Chapter 251 Zhuang
On the second day, the memorial from the Dali Temple arrived at the imperial desk.
Master Yu begged bitterly in prison, saying that he was confused for a moment and had delusions in his mind. He hoped that the emperor would spare his life and forgive his family because he had not made any serious mistakes.
Taking into consideration that Master Yu was a veteran of two dynasties and had made great contributions in the past, Xiao Heng spared his life from death, stripped him of his title of Master, confiscated his property, and exiled him to Lingnan with his relatives.
After the Xie family heard the news, the queen's mother, Zhuang, immediately entered the palace.
The queen quickly ordered Fu Liu to wash the grapes that had just been delivered to the palace and present them.
Zhuang looked at the Queen with a smile: "How are you these days, Your Majesty?"
Seeing that Zhuang Shi actually showed concern for her this time, the Queen's eyes were filled with smiles. "Don't worry, mother. I'm fine. But mother and father, your health has not been good. You must pay more attention to recuperation."
After saying this, the queen put the peeled grapes into Zhuang's mouth.
Zhuang amiably held a grape between her lips. "Your father and I are both in good health, Your Majesty, please do not worry. Right now, Your Majesty should be concerned about your future."
The queen's smile faded a little, and she knew that her mother's sudden visit to the palace was not just to visit her.
She gave a wink and asked everyone in the palace to leave.
Seeing that only the mother and daughter were in the palace, Zhuang placed her hand on the queen's and said gently, "Tong'er, now that the Yu family has been convicted, it will definitely implicate the eldest prince. When the crown prince is appointed one day, if others make a fuss about this..."
She paused and said, "I'm afraid that the eldest prince will not be able to inherit the throne in the future, and it will also bring trouble to you, Your Majesty..."
The queen's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she smiled faintly: "Mother means..."
Zhuang lowered her voice, "Your father and I mean that you should make plans early. Since the eldest prince is no longer viable, you don't need to waste your time on him. You should quickly raise another child by your side."
The queen was startled, and the hand held by Zhuang suddenly froze.
Seeing the queen remained silent, Zhuang said, "If you don't want to raise outsiders' children, why not let your uncle's two daughters enter the palace?"
"Yanran and Shuran have grown into beautiful and graceful women. Next year, they can enter the palace for selection. If they give birth to a prince, he can be raised by you. In this way... the crown prince will also have the blood of our Xie family, and the Xie clan will prosper forever."
Seeing Zhuang's eyes full of desire and expectation, the Queen smiled awkwardly and withdrew her hand: "Mother, is the honor of the family so important to you and father?"
Zhuang choked, "My Lady, family honor is certainly important, but aren't your father and I also thinking about you?"
"Thinking about me?" The queen pursed her lips sadly.
"If my mother really cared about me, she wouldn't be so inconsiderate of her daughter's feelings."
"From the day I decided to raise An'er, I decided to treat him as my own. No matter what happens, I will never abandon him, because... he is my son."
"Your Majesty... why are you still so soft-hearted? Because of the Yu family incident, the Emperor must be resentful of the eldest prince. Concubine Xi is already pregnant. If the baby is a prince, I'm afraid the position of crown prince will fall to him. While the Emperor has few children, you must make careful plans."
"Mother!" The Queen frowned. "Although An'er has the blood of the Yu family in his veins, he is a prince! And now he is even the legitimate son of the Empress. The Emperor is a wise ruler who knows right from wrong. He will definitely not vent his anger on an innocent child."
"Whether it's An'er or Concubine Xi's child who inherits the throne in the future, I will still be the Queen Mother. No one can shake my position."
She raised her chin slightly, and the golden hairpins on her temples swayed with shimmering pearls, making her face look cool and elegant.
Zhuang felt her daughter was incredibly foolish and shook her head helplessly, "Your Majesty, you've been in the palace for so many years. Don't you understand that there can't be two tigers on one mountain? As the Empress, you should hold all power and glory in your hands."
Queen Qi Ran sneered, "Holding all the power and glory? Mother, do you think that calculating and strategizing can ensure the family's eternal prosperity? The Yu family was once at its peak, but what about now?"
"A sharp point cannot be preserved for long; a house full of gold and jade cannot be guarded. Nothing in this world can last forever. My daughter is already very tired of being the queen. I hope that you... will not force me any further."
Zhuang's face darkened as she looked at her worthless daughter. Just as she was about to speak, the Empress said, "The Emperor is now in his prime. If you continue to discuss the Crown Prince, it would be treasonous. Please be careful with your words."
Zhuang's heart trembled. Looking at the empress's frosty face, she swallowed the words on her lips and said, "Since your majesty values the prince so much, I will not say anything more. I just hope that your majesty will not regret your decision today in the future."
The Queen looked straight at her with a resolute gaze. "Don't worry, Mother. I will never regret it. He is my son. No matter what happens in the future, I will never abandon him."
Zhuang seemed to understand the implication of the Queen's words, and her eyes were a little evasive.
After being stunned for a moment, she bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. I will take my leave now."
Only after Zhuang left did the queen completely relax, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Fu Liu called out worriedly, "My Lady..."
The Queen's nose felt bitter. "Fu Liu, this is the mother who always does things for the best of me."
Ever since she was old enough to understand, her mother told her that the Xie family was a century-old prestigious family, and that she was the eldest daughter. In the future, she would either be the Crown Princess or the Princess Consort, so she had to study hard and learn etiquette from a young age in order to be worthy of the royal family.
Before daybreak, when other children were still asleep, she had already begun to dress up and learn various etiquette norms under her mother's supervision.
Her words, actions, every smile and frown were strictly controlled. If she said something wrong or did something wrong, she would be severely reprimanded by her mother.
At that time, when her cousin fell down while playing with her, she would throw herself into her father's arms and cry.
But she didn't dare let her parents know that she had fallen, for fear that they would blame her for being naughty and rude.
Gradually, she got used to this kind of life.
She became more and more dignified and elegant, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and lived in fine clothes and delicious food, surrounded by pearls and emeralds, making many rich girls in the city extremely envious.
But she also envied them.
I envy them for being able to live freely.
Later, she became the Crown Princess, and she was neither happy nor disappointed.
Because everything is under control and is destined.
She also increasingly realized that she was just a pawn to consolidate the family's glory.
After entering the palace, every time my mother saw me, she never cared whether I was happy in the palace or whether the emperor treated me well.
She would always ask why the Emperor rarely came to Weiyang Palace, why she hadn't conceived a legitimate child yet, and why she hadn't asked the Emperor for titles for her cousins...
Every word is for the Xie family.
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