Chapter 70 Confrontation
Chan Zhen looked at the man strolling leisurely with his hands behind his back and couldn't help but snort, "Could it be that you couldn't even find a single person in the Imperial Court, yet you bothered Your Majesty to come all this way?"
After saying this, she turned around, holding Yuan Zhao in her arms, and told Luzhu to see the guest off.
Luzhu looked embarrassed, standing awkwardly between the two of them, unable to move forward or backward.
Chen Dingyao remained calm despite the cold reception and said calmly, "Zhao'er is my own son. I would be worried if I handed him over to someone else."
After saying this, noticing Chan Zhen's back wasn't as stiff as before, he winked at the surrounding palace servants, ordering them to push him down. Then he sighed and said, "Chan Zhen may not want to see me, but Zhao'er can't be without a father. If I never come to Fengqi Palace, outsiders will speculate and mistakenly think that I'm not close to Zhao'er and look down on him."
Chan Zhen tightened her grip on Yuan Zhao's hand. She knew that he had been on the throne for many years and always spoke with an air of authority that could not be questioned. Even fallacies could become truth in his mouth. But even so, she couldn't help but be moved by his words.
Even though she didn't like him, Zhao'er needed his attention as a father so that she could avoid all the hidden dangers in the palace and grow up safely.
But if I easily bow to him for Zhao'er, how is this different from my previous life?
Just as she was struggling with the issue, Zhao'er in her arms suddenly burst into tears. Her attention was immediately diverted and she tried to comfort him at a loss.
In her previous life, when Zhao'er was born, she was already unable to take care of herself. By the time she had the energy to take care of him herself, Zhao'er had already passed the most dangerous and troubled first three months. Therefore, she really didn't know how to deal with Zhao'er at this stage.
Just as she was panicking, a pair of hands reached out to her: "Give it to me."
Chan Zhen raised his eyes and glanced at him gently, then handed Yuan Zhao over carefully with some concern.
Chen Dingyao was stronger than her. He took Yuan Zhao in his arms steadily and patted his back gently at a certain frequency. After a while, his crying gradually stopped.
Zen Zhen looked at his movements, which were more skillful than his own, and lowered his eyes, feeling a little depressed.
Due to her physical condition in her previous life, she could not hug Yuan Zhao as often as ordinary mothers, and she really owed Yuan Zhao a lot.
Although Chen Dingyao was coaxing Yuan Zhao, he was always paying attention to her expression. Seeing that she looked gloomy, he couldn't help but want to touch her face to comfort her. At the moment when he was about to touch her, Chan Zhen turned her face away.
He paused for only a moment, then immediately retracted his gesture as if nothing had happened, saying in a natural tone, "You are still a child yourself. I am much older than you, so naturally I understand more."
Chan Zhen didn't buy his tricks and said coldly, "Your Majesty, when you forced me, why didn't you consider that I was still a child? You are old enough to be my father."
He was stung by these words and his face froze, feeling unhappy: "Zhenzhen, do you despise my age?"
He was thirty-six years old this year, which was considered to be in the prime of life for an ordinary man. Moreover, he was in power and at the peak of his career. He had never thought that he was tired before, but Zen was indeed twenty years younger than him, and he could not refute it.
Chanzhen's original intention was to mock him for his unethical behavior in his past life, forcing Zishi to marry him, but he had unexpectedly taken it the wrong way. Even in her past life, what she cared about wasn't their age difference, but their status, which didn't allow for an affair between them.
But she had no intention of explaining to him. He was a willful and tyrannical person by nature. He regarded human ethics and moral principles as nothing, so no matter how much she tried to persuade him, it would be of no avail.
She closed her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, if you are here to take Zhao'er to the third ritual, you should leave now."
"Chanzhen," he suddenly took her hand, "When I was born, when I met you, are not things I can decide. If I could be born twenty years later, I would definitely be with you from beginning to end."
Zen Zhen remained silent for a long time before he said calmly, "You should go now. Don't keep me waiting."
He looked at her cold expression and finally let go of her hand.
"I will return Zhao'er to Fengqi Palace safely." He knew that Yuan Zhao was always the one she cared about most, so he made a serious promise to her.
Failure to protect Zhao'er in his previous life left him with regret and remorse.
Chan Zhen didn't look back at him, but only hummed softly: "I will wait for Zhao Er to come back at Fengqi Palace."
She finally responded to herself.
A smile appeared in Chen Dingyao's eyes. He wrapped Yuan Zhao carefully and then carried him towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
After he left, Chan Zhen slowly turned around and looked at the gate of Fengqi Palace in a daze.
The pain gradually spread up from the chest. It was no longer as intense as when I woke up earlier, but it was persistent and subtle, like a fine needle moving deep in my heart.
"Your Majesty..." She seemed to have returned to the sweetest time with His Majesty before she gave birth. At that time, she loved him so much and looked forward to growing old with him. But as soon as she expressed some love, the memories of her previous life were like a basin of cold water poured on her head, making her sober up and her heart immediately became cold again.
How could she still have love for this man after thinking about them together? She had already fallen into trouble with him once, and she had finally had a chance to start over in her life, so she must not make the same mistake again.
…
Yuan Zhao's third-day bathing ceremony was held with great grandeur. In addition to the female members of the harem and the royal heir, members of the royal family were also invited to the palace to watch the ceremony.
When His Majesty personally carried Yuan Zhao to the scene, everyone present looked a little strange. The current dynasty emphasized holding grandchildren rather than sons, yet the Emperor's eldest grandson had never been seen by His Majesty since his birth. This little prince, on the other hand, not only delighted His Majesty on his birthday, granting him amnesty, but was also personally carried to the baptism ceremony, demonstrating just how much His Majesty valued him.
