This was the first time Su Yushan had dressed so formally since entering the manor. The outfit was impressive, but the attire was extremely complicated.
Changyue couldn't understand these decorations at all by herself, such as the gold sash, collar sash, betrothal sash, and palace sash. In the end, it was the old nanny who had worked in the palace who gave her some pointers, and only then was she able to dress up properly.
Noticing that Hongli's gaze was fixed on her, Su Yushan felt inexplicably guilty. "Is something wrong?"
She was worried that if her attire was inappropriate, she would be ridiculed, as she was going to enter the palace later.
Hongli laughed and shook his head, as if admiring a painting, his eyes filled with undisguised delight. "It fits perfectly, so beautiful that it's hard to look away. Do you like it?"
The crown and robe, woven and inlaid with so many gold and silver threads and precious jewels, are intricate and heavy, especially the huge pearl, which shines brightly and is dazzling!
In the past, Hongli had collected pearls for her, but as a concubine, she was not entitled to wear them and could only keep them as collectibles. Now that she has been promoted to secondary consort, she is still not entitled to wear pearls every day, but only when she enters the palace to express her gratitude today.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she knew very well that all of this was something Hongli had gone to great lengths to obtain for her. Su Yushan felt grateful, smiled gently, and nodded.
"I like it, but the robes are a bit too heavy."
For someone wearing the imperial robes for the first time, this attire was indeed quite heavy. Smoothing the coral beads around her neck, Hongli smiled and advised:
"Wear it for only one day. You can take it off after you leave the palace. Just bear with it for a while."
In reality, she was just saying it casually; this little thing was nothing compared to Hongli's feelings.
After dressing up and everything was ready, Su Yushan followed Hongli out of the mansion and headed towards the palace.
She still remembered the first time she entered the palace, she was taken away by the eunuchs of Consort Xi. At that time, she was nervous and worried that something would happen, and she had no mind to appreciate the scenery around her. This time she entered the palace to express her gratitude. Although she was still nervous, she was more relaxed and dared to look at the scenery around her.
Blue sky reflects red walls, and yellow glazed tiles add a touch of solemnity to the historical scene.
After walking for quite some time, she belatedly realized a problem: "Why are there palaces and roads all around, but no trees?"
But Hongli explained, "It's to prevent water damage and assassination attempts. There are very few forests around here, only large areas of flowers and trees in the Imperial Garden."
So that's how it is! Su Yushan had never thought of this before. Only today did she realize that the palace's methods for preventing assassins were truly simple and brutal! Without trees to provide cover, everything was exposed, making it difficult for assassins to hide.
The weather was warm today, and an occasional breeze blew by, causing the pearls and jade she wore to tinkle.
As she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard Hongli call her name.
"Yushan, do you know? I've always had a wish, to be able to walk side by side with you on the palace path with its red walls and glazed tiles, just like right now, and declare to the world that you are the woman I cherish most!"
I wanted to give you the best of everything in the world, to make you a woman envied by all. But for now, I can only offer you the position of a concubine. In the future… if the opportunity arises, I will give you something even better!
He seemed to be hinting that he would grant her a higher rank after he ascended the throne, but she didn't care about that. Besides, they were in the palace now, and even though only Li Yu and Demin were with her, some things were inconvenient to say openly. She looked at him and smiled happily.
"I like anything you give me, no matter what it is."
The bright sunlight shone on the two of them, making the golden dragon patterns on their auspicious robes gleam. They smiled at each other and walked slowly forward, like a perfect match made in heaven.
The road to the palace was long, and Hongli was worried that she couldn't bear it, so he asked her if she was tired.
Wearing high heels was a little tiring for her feet, but not too badly, and she could still manage. She smiled and shook her head.
"It's okay, I'm not too tired."
Hongli deliberately slowed his pace, and the two continued walking forward. First, they went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to express their gratitude for the Emperor's favor, and then they went to the Jingren Palace to pay their respects to Consort Xi.
From the very beginning, Consort Xi disliked Lady Su, simply because the usually obedient Hongli repeatedly disobeyed her and clashed with her because of this woman.
Unfortunately, Lady Su was fortunate enough to give birth to two sons in a row. Now, Hongli wanted to promote Lady Su to the rank of secondary consort, and the emperor had agreed. Consort Xi had nothing to say and could only comply with the emperor's wishes. According to the rules, she rewarded Lady Su with some jewels and brocades, and at the end, she did not forget to give her instructions:
"From now on, you will be a concubine in the Prince's mansion, a position of great importance. Many eyes are watching you! You must behave properly and remember not to be presumptuous or monopolize his favor, lest you cause trouble."
Su Yushan thought to herself that the most outrageous thing she had ever done was run away from home seven years ago. Since she came back, she had been very well-behaved and had not left the house for a long time. It was others who were plotting against her behind her back. She had never harmed anyone or caused any trouble.
However, in Consort Xi's view, all those troubles were because she had monopolized Hongli's affections and tried to gain exclusive favor, which aroused people's hatred and led to their plot against her.
Such logic was truly bizarre, but today was, after all, a joyous occasion, and Su Yushan, not wanting to displease Consort Xi, did not refute it. However, Hongli heard everything clearly, and he could not tolerate it. His smile faded, and he spoke bluntly.
"It is my freedom to favor whomever I want. Jealousy is a great taboo in the harem, and you, Mother, know this best. They harbored hatred out of jealousy and plotted to harm and frame Yu Shan. Instead of punishing them, you thought it was Yu Shan's fault."
What did she do wrong? Was she wrong for enduring the hardship of pregnancy and bearing children for me? If that's wrong, then Mother, would you be happy if I were childless and had no descendants?
The last sentence ignited a fire within Consort Xi, who angrily rebuked, her finger trembling, "What kind of talk is this? On such a joyous day, how can one curse oneself?"
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