Chapter 45 Chapter 44 is considered as a word!!!
After drinking a bowl of soup, even if Mu Congmo would not agree after hearing this, at least he would not make things difficult for Liang Qiulan for her sake.
Everything naturally requires appealing to both emotion and reason, and Shangguan Jing's tactics were no exception. She began by playing the sympathy card: "I have a niece who lost her mother when she was young. I raised her myself. Unfortunately, her health has always been poor, and today she suddenly came to the palace to beg me. How could I refuse her?"
Shangguan Jing's words were full of affection, but such emotions did not infect Mu Congmo at all. The women in the harem were best at acting. Even if Shangguan Jing only had three points of feelings for this man, she could still act out eighty or ninety points in front of him.
It’s not that Shangguan Jing has no feelings for the other party. It’s just that Mu Congmo felt that the matter was not as touching as she said. If Shangguan Jing really didn’t have much feelings for the other party, she wouldn’t have come to him specifically for this matter.
However, he had never noticed that the Queen Mother had a niece before, and he had no idea who she was. Mu Congmo's face showed a puzzled expression, "Is there anything that the Queen Mother can't do that you still have to ask me for help?"
There was a hint of probing in his words. Emperors had always been suspicious, and he was no exception. Since Shangguan Jing couldn't resolve this matter directly, it must be something serious. Shangguan Jing heard the probing tone and didn't show any guilt. Instead, she spoke frankly, "It's not a big deal. She just wants to ask for the position of Crown Prince for her son."
Only the next successor to a hereditary title could be called a Crown Prince. This matter, then, implicated a noble family within the court. Mu Congmo pondered this, but now he was even more curious about who the Queen Mother's niece was and which Marquis or Duke she was marrying. He spoke in a businesslike manner, "Mother, conferring the title of Crown Prince is not a big deal. Just ask her husband to submit a petition requesting it, and I will grant it. Why would you need to make this trip?"
Mu Congmo knew that this matter wasn't that simple. Either the head of the household favored a concubine over his wife and wanted to make the concubine's son the crown prince. Although the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children had been clear since ancient times, there were always some fools who would do such absurd things, making the whole world laugh at them. But since that person was the empress dowager's niece, even if their relationship wasn't close, she wouldn't do such a thing for the empress dowager's sake.
Or maybe there was another reason. Didn't Gu Cheng just come here and claim that his child died at birth, but now he's suddenly alive? He didn't know what the Queen Mother's niece was up to, but Mu Congmo was actually quite interested in the matter.
Shangguan Jing sighed deeply and said with some complaints: "My niece was confused back then. She mistakenly believed the fortune teller's words. The Taoist was probably a liar. He told her that if the child didn't fake his death, his body might not be able to support his fate and he would not live long. That silly girl believed the Taoist's words, so she let her child fake his death. She even kept it from me." These words seemed to be complaints, but Mu Congmo heard the closeness and distance in them clearly. There was obviously some doting in her tone.
Mu Congmo felt these words were familiar, and then he thought of Gu Cheng. Didn't he know that everyone in the capital liked to fake their own children's deaths these days? It seemed that the Empress Dowager's niece and Gu Cheng were a good match, but it was a pity that they both had their own families.
"Who is the Queen Mother's niece? I don't think I've ever heard of her," Mu Congmo asked, somewhat puzzled. It wasn't surprising that he didn't know. When Gu Cheng and Liang Qiulan got married, he was still in the cold palace. Liang Qiulan had been confined to her house recuperating for years, so much so that many people in the capital had forgotten her existence.
Shangguan Jing was still thinking about how to start the conversation, but Mu Congmo turned his gaze to Hu Xian standing beside him.
Hu Xian was so frightened that he wanted to stamp his feet. "Oh my God, your Majesty, this is the second time today! I just offended the Duke of Yingguo, and now he's offending the Queen Mother again. They're really putting me on the fire." But although he complained in his heart, his actions were extremely honest. He walked up to Mu Congmo's ear, and under Shangguan Jing's warning eyes, he leaned close to Mu Congmo's ear and whispered, "The Queen Mother's niece is the wife of Duke of Yingguo, Gu Chenggu."
Then he retreated behind Mu Congmo, buried his head, and did not dare to look at Shangguan Jing.
Mu Congmo finally understood. He asked how it was possible for two families in the capital to be so similar. It turned out that they were from the same family, which was not surprising. He wondered if the couple had not discussed it before, one came to him for help, and the other went to the Queen Mother, or if they were just playing it safe.
Shangguan Jing was at a loss. She had deliberately kept Liang Qiulan's identity vague so that Mu Congmo would overlook his crime of deceiving the emperor. Although the current emperor and the previous emperor were at odds, deceiving the emperor was still a crime that affected the imperial family's reputation. Shangguan Jing was unsure of the emperor's attitude, but judging by Mu Congmo's expression, he probably already knew everything.
