Yunwan nodded, then her expression turned solemn as she said, "But my husband, Fucha Yunwan's husband, must be a warrior like Father!" Her words reminded Yan Ning of Ulgong'a, who often played with weapons with Dexuan at home. That boy had striking features, with captivating heroic spirit. Yan Ning felt a pang of self-reproach. She had always thought Yunwan was just mischievous, neglecting the fact that Yunwan was nearing the age of fifteen, the age when love was just beginning to blossom. But Ulgong'a was a descendant of Nurhaci, the founding emperor. Even though everyone said the emperor would marry Yunwan to a prince of the imperial clan, Fukang'an's lineage was a barrier. How could the emperor be confused about matters of ethics?
Years passed slowly, and it was time to pluck willow branches once again. Ever since Fukang'an captured Lin Shuangwen, the Emperor's rewards made people increasingly suspicious of Fukang'an's identity. Not only was he granted the title of Duke and a four-dragon robe, but the Emperor also bestowed upon him a royal golden belt and a set of golden braided coral court beads upon his return to the capital. He even issued a special decree to establish a shrine for Fukang'an in Taiwan, showing him favor that surpassed even that of a prince.
As Fukang'an's favor surpassed that of Prince Jia, Yongyan, and Prince Cheng, Yongxing, secrets hidden deep within the palace for many years began to circulate among the officials, making Fukang'an's identity increasingly enigmatic. Ministers frequently advised the Emperor to consider the foundation of the nation and not to transgress ancestral rules. Their words were clear, but the Emperor ignored them. Yongyan and Yongxing, unusually united, displayed a deep brotherly bond. The notion that Fukang'an was an illegitimate son intensified within the Yongyan and Yongxing factions, and the Emperor's past romantic affairs fueled discontent among the court officials.
The winds of political upheaval reached the Fucha household, and the old lady, consumed by worry, fell ill and was bedridden. The Emperor, now eighty years old, though physically healthy, was too weak to withstand the pressures of politics. Neither the gentle Yongyan nor the fierce Yongxing held any favor in his heart. The old lady feared the Emperor would reveal that Fukang'an was his secret son, which would not only ruin Fukang'an's reputation but also make Fuheng a target of historical ridicule.
In the fifty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign, the old lady's heart was filled with sorrow, and she fell seriously ill. Letters were exchanged back and forth, and the time spent by Fukang'an on his journey to request the imperial decree was also taken into account. When the imperial decree allowing him to return to the capital finally arrived, the old lady was still clinging to life.
When news of the old lady's critical illness reached the palace, the Emperor, over eighty years old, entered the Fucha residence for the first time since Yan Ning moved in. Because someone had delivered a secret decree to the residence, on this moonlit night, the Emperor, arriving at the Fucha residence, appeared as a solitary figure, accompanied only by his attending eunuchs and imperial guards. Consort Rong had passed away before Princess Guren Hexiao's wedding, and now there were very few older concubines left in the palace. The newcomers, unable to understand the Emperor's past sorrows, had few who enjoyed his favor.
The moon waxed and waned, and a mournful wind swept through the verdant leaves of the Peony Hall, leaving a desolate lingering in the courtyard. The Emperor's entourage stood guard outside the main gate, and Yan Ning could only watch from afar. A faint voice whispered in her heart, "Today, I fear Fukang'an's true identity will be revealed."
Inside the room, the moonlight could not penetrate the layers of curtains, and the Emperor did not order anyone to light a lamp. He simply stared at the old lady's closed face in the dim light, recalling Wan Hui's voice and smile in his mind.
"Wanhui!"
A weak, choked cry from an elderly woman roused her from her sickbed slumber. She struggled to open her eyes, and in her dazed state, she saw the Emperor standing beside her. A slight twitch appeared on her lips. "Good riddance! Can't you see all these wrinkles on my face?"
The Emperor, eighty years old, tried to bend over, trembling several times, but still remained some distance from the old lady's face. He chuckled, his white beard trembling, "You can't even see my wrinkled face!"
He chuckled softly with her, but the old lady coughed a few times and then barely had time to breathe. She looked at him, her eyes dull and lifeless, "Brother Hongli, don't let Kang'er receive any more rewards! We are both burdened with sins, why should we drag Kang'er into eternal infamy and suspicion? He has no desire and no right to contend for that supreme position, he only wants to protect your empire!"
She called him "Brother Hongli," but there was no trace of the youthful intimacy she remembered; only a mournful plea. The light in his eyes, which had shone when she called him, dimmed as soon as she finished speaking. He helped himself up from the bed, his back hunched as he passed through layer after layer of curtains.
I still remember him holding her hand and using a lantern to light up the dark path. Now the bright moon hangs in the sky, but that memory is missing.
Yan Ning knelt outside the courtyard gate to see the Emperor and his entourage off, the burning, anxious concern he had shown upon arrival now replaced by helpless desolation. She pushed open the half-closed door of the main room and went to the old lady's bedside. The room was pitch black; she could find nothing. She wondered how the Emperor and the old lady had seen each other. Perhaps, when love runs deep, it transcends what the eyes see, and everything resides in the heart.
She fumbled around for a few moments before finally finding and grasping the old lady's hand. "Mother, the imperial decree to summon Fukang'an back to the capital has already left! He'll be back soon!" The old lady's sigh echoed in the inner room. "Yan Ning, it's not that I don't want to tell him the truth, but the consequences are beyond your control! I've only made one mistake in my life, and it's made me wrong for the rest of my life. But if you see the things Kang'er treasures, you'll understand my selfishness today!"
The old lady's long-cherished wish faded away with her final sigh. Yan Ning held the old lady's hand for a long time, until the sunlight pierced through the curtains and drapery, until her hand, along with the old lady's, became cold and lifeless.
Shortly after the Emperor issued the edict summoning Fukang'an back to the capital, he issued another edict forbidding Fukang'an from returning without further instructions. During the mourning period for his mother, Fukang'an sent a memorial to the capital daily via express courier, requesting permission to return to the capital to keep vigil for his mother, but the Emperor ignored him each time.
The officials in the court were all baffled by the Emperor's sudden change in attitude towards Fukang'an, and Yongyan himself could not fathom Fukang'an's place in the Emperor's heart. Based on the rewards and honors bestowed upon him over the past few years, Fukang'an's promotion to Prince was imminent. With his numerous military achievements, if his status as a member of the imperial clan were announced to the world, and the Emperor insisted on making him Crown Prince, even if the civil officials were dissatisfied that his status "disrupted" ancestral rules, the throne would undoubtedly belong to Fukang'an, given the military power of Agui's faction.
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