If Line (7) If she were to be made queen, would she be willing...

Princess Yuzhen was choked up. For the first time, she realized her royal brother was a scoundrel. She opened her mouth, but her awe of him got the better of her.

"My royal brother, how long do you plan to use my name?" She really didn't like living in the palace, and she preferred the quietness of the Taoist temple.

"Chanzhen said she needs to think about it for a while longer," Chen Dingyao frowned and said to her, "Why don't you pretend to be sick and summon Chanzhen to the palace under the pretext of attending to him?"

Since it was under the pretext of attending to the sick, he had a legitimate reason to stay in the palace, so that Chanzhen would not have to go back and forth between the palace and home every day.

Yu Zhen thought he was completely out of his mind and gritted her teeth, "Brother Emperor, how can you casually summon a woman from the imperial family to the palace to attend to an illness? Even if my sister was truly ill, you should have summoned Xuan Yang to the palace first."

Chen Dingyao didn't think there was anything wrong with this suggestion. "Chan Zhen and Xuan Yang are good friends. Having Xuan Yang around won't arouse suspicion."

He thought about it and felt that this idea was a good one. He nodded slightly to Yu Zhen and said, "I will ask the imperial physician to check your pulse in a moment."

Yu Zhen heard him arrange everything for her in just a few words. Although she was unwilling, she could only force a smile on her face. "Thank you for your concern, my royal brother."

It would be strange if a guy with such a domineering and unreasonable personality could win over the girl. Never mind, she would just stay and watch the show.

Chen Dingyao has always been decisive and resolute. The next day, the news that the princess was ill due to overwork and was bedridden spread. At the same time, the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion also received an order from Princess Yuzhen to summon Chanzhen to take care of her.

Madam Wei was genuinely worried about Princess Yuzhen. She asked Chanzhen, "Your Highness looked so energetic just a few days ago. How come she's so seriously ill now?"

Chanzhen suspected this was another trick of His Majesty's, but he didn't tell his mother. He simply comforted her, saying, "Your Highness is blessed by heaven. I believe he will recover soon."

Madam Wei sighed, patted her shoulder and said, "Her Royal Highness the Princess has always been kind to you. You must take good care of her when you go to the palace to repay her love and care."

"Don't worry, mother." Zen Zhen replied with a guilty conscience.

Who knows whether she is going there to attend to Her Royal Highness the Princess or to have a private meeting with His Majesty.

As expected, the imperial edict ordered her to attend to Her Royal Highness the Princess during her illness. However, after entering the palace, she did not even see Her Royal Highness. Someone had taken over her position and came to greet her in a very fancy way as soon as she entered.

"I have already ordered someone to prepare a place for you to live." Chen Dingyao used his eyes to signal the palace attendant to take away the bag she had brought into the palace. He treated her gently and said, "If there is anything you find unsatisfactory, please tell me."

Chan Zhen saw the palace maid take off the bundle quickly, as if she was afraid of giving her time to regret.

"So Her Royal Highness the Princess is not ill after all?"

Chen Dingyao's face froze, and then he coughed lightly and said, "It's me who wants to see you day and night."

Chan Zhen was still a little angry, but when he met his straightforward and unconcealed fiery eyes, his anger suddenly dissipated and his cheeks turned red.

"There's no need to use that as an excuse," she muttered.

"I can't think of a better name." He wanted to touch her face, but was afraid of offending her and making her angry, so he suppressed his desire. "If I summon you directly to the palace, I'm afraid the outside world will be suspicious and it will be bad for your reputation."

"It turns out that His Majesty still cares about my reputation." Chan Zhen couldn't help but snorted when he remembered that he had wanted to summon him into the palace regardless of anything.

"I am truly sincere to you." He didn't care about maintaining the dignity of the emperor in front of her. He just wanted to treat her well and wanted her to look at him with gentle eyes. "I want to be with you for a long time, so naturally I have to give it more consideration."

Zen Zhen turned his face away and said, "I haven't promised your majesty yet."

"I know. I'll give you time to think about it." After rounding everyone up in his territory, he wasn't as anxious as before. "During the time you're nursing me, I won't force you anymore. Just treat me as an ordinary friend."

"According to what Your Majesty said, Your Majesty and I should be friends regardless of age difference." Chan Zhen blurted out, only to notice that the face of the person opposite him suddenly darkened.

"Zhenzhen, do you think I'm old?" Chen Dingyao said through gritted teeth.

Friendship regardless of age? Although he was a few years older than her, it wasn't to the point of being friends regardless of age.

Zen Zhen realized that he had said the wrong thing. He lowered his eyes guiltily, not daring to look at the man's dangerous eyes, and explained, "That's not what I meant."

"Then Zen Zhen, can you tell me what this friendship regardless of age difference means?" Chen Dingyao asked.

