Li Yuanjing patted his youngest son on the shoulder and said, "Go back to your mother."
Li Chengjue nodded obediently and trotted back to Lu Xuan. Eunuch Deshun handed over the memorial from the Ministry of Justice, and Li Yuanjing ordered his men to send Lu Xuan and her son away.
Silence returned to the hall, and elegant incense burned in the gilded bronze furnace.
Li Yuanjing looked through several memorials, all of which were requests to depose the empress. The ministers claimed that the queen was "unfilial and unvirtuous" and unfit to be the mother of the country.
Li Yuanjing threw the letter aside.
He really wanted to depose the queen. The edict to depose the queen had already been drafted, except for the imperial seal.
He intended to suppress and eliminate the aristocratic families. The concubines in the harem who came from aristocratic families, such as Concubine Shu and Concubine Lan, could never succeed to the position of queen.
The only candidate for the successor could be Shen Wei.
...
Lu Xuan left Chang'an Palace.
The youngest son Li Chengjue followed Lu Xuan, looking around curiously, and when he saw the chrysanthemums blooming on the roadside, he happily picked two. Lu Xuan shook the Luo fan in her hand, her eyes dark and unclear.
She must take the position of queen.
In the entire harem, only she and Shen Wei are qualified to compete for the position of queen. But the Shen family was, after all, a new noble family in the court, and their foundation in the court was not stable. Shen Wei was born into a peasant family, and she rose from a maid in the palace to the position of imperial concubine. She was really humble and had no right to be the queen mother.
Which queen in every dynasty was not a lady from a noble family?
Even if it displeases the emperor, Lu Xuan must become the queen. The queen symbolizes nobility. If she becomes the queen, her son will be the legitimate son and the most qualified to inherit the throne.
Lu Xuan lowered her eyes and thought carefully, planning to write a letter to her family, asking her father to unite the ministers in the court and have the emperor depose the queen as soon as possible and appoint a new one.
"Master, the ones in front are Concubine Chen and Princess Yao." The palace maid Xiaoqin reminded in a low voice.
Lu Xuan raised her eyes and saw Chen Wei and Li Yao.
The autumn was cool, and Chen Wei wore a very eye-catching jadeite smoke-silk skirt, with her hair in a long bun and two gold hairpins on the ends of her hair. She has a slender figure and a refined and bright appearance.
There was a hint of sadness in Lu Xuan's eyes.
Since becoming pregnant, Lu Xuan's figure has become out of shape and her face has become increasingly haggard. But Shen Wei has obviously given birth to three children, so how can she still maintain such a good appearance?
At the palace road, the two teams met.
Chen Wei and Lu Xuan were insincerely polite to each other. Lu Xuan said to Li Chengjue beside her: "Give your regards to Empress Chen."
Li Chengjue was very obedient and said, "Hello, Madam Chen—it smells so good, where are the crabs from?"
Li Chengjue is still young, at the age when he is greedy.
He sniffed with his little nose and smelled a strong aroma of crab.
Chen Wei smiled and replied, "The little prince has a keen sense of smell. Caiping, give the food box to the little prince."
Caiping obeyed the order and handed the food box in her hand to Li Chengjue.
Li Chengjue's eyes curved with joy, and he held the small food box and said in a baby voice, "Thank you, Empress Chen."
"It's getting late. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first." Shen Wei didn't stay any longer and left with Li Yao.
After walking for a distance, Cai Ping whispered, "Master, aren't you afraid that Concubine Shu will take advantage of the food box?"
Shen Wei has always known Lu Xuan, and said calmly: "She is cautious and will not let the child eat anything sent by this palace."
Caiping stopped talking.
...
After Lu Xuan and Shen Wei parted ways, they returned to Changxin Palace with their children.
When they reached a pool, Lu Xuan stopped.
She took the food box from her son's hand, opened it, and threw the steamed crabs inside into the pool.
Snap——
Ripples appeared in the pool.
Li Chengjue was stunned: "Mother, Mother?"
