Chapter 116 If Line: If Yuanyuan Becomes a Concubine (7)
"So how can you feel better?"
He was used to being arbitrary and autocratic in the court and rarely showed such patience.
But this kind of patience is more like a ferocious beast slowly teasing its prey, already confident of victory.
The man's scorching breath hit him in the face, and Yang Manyan tried to turn his head to avoid it, but unfortunately it had little effect.
She calmed herself down and said softly, "I heard that Your Majesty promoted my father today?"
The emperor did not respond, but just stared at her with narrowed eyes.
He stopped pressing on her and instead distributed his weight on his arms that were supporting the edge of the bed.
Yang Manyan continued to test him, deliberately asking in a coquettish tone: "Your Majesty, why don't you tell me and let me be happy too?"
She spoke very slowly, her tone was soft and gentle, her almond-shaped eyes were filled with mist, and her clear eyes reflected his figure.
The emperor's eyes moved slightly, and his heartbeat seemed to be unbalanced for a moment, but he did not like this feeling of being out of control.
"You are a concubine in the harem. You just need to serve me well. The promotion and appointment of officials is a matter of the outer court and has nothing to do with you." His face was tense and his tone was cold.
The candlelight in the hall flickered dimly, and the light shone through the gauze curtain, illuminating his sharply contoured profile, making it flicker and darken, adding a sense of oppression for no reason.
Yang Manyan's heart trembled violently, and a chill ran down his spine.
But she had read history books and seen the mountains, rivers and streams outside the palace, so she couldn't numb herself to being just a plaything for others.
She also didn't want to stay up from dawn to dusk every day just to wait for the king's visit.
She took a deep breath and said, "Although I am a concubine, I feel that the duty of a concubine is not just to serve the king."
The emperor stared at her quietly, and a chuckle suddenly escaped from his throat. "Oh? Tell me, what other duties do concubines have?"
Yang Manyan forced himself to remain calm, "In the past, there was Fan Ji who advised King Zhuang of Chu to stop indulging in pleasure and recruit wise ministers. Later generations all said that Fan Ji played a role in the reason why Chu became the hegemon."
"Later, Concubine Xu advised the Emperor to stop the fighting and stop the military operations. Her words were profound and insightful, and the Emperor praised her repeatedly."
"I think that although the concubines are in the harem, they cannot turn a deaf ear to what is happening outside the window. Concubines also have the responsibility to advise and assist the king."
After saying this, she held her breath and prepared herself to face the emperor's wrath.
The emperor smiled, raising his eyes, "My beloved concubine actually knows these allusions. It seems that she read a lot of books when she was at home."
Yang Manyan was stunned and her face felt slightly hot. It was the first time she heard the title "beloved concubine".
"I remember that Concubine Xu fell ill from grief after Emperor Taizong of Tang passed away, and she volunteered to commit suicide for love. Since my beloved concubine wants to follow Concubine Xu's example, will my beloved concubine be buried with me after I die?"
As he spoke, the emperor stroked her loose black hair with the palm of his hand, his eyes always fixed on her delicate eyebrows.
Now Yang Manyan was completely afraid to speak.
It was impossible for her to be buried alive with the dead, as she still valued her life very much.
After a moment's silence, the emperor lay down beside her and stopped teasing her.
He suppressed the inexplicable emotions that were stirred in his heart and said in a low voice: "It's late, let's go to bed."
"Yes." Yang Manyan replied softly, and tucked the quilt into himself.
She closed her eyes, but still found it a little unbelievable.
Not only did she refuse to sleep with him in person, she also tried to interfere in government affairs, but the emperor was not angry at all and just brushed it off...
Although she didn't gain anything from this conversation tonight, she at least got a sense of the emperor's attitude towards her.
Listening to the breathing sounds beside him gradually becoming steady, the emperor had no desire to sleep at all, and his eyes were filled with mixed emotions.
This feeling of being out of control of his mind and body made him instinctively sense danger.
But it seems unnecessary to force him to quit.
It's just a delicate flower in a greenhouse that grows dependent on him, and he can still control it.
Now that the prince has grown stronger, he is very confident that he will never follow in the footsteps of his father and brother.
A few days later, Queen Mother Jiang ordered a small Dragon Boat Festival banquet to be held in Chunxi Palace, and also sent someone to the Western Garden to summon Yang Manyan back to the palace.
In addition, she specially invited the remaining six concubines to the palace for the banquet, obviously wanting the prince to have more contact with them.
An hour before the banquet started, Xiao Yan had just finished his morning lessons when he was invited over by the palace maids around his biological mother, Concubine Wei Shufei.
When he stepped into the main hall of Qingning Palace, Concubine Wei Shu had finished dressing and was standing in front of the window, looking out of the hall through the hollow space of the carved lattice window.
To the east of Qingning Palace is Cining Palace, the residence of the Empress Dowager, which is also the place that Concubine Wei Shu yearns for the most.
She went to the Cining Palace to pay her respects to Empress Dowager Jiang every morning and evening, and she also secretly tried to adapt in advance, but unfortunately it took her more than ten years to adapt.
Suddenly, a young man's low and gentle voice sounded behind her, "Your son pays respect to Her Majesty Shufei."
Concubine Wei Shu immediately came back to her senses and said with a gentle smile, "Qian'er, there's no need to be so polite."
She looked at him for a moment with a smile on her face. He was wearing an amber brocade robe with a round collar and a jade crown to tie his hair. He had an upright posture, was gentle and elegant, just like an orchid or a jade tree.
The more she looked at it, the more satisfied she felt. It was worthy of her ten months of hard work in carrying it for birth.
Xiao Yan remained calm and asked in a gentle voice, "I wonder why your Majesty has summoned me here?"
Concubine Wei Shu waved her hand to dismiss all the palace servants in the hall. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Qian'er, there is something that your mother can only ask you for help with. At the Dragon Boat Festival later, can you bring your study partner Xu Chengzong with you?"
Hearing this, Xiao Yan frowned slightly, "What do you mean, Madam?"
Concubine Wei Shu had no intention of hiding it from him. After all, everything she planned was for him.
She had arranged everything in advance. When the banquet was halfway through, her people would find an opportunity to lead Concubine Yang Yuan to the west side hall of Chunxi Palace.
We just need to find a way to lure Xu Chengzong over there, and everything will naturally fall into place.
Yang Yuanfei and her family once stayed at the Duke of Wei's mansion, so it makes sense that Xu Chengzong, the prince of the Duke of Wei, had already had an affair with her.
In this way, not only can Yang be eliminated, but Xu's mother's family can also be completely deprived of power, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
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