Chapter 16: His Majesty's Adversity
After three rounds of wine, and before the song and dance carefully arranged by Concubine Xian began, His Majesty was seen leaving in the imperial carriage with the newly appointed Imperial Concubine.
A minister wanted to step forward to dissuade him, but was stopped by the people around him and shook his head at him.
"Your Majesty, this is..." The minister sighed heavily.
"Your Majesty has already taken a step back. If we press further, we'll probably lose more than we gain." After all, His Majesty isn't as weak-willed as the previous emperor. Since ascending the throne, has His Majesty ever retracted a decision just because of their opposition? He stroked his graying beard and looked at the gloomy concubines. "This harem is about to change."
As to whether it will affect the previous dynasty, it depends on when the imperial concubine can give birth to a prince.
Your Majesty now has three adult princes, and the fourth and fifth princes are approaching the age of leaving the palace to establish their own residences. Your Majesty's delay in appointing a crown prince suggests dissatisfaction with the existing princes. The older princes have been stirring up trouble in the court during their southern tour, especially the eldest prince, Prince Zhuang, who has taken advantage of his position as regent to win over several ministers, a move that may have infringed upon Your Majesty's great taboo. If the favored imperial concubine gave birth to another prince, Your Majesty would likely be inclined to favor him, as the youngest son is the most pitiful.
"I'm afraid no one will be able to sleep soundly tonight."
Although His Majesty has temporarily given up the idea of establishing a queen, given the current situation, once the imperial concubine gives birth to a prince, His Majesty might start thinking again about making her queen. The queen's legitimate son has a natural advantage over other princes.
These old ministers are almost at the age of retirement, and they are still wholeheartedly supporting His Majesty and not getting involved in the matter of choosing a crown prince. His Majesty is not the type to be swayed by others.
After returning to the Purple Palace, His Majesty waved his hand to dismiss the palace maids.
Zen Zhen looked at him silently, feeling a surge of warmth in his heart. Finally, he couldn't help but throw himself into his arms, his cheeks pressed hotly against his chest, his voice choked with sobs.
"Your Majesty... am I really not dreaming?"
She was just the daughter of a merchant, yet His Majesty hadn't been lying to her and had actually decreed her to be a noble concubine. She felt as if she were in a dream. From the small courtyard where she lived with her mother as a child to the high attic of the Song Mansion, no one had ever cherished her.
Her mother resented her daughter and her father's refusal to take her back to the Song family to recognize her ancestral roots. When she finally returned to the Song family, her father treated her as a plaything to curry favor with the powerful, and then later offered her to the emperor to curry favor with him. She had imagined her life would be like her mother's: living a life of meager youth and beauty, relying on the pitiful favors of men, and then being abandoned to wait for death in old age.
But His Majesty made her a noble concubine and defended her in front of so many ministers and concubines. No matter what happens in the future, at least she believes that His Majesty is sincere to her at this moment.
Chen Dingyao hugged her tightly and stroked her hair gently.
"Of course I'm not dreaming. From now on, you will be my imperial concubine."
The person who was unattainable in the previous life, now finally willingly fell into his arms. Recalling her cold words "I regret meeting you" before leaving in the previous life, his heart stagnated and he almost shed tears.
He knew he was despicable, having taken advantage of her meeting Yun Yi and exploited her fear and eagerness to seek dependence after entering the palace, which finally opened her heart first. But he didn't regret it, and he would do the same thing again if he had the chance to do it again.
She was his star in the sky, the moon in the water, the deer in the forest, the object of his heart, yet also the one he had only dreamed of in his previous life. He had paid such a high price to obtain this chance at rebirth, and from the day he opened his eyes again, he knew he would never let her go.
"Zenzhen, never leave me."
He originally thought that he would be satisfied just to have her again, but when Zenzhen leaned in his arms and looked at him with dependent eyes, he found that what he wanted was far from being satisfied.
He not only wanted Chan Zhen to look at him and depend on him alone, but also wanted her to love him as much as he did. He loved Chan Zhen madly, and he could not satisfy Chan Zhen's superficial dependence and love for him. He wanted to have everything that Yun Yi had gotten from her in her previous life, and he wanted to take everything that Yun Yi had never had.
He loosened his hand, held her shoulders tightly and looked into her eyes, his gaze deep.
"Even if one day you remember that I have treated you badly, you can blame me and hate me, but don't think about leaving me anymore."
Zen Zhen stared at his eyes blankly, and saw a hint of pleading and hidden madness in them.
"As long as Your Majesty remains true to Chan Zhen," she took one of His Majesty's hands and gently pressed her cheek against it, a warm smile on her lips, "Chan Zhen will never resent Your Majesty."
Chen Dingyao gently stroked her hot face, his eyes deep and a smile on his lips.
"Since you have promised me, you are not allowed to regret it."
…
In the blink of an eye, the day of the enthronement ceremony arrived.
Early in the morning, Chan Zhen was woken up from bed, changed into the custom-made imperial concubine's auspicious clothes, put on the heavy imperial concubine's crown, and was supported by Lu Zhu to go out.
She didn't quite understand the rules of the enthronement ceremony, and His Majesty was unwilling to restrict her, so he only ordered two elderly maids to guide her.
