Father and Son (Part 1)

  "Father, if things go on like this, what will become of us? Xiao Quanzi told me that Third Brother eats only a few mouthfuls of food every day and doesn't speak... " Fuca said with great worry, also feeling some resentment towards the Emperor. Why did he dump this hot potato in their laps, making it neither easy to handle nor abandon?

  "I'll go and persuade him again." Yun Ou also sighed, it's good to be able to help a little, the fourth brother is having a hard time too, the national treasury is empty, the government is corrupt, he has been on the throne for several years and almost all of them have been spent on the case... coincidentally, old eight and others are teaching Hongshi to follow the fourth brother's opposition, turning a good father-son relationship into this situation.

  It was Hongshi after all, the main culprit who made my brother-in-law demoted from Duke of a Commandery to Town Duke. Hmm, when did he die in history... the fifth year of Yongzheng? Isn't that time approaching soon? My sister and brother-in-law are worried about this? Yes, no matter how bad it is, he's still their son. If they really take care of him until his death, even if the Emperor doesn't say anything on the surface, can my brother-in-law, the Duke of a Commandery, be promoted again in the Yongzheng era?!

  Although the previous life's TV dramas and some materials said that Hongshi was given death by Yongzheng, Yunzhu didn't believe it. In those years, the Nine Dragons' struggle for the throne was so fierce, but Kangxi just imprisoned him. When it came to Yongzheng, Hongshi was just following Yunxi and intentionally sang a counterpoint to Yongzheng... how could he have been given death? With Yongzheng's temperament, after expelling Hongshi from the imperial family and handing him over to his brother-in-law for support, it wasn't impossible that he was giving him a way out, leaving room for future forgiveness... it was just that Hongshi himself couldn't let go.

  Hong Shi was demoted to the Zong Shu residence in February this year. In March, Yunzhu came here for a short stay and saw him once from afar at the northeast corner of the rear garden of the Zhen Guo Gong Fu, near the Lan Garden where she lived. There was a peach blossom forest there, and at that time, he only felt that the beautiful scenery was so stunning that it made the spring light even more warm and harmonious. However, he was wearing a melancholy and unhappy expression, standing there in a daze, forming a strong contrast with the beautiful scenery. Nevertheless, his innate noble temperament and handsome appearance still evoked a sense of "peach blossoms and pretty faces". At that time, she thought to herself: Although I haven't seen the legendary Peach Blossom Nine Winds of Qingchuang Wen, this person probably wouldn't be much different, would he?

  Who would have thought that in just half a year's time, he would become so depressed as to be in danger of losing his life...

  Just let him die like this?

  To be honest, this person is just a selfish one from the historical records, only living in his own emotional world... His life or death has nothing to do with her... But it does have something to do with her beloved cousin, can't let her cousin's husband wait until Qianlong ascends to the throne to restore his title?!

  Yunzhu never thought that Hongshi would be a match for Hongli. For the future, her preparations were very sufficient. Her research on these future "family members" was not thorough, but she had a certain degree of understanding. Basically, from the moment Hongli was born, Hongshi had already lost half of his right to inherit the throne. The other half depended on whether Hongli would be crippled or not. Since all of Yongzheng's sons' mothers were Han Chinese, except for Hongli's mother who was Manchu, choosing Hongli as the crown prince could better unite the upper-class nobles of Manchuria and stabilize the political situation.

  At this point, Hong Shi shouldn't be unclear.

  Then he would have made a fuss with Yongzheng to this extent, it's a knot in his heart. For a period of time, he was both the only son and the eldest son of Yongzheng. It's likely that Yongzheng, who had a cold and hard personality and wasn't good at getting along with people, paid too much attention to this son and had high expectations for him. Later, when several more sons were added and they didn't perform equally... Hmm, in short, it can be said that "the ice freezes three feet thick, not due to the cold of a single day".

  The relationship between this father and son is really interesting, Yunzhu thought with a sigh, but unfortunately she wasn't an fujoshi or a danmei fan, and the idea was quickly dismissed.

  Why bother with other people's business? Maybe it won't be of any use even if I do... But still, let me try. After all, Emperor Yongzheng has had a tough time, and seeing his beloved sister and brother-in-law worried and fearful is also unbearable for him.

  "Sister, brother-in-law?"

  "Come in quickly." Fu Cha smiled, and after Yunzhu came over, her mood improved a lot. During this time, on the one hand, there was San Shu's funeral, and she was worried about her father's health after being sad. On the other hand, she had to worry about San Gege, who couldn't be touched or mentioned... Fortunately, her body had been tempered and lightened over the past two years, otherwise, it would have been really hard to get through. Looking at Yunzhu holding a porcelain bowl in her hand again, "What good soup did you stew this time?"

  Yun You also smiled, but he never refused such good things.

  The two of them couldn't help but exchange a slightly awkward smile, and for a moment, the worry that had been etched on their faces just moments before was nowhere to be seen.

  "What recipe didn't I send over? If it weren't for sister and brother-in-law being so lazy, I'd have come over long ago and been cooking in the kitchen every day!"

