Chapter 46 Chapter 46 [VIP]
The prince was not very close to the emperor's carriage, but when the carriage stopped, there was silence all around. He was not an unmarried boy. Chen Rongshou guessed that the crown prince must have heard something.
But if this prince was smart, he should have lowered his head and pretended nothing had happened, instead of showing a shocked expression, almost trying to peek into the emperor's privacy through the layers of curtains.
The camp had not received any order to set up a separate tent for the imperial concubine. The emperor suddenly returned to the palace. Although the prince was confused, he just thought it was an important matter that had suddenly come. Upon learning that the emperor had returned, he immediately went out of the camp ten miles to welcome him. However, he never expected to hear his father's hoarse and low voice, as if he had been seduced by some mountain spirit and was caught off guard.
He could hardly imagine the beauty of what was happening in the carriage, although everyone knew what kind of lively things were hidden in this carriage surrounded by neat and solemn ceremonial guards.
But as expected, the woman in the car who was being embraced by his father was his Yi Niang.
Could it be that his father, the emperor, who was known for his unfathomable majesty, hurried back to the palace just to bring Yi Niang to his side?
The prince felt a pang of sadness. Yi Niang's tenderness and charm originally belonged to him. Now they were separated by a curtain, avoiding the embarrassment of meeting each other. He knew he should lower his head and pretend to be deaf and dumb like the guards beside him, but his ears were surprisingly useful at this moment.
He heard the conversations of men and women, the rustling of clothes, and the faint sound of flapping.
Shen Youyi sat on Emperor Yuan Shuo's lap, facing him directly, with a look of grievance on her face.
Even though she was in such a state, Emperor Yuan Shuo was still busy talking to the prince. As soon as she approached him, she was hit lightly.
Emperor Yuan Shuo was slightly annoyed and whispered, "How can you be so close to a child? How can you be so inappropriate!"
Even though the child was about the same age as her, Emperor Yuan Shuo wanted her to quickly adapt to her role as an elder: "Aren't you afraid that Zihui might hear or see it?"
Shen Youyi asked in surprise: "Do you want His Highness to come up?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo shook his head slightly, patted her again, and simply signaled her not to speak. He said calmly, "Why are you running here to greet me when you're not in charge of the camp?"
He had no intention of doing anything with the imperial concubine here. It was too disrespectful. Even if he did, there was no reason for him to blame the monarch for visiting his concubines outside. As for what the prince thought, he didn't want to care.
The prince lowered his head, feeling that this was absurd. He should be questioning his father about this. The emperor went hunting but returned to the palace halfway. Even if there was news that the emperor was slightly ill, it was not in line with the emperor's martial style.
A man holding great power actually lost his composure for Yi Niang, which caused a crack in the prince's respect for his father.
Even a father who plans everything carefully would do something incredible and ridiculous for a woman?
"My son just wants to show his filial piety to his father."
He had been through these scenes for a long time, and when he talked about the arrangements in the camp for the past one or two days, they were in good order. Shen Youyi listened quietly for a while. She could see that the prince still had some sense of measure in doing things. Emperor Yuan Shuo listened to the prince's reply with a cold face. Although he didn't say much praise, he kept stroking and playing with one of her palms, and it was obvious that he was in a good mood.
She really wanted to curl her lips. They were riding in the same car and making some noise. It would be hard for the prince not to misunderstand that his father was doing something frivolous to her.
But she didn't think there was anything wrong with this misunderstanding, and even wanted to stab him in the heart.
She whispered, "Your Highness is young, but he is very powerful!"
As she expected, the hand on her waist suddenly exerted force, lifting her half an inch, and then relaxed, causing her to let out a low cry of surprise.
Emperor Yuan Shuo frowned and held her waist with one hand: "Sit still and don't make any noise."
His concubine turned to the other side with a look of grievance and ignored him for the time being.
Emperor Yuanshuo looked calm and said to the Crown Prince, "You have done a great job in these matters. Tomorrow you will represent me and go to the horse race with several princes."
Since he was already "sick", it wouldn't hurt to stay a few more days. It would allow the people from the Imperial Medical Bureau to come in and out more easily, and he could also take her to hunt a few deer to see if it could help her remember some of the past.
The prince listened carefully. His father spoke with full energy and occasionally coughed... It seemed that he was coughing to cover up the movement of the woman in the car. He was filled with anger and completely forgot that this was the king's appreciation of him.
He had a difficult time mediating with several elders who were taking advantage of their seniority. He could neither agree to their nagging nor refuse their request on behalf of his father. He also had to pay attention to the young nobles who were vying to show off their skills in front of him, worry about the things his mother asked him to do, and say good things for the son of a certain lady. With all these things happening, he was overwhelmed and exhausted.
