Then Li Xiao said with even greater emotion, "If it is true love, it only happens once in a lifetime, and it will only be for one person."
The emperor's lips twitched: he couldn't understand that. After a moment of silence, he said, "Isn't it normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines?"
Li Xiao: "But true love can only be given to one person."
The emperor paused again, then said, "Minister Li, don't you think that by obeying a woman like this, even if she is the Empress, it's a bit...unbecoming of a man's dignity?"
Li Xiao didn't even know what came over him, but he blurted out, "Consort Lian said: 'Men who are overly concerned with their authority are doing so to conquer women!'"
The emperor paused for a moment, then roared in fury, "What kind of bewitching drug did those two women give you?!"
Li Xiao frowned and said, "I am incompetent, I do not know."
The emperor suddenly felt a headache coming on: He suddenly realized how adorable the former regent was, and this one... is like a demon!
He said, "You gave the Imperial Guard's military tally to the Empress. Aren't you afraid she'll help me seize back all power?"
Li Xiao chuckled and said, "She won't do that."
The Emperor: "What if Consort Lian encourages her?"
Li Xiao paused for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, it seems that the current Consort Lian... wouldn't do that."
The emperor's lips twitched, and his eyelids began to twitch: Yes, if it were the old Consort Lian, she would definitely have sided with him; but now, Consort Lian advocates for checks and balances.
Then Li Xiao said, "Your Majesty, listen to me: true love only happens once in a lifetime, and it can only be given to one person."
The emperor's headache worsened, and he said, "I don't think what the prince said is of any value."
Li Xiao: "I have lost my Su Su, and Your Majesty has also lost Your Majesty's Consort Lian." After saying this, he stood up, bowed, and said, "I take my leave!"
His words left the emperor feeling empty and somewhat lost in thought. Seeing Li Xiao turn to leave, he quickly asked, "Since Your Highness has handed the military tally to the Empress, does that mean you agree with Consort Lian's theory of checks and balances?"
Li Xiao said, "Now that I have handed over the military tally, I will certainly do my best to assist Your Majesty in the future..." He wanted to say "Empress," but then realized it was inappropriate and changed his words to "Your Majesty."
Li Xiao was somewhat incredulous and said, "Your Highness's words... I..."
Li Xiao suddenly turned around, glared at him, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, if it weren't for your constant aggressiveness, I might not have been able to seize power so easily. However, since the Empress and Your Majesty's Consort Lian have both agreed to the theory of checks and balances, I am willing to follow the Empress's wishes. I hope Your Majesty will also prioritize the well-being of the country and its people, and not be so focused on eliminating me. After all, I have been wholeheartedly assisting Your Majesty since your childhood."
After saying all that, you're just blaming me! The Emperor was very annoyed.
But Li Xiao had no time to care whether he was happy or not, and turned around and strode away.
After he disappeared from sight, the Emperor remembered Li Xiao's words, "Men who are overly concerned with their dignity are trying to conquer women." Did Consort Lian say that? Where did this woman learn so many strange and bizarre theories?
Thinking of this, he became curious about the current situation in Xukun Palace and sent Xiao Jia to inquire. When Xiao Jia returned, he said that the Empress and Consort Lian had both gone to the Imperial Kitchen and were talking about making a "cake".
"Cake? What's that?" the emperor asked curiously.
Xiao Jia said, "I heard it's a special kind of pastry."
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Cake? Could it be something like osmanthus cake, lotus seed cake, or other similar pastries?"
Xiao Jia guessed, "I think so."
The emperor thought to himself, "But I wonder what it will taste like?" He then instructed Xiao Jia, "Go and keep an eye on them. Once they've finished cooking, come and inform me immediately."
"Yes," Xiao Jia replied and quickly took the order and left.
About an hour later, Xiao Jia returned to report that the Empress and Consort Lian had taken the finished cakes back to Xukun Palace. The aroma wafted all the way, suggesting that the cakes must taste delicious.
Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately rushed to Xukun Palace with great interest.
Upon hearing that the emperor had arrived, Chu Nian's face immediately fell. There was no doubt that he was there to steal the cake they had worked so hard to make.
When the emperor entered, she and Chu Susu bowed obediently and sat down respectfully. The emperor chuckled and said, "I heard that the empress and my beloved concubine have invented some new pastries, so I came to try them out."
Chu Nian secretly curled her lip: This glutton really doesn't treat himself like an outsider!
She smiled broadly and said, "Your Majesty, it's just a common folk pastry. Because it contains eggs and sugar, it's easy to produce phlegm. Your Majesty is weak and has a history of coughing, so it's really not suitable for you to eat it. However, since Your Majesty is here, please have a bite!"
Upon hearing this, the emperor's face darkened. He recalled the piece of grilled fish he had eaten at noon: there was clearly so much grilled fish, but these two women were obviously unwilling to give it to him.
He said, "My cough has improved a lot."
Chu Nian said, "If His Majesty eats too much, it might worsen his cough." Seeing that Lian Xi had already placed a piece of cake on a plate, she immediately reached out and said, "Give it to me!"
Lian Xina handed the plate, which was halfway to the Emperor, to Chu Nian instead.
The emperor witnessed this and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "Good heavens! You're clearly not going to feed me! Where is my dignity?"
But when he thought of the word "majesty," he couldn't help but recall what Li Xiao had said before. Upon closer analysis, he realized that he really did have a desire to conquer women, especially the woman in front of him who dared not give him cake.
Regardless, Chu Nian cut a piece of cake from the plate that Lian Xi had placed on it, scooped it up with a spoon, and presented it to the emperor. She smiled warmly and said, "Your Majesty, your health is not good, so everything should be done with your health in mind. Therefore, please just have a bite of this cake. When you have fully recovered, the Empress and I will make more for you."
"No need," the emperor said coldly, his anger blazing. "I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Consort Lian had already taken the spoon back, stuffed the cake on the spoon into her own mouth, and muttered as she chewed, "It would be best if Your Majesty didn't eat it, otherwise it might really trigger a serious cough, and I can't bear that responsibility."
After she finished speaking, she started eating the cake in big bites, enjoying it immensely.
The emperor was right across from her, watching and smelling the aroma, and it all seemed incredibly sweet to him…
Not to mention the palace servants, even Chu Susu, who hated the emperor to the core, felt a little sorry for him when she saw him swallowing his saliva with longing eyes.
However, there is always a reason why someone is pitiful. Chu Susu remembered the coldness of the emperor's sword piercing her body, and immediately grabbed the plate, picked up the cake, and ate it with relish.
The emperor was in a very awkward position.
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