Zen Zhen stammered in defense, "What I mean is, although Your Majesty is a little older, you can't tell from your face... Your Majesty still looks very young..."

The more she explained, the darker Chen Dingyao's face became. It turned out that Chan Zhen was reluctant to agree to his request because he disliked his age. However, even though he was the emperor, he had no control over age.

Chan Zhen also noticed that his expression was not good, and closed his mouth in disappointment.

"My appearance should not be considered ugly." Chen Dingyao gazed at her young and beautiful face quietly.

Zen Zhen didn't dare to provoke him again. He nodded like a chicken pecking at rice and agreed, "Yes, Your Majesty is very handsome."

This is not a compliment. Your Majesty looks to be in his early thirties at most. He has a handsome appearance and an aura that is beyond the reach of ordinary young men.

"So, Zen can't use this as an excuse to reject me." This was the only excuse he couldn't respond to. He couldn't just stuff himself back into his mother's womb and be reborn again.

Zen Zhen could only nod: "I absolutely do not mind your Majesty's age."

Chen Dingyao just wanted to change the subject and said, "I recently acquired a five-stringed pipa. Chanzhen, you might want to take a look at it."

Chan Zhen's attention was immediately drawn away. Among all musical instruments, her favorite was the pipa, and she had collected many fine pipa at home. However, the one in His Majesty's hands was naturally much more precious than the one in her home.

Seeing the interest in her eyes, Chen Dingyao smiled slightly and asked the palace servants to carefully bring up the mother-of-pearl and rosewood five-stringed pipa that they had searched for.

Zen Zhen couldn't let go of the exquisite mother-of-pearl pattern on the pipa. Compared with the red coral that His Majesty showed her the day before yesterday, this pipa made her reluctant to take her eyes off.

"Why not give Zen a try?" Seeing her eager eyes, Chen Dingyao thought that if he could take the opportunity to listen to her play a song, it would be worth the effort he put into getting this pipa.

Zen Zhen was delighted to see the prey and looked at him expectantly: "Can I really try to play this pipa?"

"It is my honor to hear the Zen song." Chen Dingyao said.

Chan Zhen did not refuse any more, and picked up the pipa and sat on the chair. She plucked the strings to test the sound. It was indeed a rare treasure. The pipa in her home could not compare to the one His Majesty had, either in appearance or tone.

"Then I am sorry to present my humble performance." The only thing Chan Zhen was not afraid of showing off in front of outsiders was the pipa.

As the music gradually rose, Chan Zhen closed his eyes and immersed himself completely in it.

The song "Yangchun Baixue" is lively and cheerful, just right for the early spring scenery. Chen Dingyao tapped the table with his fingers, and felt his mood become cheerful with the fresh and bright music.

After the song ended, Chen Dingyao still felt unsatisfied.

Zenzhen reluctantly put down the pipa and smiled to ask for his praise, "Your Majesty, what do you think of Zenzhen's playing?"

"It can be called heavenly music, a treat for my ears." Chen Dingyao praised it generously.

Zen Zhen raised his chin proudly and said, "I think my skills are not inferior to those of your court musicians."

"Of course, in my heart, Zen is unmatched." He praised.

Zen Zhen was a little shy, and she glanced at him and said, "I am not so conceited as to say so. I am really benefiting from this pipa."

"As the saying goes, a sword is a gift to a hero," Chen Dingyao said with a smile when he saw her obsessed with the pipa. "I think this pipa should also be paired with a beauty."

Chan Zhen shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, this pipa was not easy to come by. I am very satisfied to be able to play it myself once."

"This pipa is of no use to me. It will not be wasted unless it falls into Chan Zhen's hands." Chen Dingyao, knowing her temperament, advised, "If Chan Zhen feels indebted, why not give me a gift in return?"

The painting of "Chao Zhen Tu" that he now hangs in his study was snatched from Yu Zhen by him, and he was unwilling to give up.

"Then I will not refuse any more," Chan Zhen was moved by his words. "I wonder what gift Your Majesty would like in return?"

Having achieved his goal, Chen Dingyao smiled and said, "Zhenzhen, think about it yourself. As long as it is a gift from Zenzhen, I like it."

Chan Zhen hadn't figured it out yet, and then he heard him say, "There's no rush for this, Chan Zhen can take his time."

Hearing this, Chan Zhen suddenly felt much more relaxed.

Chen Dingyao, however, hoped to delay it for a few more days. Chan Zhen would keep this matter in mind and think of him every day.

Afterwards, Chanzhen stayed in the palace under the pretext of attending to Princess Yuzhen.

His Majesty would often come to visit her after finishing his government affairs, with a natural attitude and gentle tone, chatting with her about all sorts of things. Apart from that, Chan Zhen would stay with the eldest princess. Such days really made people feel comfortable and not at all unbearable.