However, his father, the Emperor, cradling his Yi Niang in his arms, was enjoying himself in the tent, using countless tricks on this delicate beauty. He was burning with jealousy, but his tone was respectful. He whispered, "After all, my son is still young. Some things have passed through several hands. It would be better for you to make the decision directly. You have important matters to return to the palace, so I dared to take over temporarily. Several princes and envoys are eager to see the emperor, and I am no match for him."
This sounds fine, but Shen You
He was almost mad with rage.
However, Emperor Yuan Shuo was only slightly displeased. He had become the emperor from the crown prince. The superiors were not lazy at all. They just asked him to take over for a few days, but he was still cowardly and refused to move forward.
"Those princes are just subjects, do you care about them?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo saw the imperial concubine beside him covering her lips and laughing, and his voice softened a little, saying: "Are you going to
Shen Youyi listened to him scolding his eldest son. It was he who asked the prince to respect his teachers and elders, but he was also the one who treated those ministers casually. The person in charge was confused. Even if the prince wanted to please the king, he didn't know which words were true and which were false.
Even if the emperor did not understand the prince's intention, he would still be displeased. Although the emperor and his father could not do whatever they wanted, he would not listen to the words of his subjects.
After this incident, Emperor Yuan Shuo no longer had the heart to ask the Crown Prince to accompany him all the way. Seeing her leaning her head against the carriage wall in a daze, he whispered, "Did you enjoy my joke?"
He didn't know when his son started to behave strangely, and as a father, he was extremely troubled.
Zi Yan has been a spoiled child since childhood. Even if his heart disease could be cured, Emperor Yuan Shuo would not want to make him his heir. He just concealed the doctor's prediction that he would die young from the outside world in order to sharpen and warn the prince.
But after counting the concubines in the harem, there were no other heirs to consider except this son.
Shen Youyi's thoughts were no longer on this, but drifted to the names of the people mentioned by the princes.
Although she did not know these gentlemen that the prince wanted to promote, she had vaguely heard of their names.
Several of them are cousins of the Yang family, and some are from unknown families. It is extremely difficult for them to be mentioned casually by the prince in front of the emperor. Prejudice based on family background has existed since ancient times. The prince's maternal grandfather was from a famous family. Such relatives have provided great help to the prince, but at the same time, they are arrogant and rarely promote young men from poor families who are not relatives.
She whispered in defense, "How dare I laugh at your majesty? I'm just bored. You won't let me get close to you. Would it be disrespectful for me to be distracted for a moment?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo laughed. Who would dare to be so distracted in front of him? Even the palace servants standing by his side had to pay attention to his instructions. "Of course."
Shen Youyi thought about it and realized that he was really hard to please, so he just said, "Then just chop off my head."
How could someone who wasn't spoiled by his favor say such words? Emperor Yuan Shuo replied calmly, "That's as it should be."
He was so calm and composed that Shen Youyi couldn't quarrel with him. After a while of silence, he casually asked, "Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince selecting talents for His Majesty?"
She had heard of many ways the court selected talents, but most of them could not be absolutely fair. Take the newly emerging imperial examination as an example, the exam ranking was not necessarily determined after the papers were submitted.
Some students could even become the first in the provincial examination by asking for favors, and this custom was very popular among the nobles and was something to be boasted about.
——After all, the scholar who can be recommended to become the first must have talent and fame, and his parents must come from a prominent family, otherwise he will not be able to convince the public.
But in such a vast country, there are thousands or tens of thousands of officials, and not all civil servants are proud of having passed the imperial examination. If they were so capable, they would not have to bother taking this path.
Emperor Yuan Shuo was surprised that she would be interested in their conversation, so he smiled and said, "Does Yi Niang have anyone to recommend?"
Of course she didn't, but even if she did, Emperor Yuan Shuo would pay attention if she could make some sense.
Shen Youyi shook her head: “I’m just a little curious… I seem to remember hearing people say when I was a child that officials in the court often boasted about their family backgrounds and introduced their sons and nephews to each other, but this is the first time I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
Emperor Yuan Shuo smiled slightly, not disapproving of her meddling in government affairs. Instead, he gently explained, "I have been in the inner palace for a long time, so my ears and eyes are not that sharp. I can reach out to many places, but there are always people who can find unpolished gems to present to me, which is of course a good thing."
At least her family was not bad before. If she were the daughter of a poor family, she would not have the energy to think about these things.
Perhaps as a monarch, the world has been peaceful for a long time, but the court's employment system has been debated and reformed for a long time, and the monopoly of the gentry still remains.
This is not like the cruelty of war. Those who can survive have some skills, and many young men are not determined to endure the pain of being promoted step by step from a soldier.
However, every year the imperial court would examine the conduct of its officials and hold examinations in various prefectures, and it was inevitable that some gems would be missed.
