When Shen Ruoyan left the palace, Ma Dequan personally sent her out.
By the time the emperor received the news, everyone had already left.
He was so busy every day, and recently, because of Li Qingzheng's case, he couldn't even sleep well. Although he had suppressed the Dali Temple, it was still a hidden danger.
Instead of living in fear every day, it is better to nip the problem in the bud!
"What is the emperor thinking about? So engrossed that he even forgot to eat." The empress dowager looked at the emperor with a smile. The times when she and her son ate together were becoming less and less.
When did it start?
It seemed that after Lu Hua left, the emperor no longer told her everything he knew.
"Nothing, just some trivial matters at court," the emperor said indifferently, symbolically picking up a few chopsticks of food, not really showing much interest. However, after coming back to his senses, he remembered something, "I heard that the Queen Mother summoned the wife of the Marquis of Changning today?"
The Queen Mother paused while picking up the food, and the smile on her face froze for a moment, but soon returned to normal.
"Thanks to her, I was able to escape last time. Seeing her today, we really hit it off, so we talked a lot." There was a smile in her eyes, as if she was talking about homely matters. "I've been in this palace for a long time, and I don't have anyone to talk to. It's rare to have someone to chat with me."
After Lu Hua left, she became the most honorable person in the entire harem.
Even the queen had to act according to her mood.
But it is lonely at the top. The higher you stand, the fewer people who understand you will be around you.
In the past, for the Emperor, she endured humiliation in the palace and seemingly made many friends, but each one actually had a different purpose. Once they were used up, they would disperse.
There was only one Lu Hua, but in the end, he was killed by the mother and son.
Power is a good thing, and everyone wants to hold it in their hands.
She didn't realize it when she was hiding behind him before, because Lu Hua was always in front of her. She was the one who was in the limelight and the one who was proud of herself. She was like her shadow, always hiding in the light.
If you can't see or touch it, there's nothing to worry about.
But when Lu Hua removed this high wall, she suddenly found that her world had become brighter - those things began to become clearer.
It can be seen and touched.
So she also wanted to hold it in her hand and hold it tightly.
The emperor is her biological son, and she will give these to him eventually, so why rush?
"If your majesty mother wants to talk to someone, you can ask the princesses to come and keep her company more often. After all, the wife of Marquis Changning is the wife of an outsider, so it's not very convenient." The emperor reminded gently. Although he sometimes got carried away by success, he was not a fool.
What's more, he had just taken back the power from the former empress dowager, so how could he allow a second person to get involved?
Even if it's his own mother, it's not allowed!
The smile on Zhuang Mi's face gradually faded. The princess was only a few years old, a baby who could hardly speak clearly, and it was a pity that the emperor would ask her to talk to him!
However, when the princess was mentioned, Zhuang Mi couldn't help but remind her, "Emperor, the delay in appointing a crown prince is not good for the country or the people. You should make plans sooner rather than later."
There are three princes in the palace now. The Queen has a son who is the second prince, but not the eldest. Concubine Lin's son is the eldest, but not the eldest. He holds the title of the eldest prince, but is not of legitimate birth.
The youngest, the third prince, was born to Concubine Xian. He is only six years old now, so it is too early to talk about anything.
So now all the ministers are betting on the eldest prince and the second prince, and have been requesting the emperor to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible to ensure peace in the country.
"I have my own plans for this matter, so you don't have to worry, mother." The emperor put down his chopsticks. This was what he did every time he came to his mother's place. After just a few words, he would make people want to leave.
Sometimes, as a son, he also thought about telling his mother a few true words.
But it's always like this, either urging me to do this or hinting at me to do that. How is he any different from Lu Hua back then?!
The emperor endured it because she was his own mother.
But this doesn't mean that he is willing to endure it forever!
Zhuang Mi noticed that his expression was not right, and knew that she had made the emperor unhappy again by bringing up this matter.
If it were in the past, when Lu Hua was around, in order to maintain the mother-son relationship and compare herself with Lu Hua, she would definitely be understanding and keep quiet, and would also say something the emperor wanted to hear to comfort him.
But now, Zhuang Mi doesn't want to serve anymore!
"What is the emperor's plan? The ministers are all urging him to do so. Foreign enemies are eyeing him covetously. It is for the sake of the country to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible."
Although the emperor is in his prime, nothing can be said for sure about the affairs of the royal family.
Making plans early will be good for both the country and the royal family.
But Zhuang Mi forgot one thing - it may not be good for the emperor!
"I'm not dead yet! Everyone is urging me to appoint a crown prince. Do you want the crown prince to take my place as soon as possible?!" The emperor threw down his chopsticks. He was already annoyed these days, and now the old things were brought up again and urged him to appoint a crown prince. He really couldn't stand it anymore!
"Mother, you always stood on my side before. How come you have become like those people now, only saying things I don't like to hear?" The emperor's eyes revealed deep disappointment.
This is not the queen mother he wants, and his queen mother should not be like this.
Zhuang Mi lowered his gaze, ignoring the chopsticks that fell to the ground. He said calmly, "Emperor, times have changed. You shouldn't be so willful anymore."
Before becoming an emperor, he could still throw tantrums like a child.
Anyway, Lu Hua will take care of the big things, and I can handle the small things myself.
But now, as an emperor, he must do what an emperor should do. If the emperor only seeks enjoyment and ignores the future, then sooner or later this country will collapse!
Although Zhuang Mi was in the harem, her vision was not limited to this world.
Even though she had her own selfish motives in appointing a crown prince, she was more concerned about the country and the people.
Without a crown prince, the people will be uneasy and the struggle in the court will become increasingly intense.
There are endless discussions about whether to establish the heir or the eldest son, and the civil and military officials are almost divided into two factions. If this continues, I am afraid that people will take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble, which will then be even more troublesome!
The purpose of establishing a crown prince was also to stabilize the court.
The emperor would naturally be dissatisfied. After all, he thought he was still young, and no emperor would willingly hand over power to another person.
It doesn't matter if this person is his mother or his son.
This is especially true for Song Yuanzhi.
How could he give up so easily after he had finally regained the power?
So, he just sneered and broke off relations with Zhuang Mi, not even bothering to pretend: "Don't worry, mother. I'm no longer in the age of being willful. But mother, please don't follow the example of some people and go down a path they shouldn't go."
The emperor strode out without looking back:
"When the time comes, I hope my mother won't blame me for disregarding the mother-son relationship!"
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