Chapter 72 actually said the same thing!
When Xiao Yan arrived at the Cining Palace, in addition to Queen Mother Jiang and her three nieces and great-granddaughters, there was also his biological mother, Concubine Wei Shufei.
Empress Zhuangxian Xu has been living in seclusion since she moved to Renshou Palace. She often claims to be ill and never attends the annual banquets, let alone comes to Cining Palace to pay her respects to her mother-in-law.
On the contrary, Concubine Wei Shu never missed the morning and evening visits every day. It was because Empress Dowager Jiang was too lazy to deal with her that she only allowed her to come on the first and fifteenth day of every month.
Even so, Concubine Wei Shu still found excuses to come to the Cining Palace every now and then to serve her mother-in-law and show her great filial piety.
After bowing slowly and leisurely, Xiao Yan just stood in the hall, looking calm and composed, with no intention of sitting down at all.
"I wonder why the Queen Mother has summoned me here?" His voice was clear and slightly deep, like the coolness of a mountain spring.
Queen Mother Jiang smiled kindly: "Look, Qing'er, these three are your cousins in the Jiang family. They are all well-grown, right?"
She was still dressed the same way as when she went to Changyin Pavilion in the morning, with heavy makeup, pearls and emeralds around her, and sitting sideways in a large carved nanmu armchair with one hand supporting her chin.
The three Jiang girls sitting on both sides of her blushed.
Although they were nominally the great-grandnieces of Empress Dowager Jiang, they were from a branch several rooms away. If Empress Dowager Jiang's nephews did not have daughters of the right age, they would not have been allowed to enter the palace.
This was also the first time they met the crown prince of the current dynasty.
They couldn't help but sigh in their hearts that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was just as the rumors said, graceful and elegant, like a god.
Just standing there, he exuded the inherent dignity and grace of a royal noble.
Just when they thought that the prince would turn his attention to them because of Queen Mother Jiang's words, Xiao Yan just lowered his eyes silently.
His tone was indifferent and distant, "Please forgive me, Queen Mother. My three cousins are all unmarried. I should avoid suspicion and dare not make random comments."
The smile on Queen Mother Jiang’s face froze.
Concubine Wei Shu hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "The prince meant that the three girls are in their prime and he feels embarrassed."
After saying that, she quickly glanced at Xiao Yan, her eyes filled with anger at his lack of fighting spirit.
Xiao Yan's jawline was tense, and there was a hint of coldness between his gentle and handsome eyebrows.
"If the Queen Mother still wants me to come here for the matter from last time, I will say the same thing. The Eastern Palace has no intention of adding concubines. I have Yang Shangyi, which is enough."
The three Jiang girls were all stunned when they heard this, and each of them had an expression of disbelief on their face.
It was not the first time that Queen Mother Jiang and Concubine Wei had heard him say such fantastic things, but their faces still darkened.
"What nonsense are you talking about? You are the crown prince of a country, the future emperor. How could it be possible that you only have one woman by your side?"
In front of her nieces and granddaughters, Queen Mother Jiang did not mention the ridiculous fact that father and son had an affair.
"It's been a while since Yang married into the Eastern Palace, but she still hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy. If she can't have children, you'll have to take in another concubine!"
Xiao Yan said calmly, "Your Highness, the imperial doctors all said that Yang Shangyi is in good health. Yang Shangyi and I are getting along very well, so it's only a matter of time before we find out she's pregnant."
"Besides, the Xiaoliang clan has tens of thousands of people. Even if I am incapable of becoming a father, I can still choose suitable sons and nephews from among the clan members to be adopted as heirs."
Everyone present was surprised to see that he would rather bluntly say that he was "incompetent" than let Yang Shangyi bear the blame.
Without waiting for them to speak again, Xiao Yan said, "I have a lot of homework to do, so I won't bother the Empress Dowager and the Concubine Shu anymore."
He bowed and left.
Queen Mother Jiang was stunned for a moment, then sat on the main seat with a sullen face, her chest heaving violently, "The men in the Xiao family are all crazy! All crazy!"
The death of her eldest son, Emperor Yongshun, reappeared before her eyes. She was terrified and trembling all over.
The prince...actually said the same thing as his biological father!
Concubine Wei Shu naturally knew why Empress Dowager Jiang acted like this. She had been more or less involved in what happened back then, and had even added fuel to the fire at a critical moment.
After pondering for a while, she said softly, "Queen Dowager, please calm down. The prince is only inexperienced and is bewitched by Yang Shangyi. As long as he has tasted the kindness of others, he will naturally not act on his own again."
Queen Mother Jiang looked at her suddenly, "What are your plans, Concubine Shu?"
Concubine Wei smiled slightly, and slowly walked forward to whisper a few words into Empress Dowager Jiang's ear.
***********
Palace of Heavenly Purity, East Warm Pavilion.
On the rosewood couch near the window, the emperor and Yang Manyan sat opposite each other across a small table, both with solemn expressions.
On the table was a Go set made of the finest mutton-fat jade, and the chessboard was made of golden nanmu wood, which was exclusively used by the emperor.
The chess game was already extremely tense, with both sides in a stalemate.
The emperor wanted to find out Yang Manyan's background, so he pressed him step by step. Yang Manyan was not willing to be outdone, so he made many risky moves and took unconventional approaches, determined to come out on top.
The whole warm room was filled with a tense atmosphere.
Having been in a high position for many years, the emperor was almost certain of winning everything, whether it was a game of chess or political negotiations in the court.
Even great scholars of the time with superb chess skills were often defeated by his overwhelming and awe-inspiring momentum.
This was the first time he encountered an opponent who could be considered to be on par with him.
And this opponent is just a young girl who has just turned eighteen.
Yang Manyan has a soft personality like dough. She is very timid and afraid of things, and rarely quarrels with others. But once she fights in a chess game, she has a fearless fighting spirit.
The enemy is strong, but she wants to be stronger.
Looking at the girl's radiant and bright aura, the emperor's eyes dimmed and his heart beat faster.
The faint fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose was constantly stirring his mind and making his blood boil.
Seeing Yang Manyan holding a white jade chess piece in his hand and concentrating on pondering the situation of the chess game, the emperor suddenly leaned over.
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