Chapter 55: Standing Up for the Legal Mother

"Greetings to you, Mother."

After arriving at the Fourth Primary Consort's quarters and paying his respects, Hongli was told to rise by the Primary Consort, who then gently took him by the hand and led him out of the Yongshou Palace.

"Accompany Mother to pay respects to your Imperial Grandfather, and then we shall go together to greet your Imperial Grandmother."

Because the mourning rites for the late Emperor were still ongoing, and according to the ritual protocols established by the Board of Rites, Hongli still had to accompany the Primary Consort to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to weep for a while at the designated time before they could go to pay their respects to Consort De.

"Understood!"

Hongli then heard the Primary Consort mention that Hongshi and Hongzhuo had already come to pay their respects to her.

Wishing to let Hongli sleep a little longer, she had not ordered anyone to wake him in the rear hall, nor had she received Hongshi and Hongzhuo, dismissing them right away.

Upon hearing this, Hongli perceived the Primary Consort's meticulous care for him, realizing she truly regarded him as her own legitimate son.

Naturally!

Hongli understood this was because he had demonstrated his value to both the Primary Consort and Yongzheng; otherwise, such deep maternal affection would never have been shown so quickly.

However, just as Hongli and the Primary Consort stepped out of the Yongshou Palace and entered the Xianhe Right Gate along the corridor of the Western Six Palaces, Hongshi suddenly appeared before them.

Hongshi knelt down respectfully, looking up to say, "Greetings to you, Mother!"

Startled, the Primary Consort touched her chest and asked with a frown, "Hongshi, why are you still here? Were you not told to withdraw?"

"This son was afraid Mother might be overwhelmed with grief and longed to see you. Besides, this son recently acquired a batch of superior hibiscus incense, even finer than that used within the palace, and thought to bring it as a filial offering to Mother. In this son's eyes, only someone as noble as Mother is worthy of using such spices. I humbly beg Mother to accept it."

With these words, Hongshi produced an exquisite Rao kiln porcelain incense box from his robe, raising it high above his head with utmost devotion.

Seeing this, Hongli could not help but sigh inwardly. He thought that Hongshi had truly learned to change, putting in real effort to curry favor with the Primary Consort as the future Empress, unlike before when he was too distant even to draw close to his own biological father, treating the Primary Consort with mere superficial reverence.

"Very well!"

"It is rare for you to have such a filial heart."

One does not strike a smiling face; the Primary Consort thus bade Hongshi rise and instructed Chen Shishun to accept the incense box.

Hongshi expressed his gratitude, and after Hongli bowed to him, he smiled and steadied Hongli. "Fourth Brother need not be so formal. To see you dutifully serving Mother makes me both envious and deeply grateful."

Following this, Hongshi personally supported the Primary Consort's other arm, bending slightly to remind her with gentle solicitude, "Mind your step, Mother. The snow has just melted, and the ground is still quite slick."

Hongli could only respond with a faint smile. While letting the Primary Consort lead him by the hand, he mused that Hongshi was quite a character—whenever it was necessary to cast aside his pride and fawn upon those rising to power, he would do so without the slightest hesitation.

Although he knew that one could not survive without worldly sophistication in a society driven by power, Hongli lacked Hongshi's utter lack of inhibition, largely because he had benefited little from interpersonal networking in his past life.

He had merely relied on his intimate knowledge of history to successfully side with Yongzheng in advance. Furthermore, by drawing upon his understanding of Kangxi and the socialist educational principles imparted by a certain great statesman regarding mobilizing the masses, he had solved the hygiene and refugee crises in the capital. This earned him the reputation of a remarkably auspicious imperial grandson, which in turn secured him the opportunity to be personally raised by the Primary Consort.

Otherwise, Hongli suspected he might still be as obscure and unnoticed as Hongzhuo.

Yet, what puzzled Hongli was whether it was still time for Hongshi to start fawning now.

After all, he had already seized the initiative.

He had been taken in and raised by the prospective Empress—the Primary Consort—ahead of time.

Even the prospective Dowager Empress, Consort De, was beginning to use his reputation as an auspicious imperial grandson to convince herself to accept the new Emperor as the Fourth Prince rather than the Fourteenth.

Hongshi, however, gave no thought to whether it was too late.

He only knew that he should be like a little butterfly fluttering around to observe, alighting to dance before whichever flower was most brilliant.

Even if he realized that a flower he had missed was suddenly blooming most brightly and chose to retrace his flight path, it mattered little.

Soon, Hongli and Hongshi accompanied the Primary Consort to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and subsequently to the Palace of Eternal Harmony.

Although it was still only dawn, many people were already bustling along the palace paths, all on their way to pay their morning greetings.

Even some of the late Emperor Kangxi's consorts had risen even earlier than them because they needed to greet Consort De.

By the time Hongli's party arrived at Consort De's Palace of Eternal Harmony, the sky had grown completely bright.