When His Majesty was away, Princess Yuzhen would occasionally tease her, "My royal brother hasn't come to see me as often as he has in the past thirty years combined."

Zen Zhen's cheeks flushed slightly at her meaningful gaze. "Your Highness and His Majesty have a deep brother-sister relationship. Now that Your Highness is ill, His Majesty will naturally visit more often."

Princess Yuzhen looked at her with a smile: "Is the emperor here to see me or you? Isn't it clear in Chanzhen's heart?"

"Your Highness!" Zen Zhen turned his face away in shame and anger.

Yu Zhen knew that she was the apple of His Majesty's eye, so she didn't dare tease her too much. She sighed, "I never thought that you and my brother would have such a fate."

Seeing Chan lowering her head and remaining silent, Yu Zhen continued, "After all these years, this is the first time I've seen my royal brother so attentive to a woman. Chan Zhen, what are you thinking?"

Chen Dingyao was about to enter the room, but when he heard her words, he stopped in his tracks and listened carefully.

In front of Princess Yuzhen, an elder who has always cared for him, Chanzhen no longer hides his thoughts.

"I don't know." There was some confusion in her eyes. If she continued to get along with His Majesty like this, she would not resist in her heart, but when she thought about the problems she would face after entering the palace, she felt a little discouraged.

"As you know, my father and my mother were very loving when he was alive, and he didn't even have a concubine. I also want to marry a man like my father. But... His Majesty has so many concubines. If I truly like His Majesty, I would definitely be jealous if I saw His Majesty favoring others." She shook her head, "I don't want to become that kind of person."

If she could only wait at the palace gate day after day for His Majesty's summons, she might as well become a nun like the Princess and live a quiet life.

"Yes, your personality is not suitable for entering the palace." Yu Zhen thought of the love between herself and her husband and immediately felt the same way.

"So this is fine now," Zen Zhen's eyes flickered for a moment before finally becoming firm. "I will find another opportunity to refuse Your Majesty."

She still doesn't want to enter the palace, so she shouldn't drag His Majesty along any longer. Even if His Majesty gets angry and issues an order to force her into marriage, she will resist to the end.

"I understand," Yu Zhen touched her head, "I will persuade my brother again."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Zen Zhen smiled.

Chen Dingyao remained silent outside the door for a long time before turning back to the Qinzheng Hall and staring at the imperial edict that had just been drafted on the table.

Guo Kai, who was standing behind him, also heard the conversation in the hall. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "Miss Song is innocent and lively, so her words and actions are bound to be reckless. Your Majesty, please don't take it to heart."

"Do you think what she said makes sense?" Chen Dingyao said lightly, completely different from the gentle attitude he had in front of Chan Zhen. His voice was calm but carried an oppressive force.

"This..." Guo Kai sweated even more. To be honest, he could understand Miss Song's thoughts. Which young girl in her prime would be willing to spend the rest of her life in the deep palace? Moreover, with Miss Song's appearance and family background, there was no shortage of good families pursuing her in the capital. However, he could never say this in front of His Majesty.

"I believe I am no worse than any other man in this world, but I just can't satisfy her." Chen Dingyao felt frustrated for the first time in his life. No matter how powerful he was, he could not erase the past completely.

He was twenty years older than her. The difference between them was not only in age, but also in their experiences over the past twenty years. She was clean, but he had been absurd and dissolute, and even had many children.

She did not seek fame, fortune, or wealth. She did not want what he had. She just wanted a husband who was devoted to her. This alone excluded him.

Although he could get her by force at all costs, he couldn't bear to do it when he thought of her bright and lively eyes filled with tears and her face looking at him with sadness and disgust.

"What should I do to impress her?" He seemed to be asking Guo Kai, but also seemed to be talking to himself.

He was reluctant to let her go, but also couldn't bring himself to force her. Even when he was on the march or in battle, he had never encountered such a difficult problem. When facing the enemy, he could sweep them away without batting an eyelid, but he couldn't take her lightly or seriously.

Guo Kai didn't know how to answer. How could he, a eunuch who had never experienced love between men and women, offer any useful suggestions?

At this moment, His Majesty suddenly said, "If I make her the Queen, will she be more willing?"

Guo Kai widened his eyes in shock, thinking he had misheard.

Since the death of the previous queen, His Majesty has never considered appointing another empress. Now, just to please Miss Song, is he actually thinking of appointing another empress? I thought His Majesty's intention to appoint Miss Song as a noble concubine was already a great favor, but who could have imagined that His Majesty had fallen so deeply into it.

"She is from the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion and her status is noble enough. I don't think there will be much objection in the court."

It doesn't matter if there are objections. As long as she is willing, those objections will not affect his decision.