Chapter 328 Unable to Marry

In the darkness outside the courtyard gate, Ling Chenyi, Shen Changhe, and Mo Xiang, whose mouth was covered by Qingfeng, were all there.

Ling Chenyi pursed his lips, "See, I told you so." He nudged Shen Changhe with his arm, "I still have foresight, right?"

As an emperor, if he were to be seen speaking flattering words to others, he would be courting death.

Shen Changhe pursed his lips and said nothing.

Mo Xiang stopped struggling after hearing this, and forcefully pried Qing'an's hands apart, glaring at him unhappily.

The courtyard was not over yet, and how could Xiao Yuan be willing to leave without seeing Shen Anan? However, no matter what he said, he got no response, so he could only grab the door and said, "Anan, if you don't say anything, I will break the door and go in."

"You dare." A cold voice came from the room, "If you dare to knock on the door, you are not allowed to come here again from now on."

Xiao Yuan's face turned bitter, he tightly grasped the door handle and didn't dare to move.

But it’s good that An An is willing to talk to him.

"Okay, I won't knock on the door. I'll stay in the Shen Mansion. An An, we're not in a hurry. Let's take our time."

He looked deeply at the position of the window frame, then turned and left the Begonia Garden.

Shen Changhe and his companions immediately walked out.

Xiao Yuan said, "Thank you for your help, brother. I want to stay in the room next to An An."

Shen Changhe's face was stiff, "Your Majesty is too kind."

He is the emperor now, and calling him brother is against the rules. How can he stay in his palace again? Those imperial censors will definitely scold him.

He touched Ling Chenyi on the side, and Ling Chenyi immediately turned his head away, pretending to know nothing. At this time, Xiao Yuan was so powerful that he couldn't be restrained by several bulls, so he didn't rush to get scolded.

The corners of Shen Changhe's mouth twitched, and he had no choice but to speak, "Your Majesty, you have just ascended the throne, it is not appropriate for you to stay overnight."

Xiao Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, not caring at all, "If I am too disciplined, those imperial censors will have nothing to do."

“…”

Ling Chenyi spread his hands towards Shen Changhe, roughly meaning, you see, I knew it would be like this, there's no point in saying anything.

"..." Shen Changhe would not glare at people, as it was against the gentleman's style, but he still glanced at Ling Chenyi.

Xiao Yuan already treated the Shen Mansion as his own home, and very immodestly ordered Mo Xiang to prepare.

Mo Xiang hesitated and hadn't moved yet, when a figure hurriedly came to the end of the bluestone path.

"Your Majesty, I am sorry for not welcoming you from afar. I..."

"Father-in-law." As soon as Xiao Yuan opened his mouth, Shen Wen froze on the spot.

After realizing what was happening, he waved his hands again and again, "No, no, Your Majesty is the ruler and I am the subject. I dare not accept Your Majesty's gift."

It was fine before, but now Xiao Yuan's courtesy as a junior was too much for him to accept.

Even if the term "father-in-law" was brought to the court, he would still be criticized.

Xiao Yuan's idea was very simple. He wanted to stay in the Shen family, live in the Begonia Garden, and stay with An An.

After Shen Wen heard what he meant, he was silent for a moment before he said, "I have a few words to say, but I don't know whether I should say them or not."

He glanced at Shen Changhe and Ling Chenyi standing beside him.

If it is not appropriate to speak, then of course it should not be heard by others.

Shen Changhe was very self-conscious, but Ling Chenyi was not so observant. It was not that he did not understand, he just wanted to listen. Shen Changhe had taken three or four steps when he turned around and saw Ling Chenyi listening without moving. He then turned back, grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

After everyone left, Shen Wen frowned and said, "I know that the emperor is infatuated with An An, but the more it is at this time, the more patient the emperor should be."

"You have cleaned up the court and shaped the government. Many ministers are worried about you and are waiting for you to make a mistake. Many officials and nobles are hoping to send their daughters to the harem to prosper their families. If you, Your Majesty, settle down in the palace for An'an, I'm afraid those people will make a fuss at the court tomorrow morning."

