Ultimately, it's because Qian Shengyan's background wasn't "respectable" enough.
A palace maid in a royal palace catches the eye of a drunken prince. After a night of passion, the prince leaves. This was originally just the story of an ordinary palace maid.
Unexpectedly, this palace maid was so lucky that she became pregnant and gave birth safely. Although the process was somewhat lonely and difficult, it was already a great blessing.
Not to mention that the prince later recognized the child, agreed to let her enter the mansion, and she gradually rose to become a concubine and now a noble consort.
However, there is still a loophole in Ulanara's statement. If Yinzhen favored Qian Shengyan in July or August of that year, then Hongli should not have been born in February.
Her words were a blatant accusation against Qian Shengyan, implying that she suspected Hongli!
Qian Shengyan was furious. She stood up and was about to kneel down, willing to die to prove her innocence, when Yinzhen sneered, "The Empress's memory is really failing. The late Emperor's calendar clearly states that he left the palace in early May to go to the border region for summer retreat. The Empress actually said that he was still in the palace in July or August. How ridiculous!"
Qian Shengyan was relieved; this was the right time.
"When we brought Hongli back to the manor, the time, place, and witnesses were all thoroughly investigated. We also had Hongli's bloodline tested, and there is absolutely no doubt about Hongli's origins!" Yinzhen's tone was firm, and when he looked at Ulanara, he was filled with utter disgust. "I entrusted this matter to you at the time, and I explained it to you clearly. Why do you still have such remarks today?"
"Your Majesty!" Ulanara exclaimed in surprise, quickly kneeling down and saying, "It's my fault, I... I remembered wrong..."
Ulanara's attitude was sincere, but what's done is done. Revising the imperial genealogy is no easy task. This volume is already completed. If it is revised and copied again because of Qian Shengyan's short stay in the mansion, it will not only be troublesome, but will also likely attract a lot of speculation and doubt.
Qian Shengyan's identity could not withstand close scrutiny, but the records in the imperial genealogy required authenticity, which made things difficult even for Yinzhen.
At this moment, a clear, youthful voice came from the doorway, smiling as it said, "Father and Mother must have misremembered. My birthday is August 13th."
"Hongli?" Qian Shengyan turned around in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
“It was Father Emperor who summoned me to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, but when I arrived I did not see anyone. Eunuch Quan of the Hall of Mental Cultivation told me that Father Emperor was with Mother Emperor.”
Hongli walked over with a smile, bowed to Yinzhen and said, "It just so happens that I haven't paid my respects to the Empress Dowager for a while, so I came here without permission. I hope Father Emperor will punish me."
"You come to pay your respects to your Empress Mother, what punishment is there?" Yinzhen's expression softened. "Hongli, what did you mean by that just now?"
"Your Majesty, I was born on the 13th day of the eighth month of the 50th year of the Kangxi reign. Perhaps Father Emperor has misremembered?" Hongli blinked, a little mischievous. "I was born in the Dongyou Courtyard of the Prince's Mansion—oh, if that's the case, I am Mother's only child born in the Prince's Mansion."
Qian Shengyan couldn't help but laugh, but after laughing, she vaguely felt that something was wrong.
But before she could figure it out, Yinzhen asked in a deep voice, "Do you know what you're saying?"
"Your subject understands," Hongli replied solemnly. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. "It doesn't matter whether my birthday is in spring or summer. I hope that Father Emperor will grant my filial wish and not trouble myself with this matter any further."
Yinzhen frowned slightly and did not answer for a moment.
Since the Kangxi era, the imperial genealogy records of all the concubines in the harem have just been revised, but the imperial genealogy records of the princes and princesses are still under revision because there are too many of them and the maternal and familial families involved are too extensive. If what Hongli said is true, the matter can be easily solved by simply changing his birth date to half a year earlier.
In this way, both Qian Shengyan's identity and Hongli's birth are reasonable and beyond reproach. Even if someone were to investigate, they would find no errors.
However, this approach is still not entirely appropriate...
"This, how can this be allowed? How can the prince's birthday be changed so casually?" Ulanara exclaimed in shock. She looked at Hongli in disbelief, then at Yinzhen, and seeing that he was truly moved, she screamed, "This is absolutely unacceptable!"
"Oh? So what does Your Majesty intend to do?" Qian Shengyan sneered. "Is it to accuse me of having an affair without a matchmaker, or to question Hongli's parentage?"
Now that things have come to this, there's no need to save face. Qian Shengyan put away her smile and said coldly, "Hongli was born on the 13th of August, in the Dongyou Courtyard of the Prince's Mansion. I remember it clearly."
"You, you..." Ulanara stared wide-eyed at Qian Shengyan, and after saying this, Qian Shengyan finally realized that something was wrong.
No, no, it's not wrong, it's right! Hongli's birthday matches the historical date!
Emperor Qianlong, Aisin-Gioro Hongli, was born on the 13th day of the eighth month of the 50th year of the Kangxi reign. He was born in the "Ruyi Room" of the East Study of the Yong Prince's Mansion in Beijing, and his childhood name was "Yuanshou".
This is a later record of Hongli, a sentence recorded in history!
Qian Shengyan once thought that her Hongli occupied the position of the real "Hongli", but now she realizes that her Hongli is just Hongli!
It was her son, her wonderful son... He was even willing to forgo his own birthday for her sake!
Oh no, how could this happen!
Overwhelmed with emotion, Qian Shengyan stepped forward and embraced Hongli tightly.
The thirteen-year-old boy was a little taller than her, and the mother and son hadn't been this close in a long time. Qian Shengyan's sudden action startled Hongli, who then raised his hand somewhat at a loss, unsure of where to put it.
He first called out "Mother" helplessly, then looked up at Yinzhen and said pitifully, "Father..."
"Ahem, Consort Xi!" Yinzhen reminded her, "What kind of behavior is this!"
"Your Majesty, I just feel...uncomfortable. How can Hongli be so good to me?" Qian Shengyan's eyes were red, but she obediently let go of Hongli and looked at her grown-up son's face.
Waaaaah, where can you find such a handsome and wonderful son? Waaaaah...
Ulanara collapsed to the ground, watching the scene of their family reunion. After a moment, she chuckled, then stood up and knelt properly before Yinzhen, kowtowing: "Your Majesty, I am foolish and have forgotten the time when Consort Xi entered the residence. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
"You deserve to be punished," Yinzhen said coldly, but then, as if remembering something, he frowned.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, followed by the Golden Gift Festival in October, both of which require the Empress's presence. In the past, it wouldn't have mattered, but now that Consort Hua's favor with the Emperor is at its peak, if he were to punish the Empress now, wouldn't he be branded as someone who favors his concubine over his wife?
Ulanara sneered inwardly.
Hongli would rather change his own birthday than compromise his birth mother's social standing and dignity. If the Emperor were to punish the mother of the nation now, it wouldn't be convincing without a solid reason...?
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