Chapter 651: At your age, you still want to eat young grass. Aren’t you ashamed?
As soon as Qian Qiyue said this, the entire Shoukang Palace hall became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
No one expected that the girl from the Qian family would be so bold and almost openly mock them.
She made no secret of her reluctance to enter the palace, and she disdained any election. She said that she treated the emperor as an elder like a father, praising him for his wisdom and bravery, and was full of awe. It seemed that she said this decently, but in fact, it was just short of directly asking her how old the emperor was.
At your age, you still want to eat young grass. Aren’t you ashamed?
The Queen Mother slammed the chair and said, "How insolent!"
Princess Huan saw Qian Qiyue's audacity, angering the Queen Mother. She said with a gloating look, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven. How dare you despise him, Qian Qiyue?"
Qian Qiyue knelt on the ground: "Princess Huan, please don't wrongly accuse me. When have I ever disliked Your Majesty?"
She straightened her back and spoke righteously and seriously:
"Qiyue's loyalty to Your Majesty is evident to all. If Your Majesty were in my house, I would certainly treat you like my own father, be extremely filial to you, and never disobey you. A loving father and a filial son are praised by all. However, if we become husband and wife, I don't want to wake up every day feeling like I'm disrespecting my elders."
"I have offended Your Majesty. I am afraid of being struck by lightning."
Qian Qiyue kowtowed heavily:
"I am still young and eager to learn new things. I hope the Queen Mother will forgive me."
She changed the subject again, "However, if the Empress Dowager insists on having me enter the palace as empress, I will not disobey her order. I will follow my father's instructions, accept her order, and thank the Empress Dowager for her grace. I will fulfill my loyalty and filial piety, and manage the harem for Your Majesty in the future."
Everyone in the hall: "..."
The prince: “…”
The Xu family mother and daughter standing by were stunned at the sight of Qian Qiyue, who was so aggressive and dared to say anything.
When they learned that the Empress Dowager was interested in their daughter, they were extremely anxious and hastily arranged a marriage for Xu Qiaoqing. Before entering the palace, she and her husband discussed for a long time how to refuse if the Empress Dowager mentioned it. Mrs. Xu was always worried about what to say, and she never expected that there would be a "warrior" like Qian Qiyue.
Tang Ning was originally worried about Qian Qiyue and was thinking about how to refuse for her, but she didn't expect Qian Qiyue to speak first.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's face turning pale and blue, and Emperor An's face beside her also had a stiff expression, she raised the corner of her mouth.
Qian Qiyue has said so much. Either the empress dowager directly ordered Qian Qiyue to be forcibly summoned to the palace and appointed her as the queen, or else the outside world would talk about the royal family disregarding ethics and the emperor mistreating the daughter of a court official, forcing a young girl into marriage on the grounds of his "old age", and the position of the empress would be promised to the Qian family.
Otherwise, the empress dowager would have to revoke her order, understand Qian Qiyue's loyalty and filial piety, and fulfill Qian Baokun's praise of Emperor An's wisdom and teach his daughter the loyalty between the monarch and his subject.
The Empress Dowager and Emperor An both had stern faces.
Noticing the off-kilter atmosphere, Concubine Zhao spoke softly, "This humble concubine thinks Miss Qian's personality isn't suitable for the palace. If such a lively girl were to restrain her temper, I'm afraid she wouldn't be the lively girl the Empress Dowager likes."
She turned her head to look at Emperor An and said angrily:
"And your Majesty, isn't it enough to have so many sisters in the palace to accompany you? Could it be that your Majesty despises me and others, or does he think that my beauty is too old to compare with that of a young girl?"
Emperor An knew that Concubine Zhao was trying to give him a way out, so he suppressed his displeasure and said, "You are the only one in this palace who is good at saying such weird things. Don't you know how I treat you?"
He pretended to rebuke her, then turned to the Queen Mother and said:
"Although your majesty mother means well, since Miss Qian doesn't want to, there's no need to force it. If your majesty mother likes her, you can ask her to come to the palace to accompany you more often in the future. Besides, she doesn't look like a well-behaved person. Everyone in the capital praises the Qian family for raising a female general. I can't resist it."
Emperor An couldn't help but belittle Qian Qiyue in his words.
Qian Qiyue seemed to not understand at all and just said cheerfully, "Your Majesty is wise. This is what my father and mother said as well."
"My mother always said I was meant to be born into a military family, that wielding swords and spears would be the best thing for me. If I were a man, even better, I might have fought on the battlefield and become a fierce general, instead of being so clueless as I am now. Meanwhile, my father is favored by His Majesty and holds a high position, so I'm like a piece of divine meat, attracting everyone's attention and desire."
"Your Highness is also bored."
Emperor An: “…”
Tang Ning: “…”
cough.
Rong Yue couldn't help but cough lightly, signaling Qian Qiyue to stop while she was ahead.
Qian Qiyue smiled innocently: "Your Majesty, I have overstepped my bounds. Please forgive me."
Emperor An: “…”
The originally lively atmosphere in the hall cooled down because of the sudden election.
After Qian Qiyue returned to the table, she ignored the various looks from the people around her. She just sat beside Tang Ning with her head tucked in, pretending to eat without saying a word, appearing particularly docile and quiet.
However, Mrs. Xu and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
After Qian Qiyue's random punch, the election came to nothing. Emperor An was too embarrassed to force the girl from the Qian family to enter the palace by taking advantage of her age. Naturally, he could not force the girl from the Xu family, who had just been engaged, to enter the palace. Xu Qiaoqing was two years younger than Qian Qiyue.
Emperor An couldn't favor some over others and chill the hearts of his court officials.
After the empress dowager was humiliated, she never smiled again.
Emperor An did not say a word, and even though Concubine Zhao occasionally spoke a few words to the people below, she could not hide the awkward atmosphere of the banquet.
No one had the appetite to eat or drink, and they all didn't know what to do until the empress dowager stood up and said she was tired, and asked Nanny Ran to help her go to the back room to rest, and Emperor An also stood up.
"I have other things to do in the previous dynasty, so I won't accompany you."
Everyone stood up quickly and Emperor An waved his hand.
"No need for formalities. This banquet was specially prepared by the Imperial Kitchen. Ladies, please enjoy as much as you can, so as not to disappoint the Empress Dowager."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Zhao Guipin suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I would like to stay here and talk to the ladies."
The virtuous concubine also said: "The same goes for me."
Emperor An smiled and said, "It's up to you. The Empress Dowager is tired, so you can show your hospitality and entertain the ladies on her behalf."
Zhao Guipin and the other two hurriedly said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Crown Prince's eyes turned, and when he glanced at Fu Jinrou who was looking at him eagerly in the crowd, he said, "Father, I spoke rudely earlier, and the Empress Dowager must be angry. I want to go over and apologize to her."
Emperor An glanced at him and said, "Go ahead. Do as you please. I'm leaving first."
"Farewell, Father."
"Farewell to Your Majesty."
After everyone paid their respects, Emperor An turned around and left without speaking to Tang Ning from beginning to end. The prince did not stay in the hall for long. After Emperor An left, he also went directly to the back hall.
After they all left, the atmosphere in the hall instantly relaxed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