Of course Xiao Yuan knew about it, but he didn't take it seriously at all.

"I am the emperor. I have said that I will not select a concubine. Whoever dares to ask for it will be punished by me!"

His tone was very firm, and Shen Wen didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

"The emperor is naturally not afraid, but An An is afraid that he will be branded as jealous."

"An An wouldn't care about this." Those people didn't dare to say it in front of them, otherwise An An's temper would definitely make them shut up forever.

"..." Shen Wen choked. Meeting such a scoundrel, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Your Majesty, if you really care about An An, you might as well solve the matter of the selection first. Otherwise, even if you stay, An An may not be willing to go with you."

Xiao Yuan was silent.

Of course he knew it, but he couldn't wait to see her. He had been working day and night these days to handle official business and didn't want to rest, because as soon as he had some free time, the longing would overwhelm him.

Shen Wen couldn't persuade Xiao Yuan with the imperial order, so he brought Shen An'an out again. After Xiao Yuan was silent for a while, he finally agreed to go back to the palace to deal with the selection first, and then invite An'an back to the palace.

Shen Wenchang breathed a sigh of relief, "Even if the emperor wants An'an to enter the palace, she must have a position. She still has to marry from the Shen Mansion and have a canonization ceremony."

Although he guessed that Xiao Yuan would give the throne to An An, Shen Wen still left a clue and did not say it out loud.

In fact, Xiao Yuan had already prepared all the matters related to establishing the queen.

After he left, Mo Xiang pushed the door open and entered the house. She saw Shen Anan's figure in front of the window. She was looking towards the courtyard gate with a faint smile on her lips.

Mo Xiang was startled, "Princess, you remember your uncle today, right?"

Shen Anan turned around and glanced at Mo Xiang without saying anything.

"Then why didn't you go back to the palace with your uncle? You didn't see how lonely your uncle was when he left just now. I felt so sad just seeing that."

Shen Anan left the window and sat down on the couch. The smile on her face gradually faded. "Remembering is only temporary. Who knows what will happen tomorrow?"

Mo Xiang frowned, not quite understanding, "As long as you are with Uncle, it doesn't matter whether you remember or not, Uncle will take good care of you."

"Silly Mo Xiang." Shen Anan glared at her, but there was mist in her eyes.

He is now the emperor, no longer the fourth prince. Things are different now because of the change in his identity.

Mo Xiang really didn't understand, but Shen Anan refused to say anything more and asked her to go to the kitchen to make a bowl of sour plum soup.

"Didn't Master say that the princess was pregnant with a girl? Why do you like sour food so much?"

"It's the same for both boys and girls." Shen An rubbed her belly. She thought she was pregnant with a son, but Wen Yin said it was a daughter.

She stroked her flat belly again and again, slightly absent-minded.

She missed him a lot, but she was very aware of her own physical condition, and even more so of the importance of having more children for the royal family.

She was not a generous person, and could not bear to see him open up his harem and share it with others. If it were her in the past, she might have the courage to fight against the ancestral system and ministers, but now...

Sometimes she couldn't even remember who she was.

Love can be eaten away by power. It is a fascinating thing. She may remember it today, but may not remember it tomorrow. He is an emperor. How much patience does he have to accompany her and coax her all the time?

When their patience runs out, will they become a pair of resentful lovers?

She didn't know what Xiao Yuan felt. Sometimes, she really despised herself for being so useless. Now was the best opportunity for both of them to make a choice.

Her physical condition is indeed not suitable for being a queen.

——

When Xiao Yuan returned to the imperial study, the three masters were waiting in the study. Eunuch Liu had not yet decided how to punish them. When he saw Xiao Yuan coming back, he immediately said, "Your Majesty, these are the fathers of the three girls who were talking nonsense on the street. They are all here."

Xiao Yuan sat down behind the dragon table, his gloomy face without any warmth, which frightened the three men so much that they didn't even dare to raise their heads.