Lu Xuan touched the child's head and said kindly, "From now on, you are not allowed to touch or eat anything that Concubine Chen gives you. Do you understand? If you want to eat crabs, Mother will ask the kitchen to make them for you."
Li Chengjue nodded as if he understood, and glanced at the pool with confusion and bewilderment in his little eyes.
The palace maid Xiaoqin came over and told Lu Xuan: "Master, the Concubine Chen went to the direction of Chang'an Palace."
A hint of sarcasm flashed through Lu Xuan's mind.
It seems that Shen Wei has the same idea as her. They both want to go to Chang'an Palace to pay homage to the emperor and hint to the emperor in a roundabout way that she will be the successor.
...
...
Chang'an Palace.
Li Yuanjing was drinking tea when Deshun came to inform him that the Concubine Chen had arrived.
Li Yuanjing paused in drinking tea.
In recent days, many concubines have come to Chang'an Palace. Concubine Lan repeatedly showed her goodwill, and Concubine Shu came to pay her respects every now and then, both of which hinted that the queen should be deposed as soon as possible and a new one should be appointed.
Now, Shen Wei is here too.
Li Yuanjing felt a little unhappy. Could it be that his Weiwei was also as greedy and vain as the other palace concubines, secretly coveting the position of queen?
The palace gate opened, and Shen Wei's figure came into Li Yuanjing's sight. Beside Shen Wei, there is Li Yao.
"Your Majesty." Shen Wei called softly.
Li Yuanjing waved at her: "Sit next to me."
Shen Wei's face showed obvious confusion, and she slowly sat down next to Li Yuanjing.
Li Yao paid his respects to his father in a proper manner.
Li Yuanjing saw Li Yao's red eyes and raised his eyebrows: "Why are you crying? Who bullied you?"
Li Yao said nothing and wiped her tears silently.
Shen Wei secretly tugged at Li Yuanjing's sleeve. She hesitated for a moment, then mustered up the courage to say, "Your Majesty, I have something to ask of you."
Li Yuanjing narrowed his eyes: "What's the matter?"
Chen Wei clutched the small teacup, stroking the edge of the cup with her slender fingers, and said slowly: "Yao'er is thirteen this year. She will be a marriageable girl in two years. She should be ready to find a good family... The queen was implicated by her family and imprisoned in Kunning Palace. There are rumors in the palace that the emperor wants to depose the queen."
"If Yao'er is criticized by the outside world because of her biological mother, then she is too innocent. Your Majesty, can you... not abandon the queen for the time being."
Shen Wei hung her head uneasily.
He seemed uneasy about his own audacity.
She added in a low voice: "The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics... But, I treat Yao'er as my own daughter, and I can't bear to see her sad."
The hall was quiet.
Shen Wei didn't wait for Li Yuanjing's reply. She secretly raised her eyelids and glanced at Li Yuanjing quickly.
Unexpectedly, her eyes collided with Li Yuanjing's, and Shen Wei's cheeks turned red instantly.
"Deshun, take the princess to the side hall for some tea." Li Yuanjing gave the order, and Deshun respectfully invited Li Yao to leave.
In the hall, only Shen Wei and Li Yuanjing were left.
Li Yuanjing held Shen Wei’s hand: “Weiwei, don’t you want to be the queen?”
Shen Wei shook her head quickly: "I don't want to."
As long as she can keep Li Yuanjing firmly in her grasp, it doesn't matter whether she becomes the queen or not. Chen Wei has been thinking about this for a long time these days. She believes that keeping Tan Tai Shuya as the honorary queen will bring more benefits than disadvantages.
If the thoughtful Lu Xuan were to become the successor, Shen Wei would face even more trouble.
It would be better to let Tan Tai Shu Ya continue to be the queen, sideline her, and let her be trapped in Kunning Palace for the rest of her life, unable to make any waves. The position of queen is still occupied by a stupid person.
Li Yuanjing held Shen Wei's face and looked into her beautiful eyes.
Shen Wei's eyes were frank, pure, clear and clean.
After a long time, Li Yuanjing sighed helplessly and pinched Shen Wei's nose: "You are the only one who has no future."
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