In the Tai Chi Palace.
Zhao Jie had not been able to properly handle state affairs all day. It was not until he went to have dinner with Queen Mother Zhou in the evening that Zhao Jie put aside the distracting thoughts in his mind.
Empress Dowager Zhou handed Zhao Jie some food and said, "Jie'er, this is your favorite. Eat more. I heard that the Regent found portraits of more than a dozen girls for you to choose as your queen. Have you chosen one yet?"
Zhao Jie said, "I've already declined."
Queen Mother Zhou nodded and said, "You've done a good job in refusing. The Prince Regent clearly has ill intentions. You must choose the queen yourself! You can't follow the arrangements of the Lu and Qi families. They might want to support someone from the Qi family as queen, so they can establish a puppet in the future."
I heard from your second cousin that her brother-in-law has a niece who is extremely beautiful and, most importantly, of noble status. She is the eldest daughter of the Chu family, who is exactly fourteen this year and is the perfect candidate for the queen..."
Zhao Jie frowned slightly and said, "Mother, I refused because I'm still young, not because I think my cousin has bad intentions."
Queen Mother Zhou said, "How can you not understand, child? Do you really think Lu Ze would be so kind as to let you rule the country? He has held power for nearly ten years. Would he let it go so easily? He just wants to use your harem."
I heard that the new Shangfu Chu Chi in the harem is a maid from Prince Qi's mansion. Don't you understand? They want to control your future harem too!"
Zhao Jie just frowned and said, "Mother, you worry too much."
Queen Mother Zhou sighed, "Alas, you, please be more careful."
On the way back to Taiji Hall, Zhao Jie happened to meet Chu Chi who came to deliver a sachet to Chu Qing. The wind was still cold on the night of February 2nd. Chu Chi was still wearing the thin long gown he wore when he was out for a walk during the day.
Zhao Jie took off his cloak and walked over to put it on Chu Chi.
Chu Chi was startled. She turned around and looked up to see Zhao Jie. Zhao Jie, who was obviously several years younger than her, was already half a head taller than her.
"His Majesty."
Zhao Jie said, "It's cold, be careful not to catch a cold."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will take my leave now."
After Chu Chi returned the cloak to Zhao Jie, he took it off again and again.
Zhao Jie entered the Taiji Palace and smelled the faint peony fragrance on the cloak. In his dream at night, he seemed to have entered a field of peonies, and the peony in the middle transformed into the appearance of Chu Chi.
Zhao Jie instinctively walked over, lowering his head to inhale the scent of the peony flowers...
Under the blue sky, a cluster of peonies stood out, their fragrance filling the air. Chu Chi's eyes gradually became blurred amidst the peony blossoms...
When Zhao Jie woke up early in the morning, he frowned.
The palace maid who came to make Zhao Jie's bed saw the marks on the bed and happily went to report to Empress Dowager Zhou.
Queen Mother Zhou heard this and said, "This child still says he's young. Now that things have come to this, it's time to find a queen for marriage so she can take over the government as soon as possible."
…
The end of February was Lu Ze's 30th birthday, so he took three days off to have a good vacation.
He took Qi Yuning to the Shengjing manor, but did not bring the two children with him. However, he had the most satisfying birthday there.
On a spring night, Qi Yuning and Lu Ze lay in the courtyard of the manor, watching the setting sun. Beside them was a peach tree in full bloom. It was a rare opportunity to watch the clouds roll by, and Qi Yuning felt very comfortable.
Lu Ze stroked Qi Yuning's hair and said, "It's been a long time since I felt this peaceful. I really hope Zhao Jie gets married soon so I can spend more time with you and the child."
Qi Yuning said: "Zhao Jie is only fourteen, it's a little early for him to get married now, but he should get married when he's sixteen or seventeen. But I don't know what the situation will be like after he takes power.
Now I think the Zhou family is tied to the same boat with those aristocratic families. The Shen, Ning, Yang, and Chu families are intermarrying with each other, and they are like a connected thread. I also heard that the eldest daughter of the Chu family is quite famous in the Jiangnan area, and this reputation of Jiangnan has spread to Shengjing City.
Empress Dowager Zhou also praised this Miss Zhou a few days ago, but she's not just here to gain fame. I think she's aiming for the position of Empress."
Lu Ze squeezed Qi Yuning's hand and said, "It's a rare two days of relaxation. Let's not talk about business anymore."
Qi Yuning looked at Lu Ze and said, "It's not all business. Jie'er is also a child we have watched grow up."
Lu Ze said, "Let's take it one step at a time. As long as we have a clear conscience, that's all that matters."
Qi Yuning looked at Lu Ze and said, "So, you really don't want to cling to the power of ruling the world for a few more years?"
Lu Ze chuckled and said, "Who doesn't like the feeling of power? But power is also a hot potato."
Qi Yuning said, "I don't know who His Majesty will choose as the queen. If he really chooses the one from the Chu family, oh well."
After Qi Yuning and Lu Ze abandoned their two children and returned to the princess's residence, Lingling was angry for several days.
It took Lu Ze and Qi Yuning several days to coax her into submission. Little Zhixiu was not angry at all, and seemed to not care whether his parents were with him or not.
Qi Yuning has never felt the feeling of being clingy with her son. Instead, she misses Lingling when she was three years old. She would stick to her every day and call her "Mom, darling". She was much cuter than her son.
In March, it was the first birthday party of Qi Yuning's niece. It was a great joyous event for the Qi family to have another daughter after 27 years, and the grandeur of the one-year-old celebration was no less than Lingling's.
Qi Yuning went to the Prince Qi's mansion next door early in the morning to help hold her little niece.
Qi Yuning loved her little niece very much. Looking at her soft and cute appearance, Qi Yuning had the idea of giving Lingling a younger sister, but after thinking about it, she gave up.
Although the child is cute, she is no longer young. If she had given birth to the child earlier, she would have to marry her daughter off in a few years at her age.
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