Emperor Qianlong lived a long life, but Su's lifespan was only half of his. How could she have lived a lifetime?
Noticing that she was somewhat distracted, Hongli called her twice before she came back to her senses. "Huh? What did you say?"
Hongli sensed that her expression was serious and something was wrong. "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
Su Yushan lowered her head sadly, "I'm thinking, life is unpredictable. What if... what if I get some illness and pass away before you?"
"How could that be? There are so many imperial physicians in the palace. No matter what illness you have, I will have them cure you."
Imperial physicians are indeed more knowledgeable and skilled than ordinary doctors, but they are not gods and cannot cure all diseases!
She suddenly felt a pang of emotion, and Hongli couldn't help but worry. He held her hand tightly and asked, "Why did you suddenly feel this way? Are you feeling unwell?"
Su Yushan used to not care much about life and death. She always felt that death was like thunder in the sky, which was terrible but very far away.
But she's about to turn twenty-nine, and after that she'll be thirty.
Thirty is like a watershed moment. Once you reach this age, you unconsciously begin to care about the flow of life.
If she didn't know what would happen next, she wouldn't be afraid. But she knew what would happen later and knew that the original owner of this body was not a long-lived person, so she couldn't help but worry.
But she couldn't tell Hongli about those things, so she could only make up an excuse: "I'm not uncomfortable, I'm fine, it's just that I'm extra sensitive because of my pregnancy and I tend to overthink things."
Being pregnant is indeed tough, with too many restrictions. You can't drink alcohol, eat many foods, ride a horse, or move around easily. Once life becomes monotonous and boring, people are prone to anxiety.
Hongli had been watching all along and was very grateful for her efforts. He also hoped that she could be freed from this predicament soon.
"Hang in there for a few more months, and the baby will be born after the New Year. Then you'll have some free time."
To cheer her up, Hongli specifically told her about his plans.
Su Jiafeng has been in Suzhou for two years. He has discovered many problems in the Suzhou officialdom and made reforms tailored to local conditions, which can be considered quite successful. Hongli plans to transfer him back to the capital. However, the issuance of the document will take time, and there are many accounts in various prefectures and provinces that need to be checked at the end of the year. Suzhou is also far away and travel is inconvenient in winter, so he cannot leave before the end of the year and will have to wait until spring to set off for the capital.
The thought of her younger brother returning to the capital brightened Su Yushan's eyes. "They'll set off in the spring. By the time they come back, I should have finished my postpartum confinement!"
Su Yushan couldn't help but feel a little hopeful. "I haven't seen Jiafeng and my sister-in-law for three years. When they come back, I want to see them. Is that alright?"
She rarely made requests of him, and when she did, she was always very careful with her words, probably because she felt it was against palace rules and she was afraid of making things difficult for him!
Hongli immediately dispelled her concerns, "Of course you can. The families of the imperial concubines can enter the palace to visit. Since your parents are no longer here, Jiafeng and Yuchan are your closest relatives, so you can enter the palace to visit them."
It would be great to be able to meet them. Counting the days, there are still a few months left, but she can't help but look forward to seeing her family!
After recounting this matter, Su Yushan felt better and began to eat dinner again.
The next day, during court, Hongli ordered Li Yu to read the imperial edict aloud in the hall, promoting Consort Chun, née Su, to Imperial Noble Consort Chun!
The imperial edict caused an uproar among the officials! Even Su Mingfeng was astonished. He knew that the emperor doted on his sister, but he thought that the rank of Consort was the highest. He never expected that the emperor would promote Yu Shan again!
This would certainly displease the court officials.
As he expected, the senior officials in the palace began to raise objections, saying that since the Empress was still alive, other concubines could not be promoted to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort.
Hongli had heard enough of this cliché. When the ministers brought up palace rules, Hongli brought up imperial offspring, saying that Lady Su had already borne him four children, a great achievement worthy of being promoted beyond the usual rules!
The most opposed was Ortai, after all, Consort Chun's brother, Su Mingfeng, was Zhang Tingyu's son-in-law!
Now that he and Zhang Tingyu are evenly matched, if Su is promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, wouldn't Zhang Tingyu be even more powerful?
Furthermore, there should not have been an Imperial Noble Consort while the Empress was alive. Ortai would not have agreed to this, both for public and private reasons.
No matter how much his courtiers argued, Hongli maintained the same attitude.
Even the Empress Dowager couldn't change his mind, let alone these court officials.
Since the emperor insisted on this, Zhang Tingyu naturally had to stand on the Su family's side, follow the emperor's wishes, and support the emperor's promotion to the rank of Consort Chun.
Zhang Tingyu was a veteran of three reigns, and when he spoke, most of the court officials fell silent.
Only his arch-rival, Ortai, had objections. Ortai wanted to say more, but Hongli simply announced the end of the court session, too lazy to listen to his rambling.
The imperial edict had been issued, but Hongli was merely announcing it to everyone; he was not consulting with them.
After the emperor left the court, the officials gradually withdrew from the hall. Ortai stormed off, flung his sleeves, and left first. Those with a keen eye began to approach Su Mingfeng to strike up a conversation.
Su Mingfeng was not complacent about his sister's promotion; on the contrary, he was worried that his sister would be resented because of it.
The Imperial Noble Consort's rank has already threatened the Empress's position, but it is unknown whether the Empress will plot against Yu Shan.
Although her younger sister is deeply favored in the palace, she is often targeted by treacherous people. Su Mingfeng is very worried about her safety and only hopes that the emperor will protect her and prevent her from falling into danger again.
Hongli originally intended to return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, but he discovered that Ortai had not gone to the Grand Council but had followed him. Presumably wanting to persuade him again, Hongli changed course and went to the Jingren Palace. He then instructed Wang Jinbao to bring all the memorials from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, deciding to go to the Jingren Palace to review them.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
