Chapter 131: The Tragic Empress vs. the Deeply Affectionate Emperor (5)
Four Seasons Palace.
When the Empress Dowager arrived, she saw the Emperor reading Gongyang Zhuan and was greatly relieved. When Taifu Qi, who was reading by the window, saw her, he tried to salute her from a distance, but she motioned him to step back.
"May the Empress Dowager be well." Taifu Qi saluted deeply.
"Taifu has worked really hard these days." The empress dowager personally helped him up and asked, "Has the emperor made any progress recently?"
"The emperor is a precious gem," Taifu Qi looked at the emperor who was still doing his homework, and praised him sincerely, "At such a young age, you have already developed an awareness of people's livelihood. It will be a blessing for all the people when you rule the country in the future."
"That's great. That's great." The empress dowager's eyes were full of joy, "Seeing that the emperor is so diligent and studious, I can tell the late emperor that I have lived up to his expectations in my grave."
"Mother Empress, when did you come?" The emperor had finished reading the book and was planning to ask Taifu Qi for advice, but he didn't expect to see his mother, who happened to have something to ask her. He was immediately delighted and trotted out.
"The Grand Tutor praised you for your great progress recently. I am really pleased. My son, you have finally grown up." The Queen Mother patted his shoulder, "You have learned a lot and are old enough. It is time to get married and take on your own responsibilities."
"My son does not want to. I just want to study hard with the Grand Tutor and learn more about the principles in the books." The emperor refused.
"The ancients said: Govern the country and bring peace to the world if you don't manage your family first. How can you govern the country and make me and the ministers at the court feel at ease and let you rule the country?" The Queen Mother was already displeased.
"What the Empress Dowager said makes a lot of sense." Taifu Qi bowed and advised: "Your Majesty, although there are
beautiful women in the books, you are the king of Darong, and you are responsible for the reproduction of Darong's descendants." "I just want to learn from Taifu and study wholeheartedly!" The emperor began to sulk, "If I choose a bunch of women I don't know to accompany me in the palace, I will suffer for the rest of my life."
"If you want your mother to be scolded by your father in the underworld, you can just stay in this Four Seasons Palace and study for the rest of your life, and let someone else be the emperor." The Empress Dowager was not a woman with a soft personality. Seeing his attitude, she was furious.
"The concubines are optional, but the queen must be chosen by me." The emperor knew that he could not refuse the ancient rituals, and in order to ease the atmosphere between him and his mother, he made his biggest concession.
"How can choosing a queen be a joke?" The empress dowager was furious. "Originally, I only hoped that you would study hard so that you could rule the country as soon as possible. Now it seems that you have become stupid because of studying too much."
The emperor was stubborn and said with his neck stiff, "If I insist on choosing the one I like, what can the Empress Dowager do to me?"
"Don't be angry, Empress Dowager." Although Taifu Qi complained in his heart, he hurried to mediate, "The emperor is still young, and he is just ignorant about love matters. It is natural for him to want to choose someone who suits his mind as the queen."
"Since ancient times, people have valued 'virtue, words, appearance and merit' in choosing a concubine. It is even more cautious to choose a queen. All four must be good. How can we let him decide?" The empress dowager shook her sleeves heavily and turned to look at the rockery. "I have already made up my mind about the candidate for the queen. As for the concubines, he can choose."
"Since the Empress Dowager and I cannot reach an agreement, let's talk about it another day." The emperor had a cold face and was about to leave the hall.
"Stop right there!" The Empress Dowager took small steps forward and grabbed his sleeve, "Where are you going now?"
"Since the Empress Dowager doesn't like me to study, I won't study anymore. I'll leave the palace to find my uncle and discuss matters between men and women." The Emperor pulled her hand away and raised his eyebrows and said, "The Empress Dowager has always asked me to study with my uncle. It shouldn't be too late now?"
After saying that, he took a few big steps and disappeared outside the palace gate.
"Empress Dowager, I'll go and invite the emperor back now." Taifu Qi bowed and asked for instructions.
The Empress Dowager glanced at his trembling feet and sighed, "Let him go, Li Min will follow him."
Lord Ma Jia's Mansion.
The emperor sat on the railing, his face full of resentment and blame, "Shi Yi, tell me, how can the Empress Dowager be so cruel? She won't even let me choose someone I like as the Empress!"
"Because you are the Emperor." Shi Yi handed him the brewed Longjing tea, "Try it, this is the first batch of tea leaves just picked, it is just delicious."
"No." The emperor stretched out his hand and pushed, "I am angry enough, I don't want to drink any more water."
"Since you don't want to drink, then I won't force you." Shi Yi put the tea bowl on the stone platform, sat next to him, and looked at the fish swimming in the lake with him.
"Why don't you speak?" The Emperor poked her shoulder.
"What do you want me to say?" Shi Yi deliberately moved a little to the side, farther away from him.
The emperor moved closer, "Why didn't the Empress Dowager let me choose a girl I like as the queen?"
Shi Yi sat closer and asked, "Do you have a girl you like?"
"No." The emperor didn't look at her, but followed her step by step, "But how can this be the same?"
"Since you don't have a girl you like, it doesn't matter who the Empress Dowager chooses as the queen." Shi Yi had no choice but to turn her head to look at him.
The emperor wanted to remind her, but he didn't expect her to turn around suddenly, and the distance between them happened to be so close. So close that he could see the small mole on her nose.
"Is there something dirty on my face?" Shi Yi looked at him with wide eyes, not shy as he imagined, nor angry as he imagined.
The emperor felt depressed, turned his head and continued to look at Youyu, saying, "No."
"You came too hastily, I didn't have time to wash. I thought you found it." Shi Yi laughed heartlessly.
"You are too sloppy." The emperor pretended to be disgusted and stepped aside.
"You are one of us, not an outsider." Shi Yi grabbed his arm, "Don't retreat."
"I think you will never get married in this state." The emperor looked at her small fleshy hands pulling his clothes, and the gloom in his heart was swept away.
"My father and mother said that I don't need to get married, as long as I am happy." Shi Yi raised his fleshy chin, with a proud look on his face, like a silly and cute meat rabbit.
The emperor himself didn't have time to react, and his hand was already on the little girl's face, "You, you are young. When you are older, your uncle and aunt will not say so."
After saying that, he pinched the little chubby face of the meat rabbit, and the touch was as good as he imagined.
"If my father and mother really force me to marry, then I will marry you." The little meat rabbit looked cute, "You will marry me, right?"
The emperor's heart suddenly beat more happily.
(End of this chapter)
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