Chapter 9 Chapter 9
The emperor came out from behind the screen and walked to the empress dowager.
Today he was wearing a hibiscus-colored casual suit, with a dark-patterned plain gauze of the same color over it. He had a smile on his face and asked the eunuch to bring a copper basin for washing his hands before he walked to the Empress Dowager.
"Look, my mother is in such a good mood chatting that I won't let them disturb her."
The empress dowager looked at her son carefully. The emperor usually had a solemn appearance, but today he seemed a little different.
It was hard to tell where he had been retouched, but he looked quite handsome and elegant as a young man. She laughed and scolded him, "You are the emperor, yet you come to laugh at your concubines? You are almost forty years old!"
People were deeply saddened by his neglect. A beauty who was so stunning that it was no exaggeration to say that she was the most beautiful woman in the country cried like a lotus weeping dew. Even a woman like her would feel distressed. But the emperor didn't take it to heart at all.
Perhaps it was his mother's reminder of his age, or the mention of the Imperial Concubine, that made Emperor Yuan Shuo's smile fade. "It is the duty of a concubine to serve the monarch. I have many concubines, and if they all cry in front of you, I will be asked to be considerate and caring. I'm afraid I won't be able to do that."
The elders always like to add a few years to the age of the younger ones, but he is indeed no longer young. After this birthday, he will be thirty-seven years old, but his concubine is even younger than the prince.
Logically speaking, since he no longer had any hope for fertility in the harem, and the queen was dedicated to the affairs of the inner court, even if he stopped taking new women into the palace, no one would say anything except his biological mother. There would even be ministers who would praise him for being chaste and not collecting women from all over the world because of his own lust.
When a man reaches adulthood, the four seas submit to him and the world is united. He has experienced the power, glory, and even the pleasure of killing and conquering that an emperor can enjoy. He no longer cares much about women. He is just an occasional passer-by who enjoys romance.
She was as light as a soft, white cloud, covering his eyes.
It is indeed extremely beautiful and gentle enough that the emperor would only need to stop for a moment and it is not worth worrying about too much.
But people never take the things that he had thought about, even considered over and over again, and worried about to happen to him to heart.
Even if the truth is revealed, she would not even soften her attitude or say a few nice words, but would cry and show weakness in front of others, begging for a little mercy from the Queen Mother.
He was more than sixteen years older than her and could have indulged her in many things, but the emperor looked down upon all living beings and was high above them. He would not lower himself to bow to a woman.
The empress dowager didn't care. Her son had always been filial. She casually lamented that the palace was boring, and the emperor then suggested going to the temporary palace to relax and have fun.
There is more than one imperial palace around Chang'an, and many palaces are under construction. It is not necessary to come to Tangquan Palace. She is a person who likes novelty, so it is better to visit more places.
But soaking in hot springs and enjoying the mountain and water scenery in the summer is still very interesting, not to mention that it is a filial act of children and grandchildren.
It's just that this child has been emperor for too long, and even his mother can't figure out his thoughts. The Queen Mother smiled and didn't mention the concubine anymore: "On the Dragon Boat Festival, he came to me and asked what the emperor would perform. He also wanted to join in the fun."
If the emperor wants colorful clothes to entertain his parents, the people below him have to work harder to please him.
Duanyang was the child of the late Concubine Li, and had been raised by the Empress Dowager since his mother's passing. Emperor Yuanshuo pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "How can my son, with his limited skills, sing a long piece? I can just sing a piece for the immortals to celebrate my birthday, and then teach a few musicians and actors to accompany the music."
The empress dowager thought about it and agreed. The emperor didn't want to take off his crown and become an actor. Going on stage and singing a few songs would be a way of showing filial piety. Duanyang had a soft voice and liked light and soft music. She didn't like musical instruments very much, so she might not be very popular with her father.
But when it comes to playing the piano, the empress dowager subconsciously looked at Emperor Yuan Shuo.
There was a ready-made candidate right before her eyes, but the emperor had been very cold to that person just now. If she spoke again, he would probably be annoyed. She nodded and said, "That's fine too. It's all up to you."
Emperor Yuan Shuo looked at the peacock that had just spread its tail proudly. It had lost the excitement of courting a mate. When it was swept by that gaze, its arrogant tail seemed to lose its spirit and quietly retracted.
The palace maids all covered their mouths and laughed, but when they secretly glanced at the emperor's expression, they lowered their heads again.
Just when the Empress Dowager thought he would say something interesting, Emperor Yuan Shuo said, "My son heard that the Crown Princess brought the Prince of Hengshan with her this time?"
The Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment, swallowing back her words of concern for the Emperor. She smiled bitterly and said, "She is a virtuous and good child. She brought him in to pay her respects yesterday. I see that the child is well taken care of, never crying or making a fuss, and is very lovable... But the Crown Princess has lost some weight."
She has enjoyed a happy life, but her children and grandchildren's marriages have not been smooth.
The emperor is a cold and arrogant person. When he was young, he had little time to indulge in women. As he grew older, he began to control his desires. It is not surprising that he is like this now, but the prince should not be like this.
——He is only in his early twenties, and there is no need for him to charge into battle and conquer the world. The Crown Princess comes from a prominent family and is very beautiful. Why would this boy be so upset with her over such a small matter?
It was said that she found out while she was pregnant that the prince had a mistress outside. Because that woman was deeply favored by the prince, she dared to enter the palace to provoke him, causing the princess to have a miscarriage. She then executed the woman, and the couple became estranged from then on.
The Prince of Hengshan was born out of wedlock. Although the emperor was happy about the birth of his eldest grandson, considering that the Crown Princess might have another child in the future, he did not show any intention of making him the crown prince.
