After hesitating for a long time at the door, Fu Zhun finally took a deep breath and decided to turn around and leave.
Just then, the door in front of her suddenly opened, and Su An looked up, her eyes meeting his.
Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze.
After a long silence, Su An looked Fu Zhun up and down with a puzzled expression before frowning slightly and asking, "Fu Zhun? What are you doing here? Since you're here, why don't you come in?"
Fu Zhun pursed his lips, offering an unnatural explanation.
"I just arrived not long ago, and I thought you were resting, so I didn't dare to go in and disturb you."
"Why don't you get up and sit down?"
Upon hearing this, Su An shifted slightly and tentatively extended an invitation.
Fu Zhun hesitated for a moment, then nodded and stepped into the room.
The room fell silent. Fu Zhun looked around, clenched his fist, gently pressed it to his lips, and coughed lightly, trying to break the awkward silence: "By the way, how is your mother's health?"
"Thanks to you, I'm much better now."
Su An smiled and handed him the hot tea.
After saying this, she poured herself another cup of tea, leisurely swinging her legs as she sipped it with contentment.
Fu Zhun took the teacup, his fingertips feeling slightly warm.
He glanced at Su An, tightened his grip, hesitated for a long time, and finally spoke.
Perhaps due to some nervousness, he lowered his eyes and his voice was slightly hoarse.
"Now that the situation in the court has stabilized, all the ministers in the court are shirking their responsibilities and unwilling to take on this heavy task. For the sake of the Great Chu, I have no choice but to temporarily assume the throne. Soon they will hold a coronation ceremony for me."
To become the emperor?
Being the emperor is great!
If Chu Yi hadn't relied on his status as the emperor, she wouldn't have suffered so much.
Now that Fu Zhun is the emperor, she no longer needs to fear being controlled by others.
Thinking this, Su An smiled, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Fu Zhun, and sincerely congratulated him, saying, "Then I congratulate Your Majesty in advance. I hope Your Majesty will take good care of me in the future."
Fu Zhun was slightly taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile, a slight lump in his throat.
"What's there to congratulate? It's just another shackle on your body."
After a pause, he took a deep breath, his gaze hardening as he stared intently at Su An, and continued, "What I really wanted to ask you was whether you would be willing to stay in the palace and become my empress? If you are willing, I will have someone arrange it immediately."
"At that time, the coronation ceremony can be held at the same time as the empress's coronation ceremony."
Su An couldn't hold back and spat out the tea in her mouth.
She raised an eyebrow, pointed at herself, and asked Fu Zhun for confirmation, "You said you want to make me empress? Don't joke around. I'm just a country girl. What virtue or ability do I have to enter the palace?"
"Besides, you know I've never liked being restrained; I just want to live a free and unrestrained life."
She waved her hand and decisively refused.
Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Fu Zhun's eyes.
He clenched his fist under his sleeve, but still refused to give up. He said again, "If you are willing, I can do my best to give you freedom. Even if you are the empress, you don't have to stay in the palace every day. You can go wherever you want and do whatever you want."
Seeing his sincere words and the redness in his eyes, Su An was somewhat moved.
But ever since Fu Zhun first confessed his feelings to her, she knew that they were not meant to be.
Although Fu Zhun appears to wield immense power, he is the emperor of all people, bearing the heavy responsibility of the entire country. Everything he does must prioritize the greater good, and he cannot simply indulge in his own selfish desires.
She believed that Fu Zhun could keep his word, but she didn't want to put so much pressure on him.
Su An took a deep breath, shook his head with a wry smile.
"Things are not as simple as you think. Now that you are the emperor, you will inevitably have to take concubines and arrange marriages in order to stabilize the court. There will not be only me in the harem. But I am very petty and cannot tolerate other women."
"I know you have feelings for me, but love can't overcome all difficulties."
"When it comes to life, you have to be realistic. It's better to see reality clearly as soon as possible and cut your losses in time than to suffer later."
She shrugged casually, her smile unwavering.
Before she could say anything more, Fu Zhun held up three fingers and solemnly swore an oath to the heavens.
"I hereby swear that, now and in the future, I will only have Su An as my woman, and I will never take a concubine in this life. If I break this vow, may I die a horrible death!"
He protected the Great Chu empire not by relying on others, but by himself.
Su An was stunned, her heart filled with turmoil, and her eyes reddened slightly.
The ancients were extremely superstitious; they would never easily make a vow unless they were truly sincere.
Moreover, she could sense Fu Zhun's feelings for her during their time together.
As for her... although she didn't respond verbally, she had already developed feelings for Fu Zhun. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so heartbroken when she learned of Fu Zhun's death.
However, for her, this relationship was too heavy and involved too much, beyond her capacity to bear.
Su An did not succumb to despair. He calmly concealed the emotions in his eyes, sighed, and slowly said, "Since that's the case, how about we make a bet? If you can persuade the court officials to agree to the conditions I proposed, I will consider it."
"But if they all disagree, then let's not bring this up again in the future."
Seeing that Su An had agreed, Fu Zhun was overjoyed. His eyes relaxed, and he nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Okay, you said it yourself, I will definitely find a way to persuade them."
After saying this, he didn't even bother to drink his tea. He hurriedly put the teacup on the table, then got up and strode away.
He didn't look like an emperor about to ascend the throne; he looked more like a naive young man experiencing his first love.
Su An watched his figure disappear, feeling a mix of emotions.
The following morning at court, after the officials had finished discussing state affairs, Fu Zhun took the opportunity to bring up the matter.
"By the way, there is something else I need to tell you, my lords. I was so focused on protecting the Great Chu that I never thought about my own marriage. But now that the tyrant has been eliminated and the people are living in peace, it is time for me to start thinking about myself."
"I now have someone I love, and that person is Miss Su."
"She has resolved the nation's financial worries, brought blessings to the people, and is kind-hearted, virtuous, and talented. Therefore, I intend to make her my empress, and I hereby swear that I will never take a concubine in the future. Do any of you gentlemen have any objections?"
These words caused an uproar in the court. The ministers looked at each other and discussed the matter.
The affair between Fu Zhun and Su An caused quite a stir in the capital, and the court officials naturally heard about it as well.
An elderly minister stepped forward first, offering his respectful advice.
"Your Majesty's move is inappropriate. Although this Miss Su has made many contributions and is a wonderful woman, she is of low status and is not worthy of the position of Empress. I believe that the matter of establishing an Empress is of great importance and requires careful consideration."
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