novelhk Chapter 258 Consort Fucha
Chapter 258 Consort Fucha
Hongli harbored deep disdain for the Ministry of Rites, but no matter how much he looked down on it...
However, he could not disobey the emperor's decree, and Hongli could not let his father feel that he was dissatisfied with the arrangement.
He had no choice but to report to the Ministry of Rites early.
The Minister of Rites was a cunning old fox who was well-versed in the ways of officialdom.
Upon seeing Hongli arrive, he immediately greeted him with a broad smile and warm welcome.
But this smile was more polite than affectionate.
He knew that this fourth prince was not favored in the palace.
Even with a foster mother who was somewhat favored, it couldn't change the fact that the Fourth Prince was not favored.
For the Minister of Rites, Hongli's visit to the Ministry of Rites was merely a formality, a way to gain prestige.
Therefore, although he was polite to Hongli on the surface, he did not take Hongli seriously in his heart.
After all, in this imperial court and harem, who doesn't know that the sixth prince, born to the empress, is the prince most favored by the emperor?
Moreover, the Sixth Prince's maternal family is the Fucha family, which is full of powerful and influential people in the court!
Many Manchu officials in the court had actually sided with the Sixth Prince.
In comparison, Hongli, the fourth prince, was far inferior.
The Minister of Rites knew very well that he was just a Minister of Rites.
In this complex situation, it's best to be cautious to avoid getting burned.
Now that the Fourth Prince has been assigned to the Ministry of Rites, this melon field of rites...
It is still necessary to maintain a proper distance from this fourth prince.
Therefore, Hongli's days in the Ministry of Rites were not easy.
He has to deal with some trivial matters every day, which are both interesting and boring, making him feel extremely frustrated.
What frustrated him even more was that he had originally hoped to use his time at the Ministry of Rites to win over some ministers.
To lay the foundation for one's future development.
However, although those ministers were polite to him on the surface,
But in reality, they all kept a certain distance from him and were unwilling to get close to him.
After returning to his princely residence, Hongli still had to face a wife he didn't like.
His wife, Lady Xilin Gioro, was beautiful, gentle, and virtuous, with elegant and graceful manners.
But she came from a very humble background.
This displeased Hongli considerably.
Because he felt that he was the emperor's son
He should marry a woman of noble birth and of equal social standing as his primary consort.
It can help him in the future.
But the Emperor arranged for him to marry a woman of such low birth, which was undoubtedly a form of contempt and belittlement.
Hongli knew that his father's move was not merely an arrangement for his personal marriage.
It is also a statement of attitude.
The Emperor was using this method to tell everyone that his son was not valued by the Emperor.
Let's not put all our hopes on Hongli.
Despite the efforts of the Fujin Xilinjueluo clan woman after marriage...
This is why, no matter how hard the Princess Consort tries to be gentle, considerate, and understanding.
But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't change the reason why Hongli was dissatisfied with her humble origins.
This discontent was like an insurmountable chasm, standing between them.
This made it impossible for the Fujin to gain Hongli's true satisfaction and approval.
Just as Hongli was feeling troubled, the door was gently pushed open.
Xilinjueluo came in carrying a steaming bowl of soup.
Her steps were light, and her voice was gentle: "Sir, you've had a long day. Have some soup to warm yourself up."
But Hongli was preoccupied with his own troubles and had no interest in paying attention to her.
He waved his hand impatiently and said coldly, "Take it away and don't bother me again!"
Lady Xilinjueluo clearly hadn't expected Hongli to react this way; a hint of grievance flashed in her eyes.
But he nodded silently and slowly withdrew.
Watching Xilin Jueluo's departing figure, Hongli suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
But this feeling was fleeting, and he quickly shifted his attention elsewhere.
Just then, Qingying's image suddenly appeared in Hongli's mind.
He recalled the moments he had spent with Qingying, and those beautiful memories calmed his emotions somewhat.
Therefore, Hongli immediately summoned Wang Qin and instructed him to go to Yanxi Palace to send a letter to Qingying, asking her to meet him.
Meanwhile, Hongshi went to the Ministry of Works in high spirits.
When the Vice Minister of Works saw the arrival of the Third Prince Hongshi, he dared not be negligent in the slightest.
They hurried forward to greet him and arranged some relatively simple tasks for Hongshi.
So that he could begin to learn and become familiar with the affairs of the Ministry of Works.
Although Hiroshi was not a particularly intelligent person, he was exceptionally serious in his attitude.
