"Does being family give you the right to hit someone?" Su Yushan retorted unhappily, "According to you, if I do something that upsets you in the future, will you hit me too?"
Hongli immediately felt wronged. "That's a serious matter. When have I ever laid a hand on you? Even back then..." He stopped mid-sentence, realizing his mistake, and quickly changed his words.
“When I was at my angrier, I only said harsh words to you and lost my temper; I never hit you.”
What happened back then would have been difficult for any other man to accept, but to be fair, Hongli was indeed quite tolerant of her.
“If you’re patient with me, can’t you be a little more patient with our daughter? Even parents shouldn’t hit their children. If she did something bad or bullied others, I would teach her a lesson without you having to lift a finger. But she only has objections to this marriage. You shouldn’t hit her. You should reason with her.”
Hongli raised an eyebrow and asked, "You've tried reasoning with her, haven't you? Did she listen?"
Yu Shan, however, believes this is only natural. "Change takes time. It's impossible for her to change her mind immediately after just one sentence, right?"
Hongli knew it would take time, which is why he delayed for three years. "Rongyu's marriage is a matter of great importance concerning the nation and its people; there can be no mistakes. If you speak softly to her, she'll only think there's still room for negotiation. You must be firm to completely dispel her delusions!"
“You can be harsh with her, but you can’t hit her. She’s a girl, very sensitive, unlike boys who are more resilient. She might remember that slap for the rest of her life! If she does something foolish in a moment of impulse, the consequences would be unimaginable!”
The two had different views on raising children, and each had their own reasons. "I can promise you that I will not hit you again, but the marriage is non-negotiable, and we must get engaged immediately!"
Hongli had his concerns, and his daughter had her grievances. Su Yushan could no longer judge who was right and who was wrong. She sighed and turned away without saying anything more, hoping that they would find Rong Yu soon and that nothing would happen to her.
With the princess missing, the guards in the manor became tense.
Fu Qing was the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guards. Normally, he wouldn't need to personally handle such matters; he could simply send his subordinates. However, this time, it was a princess who had gone missing. If anything happened to the princess, they would all be punished. Therefore, Fu Qing personally led a team to search for the princess's whereabouts.
Unlike a palace, which has many buildings but few trees, making it easy to find someone by searching each one, this mountain resort is vast, with lakes, rivers, and forests. If the person cooperates, things will be fine, but if they don't and deliberately hide, they will be very difficult to find.
Fu Qing couldn't rest easy until he could find her. She was not only the princess of the current dynasty, but also Yu Shan's daughter. He was naturally even more concerned and just wanted to find the princess as soon as possible so that Yu Shan wouldn't worry.
Just then, Mingyi and Yonghuang finished their classes and were on their way home when they saw their father searching everywhere. Mingyi, who was passing by, greeted him, but instead of calling him "father," he called him "sir."
Fu Qing responded, and just as he was about to continue the search, he stopped and asked, "First Prince, Third Prince, have you seen the princess?"
The group exchanged bewildered glances and shook their heads. Yonghuang realized something was amiss. "Lord Fu, what happened to my sister? Are you looking for her?"
Fu Qing didn't want to be explicit, but the eldest prince kept pressing him, so he had no choice but to tell the truth: "The princess had a fight with the emperor and ran away from the eunuch in a fit of anger. I'm looking for her."
"What? My elder sister ran away?" Upon hearing this, Yongzhang was so anxious that he paced back and forth, fearing that something had happened to his sister, and he insisted on going to find her together.
Yonghuang and Mingyi were also very worried, and they both went to search for him.
After searching for half an hour without finding her, Mingyi began to recall which places Rongyu liked to visit when they had come to the Summer Palace in the past.
The group split up to search, and after searching three different places, Mingyi finally found her at the Reindeer Slope north of Zhenzi Valley!
In fact, the guards had searched this place earlier, but the slope of Reindeer Hill was very flat at first glance, with only a large area of grass and trees, and no one in sight, so the guards left.
Little did they know, Rong Yu was actually hiding in a tree with dense foliage.
The scenery here is naturally beautiful, with trees and springs that seem otherworldly. Rong Yu loved this place the first time she came to Reindeer Slope. It was Mingyi who led her to climb that tree back then, and they even marked it so he could find her hiding place.
The moment he saw her figure hidden among the branches and leaves, Mingyi breathed a sigh of relief. Agile as he was, he quickly climbed the tree branch and sat down on a thick fork opposite her.
Rong Yu glanced at him, feeling resentful, but quickly looked away. "What are you doing here?"
Mingyi composed himself and took a breath before saying, "They're looking for you! Your sudden disappearance has greatly worried the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine, who are searching everywhere for you."
Such words could not move her. Rong Yu smiled bitterly and said, "They are not worried about me, but only about not having a princess to marry into the Mongol family."
"Don't think like that. The Imperial Noble Consort is your mother. She loves you so much and must genuinely care about your safety."
Rong Yu believed this statement. "My mother is indeed good to me, but she can't make the decisions! She has to listen to my father. My father only cares about politics, the big picture, and the relationship between the Manchus and Mongols. He doesn't care about my feelings at all."
Mingyi is fourteen years old this year. He already understands the situation of the country and the nation. “Marriage is indeed the best bond to maintain the relationship between the Manchus and the Mongols. If the emperor does not marry his daughter to the Mongols, how can the Mongols obediently submit?”
The situation with the Dzungars is already troublesome enough. If the Mongols develop ulterior motives and start another war, there will be widespread devastation and countless people will suffer.
Hearing Mingyi say these words with her own ears, Rong Yu became even more disappointed. "You're an envoy sent by Father Emperor, aren't you?"
He glanced at her sideways and said solemnly, "No one sent me here. I came to find you because I was worried about your safety. Princess, I know you are sad, but I also hope you understand that the Emperor is in a difficult situation. For the sake of the country and its people, he has to sacrifice your happiness."
It was the same old story again. It was one thing for others to say it, but even Mingyi said it. Hearing it from his own mouth only fueled her grief and indignation.
"So what? You also think I should go through an arranged marriage? You all like to lecture me, but nobody really cares about my feelings!"
Seeing Rong Yu's tears welling up in her eyes, Mingyi blurted out anxiously, "I care! Actually, I don't want you to marry into Mongolia either!"
Upon hearing this, Rong Yu's heart raced, her tear-streaked eyelashes trembled, and she couldn't help but look up at him, asking in a hoarse voice, "Why?"
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