Chapter 159: No More Demon Concubine
Concubine Chen's chest heaved violently, and she pointed at King Xuan with a shaking finger, unable to utter a word.
He was obviously angry and embarrassed.
King Xuan's cold face was expressionless. "Since you have obtained the wealth and honor that Mother prayed for, then enjoy it to the fullest. Don't think about seeking more, or you will end up in a miserable situation one day."
After saying this, King Xuan turned and left the hall.
Before leaving the palace, he heard a few exclamations from the palace maids.
"Mrs. Dowager, what's wrong with you?"
"Someone, the Concubine Dowager has fainted. Go get the imperial physician!"
“…”
There was a lot of noise in the hall, but King Xuan did not stop for a moment.
Until they walked out of the gate of Ningshou Palace.
He turned around and looked back at the gilded plaque on the vermilion palace gate.
After taking a deep look, he left without any reluctance.
Inside the Ningshou Palace.
Seeing that she couldn't keep King Xuan, Concubine Chen stopped pretending. She opened her eyes, pushed away the palace maids who were trying to support her, and shouted sternly, "All of you, get out of here!"
The palace servants immediately shrank their necks, kept quiet, and retreated.
Concubine Chen sat alone on the couch, thinking.
Finally, a ray of light flashed across his eyes.
*
When King Xuan returned to Chengming Palace, it was exactly noon.
After lunch.
King Xuan then took the concubine Chu out of the palace, and the emperor and his concubine went to the inner chamber to rest.
In the afternoon, Xie Chen quickly finished dealing with today's state affairs.
Because of the heavy snow for several days and the funeral of two concubines, Pei Tingyue hadn't gone out for a walk for a long time, so she begged Xie Chen to take her out to play for a while.
Xie Chen naturally agreed.
The snow outside is melting and the ground is quite wet.
Xie Chen took Pei Tingyue's hand and walked slowly outside Chengming Palace.
Seeing that the whole world was shrouded in white, Pei Tingyue looked at it slowly with great interest.
She suddenly turned her head and asked, "Is the snowball that the Imperial Concubine threw at the Emperor that day cold?"
When she mentioned this, Xie Chen didn't react for a moment. After thinking for a while, he realized that she was talking about the day when they were in a cold war and he went to Changle Palace to look for her and was thrown a snowball by Concubine Song.
"It's cold and a little painful." Xie Chen answered first, then asked, "I was thrown a snowball, and Tingyue seemed very happy?"
Pei Tingyue said confidently: "Who made the emperor at that time a bad person? The imperial concubine avenged me, of course I am happy. If it were the emperor now, I would definitely not be willing to do it and would definitely stop the imperial concubine!"
Xie Chen exerted force on his hands and pinched her fingers.
Talking.
A young eunuch came hurriedly.
"I pay my respects to His Majesty, and to His Majesty the Consort. I am from the Cining Palace, and the Empress Dowager has sent me to invite His Majesty up."
Xie Chen waved his hand to let them leave, then looked at Pei Tingyue, "Will you come with me?"
Pei Tingyue shook her head: "I will stay here for a while, Your Majesty, please go by yourself."
"Yes." Xie Chen tied her cloak again and said, "You can only go for a quarter of an hour. You can return when the time comes."
Pei Tingyue urged, "I know, Your Majesty, please go quickly."
Xie Chen looked at her helplessly and took his men to the Cining Palace.
Queen Mother Qin was reading a scripture in the warm room. When she saw him, she first asked him to excuse himself, then pointed to the seat opposite and said, "Sit down."
Xie Chen sat down and was silent for a moment before asking, "What does my mother want to see me about?"
Queen Mother Qin pushed aside the scriptures and poured him a cup of tea. "I want to have a conversation with the Emperor."
Xie Chen took it and said with a gentle smile, "Of course I am willing."
Queen Mother Qin asked him, "Has the Emperor decided on a suitable future for Yuchuan?"
Xie Chen shook his head slightly: "There is no good candidate yet, it has not been decided yet."
"A few days ago, Yan'er came to my house."
Xie Chen slowly raised his head.
Queen Mother Qin continued, "She wanted me to raise Yuchuan, and she said a lot, but in the end, I didn't agree. I'm sure you can guess why."
"I've thought about it over and over again these days. I've counted all the concubines in the harem, even the concubines, but I still can't figure out Yuchuan's fate."
"In the harem, the only high-ranking concubines left are Concubine Song and Concubine Jiang Shu."
"The Imperial Concubine's child likes quietness and is definitely unwilling to raise a child. As for Concubine Shu, I think she is quite good, with a good temper and filial piety. But a while ago, you and the Queen skipped her and gave Yuqi to Concubine Wen to raise. I know there are some things that are not allowed to be seen in public. If that is the case, Concubine Shu is not suitable."
"The remaining concubines are not only of low rank, but also have bad tempers. Yuchuan cannot be handed over to them."
"As for the concubines, I have also thought about it. The biological mothers of the two eldest princesses are not suitable. The late emperor married the two eldest princesses to important officials, and the relationships behind them are intricate. They must not be connected with the clan again."
"Concubine Chen is a good match. Prince Xuan listened to you and he has no princess consort. The concubine is from the palace and has no connection with the previous dynasty. They are mother and son with clean backgrounds. Prince Xuan is of noble status and can bring honor to Yuchuan, making up for his lack of a mother to rely on."
"It's just that... at the banquet yesterday, Concubine Chen just said something, and Prince Xuan was so frightened. I think you must have arranged a place for Prince Xuan, so the child turned pale with fear."
"Thinking about it this way, there really is no one in the palace who can raise Yuchuan."
Xie Chen said calmly, "What does the Queen Mother mean?"
Queen Mother Qin said, "Yes, it's what the clan said."
Xie remained silent.
Queen Mother Qin said with a headache, "Those old fellows have been practically trampling over the threshold of the Cining Palace these days. They don't dare come to you, so they come to me. I was reluctant to agree to their request, but now it seems this is the best outcome for Yuchuan."
Xie Chen pondered for a moment, then took a sip of tea. "There are quite a few concubines in the harem now. I already have two princes. Both Pei Zhaoyi and Li Jieyu are pregnant. I feel very satisfied and don't need another concubine. You can consider Yuchuan's matter for a while longer."
Queen Mother Qin was so veiled in mist that it was almost impossible to discern his expression. She sighed, "It's not that the Emperor feels satisfied, but he's afraid that if another one comes along and something happens, the fire will spread to Concubine Pei, right?"
Xie Chen frowned slightly and did not respond.
Queen Mother Qin spoke earnestly, "The Emperor dotes on her and repeatedly honors her. When has I ever stopped him? I even gave her face. I know the Emperor loves her, and now I tell him: you can love and honor her as much as you want, but you must not disrupt the previous dynasty because of her."
"Only I know how much effort and hardship the emperor has endured to reach his current position. He has worked tirelessly day and night to restore order and bring Daqi back to its peak."
"Daqi must not produce another evil concubine like Concubine Li who is a disaster to the country. The emperor cannot afford it, the dynasty cannot afford it, and the people of the world cannot afford it."
"The clan's affairs should stay within the clan, and there should be no further involvement. I will personally select a noble lady from the clan, confer the title upon her, and have her enter the palace to become Yuchuan's adopted mother."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