He devoted himself wholeheartedly to each task and listened attentively to the instructions of the Vice Minister of Works.
And do your best to complete it.
Surprisingly, despite his limited abilities,
But thanks to this serious attitude,
He actually handled things quite well, and even won the praise of the Vice Minister of Works.
The Vice Minister of Works was very pleased with Hongshi's serious attitude, so he decided to give him more guidance.
Under the careful guidance of the Vice Minister, Hongshi gradually became familiar with the various affairs of the Ministry of Works.
And they are becoming more and more adept at their work.
Hongshi was well aware that his talents were mediocre, but he always kept his goal firmly in mind.
He wanted to share his father's burdens.
Therefore, he was not discouraged and studied even harder, hoping to continuously improve his abilities.
Soon, Hongshi and Hongli's performance in their respective departments was reported to Shi Pangju.
When Da Pang Ju learned about the two people's behavior, his attitude towards Hong Shi underwent a subtle change.
He began to realize that although Hongshi wasn't very smart...
But his serious attitude and diligent spirit are truly commendable.
This made Big Fat Orange somewhat satisfied with Hongshi.
But the chubby orange cat was very disappointed in Hongli.
He wasn't unaware of or unable to see Hongli's ambition.
But whatever this son does in the future...
Having ambition without the ability to realize it is not enough.
Hongli's performance this time made Da Pang Ju realize that Hongli had ambitions but no substance.
However, he is actually too impetuous and lacks composure in his work, making him unsuitable for important responsibilities.
Compared to Hongchang, Hongli's performance paled in comparison.
Over the years, he has been wary of Hongchang and has suppressed it both openly and covertly.
Given Hongchang's intelligence, it's impossible that he was completely unaware of these things.
Despite his young age, Hongchang was unusually calm and composed, completely lacking the impetuousness and arrogance often seen in young people.
He studies diligently when it's time to study, and does his job conscientiously when it's time to do something.
He had no complaints about his father, the Emperor.
Big Fat Orange saw a reflection of his younger self in Hongchang.
This both pleased and worried him.
Although Da Pang Ju didn't like Hongli, Hongli was still his son after all.
He couldn't possibly deny Hongli any chance at all.
Sending Hongli to the Ministry of Rites this time was actually intended to give him an opportunity to gain experience.
The chubby orange cat thought to itself, "If Hongli could achieve something in the Ministry of Rites..."
So when Hongchang ascends the throne in the future, he might treat Hongli differently.
Hongchang will not treat Hongli unfairly at that time.
But to Da Pang Ju's utter surprise, Hongli's performance at the Ministry of Rites was far from what he had expected.
It did not meet his expectations at all.
This undoubtedly deepened Big Fat Orange's disappointment with Hongli.
The fat orange cat grew angrier the more it thought about it, and its anger continued to rise.
He immediately decided to have Su Peisheng summon both Hongshi and Hongli.
He wanted to reprimand Hongli in person and teach him a lesson.
After receiving the order, Su Peisheng immediately sent someone to inform Hongshi and Hongli.
Upon hearing the news of their father's summons, both of them felt uneasy.
Hongshi was very afraid that his father would be dissatisfied with his performance and would reprimand him severely as usual.
Hongli secretly thought that his performance was not bad, but his father, the Emperor, was always dissatisfied with him.
I wonder what the Emperor summoned them for this time.
Despite feeling somewhat uneasy, Hongli was also thinking...
Perhaps this is a good opportunity to change the Emperor's opinion of him.
So, with their own feelings in mind, the two quickly arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Upon entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the chubby orange cat's gaze immediately fell upon Hongshi, making Hongshi feel a surge of tension.
To Hongshi's surprise, his father showed a rare gentle expression.
He slowly opened his mouth and said, "Hongshi, I am already aware of your performance in the Ministry of Works this time."
You have a serious attitude and work diligently; overall, you're doing quite well.
When Hongshi heard his father's praise, a surge of joy welled up in his heart, and he was so excited that he almost jumped up.
He immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, his voice trembling slightly as he said:
"Thank you for your praise, Father. Your son will certainly live up to your expectations and will work even harder in the future!"
The Emperor hadn't praised him like this in a long time, so how could Hongshi not be extremely excited?
He decided that he must tell his mother the good news later so that she could share in his joy.
He secretly resolved to work even harder in the future and strive to have his father bestow a title upon him as soon as possible.