  "Are you sure it's not just your own preference?" Fu Cha teased, this little sister-in-law was great in every way, but she was very particular about food. Other girls from good families liked to play the piano, paint or embroider, but she was different. She had learned all these things, but what she loved most was researching cuisine. It wasn't just that she spent her days cooking, wherever she went, she loved to help people nourish their bodies... Thinking about this, Fu Cha felt that her hobby was really considerate and lovely, after all, weren't the people around her, including herself, all beneficiaries?

  However, she was also surprised that the same menu, when made by her own hands, was always more delicious than others.

  If Yunzhu knew her doubts, she would definitely smile again with those slender eyebrows, all thanks to Yulanguo.

  "I like it, soup is the most nourishing. " She admitted frankly, "Sister doesn't like it, then I'll take it away."

  "Don't be like that, sister is pointing at your soup... Third brother's appetite is getting smaller and smaller, he can still drink a bowl of this soup..." Fucha looked at Yunzhu with helplessness.

  Yunzhu smiled and nodded, covering up the cunning in her eyes. Seeing Yunyou finish drinking the soup, she went forward and prepared another serving, putting it into a food box, and said: "A heart disease requires heart medicine to cure, brother-in-law, I think you'd better ask the Emperor to come over once." Even if Hongshi can't be saved in the end, the Emperor will have psychological preparation and won't blame too much.

  Yu Xiu's eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness, and his eyebrow twitched: "What do you think is wrong with Third Brother?"

  Old fox.

  Yunzhu knew that her brother-in-law, who was raised by Empress Xiaoshengxian and had a gentle appearance, was not as harmless as he seemed. He had managed to navigate the succession crisis at the end of Kangxi's reign without being affected and continued to thrive in the Qianlong era, never giving the impression of being weak or incompetent. This showed his cunning and ability. However, the more she experienced, the more indifferent she became to the imperial family. As an outsider, it was difficult for her to judge whether this behavior was good or bad. Nevertheless, if it could revive Hongshi's will to live, he would probably be willing to do so. After all, his fourth brother, the emperor, had a habit of being cautious and remembering past grievances, and it was hard to avoid offending him.

  "Lack of fatherly love."

  Yongzheng's face suddenly turned black with anger, and Su Peisheng's heart skipped a beat as he lowered his head even further. From inside the house, Yunxi let out a low hum, "How did you know? You're just spouting nonsense like a child."

  "I'm not worried about my sister and brother-in-law, let alone others. Yunzhu pouted, this is the truth, "Third Brother isn't stupid, he must know who his mother favors as the crown prince, I think he's causing all this trouble because he's resentful of the Emperor's favoritism... actually, you're all overthinking things, maybe Third Brother just wants the Emperor's praise, or for his mother to pat him on the shoulder and say 'well done'. A person has many aspects, being good at reading, painting, or poetry... these don't necessarily mean he can do a good job as Emperor. Just like the Emperor, I've never heard that he surpasses his brothers in literature or martial arts, but you can't deny that he's a good Emperor! Third Brother must also have his own strengths, it's just that as the Emperor's eldest son, the Emperor might be 'loving him deeply and demanding more from him', while Third Brother himself hasn't figured out what he really wants... both of them lack communication, I don't believe those people outside who are stirring up trouble...". The unbearable rumors everyone has heard, no need to mention them now.

  Yunzhu paused for a moment, and she heard someone approaching from outside. She thought it was one of the servants, but now she felt that something was off. How could a servant dare to stand outside her door eavesdropping for so long?

  "How dare you, can you even comment on the Emperor?!" Yun Yu almost couldn't believe that the usually gentle and quiet little girl could say such words, without a hint of fear or reverence for imperial power. He became somewhat worried, feeling that he couldn't let her continue with this "reckless bravery", otherwise one day it would bring disaster upon her.

  It was almost instantaneous that she decided to take a gamble, continuing to pretend to be concerned about her family in a girlish tone, and continued: "I don't dare to comment, it's all just speculation! Although the Emperor drove Third Brother out of the imperial clan, he loves him, otherwise he wouldn't have handed Third Brother over to his sister's husband to take care of... Unfortunately, not many people can see through his intentions, and Third Brother is even more deeply entrenched in his own thoughts, unable to understand. He's just a child who refuses to grow up, completely unable to appreciate the Emperor's hardships. Although this is also related to the Emperor's poor communication skills, as a son, he should at least be able to share some of his father's worries! Instead, he's causing trouble left and right, adding to the Emperor's burdens. This isn't childishness, what is it?! I think Sister's husband not only needs to invite the Emperor over but also needs to give Third Brother a good scolding, a wake-up call!"

  How could he have expected him to be so pampered and waited on as a prince, let alone now that he had become so fragile and ill? He was afraid that if he spoke too harshly, the other would become even more despondent... That guy probably thought that since he had fallen so ill, his imperial father still didn't come to see him, so he became even more determined to die. How arrogant!