However, people's hearts always tend to favor their own family members. In the eyes of the royal family, the Crown Princess is not so outstanding that she must be the mother of the Crown Prince. If the couple really come to this point, the Queen Mother will still blame the Crown Princess more.
She was just a concubine. As long as the prince had children in the future, this woman would not be able to surpass the principal wife even if she gave birth to a child. Fortunately, the emperor was not the kind of father who liked to interfere in his children's family affairs, and the princess consort was not stupid enough to cry and report the matter to the palace, so the matter was kept secret.
The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes. The prince had mentioned the matter of the concubine to her quietly when he entered the palace. She heard that she was a poor woman. Although her background was unknown, she deserved to be listed in the imperial list because she had served him for a long time.
But she died in an unclear manner, and the prince's attitude later was just like that.
Only after her death did the Crown Princess finally understand the situation, but it was too late.
The last time Emperor Yuan Shuo saw his grandson was last year. His gentle tone, tinged with resignation, said, "Duan Yang has grown up and married, leaving Mother with a child. I'm thinking...if you think this child is good, I'll take him to live with you and raise him."
Although the emperor and the empress dowager did not need to raise the child personally, sending him directly to the Purple Palace almost made the matter clear, and there would be little room for regret in the future.
The Empress Dowager had never heard of his plans and was slightly surprised. However, her son had always been a master of dictating decisions, and once they were made, there was no turning back. She nodded gently and sighed, "It's good to have made some plans earlier... When you were young, you couldn't bring the Crown Prince up by your side to raise him, and even if he didn't like it, there was nothing you could do about it. Now that the world is at peace, it's a good time for the Emperor to pay more attention to the younger generation."
This was actually to be expected. The emperor had too few descendants, only two sons, four daughters, and only one grandson. The second prince was obsessed with cultivating immortals and hung out with monks and Taoists all day long. It was not easy for the emperor to be picky among his descendants.
The emperor's careful attention to cultivating his grandson is naturally a great thing for the crown prince and the officials who follow him.
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor talked for a while, and Emperor Yuan Shuo was about to get up and go to the Hongwenguan. Chen Rongshou served him carefully. The sun was shining brightly, but he felt inexplicably cold on the back of his neck.
In the past, he was the one who could best guess the emperor's mind, and he would occasionally say a word or two on behalf of others in front of the emperor. But when he met a living ancestor like Concubine Wei, he really had no choice.
To put it bluntly, the journey from Yaoguang Palace to Qingping Palace takes one day and one night. Even if a turtle crawled over slowly, it would have seen His Majesty long ago. Why would it be necessary to run to the Queen Mother and cry?
Being in this position, Chen Rongshou received countless snacks, tea and money, but the things he received from the person in Yaoguang Palace were extremely hot. If he was not worried about his own life, Chen Rongshou really wanted to go to Yaoguang Palace in person to see what Concubine Wei thought.
You were wandering around the palace a few days ago, and now you're claiming to be sick as soon as the emperor arrives?
She hid her longing for her late husband from His Majesty. Could she expect the Emperor to condescend and come to Yaoguang Palace in person?
However, no matter how outrageous the things were, it was not surprising that Concubine Wei did something like this. After all, when this Concubine Wei first saw the Emperor, she had done something that could exterminate three clans.
Chen Rongshou recalled the day when the imperial concubine in plain clothes knelt on the ground with the members of the Wei family to welcome the current emperor and the prince.
She was still in mourning, but there was no place for her in the Lingyang Marquis Mansion, so it was understandable that she took the initiative to dance at the banquet.
There is nothing wrong with a beautiful woman wanting to fight for a good future for herself, but the father and son of the royal family are both restrained when it comes to women, and even he does not think that this girl has a chance of success.
At that time, Concubine Wei had just finished her dance. Her makeup was light and her dance dress was not gorgeous, but she was charming. When she stopped to catch her breath, her temples were wet with sweat, which made her look quite seductive. She glanced towards the throne, which made me feel pity for her. Even the eunuchs present couldn't help but take a few more glances at her.
She filled a cup of wine and presented it to the emperor, then to the prince, and said a few polite words respectfully, then retreated with her head lowered... Until the emperor realized something was wrong and got up to change clothes in the back hall, this daring girl had actually changed into a maid's dress, and she threw herself in front of him and knelt down, just asking for a favor.
To this day, Chen Rongshou dares not recall what happened later. Naturally, if the emperor wanted to favor a woman, he would not let him see anything.
But the house of Duke Yan's mansion could not hide the sound, and the concubine's gentle sobs could be heard intermittently, and only stopped when the moon rose above the eaves.
He was waiting for Emperor Yuan Shuo's order and did not dare to be too far away. However, even if he was not so close, he could still hear the emperor's rebuke and the girl's unreasonable crying.
The emperor's voice was a little lower as he rebuked her, probably because he was also angry at her shamelessness.
"I did this because I truly admire Your Majesty. If you want to kill someone, just kill me. My father and mother are unaware of this... Even if I die tomorrow, it's good to be able to enjoy a moment with Your Majesty today!"
Yet, this woman who had come with such a fierce momentum, when driven out of Zhaoyang Palace, could only stare back at the extremely angry emperor with tears in her eyes, and said lightly: "Since Your Majesty knows, what else can I say?"
She was so fearless, as if she had no idea what horrible thing she had done, but every word she spoke seemed to contain great pain.
"I really don't want to bear a child for you. It would be better if you could kill me."
Her voice revealed a hint of fatigue and relief: "I have survived to this day, and I have nothing to be dissatisfied with. Perhaps I should have died long ago, so that I wouldn't have to live such a tiring life."
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