Qian Shengyan glanced at Hongli with a playful look, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She simply picked up her teacup, took a sip, and only spoke when she saw that her eldest son was practically fuming with embarrassment: "Don't you have any doubts about what happened today?"
With just one sentence, Hongli's slightly flushed face instantly turned pale, and his expression became calm.
He pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and then nodded, saying, "What the Empress Dowager said makes sense. It's already completely dark now. She was going to deliver the silver charcoal, so why is it only being delivered now?"
“It’s no secret that my son came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation this afternoon. There was also a commotion at the Palace of Eternal Longevity today. My son has been staying here for so long without returning. If he wanted to, he would surely have found out.” Hongli gradually calmed down. “My son originally thought that his father, Gao Bin, was, after all, a confidant of the Emperor, and wouldn’t resort to such methods, but…”
Once a concubine is selected to enter the palace, what good future awaits her besides becoming a prince's concubine? Does she have to wait until she's twenty-five to leave the palace and get married?
If she didn't want to be a palace maid, couldn't Gao Bin, as the head of the Imperial Household Department, protect his own daughter?
They're either here for him, or for his imperial father. It seems Gao Bin isn't content with being the head of the Imperial Household Department; he wants to be the emperor's father-in-law too.
Recalling the way Yinzhen had seen Gao Shi earlier, it was clear that he had seen her before or knew about her. Gao Bin's intentions were quite obvious.
Hongli's face grew increasingly cold and stern.
Qian Shengyan had no idea that her reminder had caused her son's thought process to change like this. She just smiled and said, "I was just reminding you. You should also find out the truth and not wrongly accuse someone."
“I know,” Hongli said in a deep voice. “If it’s truly a coincidence that I ruined her dress, then naturally I must protect her reputation; if not…”
He sneered, a laugh that surprised Qian Shengyan, who couldn't help but say, "If it's really just a coincidence, even if you wanted to take her as a concubine, you should at least ask the girl if she agrees."
Hongli: ?
Qian Shengyan was taken aback when she saw his genuine doubt, and then gave a sneer.
She was dumbfounded. What dynasty was this? To be taken into the household of a prince who was very likely to inherit the throne, a former servant of the prince's former residence, if she could really enter the palace, she would at least be a concubine, not to mention that if she gave birth to a son, she might rise to the top in one step. Who wouldn't want that?
Even if the girl is really unwilling, her family can force her to agree.
In an instant, Qian Shengyan lost interest: "If you really have feelings for Gao, then go and tell your father yourself. Your mother will not and will never interfere in your household affairs."
“Mother…” Hongli blinked, still not understanding what was wrong with his mother.
Qian Shengyan sighed. Although Hongli grew up by her side, she thought that he was, after all, an emperor, and she was afraid that her limited knowledge would affect his temperament. So she only cared about his daily life and left everything else to Yinzhen and the tutors he found.
But this is the Qing Dynasty after all, so what can she expect?
Qian Shengyan still wanted to give it a try: "You're a man, so naturally you should take care of the girls and take responsibility. Not all girls want to marry into the royal family..."
Seeing the great confusion in Hongli's eyes, Qian Shengyan stopped talking.
never mind.
I can only keep a close eye on him in the future and prevent him from going to the south of the Yangtze River or on an eastern tour for no reason. Even if he does go, I should be careful not to cause a scene like Xia Yuhe by Daming Lake.
That's all she asks of the emperors of this feudal dynasty now.
Hongli looked at her thoughtfully: "So that's what Mother originally thought..."
Now it was Qian Shengyan's turn to be puzzled, but she felt that things would take a very strange turn if they continued, so she quickly said, "By the way, look at this."
She showed the glass beads she had secretly kept to Hongli, who glanced at them indifferently and said, "They're imported goods sold at Shengyunlou. Mother likes them? Then I'll buy some for you next time."
“It’s not mine, it belongs to Folgochun.” Qian Shengyan chuckled, holding the bead. “Guess who gave it to him?”
Upon hearing her question, Hongli's expression changed. He frowned and said, "But I heard that Father has already selected several families for Fuerguochun, and Lord Zhang Tingyu is not among them."
"Yes, and it was Lord Zhang himself who asked your Emperor Father for it, saying that his son would wait until he passed the imperial examinations before getting married, and that he only wanted to work hard himself and didn't want to rely on nepotism," Qian Shengyan snorted.
Hongli's expression immediately darkened further: "This Zhang Qinglan! I thought he was interested in Folgochun, and Folgochun was interested in him too, which is why I didn't stop him. How dare he do such a two-faced thing?"
“And Zhang Tingyu must know about the selection now, how could he not know? He even colluded with Folgochun to send these things…” Hongli’s face turned pale with anger. “I never knew he was this kind of person!”
"Mother is also hesitant. Should we try to persuade Foerguochun?" Qian Shengyan sighed.
Hongli retorted, "What's there to advise Folgochun about? She's so young, what could she possibly know? It's all because of that shameless Zhang boy who took the opportunity to seduce the princess. I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget!"
Qian Shengyan: ...
Oh no, this sales pitch sounds so familiar...
She then changed her tone, saying, "I'm afraid that Folgo's joy will be in vain, and he'll end up heartbroken."
Hongli asked in surprise, "How could that be?" He paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "Mother... Mother is just too kind-hearted."
Qian Shengyan: ?
Hongli said, "So what if Zhang Tingyu is unwilling? Once Father Emperor issues an edict, would the Zhang family dare to disobey? Although Manchus and Han Chinese cannot intermarry, the Zhang family is currently in the Han Banner and is barely a match for the princess. Besides, Ferguchun is still young, so it's fine for him to play for a few years first."
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