Chapter 172: Two People's Pure Joy
"Even if I dislike her, she is still my mother. Out of courtesy and filial piety, I should show some respect and yield to her."
"Jiaojiao is the same. After all, she is the Queen Mother, the elder. You have never been there to pay respects to the whole palace during festivals. The Queen Mother is already dissatisfied with you, and such omissions will inevitably give people excuses to criticize you."
Concubine Zhao stared at him blankly, raised her lips and chuckled softly, "A biological mother and son are biological mother and son. Your Majesty can disrespect the Empress Dowager, but you cannot allow me to do so."
She said sadly with tears in her eyes, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten that you once told me that if I didn't like the Queen, I didn't need to pay my respects. I stayed away because I was afraid of being scolded by the Queen Mother. And now, Your Majesty, you are blaming me for being disrespectful to the Queen and unfilial to my elders?"
Xiao Heng's voice had grown colder. "Jiaojiao, you had just entered the palace then. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to adapt, so I told you not to follow the rules. But now you've been in the palace for seven years, so you should be familiar with the palace etiquette. Otherwise, when you are promoted to..."
"Then I shouldn't have entered the palace in the first place!" Concubine Zhao interrupted Xiao Heng, tears welling up in her scarlet eyes, but she was stubborn and refused to let them fall.
When Xiao Heng heard this, his face instantly darkened.
Concubine Zhao had said this more than once. When she first entered the palace, she always said: This palace is a cage. If she had known that she would be restricted in every way and have to depend on the Empress's mood, she should not have entered the palace.
A few years later, Concubine Zhao brought it up again.
Xiao Heng gritted his teeth, his voice filled with cold anger: "It seems that your female commandments were written in vain!"
After saying this, he turned away, leaving Concubine Zhao standing there in a daze, feeling increasingly cold.
Looking at the place where Xiao Heng disappeared, Concubine Zhao overturned the wooden basin in front of her, and rose petals splashed with water, wetting her skirt.
Xia Ying was startled and hurried forward to wipe the water stains.
"My lady, please don't be angry."
Zhao Fei burst into tears: "He was not like this before."
Invite the Moon Palace.
Rongpin and Liu Yuetang are trimming jasmine flowers
"Are you sure you want to raise the Fourth Prince?"
"I'm not being nice, but the Fourth Prince is a hot potato. If he can grow up safely, that's fine, but if anything goes wrong, you'll be blamed."
Liu Yuetang slowly trimmed the extra branches and leaves. The sunlight coming in from the window just happened to shine on her profile, which was as delicate and smooth as mutton-fat jade, with a soft and tranquil luster.
"I've made up my mind. I don't plan to raise the Fourth Prince. And I don't want to raise any children in the next two years."
"I don't really like children, and I'm not ready to be a mother. Raising a child in such a hurry would be irresponsible to him."
Rongpin nodded in appreciation: "You are right to think so. People... always give up their strengths and seek shortcoming."
"Besides... having no children does have its advantages. When you and I both become consorts, in our free time, we can stroll through the garden together, play the zither and dance, or embroider. Although our lives will be dull and we won't have the joy of having children and grandchildren around us, we can avoid many disputes and won't have to worry about our children being disobedient and unfilial."
"It's a kind of freedom and happiness."
After the miscarriage, she saw many things clearly.
In this world, many people and many things cannot be forced.
She cannot keep the child, nor can she hold on to the grace.
Only yourself is the only thing you can control in the rest of your life.
And the most important.
"My sister's name is Rong Yue?" Liu Yuetang looked at her with a smile.
Rong Yue nodded slightly.
Liu Yuetang smiled gently: "Sister, you will surely be happy and successful in the future."
Rong Yue smiled faintly: "No need to worry about it or make any arrangements, just enjoy the present. We can talk about the future later."
As soon as she finished speaking, the voice of the palace servants came from outside: "Greetings to the Emperor."
