Su Yushan empathized with Hongli's complex feelings, but she could not let him indulge himself and had to look at the whole thing from an outsider's perspective.
Perhaps he was just angry and said those words in a moment of anger. After he calms down, will he regret his impulsive actions?
After a long silence, Su Yushan walked to his side, took the wine cup from his hand, held his hand, gazed at his eyes, and said softly:
"Hongli, I understand your grievances and indignation. If you were a spoiled prince, it would be fine, but you have lofty ambitions and are highly valued by the Emperor, so naturally the Emperor will be stricter with you. Family affection in the royal family is somewhat weak, but I always believe that the Emperor has feelings for you, he just doesn't know how to express them."
He's just using an extreme method to teach you how to be an emperor. An emperor can have personal feelings, but he shouldn't let them sway him and ruin the affairs of the court. If you insist on making me a secondary consort, even if you're willing to turn against the emperor, I won't be happy even if I reluctantly get this title.
Because I don't want this position to come at the cost of a falling out between you and your father. To me, this is not a cause for celebration, but rather a source of trouble, which would make me feel guilty, remorseful, and uneasy.
Perhaps his emotions were too agitated, startling her. Realizing something was amiss, Hongli's expression softened slightly. He stood up, gently placed his hand on her shoulder, and said in a gentler tone:
"This is my opinion. As a man, you should fight for your woman's place. You don't need to feel pressured."
“Hongli, this is not just polite talk. I am speaking from the heart. More than rank, I care about being of one mind with you.”
Yu Shan's thoughts are simple. She has never asked for anything, but when she likes someone, she always wants to give her the best.
“I know you don’t care about rank, but I do! I can’t live up to my promise to you. Besides, if I compromise this time, Father Emperor will only become more demanding and restrictive in the future!”
She looked up at him for a while, then Su Yushan reached out and wrapped her arms around his narrow waist, burying her face in his chest, closing her eyes to savor the sense of security his embrace provided.
“I understand your intentions, and I have never blamed you. There is plenty of time in the future, so there is no need to dwell on temporary gains and losses. If you want to find yourself again, you cannot do so out of spite. Only by ascending to the highest position will you have a voice. Until then, you can only lie low and compromise. A true man can bend and stretch, and only then can he achieve great things!”
Su Yushan's words of comfort flowed gently like water, soothing and comforting. Hongli was moved and unconsciously embraced her even tighter.
"There's plenty of time... Okay, I'll listen to you. One day, when I have a voice, I won't have to be controlled by others anymore."
With Su Yushan's understanding and comfort, Hongli felt a little better.
The next morning, when it was time to get up and go to the palace, he did not get up and remained lying in his tent.
Su Yushan lazily opened her eyes, glanced out the window, and nudged him, "Time to get up. I think I heard Li Yu's voice."
He turned over, and Hongli, whose eyes were still closed, embraced her, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder, gently inhaling her fragrance, unwilling to move.
"I don't want to get up, I don't want to go to court."
His voice was languid, as if he hadn't woken up yet. Su Yushan smiled and advised, "You had a quarrel with the Emperor yesterday, and you're not going to court today. The Emperor will definitely think you're deliberately trying to spite him."
"I'm just angry, I don't want to go." Although he promised Yu Shan that he would no longer dwell on the matter of the concubine, he was still angry inside.
"If we don't go, the Emperor will become suspicious again." Su Yushan raised her small face and gently rubbed against his neck, like a kitten, docile and clingy, whimpering sweetly.
"Get up!"
Gently stroking her long hair that was loose down her back, Hongli took the opportunity to coax her, "Then give me a kiss."
Helpless, Su Yushan could only gently bite his earlobe, her soft tongue intentionally or unintentionally brushing against it, causing Hongli's breath to falter. He then pulled her into his arms.
"I suddenly don't want to get up anymore, I want to stay with you a little longer..."
"We'll talk about it after you come back from court. Li Yu is already urging you. If you keep fooling around, you'll be late." Su Yushan finally managed to persuade him to leave.
After that, Hongli never mentioned the matter again, nor did Yongzheng. The father and son were unusually in sync, as if that unpleasant incident had never happened.
Ten days later, the selection of imperial concubines was held again. Emperor Yongzheng specially appointed Nara, the daughter of Zuo Ling Nerbu, as a secondary consort of his fourth son, Hongli. At the same time, he issued an edict to promote Gao Bin's daughter, a maid named Gao, to the position of secondary consort.
After Songying was rejected, Su Mingfeng personally visited his teacher, Hanlin Academician Etuhun, to express her feelings.
Etuhun had heard about this before, and couldn't help but sigh, "You are my disciple, and I know your character very well. You should also know that I am not a person who despises the poor and loves the rich."
If you were a Manchu, I would gladly grant your and my daughter's wish. Unfortunately, you are a Han Chinese. The ancestral laws do not allow intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese. If I violate the ancestral rules, the Emperor will immediately dismiss me from my post, and even my sons will be implicated, including you. Your official career will be ruined!
So this isn't just a matter between you and Songying; it concerns the futures of so many people. You can't let your personal feelings distract you from the lives of your families!
Etuhun used the future of his entire family as leverage, repeatedly urging him to give up the idea. Now that things had come to this, what could Su Mingfeng say? He could only ask someone to arrange a meeting with Songying to settle things with her.
Songying insisted that she would not marry anyone else, only Su Mingfeng. If the rules did not allow it, then she would elope with him!
Su Mingfeng also longed to be with her, but reality was too cruel. He was not qualified to marry her at all. If they eloped and were reported, his master would lose his official position, and his sister Yushan would also be caught red-handed. The price of eloping was too high, and Su Mingfeng did not have the courage to try.
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