellow jackets knelt to greet him on both sides of the road, followed by the long imperial regalia.
As the crown prince, Hongzhao should, according to etiquette, have followed the emperor's pace by half a step.
But now he was walking on the left side of his father, with one hand being held tightly by his father. At first, Hongzhao deliberately took a half step back, and Yinzhen thought that he was walking too fast and his son could not keep up, so he slowed down and waited for a while.
If we go back to the Qing Dynasty, there was only one legitimate crown prince, the second prince of the late emperor. His clothes and attire were almost identical except for the color, and everything else was based on the emperor's standards. Hongzhao's current clothes and attire are naturally the same as those of the emperor. When he stands next to the emperor, they look like two big and small replicas.
After his triumphant return to the palace, Yongshou Palace was restored from being deserted for more than a month to being bustling with activity. Jiang Zhongmin of the Imperial Household Department had never skimped on anything, and after Hongzhao returned to the palace, he personally led a group of people to deliver a generous gift.
Looking at her son whom she hadn't seen for over a month, Lü Jiaying's eyes couldn't help but redden.
“Our You’er must have been riding horses on the grasslands every day. He’s gotten tanned and thinner.” She reached out and lovingly touched Hongzhao’s cheeks, where his baby fat had lessened.
Hongzhao could never bear to see his mother worry, so when he saw her about to fret again, he quickly smiled and shook her hand – “It’s true that I often go horseback riding. I’m naturally fairer than others, just like you. Even now that I’m tanned, I’m still fairer than them. Going horseback riding often really does keep me healthy. Have you noticed that I’ve gotten much stronger, Mother?”
Before her mother could say anything, Hongjin couldn't sit still when she heard that he was riding a horse.
She was overjoyed to see her younger brother return. She jumped off the stool, grabbed Hongzhao's sleeve, and hurriedly said, "I'm also learning to ride a horse. When I can run, will you take me with you?"
Hongzhao looked at his older sister beside him and nodded in agreement—"Of course, which master are you learning from? What stage have you reached?"
“I’m learning at Baijun Garden with Aunt Lanyi. Father Emperor also comes to watch me ride horses almost every day and says I learn very quickly.”
Um... Hongzhao raised an eyebrow, and asked uncertainly, "But... is your surname Ye?"
As soon as she asked the question, Hong Jin cupped his face in his hands and said with starry eyes, "How did you know, little brother? No wonder everyone praises your photographic memory. Before Aunt Lanyi taught me, she was just a little palace maid in Baijun Garden. It was Father Emperor who chose her as my teacher because he liked her horsemanship. How do you know who she is?"
Hongzhao looked at his older sister, who was born on the same day as him, and saw the adoring look in her eyes. He shook his head inwardly. "Silly child," he thought, "Father Emperor certainly has his eye on her. But whether it's horsemanship or not is another matter. He watches you ride every day; I'm almost embarrassed to say anything to him."
Hongzhao took out a fluffy hairpin from his pocket. He had seen it on the grasslands, where young women often decorated their hair with small pieces of brightly colored fur. This was the hairpin that he had Xiaodezi buy from the people there.
He carefully pinned the hairpin to Hongjin's hair bun, leaned closer and whispered, "Go back to riding as usual. If you see anything, just pretend you didn't see it and don't say anything. Get along well with Aunt Lanyi, okay?"
Although Hongjin was young, she was never ambiguous about important matters. She also knew that her younger brother would never harm her, so she nodded seriously and kept his words in mind.
Hongzhao glanced at the Western clock in the room and said affectionately to his mother, "Mother, I caught quite a lot of things this time. Among them were several foxes with bright and beautiful fur. I had someone make a fox fur cloak for you. When you wear it out in winter, people will be envious."
"Good, good!" Lu Jiaying was naturally happy that her son was still thinking of her when he went out. She clapped his hand with a smile that almost made her mouth close, "You'er is so thoughtful. Mother is so happy."