Chan Zhen passed countless doors along the way, dazed and confused, simply following Nanny's instructions, kneeling and kowtow when told. Fortunately, the position of Empress was currently vacant, and her position as Imperial Concubine was the highest. Furthermore, with His Majesty's special instructions, the Ministry of Rites had omitted many of the complicated steps in the enthronement ceremony.
Finally, we arrived at the last step. His Majesty, wearing a dragon robe and a crown, was standing with his back to the hall.
It was the first time that Zen Zhen saw him dressed so solemnly, and he immediately became nervous. But then he saw His Majesty turn around and look at him, a hint of a smile in his eyes, and then he extended a hand to him.
"Come."
His Majesty's voice was so gentle that Zenzhen suddenly stopped feeling nervous and afraid. As soon as she put her hand on it, His Majesty held it tightly.
The two maids who were supporting her immediately stepped aside with a glance.
What should I do next? Zen Zhen had no idea and could only look to His Majesty for help.
Chen Dingyao stood shoulder to shoulder with her, hands clasped before their chests, and bowed deeply toward the Fengxian Hall. Chan Zhen subconsciously imitated his movements, bowing down to the ancestors within the hall together, oblivious to the attempts of the ceremonial officials beside them to dissuade him.
After three bows, His Majesty stopped, then personally took the book from the eunuch beside him and handed it to her.
Chan Zhen took the book, knelt down to express his gratitude, and then went to Fengwu Palace with the help of the nanny.
Fengwu Palace had been the empress's bedroom in all dynasties. No one else had lived there since their deaths. Chan Zhen had originally expected it to be desolate and bleak. However, when he stepped into the palace, he saw a scene of spring with blooming flowers. The palace maids and eunuchs had been waiting at the door for a long time. When they saw the imperial concubine's entourage coming, they all knelt down.
"Greetings to the Imperial Concubine!"
Chan Zhen was still a little confused as he looked at a large group of unfamiliar palace maids and eunuchs. He saw the only familiar one among them, Luzhu, walking towards him with a smile on her face.
"Your Majesty, these palace maids were personally selected by His Majesty. He said you can use them first. If you are not satisfied with them, you can take them away and replace them."
The palace maids and eunuchs knelt on the ground in silence, not daring to raise their heads, for fear that the imperial concubine would be dissatisfied with them in some way.
Chanzhen thought of herself and wondered if she had been so frightened and nervous in front of His Majesty when they first met. After all, her original identity was no different from those palace maids, it was just that she was luckier.
"Stand up." Chan Zhen felt the same way and didn't want to embarrass them any further. He turned to Lu Zhu and said, "Today is my great day, so give them more rewards."
His Majesty had previously gifted her with many precious gold and silver treasures, all of which Luzhu was responsible for keeping. Since Chanzhen entered the palace, her allotment has been from His Majesty, and the remaining expenses are not very large, so it would be better to give more to the palace servants, as their lives in the palace are not easy.
The palace maids below hurriedly said with gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
They felt relieved in their hearts. They had originally thought that this imperial concubine who had risen to the top and was extremely favored would be a difficult person to get along with, but they did not expect that she would be so gentle to them.
When eunuch Guo Kai was training them, he had already repeatedly told them to be attentive to the imperial concubine and serve her with the same attitude as they would serve His Majesty. They had already prepared for the worst, but they did not expect the imperial concubine to be so gentle and kind. They were even more determined to treat her well.
Under Luzhu's guidance, Chanzhen walked into the palace and suddenly saw a large pink and white flower field in front of him. The soft petals swayed in the breeze, as if waves were surging in front of him.
"Is this... the crabapple tree?" She looked at the vast sea of pink and white flowers in front of her with some disbelief.
Lu Zhu smiled and said, "It is the Western Palace Begonia. His Majesty knew that the Queen liked this kind of flowers, so he ordered the palace servants to transplant it overnight!"
Chan Zhen recalled that when he was in Ye Mansion, His Majesty had said that he would plant crabapple flowers in the imperial garden for her after returning to the palace, and the corners of his lips could not help but curl up.
It turned out that every word His Majesty said to her was not a lie, so how could she deserve His Majesty's treatment like this?
Entering the main hall, she was stunned by the decorations, speechless with shock. The room was filled with golden splendor, carved beams and painted buildings. She even saw many treasures that were originally displayed in His Majesty's Purple Palace.
His Majesty wouldn't have moved all the things in the Purple Palace to her place, would he? Chan Zhen couldn't help but doubt it.
This is a bit too extravagant, Chan Zhenxin thought. Thinking of everything His Majesty has done for her since entering the palace, it's no wonder the civil and military officials have objections. Even she feels like she's too much like the enchanting concubines in history, bewitching His Majesty to the point of bewilderment. No, she can't be like the favored concubines of the previous dynasty. She must urge His Majesty to be a virtuous concubine, worthy of His Majesty's care for her.
Not long after sitting down in the palace, he heard Eunuch Guo coming to announce that His Majesty would summon the Royal Concubine to sleep with him in the Purple Palace tonight.
Your Majesty wants her to sleep with you tonight?
Zen Zhen's scalp exploded instantly.
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