Considering the consequences, the Empress Dowager worried that her son would act recklessly and ultimately dared not take the risk, choosing to compromise. However, she was only willing to issue an edict; the investiture ceremony would have to wait until Su Yushan gave birth to her son.
What Emperor Qianlong wanted was the imperial edict; once the edict was issued, the investiture ceremony would be inevitable.
Furthermore, the imperial concubine's auspicious robes would take several months to sew, and Yu Shan is currently pregnant. If she were to attend the investiture ceremony, she would inevitably suffer. It would be better to wait until after the New Year to hold the investiture ceremony.
After the discussion, Hongli took his leave. The Empress Dowager suddenly regretted agreeing to his request. But if she did not agree, it would be too late to regret it if he did something outrageous!
For now, it seems that only he can temporarily bestow the title of Imperial Noble Consort upon Lady Su.
When Hongli returned to Jingren Palace, the sun had already set. He looked rather unwell. Su Yushan, seeing this, guessed the outcome. She assumed that the Empress Dowager did not agree to depose the Empress, and he was frustrated because he had not gotten his way.
Knowing he was unhappy, Su Yushan didn't ask. She invited him to sit down and eat, but he took the initiative to speak.
“Yushan, I just spoke with the Empress Dowager, and she does not agree to depose the Empress.”
Su Yushan smiled indifferently, without a trace of disappointment on her face. She smiled faintly and said, "It's normal! She certainly wouldn't agree. It would be strange if the Empress Dowager agreed!"
Gazing into her calm, still eyes, Hongli couldn't help but ask, "Don't you have even a sliver of expectation?"
Su Yushan put down her soup spoon, her eyes flashing with surprise. "What am I expecting? In my opinion, it doesn't matter whether the empress is deposed or not! There's no difference."
But he wanted her to have some hope, "Didn't you say that your dream was to be my wife?"
He kept those words in his heart, and although they were difficult to realize, he never let go of any opportunity.
She did say those words, but a dream is just a dream; it can't stand the light of day.
“But the palace rules are there, Han people cannot be empresses. I knew that a long time ago, so I won’t have any expectations. As long as you are good to me and the children, that’s enough.”
She was always so rational, unwilling to put pressure on him, but he wanted to give her something better.
"I can't give you the position of Empress, but I can give you the position of Imperial Noble Consort."
Imperial Noble Consort? That's probably unlikely, isn't it? Remembering what she'd heard before, Su Yushan felt a slight panic.
"But I seem to have heard that only a concubine on her deathbed is promoted to Imperial Noble Consort. Don't curse me, I still want to live a few more years!"
Hongli chuckled helplessly, tapping her nose with his finger. "Of course I hope you live to be a hundred. The rules you've heard about do exist, but you'll always be outside of them. Tomorrow I will issue an edict of promotion, bestowing upon you the title of Imperial Noble Consort!"
She initially thought he was just saying it casually, but seeing how serious his expression was, Su Yushan realized he was serious. Shocked, she subconsciously asked,
"The Empress Dowager probably won't agree, will she?"
Hongli smiled slightly, his expression exceptionally pleased. "She agreed."
"Huh?" Su Yushan's beautiful eyes widened in surprise, and she was very curious about how he had persuaded the Empress Dowager.
“If she doesn’t agree, I’ll depose her. I’ll threaten her with what she fears most, and she’ll give in.”
Speaking of this matter, Hongli was quite confident, as if he had already foreseen the outcome. Su Yushan couldn't help but be surprised.
"Why didn't you tell me beforehand? I had no idea you were going to promote me."
He didn't say it for his own reasons: "I didn't want to tell you before it was done, lest I break my promise and disappoint you."
She was content with everything she had now, Su Yushan smiled gently.
"No matter the outcome, I will not be disappointed. I am already very gratified that you have this intention. It doesn't matter whether I am a Noble Consort or an Imperial Noble Consort, as long as I have a place in your heart."
He not only loved her, but he also wanted to give her all the glory and prestige.
"Even if I can't give you the Empress's position, I want to give you something very special. There are two people with the position of Imperial Noble Consort, and I'm not satisfied with that, so I have to give you something very special—the position of Imperial Noble Consort!"
Although they occasionally had disagreements, Yu Shan could sense that Hongli truly cared about her. He was always quietly arranging everything for her, so whenever he hurt her, she would still remember his kindness and sincerely say to him,
Thank you for considering my case.
Hongli feigned displeasure and gave a light "hmm," saying, "You're being too polite. I'm your man, and it's only right that I do anything for you."
"How can this be considered being too formal?" Su Yushan retorted with a light laugh.
"People should be grateful, because no one is obligated to be nice to you all the time. If there is such a person, you must cherish them."
These words were very pleasing to the ear, and Hongli smiled with satisfaction, "So, you cherish me very much!"
Su Yushan gave a disgruntled snort, "Is that even a question? Can't you feel it?"
Hongli shook his head. "You rarely express your love to me. I can only be sure that you love the children very much. As for me..."
Speaking of himself, he frowned, looking very disappointed. Su Yushan narrowed her eyes and warned him.
"What? Am I not good to you? I often cook for you, and you're still not satisfied?"
“But those dishes aren’t just for me to eat; the kids eat them too, so it’s not like they’re exclusively for me.”
So he cared about these things after all! Su Yushan sighed with a helpless smile, "What exactly constitutes 'exclusive'?"
Hongli pondered for a moment and said, "The kind that only I have, that others don't have."
With a slight pout, Su Yushan chuckled and said, "You have so many requirements! Our fourth child is about to be born, and we've been together for over ten years. What's the point of talking about love and romance now?"
Regarding this matter, Hongli had a different opinion: "Loving you is a lifelong commitment, and it needs to be revisited from time to time."
Although the words were a bit cloying, she was still very happy to hear them. Su Yushan smiled at him and whispered,
"I hope it will last a lifetime..."
"It must be, it's definitely true!" Hongli never doubted this; he firmly believed that he and Yushan would walk hand in hand through this life!
Su Yushan felt uncertain about the future, because she remembered that the historical Su family had not lived long lives, but she didn't know if she could change that person's fate...
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