Chapter 22 Meeting
After returning from the southern tour, there were still many political affairs that needed to be dealt with.
Chanzhen looked at the messy desk and the scattered memorials on the floor caused by their previous antics, and her face flushed. Fortunately, no one else saw them, otherwise the news of her and His Majesty's antics in the Qinzheng Hall would spread.
"Your Majesty, please don't do this again next time." She glanced at him lightly with a flick of her brows, walked forward to pick up the memorials that had fallen on the ground, and put them neatly back in place.
Chen Dingyao readily agreed: "Well, I know I was wrong."
After the others had tidied up the desk, he took advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, and pulled the person into his arms, sitting in his arms, and whispered in his ear, "But once I saw Chan Zhen, I couldn't help but want to get close to him."
He had never thought of himself as an impatient person before, but since he met her, he was full of passion and impatience, even worse than an ordinary young man.
"Your Majesty." After being flirted with repeatedly, Chan Zhen was already a little embarrassed and angry. She reached out and pushed his chest against hers. "If you continue like this, I will never come to the Qinzheng Palace again."
The beauty's face blushed, and her eyes held a hint of anger, a look of unique charm. Chen Dingyao grabbed one of her hands and placed it on his lips, kissing it softly. "Don't worry, Zen Zhen, if I can't see you, I will miss you all the time, and I will have no time to focus on government affairs."
Chanzhen had been a bit shy at first, but her heart softened at hearing these words. She hadn't seen His Majesty when she woke up that morning, and she'd been a bit apprehensive. Her appointment as Imperial Concubine hadn't quite sunk in yet, and she was afraid it was all just a dream, that His Majesty was tired of her. But knowing His Majesty shared her feelings finally put her mind at ease.
"Your Majesty, don't be afraid of being laughed at by your subjects if you tell them."
Sensing her softening, he raised his eyebrows slightly: "How about letting them laugh at me?"
In his previous life, he had been subjected to a lot of ridicule and ridicule. Since he dared to do such a thing as forcibly seizing his son's concubine, he naturally anticipated what kind of stain he would leave in history books.
He had once aspired to become a wise ruler like the Holy Ancestor, and had worked tirelessly for over thirty years to achieve this. But if he were to become a wise ruler, he would have to restrain his affection for her and not embrace her. He thought it wouldn't matter if his previous achievements were wiped out and he was cursed in history books. As long as he and Zen Zhen were remembered in the future, mentioning one would inevitably be linked to the other.
"You are His Majesty."
Chan Zhen had grown up listening to his stories. As a prince, he was unrivaled on the battlefield. After ascending the throne, he implemented drastic political reforms, which led to the current peaceful and prosperous times. Even such a wise and powerful emperor could one day indulge in a private affair, and the person who caused all this was himself.
"When I was young, I heard my father talk about your majesty's deeds. I also longed for you, wondering what kind of person such a wise and powerful majesty would be. Now it seems that your majesty is much more gentle than I imagined."
"Really?" Chen Dingyao couldn't help but hug her tighter.
It turned out that Zen Zhen had also longed for him in her previous life, but he forced her so much that she was disappointed, so she refused to accept him until her death.
"I won't let you down again."
In this life, he will try his best to be the most wise emperor and the most caring husband in her heart.
Zen Zhen smiled, got up from his arms, brewed a cup of fresh tea and presented it to him: "Then please drink this cup of tea, Your Majesty, and then get down to business."
Chen Dingyao stopped teasing her and took a sip of tea. He praised her, "It's very sweet aftertaste. Chan Zhen's cooking skills are getting better and better."
"Your Majesty is accustomed to sweet talk." Her tea-making skills were definitely not particularly good, at least not as good as those of the palace maids in charge of the tea service. If the tea was delicious, it was probably due to the high quality of the imperial tea itself. But she was always pleased by His Majesty's praise. "Since Your Majesty likes it, I will let this cup of tea accompany you. I must take my leave first."
