Her children ranged in age from eleven to six, so Su Yushan had never considered these issues. "The children are too young; it seems inappropriate to bestow titles upon them."
“Princes cannot be granted titles before they reach adulthood, which is a rule established by the imperial family. However, there is no strict rule for princesses, so I plan to grant Rong Yu a title.”
In fact, Hongli had this idea all along, but he had been preoccupied with Hongxi's matter in recent months and had not had the time, which delayed it.
This is a good opportunity to bestow a title upon my daughter.
Logically, Su Yushan, being a Noble Consort, should only be granted the title of Princess Heshuo, as her illegitimate daughter was only entitled to. Su Yushan thought that Princess Heshuo was fine enough, but Hongli did not think so. He planned to grant Rongyu the title of Princess Gulun.
“The status of a princess is even more noble, and our precious daughter should naturally receive the best.”
Upon hearing this, Su Yushan was quite surprised. "But the title of Princess Gulun is reserved for the daughter of the Empress! Rong Yu is not a legitimate daughter, so it is probably inappropriate to give her this title."
“What’s inappropriate about it? She’s my only daughter, and she’s very precious to me! In my eyes, she’s no different from a legitimate daughter.”
She understood Hongli's thoughts, but Su Yushan knew even better that this was not an easy matter. "I know you care about Rongyu, but this matter is of utmost importance. The Empress and the Empress Dowager will definitely not agree, saying that it violates ancestral rules."
"Even if I were to bestow upon you the title of Imperial Concubine, it would still violate ancestral rules. If everything were to be based on ancestral rules, how much injustice would you and your son have to endure?"
Hongli had made up his mind and tried to persuade Yushan not to be afraid, but Yushan couldn't dissuade him and became even more melancholy.
"I just don't want to put you in a difficult position. Rong Yu is still young, and her title is not important. As long as you treat her well, I will be content."
Gently smoothing the stray hairs by her temples and pinching her earlobe, Hongli chuckled and coaxed, "Don't worry, I have a way to resolve this."
He insisted, so Su Yushan stopped trying to persuade him. "Alright then! You decide what to do. If it really doesn't work, don't force it. I won't mind."
Since he had made the promise, Hongli had to keep it no matter what; he couldn't let Yushan down.
However, this matter is not urgent and should be made public after Hongxi is executed.
The day before his execution, Hongxi sent another message, saying he wanted to see Hongli.
This time, Hongli did not refuse and agreed to meet him.
The guards escorted Hongxi from the Imperial Clan Court to the palace. He was bound in shackles, had a full beard, and looked haggard, a stark contrast to his previous appearance.
When he met the emperor, he refused to kneel and pay his respects. The guards ordered him to kneel, but he remained motionless, his eyes full of arrogance.
Seeing his disheveled appearance, Hongli was too lazy to bother arguing with him about these rules.
"When your head hits the ground, you'll naturally kneel down. What's the use of being tough now?"
Hongxi was full of schemes, but he never expected that after waiting for so long, he would end up in such a state before he could even truly rebel!
"If one is born without a shred of backbone, what is the point of living?"
If others had said these words, Hongli might have felt admiration, but when Hongxi said them, Hongli only felt ashamed.
"Did your grandfather ever teach you that as a human being, you should remember the proper etiquette between ruler and subject and abide by your duties? Yet you murdered your own brother, and you still have the nerve to talk about backbone? How can you be worthy of being a descendant of the Aisin Gioro clan for such despicable and shameless behavior?"
Looking at the gleaming dragon throne before him, Hongxi couldn't help but think that he was the one who truly deserved to sit on it!
“I was originally the son of the Crown Prince. If nothing unexpected happens, the throne should be mine. You father and son are hypocrites. You said you would give me a princely title, but what did you do? You banished me to the outskirts of the city and made me live in the suburbs year-round, with no freedom of movement.”
The capital city is my home! Yet I can only return once a month. Is this what you father and son call benevolence? You are clearly abusing me; you are driving me to my death!
How dare such a wicked person feel wronged? Where does he get the nerve?
"Look at what happened to the Eighth Imperial Uncle. He has been stripped of his title and clan name by the Imperial Clan Court and has nothing left. Meanwhile, you have a royal mansion, a royal title, and live a life of luxury. You are still not satisfied and what more do you want?"
Hongxi spat and dismissed it with disdain.
“I’ve had this kind of life since I was a child, I don’t care about it! What do royal children want? Of course, it’s supreme power and status! You don’t give me any official position and keep me trapped in the mansion all day long. My life is bleak and hopeless. What’s the point?”
"So you want to take a gamble?" What's wrong with going all in? Not every desperate gamble will yield the desired outcome.
"You've seen the result. Since you don't cherish everything you had before, then I'll show you what true darkness is!"
"Since ancient times, the victor is king and the loser is villain, so I have nothing to say. But don't forget Grandfather's last will. If you dare to kill me, how will you explain it to Grandfather when you get to the afterlife?"
Even facing certain death, Hongxi still had the leisure to threaten him. He chuckled and looked at Hongli with disdain, offering a friendly reminder:
"Instead of wasting your time on this, you should think about how you'll explain to your grandfather your collusion with the Heaven and Earth Society when you reach the Bridge of Helplessness. Anyway, you'll be the one going down first, so don't worry about what I do."
He knew perfectly well that Hongli would not change his mind, and that his desire to see him today was merely to vent his emotions. However, Hongli's words were barbed, leaving him speechless.
The matter was already settled and could not be changed. Hongxi only hated that his father was too impatient. If only he had waited a little longer, wouldn't the throne have been his?
He was the rightful heir to the throne, and thus he wouldn't have lost to Hongli and suffered such a tragic end!
We are all of the same origin, why should we fight each other so fiercely? Hongli did not want things to come to this point with Hongxi, but since Hongxi was ruthless first, he should not blame Hongli for taking such drastic measures!
There was no point in exchanging words, so Hongli refused to talk to him anymore and ordered his men to take him back to the Imperial Clan Court.
On the tenth day of the second month of the fourth year of the Qianlong reign, Prince Li, Hongxi, was stripped of his title for treason and sentenced to immediate execution!
With this, the thorn in Hongli's heart was finally removed.
However, even after resolving this issue, there are still other headaches to come.
Previously, Hongzhou told the Empress Dowager that he did not invite her back to the palace because of Hongxi. Now that the matter of Hongxi has been resolved, Hongli has no reason not to invite her back.
Left with no other choice, Hongli could only send the Empress to Changchun Garden to bring the Empress Dowager back to the palace.
After the Empress Dowager returned to the palace, Hongli went to pay his respects to her. The Empress Dowager knew that her son had been working very hard recently because of Hongxi's matter, so she did not blame him anymore.
Hongli then brought up the matter of wanting to bestow the title of Princess Gulun upon Rongyu. Upon hearing this, the Empress, who was sitting to the side, frowned and suddenly became furious!
Rong Yu was born out of wedlock, so why was she granted the title of Princess Gulun?
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