Chapter 240 Aspiring to be a Virtuous Queen
At the emperor's command, all the palace maids in the room bowed their heads and retreated together.
Ruizhu and Yunxiang were worried and stole glances at their master, who walked slowly and fell behind.
Meng Yan blinked at them and smiled faintly.
The two of them suddenly felt relieved and walked out.
Not to mention that the Empress is now firmly in favor, what can the Emperor dare to do about the baby in her belly?
They really worry in vain!
When everyone in the room left, Lu Haozhi immediately changed his expression, approached Meng Yan with a smug look, and squeezed in to sit next to her.
The Zhou Dynasty relied on military force to establish its rule, and the Lu royal family attached great importance to martial arts. Even though Lu Haozhi was the emperor, he still practiced martial arts every day and refused to slack off. His body was tall and strong, and he was not inferior to any veteran generals on the battlefield.
Although Meng Yan was from a military family, God had gifted her with a charming body. When Lu Haozhi squeezed her hard, it was like a bear patting tofu. She glanced at him and said lightly, "You are so clumsy. You hurt my skin." Then she sighed deliberately, "I know that I am pregnant and ugly. I am not worthy of serving the king. The emperor was disgusted by my ugly appearance. He was just looking at the baby in my belly. My son, I must come here every day, lest when the child grows up, others think his father has abandoned him while he's still in the womb. By then, I'm sure I'll have fallen from favor, and the Emperor will be even more annoyed if he sees me, let alone mediate the dispute between you and your son. It would be better for me to close my eyes and go over there when the baby is born. I won't have to be a pregnant ghost, and any quarrels between you two won't be seen or bothered by him, and it won't bother the Emperor if he sees me, the Empress.
After she finished her speech, which was as slow as chopping a chopping board with a knife, she sighed again and again, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she was filled with sorrow and resentment, as if she had really fallen out of favor and was left out in the cold in the deep palace.
Lu Haozhi looked at Meng Yan's face, which was full of loneliness and resentment. Her charming peach blossom eyes were twinkling with a hint of smile. He knew that she was deliberately teasing him. He couldn't help but feel angry and amused. His teeth were itching. He wanted to push her onto the kang and "execute" her on the spot to vent his anger, but he was concerned about her being a twin and couldn't bear to do such a "murderous act". After weighing it over, he finally pinched his wife's rosy cheeks and said with a grin, "You rely on this baby in your belly to act as you please. Now you are becoming more and more pretentious! I said something and you accused you of so many things!"
Meng Yan rubbed her cheek lightly, glanced at him, and said angrily, "The emperor said that he doesn't dislike me, but he twisted my face so hard that it's swollen. I was pregnant, but the emperor didn't hold back when he hit me. I don't know how he will punish me when the baby is born tomorrow!" As she spoke, she picked up a gilded diamond-shaped mirror from the embroidered basket and looked at herself.
I saw that the mirror surface was like a pool of autumn water, reflecting a face as beautiful as a flower, with rosy and smooth skin, as white as snow, without any swelling at all.
Meng Yan frowned and said, "Look, is this concubine's face still presentable? If an outsider or a noblewoman sees me tomorrow, won't she criticize me for my appearance? I am unworthy of my position as empress, and this is another crime I have committed." After saying this, she threw the mirror back into the embroidery basket and glanced at Lu Haozhi from the side. "If the emperor dislikes me, it would be fine if he didn't come to Changchun Palace, but why did he punish me so harshly?"
Lu Haozhi lost his temper because of her annoyance. He simply stretched out his long arm, put his arm around her waist, and held her in his arms, gently placing her on his lap. He asked in a low voice, "How did I provoke you? You have been saying strange things one after another today, and you won't even give me face in front of others. If I hadn't told them to disperse just now, do you really want to embarrass me in front of the people below?" As he spoke, he leaned forward and added, "I really want to move the imperial study into Changchun Palace, but I'm afraid it will disturb your pregnancy. How can I bear not to come?"
When Meng Yan saw him coming closer, his warm breath filled with ambergris almost sprayed on her face. His eyes, which used to be sharp, were now as gentle as the autumn lake, reflecting her figure, just like the hundreds of nights when the two of them were alone together.
She naturally understood what he was thinking. Even though they had been married for seven years, she felt a little embarrassed. She turned her head and placed her small hands on Lu Haozhi's broad shoulders. With a slight force, she pulled him away a little, saying to herself, "Your Majesty, there's no need to use such words to appease me. It's a common saying that a pregnant woman is uglier than plain women. Your Majesty has long been tired of me and dislikes all the faces in the palace. He just can't bring himself to choose a new one, so he has to find fault with me every day. In fact, Your Majesty doesn't need to do this. I'm no longer a jealous and ignorant woman. I will never do those absurd things again. I am determined to be a virtuous queen. Whether Your Majesty prefers a plump or a thin woman is up to you. I will choose for you personally."
Lu Haozhi almost laughed out of anger and asked, "So who are you planning to choose?"
' Meng Yan raised her eyebrows, shook her head slightly, and read out a string of names, "For example, the second daughter of the Minister of Rites, the fourth daughter of the General of the Cavalry, and the sister of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, they are all ladies from families of poetry and etiquette, and daughters of both good character and appearance." As she spoke, she glanced at Lu Haozhi, "Or, the emperor is tired of the rich food and wants to change to a lighter taste, then he can follow the example of the late emperor's selection four years ago and open the door to all unmarried daughters of honest families in the common people. By then, the beauties of the world will gather in the palace, and the emperor's good fortune will surely not be inferior to that of the late emperor, but I hope he won't be dazzled by the choices." After speaking, she tilted her head slightly and looked at Lu Haozhi without blinking.
A trace of embarrassment slowly crept onto that handsome face. Lu Haozhi tightened his arms slightly, holding her in his arms but remained silent for a moment. After a long while, he whispered, "Where did you hear this?"
It turned out that during this period of time, there was a force in the court that took advantage of the demise of the Liang family and formed a rope to petition for the emperor to grant him a favor on the grounds that the queen was pregnant and the royal family had few offspring.
There has only ever been Kai En Ke in this world, where does Kai En Xiu come from?
From the root of it, this matter was actually initiated by Lu Haozhi's biological father, the founding emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The so-called "enlightenment examination" means that in the years when the imperial court does not hold major events, due to various auspicious reasons, such as the 60th birthday of the empress dowager or the emperor, the birth of a child by the empress, etc., the imperial examination is specially held to show favor to the people.
Four years after the late emperor ascended the throne, in order to balance the harem, he opened the Enxiu system similar to the Enke system, selected women from the common people as concubines, and favored the Yang family, thus suppressing the aristocratic families.
Now this group of people used Meng Yan's pregnancy as an excuse to strongly advise Lu Hao to follow the example of the late emperor, show favor to the people, and show mercy.
Isn't this just plain disgusting?
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