"The Primary Consort and the two Princes, please halt. Consort De has stated that she is conferring with several Consorts on important matters, and no one is permitted to enter."

Yet, as they reached the gates, Tan Li, a eunuch dispatched by Imperial Noble Consort Rong to keep watch outside, blocked their path.

Hearing that this was Consort De's command, Hongshi spoke first, asking with great restraint, "Can you announce our presence? We and Mother have come to pay our respects; you cannot simply leave us waiting outside in the freezing cold, especially on the Winter Solstice."

As he spoke, Hongshi drew a silver ingot from his sleeve to offer Tan Li.

Tan Li refused, dropping to his knees to kowtow. "I beg the Primary Consort and the Princes to forgive me. Our mistress's rule is that during official discussions, even announcing visitors is strictly forbidden!"

Hongli noticed that the Primary Consort's brows had knitted together.

He knew this touched upon the struggle for supreme authority.

Logically speaking, since Yongzheng was already the Emperor, the Primary Consort, as his primary wife, should rightfully be the mistress of the Six Palaces.

No one within the inner court had the right to exclude her from the decision-making circle of the harem.

Nor should the harem continue to be dictated by Kangxi's former consorts.

This was also tied to whether Yongzheng's imperial authority was acknowledged by the inner court.

For the moment Yongzheng was truly accepted as the new Emperor by the harem, the harem had to accept the Primary Consort as its new mistress.

If the Primary Consort yielded even an inch now, she would take a step back in the ascent of power, appearing timid. This would fail to establish the majesty expected of the mistress of the Six Palaces, and would indirectly affect the perception of Yongzheng both within the court and throughout the realm.

Uncertain whether the Primary Consort hesitated out of deference to Consort De or because she had been heavily suppressed by Yongzheng in the Fourth Prince's manor, Hongli noted that while she was deservedly praised for her virtue, she lacked the domineering air of the Eighth Primary Consort when it came to fighting for her rightful power.

Therefore, Hongli felt he must step forward in the name of filial piety and uphold his mother's dignity, defending the Primary Consort himself. Unlike Hongshi, who dared not secure their rights in time out of fear of offending Consort De, he could not afford to shrink back.

In any case, in this era, ritual outweighed the law; a filial son who killed for his parents would not only be spared execution but would even be publicly commended.

Thus, standing up for his adoptive mother was completely beyond reproach; no matter how furious Consort De might be, she could not openly vent her anger upon him.

*Slap!*

Without hesitation, Hongli hauled Tan Li up by his collar and struck him across the face with a resounding slap, knocking the eunuch's hat right off and leaving a crimson mark across his cheek.

"Impertinent slave! Stop trying to borrow the tiger's might to intimidate people here! Imperial Grandmother has already declared that all matters of the inner court are to be completely overseen by my mother. She told you to bar others, not my mother, nor is an announcement required from the likes of you! Is there any principle in this realm where a palace slave dares to block the Middle Palace?"

Hongli purposely shouted in a stern, booming voice so that Consort De would hear it clearly.

He harbored another deep concern: that some of Kangxi's consorts, resisting Yongzheng's accession, might use Consort De to pour poison in her ear, instigating her to prevent them from paying respects to Yongzheng and thereby humiliating the new Emperor.

Tan Li was left utterly stunned by the blow.

Hongshi was equally dumbfounded.

After a momentary start, the Primary Consort bestowed a gentle, approving smile upon Hongli.

Just as Hongli had anticipated, Kangxi's Consort Rong was at that very moment saying to Consort De: "Sister, we have come for no other reason than to ask for your instruction. Should we dispatch people to pay our respects to the new Emperor? If we send them without consulting you first, we fear you might be displeased."

Just as Consort De was about to reply, she heard Hongli's loud reprimand from outside and asked, "What is that commotion?"

"The Fourth Prince struck Tan Li, who serves Consort Rong, saying that he had no business blocking the Primary Consort, and that since you have already entrusted the inner court to her, there is no reason for a servant to bar the mistress of the Middle Palace," a personal attendant reported as she hurried into the room.

Upon hearing this, Consort Rong's expression shifted, and she turned to Consort De. "Did such a thing truly happen?"

Consort De offered a wry smile. "It did. That Tan Li by your side is truly devoid of manners—how could he dare obstruct the mistress of the Six Palaces? Could it be that because the Emperor has not yet held his enthronement ceremony, they refuse to recognize the new Emperor, or because the Empress has not yet received her grand conferment ceremony, they refuse to recognize the new mistress of the harem?"

Having decided only yesterday, after listening to Hongli, to accept the reality that Yongzheng was the new Emperor, to honor Kangxi's dying wish, and to reconcile Yongzheng and the Fourteenth Prince, she could naturally not deny Hongli's claim that she had delegated authority to the Primary Consort at such a moment.

For if she refused to accept the Primary Consort as the mistress of the harem, it would signify that she remained unwilling to accept Yongzheng as the new Emperor.