She had naturally noticed Hongzhao checking the clock earlier. Although she wanted to talk to her son more, she didn't want to put him in a difficult position. "You haven't visited Shou Kang Palace since you returned to the palace, have you? Go while it's still early. Your grandmother is worried about you. Remember to prepare all your favorite dishes for you when you come back tonight."
...
Hongzhao had a very busy day. He went from Shou Kang Palace back to Yong Shou Palace, ate dinner, and then went back to Yangxin Hall to rest in the evening. The next morning, Hongzhao dressed himself up carefully, just as his father had told him in the carriage.
Even after arriving at court, he still stood in the very front position, but for some reason, he was not as calm as usual, as if something big was about to happen.
Yinzhen did not wait for the officials to report, but instead spoke directly as soon as he arrived.
"The Imperial Noble Consort contributed greatly to the pacification of Prince Dun's affairs and suffered many grievances for my sake. This can be considered as a contribution to the country. In addition, the Imperial Noble Consort has three sons and one daughter, which is helpful to the imperial lineage. I intend to confer the title of Empress upon the Imperial Noble Consort Lü Jia."
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
The establishment of an empress is a major event in any dynasty, and the people below immediately began to discuss it.
The most emotional of them all was Lü Jiawenzhong. When his family first sent their daughter to the Prince's Mansion, it wasn't to seek any promotion or title. It was because the then Consort De had heard from somewhere that the sisters in this Lady Lü's family were all fertile and mostly boys. That's why she chose to send their daughter to the Prince's Mansion to have children for Prince Yong.
She had thought that her daughter would live a peaceful and wealthy life in the Prince's mansion after giving birth to twins, which would have been quite good. But who would have thought that Prince Yong, who had been biding his time for so many years, would actually ascend the throne.
His daughter rose to the rank of Consort, then Imperial Noble Consort, Crown Prince, Princess, and so on—one child after another, each one overwhelming Lü Jiawenzhong with a mix of joy and worry. Now, the Emperor even intends to make her Empress! That's the position of the Empress Dowager! Could it be that the Lü Jia family will soon become a clan of empresses?
"The matter of establishing an empress is of great importance, and we hope Your Majesty will reconsider!" After a brief moment of commotion, someone finally stood up and spoke.
Hongzhao looked down and saw that the person standing at the back looked to be of low rank, and seemed to be... from the Ulanara family.
Hongzhao turned to look at his father's face and, unsurprisingly, saw the coldness and scrutiny in his eyes.
The servants below, oblivious to the situation, loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, this humble subject believes that the matter of establishing an empress should be discussed at length, because..."
The reason is not something that can be figured out in a short time. One possibility is that the son is young and the mother is powerful. However, the Crown Prince has already established himself in terms of competence and conduct, and Lady Lü has never interfered in court affairs. Even her maternal family was elevated by the Emperor, and now she's essentially a figurehead with no real power.
However, his family mission told him that he still had to bite the bullet and say, "Although the Imperial Noble Consort is helpful for having offspring, what the Empress wants is to benefit the six palaces with virtue. I believe that the Imperial Noble Consort cannot compare to the late Empress in this regard."
His words were cryptic; he only mentioned the late empress, but Ulanara had produced two empresses in this dynasty, so no one could say which one he was referring to. Even Yinzhen remained silent for a long time after hearing this.
In his heart, no one could compare to Chun Yuan. If he could, he would even like to follow the example of the late emperor and not establish an empress. However, he wanted his son Hong Zhao to be the legitimate son, a legitimate son properly recorded in the family genealogy, so that he would not have the awkward and difficult status he had when he was young and was fostered under the care of Empress Xiaoyiren.
He even considered adopting Hongzhao's imperial genealogy into Chun Yuan's family. After all, he was the reincarnation of their second prince, and Chun Yuan would surely be overjoyed to hear their child call her "Mother."
But then I thought, besides Hongzhao, the Imperial Noble Consort has two other sons. If Hongzhao were to be adopted out and watch his mother and younger brother being affectionate every day, how would that be any different from when I was watching Consort De and the Fourteenth Prince?
After much deliberation, the only option left was to elevate the Imperial Noble Consort to the rank of Empress.
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