Forbidden Autumn, Summer, Winter and Spring Rebirth

Chapter 173 169.Transformation
However, he did not see what he wanted to see in the emperor's eyes: appreciation, affirmation, enthusiasm and sincerity.

But it is the same as always, majestic, indifferent, scrutinizing and demanding.

The Emperor did not say a word, but just looked at him quietly, and his heart grew colder inch by inch.

He closed his eyes silently, feeling extremely sad. He should have thought of it earlier. How could he compare to his sixth brother who was favored by the emperor? How could he dare to dream of that position?

"But, Royal Father..." After a long while, Hongli finally found his voice and spoke in a daze, "My son thinks he is outstanding and is no worse than my sixth brother."

As soon as he finished speaking, he was shocked himself. He still remembered the emperor's slightly shocked and impatient expression, which hurt him deeply.

How did his royal father answer him?
"I have always believed that you are a child who knows how to advance and retreat, understands things, and has the overall situation in mind. Hongli, please don't let me down."

The emperor only spoke in a majestic manner, and a hint of coldness was enough to cause the temperature in the palace to drop sharply. He showed the bearing and pressure of the supreme ruler.

Hongli felt a surge of despair rising from the bottom of his heart. All the ambition he had accumulated over the past few years was almost completely gone in an instant.

In the Shangshufang, he studied late into the night every day, working diligently and practicing hard, just to get a word of praise from the Emperor, or even just an appreciative look.

Later, when he was observing government affairs, he took an unconventional approach, was bold and careful, and imitated the emperor's style of doing things when he was in the palace, so that the emperor and the ministers in the court could see his extraordinary qualities.

It's not like he hasn't been afraid of those sinister and treacherous methods. What is the purpose of him working so hard and making all the calculations?
It was just for the emperor's father to look at him differently, but Hongli felt bitter in his heart. After all, his strategies and tactics could not escape the emperor's keen observation.

Hongli smiled bitterly and thought, forget it, in the end, nothing can be fulfilled.

There was silence in the hall for a long time. They were father and son, and blood was thicker than water, but there seemed to be a chasm between them that was difficult to cross in a lifetime.

For a moment, Hongli was even a little dazed. If he had not been born in the royal family, he and his father would have been just ordinary father and son. Even if he was born out of wedlock, it would still be better than being so unattainable, cold and distant as he was now.

"Father Emperor," Hongli suppressed the excitement in his heart and spoke in a trembling voice, "Sixth brother...does he satisfy you so much?" He paused, and an impulse surged in his chest, and he spoke regardless of the consequences: "Or, the only difference between my son and my sixth brother is a biological mother..."

Seeing Yongzheng's calm eyes, Hongli swallowed the rest of his words. He wanted to ask clearly, if he also had a mother who won the emperor's favor, even if his mother displeased the emperor and was banished from the palace, would he be able to enjoy all these things safely? Others strived for them, but he got them easily.

"Hongli, this is the last time." Yongzheng's voice, without distinguishing between joy and anger, echoed in the hall and hit Hongli's heart, instantly making his mind clear.

The emperor said, this is the last time, please forgive him for the last time.

Yes, how could the father-son relationship, which was already as thin as spring ice, withstand such repeated erosion?

At this point, Hongli finally gave up, as if all his energy had been lost in an instant, and he didn't even have the strength to open his mouth to express his gratitude.

"Hongshi and you have both reached age, and will be starting a business and building your own residences soon. Your residences have already been built, and only some finishing touches are left." Yongzheng spoke slowly, as if the confrontation between father and son just now had never happened.

"You two have reached the age of marriage. I have selected several daughters of civil servants and noble families for you. I will ask the Imperial Consort and the Noble Consort to summon them to the palace so that you and Hongshi can see them together."

When asked whether she was the daughter of a noble family of civil servants, Hongli knew the deeper meaning behind it, but he suppressed the last bit of resentment in his heart and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

Yongzheng stopped talking and closed his eyes to rest. Hongli stood up and wanted to leave. After hesitating for a long time, he finally knelt down heavily.

"Sixth brother is very talented, and I am ashamed of myself. As an elder brother, it is my duty to protect my younger brother. Please rest assured, Father. I will do my best to protect you."

Hongli looked at the emperor's complicated eyes and turned to leave.

These words were extremely explicit, almost making the divine will that was about to be revealed clear between the father and son.

Although he was excited, he was not afraid at all. What the father and son said tonight had touched upon that taboo. Since he dared to stand up and express his willingness to submit, he was not afraid of the emperor's wrath.

After leaving the hall, Hongli let out a breath. Somehow, now that he understood the emperor's intentions and knew that his own shortcomings had been exposed, he felt a little more at ease and calm in his heart.

After all, he was still a young man with lofty ideals. Standing in front of the window, Hongli felt deeply saddened. It was not that he was inferior to others, but that his fate was inferior to others. He slept particularly soundly that night.

The next day, Xia Dongchun, Imperial Concubine Jing and Imperial Concubine Hui went to the Shangshufang to visit the children, but met the Fourth Prince, who was rarely seen.

The three of them stopped and looked at Hongli in confusion, who was standing there calmly. Hongmin was clamoring for his fourth brother to take him horseback riding, and Fuhui stood aside as coldly as always, quietly watching the playful people.

Hong Zhao frowned and said in a deep voice, "Seventh brother, please stop making trouble. I still have questions to ask Fourth brother. Today's class is not over yet, so I will not let you go riding."

Hongmin curled his lips, pulled the stammering Eighth Prince aside and ran to the side, while Hongli and Hongzhou went to the corridor together.

Shen Meizhuang looked at the Fourth Prince, who was sitting with Hong Zhou, who was obsessed with books, with a complicated expression, and said slowly, "The Emperor had already promised that the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince did not need to come to the Shangshufang anymore, so how come I met the Fourth Prince today?"

Everyone knew that Yongzheng summoned Hongli yesterday. The emperor dismissed the servants and had a secret conversation with the fourth prince for two hours.

Just as they were hesitating, they suddenly heard a voice behind them.

"Why don't you ladies wait for my sister so that she can find you more easily?"

It’s Concubine Ji who is here.

If people want to have an extraordinary relationship with each other, they must first have a common secret, which is what happened to Concubine Ji and Xia Dongchun.

Ever since they decided to join forces, they have been in the same boat. Although this boat is temporarily as stable as a rock, everyone has an oar in their hands.

Even though she was so familiar with the situation, Concubine Ji still performed the ceremony in a very proper manner.

"We just sent someone to look for you, and your personal maid blushed and whispered to Caiyue, saying that you had just taken a nap and had not yet gotten up. Now you come to find fault with us again. I don't have to hide it for you. Let the palace people hear which palace mistress is sleeping so hard until noon and refusing to get up." Shen Meizhuang pretended to be angry, and Concubine Jing and Xia Dongchun also laughed with their hands covered.

Concubine Ji was not annoyed. She had been in the palace for several years. Everyone in the palace knew that she was the most casual, and the emperor was willing to indulge her. Now that the empress dowager did not ask about the affairs of the harem and the imperial concubine was also kind, no one could control her.

After a few jokes, Concubine Ji turned around and looked thoughtfully at the Fourth Prince who was patiently explaining something to Hongzhou.

"It's really lively here today."