Yu Ying was deeply troubled, but she did not say it outright, because she was certain that the Empress Dowager would not agree without her speaking up.
As expected, the Empress Dowager's face stiffened upon hearing this. "Emperor, did you bring me back just to make me unhappy? Your decision to make Lady Su a Noble Consort was against the rules, and I turned a blind eye to it. Now you want to bestow the title of Princess Gulun upon her daughter!"
She's just an illegitimate daughter; the title of Heshuo Princess is sufficient. You mustn't make any exceptions for her and her mother, lest outsiders gossip again.”
Hongli secretly admired Yushan's accurate guess, as she had almost perfectly guessed the Empress Dowager's thoughts. "Empress Mother, I only have one daughter, so naturally I must treat her well."
"If you visit other palaces more often, you won't have few children."
He knew that the Empress Dowager's return to the palace was never good news; he would have to listen to her nagging again. Hongli's brows furrowed, his expression clearly impatient.
"You know perfectly well that I have no such intention, so why bother to say anything more?"
The Empress Dowager didn't want to repeat herself in the same old, tired tale.
"Let's put those things aside for now. What we're talking about now is Rong Yu's title. The title of Princess Gulun is reserved for the Empress's legitimate daughters. The Empress is still here, yet you, Your Majesty, want to bestow the title of Princess Gulun upon your illegitimate daughter. Where does that leave the Empress's dignity?"
Hongli glanced at Yuying and deliberately flattered her, "The Empress is virtuous and magnanimous, she shouldn't mind, right?"
Yu Ying was certainly bothered, but she couldn't say so. She could only force a smile and reply, "Your Majesty and Empress Dowager can decide for you. I have no objection."
The Empress Dowager sighed inwardly, thinking how weak the Empress was; she didn't even dare to utter a harsh word, and the Empress Dowager had to be the one to make the decisions.
“She doesn’t mind because she’s kind-hearted and doesn’t want to argue with you. You can’t push your luck and always ignore the Empress’s feelings.”
Tired of listening to clichés, Hongli solemnly offered his excuse:
“Your Majesty, you are unaware of this, but the Darhan King intends to form a marriage alliance and wants Rongyu to marry his son. Since a marriage alliance is necessary, Rongyu’s status must be even more noble in order to deter the Mongols.”
The marriage alliance was indeed a major event, and the Empress Dowager could not easily refuse. However, she still felt it was against protocol. Considering the Empress's situation, the Empress Dowager immediately had an idea.
"The Empress has no children. Let Rongyu be registered under the Empress's name and raised by the Empress. In this way, Rongyu can be rightfully granted the title of Princess Gulun."
How could that be? “Rong Yu has been raised by Yu Shan since she was a child. They have a deep bond between mother and daughter, so there is no need for her to be raised by someone else.”
"If the Su family wants to secure a more prestigious title for their daughter, then some sacrifices are necessary!"
If Yu Shan really had this idea, she should have brought it up long ago. Why wait until now? "This move is not Su's idea, but my own."
The Empress Dowager didn't believe her son because he always defended Su Yushan.
"Anyway, it was already agreed upon by the two of you, so there's no difference. In short, I'll say it again: if you want to bestow the title of Princess Gulun, then the Empress should raise her. The Empress is Rongyu's legal mother, and any child of any concubine in the palace belongs to her. If Lady Su is unwilling, then there's no point in discussing it!"
Yu Ying was very grateful for the Empress Dowager's consideration for her, but she knew very well that Rong Yu was Hongli's darling and that Hongli would definitely not agree to let Rong Yu be raised by her.
However, to Yu Ying's surprise, Hongli remained silent for a moment, then actually nodded.
"Alright, then we'll do as Mother Empress says."
The Empress Dowager was prepared to be rejected by her son, but he suddenly agreed.
The Empress Dowager and the Empress looked at each other in surprise, both thinking they had misheard, but Hongli had indeed agreed!
That's strange. Why would he agree? Could it be that Su Yushan was willing to give her daughter away to be raised by someone else so that her daughter could obtain the title of Princess Gulun?
This is not the Su Yushan style that Yu Ying remembers!
The Empress Dowager didn't think too much about it; as long as Hongli agreed, she wouldn't stop him.
When Hongli told Su Yushan about this, Su Yushan showed no joy; instead, she frowned and couldn't understand Hongli's actions.
“I’ve said before that this doesn’t matter. I won’t force you. If Rong Yu can’t be a Princess Gulun, then she won’t be. I can’t hand the child over to the Empress to raise just because of a title!”
Hongli understood her thoughts perfectly. "I know you can't bear to let your daughter leave your side."
"Since you knew, you should have helped me refuse. Why did you agree?" The Empress already harbored prejudice against her and Yonghuang. If Rong Yu stayed by the Empress's side, how could the Empress possibly treat her kindly? Even if she were treated kindly, Su Yushan could not accept the separation of mother and daughter.
Anxious Yu Shan solemnly declared, her eyes red and her voice trembling, "I do not agree to this. I will never hand Rong Yu over to someone else to raise!"
Seeing that she was almost in tears, Hongli dared not hide anything any longer and truthfully revealed his thoughts.
"Yushan, let me finish what I have to say. I understand your attitude perfectly well. I can't really hand my daughter over to the Empress. Your agreement is just a temporary measure. I have my own way to resolve this."
"What method?" Yu Shan stared at him suspiciously, afraid that he was just trying to coax her, but seeing Hongli's bright eyes, he smiled slyly and whispered a few words in her ear.
Upon hearing this, Yu Shan was quite surprised. "Is this feasible? Will the Empress Dowager believe it?"
"She will believe me, don't worry, I've made all the necessary preparations."
"So you had this planned all along. Why didn't you make it clear earlier?"
Hongli cried out that he was wronged, "I hadn't finished speaking when you interrupted me. I didn't even have a chance to speak!"
"Who told you to speak so haltingly? I thought you were finished!" Yu Shan felt rather embarrassed, then whispered softly.
"Okay! I misunderstood you. I apologize. Please don't be angry with me, okay?"
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