Perhaps the palace examination was fair and just, but the provincial examinations in Chang'an and various prefectures would screen out many children from poor families. Therefore, Emperor Yuan Shuo was not averse to the nobles recommending talents. The places where he trained people were mostly not good. Children from wealthy families could not bear the hardship and would show their true colors, but if they could bear it, it would naturally be a good thing.
Shen Youyi seemed to understand, and asked softly, "Are all the people recommended by the prince good?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo was silent for a moment, then said gently, "There are always some that I don't quite like. But although Zihui often recommends relatives, he also pays attention to lower-level soldiers and scholars. I remember he also recommended a few good children."
When the prince reached a certain age, or even when he appeared in the palace as a baby boy, he was already surrounded by people who wanted to take advantage of him.
These people could be his uncles or cousins, or they could be opportunistic ministers. If the Eastern Palace wants to accomplish many things, it has to gather a group of its own confidants. Among them, there must be some incompetent but highly trusted people.
As long as no major mistakes were made, Emperor Yuan Shuo would give his son this face. If he occasionally recommended the wrong person, he would be reprimanded and scolded by his father, and no one would dare to speak freely in front of the emperor in the future.
Shen Youyi was a little surprised. She whispered, "Does His Highness know that you know what he's thinking?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo said casually, "The previous emperor treated me the same way... At that time, I just thought that my father didn't see it, and acted more cautiously."
If the prince knew that his father had tacitly agreed, he would not be so nervous.
In the inner court, he would use gold and silver to bribe the concubines and attendants favored by his father, and he would also make friends with them outside. He was very friendly to the ministers and nephews who were not so favored by him but were valued by the previous emperor. These tactful actions did not conflict with his decisiveness in handling important political affairs.
But how could a father not see it? He just chose him, so he chose to play deaf and dumb, and pay attention to the growth of this crown prince step by step.
Emperor Yuan Shuo stroked her hair and said softly, "Although the Crown Prince's mother and you had some disagreements, she was still very respectful and filial to you."
The fact that Yang Xiuyuan and she were angry with each other did not affect the prince's attempts to please his stepmother, Concubine Wei. Even if he could not say good things in front of the king, throwing dirty water without adding fuel to the fire was also a form of secret help.
Shen Youyi's provocative words just came to her lips, but she swallowed them back suddenly. The man in front of her looked at her gently, but she didn't know what he thought of her in his heart.
He was also waiting for her to say something slanderous, and then he coaxed her calmly, but in fact he despised her?
She then stopped talking altogether and lowered her head to play with the ink stick beside the inkstone.
Seeing that she was a little timid, Emperor Yuan Shuo teased her and said softly, "Yi Niang, don't you have anything else to ask me?"
Shen Youyi said angrily: "Will His Majesty tell me whatever I ask?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo was silent for a moment: "What do you want to ask?"
Shen Youyi thought about it. She had leaned in his arms at night and asked him many important things one by one. Emperor Yuan Shuo did not lie to her.
She mustered up her courage and whispered, "Your Majesty has had two wives, but the Crown Prince was not born from either of them. How could you have appointed the Empress?"
As if a little jealous, Shen Youyi said in a low voice: "Do you really like the two ladies?"
She tried her best to appear calm, but her heart was beating wildly. This was a taboo in the palace, and no one dared to write a petition to hold a memorial service for Empress Yuan on the day she passed away. But she really wanted to hear the whole story from him again.
After experiencing the guilt of last night, she would occasionally feel impulsive, and he could share with her the secrets that the prince, queen, and concubines did not know.
If he could tell her about his ugly past, would she be able to...
Emperor Yuan Shuo looked at her intently. Although he was a little surprised, he did not blame her for her boldness. Instead, he said softly, "Yi Niang, these are all things of the past."
He didn't want to dwell on the events of the Eastern Palace. Wang had claimed to have died of illness, but in reality, he had ordered her death. There were many things that happened, but it was easy for her to be afraid of him. He simply replied briefly, "The late queen unfortunately died young. Before her death, she recommended the empress to me as her successor. I have no intention of marrying again, but I couldn't bear to refuse her dying wish."
Shen Youyi's smile froze on her lips.
Even when facing a woman with amnesia, Emperor Yuan Shuo would not casually tell her about his former position as prime minister, because the former queen Wang was sentenced to death by him, not simply died of illness. As his favorite woman, she would inevitably think too much.
He said that he loved her so much, but in the end he would still use lies to weave a perfect illusion.
In this case, her so-called troubles were not unforgivable sins... They were even quite correct. Compared to ordering the death of his first wife, what she did was even more unacceptable to ethics and morals.
Who doesn’t want to be perfect in the eyes of their lover?
When the two were in love, the past entanglement was suddenly brought up. Emperor Yuan Shuo did not want to blame her for her ignorance, so he said softly: "Yi Niang, since you entered the palace, have I had anyone else?"
