“Father has taken a liking to Yonghuang, which is a blessing for Yonghuang. However, An’er is, after all, the legitimate son. If Yonghuang is brought into the palace to be raised, the Fujin may not feel good. Therefore, I believe that it is most appropriate to let An’er enter the palace.”
Hongli calmly stated his point of view, and Yongzheng scrutinized him, smiling meaningfully, "You actually care about the feelings of your wife? That's truly rare!"
"Father often teaches me to prioritize the greater good, and I keep that in mind. I will naturally consider the feelings of my wife," Hongli replied righteously. Yongzheng couldn't find fault with his words. He stroked the jade thumb ring on his thumb, lowered his eyes, and scoffed softly.
"I think you want Yonghuang to stay in the mansion to keep Lady Su company, which is why you plan to send An'er to the palace, right?"
Hongli did not want his father to blame Su, so he explained tactfully: "Although Su is reluctant to part with Yonghuang, I have already persuaded her. She has long understood your good intentions and will no longer stop Yonghuang from entering the palace. The reason I made this decision is simply because An'er is the legitimate son. As the legitimate son, I should naturally value him."
Emperor Yongzheng knew his son's personality all too well; some things were better left unsaid, and it was pointless to expose them.
With both sons being imperial grandsons, it was more logical to let the legitimate grandson enter the palace. Therefore, Yongzheng did not pursue his son's true purpose any further and went with the flow, ordering someone to bring An'er into the palace.
An'er had just been vaccinated against smallpox and sent back to the mansion. Only two or three days had passed, and the emperor actually wanted to take An'er away!
After thinking it over, Yu Ying suddenly realized what had happened!
Yonghuang should have been the one to enter the palace. In order to prevent Yonghuang from entering the palace, Hongli deliberately brought forward the day for An'er to be vaccinated against smallpox. She thought that Hongli valued An'er, but now she knows that An'er was just a shield for Yonghuang!
After realizing Hongli's true intentions, Yuying felt uneasy and secretly lamented that she had been tricked by Hongli again.
Hongli's actions disappointed her even more. Fortunately, Yongzheng still cared about this grandson and personally named An'er "Yonglian".
Yu Ying flipped through the Kangxi Dictionary and was surprised to find that the character "琏" refers to a vessel used to hold food during sacrifices, implying the inheritance of ancestral vessels. Wasn't this an implication that this child would inherit the throne in the future?
In other words, the emperor was raising her son as the crown prince.
Understanding this, Yu Ying felt quite relieved. No matter how reluctant she was to part with her child, she wouldn't stop him like Su Yu Shan did. After all, Yong Lian was the legitimate son and bore heavy responsibilities, which Yong Huang, the illegitimate son, couldn't compare to.
Entering the palace at a young age and being raised by the emperor, absorbing his teachings and becoming familiar with the ways of the ruler, was the best choice for Yonglian. Furthermore, Yonghuang was considered to have a strong destiny, bringing misfortune to Yonglian; therefore, having Yonglian enter the palace and stay away from Yonghuang would give his mother peace of mind.
Because of this name, Yu Ying felt much better and stopped caring about Hong Li's scheming against her and her son.
After Yonglian's name was decided, Hongli realized his father's intention. Worried that Yushan would be unhappy, he specifically tried to persuade her...
"It's just a name. Perhaps Father Emperor just thinks the word sounds nice and doesn't have any other deeper meaning. Regardless of what Father Emperor thinks, what I value most is still our Yonghuang."
In reality, Su Yushan didn't care about these things, because she knew that she was a Han woman and her son could not inherit the throne. Moreover, she did not want Yonghuang to fight for the throne.
As long as he is safe and healthy, and not disliked by Hongli, and can live a peaceful and carefree life, she will be grateful!
The days had been relatively peaceful, but one day in May, Hongli returned from the palace looking very unwell, as if he was in a low mood. Su Yushan couldn't help but worry and hurriedly asked him what had happened.
Only after asking did I learn that Prince Yi, Yinxiang, had passed away due to serious illness.
Prince Yi doted on Hongli, and his sudden death was hard for Hongli to accept. The one who grieved the most was Yongzheng.
Of all his brothers, the one Emperor Yongzheng trusted and was closest to was the thirteenth prince.
Everyone else was cunning and scheming, but only the thirteenth prince was completely loyal to him. Now that his younger brother had passed away before him, Yongzheng felt as if he had lost his left and right arms, and was heartbroken!
He still remembered the last time he felt this heartbroken was when Consort Nian passed away. The woman he loved most was now separated from him by death, and it took Yongzheng a long time to recover. Now, his best brother had also left him, and Yongzheng had no one left to confide in. Only now did he truly understand the loneliness of being at the top.
His daily life revolved solely around government affairs; the nation and its people were the meaning of his existence, and he could find no joy beyond that.
With his brother gone, Yongzheng will surely dote on Yinxiang's children.
The third son, Hongtun, was the heir apparent of the Prince's Palace and should have inherited the throne. Unfortunately, Hongtun passed away three years ago. Yinxiang had a total of nine sons, but only three are still alive today.
The eldest son, Hongchang, was of questionable character and was born out of wedlock, so he was not qualified to inherit the throne. The fourth son, Hongjiao, was only twenty years old, and the seventh son, Hongxiao, was only nine years old.
Both brothers were born to the primary consort, Lady Zhaojia, and in principle, both were qualified to inherit the throne.
The fourth prince was older and had the best chance, but Emperor Yongzheng actually issued an edict ordering the seventh prince, Hongxiao, to inherit the title of Prince Yi!
Instead of choosing the older children, they opted for a nine-year-old as king, which greatly surprised Su Yushan.
"Both Hongjiao and Hongxiao are legitimate children, and both have noble status. Why doesn't the Emperor choose Hongjiao?"
Yongzheng's selection method was indeed unusual, and he couldn't inquire about the details; he could only speculate.
"Do you still remember the assassination attempt I had on you back then?"
Su Yushan nodded. "I remember you thought it was a conspiracy between Hongxi and the Heaven and Earth Society, but Hongxi was far outside the capital and it was difficult for him to track your whereabouts. So you suspected that Hongchang was in contact with Hongxi and that he was the one who sent the message out."
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