Rong Yue was not surprised. She stood up immediately, and the tassels hanging from her hair swayed gently, twinkling like stars.
"The Emperor is here to see you. I'll come over and play chess with you next time."
Liu Yuetang quickly stood up: "Sister, take care."
When passing by Xiao Heng, Rong Yue knelt down to greet him.
Xiao Heng was in a bad mood. He waved his hand lightly and walked towards Liu Yuetang.
He took Liu Yuetang's hand and slowly sat down. His brows relaxed slightly as he looked at her pretty face, but he still said nothing. He just held her in his arms.
Liu Yuetang put her arm around his waist and asked, "Is your Majesty worried about something?"
Xiao Heng pondered and said, "I want to tell Miaomiao something."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"Didn't we say before that we would raise the Fourth Prince with Miaomiao? But the child is weak and suffers from heart palpitations, so I'm afraid this matter may change."
He lowered his eyes to look at Liu Yuetang, but he never expected that she was not displeased at all. Instead, she nodded obediently: "Your Majesty, I will obey you."
Xiao Heng held her cheek and looked at her, saying softly, "Aren't you going to ask me why?"
Meeting his deep gaze, Liu Yuetang smiled, the tenderness in her eyes flowing like a stream.
"Because I know that no matter what the emperor decides, it is for my own good and for the good of the Fourth Prince."
"I have said that no matter what decision the emperor makes, Miaomiao will support him."
Her soft and sweet voice lingered in Xiao Heng's heart, soothing his pent-up irritability bit by bit.
He didn't know when it started, but whenever he felt upset, going to Yaohua Palace would make him even more upset.
But the woman in front of him was like a flower that could speak eloquently. Even if she just stayed quietly beside him, he would feel much happier.
Perhaps it was because he and Concubine Zhao had always been arguing over the past few years.
She became more and more confused about her own thoughts and kept dwelling on the past.
He patted Liu Yuetang's back with relief: "Miaomiao, don't worry, I will definitely find you an adopted son who is better than the Fourth Prince."
Liu Yuetang shook her head: "Your Majesty, forget it."
She buried her delicate head in Xiao Heng's chest and said softly, "While the emperor still likes me, I will definitely enjoy the peace and happiness we share. When the emperor gets tired of me, I will adopt a child to keep at his side, so that I can have something to think about."
After she finished speaking, she hooked her fingertips on the buttons on his collar and shook them lightly, with a gleam in her eyes that was a bit coquettish and cunning.
Xiao Heng raised his hand and pinched the tip of her nose hard, causing Liu Yuetang to hiss in pain.
"You clever little devil, you think things through."
"Well, I will experience all the pleasures of pillow romance and the beauty of red sleeves with Miaomiao. Otherwise, when Miaomiao has a child, she will definitely be distracted by him and won't be so attached to me."
Hearing the romantic talk beside her, Liu Yuetang lowered her eyes and smiled, nestling in his arms for a while longer. Liu Yuetang finally said, "Your Majesty, I also feel that it is not appropriate for the Fourth Prince to be kept by my side."
"He's already frail, so he needs meticulous care. Who could be more dedicated than his biological mother, Sister Su?"
Xiao Heng nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, I discussed this with my mother today. It's really hard to find a suitable foster mother in the harem. So we decided to wait until the Fourth Prince is one month old before deciding."
Liu Yuetang placed her hands on his shoulders and said softly, "Actually, Your Majesty could have Sister Su raise the Fourth Prince first, and then send him to his foster mother when he's stronger. The Fourth Prince is already special, so this shouldn't be considered an overstepping of the bounds."
Xiao Heng's eyes lit up unexpectedly, and he smiled and said, "I was just thinking about this, Miaomiao thinks the same thing as me."
"Well, since Miaomiao has proposed it, I will agree."
Liu Yuetang was delighted and nodded quickly, saying, "Then Miaomiao would like to thank the emperor for his grace on behalf of Sister Su."
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