In this way, after he leaves the palace and establishes his own residence,
That way, I can bring my mother along, so I can be filial to her and give her a better life.
Just then, the chubby orange cat's gaze suddenly turned to Hongli.
His previously amiable expression instantly turned gloomy.
He snorted coldly and rebuked without any mercy:
"Hongli, what's going on with you at the Ministry of Rites?"
They can't even handle small tasks properly every day.
He spends all his time hanging around ministers, but doesn't actually do any work.
"I sent you to the Ministry of Rites to learn about government affairs, not to form cliques or engage in favoritism!"
Hongli's face turned bright red from the scolding of the chubby orange, like a ripe apple.
He lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with the large, chubby orange cat, though he felt somewhat resentful.
But he also understood that arguing back at this moment would only make the situation worse.
Seeing that Hongli remained silent, the chubby orange continued:
"You have a lot of ambition, but you are too impetuous and do things too sluggishly. How can you achieve great things?"
I had thought you would achieve something in the Ministry of Rites, but it seems I overestimated you.
Hongli lowered his head even further, his hands clenched into fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms.
He was reprimanded by his father, the Emperor, in front of Hongshi.
Shame, remorse, embarrassment—I felt like I could never hold my head up again.
Hongli tried his best to control his emotions so that the chubby orange cat wouldn't see his dissatisfaction.
The chubby orange cat's tone grew increasingly stern:
"You should first reflect on your actions in the Ministry of Rites. If you still haven't made any progress, then you will be sent to reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors!"
Hongli's heart tightened suddenly; he knew what the fat orange cat's words meant.
If he were truly ordered to reflect on his actions in seclusion, his situation would only worsen.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately knelt down with a thud and said sincerely:
"Father, I know I was wrong. I will definitely correct my mistakes and work diligently."
I will absolutely not let Father Emperor down.
The big, fat orange cat snorted coldly.
Clearly dissatisfied with Hongli's attitude of admitting his mistake, he still waved his hand and said:
"Alright, get out of here. I want to see what else you can do."
Hongli felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly expressed his gratitude. Then, he and Hongshi got up and slowly withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
As soon as they stepped out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Hongshi looked at Hongli with concern.
Seeing that his face was still pale, she cautiously asked:
"Fourth brother, are you alright?"
Hongli forced a smile, which looked somewhat bitter, and slowly said:
"Third Brother, I'm really fine. It's just that Father's words really made me feel disheartened."
Seeing this, Hongshi quickly reached out and patted Hongli on the shoulder, comforting him:
"Fourth brother, don't be discouraged!"
Father Emperor simply hopes that you can work in a down-to-earth manner.
With your intelligence and wit, you will surely earn your father's special favor in the future.
Look at me, don't I often get scolded by Father Emperor? But in the end, nothing ever happens to me!
Hongli sneered inwardly, feeling that Hongshi was simply showing off in front of him.
Hongshi's so-called comfort was not only extremely hypocritical,
It was like a sharp blade piercing his heart, causing him immense pain.
Despite the turmoil of dissatisfaction and resentment churning within him, Hongli showed no sign of it on his face.
He raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a smile that seemed to be one of gratitude, and said:
"Thank you for your concern, Third Brother. I will definitely work even harder."
After the two returned to their respective residences, Hongli sat alone in his study, his thoughts surging like a tidal wave.
The more he thought about it, the more resentful he felt. The anger in his heart was like a suppressed volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.
He simply couldn't accept that his father, the Emperor, had assigned him to such an insignificant department as the Ministry of Rites.
He was also dissatisfied with the attitude of the ministers in the Ministry of Rites.
They didn't take him, the prince, seriously.
This made Hongli feel that his dignity had been greatly offended.
What he found even more unbearable was that the chubby orange cat reprimanded him so harshly.
Hongli couldn't understand why his foolish third son would receive praise from his father.
He, however, was reprimanded.
Hongshi and Hongchang, one after another, became stumbling blocks on his path forward.
He can't shake Hongchang yet, but surely he can deal with that idiot Hongshi?
Hongli's eyes darted around, and he remembered that his father disliked his eighth and ninth uncles, who were imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court.
If Hongshi pleads for them, the Emperor will be betrayed by his favored eldest son.
They would definitely feel very uncomfortable and fly into a rage.
Punish Hongshi severely
A sinister smile crept across Hongli's lips. He decided to devise a plan to have Hongshi plead for his Eighth and Ninth Uncles.