Everyone couldn't help but think that this was the only legitimate son of His Majesty, and his biological mother was the Empress who was the favorite in the harem. Compared with the other princes, he was born with a huge advantage in the battle for the throne. However, there were already capable and adult princes in the court, and the whereabouts of the throne had not yet been determined.
Chen Yunyi naturally received the secretive gazes from those around him. He lowered his eyes, silently picked up the wine on the table and took a sip. His calm expression made it impossible to tell that he cared about his competitor Yuan Zhao at all.
His Majesty's concern for his legitimate son was obvious to all. The Nan'an Prince's Dowager Consort, who had been invited to perform Yuan Zhao's third-day baptism ceremony, naturally would not cause any trouble for the Emperor at this time. Seeing Yuan Zhao's loud cries after entering the water, she smiled attentively and said, "Your Highness cried so loudly. I'm sure you will be healthy and worry-free in the future."
Chen Dingyao had watched the baptism ceremony of other royal heirs before, and knew that babies would inevitably cry after bathing. He was heartbroken to see Yuan Zhao crying so hard. At the same time, he was glad that Chan Zhen was unable to attend and see this scene with her own eyes because she was in confinement. She was too young to do anything.
After the third bath ceremony, he immediately wrapped Yuan Zhao in the quilt again and held him back in his arms.
Yuan Zhao still didn't stop crying. At first, she cried loudly, but gradually her voice became weaker. She just pursed her lips and sobbed. Her pair of eyes like black grapes were watery, and she looked pitiful and aggrieved.
It's exactly the same as Zen.
He thought of the child's mother and felt love and pity for her. He also loved Yuan Zhao, who looked like her, even more, and immediately issued an imperial decree.
Yuan Zhao was conferred the title of Prince Rui.
Regardless of past and present lives, this child is a godsend in his heart. He hopes that Yuan Zhao can live a healthy and smooth life and not repeat the tragedy of his previous life.
When the imperial edict was issued, everyone was shocked.
According to imperial tradition, princes were granted the title of king only after their marriage. Even the previously highly regarded Prince Jin was no exception. Yet, the young prince received this honor just three days after his birth. Furthermore, the title "Rui" symbolizes auspiciousness, and "Rui Yu" symbolizes the emperor's credibility. This character has never been used in any other dynasty, so your majesty's intentions are self-evident.
Everyone thought that after His Majesty diagnosed the Concubine as pregnant, he could not wait to make her the Queen, so that the child in her belly could rightfully occupy the status of the legitimate son. The fact that Prince Rui was so loved and respected by His Majesty was most aptly described as "a son is honored by his mother".
Your Majesty has made countless exceptions for the Queen. After their repeated admonitions were rejected, everyone had already calmed down and no longer made any useless objections.
Only Concubine Shu was so angry that she almost bit her teeth off.
Prince Rui, what a Prince Rui! Her Yun Yi had braved the dangers of the border and returned home, having achieved such great military exploits, yet in the end, she was still no match for a newborn child.
Your Majesty is so unfair!
However, knowing His Majesty's temperament well, she could only force a smile with a stiff face.
After the baptism ceremony, she wanted to find Yun Yi to discuss something, but she saw him chasing after His Majesty at a rapid pace.
Could Yun Yi be provoked into doing something stupid? She immediately became nervous. The Queen was at the height of her power, and even her child held a special place in His Majesty's heart. Now was not the time to confront them head-on.
She frowned and hurried after him without even bothering to bring the palace maids with her.
…
"Father." Hearing the familiar voice, Chen Dingyao stopped and looked back. Seeing that it was Yun Yi who had caught up with him, he waved his hand and asked all the palace servants around him to retreat.
Since there was no one around, Yun Yi asked directly, "How is Chan Zhen?"
He lived outside the palace, and when he received the news, Chan Zhen had already given birth. He only knew that Chan Zhen gave birth to Yuan Zhao safely. However, Fengqi Palace was under tight security, and even he could not find out more information about her.
Chen Dingyao asked him in a deep voice, "What is your identity in asking me about her?"
Yun Yi asked calmly, "What is the identity of a son? Doesn't your Majesty know?"
Chen Dingyao's eyes turned cold. Sure enough, Yun Yi still hadn't given up. Chan Zhen had now recovered his memories of his previous life, and naturally remembered everything related to Yun Yi. He remembered that Chan Zhen had had feelings for Yun Yi in his previous life, and the jealousy in his heart was difficult to suppress.
"Zenzhen is my woman and also your mother. I am not dead yet, so put away those thoughts." He said coldly.
Yun Yi showed a hint of sarcasm on his face and replied, "Didn't I learn this from you? Since you haven't been able to restrain yourself, how can you have the nerve to force me to do it?"
"Do you really think I dare not kill you?" Chen Dingyao couldn't restrain the murderous intent in his eyes.
Yun Yi smiled indifferently: "It's too late for your Majesty to kill me now. Since I have returned alive from the border, I naturally have the confidence to fight you."
Seeing that he didn't know whether to live or die, the murderous look in Chen Dingyao's eyes gradually subsided.
"Zen is really good. He is much better with me than with you."
Yun Yi could hardly maintain the expression on his face, and the corners of his mouth drooped.
"Just do your duty. She is not someone you should covet." As he said this, he glanced at the bushes behind Yun Yi. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and then he became silent again.
This time, after he left, Yun Yi did not chase him, but remained silent in the same place. After a long time, he whispered:
"Mother, you heard everything."
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