"Your Majesty, please calm down!" Chang En was anxious and angry.
"How can I calm down! He doesn't even listen to me. Does he even take me seriously? What a rebellious son!"
Emperor Wende was so furious that he destroyed everything in the hall.
Chang En pointed at his godson, Eunuch Wu, and said, "Why are you still standing there? Explain why His Highness cannot obey the imperial edict."
Eunuch Wu said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, because Madam Zhao is in poor health, His Highness said that Madam Zhao cannot be without someone by her side. He will not go anywhere until Madam Zhao recovers."
"Ridiculous! Are women more important, or are national affairs more important?" Emperor Wende kicked over the small stool that had already been kicked over.
The poor little stool was badly damaged.
"He is disobeying my order. I can definitely punish him. I will lock him up in the Zongzheng Temple and see how he can stay with Gu Jiu."
Emperor Wende slammed his fist on the table.
He was going to be mad at his eldest son.
"Your Highness cares so much about Madam Zhao, which shows that he is a sincere person. Your Majesty can rest assured!"
Emperor Wende turned his head and stared at Chang En, "How much benefit did you receive from Gu Jiu?"
"This old slave is wronged!"
Plop!
Chang En knelt directly on the ground, "This old slave has never accepted a penny from Madam Zhao, and Madam Zhao has never bribed this old slave. Madam Zhao had a difficult childbirth and was in confinement. I heard that she lay in bed for 20 or 30 days before getting out of bed. She almost lost her life. How could she care about bribing this old slave?"
Emperor Wende's eyes were red, "Did you really confiscate her benefits?"
Chang En kowtowed repeatedly, "I am your Majesty's servant in life and your Majesty's ghost in death. I will never dare to betray my master."
Emperor Wende's expression softened a bit, "Get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Chang En broke out in a sweat and was very scared.
Emperor Wende's temper is indeed becoming increasingly difficult to understand.
Emperor Wende tapped the table lightly and snorted coldly, "Tell Liu Zhao that if he doesn't come into the palace, I will send the Jinwu Guards to the palace. Then, I want to see how he can stay by Gu Jiu's side."
Eunuch Wu received the order and hurried out of the palace.
Fortunately, the Xiaozhu Villa was not far from the capital, so we rode at full speed and arrived there quickly.
…
Liu Zhao complained to Gu Jiu, "He's thinking of me now. In the past, he wished I were dead."
Gu Jiu rolled his eyes at him. "Alright! You can do things once or twice, but not three times. You've already rejected His Majesty's favor once, so don't reject him a second time. Don't keep Eunuch Wu waiting for too long, go quickly. This is the opportunity you've been waiting for."
"I don't want to go."
Liu Zhao lost his temper. "I can imagine that when we meet, there will be no good words. He will definitely scold me and beat me up, and then force me to take the job and go south. How can I bear to leave you when you are not well yet?"
Gu Jiu drank a mouthful of the health-preserving soup and said, "I'm feeling much better now. I can get out of bed, walk around, and even go out to bask in the sun. I'm mainly weak and afraid of the cold right now. It's going to take a while for me to recover, so there's no point in you worrying."
"But I'm worried."
Gu Jiu smiled and shook his head, "Don't get angry when you hear what I'm going to say next."
"You talk, I'm listening." Liu Zhao straightened his attitude, guessing what unpleasant words Gu Jiu would say.
Gu Jiu considered his words for a moment, "Compared to when His Majesty was in the palace, you are not as good as him."
"How am I inferior to him?" Liu Zhao was not convinced. It was too hurtful to his self-esteem.
Gu Jiu said, "Think carefully, what was Your Majesty's situation when the late emperor was alive? Every time you entered the palace, you would be scolded like an animal by the late emperor, or even whipped. How did Your Majesty respond every time? You threw a tantrum, acted shamelessly, and even threw your face on the ground and trampled on it. Can you do it?"
Liu Zhao looked unhappy.
Gu Jiu continued, "You are far inferior to His Majesty when he was in the palace. So what if he scolds you? Compared to His Majesty's situation before the late emperor, your situation is actually much better. At least His Majesty didn't beat or scold you, nor did he treat you like an animal.
If you had dared to disobey the late emperor, the Jinwu Guards would have come to arrest you and thrown you into prison. As far as I can remember, no prince dared to disobey the late emperor's orders while he was alive. You should be the first. So, His Majesty's tolerance for you is quite good."
Liu Zhao chuckled, "He took my job and ignored me for three to five years, and you still call that tolerance good. Don't speak for him."
Gu Jiu said solemnly, "I'm not speaking for him, but for you. Do you want to go further? Then learn from your Majesty's attitude back then and don't be too concerned about your reputation! If you want to be ashamed, you'll end up like Liu Yi, the deposed King of Yan."
Liu Yi, the deposed Prince of Yan, was too proud to accept the humiliation of his mother, Concubine Shu, by Concubine Li De, which led him to join the rebellion with the Prince of Zhao, just to kill Concubine Li De to vent his anger. Now he is a prisoner, trapped in his own little world.
Liu Zhao looked upset.
Gu Jiu hit him again, "Don't get angry with His Majesty, you are destined to be a loser. Learn more from His Majesty's demeanor in the past. Throw away all your face and self-esteem, and be a scoundrel. At least His Majesty is easier to fool and talk to than the late emperor."
