Novel website. The Empress Dowager then raised her head and carefully examined Linghu Lan, a smile on her lips, but her eyes were icy cold.
She underestimated her. It seems the rumors couldn't be trusted. Back then, there were rumors in the capital that Yue Huangyin, the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Qinyang, was beautiful and intelligent, gentle and refined. She had even seen her at the flower-viewing banquet in the palace and had a few words with her. She was indeed a good woman who would make a good wife and mother. That's why she betrothed her to Zhe'er and made her empress, hoping that she could assist Zhe'er and manage the harem so that Zhe'er would have no worries.
Who would have thought that upon meeting today, he would be so sharp-tongued, audacious, and utterly disrespectful of his elders.
On her wedding night, she dared to belittle her husband and make her exiled son sleep on the ground. Who knows if she wouldn't become a hen crowing at dawn and causing chaos in the court in the future?
"I only knew of your reputation for virtue, but I didn't know you were also so eloquent. Even a humble family knows that the husband is the head of the household and the ruler is the head of the subject. As a wife and a subject, how dare you disrespect the emperor and make His Majesty sleep on the ground? I want to hear what you have to say."
Linghu Lan looked calmly at the Empress Dowager and said stoically, "Your subject dares not. Your subject and Your Majesty are husband and wife, sharing the same body, honor and disgrace. Yesterday, your subject did not wish to share the bed with Your Majesty, but it was actually for Your Majesty's sake. Please, Your Majesty, understand."
"Oh?" The Empress Dowager said coldly, as if a frost-like wind and frost were attacking Linghu Lan.
Linghu Lan remained unperturbed and calmly replied, “Your Majesty and I are husband and wife, so naturally we should sleep in the same bed. However, Your Majesty is still very young, and contact with women too early would deplete your vital energy and harm your health. When I read history books, I often saw descriptions of men who married too early as short and small, while those who married after reaching adulthood were tall and imposing, standing at eight feet tall. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, possessing the might of thunder, and should naturally be dignified, tall, and robust. I am foolish, but I know the books are true, and I dare not harm Your Majesty for my own selfish desires. Therefore, we sleep in separate beds.”
After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
The Empress Dowager's eyes narrowed slightly as she silently observed Linghu Lan. After a long while, she spoke, "It's admirable that you've thought of everything so thoroughly. Even so, you shouldn't be so complacent, allowing His Majesty to be subservient to you. What are you plotting?"
Linghu Lan smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but yesterday was our wedding day. Naturally, I wished to be in harmony with Your Majesty and did not want any gossip to spread upon my arrival in the palace. Therefore, it was inconvenient for me to instruct the servants to prepare another bed. As for Your Majesty sleeping on the bed, it was because Your Majesty was concerned that I was not comfortable since I had just arrived. Your Majesty has the majesty of a true dragon, and I dared not disobey your order."
The Empress Dowager smiled slightly, but the room felt cold. "So that's how it is. It seems I misunderstood you. His Majesty cherishes you more than he cherishes his own health."
"Your Majesty cherishes the Empress Dowager the most. It is for this reason that you have followed the Empress Dowager's decree and made your son the Empress. Your son thanks the Empress Dowager for her kindness and favor."
The Empress Dowager sat high in the hall, speechless for a moment: she had chosen this daughter-in-law herself. If the daughter-in-law was not good, wouldn't that imply that she herself had poor judgment?
After a long pause, she sighed and said, "Get up!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I thank you."
Linghu Lan rose and stood there with her head bowed. The white phoenix on her red dress looked as if she had been reborn from the ashes, her beauty vivid and intense, dazzling the Empress Dowager's eyes.
The Empress Dowager vaguely recalled the former Empress, who was also a flamboyant and radiant woman. However, the late Emperor preferred women of refined elegance, which was why she was able to outmaneuver the Empress. Now, the deposed son's preferences differed from his father's.
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