Shen Youyi thought about it and said angrily: “How do I know if there is one!”
This matter was easily covered up.
Emperor Yuan Shuo talked to her for a while. The carriage had already arrived at the military camp. The emperor did not need to get off in front of the camp. The carriage went straight to the central army. He got off first, turned around, lifted her up, and put her down safely to the ground. Even though they were both wearing casual clothes that were easy to move in, Shen Youyi did not want to step on the soft back of a servant to get off the carriage.
She looked up at everything around her and could roughly sense the direction. The emperor lived in the center, and the temporary "inner court" was also set up in this place, but most of the people living here were close relatives of the royal family. Yang Xiuyuan's residence was actually farther away.
Emperor Yuan Shuo knew that she had never seen these things, so he waited for a while before taking her into the tent.
The emperor's tent was much simpler than the extravagant palace. Screens and curtains separated the front court and the back bedroom. Shen Youyi stroked the weapons on the weapon rack and sat on the bed in the back bedroom. He exclaimed, "Isn't this too simple for Your Majesty? How can there be room for two people to sleep?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo couldn't help but laugh. Her eyes said much more than what she said. The place was so small that she couldn't avoid bathing, changing clothes, and using the toilet. He said softly, "Who told Yi Niang to be sick? No matter who takes care of her, I'm not sure."
If she was a sane girl, he could still tell her his thoughts on making her the queen bit by bit, but now she was like a fragile treasure, and Emperor Yuan Shuo would not be at peace as long as he could not see her for another moment.
But he didn't want to make her suffer, and said lovingly: "At night, the tents in all the palaces and mansions will be covered with silver gauze. I don't have only this place to use."
Just as the emperor in the palace had many exclusive residences, such as the Liangyi Hall, the Greenhouse Hall, and the Purple Palace, so too did the camp. The wild was full of mosquitoes, rats, and ants, so the long-abandoned silver silk tents in the palace served as a barrier and insect repellent.
At night, the gauze curtains, large enough to cover the entire palace, formed a soft wall, shimmering with light. She could change clothes and bathe in the several bedrooms that belonged to him... Even though they had been husband and wife for a long time, there was no need to be so shy after having sex.
Shen Youyi's cheeks flushed slightly. Even though it was a little inconvenient, she lived with the emperor. In the eyes of outsiders, it was not that she could not do without Emperor Yuan Shuo's care, but... the emperor had already doted on her to the point that he could not live without the imperial concubine's company.
Moreover, in this way, if Emperor Yuan Shuo wanted to summon his ministers to discuss state affairs, he would not be able to avoid her.
She put her arms around the emperor's neck, kissed him hard on the face, and complained, "I don't care about that at all."
There was some moisturizing and fragrant lip balm on his face, but Emperor Yuan Shuo was not in a hurry to wipe it off. He said patiently, "My guess was wrong. What else is Yi Niang worried about?"
Shen Youyi looked at him pitifully: "Your Majesty is so beautiful. If I can't get close to you because of the palaces between us, it's fine. But if I share a bed with Liu Xiahui, won't people see me but not eat me?"
She now has a strong interest in what they can do after becoming a couple. Facing these innocent and pure eyes, Emperor Yuan Shuo's heart suddenly softened.
She didn't know about the madness they had experienced in the past, nor did she understand that it was actually his fault that she was so greedy.
In the past, he indulged himself in being obsessed with her. Yiniang was younger then, and it was more difficult for her to tolerate. He would often delay the pleasure after sending her to a climax, keeping her neither up nor down, and then he would give her everything... but not come out.
Even if she was too tired to move a finger, she would not be able to bear the thirst of her body and would turn over again, rubbing against him randomly, trying to find some comfort, looking at him eagerly, hoping to do it again.
Sometimes he would give it to her, but sometimes he would just pretend not to know. He would clearly see that she was almost crying with anxiety, and he would caress her and coax her into falling asleep. In the morning of the next day, after she had calmed down and felt wronged and ashamed, she would of course think of ways to attract his attention and then take the initiative to serve him.
He followed the rules, but he loved to see her tortured by desire and thinking about the pleasure on the couch all day long, as if it was a confirmation of her love for the older emperor.
Although he was not that young, Yiniang's body loved him so passionately.
Seeing that although his attitude was gentle, he was determined not to give in on this point, Shen Youyi had no choice but to let go and let the emperor get busy.
She was exhausted from the long journey and fell asleep soon after taking a bath at night. She didn't know when Emperor Yuan Shuo would return.
But the next morning, the hazy morning light was so dazzling that when Shen Youyi opened her eyes, she saw the man sitting beside her couch.
He held her hand and whispered, "Did I wake you up by getting up?"
She felt a little malicious, her voice still husky and confused from sleep, and blinked her eyes: "Who are you?"
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