When the Emperor and Fukang'an hurriedly returned to the Hall of Diligent Governance and Appreciation of the Virtuous, Heshen, Yongyan, Yongxuan, and Fulong'an had been waiting outside the hall for a long time.
Yongyan and Yongxuan originally intended to leave the palace and return to their respective residences, but they encountered Heshen and Fulongan, who were also there for the matter of the Songhua River Temple.
The worship of "Yuezhen Haidu" was a grand imperial ceremony, and the Holy Ancestor himself had visited Changbai Mountain and Songhua River to offer sacrifices. The "Changbai Mountain Sacrifice Hall" was completed in the eleventh year of the late emperor's reign, and only the Songhua River had not yet been built as a temple for worshipping the gods.
The matter of offering sacrifices to the gods could not be neglected, so the four of them immediately decided to return to the Hall of Diligent Governance and Appreciation of the Virtuous to await the emperor.
When the Emperor saw them, his displeasure was still evident, as he was still troubled by the peony jade hairpin in Yan Ning's hair. He ordered the four of them to postpone any discussion until another day.
The four men exchanged glances, knelt down, and departed.
Two bronze cauldrons filled with ice were placed inside the hall, making everyone feel cool. A cool breeze blew, and the Emperor's inner turmoil subsided considerably. He was no longer the Prince Hongli who was only concerned with his personal feelings, and the Old Lady Fucha was no longer Yehenara Wanhui.
Their affections were now reduced to the unbreakable bond with Fukang'an. The Emperor sat on the dragon throne, looking at Fukang'an standing beside him.
He was in his prime, the age when he ascended the throne. What was he doing then?
The Emperor, his face streaked with white hair, stared intently at Fukang'an, lost in thought.
At that time, he had just ascended the throne and held supreme power in his hands, eager to realize his ambitions. However, this supreme power prevented him from bringing Fukang'an and his mother into the palace, leaving them to wander among the common people for decades.
When Fukang'an was poisoned by the Empress Dowager, Lady Fucha went to the palace to find him and smashed the token of love he had given her when they were young.
"Hongli, I never imagined that you, as the emperor, could not even protect the lives of my son and me. I was wrong to trust you! If Kang'er were not your child, would he have been able to live a peaceful life?"
Her words, sharp as cold arrows, arrived abruptly with the sound of jade shattering. He had been emperor for twenty years, and it had been a long time since anyone had addressed him directly as "Hongli." Only she dared to, still possessing the same aloof and proud spirit she had in her youth, which made him feel somewhat ashamed.
Yes, he was the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, so why couldn't he protect his own son's life?
He remembered that it was also a scorching June day, and her face was covered with what looked like tears or sweat, with round water droplets frozen on her face by ice blocks in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Another twenty years have passed, and the jade hairpin has long since changed hands.
Could he still not protect his son's ambition to achieve great things? Did he really want to make her regret it, to make Fukang feel resentful? If it weren't for his son, could he have lived a peaceful life, and could he have fought on the battlefield like Fuheng, protecting his country?
He had found the answer in his heart.
Fukang'an's handsome and youthful face became clearer in his eyes, and a relieved smile appeared on his aged face.
The Emperor sat up straight and ordered Wu Shulai, who had brought tea, "Summon the Fifteenth Prince and his entourage back!"
Yongyan and his entourage were almost out of the Yuanmingyuan when Wu Shulai, who arrived breathlessly, summoned them back with an imperial edict. After this back-and-forth, by the time the four reached the Hall of Diligent Governance and Appreciation of the Worthy, dusk had fallen, and the clouds were obscuring the sunset.
The palace bricks outside the Hall of Diligent Governance and Kindness, which had been baked by the sun during the day, were now emitting heat, so it was still warm where there were no trees to block the heat.
Inside the palace, fearing the emperor might catch a cold, the bronze cauldron filled with ice had already been removed. The four hurried back, their clothes soaked through.
Fukang'an was playing chess with the Emperor in a side hall when the four men entered to pay their respects. Fukang'an was about to get up, but the Emperor stopped him with a look. So he remained seated on the Emperor's throne, looking at the four men kneeling below.
Wu Shulai accepted the memorial presented by the four men, which contained excerpts of the officials' opinions. The emperor then ordered the four men to rise.
After the four of them got up, Yongyan and Yongxuan stood on one side of the dragon bed, while Heshen, mindful that the emperor was most wary of princes forming cliques and engaging in private affairs, stood on the other side with Fulongan, the Minister of Works. Both sides were waiting for the emperor to make a decision regarding the Songhua River Mountain Temple.
The Emperor read through the ministers' memorials and found only two opinions. Some petitioned for large-scale construction, arguing that such important matters as worshipping the gods should not be taken lightly; others petitioned against wasting resources and manpower, arguing that the people's strength was the foundation of the nation.
He threw down the folded document in his hand, twirled the ring on his finger, and glanced at Fukang'an sitting opposite him. "Kang'er, what do you mean?"
From the memorial the Emperor had thrown down, Fukang'an had already guessed that none of them pleased the Emperor. He walked to Fulong'an's side, knelt down, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that it is not appropriate to start construction on the temple now that the Empress Dowager's mourning period has not yet ended!"
Seeing that the Emperor's expression had softened, Heshen knelt down beside Fukang'an and said, "This servant also thinks it should be done. Your Majesty is worried about the Empress Dowager. This servant wanted to build a pure gold pagoda for the Empress Dowager to store her silver hair from her lifetime, but I am really afraid that I will overstep Your Majesty's bounds."
Yongyan gave Heshen a meaningful look, the smile on his lips vanishing in an instant. This was what Heshen meant when he said, "This servant must not associate too closely with the Fifteenth Prince, lest he arouse the Emperor's suspicion."
Seeing Heshen dressed in the robes of a first-rank official yet still displaying a fawning demeanor, Fukang'an's contempt was palpable. He turned his head away, no longer looking at Heshen.
The Emperor was overjoyed. "Minister He's filial piety has expressed my own thoughts. I have long had this intention in my heart. This filial piety should be done by me, so how could I let Minister He do it all by himself! Wu Shulai, hand over the golden pagoda drawing that I drew the other day to Minister of Works Fulongan!"
Heshen had seen the golden pagoda painted by the emperor in front of the emperor's desk a few days ago, and knew what it meant. Today, he was just letting Fukang'an say it.
The Songhua River Mountain God Temple was something Fukang'an had initially said he wouldn't build. Even if some officials opposed it, it was against Fukang'an. He merely mentioned what the emperor wanted to do, thus winning the emperor's favor.
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