In the evening, after Chu Zan finished his government affairs, he went to Qingzhu Courtyard, but the palace maids in the courtyard said that Concubine An was called away by the Queen Mother and had not returned.
Chu Zan felt uneasy and hurried to the Cining Palace.
In the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager had been waiting for the Emperor.
Chu Zan looked at the dinner prepared by the Queen Mother and glanced around: "Queen Mother, where is Concubine An?"
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Princess An is a filial daughter. Last night, I felt a little unwell. Nanny said that Concubine An was a blessed person, so why not have her come here to copy Buddhist scriptures for me? I agreed. I really didn't expect this method to be so effective. Today, Concubine An copied Buddhist scriptures for me in the Buddhist hall, and I feel much better now."
Chu Zan heard that Fang felt sorry for Jin Shu, but since the person in front of him was his mother, he also felt sorry for her, so he asked with concern, "Has the Queen Mother sent for the imperial physician?"
The Queen Mother nodded. "She invited me in, but she didn't mention any illness or even prescribe any medicine, yet I've gotten much better. I guess Anpin's sincerity moved the Buddha, and that's why I've gotten better."
Chu Zan said, "In that case, why not have Concubine An come over and have dinner with us?"
Miaozhu, who was beside the Empress Dowager, took over the conversation and said, "Your Majesty, you cannot leave the Buddhist scriptures at will. Concubine An must copy them in the Buddhist temple for seven days and seven nights to pray for the Empress Dowager."
Chu Zan frowned slightly: "It will take seven days and seven nights!"
Miaozhu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, according to tradition, blessing the Empress Dowager should last for 49 days, but the Empress Dowager knew that Your Majesty favored Concubine An, so she only allowed Concubine An to stay in the Buddhist temple for seven days. If someone as blessed as Concubine An could copy sutras for the Empress Dowager in the Buddhist temple for 49 days, then the Empress Dowager would surely live a hundred years."
The Emperor was furious and glared at Miaozhu. "According to you, if Concubine An didn't copy sutras for the Empress Dowager in the Buddhist temple for 49 days, then the Empress Dowager wouldn't live to be a hundred years old?"
Miaozhu was so frightened that she quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I made a mistake and said something wrong. The Empress Dowager will definitely live to be a hundred years old. I just wanted to say that if Concubine An could copy scriptures in the Buddhist temple for 49 days, then the Empress Dowager will definitely live longer and be healthier."
The Queen Mother quickly tried to smooth things over and looked at Miaozhu: "Get up! You look so scared, but the Emperor won't eat people."
Miaozhu stood up, but she didn't dare to say anything more.
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Miaozhu is doing this for my own good. Your Majesty, please don't scare her."
The emperor naturally would not feel bad for a palace maid, but he felt heavy in his heart. He stopped eating after a few bites of dinner and said he wanted to go visit Concubine An.
But Miaozhu stood up again and said, "Your Majesty, you cannot go there. If you go, all the sutras that Concubine An copied today will be in vain, and the Buddha will not appear."
All right! Chu Zan endured it. He couldn't ignore his mother's health and go see his Jinshu!
"Are the blankets in the Buddhist hall warm?"
Miaozhu said, "Your Majesty, the Buddhist hall is fully equipped with new bedding. Concubine An will definitely eat and sleep well here."
Chu Zan felt relieved and turned around to leave the Cining Palace.
But at this moment, Imperial Noble Consort Xu Xueluo arrived.
Chu Zan did not recognize the other concubines, but since Xu Xueluo was his cousin, he naturally recognized her.
Every time Xu Xueluo saw him, she would say, "Your Majesty, do you remember when we were little? You said you would marry me as your queen. We were so happy when we were little! You always held my hand, afraid that I would fall or trip."
This time Xu Xueluo did the same thing again. She bowed and then talked about her childhood: "Your Majesty, the moon is beautiful tonight. I remember that when you were a child, you loved to draw the moon with me. Your Majesty, why don't you come to my palace? I have prepared the drawing paper and paint."
Chu Zan said coldly, "Why don't I remember this happening?"
Xu Xueluo walked to Chu Zan and tried to hold his arm, but was brushed away by Chu Zan.
But Xu Xueluo was not discouraged. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you don't remember the things from our childhood, but I remember them clearly."
Chu Zan was a little impatient: "There's no need to remember childhood events too clearly. I have something else to do, so I have to leave first."
"Wait." The Queen Mother appeared at the right time.
Xu Xueluo walked up to the Queen Mother as if she had found a savior: "Queen Mother, I want to invite the Emperor to my palace, but the Emperor..."
The Empress Dowager said to Chu Zan, "Your Majesty, I have already told you that you must visit and sit with all the palaces, and treat them equally. The Imperial Noble Consort is so kind, and as the Emperor, you should also understand some of the customs."
Chu Zan suspected that the Queen Mother deliberately let his son Jinshu copy Buddhist scriptures in the Buddhist temple so that he could favor others.
"Your Majesty, I still have some memorials to review, so I'm going back now."
After saying this, Chu Zan turned and left.
Letting him favor another woman would be more painful than killing him.
Xu Xueluo looked at the emperor's resolute back, tears pouring out like beans, "Your Majesty, why do you favor Concubine An alone and not me? You are my heaven!"
The Queen Mother sighed, "Xueluo, I have done my best. Concubine An was left in the Buddhist temple, but the Emperor would rather spend the night alone than favor you."
Xu Xueluo turned to look at the Queen Mother, her eyes suddenly becoming sinister: "Aunt, kill Concubine An. Only by killing Concubine An can the Emperor favor me. I am your niece!"
The Queen Mother shook her head: "No. Concubine An cannot die now."
Xu Xueluo: "Then when can we let her die?"
The Queen Mother said: "Now that the Emperor can sleep with Concubine An, it is already the greatest blessing for the royal family. I still have to see if Concubine An can conceive a dragon heir. If she can, then we will wait until Concubine An gives birth to the child. If not, then Concubine An will not be able to keep the child."
Xu Xueluo lowered her eyes, thinking to herself that Concubine An must not be able to conceive a dragon heir, and the woman who would conceive a dragon heir for the emperor must be her.
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