Qin Su didn't know what weapon the Empress Dowager was talking about, but she wondered if it was inappropriate to summon Emperor Mingyang.
Perhaps sensing Qin Su's thoughts, the Empress Dowager smiled and said, "It would be inappropriate not to invite him; you'll see when the time comes."
Qin Su nodded and didn't say anything more.
Soon Emperor Mingyang arrived with Deng Quan, but surprisingly, Yu Shuo did not come with me, which was somewhat unexpected.
Perhaps noticing Qin Su's gaze, Emperor Mingyang explained, "Prince Chen has something to attend to and cannot come."
Qin Su didn't say anything, but she felt a little embarrassed.
She sounds like she's very clingy.
She turned her head away, avoiding eye contact.
"Mother, is there something important that you have summoned me for?" Emperor Mingyang bowed slightly, his serious expression softening as he showed particular respect and gentleness towards his mother.
"Please sit down." The Empress Dowager pulled the quilt up a bit and moved the daybed aside.
Emperor Mingyang sat down as instructed and accepted the hand warmer offered by a palace maid. Although the palace was heated by underfloor heating, it was still quite cold for Emperor Mingyang on his way from the warm pavilion.
The weather hasn't warmed up yet these past few days.
The Empress Dowager did not rush to speak, and Emperor Mingyang did not press for details. He sat beside his mother like a child from an ordinary family.
Qin Su had no intention of taking the lead, mainly because she didn't know what the Empress Dowager was planning. If she spoke rashly and disrupted the Empress Dowager's plans, it would be inappropriate.
She placed the pastries on the table into a jade bowl, added some milk, and mashed them. It seemed that she wasn't the one who had come to speak with the Empress Dowager today.
Cheng An took the child from the side and acted as a good aunt.
Seeing that none of them spoke, the Empress Dowager sighed, even though she knew why Qin Su was silent, and said, "Emperor."
This tone startled Emperor Mingyang, who almost dropped the hand warmer in his hand.
What major event has occurred?
Emperor Mingyang hadn't been in a good mood lately, so much so that he hadn't noticed his mother's recent poor health.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager immediately spoke up: "Summoning the Emperor is a major event. To be precise, it concerns matters of state." As she spoke, she carefully observed the Emperor's expression.
It seemed she was trying to glean some clue from her eldest son's face.
The absolute power of the harem in the previous dynasty, with its hen crowing at dawn, was one of the reasons for the dynasty's downfall. Therefore, since its founding, Da'an has been particularly sensitive about the harem.
This is one of the reasons why the Empress Dowager has always been unwilling to interfere in politics. Of course, the most important reason is simply laziness.
She knew she was not an ambitious person.
Emperor Mingyang showed a slight surprise, but not much.
"Mother, please speak freely. We are all family."
That's what she said, but the Empress Dowager knew better than anyone that her eldest son wasn't entirely without suspicion. This included her and Yu Shuo.
Such wariness simply comes after familial affection.
It's fortunate that this child grew up surrounded by love; if it were the late emperor, it wouldn't have been the same.
Everyone says that she and the late emperor were truly in love, so even though she was born a commoner, she became empress. In fact, the so-called true love was a very minor factor. The most important reason was that she was a "commoner." Commoners do not have powerful maternal relatives, which greatly avoids the abuse of power by the harem and maternal relatives.
She knew all of this, but she didn't care.
"Princess Consort Chen came to the palace today to see me and told me something." The Empress Dowager's words made Emperor Mingyang look at Qin Su. His face showed no abnormality, but only he knew what he was thinking.
"Did the Princess Consort speak with the Empress Dowager about matters concerning the court?"
While it was called a question, Emperor Mingyang was not actually surprised.
In his memory, Qin Su was just that kind of person; she wouldn't shy away from matters of the court. Looking back, Qin Su had indeed made considerable achievements. Well, let's not be so strict.
"Sort of. She believes that the Yuehai Kingdom poses a great threat." The Empress Dowager changed her posture again, as if the previous posture was a bit uncomfortable for her feet.
Emperor Mingyang raised an eyebrow. Wasn't this common knowledge?
He waited quietly for what would happen next.
The Empress Dowager continued, "She plans to lead a group to infiltrate the Yuehai Kingdom in a while and kill their third prince. She intends to use this to disrupt the Yuehai court."
She repeated what Qin Su had just said, then wrapped herself tighter in the blanket, her beautiful phoenix eyes drooping slightly, as if she were somewhat tired.
Emperor Mingyang hesitated for a moment, then said to Qin Su, "The idea is good, but things are not as simple as they seem."
"Moreover, this journey is dangerous. Not only would Ziyu not agree, but even I cannot agree to it."
If anything were to happen to her, Yu Ziyu would be furious with herself.
"The matter of the Yuehai Kingdom can be dealt with gradually; there's no need to rush." After all, this is a problem that has troubled several emperors; how could it be so easily resolved?
Even if he sent the country's top experts to Qin Su, it wouldn't be a matter that could be resolved by killing people.
This needs to be done gradually.
Qin Su was indeed getting a little anxious.
"It's a good thing that she has this intention. At least it's a good thing for the country and the people. I called you here to tell you that I want to research some weapons. If I can succeed in researching them, it's not impossible to hand them over to Princess Consort Chen."
"I didn't want to bring out these weapons before because I felt it was unnecessary. But the Emperor..."
She looked at Emperor Mingyang, whose noble phoenix eyes were now incredibly imposing.
Emperor Mingyang immediately straightened his back, feeling inexplicably afraid of the current Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager rarely spoke to them in this tone and manner, but every time she did so earnestly, it was about something very important. This caused Emperor Mingyang to subconsciously listen attentively.
"The weapons I intend to research cannot be used to invade other countries. Of course, they can be used as elite weapons to defend our homeland if another country attacks. Do you understand what I mean?"
She didn't even refer to herself as "Aijia" (哀家), something Qin Su had never heard before.
Qin Su understood the Empress Dowager's meaning, and Emperor Mingyang should also be aware of it.
Da'an's territory was not small, and its national strength was considerable. However, the Empress Dowager did not want Da'an to become a warmonger; if such a thing were to happen, it would truly be infamous.
"Your son understands." Emperor Mingyang lowered his head, very seriously and solemnly.
The Empress Dowager responded, "Actually, it should have been taken out long ago; at least it would have been good to use it to protect the country."
These words made Emperor Mingyang and Qin Su even more curious. What kind of weapon could make the Empress Dowager value it so much and take it so seriously?
"I will draw up the blueprints and send them to the Ministry of Works tomorrow. It must be someone I can trust. We absolutely cannot let them find out about it, like the Duke of Cheng's mansion."
"Or you could have someone you trust more to do the research."
Emperor Mingyang naturally agreed; such an important weapon indeed could not be leaked.
"Alright, I'm tired, you can go back now."
Emperor Mingyang, filled with curiosity and a sense of solemnity, rose and left.
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