It would be inappropriate for her, a concubine, to stay in the Qinzheng Palace. His Majesty had already put a lot of pressure on her from the court by making her a concubine against all odds. She didn't want to give the ministers any more room for criticism.
"Zenzhen has a cruel heart." Chen Dingyao teased her, but did not stop her. He just looked her up and down and couldn't help laughing. "But does Zenzhen really want to leave like this?"
After hearing what he said, Chan Zhen suddenly realized that after the previous prank with His Majesty, her clothes were a little messy and even her hair was a little loose. If she walked out like this, it would inevitably arouse people's imagination.
She hit him lightly, feeling embarrassed and annoyed: "Your Majesty, look at what you have done."
Chen Dingyao placed one hand on the table and looked at her gently, "Don't worry, Chanzhen. I'll have the palace maid come in and help you tidy up."
After saying this, he called in a palace maid and took her to the inner room to tidy up. Chan Zhen saw that there was nothing unusual about her clothes and appearance, and finally left the Qinzheng Hall with peace of mind.
…
When the palace maid entered the hall to report, Concubine Shu was drawing her eyebrows in front of the mirror with a sullen look on her face. However, no matter how she drew her eyebrows, her face was still not as beautiful as when she was young, and even less beautiful than the newcomers in the palace. She was so angry that she threw the ink in her hand on the table.
"Empress!" The palace maid was shocked.
Concubine Shu closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she had suppressed all her emotions. She asked expressionlessly, "What's the matter?"
The maid had served her for a long time and knew that Concubine Shu had always had a bad temper. She held her breath and replied in a low voice, "Your Highness, His Highness has arrived."
Upon hearing that it was her son Yun Yi who had arrived, Concubine Shu felt a little better. Her son Yun Yi had been her pride since childhood, the most outstanding among all the princes in both appearance and talent. Even though His Majesty had been less fond of her in recent years, the rewards he bestowed on her for Yun Yi's sake were still unparalleled in the palace.
Beauty fades quickly and the emperor's love is cold. Even though Concubine Yang was favored two years ago, she is now neglected by the emperor and cannot be summoned. But she is different. She has Yun Yi, the prince that His Majesty values most. She will never lose her support like other women.
"Please come in, Your Highness."
She lazily reached out to straighten the hairpin in her hair and smiled slightly.
The last time he'd set foot in Concubine Shu's palace, Chen Yunyi had a smug smirk on his face, secretly mocking Prince Yu's arrogance and the fact that he would eventually displease his father. But today, his mood was completely different. He was accustomed to silence, and had long since learned to conceal his true emotions, not even revealing them in front of his beloved mother.
When Concubine Shu saw him, her eyes lit up and she kindly invited him to sit next to her.
"My son, have you met your father?"
Chen Yunyi's eyes flickered slightly, and a smile appeared on his face: "Replying to the Queen Mother, I have indeed paid my respects to the Emperor first."
"Did His Majesty say anything? My son has made great contributions as regent this time, and he must have received a lot of praise." Concubine Shu smiled and personally handed him a cup of hot tea, looking at him expectantly.
Chen Yunyi lowered his head and hid the bitter smile on his lips by drinking tea.
He believed he had done nothing wrong during his time as acting regent. Even when Prince Yu mocked him in front of all the ministers, he endured it and even helped his brothers clean up their messes twice. He had thought that even if his father didn't reward him when he returned, he would at least be positive about him. But recalling his father's cold tone just now, he felt a little overwhelmed for the first time.
Although my father had always been strict with me, even when I made a mistake occasionally, he would just frown and patiently correct me. He had never looked at me with such a wary and vigilant look as he did today, as if I was not his biological son, but an opponent who was going to compete with him for the treasure.
Although he had the ambition to ascend to that position a hundred years after his father, his father was still in his prime, and he would never dare to risk the world's condemnation by killing the king and seizing the throne. At most, he just wanted to suppress his two brothers and prevent them from ever standing out in front of his father. But why did his father become wary of him?