"I heard that I want to select a talent show?"

The three men had already heard the whole story from Eunuch Liu.

"Your Majesty," Lord Li said boldly, "When you first ascended the throne, selecting concubines to enrich your harem and expand your family is..."

Bang--

The sound of the teacup falling on the dragon table startled Lord Li.

Xiao Yuan's expression remained calm, "Master Li, please continue."

"..." He raised his head and glanced at the cracked white jade cup on the dragon table, not daring to say anything else.

The other two even lowered their heads, "Your Majesty, please understand. I have never said anything. It was my little girl who made random guesses about Your Majesty's intentions. When we return, I will definitely discipline her."

Xiao Yuan picked up the cracked white jade cup and threw it on the tray beside him. His voice was cold, "You still want to go back?"

His wife was so angry that she ran away, and they still dream of going back?

The three of them shuddered and looked at Xiao Yuan in disbelief. Could it be that the emperor was going to kill them just because of such a trivial matter?

Being so tyrannical, does he not want his reputation anymore?

While he was thinking, Xiao Yuan's voice had already sounded, "Making random guesses shows that you have too much free time, Eunuch Liu."

"The servant is here."

"Prepare a carriage, load the three gentlemen and the idle, talkative girl in the family onto the carriage, and throw them three hundred miles out of the capital. Return to the city on foot within ten days. If you are one hour late, I will strip them of their official uniforms."

"...Yes." Eunuch Liu responded respectfully.

The three ministers were all stunned.

This method of punishment is truly unheard of.

Walking three hundred miles, let alone the girl in the family, even the three of them could not do it. They were all used to a life of luxury and needed a carriage to pick them up whenever they went out.

"emperor…"

"Pass on my oral order. From now on, any minister who mentions the selection of concubines will be exiled to the northwest. Whoever can return on foot within half a month, I will take his daughter as my concubine."

“…”

“…”

The Northwest, what kind of place is that? Not to mention walking back for half a month, it would be good enough to come back alive. The emperor has no intention of holding a beauty show at all.

The three adults were thinking about this as they were dragged away by the eunuchs called by Eunuch Liu.

As soon as the emperor's oral order was passed down, the ministers fell silent.

Many ministers who were planning to send their daughters to the palace gave up the idea. Being a concubine would indeed bring honor to the family, but one also had to be alive.

Of course, there were also several important officials who were dissatisfied and came to the Imperial Study to make suggestions.

"When I was in the palace, the princess went to Jiangnan to mediate with the bandits. Where were you? Now you want your daughter to enter the palace. You want to get all this wealth and glory for free. You have missed all the good things. Do you think others are fools?!"

Xiao Yuan's tone was very solemn, and the ministers immediately dared not speak.

Of course, some people also have doubts in their hearts. .

It wasn't that they didn't want to marry their daughter into the Fourth Prince's mansion, but that he refused to accept her. But at this critical juncture, who dared to say it directly?

"We are a couple, we have survived a bloody storm, and you want to take advantage of us for nothing?"

Ling Chenyi stood aside with his arms folded and chuckled, "That's right, he looks ugly, but his thoughts are beautiful."

His words were unpleasant to the ear and drew the disdain of many ministers, but no one dared to say it as bluntly as he did. The merit of following the emperor was indeed extraordinary and was not something they could compare to.

"But Your Majesty, the selection of concubines is a rule left by our ancestors. It is not only for the purpose of expanding the family, but also for balancing the power of the former dynasty and the harem."

"Then I will first exile Chen Aiqing's daughter to the northwest. As long as she has the ability to come back, I will give her to your Chen family as a noble concubine."

Lord Chen's face froze, "This old minister... doesn't have a daughter."

"Then why did you jump out?" As the king of a country, Xiao Yuan couldn't say such unpleasant words. At this time, Ling Chenyi had to step forward to take his place.

"If I didn't know, I would have thought your daughter couldn't get married."

"..." Lord Chen's face turned purple from holding his breath.