"Are you sure he's easier to talk to than the late emperor? The late emperor had great trust in me."
"That's because you're the emperor's grandson, so the late emperor trusts you. If you were a prince, your situation would be ten or even a hundred times more difficult than it is now. You might have been demoted to a commoner long ago."
"Ridiculous! Is this my Highness really that miserable?"
"Then look at all the uncles, how many of them are doing well?"
Liu Zhao was speechless and choked with emotion.
Emperor Wende had so many brothers, but few of them had a good ending.
"Alright! Stop throwing tantrums like a child and hurry to the palace to speak your mind. Learn from the way His Majesty used to throw tantrums and ask for more benefits. I've prepared all the food for you. When you get to Jiangnan, all you need to do is put on a show. Not only will you successfully complete your mission, but you'll also be able to plant a sting in the Jiangnan officialdom."
Shanhe Academy is not just for decoration.
Shanhe Academy has so many graduates and needs a place to accommodate them.
One person for one job, so of course we should use our own people.
Liu Zhao gritted his teeth and nodded heavily, "Okay! I'll listen to you. I don't want this face anymore."
"You should have learned to be shameless long ago, especially in front of His Majesty. The more you resemble His Majesty, the more friendly He will feel. Don't give in to your stubborn temper. There's no benefit in imitating the late emperor."
Liu Zhao snorted, "I'm going into the palace now, so stop talking."
"If you think I'm being long-winded, wait for you to come back and kneel down and do the abacus."
Liu Zhao followed Eunuch Xiao Wu into the palace.
Gu Jiu sat on a recliner, enjoying the sunshine through the shade of the trees.
The two children were placed in a basket and also slept in the shade of the tree.
The maid Aqing was fanning herself.
The maid Xiaoyu was doing needlework.
Wang Yi was waving a stick in the garden.
Nanny Fang watched over the child while nagging Gu Jiu, "When the prince goes to Jiangnan, does the lady want to return to the palace?"
"No! The palace is boring!"
Gu Jiu had already made up her mind. Before Emperor Wende made Liu Zhao a king, she lived in the villa.
It's comfortable and cozy! The place is spacious and the view is great.
It's very convenient to get in and out.
Moreover, the children's study experience at Shanhe Academy was obviously better than that at the palace. They smiled more and made many friends.
Nanny Fang said, "It's better not to go back! I heard that the palace is in a mess these days. If I go back and live there, I'm afraid I'll lead the two young masters astray."
Gu Jiu hummed, "Mammy, tell me about the situation in the palace. Last time my brothers and sisters came to visit me, I was too embarrassed to ask."
"It's a mess!" Nanny Fang summed it up in one word.
"Concubines and concubines were crammed into the backyard one after another. Bastards and daughters were born one after another. They were jealous and crying all day long. The Second Madam is now too lazy to manage the backyard. She assigned two older concubines to look after those delicate concubines and became a hands-off manager."
Gu Jiu laughed, "My second brother's wife is always unexpected. It's good this way. Without worrying, life will be easier."
Nanny Fang nodded repeatedly. "Madam is right. The Second Madam said the same thing herself. She said she's only thinking about the children now and doesn't bother to worry about anything else. The Third House isn't much better off either. In just a few years, they've had six or seven illegitimate children. The one who feels the most wronged is the Third Madam."
"She's not feeling wronged!" Gu Jiu chuckled softly, "Third Madam Cui is different from us. She's very particular about rules. According to her rules, it's natural for a man to take a concubine. Especially since it's a prince taking a concubine. I remember she even took the initiative to find a woman for His Royal Highness the Third Prince?"
"Madam, if you remember correctly, the Third Madam did take the initiative to find women for the Third Prince."
"The one who felt the most wronged was undoubtedly the Fourth Prince's wife. She and the Fourth Prince had been childhood sweethearts, inseparable, and then married according to the natural order. However, not long after, a concubine entered the family, and a bastard child was born. Over the years, she's made countless fuss and cries, but it was all in vain."
"Madam is right."
"Mother!"
Yu Ge'er and Heng Ge'er came back from the academy and rushed to Gu Jiu without even having time to wash or change.
Gu Jiu hugged one of them with one arm, "You're all sweaty, did you run back again?"
The two brats laughed.
Gu Jiu glared at them and said, "Hurry up and wash up. Run slower next time."
"Mom is so nice!" Yu Ge'er smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits.
Heng Ge'er took Gu Jiu's hand and said, "Mom, I got praised today. Can I have two big butter buns?"
Gu Jiu pinched his little nose and said, "Be careful not to gain weight!"
"I won't get fat. Only my brother will get fat."
Yu Ge'er shouted loudly: "I won't gain weight, I have already lost weight. Mother, has your son grown taller?"
"Let's go inside and compare."
The maid Aqing said, "I will measure the heights of the two gentlemen."
On the wall of the room, there were marks from the last measurement.
The two little brats were very eager to measure their height.
"Have you grown taller?"
"Have I grown taller?"
The two asked excitedly.
Ah Qing laughed and said, "They've both grown taller. You two young masters are growing up so fast!"
The two brothers turned their heads together and looked at the carvings on the wall. Seeing that it had grown taller, they jumped up excitedly.
"Mom, my son has grown taller. Can I have two big butter buns?"
"You two brothers can have three. You can decide how to divide it."
"Okay! One and a half each."
"Don't eat mine."
"I won't eat it secretly!"
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