Unexpectedly, the emperor did not say anything, but just said calmly: "I know what the Queen Mother said. I will deal with this matter. It's getting late, so I will not keep the Queen Mother here."
Mu Congmo didn't care about these things. This incident not only made him gain Gu Cheng's surrender, but even the Queen Mother owed him a favor. He became the biggest beneficiary of this incident.
On the other side, Gu Cheng also returned to the mansion at this time. As soon as he arrived at the gate, Liang Qiulan, who had been waiting for a long time, came to greet him.
Gu Cheng held Liang Qiulan's fair hand and heard her whisper in his ear, "My aunt has promised me today that she will help persuade His Majesty." Her tone was full of joy, as if she was happy for Gu Shiyan.
But Gu Cheng's mind was as clear as a mirror. If he relied solely on the Queen Mother, he would not succeed. Fortunately, His Majesty had promised him that once he eliminated some of the influence of the aristocratic families, the imperial decree to confer the title of Crown Prince would soon be issued. He buried this matter deep in his heart, not wanting to dampen Liang Qiulan's interest.
The two of them walked hand in hand into the Duke's Mansion, looking like an ordinary couple. After they had their meal together, Liang Qiulan prepared to deliver the gifts given by the Queen Mother to Gu Shiyan's room. On any other day, Gu Cheng would have gone with her, but today, Gu Cheng was acting a little strangely. Liang Qiulan didn't notice her husband's abnormality; she was completely focused on Gu Shiyan's reaction after seeing these gifts.
Liang Qiulan was followed by several servants, each carrying the gifts bestowed by the Empress Dowager today. Perhaps Shangguan Jing was concerned about Gu Shiyan, a young man she had never met, so many of these gifts seemed to be prepared for him. Liang Qiulan, however, didn't care for these things. She kept the jewelry and some brightly colored materials, which Gu Shiyan obviously wouldn't like, and prepared the rest to be sent to Gu Shiyan's room.
Thus, the scene before us appeared. Liang Qiulan had changed out of her court attire for a dark blue dress, which accentuated her graceful demeanor. The servants behind her were carrying various ornaments, white jade, and some fine plain brocade. They marched in a mighty procession towards Gu Shiyan's courtyard.
Meanwhile, Gu Shiyan sat slumped on the small couch by the window, his entire body utterly vacant, his gaze fixed on the storybook in his hand. Initially, he hadn't shown much interest in storybooks until he stumbled upon one in Yunliang Qianchi's library. He'd initially been casually flipping through it, but gradually, he became captivated by the bizarre stories within. He became engrossed in the love, hate, and vengeance of the characters, and from then on, he couldn't stop. Over the years, he'd always gone to bed early, unless something important happened or the storybook itself kept him awake.
Hua Ling knew that he had nothing to do in the mansion, so she found an opportunity to go out and bought him a popular storybook in the capital. Halfway through, Gu Shiyan frowned slightly. This storybook seemed different from what he had seen in his daily life. It seemed to describe a story between two men.
Meanwhile, Hua Ling's smile was almost reaching the sky. She feigned indifference, giving off a certain air of a man who had accomplished his mission and was leaving with nothing to show for it. She was secretly pleased with herself; these words had been carefully chosen by him and were widely circulated in the capital.
The story described in this book is exactly that of a high and mighty emperor who falls in love with the son of a minister and tries every possible means to pursue him. The man actually also loves the emperor, but is unaware of his feelings. In the end, under the emperor's pursuit, his lover finally realizes his feelings, and the two of them are together. Aren't the identities of Gu Shiyan and Mu Congmo just like the two protagonists in this book?
Therefore, Hua Ling chose this highly suggestive storybook, hoping to resonate with Gu Shiyan. However, Gu Shiyan was not yet aware of her good intentions. When he discovered that the two protagonists in the book were men, although he felt a little strange, he was already firmly captivated by the story and did not put the storybook down.
At this moment, there were sudden footsteps outside. Hua Ling looked outside and found that it was Liang Qiulan. She quickly signaled Gu Shiyan to put away the storybook. Gu Shiyan understood her meaning and stuffed the storybook under his pillow.
Gu Shiyan didn't care whether Liang Qiulan cared whether he read the storybook or not. After all, the storybook was somewhat unique, and he was a little worried that Liang Qiulan would have some messy thoughts after reading it, so he followed Hua Ling's suggestion and put the storybook away.
When Liang Qiulan opened the door, she saw Gu Shiyan waiting for her with a smile on his face. She quickly asked the servants to carry the things they brought to Gu Shiyan for inspection. After Gu Shiyan looked at them, she asked someone to send these things to the warehouse in Gu Shiyan's courtyard, because Gu Shiyan's room could not hold all these things.
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