Chapter 76: Exposing the Past
Lu Haozhi remained silent, but his knuckles tapping lightly on the table revealed his impatience.
Concubine Xuanhe gazed at the young face of the Emperor and spoke earnestly, "Your Majesty, I'm not taking advantage of my age to say these offensive words. Since ancient times, honest advice is unpleasant to the ear. Your Majesty, sitting on this throne, is not like an ordinary father-in-law. When the late Emperor was still alive, he favored Concubine Li. Even though the Empress was still alive, out of favor, he allowed her to assist in the management of the six palaces and even had her give birth to the Emperor's eldest son. Concubine Li was arrogant and proud, and with a son, her ambition grew, which later led to disaster. As the ruler of a country, you must not act according to your own likes and dislikes."
Her words were intended to remind Lu Haozhi of the disaster caused by bows and crossbows in the past.
The mother of the eldest son, Lu Chengyuan, was Yang, a princess presented by a small northern tribe. She entered the palace as a mere noblewoman. Her beauty, talent for singing and dancing, and her ability to charm others captivated the late emperor, who favored her enough to allow her to give birth to the eldest son before the empress, earning her the title of Li Guifei.
When Concubine Li was in favor, she was so arrogant that she even looked down on Lu Haozhi's biological mother and the Empress Dowager.
Later, Lu Chengyuan set up a crossbow plan to assassinate the prince and replace him, and was demoted to a commoner.
In order to plead for her son, Concubine Li even broke into the Palace of Heavenly Purity when the late emperor was discussing matters with his ministers, scolding them harshly and complaining that she and her son were framed.
This move almost brought shame to the former emperor, and the royal family of the Great Zhou became a laughing stock among the ministers.
The late emperor was furious and stripped Concubine Li of her title on the spot, demoted her to a concubine, and the next day demoted her to a noble lady. In just one month, she was demoted five levels, and finally demoted to the lowest rank of court lady.
Yang was unwilling to accept her fate and did not reflect on her mistakes. She collapsed in the Nansanso and cursed the emperor, empress and prince day and night. Later, it was revealed that she was practicing witchcraft and was eventually sentenced to death.
Lu Haozhi certainly understood the underlying meaning of Concubine Xuanhe's sudden mention of this matter. She was simply warning him not to favor Meng Yan too much, so as to avoid another disaster like the Yang family.
In addition, she also reminded Lu Haozhi how difficult it was for him and the Queen Mother when Yang was rampant, and how she worked hard to overcome the difficulties together with the mother and son.
These words floated out of the Yangxin Palace on the wind and reached Meng Yan's ears.
Meng Yan raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled calmly.
This old concubine really deserves to be someone who has lived in the harem for a lifetime. She is really old and cunning. She didn't mention her at all in her words, but she made innuendos that made people imagine a lot and easily think of her, Concubine Meng.
Concubine Li and Concubine Meng are both concubines.
Lu Haozhi didn't know what to think. No matter what, Concubine Xuanhe had saved his life. If it were based on his previous life, he would have respected this old Concubine very much.
The last time Lin Yanrong got into trouble in Yonghe Palace, although his words were a bit impolite, it was ultimately because Liang Chengbi was rude first.
"My Lady, this Lady Dowager seems to have bad intentions."
Ruizhu murmured quietly, "This old concubine is really a troublemaker. Even at her age, she still wants to meddle in the affairs of the younger generation. When the incident happened in Yonghe Palace, she was the one who jumped the gun. If she hadn't muddied the waters, it wouldn't have gotten to this point."
Meng Yan smiled faintly and said nothing. She firmly believed that Lu Haozhi would not make things difficult for her at this moment.
It was not for any other reason, but right now Lu Haozhi was counting on her brother to go to war for him.
"Your Majesty, you have no children yet. If the eldest prince and the crown prince are not the same person, there will inevitably be trouble in the future."
The voices of Concubine Xuanhe came from the palace one after another.
Meng Yan listened and even felt like yawning.
This old woman is really worrying too much. She will not give birth to Lu Haozhi's child.
"The Queen Mother is quite concerned about my offspring, isn't she?"
When Lu Haozhi spoke, his voice was very cold.
Xuanhe Concubine smiled and said, "I am the Concubine of the Great Zhou Dynasty and have served the late emperor for a lifetime. Naturally, I worry about the emperor and consider the country..."
Lu Haozhi interrupted her before she could finish, "Then who do you think I should let give birth to the crown prince?"
"How dare I..."
The Emperor's question left Concubine Xuanhe speechless. How could she dare to question the Crown Prince's background and bloodline? She had originally intended to use roundabout means to persuade Meng Yan to weaken the Emperor's position, but she had never expected to be questioned directly by Lu Haozhi, leaving her speechless.
"Didn't the Concubine just give me instructions and earnest teachings? Even the honest advice is so unpleasant to the ear, so why should I be so afraid?"
Lu Haozhi curled his thin lips slightly, and there was a hint of coldness in his lazy tone.
Looking at the emperor's cold and arrogant expression, Concubine Xuanhe knew that her words had really angered the emperor.
No matter how much she was indebted to the emperor, she was only a concubine, not the emperor's biological mother. How could she dare to act like an elder and teach the emperor a lesson?
Concubine Xuanhe's face turned pale and she sighed, "Your Majesty, these are all from the bottom of my heart. If you really think I am too talkative, I will give up and take my leave."
After saying this, she bowed slightly, took the hand of the palace maid Yun Que, and walked slowly out.
Lu Haozhi looked at the figure of Concubine Xuanhe with an indifferent expression.
This old woman, although old in appearance, is young at heart. She even wants to ask about the prince's origin!
If it weren't for their past relationship and the Empress Dowager's face, he would have sent her to Nangong to live out her retirement long ago.
The moment Concubine Xuanhe turned around, the sad expression on her face disappeared, and even a smug smile appeared on her lips.
So what if the emperor was unhappy? He finally listened to what he said.
The chaos of the succession struggle almost cost him his life, and the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty was deeply wary of it. Considering the current situation in the harem, he would have to think twice before favoring Meng Yan again.
This is the purpose of Concubine Xuanhe's visit.
As she stepped out of the door, she ran into Meng Yan head-on.
Meng Yan smiled at her and bowed, "Your Majesty, I greet you. May your Majesty be well."
Concubine Xuanhe had no idea when she arrived. Seeing her expression normal, she assumed she hadn't heard what she had just said. She pretended nothing had happened and said with a cheerful face, "I was just talking to the Emperor about you, and you're here. The Emperor has been busy with state affairs lately, and his mind is tired and unhappy. You're always good at pleasing the Emperor, so it would be a good thing for you to relieve his worries."
What he said was nothing more than a direct mockery of her for using her beauty to please men and seducing her master.
Meng Yan's red lips curled slightly. "The Dowager Concubine is right. Serving the Emperor and relieving his worries and fatigue is the duty of a concubine. I heard that when the late Emperor was still alive, the Dowager Concubine always behaved like a servant and learned more than ten kinds of foreign dances, just to make the Emperor smile in her spare time. This kindness is beyond my reach."
When a junior exposed her past secrets in front of her, Concubine Xuanhe blushed slightly, smiled awkwardly, and left.
Meng Yan put away her sneer, regained her normal expression, and stepped into the hall.
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