They traveled in silence until mid-May, when the group concluded their southern tour and returned to the Forbidden City.
After returning to the palace, Hongli never set foot in Jingren Palace again, and stayed in Yangxin Hall. The whole palace was abuzz with discussion, and everyone was wondering what was wrong with the emperor and why he had suddenly changed his mind. Some even began to speculate that the Imperial Noble Consort had fallen out of favor!
Gao Xiuwen also found it strange. She couldn't understand why the emperor would neglect Su Yushan. Cui Ning boldly speculated, "The emperor suddenly distanced himself from the Imperial Noble Consort after the assassination attempt. Could it be that the Imperial Noble Consort was colluding with the Heaven and Earth Society and the emperor discovered it?"
Gao Xiuwen was both amused and exasperated, and scoffed, "You silly girl, don't you even use your brain? If Su Yushan were really a member of the Heaven and Earth Society, she would have had a thousand and one opportunities to assassinate the Emperor while she was in bed with him. Why would she wait for someone from the Heaven and Earth Society to carry out the assassination?"
Cui Ning sighed inwardly at her own confusion, "Then why is that? This is so strange!"
This was also what puzzled Gao Xiuwen. She pondered it for a long time but still couldn't figure out where the problem lay.
When Lan Rong heard the news, she was so excited that she smiled broadly. "Really? You didn't hear me wrong, did you? Su Yushan really fell out of favor?"
Qiu Cha nodded with certainty and said, "It's absolutely true. That's what the palace servants all say. They say that His Majesty hasn't been to Jingren Palace for half a month."
The sudden joyous occasion left Lan Rong somewhat bewildered. "Why is this happening? Could it be that Su Yushan has contracted some strange illness and suddenly become ugly?"
"No matter why, Your Highness, your chance has come! As long as the Imperial Noble Consort falls out of favor, you will have a chance to win back the Emperor's favor!"
Qiu Cha's words gave her a glimmer of hope, but she worried that it would all be for nothing. "Let's wait and see! What if they make up again? Wouldn't I have been happy for nothing?"
Su Yushan wasn't too heartbroken by Hongli's neglect, at least not as devastated as she had been back then, when she had given her all and her heart was broken for a long time.
Later, she calmed down and only gave eight-tenths of her heart, so that when she was hurt by Hongli again, she wouldn't break down like that.
The only thing that saddened her was the deaths of Fu Qing and Yun Fang. Fu Qing died to save Hongli, but instead of being grateful, Hongli hated him to the bone. His death was truly worthless.
It was a pity that Yunfang passed away. Yushan often thought that if she hadn't fainted at that time, perhaps she could have saved Yunfang's life.
Yunfang's death became a deep scar in Yushan's heart. Every day, she would go to Yunfang's room, look at the things she had left behind, and fall into endless grief and self-blame.
That evening, Yu Shan was sitting idly in Yun Fang's room again. In her hand was a new dress that Yun Fang had made for Rong Jin. It was only half-finished, and Yu Shan wanted to finish it for her.
As she was threading the needle, Chang Yue walked in, closed the door, and whispered to her:
"Your Majesty! Good news! Just now, Xiao Yingzi told me that he saw Yunfang and Li Yu outside the palace!"
Upon hearing this, Su Yushan's eyes widened in surprise. "Yunfang? Is it really Yunfang? He couldn't have mistaken her, could he?"
Chang Yue nodded with certainty and said, "Xiao Yingzi is honest and kind, he wouldn't lie. He even went up to talk to Li Yu at the time. Li Yu didn't say anything else to him, only that Yun Fang had reached the age to leave the palace, and that Your Majesty had graciously allowed her to do so. Li Yu has been unwell recently and has been seriously ill, so the Emperor has granted him permission to recuperate at home."
Yunfang is still alive? Yushan was overjoyed but also felt something was off. "But the Emperor himself said it, that he killed Yunfang! What's going on?"
Chang Yue guessed to herself, "The Emperor was probably just lying to you out of spite. He knows Yunfang is very important to you, so he probably wouldn't really kill her."
If Yunfang is really still alive, Yushan will be at ease. Even if she is not in the palace, as long as she is safe and sound, that's enough.
Upon learning that Yunfang was alright, Yushan's heavy heart eased slightly. Changyueren seized the opportunity to persuade her, "Your Majesty, the Emperor did not kill Yunfang, which shows that he still cares about your feelings. He was just too angry at the time, which is why he talked nonsense and said hurtful things."
After the Emperor calmed down, he must have felt some regret. He probably couldn't bring himself to come to Jingren Palace because he was too proud to do so. Why don't you go to Yangxin Hall, Your Majesty? What couple doesn't have disagreements? How can decades of relationship be broken off so easily? As long as someone is willing to humble themselves and take the initiative to explain and coax, the conflict will naturally be resolved.
The fault does not lie with Your Majesty, but he is the Emperor, and Emperors care about their reputation. If you humble yourself and say a few kind words to him, I believe the Emperor will accept the situation gracefully.
If this stalemate continues, it's the children who will suffer! Recently, the eldest and third princes went to pay their respects to the Emperor, but he refused to see them. The fifth prince and the little princess have also been talking about wanting to see their father; they haven't seen the Emperor for half a month. Your Majesty, for the sake of the children, please try to appease the Emperor?
After this incident, Su Yushan clearly realized that her relationship with Hongli could not withstand the test, and she did not expect Hongli to change his mind. What he cared about most was not her, but his face.
In the past, Yu Shan might not have compromised or been willing to back down, but times have changed. Now she has five children, and as Chang Yue said, even if not for herself, she has to think about her children and not let them repeat the mistakes of history, ending up neglected by their father and dying young from depression.
After much deliberation, Yu Shan finally decided to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and bow her head to Hongli. She did this not for any other reason than hoping that he would treat the children better out of consideration for their past relationship and stop neglecting them.
After changing and dressing, Su Yushan, along with Chang Yue, who was carrying a food box, went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Upon arriving outside the hall, Zhang Jinzhong gave an awkward smile, saying that the emperor was not in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
It was already dark, and Hongli was not in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Where could he have gone?
Yu Shan inquired about the Emperor's whereabouts, and Zhang Jinzhong had no choice but to tell the truth: "The Emperor... went to Xianfu Palace."
Xianfu Palace? Isn't that Lan Rong's bedroom?
He actually went to see Lan Rong?
When their relationship broke down, Su Yushan no longer expected Hongli to favor her alone. She had already guessed that Hongli would definitely favor other concubines in the future. No matter who it was, she could ignore it and not care. But why was it Lan Rong?
When she was pregnant with Yongzhang, she was given a drug to change the sex of her child. All signs pointed to Lan Rong as the one who gave the drug, but there was no evidence, which allowed Lan Rong to get away with it. Hongli knew all about this. He knew that Lan Rong was likely the murderer who murdered her child, so why did he still go to Xianfu Palace?
What did he mean by this? Did he really have to stab her in the heart like that?
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