He had been keeping an eye on the capital, and there was no movement from Prince Yu and Prince Zhuang. Thinking about it, he realized that his father had been wary of him long before the southern tour, otherwise he would not have suddenly changed his plan. He actually did not take it seriously at the time, and even felt complacent because of Prince Yu's stupid ridicule.
He secretly clenched his fists. He was indeed far from being able to compare with his father. His father had already ascended the throne and firmly controlled the court when he was his age. He still had a lot to learn.
But he was reluctant to tell his mother about it despite all the twists and turns in his mind. His father had always been against the harem interfering in politics, and his mother's methods were only suitable for the harem and would not help him in the previous dynasty.
"Don't worry, mother. I am cautious in my work. Even father can't find any fault with me." He said with a faint smile.
Concubine Shu's eyes showed a smug look: "My son Yunyi is naturally good at everything. You should also go to your father more often. You can't always let Prince Yu jump around in front of your father."
Chen Yunyi didn't want to discuss this topic any further. He put down his teacup and asked, "I wonder how Mother is doing these days? I heard that Father has appointed a new Imperial Concubine and is very fond of her."
He was unable to attend the welcoming banquet that night due to some matters, and to this day he has never seen the imperial concubine in person. However, the events of that night were widely circulated in the previous dynasty, and ministers had offered their opinions and suggestions at court meetings in recent days, but they were all coldly rejected by his father.
Being able to ascend to the position of Imperial Concubine as a daughter of a merchant, and being so beloved by his father, who never valued women, he was somewhat curious about what kind of stunning beauty this Imperial Concubine must be. However, this was the first time his father had lost his mind over a woman, and his mother must have felt very uncomfortable.
Upon hearing this, Concubine Shu's expression turned cold, with a hint of self-mockery in her face: "Your father is so bewitched by that woman that he no longer has eyes for us old people. He actually let a woman of such a background surpass us when she first entered the palace."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke. She was still unconvinced. His Majesty's previous favor towards Concubine Yang was fine, she'd just considered him a pretty pet. Concubine Yang wasn't even as favored as she was back then. But this Song was truly unprecedentedly favored. If it weren't for her humble origins, and considering His Majesty's intention to make her empress, she wouldn't be worthy of a merchant's daughter.
Chen Yunyi frowned and said nothing. After all, he was already an adult prince who had left the palace to set up his own residence, so it was inconvenient for him to interfere in the affairs of the harem.
"Fortunately, Mother still has you, Yun Yi, you must not let Mother down again."
Facing Concubine Shu's expectant and dependent gaze, Chen Yunyi could only respond silently.
When leaving the Shufei Palace, Chen Yunyi stopped and looked up at the sky above his head. He still had a long way to go to reach the highest position, and he didn't have much time to feel sentimental.
When they reached Taiye Pond, they suddenly saw a row of shining chariots and processions marching towards the inner court in a mighty manner.
He paused, narrowing his eyes slightly. Such a large procession, heading towards the inner court, must have been for one of the high-ranking concubines in the harem. He had dealt with Consort Xian and Consort De many times, but this procession was completely new, something he had never seen before. The person in the sedan chair could only be the newly appointed Imperial Consort.
It was quite a coincidence, but since he had bumped into him, there was no reason to avoid it, so he waited there calmly until the chariot stopped before bowing.
"Yun Yi greets the Imperial Concubine."
Chan Zhen had just emerged from the Qinzheng Hall, and unexpectedly, on her way back to the palace, she ran into the Prince of Jin, who had always intrigued her. Gently lifting the curtain with one hand, revealing only half his face, she examined the young man, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, with some curiosity.
He really looks very similar to Your Majesty, with a handsome and stern face, but he looks much younger than Your Majesty, and is more high-spirited, unlike Your Majesty who has the stable temperament that comes from years of experience.
"Is this His Majesty the Prince of Jin? Please stand up." She pursed her lips and smiled. Perhaps it was because this young man was too similar to His Majesty, she felt quite fond of him at first sight.
Chen Yunyi was stunned the moment he saw her face.
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