Hongli couldn't understand his mother's thoughts at all.
“Empress Mother, why do you insist on disagreeing with your son? Is it only by making things difficult for Yushan that you can be happy? Other mothers hope that their sons’ families are harmonious, but you insist on making trouble, ignoring your son’s attitude and only caring about your own ideas.”
The Empress Dowager immediately denied it, clarifying solemnly, "I do indeed dislike the Su family, but I made this decision not because of personal grudges, but based on palace rules and family laws."
Back then, Consort Qi gave birth to three sons, but after entering the palace, she was only given the rank of Consort. It should be noted that the selection of a Noble Consort was extremely rigorous, and Lady Gao clearly had a greater advantage than Lady Su.
"Gao's so-called advantage lies in having a good father, but she has no children and has no contribution to the continuation of the family line. Based on this alone, she cannot be compared with Yushan at all!"
The Empress Dowager replied matter-of-factly, "The child will come eventually, as long as you are willing to give her a chance."
"There's no chance I'll get, not in this lifetime!" Hongli didn't even bother to pretend, coldly retorting, "That's my private matter, no need for Your Majesty to concern yourself with it."
These remarks enraged the Empress Dowager, who slammed her hand on the table and scoffed, "The Emperor belongs to the nation and has no private matters to speak of. Every word and action of yours is closely related to the country and its people, and you must not act arbitrarily."
"She has no ability to capture my attention; that's her own problem!"
He refuted every word the Empress Dowager spoke, infuriating her to the point of rage. Left speechless, she simply changed the subject.
"We can discuss this matter later. The most urgent task is to promote the women in the harem. The court officials are watching! If you delay issuing the edict, they will definitely gossip behind your back. I have already taken a step back and promoted Lady Su by one rank. You should also take a step back and resolve this matter quickly. Focusing on state affairs is the right thing to do."
In fact, after returning, Hongli had also thought it over carefully. It was indeed difficult to convince the public to give Yushan the title of Noble Consort now. This was his personal desire, but in the end it was not in accordance with the rules. He did not have a legitimate reason. First of all, he could not get past the hurdle of family background. He had to continue to plan.
The Empress Dowager's mention of a concubine rank at least granted the qualification to raise children. After much deliberation, Hongli spoke:
"Yu Shan can be a concubine, but I have one condition: Gao Shi cannot be promoted to the rank of Noble Consort, only to the rank of Consort. If Your Majesty agrees, I will have no objection."
Apart from Yu Ying being the legal wife, which is unchangeable, no other woman should even think about surpassing Su Yu Shan. This is Hongli's bottom line!
The son had already laid out the conditions, leaving the Empress Dowager with no choice. If she refused again, the matter would be delayed further. Left with no other option, the Empress Dowager had to agree and immediately ordered someone to amend the edict.
Hongli felt guilty for not being able to keep his promise to Yushan, so he made a special trip to Xianfu Palace to explain the situation to her beforehand.
Su Yushan was not angry. She had no objection to the outcome. "As long as I can still raise my child on my own, that's fine. The position of Imperial Concubine is indeed too high and not suitable for me."
“Why is she not suitable?” In Hongli’s view, only Su Yushan was worthy of the title of Imperial Concubine. “I couldn’t give you the position of principal wife, but I should at least make you an Imperial Concubine.”
Su Yushan smiled gently, took the initiative to hug him, nestled in his arms, and said softly:
"But you have only just ascended the throne and there are too many things to deal with. Let's put the matter of your promotion aside for now, so that the Empress Dowager won't see me as a thorn in her side again."
The more she thought of him, the more Hongli felt guilty towards her. He hugged her tightly and whispered, "This is just an imperial edict. The investiture ceremony cannot be held during the mourning period. It must wait until the mourning period ends."
The mourning period is generally three years, "which means after three years?"
Hongli corrected him, "The mourning period is twenty-seven months, which is more than two years. Within these two years, I will try to find a way to promote you to another rank when you are officially conferred your title."
Hongli was not satisfied with just the rank of concubine; he would continue to pave the way for her. Su Yushan closed her eyes and nodded.
"Whatever you say, you can arrange it."
In the matter of her promotion, she remained passive, as the power lay with Hongli and the Empress Dowager. Therefore, she did not interfere and left it to Hongli to handle.
If both mother and son back down, the edict of promotion can be issued.
Yu Ying was naturally made empress. Su Yushan always thought that Kunning Palace was the empress's bedroom. It wasn't until she entered the palace that she realized that Kunning Palace was only used for ceremonies and sacrifices.
The wedding ceremony of the emperor and empress would be held in Kunning Palace. However, Hongli had already married before he ascended the throne. Now, Kunning Palace is only used for shamanic rituals and is not inhabited.
Yu Ying chose Changchun Palace simply because her residence with Hongli in Yuanmingyuan was Changchun Xianguan. She liked the name Changchun, which symbolized vitality, and therefore did not want to change it.
Lan Rong was granted the title of Consort Xian and resided in Xianfu Palace, while Su Yushan was granted the title of Consort Chun. Hongli specially arranged for her to move out of Xianfu Palace and reside in Jingren Palace.
Jingren Palace was originally the residence of the Empress Dowager. Now that the Empress Dowager is moving to Cining Palace, Jingren Palace has become vacant. The Empress Dowager originally planned to have Gao Xiuwen live in Jingren Palace, but unexpectedly, Hongli first arranged for Su Yushan to stay there.
Kao Hsiu-wen could only live in the Chung Tsui Palace next door. She didn't care where she lived, but she did care about her status.
The Empress Dowager had given her instructions early on, promising her the title of Noble Consort. But now the imperial edict says Consort Rong. Gao Xiuwen couldn't help but wonder if the Empress Dowager was just making empty promises, or if the Emperor was unwilling to give her the title of Noble Consort.
She had no idea of the real answer, nor could she ask the Empress Dowager; she could only accept the outcome with a heavy heart.
She thought that there was still a long road ahead, and as long as she could win the Empress Dowager's favor, she would definitely have a chance to be promoted in the future.
Xi Lan and Chen Gege were neither favored nor from prominent families, and were both given the title of Changzai. Fortunately, Xi Lan was carefree and Chen Gege was indifferent, neither caring about their rank. In their view, as long as they had a place to stay, that was enough.
As for Kim Min-jung, although she was no longer alive, she was still Hongli's woman. The Empress Dowager intended to posthumously grant her a title, but Hongli, mindful of Kim Min-jung's betrayal, refused to give her any title. The Empress Dowager simply said it was inappropriate.
"Outsiders don't know about that matter. If you don't posthumously confer a title on her, it will definitely cause controversy. Anyway, she's gone now. Giving her a title is just to save face for the royal family."
Later, Hongli discussed this matter with Yushan. Yushan had no objection. The person was already dead, and the enmity should be put to rest. The name after death was of little significance, so she did not interfere.
In the end, Hongli agreed to posthumously confer the title of Noble Lady Jia on Jin Minjing. As for Princess Fucha, since Hongli had already ascended the throne, it would be improper to keep her confined to a separate courtyard. Therefore, Hongli brought her into the palace, gave her the title of Attendant at random, and continued to keep her under house arrest.
After her title was confirmed, the Empress Dowager felt at ease and moved to Cining Palace.
When he had some free time, Hongli went to Jingren Palace to visit Su Yushan and chatted about this matter. "Do you know why I chose this place as your bedroom?"
Su Yushan was genuinely unaware of this matter and curiously pressed him for the reason.
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