After scanning their faces, Li Qin said calmly:
"Alright, get up."
Li Qin then sat down
Once seated in the lobby, he looked at them and said:
"Your rooms are ready. A servant will take you there shortly."
"I'm sorry to have troubled you, my husband."
Zhuang Xiaoyu nodded and said to Li Qin.
"It's nothing, whether it's troublesome or not, aren't we all family?"
As he spoke, Li Qin picked up two pieces of pastry next to him and waved to his eldest son, Li Ruwen, and second son, Li Ruwu.
Let them come over.
After seeing Li Qin wave, the second son, Li Ruwu, immediately ran over and took the pastries from Li Qin's hand.
However, Li Ruwen, his eldest son, did not come over, but turned to look at his mother, Zhuang Xiaoyu.
Zhuang Xiaoyu looked at Li Ruwen and said:
“Your father wants you to come over, so go over there.”
Only after hearing his mother Zhuang Xiaoyu's words did Li Ruwen dare to walk over and take the pastries from Li Qin's hands.
Although Li Qin had a smile on his face, it already looked a little stiff.
After handing the pastries to Li Ruwen, he glanced at him and then looked at Zhuang Xiaoyu.
As the eldest son of the legitimate wife, Li Ruwen had been disciplined by his mother, Zhuang Xiaoyu, to be very obedient, but clearly a little too obedient.
He is the eldest son, according to the current system of primogeniture.
He is the most likely candidate to become the crown prince.
However, with his personality, if he were to become the crown prince...
Can he control those ruthless and cunning ministers under his command?
And what if he dies before Zhuang Xiaoyu?
Based on his recent behavior, it is highly likely that the empress dowager will interfere in politics.
I can't possibly take Zhuang Xiaoyu and all those ruthless ministers with me when I die, can I?
However, it seems that the first crown prince in the early days of a dynasty did not have a good ending.
Very few of the first crown princes of a dynasty are able to successfully ascend the throne.
Forget it, I'm in my prime now, and I'll definitely have more than just those two sons in the future.
Then I'll choose the best one from among them.
After all, by then, the world will be something we've conquered ourselves.
He was not Zhu Qizhen, and he couldn't even decide the position of the crown prince.
If those scholar-officials dare to oppose me, I suggest I fabricate a few major cases and kill them.
Li Qin then stood up, patted his second son Li Ruwu on the head, and said to Zhuang Xiaoyu and Zhang Qianrou in front of him:
"You must be tired from your journey, so please go and rest."
He then waved to them, signaling them to go down.
Zhuang Xiaoyu looked at Li Qin in front of her, and although she wanted to say something, she sighed and bowed to Li Qin, saying:
"Then I'll take them to rest first."
Then she led Li Ruwen, Li Ruwu, and others downstairs.
But after she went down, she glanced at Li Qin in front of her.
I don't know why, but it hasn't been too long since we parted ways in Liaodong.
However, the feeling her husband gave her just now was one of strong alienation.
It was like being a complete stranger.
Moreover, just now I saw him looking at me with a gaze that was both scholarly and martial.
There wasn't a trace of the gentleness he once had as a father in his eyes.
On the contrary, there seemed to be a hint of exploitation in his eyes?
My relationship with him used to be pretty good, so why does it suddenly feel so distant?
Does embarking on this path really mean abandoning emotions?
Is the imperial family the most ruthless?
After leading Zhang Qianrou and the others into the backyard of the mansion, she suddenly saw a woman dressed in plain clothes, without any jewelry, her hair held up only by a wooden hairpin, with a gentle and beautiful appearance.
At that moment, the woman was looking at the girl playing in the yard with a kind expression.
she is?
Zhuang Xiaoyu recognized the woman with the gentle appearance.
The former Crown Princess Jiang Qingyue.
After recognizing her, Zhuang Xiaoyu also remembered that Li Qin had taken her to the army despite her objections before setting off.
I never expected that she would also be assigned to the mansion.
I had met her when I accompanied my husband to the capital.
At that time, as the Crown Princess and future Empress, she wore a great many pieces of jewelry, making her look extremely elegant and noble.
But now, in such a short time, everything has changed.
At this moment, Jiang Qingyue, who was playing with her daughter in the yard, also saw Zhuang Xiaoyu and the others.
His expression changed instantly. He called the woman over, walked up to Zhuang Xiaoyu, and bowed respectfully to her, saying:
"This servant greets Madam."
Jiang Qingyue was very clear about her current situation. She was no longer the Crown Princess, even though she was in Li Qin's residence.
But for Li Qin, that was all she was good for.
Because of her former status as the Crown Princess, she could never be seen in the light of day by Li Qin, and would never have a formal title.
After a while, Li Qin got tired of it.
Her fate now rests entirely in the hands of Li Qin, the mistress of the inner quarters and his legitimate wife.
I don't care about myself, I can endure a little hardship, but my daughter is still so young, what am I going to do?
Therefore, for the sake of his daughter's future, he had to perform this ritual.
Zhuang Xiaoyu was quite surprised to see Jiang Qingyue taking the initiative to come over and pay her respects. In such a short time, she had completely lost all trace of the Crown Princess.
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